I can hardly believe that I have a three-week-old daughter already! I know that everyone says, "Time flies! They grow up so fast" but...time flies! They grow up so fast! I am already having to put away some of Aynsley's newborn clothes because she is getting too big for them.
I thought I'd write a post about the ups, the downs, and the unexpected things that have come up over the last three weeks. Warning to those who are boys or related to me or a little squeamish: the word "nursing" will be mentioned several times.
1. It never occurred to me that nursing pads would be a staple in getting dressed each morning. I pull out an outfit to wear, get shoes and accessories together, and I realize that I absolutely canNOT forget to grab two nursing pads. I never realized how important they'd be in my daily wardrobe selection.
2. On that note, my wardrobe is seriously limited. I have two nursing bras, three nursing tanks, one pair of too-big jeans, one pair of waistband-hits-my-incision-and-makes-me-uncomfortable jeans, two pairs of (borrowed) leggings, one dress (to go with the leggings), and one nice nursing top. So my every day dress is the too-big jeans, a nursing tank, and a sweater or the leggings and the dress (or both, if Aynsley poops on me). I basically wear the same two outfits every single day, except that I have three different colored nursing tanks from which to choose (wide, WIDE variety going on here).
3. As a result of my limited wardrobe, I do a LOT of small loads of laundry. Small loads of laundry are also somewhat more manageable - if I don't get to the laundry just as the dryer finishes, I put away LESS wrinkled clothing than if I had a full load.
4. I don't really sleep when the baby sleeps (unless it's dark outside). Honestly, I don't usually feel like I need (or even want) a nap most days. That might sound crazy, but it's true. I have taken a couple of naps when Aynsley's been asleep, but I usually get crazy-excited to get a bazillion things done while she's napping. In 45 minutes, I can clean my entire house, empty and reload the dishwasher, start a load of laundry in the washer and get it into the dryer, take the dogs out, catch up on thank-you notes, check my email and facebook, return phone calls, and eat a snack. And I feel about a billion times better than I would if I took a nap.
5. Umbilical cord stumps are seriously gross. And when the stump finally falls off, there's a boogery blob there that still hasn't healed. Thankfully, Aynsley's belly button has finally healed and it's quite cute.
6. Even when you put your baby in a hot pink onesie, someone will still say, "Oh, look how alert he is!" Never fails. Admittedly, my little one looks a lot like her daddy, but I'm making a point of making sure she's wearing something girly every time we leave the house. Not that it ever matters.
7. Slowly, slowly, slowly, I'm becoming a pro at this mom thing. I've been a pro at the nanny thing - getting kids in and out of stores with all their stuff, keeping them pleasant, feeding them - this has all been pretty easy thus far. Up until now, I've always had snacks and bottles handy. Now I'M the bottle, and I am getting more and more comfortable with nursing in front of others and going out around feeding time.
8. I'm becoming more and more impressed with what I can accomplish with one hand. Last night, I managed to partly load the dishwasher, put away clean dishes, and put together a container of leftovers for Matt to take to work - all while holding Aynsley (I won't even tell you what I've been able to do while walking around nursing her). This morning, I was able to put the leashes on our two dogs and take them outside while Aynsley scried (scream-cried) in my arms.
9. I can't even believe how in love I am. There aren't any words to describe it.
10. I am feeling awesome due to being blessed beyond belief by friends and family. Having heard so many horror stories about sleep deprivation, I prepared myself for the very worst. I assumed that I would be in no state to drive, talk to people, take care of the dogs, etc. As a result, I put together an information sheet for my mom with just about everything you can imagine to help her function as a result of my (potential) new-mom-absolute-craziness. Truly, only one friend said, "Oh, no, it won't be that bad" (everyone else just kept saying really helpful things like "sleep while you can"). But, really, it hasn't been that bad. At all. I have been able to talk to people on the phone, talk to people in person, be friendly (at least some of the time), answer questions, write thank-you notes, journal, read...I'm fairly certain that most of what I've said and written has been comprehended by others. We are beyond blessed to have many of our church friends bringing us meals, my mom was able to spend two weeks with us, and we have crazy awesome support from friends. So thank you to everyone for the support, prayers, kind words, and love - things have really been awesome and I absolutely love getting to be a wife AND a mommy.
