Wednesday 6 June 2012

Wee Wednesday: The New Normal

Lila is 7 weeks old, and she's already outgrown her tiniest onesies, which makes my heart twinge a little. I can already tell that it's true what they say- it goes so quickly.

Lila at one week

I find that everytime I spend time with family and friends, they look me straight in the eye, and ask, very very seriously, "How are you doing? How are you adjusting?" The truth is, I'm doing great. I feel like I've got away with murder- an easy pregnancy, a relatively easy birth (Lila was breech; I had a scheduled c-section after we spent weeks trying everything to turn her), and a healthy, trouble-free baby. I'm genuinely happy, and doing really well, which is fortunate. I know that's not true for every new mom.

The days feel really small now- hours slip by so quickly, and I eat most of meals over Lila while she is nursing (yes, my baby has crumbs on her). But I conciously choose to focus on the best parts of my day, like dancing around the kitchen with Lila to music to calm her fussy periods,  the way she feels snuggled up in my arms, her hilarious and ever-changing facial expressions, her sweet baby coos, her supercute parade of onesies. Don't get me wrong- Lila stubbornly resists sleep like it's her mission in life, and does not get anywhere neear the 14-18 hours total in a 24 hour time frame, not by a long shot. She also thinks baths and diaper changes are torture, and must be met with heavy screaming. But I don't dwell on any of the challenges. Sure, fatigue is part of it, but I can remember loads of times in years past where I stayed up late on a worknight to see a concert, catch a midnight movie, etc. I knew I'd be tired the next day, but the experience was worth it. I feel the same way about Lila- yup, I'm tired, but man, is it ever worth it.

Lila at 7 weeks. Do not let these sleeping photos fool you- it's just the only time I have two hands to take her photo is when she's sleeping!

34 comments:

Carmel said...

Lila is beautiful! i love her little onesie with the trucks on it!!

YarnOnTheHouse said...

Your daughter is beautiful! And, you are so right! The time flies...

nestra said...

So Lila is little less than two weeks older than my Henry, and I am with you in loving the "new normal." It is amazing to me how it feels like he has been here forever but it is also so unbelievable that he is five weeks old!

LOL about the crumbs on the baby, glad I'm not the only one!

Katie said...

Awww, she is so sweet! I'm glad you are loving motherhood!

Blonde said...

I also found motherhood easy and wonderful! Enjoy every second with your beautiful Lila, it does go by so very quickly!

eliza said...

mucho like.

~Lori said...

Lila is gorgeous, and if you got lucky with the pregnancy and birth and postpartum, I have two things to say about that. First, to a large extent we make our own luck, so give yourself credit for making good choices. Second, if you got lucky so did your daughter - she is in good hands!

Jolene said...

Happy to hear both you and Lila are doing so well! It's true, even when the days are long, the years are too short.

Zenitude said...

She's just precious. Enjoy every moment.

Cassy said...

She's gorgeous. I'm glad everything has gone well for you!

Nicky said...

She is adorable and your photos are too. Motherhood is wonderful and difficult all at the same time. It is like having your heart walk around outside your body. xx

Evelyn said...

You're right to focus on the positives, Julie! Parenthood comes with so many challenges, both wonderful and difficult, but our attitudes and perspectives make all the difference in the world on how we parent and how we feel about ourselves. Lila is a sweetie and I love how she's becoming so plump! Big hugs to you all.

Anonymous said...

One of my sons was terrible sleeper/bather...screamed to avoid a bath or a nap. The good news? He outgrew it. Of course, he is almost 38.

And, yes, it all passes in the blink of an eye (though it doesn't feel like it when you are sleep deprived).

The Slop Queen said...

She is gorgeous! I'm wallowing in baby envy over here. :-)

Anonymous said...

Aww, so precious. You're gonna give me baby envy and then hubby will have to kill you! ;-)

WildflowerWool said...

She is beautiful! They do grow up so fast. My daughter graduates from high school tomorrow and is off to college in the fall. Enjoy all the moments!

Kat said...

What a beautiful post! It sounds like things are going well for you. I can't believe how fast it went. It feels like just yesterday you announced your pregnancy.

I love your point to not dwell on the hard times. I will have to keep that advice in mind when my little miss comes along.

Unknown said...

So pleased to hear things are going well for you both, she is utterly gorgeous! My babies always had crumbs on them too, and one in particular NEVER slept (not till 9months) But I did (mostly) enjoy all those cuddles I got instead.

Chantal Boucher said...

You have such a good attitude! Happiness! Your daughter is magnifique!

AdrieneJ said...

What a wonderful experience you are having! I'm very happy to hear a happy mother story for a change. It seems like so many talk doom and gloom. Thank you for restoring my own hopes that motherhood is not a drag.

Preeti said...

Oh, she's precious and it's wonderful that you are enjoying every moment with her. It's true, they grow up so very quickly!

Natalie B said...

you're right, the moments are worth it. btw, night sleep doesn't start to get organized (ie baby doesn't produce her own melatonin) until around 6 weeks, so hopefully things will start to get better in the sleep department. Every baby is different though, and it sounds like you've found your grove. My little guy is just shy of 10 months old now and love "walking" up and down the hallway while I'm bent over holding his hands. Sore back? yup, but it's worth it!

Miss Sofia said...

Gorgeous photos of your gorgeous baby. Being a mummy is the best thing in the world!

Anonymous said...

I love your attitude about being a new mom. You are going to be a great mom and enjoy one of God's greatest blessings. Who needs sleep anyway!!!

Anonymous said...

What an Angel! I'm so glad you are so HAPPY! Motherhood is full of blessings even though being tired comes with the territory. Your attitude is wonderful. Enjoy every moment. It really, REALLY does go by so very fast. (This from a mother who just had both daughters get married and leave home within 6 months of each other. And I am sure they were in onesies a minute ago!).
Danette

Maryse said...

Lila is beautiful! You do look like you are just made for motherhood! That's so great!

Kristen Rettig said...

Aww, she is just adorable. I love wee Wednesdays!

Jane said...

What a sweetheart. I'm glad things are going well so far.

Knit-Zilla said...

Lila is beautiful! Glad to hear that you are enjoying every minute of her. This is one time, when knitting can wait. . .

Anonymous said...

Great to hear that you're doing well. I have a 6 month old now and the first few months he hated getting undressed and screamed horribly at each diaper change. Then we got a great tip from a midwife, use a hair dryer! We put the hair dryer next to the changing table so that warm air flowed over him and the screaming stopped. He just didn't like getting cold/naked. Just make sure that it's far enough so the air is just mildy warm, not hot.

Hilary said...

First of all, aaaaaaaaah she is so cute!!!!! And I am so happy to hear you're enjoying motherhood so much!

I also have to hand it to you for consciously focusing on the happy and enjoyable times rather than the hard parts. That's not always easy to do! When Daniel went through his sleep-rejection phase at 3 months, I thought I might go crazy. Don't get me wrong, there were still things I LOVED during that time, but I found that to be one of the more challenging periods in his first year.

Oh, and Daniel frequently had crumbs all over him, too. :) (The worst was when I dropped a chunk of salad on his head...oops.)

Jacey said...

She is just precious. I'm glad things are going well at home!

Heather said...

So sweet! She is beautiful. We are expecting our first little one this fall, and I am now five months along, so it's so fun to see your new bundle of joy and the sweet little baby knits. Thanks for sharing :)

abipolz said...

Just owning my agree about having a lovely time with parenthood- my daughter is 4 weeks old and is such a sweet baby. We are having tons of fun with her - it is tiring sometimes but so worth it! I do regret the diminished knitting/crafting time though!