I second that, Ivy-- I mean, other parents (I think) must just have no real idea what one of these kids is like.
I think the hardest part was that we'd never had a baby before and weren't close to anyone who had one. So we thought this was just how babies are... which meant that we were always judging ourselves very harshly against other parents we'd see. They looked so well rested and groomed. Babies with cute, clean matching little outfits. Mothers of infants whose hair was washed, who were actually smiling and coherent (as opposed to shuffling zombies). Happy families out for outings.
I remember night after night of fast food in the car, eating our dinners while parked at a hiking spot outside of town... because the only way to stop her screaming was to keep driving until she finally fell asleep -- and of course she'd wake right back up when we got home. I remember hallucinating from sleep deprivation "honey, there's a giant dog in the baby's room." I remember DH and I would pass her back and forth like a tiny squalling football, just so the other could get some rest.
