Life Changed with a Baby

First of all, I feel like super mom getting a blog post written!! 

... And then I see the clean laundry basket full of clothes and the dirty dishes in the kitchen stacked up in the sink. Oh well :) I'll get to those eventually.

My life these days has consisted of a wee little girl. Fussy girl, at times, but a cute one at that. It's crazy how much everything has changed. I've changed. Every time I wake up at night, I have to check on her to make sure she is breathing. And before I do, when I'm half awake, I have to check the covers to make sure I haven't smothered her. No, I don't sleep with her (and I never have), but I feed her so much that I feel like she is always in my arms. So when I wake up, I think the covers are Agnes and then when I reach for them, I think she is in the covers and then I freak out and... well, you get the picture. It's scary. I've definitely become more paranoid about things, but I guess that's what it's like being a mommy. 

And I still can't believe I'm a mommy. It's crazy how I get excited about the little things. Like when I can eat or type with two hands. Or when I can take a long shower. Or watch a full episode of a TV show without any interruptions (hasn't happened, yet, but I'm hopeful). I get excited when she has a poop or when she burps (and not at all disgusted... weird).  I'm also in awe of her little quirks she has. She will immediately be quiet and just stare when her daddy starts singing her all (and I mean ALL) the songs from the Sound of Music with funny voices and everything. 

Daddy and Little One

She also has a thing for loud obnoxious noises. Like the paper shredder, the vacuum, and the fans in the bathrooms... 

This is how I get her to sleep. I put her in her jumper... turn the fan on... in the bathroom (as I type this, this is how she looks). 

And where did she sleep last night? ... Yes, folks, she slept here. Okay, not exactly there. She was in the same jumper, but I put her right outside of the bathroom (right next to the guest bed) so that I could keep an eye on her if she were to wake up.

She didn't, and at 4am, I moved her back to our room and into her crib. I hope this doesn't become a habit because I'm not used to sleeping in a twin sized bed :P

Agnes on our guest bed... apparently she'll fall asleep here, too.

So these past few nights, she has only woken up once, or not at all like last night, which is very different from before when she woke up at least two to three times a night. It has been glorious. Last night, she went a stretch of 6.5 hours before waking (from 1 to 7:30!). 

I'm sure you are very interested in how much sleep we're getting... :P

Anyways, we are still developing routines, but she is only 1 month and 4 days old so we still have things to learn about her personality and what she does and doesn't like. She loves the car, she hates being in her car seat (awake) outside of the car or when the car isn't moving. I'm still trying to find out why she can be perfectly fine with having her diaper changed one time and then not be ok, at all, with it another time.

I'm still learning, and even though it's exhausting, it's so worth it when you see this face:

(These are all iPod photos... the camera was nowhere to be seen at the time)

Now off to do dishes and laundry... or I just finished this post right on time for her to awaken! Great timing, I must say :P 

Life as I Knew it.

Well it's been one week and five days since I gave birth to the most beautiful baby girl (yes, I'm bias, but what mother isn't?). The change has been unbelievable. Even though I've only been alone with her (without any company or help from Paul) for a total of about 5 hours, it has still been a huge adjustment for me. That one piece of advice everyone gives to new moms... you know, sleep when the baby is sleeping? Yeah, I'm totally doing that... now.

I didn't follow that advice the first week and 2 days... now I try and sleep EVERY time the baby sleeps. She is up at night, and sleeps during the day (but nurses every 2 to 3 hours). So I have become nocturnal, in a way, and I also sleep a lot during the day (and even though I want to sleep at night, too, it's simply impossible). Life as I knew it has definitely changed.

I don't wear regular clothes during the day... I'm in my comfiest pajamas. Unless I am going out of the house for an appointment or church, I look like Quasi-Modo in a robe.

When company is no longer here to help out, I know that showers with hair washes will be a delicacy. I'm taking advantage and showering like crazy these days!

Even though we don't have her in bed with us (EVER!), I still always wake up panicked thinking I left her nursing in my arms and the comforter has smothered her or something terrible like that. Every. Single. Time. I guess those mini heart attacks officially make me a mom...? It's so scary, I hate it!

It's weird to think that this little baby was inside me less than two weeks ago and that back then, I wouldn't have been able to imagine a newborn in my arms right now and see myself as a mother. Amazing how things change... it's so surreal! This past year, Paul and I would look at each other and say with disbelief, "We're married!!" Tonight we looked at each other and said, "We're married... and we have a baby!!" Ahhhh!

I haven't needed to cook yet, but I'm sure that will be a totally new and challenging experience when the time comes.

I'm scared to paint my nails (but it's what has kept me form biting them)... I never know when she'll wake up from her nap when I think about doing them and how harmful the fumes may be if I do get them done.

I never thought I'd be good at diaper changing... I'm still not a pro, but I try and get it done as fast and as efficient as I can before she pees on me, or herself, or launches another poop rocket on the carpet.

I'm sure I have many more examples of how my life as I knew it has changed, but little one is about to need some major help in burping, so I'll just leave you with some cute pictures ;)

My Daughter is Here!!!

Click here to read her birth story!