Memories, Milestones, and Motherhood: Month 1

I suppose this post should be written...seeing as we're coming up on her 2-month birthday next week TODAY. :)

Annie was born at 12:42AM on Sunday. The next couple days in the hospital were quiet and relaxing. One of my friends came to visit and so did Tucker's great-aunt who lives 20 minutes away, but besides that, we spent our time sleeping and eating and snuggling. We were lucky that one of the chairs pulled out into a bed so Tucker got to stay with us the entire time, too. Late Monday afternoon, we were finally released to go home where the sleeping-eating-snuggling routine continued. The blessing about Tucker working early mornings is that he can be home most of the day with me so we quickly fell into a lazy restful pattern.

My family drove up the next day (actually, the car broke down in Kanab, so they didn't get here til Wednesday...) for the 4th of July weekend and to meet the baby. It was a little crazy having all of them come over to our little apartment, but it was nice to spend time with them and be able to get some good dinner each night. Tucker's parents came up a few days later for a relative's wedding, and we were able to spend the 4th of July with them and the rest of my father-in-law's family.

Even before Annie was born, I knew I didn't want to be a paranoid mom who never leaves the house until the baby is two months old. In fact, the morning after she was born, we took her to the brand-new Walmart Neighborhood Market by our house to fill my prescriptions, and we put her in the stroller for a walk in the sunshine that afternoon. Strangers were nice and didn't try to touch her (except for a 90 yr old lady who patted her back at a community choir concert I went to when she was 2 weeks old), and we made sure visitors washed up before holding her. But I definitely haven't kept her quarantined, and she's never once been sick.

When Annie was 3 weeks old, my Papa died unexpectedly. Luckily, we were able to make it down for the funeral so she got to go on her first plane ride. And she was SO good. Slept the ENTIRE time from right before boarding until the plane's engines shut off after landing. It was wonderful to have a few days at home so that more family could meet her.

Smitten uncles...

And naps with Grandma... :)

From Arizona, we drove to California with Tucker's dad for a week-long family reunion in Newport Beach. Grandma and Grandpa Brown saved up their timeshares so that the whole family could spend a week together. I'd been looking forward to it, but it wasn't quite as relaxing as I'd hoped. I was still healing so I couldn't get in the water at all. I'd looked forward to sitting on the beach and reading while Annie slept, but she needed a bit more attention than that. Once asleep, she has a hard time staying asleep, so it was a constant battle to get her down. It was fun to be around family but also a little overwhelming to not really have our own quiet space. It was really nice to get to sleep a few extra hours each morning while someone else took the baby, though. And all her aunts and uncles and cousins just love her. Can't blame 'em. :) In addition to the beach, we also went to the Pacific Aquarium and spent time shopping, exploring street fairs, and playing lots of games. It was really nice to get one good summer vacation in before school starts again.

Annie celebrated one month of life while we were there, and got more and more alert each day.

During her first month, she...

• Woke up every 2-3 hours to eat, and had a long, fussy stretch every night from midnight to about 4AM. Besides that, she slept great, so we just took lots of naps during the day.
• Hated burping and loved spitting up. A LOT. Still does, but she's gaining good weight.
• 2 week check-up: 7 lbs, 11 oz! Up from 6lbs, 13 oz at birth.
• Went on her first airplane!
• LOVES the shower.
• Visited Arizona and California.
• Went swimming with Dad!
• Smiled and giggled in her sleep.
• Finally figured out how to nurse with Mom sitting up. For the first week, she could only latch if I was laying down and she was laying on top of me.
• Blowouts! Almost every time she pooped no matter what brand of diaper we tried. We even tried going up a size, but it swamped her little body and she STILL pooped out.
• Went to church! We took her back the first week home from the hospital. I know some people can't do that, but I felt fine, and we just walked in a couple minutes late and left a couple minutes early to avoid crowds and didn't let anyone near her.
• Sucked her thumb when her hand and mouth happened to find each other.
• Learned to hold her head up by 3 weeks.
• Slept with Mom in Mom and Dad's bed. No worries, I'm a light sleeper. She's totally safe, and this is what worked best for us.
• Met all 4 grandparents, all aunts and uncles (except Layton in Chile), some great-aunts and uncles, and lots of cousins!

happy after a warm shower with Mom

found that thumb!

first plane ride!

warm AZ evening

snuggled up after swimming with Dad

meeting Auntie Eve

hanging out with cousin Jonah!
(he's 3 months older)

For me? Most days were good days, but we all know new moms are prone to mental break-downs. I definitely had a few of those. :) There were nights during those long middle-of-the-night stretches where she just would. not. sleep. and my exhausted and emotional self couldn't handle it. Tucker's willing to help if I ask, but I always felt bad since he has to get up for work at 3:30. There were nights, though, that she'd be crying, and I'd be frustrated, and he'd wake up and take her from me, and I'd just break down sobbing. And then she'd quiet down and finally sleep. Tucker joked that the best way to get her to stop crying was for me to start crying. Ha. ;) 

For the most part, things have been....not easy, but predictable. We know how to change diapers. We know how to get her dressed. We know how to put her in the car-seat and run errands. None of those things were new or stressful. What is new is just getting used to having this extra person in our family who is totally and completely dependent on us for every single little thing. It's exhausting, and I sometimes have a hard time feeling like this whole thing is as rewarding as people say. I suppose that will come in time though. After all, we do have her for the next couple decades. :) I definitely can say, though, that we love our teeny girl more than anything, and I know for certain that she was supposed to join us at the time she did even if it still throws me off a bit.

And I certainly wouldn't trade her snuggles for anything.