Mackenzie’s umbilical cord fell off Monday when I was changing her. It fell out of the top of her diaper and totally caught me off guard until I noticed her adorable little brand-spanking-new belly button. A little miracle, right before my eyes.
I’m in love with everything about this little girl. It’s true that we’re all exhausted around here, and somedays I’m still very much functioning in sleep-deprived-zombie land. More often than I’d like to admit, I take Chris for granted and wish he had more time off, or I let myself become overwhelmed by my seeming inability to get anything done. I worry about work and changing the flow of our life as we figure out this thing called parenthood. Suddenly books with titles like “Your Relationship Can Survive a Newborn” don’t seem quite so irrelevant or cheesy.
Sometimes I forget that there is one important thing right now, and that is caring for Mackenzie and bonding as a family.
But then I get to take a nap — because Chris catches me almost falling asleep on the couch, closes the blinds, tucks me in, and convinces me to stay put. And then after I wake up, we brainstorm delicious dinner ideas from Epicurious or the Smitten Kitchen, take our baby girl out to the farmer’s market, and sample local produce and cheeses. Suddenly, things feel good again. We eat a delicious meal together and delight in our sleeping daughter’s adorable baby noises, taking pictures of her scrunched up face and deciding who she looks like the most.
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Wow- she’s SO beautiful Dee! Yes, I remember the blurry days of the newborn stage and feeling infinitely tired! So I will tell you what so many moms told me: Even though it feels like life will never be normal again- it WILL! Sleep, rest & nap. Don’t try to do it all. If she’s loved, fed, burped & dry, everything else will fall into place! You will begin to see the normalcy slowly return. Each day brings more progress until, soon, you find yourself calm & confident as a mother. And He gives strength to the weary! Love you!
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Dee Reply:
October 20th, 2010 at 9:33 pm
Thanks for your encouragement, Julia! Hard to believe you just went through this not too long ago. It’s wonderful to see how much Mia has grown — and gives me hope, too, that soon Mackenzie and I will be out and about, creating a new “normal” for ourselves, and sleepless nights will be a thing of the past. 🙂
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