Today we were out furniture shopping and our son was in the back crying. So naturally… we started singing.

That got me thinking about the insane number of things you end up doing as a parent that you never would have imagined. So here’s a short list of things I never thought we’d be doing on a regular basis:

1. Singing. Singing. More singing.
I’m convinced our son thinks our voices are the best on earth. Taylor Swift who?
But seriously—every time he starts getting whiny, we sing through a playlist of songs to calm him down. Two are always at the top. First: Old MacDonald. We’ve sung it so much, for so long, that I often wonder how rich Old MacDonald must be to own this many animals. We’re talking giraffes, goats, cows, hippos, chipmunks, snakes—pretty much any animal we can think of.
It’s even become a game in our family. One person names the animal, the other has to make the sound. For example, if my wife says “hippo,” I might respond with: “I like ’em big, I like ’em chunky” from Madagascar. Second, The Wheels on the Bus. Who knew the bus had so many moving parts? 

2. Picking things up. Constantly.
Our son drops things on purpose. I swear he looks deep into my soul every time I hand him something… then slowly drops it. And laughs.
I can confidently say our dogs are the biggest beneficiaries of this phase, as they get to eat a lot of the “dropped” items.

3. Sitting there with an app open, watching him sleep.
Who knew you could love something so much that you’d basically watch it 24/7?
In this house, the Nanit app is the #1 most-used app at all times. If you haven’t heard of it, I highly recommend it.

4. Coming up with creative ways to get him to eat.
Don’t get me wrong—this kid loves food and is actively eating us out of house and home (does anyone have a lead on an unlimited berry farm?).
But sometimes it feels like he wants to be entertained before he eats. I can’t tell if it’s evil genius or pure humor—but I’m starting to think these kids are way smarter than they let on.

Parenthood is wild, exhausting, hilarious… and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.