Slowly but surely…

So, I'm finally starting to feel like I'm getting the hang of this whole being a mother thing.

The first few weeks were tough. I had perpetual butterflies in the pit of my stomach. Everything was so new and I just always felt like I had absolutely no idea what I was doing, but I was the mommy and I was SUPPOSED to know what I was doing, and with the post-partum hormones tears were always just barely kept at bay. I missed my husband terribly -- I am so used to seeing him all day, every day that every morning when he left, I cried a little after he was gone and I was home all alone. Plus, it didn't help that my poor sweetie had a broken collarbone, and I was scared to handle her too much so I wouldn't hurt her.

But things are getting better. Her broken collarbone has healed, and she's finally surpassed her birth weight. I know the difference between her incredibly similar "I need my diaper changed" cry and her "I'm uncomfortable" cry. I know that even though all the experts say to put her on her back to sleep, my Gracie HATES that. She won't sleep that way. No way, no how. She sleeps on her side, or she doesn't sleep at all. I have survived switching her from bottle feeding to breast feeding. I'm finding ways to be a little less lonely all day. And I have learned that sleep deprivation is something you can actually get used to.

Now, if only I could get her to nap long enough to give me time to read all the blogs I love and write something myself every day, life would be perfect!

Six things I didn't know before I had a baby:

1. Five hours of uninterrupted sleep will feel like 12 after you've been only getting two to three hours of sleep at a time. (She slept from midnight until 5 a.m. last night! Yaayy!!!!)

2. Hormones can rage worse after you've delivered than they ever did while you were pregnant. I've cried more in the past week than I have in the last 10 years. Over silly stupid stuff. Last night, I cried while watching Castaway on TV. Not at the end when his wife has married someone else, but when he lost his volleyball Wilson.

3. Daytime TV sucks!!!!

4. I actually get a little lonely here all by myself. Never got lonely by myself before.

5. Kissing and smelling and staring into the eyes of my baby girl is the best feeling in the whole world.

6. I couldn't imagine loving my husband more, until I saw him cuddled with our girl and I thought I might cry. See #2.

Here's one more pic of Gracie on the day she was born. Don't worry, her giant cone head is now gone. I will post some more recent pics soon.

Introducing…

Look what hubby and I done!

Her name is Grace Amelia Elizabeth Anderson, and she's the cutest baby on the face of the earth.
She was born at 6:57 p.m. on Monday, February 5, and weighed 8 lbs 10.75 oz.

Unfortunately, she got stuck coming out and they had to yank on her shoulder and broke her teeny little collarbone, so I have to tape up her arm, and I can't nurse her (it hurts her to hold her properly) so I have to pump my breastmilk and bottle feed.
And she has a bit of a hip click, so I have to double diaper her to keep the joint in place. And she was a little bit jaundiced so I had to wake her up every two hours to eat. But other than that, she's my healthy little cutie pie!

Sorry I've taken so long to post, but sleeping and eating have been a higher priority this past week. She's sleeping longer stretches now, and the stretches between feedings are a little bit longer, so I have a couple free minutes to do stuff.
This picture was taken just a few moments after she was born. More pics will come -- don't worry!

Now, since little Gracie is sleeping, I need to have a nap.

ow, ow, ow, OW!!!!!

HOLY MOTHER OF GOD! Okay, this has to be the real thing this time.
Quick -- somebody get me the number for the vasectomy place!

Still. No. Baby.

Still. No. Baby.

Apparently, this cold snap has made my sweet pea decide to stay inside for awhile longer. Personally, I don't understand why she doesn't want to come out. She's got to be pretty squished in there. And what with me bouncing up and down and constantly pleading with her, you'd think she'd be clamouring to get out.

But, on the bright side, the ultrasound said she only weighs about 7 lbs 13 oz -- not the monster baby my doctor was starting to freak me out with.

Unfortunately, in order to get that good news, I nearly threw up on the ultrasound technician. Anybody else ever do that? I was laying flat on my back for too long and the pressure from the baby and the rather rough treatment cut off my circulation and all of a sudden I thought I was going to either pass out or throw up. The poor woman ran for a puke basin and a glass of water, and ended up not being able to finish the ultrasound.

So, good times, good times.

I'll keep you posted.