Life with Shirley

I can't believe Shirley is already over a month old.  And yet I can believe it at the same time.  I won't lie, with the lack of sleep the last month felt like a month, but what a wonderful month!

Postpartum life is interesting.  I went from utter euphoria the first couple of days to emotional baby blues the next two weeks and back to intense joy in the last three weeks.

Like I said before, it really is amazing the immediate love you feel for your new baby, this little person you've never met before.  I felt like things were moving too fast.

Then I got home from the hospital.  I really thought I could handle night time feedings well because I normally do okay on little sleep.  But it is a whole different thing being woken from deep sleep multiple times in the night.

 Of course everything was made alright when I would get up to feed this cute little face.

 I get to be rewarded with "milk coma" face every time!

 I didn't expect to love the newborn stage so much.  I had always thought it might be a little boring since they can't do much.  But I could look at Shirley's cute little face all day.  

Still I was surprised in the next two weeks when the "baby blues" hit.  I was so used to going to work each day and interacting with adults, joking around, going out for coffee, getting dressed for the job.  It was a little weird and disorienting to go from a lot of socialization to not so much.

I'm pretty sure hormones had a lot to do with it though because one moment I would be fine and the next I would feel like crying for no good reason.  And I had plenty of visitors, my mom and sister would stop by almost every day and so many sweet friends came to visit with food!

I had no reason to complain.  Yet still, I felt sad.  I was worried that's how it would always be.

But then I got hopeful when I read that baby blues are common in the first two weeks.  And sure enough, after two weeks I started to get used to this new way of life.  I forgot about work and I started to really enjoy being with this little bug.  

 My little love bug!  She is so sweet.  She really doesn't cry too much.  She goes right back to sleep at night after a feeding and at five weeks, she now can sleep a straight five hours through the night!

Now we just need to work on naps.  ;)

 She's a little serious.  We get a couple smiles here and there, but we're still waiting for them to be regular.  She often looks concerned.  But she loves to hold her head up and "stand" on our legs.  She's a strong little one.  And we love her snuggles.

How could one resist her sweet little face?

 Our first Sunday at church.  Right now we just go to second service and sit outside.  It works.

 We sure do love her!