Happy news
Hi! I’m Jacqueline Nesi, a clinical psychologist, professor at Brown University, and mom of two young kids. Here at Techno Sapiens, I share the latest research on psychology, technology, and parenting, plus practical tips for living and parenting in the digital age. If you haven’t already, subscribe to join nearly 20,000 readers, and if you like what you’re reading, please consider sharing Techno Sapiens with a friend.
Dear techno sapiens,
I had big plans for all that I would accomplish before my baby was born.
I planned to finish a series of work projects and research papers. I planned to meticulously hand off responsibilities to the (very generous) co-workers covering for me. I planned to give my toddler plenty of time to adjust to starting preschool. I planned to clean the closets, organize the nursery, stockpile the diapers and wipes.
I planned to write this post in advance.
Instead, I’m sitting here at my laptop on Sunday afternoon, a tiny baby boy asleep in the bassinet beside me, 3 weeks ahead of schedule—happy, healthy, impossibly perfect.
And I realize I couldn’t have planned it any better.1
I know in the future I’ll have much more to write about the baby, his journey into the world, and the transition to being a parent of two, but for now—for the first time since starting Techno Sapiens nearly two years ago—I’ll be taking a short break. I’ll be back before you know it, and, in the meantime, don’t be surprised if I pop up in your inboxes unannounced because, well, I can’t help myself.
Thanks so much for your support, techno sapiens. I’m off to enjoy some newborn snuggles.
See you soon,
Jackie
A few highlights of the past week:
During a very long labor, I found myself frantically sending emails and finishing up one of the aforementioned research papers from my hospital bed. This part, I’ll admit, could have been planned better.
My toddler, minutes after meeting his little brother for the first time, requested that we “leave the baby at home” when heading to his grandparents house. Very disappointed to learn this would not be possible.
I rediscovered a time-honored tradition of late night Googling things like “diaper rash newborn” and “can baby choke on spit up?”
I made an alarming number of Amazon purchases, including: bassinet mattress covers (waterproof), bassinet sheets (also waterproof), multipack of hand sanitizer, and three more swaddles identical to the one in which the baby slept a miraculous 4-hour stretch (who ever said correlation doesn’t equal causation?)
I've just recently welcomed a newborn into the world as well, it can certainly be disruptive to our lovely plans and routines! Congrats to you and your family.
Congratulations! My second is almost 5 months and my 2.5 year old still regularly asks me to put baby down and pick her up instead. Take a long break, you deserve it!