E celebrated his first 4th of July!
We started out by stopping by the annual bbq that my boss throws. We live in the same town, so it was close and easy to drop by. E behaved beautifully, and ended up with quite the fan base there.
Proving Us Wrong
I feel like E might be one of those people who when you tell them they can't do something, they're going to work non stop until they can.
Case in point, I just mentioned that we had his one month check up. At the check up we learned he was ity bity, and discussed a few developmental milestones that he hadn't quite hit... yet.
In Search of a Doctor
I always knew that one of my jobs as a mom would be to advocate for my children. I just didn't think that it would start so soon!
When I was pregnant, Tom and I did a lot of research on things we'd need once E was here, one of which was a pediatrician. We found a practice that was RAVED about, we even attended a new parent's night there to get a feel for it. It seemed like a great fit, and so we scheduled our newborn appointment there.
One Month!
E's one month update!
Nick Names: Bubba, Bubby, Buddy
Height: TBD (at our appointment tomorrow)
Weight: TBD (at our appointment tomorrow)
Special Outings: First Movie (Cars 3), Hiking at Breakheart, Random Shopping Trips
Visitors: My parents, Aunt Joanie & Brookie, Nicole, Stephen & Alice, Aunt Raina
Loves: Warm baths, Eating, Sleeping in someone's arms
Hates: Being cold, Gas pains
The Day I left the House
When my doula came for her postpartum visit, I talked to her about how I didn't think I'd ever do anything this summer but sit on the couch with the baby. She told me to take two weeks to do absolutely nothing, and not feel guilty about it, and then to get up and start doing things.
Ever the overachiever, I took four. To be fair, I did leave the house and go on adventures when Tom was home, I just didn't do it alone. I guess it's easier to justify doing nothing when the day before we'd gone on a hike, or to a farmer's market, or shopping.
A New Normal
I had to go into the city the other day.
It's weird, I've only been gone 3 weeks, but already everything is foreign. I got off at the same T stop I used to get off at every day for work. And already it felt as if I was getting off at a random stop in a different city. Nothing seemed familiar and I felt lost, even though I knew where I was going.
First Few Weeks
Heading Home
E was born Sunday morning, which meant that we headed home from the hospital on Tuesday afternoon. I thought it was going to feel weirder than it did, but I think because every part of this process has seemed surreal, this wasn't any different. I still don't think it ever set in that I was pregnant, I'm just continuing that denial now that E is here. I swear sometimes I look down at this little baby in my arms and just think "WHO GAVE ME A BABY!?"
Happy Father's Day
Before and After with Baby E
Introducing Baby E
Birth Story Part III - Post Delivery
When baby E arrived, all I could think about was how hot I was (I was still fighting an infection and fever), and as they put him on me, my first thought was "WHY IS HE SO WARM!?" He wasn't there for long, though, since he was rushed off to be checked by the emergency team. It was mostly a precaution, and he turned out fine. His Apgar scores were 7 and 9, so nothing to worry about.
I, however, was another story.
Birth Story Part II - Active/Transition
The next few hours of labor were actually fun haha. Hello epidural. Basically Tom, Stacey and I just hung out in the room. I put on random movies that we'd already seen and didn't need to watch too closely - "Definitely, Maybe", "White House Down", and "Delivery Man" (which was hilarious because the whole movie there are lines telling you not to have children!). I slept a bit, and should have slept some more, but I was too excited to get more than an hour or two nap. We chatted about our families, shows we watched recently (Call the Midwife was a favorite topic of conversation) and Tom would tell us about all the other dads he would meet out in the hall.
Birth Story Part I - Early Labor
When I hit 40 weeks, I was pretty sure this baby wasn't going to come any time soon. None of the signs they tell you to look for were present - the baby hadn't dropped, I wasn't nesting, I didn't have a burst of energy, and none of the other things they tell you to look for had happened. I also hadn't felt a single contraction - Braxton Hicks or otherwise. In fact I felt great and the exact same that I'd been feeling for the past month or so. Also knowing that I was born 2 weeks late, I was ready to assume this baby would be late too.
Finally Here
New Addition
The Final Weeks of Pregnancy
Another Year Older!
The First Lamb
My family has always known about my obsession with lambs and sheep, but now the rest of you have caught on too, since they've been popping up all over the place in the nursery. While I've always had quite a collection, there's always been one that was more special than the rest. One that came long before the others, and maybe started all of this madness.