Wow, it's gone really, really fast in some ways. In other ways, it feels like we've always had her -- and I can't imagine not knowing her, what she looks like and everything. Not that we know her just yet -- we're still getting used to each other, as Pete wrote below.
I've been surprised by a few things the past month, like how little sleep I can get by without. I've been surprised that Pete is such an amazing caregiver (both of me and her) and knows instinctively what to do (without reading any of the baby books, imagine that!). I've been surprised by how quickly the days go by. I've been surprised by how difficult breastfeeding has been, and how really experiencing it for yourself changes your perspective on everything.
Everywhere I look now, if I see a baby or parents pushing a stroller, I think, they went through this too. They went through the roller coaster of emotions, the day-to-day mundaneness, the newfound closeness between the parents, the hope and possibility you dream of for your child. They all went through it. And somehow survived. :)
We've developed a pretty good working rhythm: we're up until 1 or 2 a.m. for the last feeding, then Pete gets up in the middle of the night to feed her. I get up around 7 or 8 to feed her, and he gets up shortly after to start his work day. It's kept the sleeplessness at a minimum -- hooray! We're so thankful we have a baby that likes to sleep.
She's been on an eating tear lately -- she's a bottomless pit. I can't keep up with breastmilk production, so we've had to supplement with formula. It has its pros and cons -- the cons being the cost and the fact that it smells horrible. The pros being it's really easy to mix up -- no need to heat up a bottle.
We're excited for the next months and years. It still feels like we're in bootcamp on some days (today's one of them -- she's been fussy all day) and other days feel so close to normal there are split-seconds that I forget we have a baby. I'm a little weepy writing this, thinking that she'll never be so young again. This feels like a very tender and precious time.
Pictures of the little miss today are HERE. Don't be alarmed by her rash, we've already talked to the pediatrician about it -- she's fine.
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5 comments:
Good to see how Lucia is growing and how you are doing. We follow the same exact schedule :)
Maya got the baby acne too 5 days ago. Went from perfect skin to major acne over night. Weird but the doctor said it will clear in a few weeks. I'm sure you were told the same.
Congratulations! It is a precious time, but I have found that each stage is better than the last, each one in a different way.
Heather, I answered your question on my blog, new to this so I'm not sure what the etiquette is...LOL
Heather, I love this photo of you and Lucia. You look so content just laying there holding your little baby girl.
Congratulations on surviving the first month!!
Ditto to Julie. You look very content. :)
I used to think the same thing about other people going through it. I felt this new bond with humanity. And my mother? Holy cow. Whole new level of appreciation.
What a beautifully written post. Happy day Lucia for turning one month! It only gets better from here.
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