Filling in the Gaps

Right now Christian is 6 weeks old. A lot has happened in those six weeks and there are things that I don't want to forget. The first six weeks after a baby is born seem to be so special, yet so easy to forget since you're sleep deprived and operating in survival mode. Memory brain power always seems to be lacking when you're in survival mode. So please, bear with me as I do my best to keep these events fresh in my mind. 

My Mom was on our annual family beach trip when the baby was born, so there was some lag time between when we got home from the hospital (Thursday) and when she could fly out (Monday). It was just us as a brand new family of four. I basically lived on one corner of the couch. It had everything that I needed and nursing took so long that by the time Christian had eaten, gotten changed, and we snuggled, it was time for him to eat again. My tired body was more than happy to take up residence in one location, breaking only to "sleep" in my bed at night.

Aaron had offered to help someone move on the same day we got home from the hospital. He checked and double checked with me if it was alright for him to be gone for an hour that evening and I told him it was fine with me. Suddenly as the minutes drew near I started panicking. Me, in my apartment, alone with two kids for an hour? He left and I'm pretty sure I perspired to the point of severe dehydration. What if everything went terribly terribly wrong all at the same time? But it was just fine. Grace and I played while Christian napped. Although it was a smooth experience I breathed a serious sigh of relief when Aaron got home, and then went and reapplied more deodorant.

Those first days at home were so surreal. Here we were in familiar surroundings yet everything felt a little bit different. We had expanded as a family, but our expansion was a small, sleepy, cuddly little babe that didn't require too many functional changes but somehow changed everything. And boy, were we in love.

Before Christian was born I was nervous about the first few days. How were we going to manage with me recovering and no Moms in town. But Aaron more than stepped up to the plate. He went from working full time to being a full time Dad. It seemed like the most natural transition for him. He knew the routines, kept us all fed, and made sure each family member got their much needed attention. Grace soaked him up like a sponge. Dad was the favorite and there was no doubt about it.

After a few days I could tell that Grace needed to spend some time with just me, and I needed a moment outside of the apartment, so Grace and I headed to the store for a very quick errand and stopped briefly at the mall play area for her to get some energy out before I got the text, "The boss is hungry," which directed our little excursion back home. Although the fresh air and familiarity of running errands with my girl were so nice, my body hurt and I was dying to cuddle and hold my sweet brand new baby in my arms.

Those first few days were laced with some stressful moments and a few tears but overall they were calm and peaceful. Days that we spent as a tiny family of four soaking up the newness of life together.

By Sunday we got prepped and ready for the help to arrive. And doing laundry is a whole lot more enjoyable with a newborn babe in your sights.