In true new-mama style, I wrote most of this post on the appropriate day, and then got interrupted by a hungry baby. So this post is actually posted the day after the fact, but the sentiment remains the same!
Today we are wishing our wee girl a happy one month “birthday”. And already we can see just how much she has changed. She has grown weight (from 4.43 kg at birth to 5.25 kg a week ago) and height (from 54 cm at birth to 60 cm today). But the biggest change is in her personality. She has gone from a little sleepy newborn to a slightly bigger, more active newborn. That doesn’t sound dramatic, but believe me, it is. Especially because of the smiles. Nothing beats the smile of a baby (especially your baby)!
It’s hard to know what to say about the last month.
One month ago I was in the delivery room, in a world of pain. I couldn’t focus on anything but the pain. It was constant, with no respite at all, and I was doubting my ability to cope. What I didn’t realise was that I was only an hour and a half away from meeting our baby. That hour and a half positively flew by (well, I can’t remember most of it) and before I knew it, they were telling me “it’s a girl” and a squirming crying little blob was being placed on my chest. It was the most intense experience of my life so far, and one that I don’t think I can possibly explain. Probably because I can’t even quite process it.
But I do know that it was, quite literally, life changing.
Because a month ago I hadn’t even met our daughter, and today she is the major driver of my entire life. My decisions, my actions, my day to day everything is based on her wants/needs. Right now she is napping in a wrap on my chest. I am grateful that she seems to be through her latest growth spurt, or is less tired, or whatever means that she is fairly happy and sleepy (so far) today. I am grateful that she is here, and real. I am grateful that I get to know and encourage this little lady, and that I get to do it with The Engineer.
But as much as it was life changing, I am currently sitting at the computer, blogging, listening to podcasts, and drinking decaf coffee. And this morning I ran some errands, watched a bit of TV, went for a walk, and checked out Facebook. So in a lot of ways my life is pretty similar to before. I am still a lady of leisure in many ways. I just live my life of leisure with a small person strapped to my front (which makes it all a little bit more difficult and exhausting and also a little more interesting).
So there you have it. My life is just the same and totally different. I would say more, but honestly, my brain and ability to write have both kinda disappeared at this point. So I’ll leave you with a picture of a one month old girl and her moose. It pretty much says it all.
(though I suppose it would say it better with a bit more baby spew…)