A Day in the Life...
My daughter Thia was born three weeks ago Thursday. She weighed in at just over six pounds with a head full of dark hair (I guess the old wives were right about hair causing heartburn, because I sure had my share of that during the last part of the pregnancy), dark blue eyes like her mother's, and a precious little round face. Labor was a lot easier than it was with Patrick, but then again, he was a lot bigger than she was - his head, in particular.
What follows is a story of a day in the lives of myself and my new daughter - midnight to midnight.
12:00 midnight: Awake for a good feeding session. Mommy watches an episode and sometimes two of "Friends" while she breastfeeds me in her rocking chair in the bedroom. This is one of my better feedings, and Mommy is usually pretty alert since she doesn't usually go to bed before this feeding.
3:00 AM: Awake for another feeding. Mommy is usually dragging through this one, but as soon as I hear the familiar music of "Friends" again, I know it's time to eat! Usually I don't like to go back to sleep right away after this feeding - it's more fun to pretend I'm asleep and then cry as soon as Mommy puts me back into my bed.
6:00 AM: Awake for yet another feeding. Mommy is serioulsy bleary during this one, and Daddy is just starting to think about stirring. Many times, since Daddy will be awake, I get to lie on the bed with Mommy while I feed and then fall back asleep cuddled in her chest or in the crook of her arm. I love doing this, but I'm not allowed to do it when both of my parents are asleep because it is too dangerous.
8:00 AM: Mommy and I get up and get started with the business of the day, including a fresh diaper and a clean outfit. Mommy does the morning chores after Daddy and Big Brother leave the house, and I get to chill in my duck swing that I love.
9:00 AM: I get a bottle of formula (my only one of the day) to serve as an iron supplement and so that Mommy can pump some milk for me to drink in a few weeks when she has to go back to work. I drink it like a good girl, but it sure does smell bad! All in all, I prefer my mommy's milk. After this feeding, I'm usually awake for awhile, and Mommy and I like to spend a lot of time staring at one another and playing expression games. My favorite is when Mommy sticks out her tongue.
12:00 noon: Aha! I get more Mommy's milk, and then go down for a nice long nap while Mommy eats lunch and relaxes.
3:00 PM: You guessed it! Another session of "Friends" and breastfeeding! I'm usually still sleepy after this one, so we have quiet time together.
6:00 PM: I'm usually eating again while we wait for Daddy and Big Brother to get home from work and preschool. Life gets a lot noisier when they come through the door! I sure do love my big brother, though. He likes to give me kisses and he talks in a wonderful baby voice to me. I don't know what I'd do without him! My Daddy likes to change clothes and then hold me on his chest while Mommy gets a break and plays with Patrick and finishes dinner.
8:00 PM: The whole family goes into Big Brother's room for night-night rituals. I love to hear Daddy and Mommy reading to Patrick, and I like laying together on his bed.
8:30 PM: Bathtime! My mommy sure is mean to make me do this every night. I scream and scream, and even though she is very careful and works very quickly, I can't get out of that water soon enough! I mean, really...I just spent nine months suspended in fluid, and they think I want more?
9:00 PM: All sacrifice has its own reward! Because I took a bath, I get to get all snuggled up in my warm nightdresses and snuggle and feed with Mommy. Sometimes I sleep all the way from now until my midnight feeding, but most of the time I spend at least part of this period awake. My daddy loves that!
That's my day in a nutshell...told from Thia's unwaveringly honest perspective, of course. Why I felt the need to post that in my journal I might never know, but I do like to be able to look back on these early days of my children's lives and remember the wonderful sleeplessness, snuggling, and sheer physical closeness of these days.
Babies, no matter what else you hear me or anyone else say about them and how much work it takes to care for them, are life's biggest blessing.