I would wake up over and over if it were always like this

Last night we attempted, for the first time, to establish a bedtime routine for Miss Lucy.  Up until now, Lucy has set the schedule for the day - when she eats, when she sleeps, when she plays.  And that was fine seeing as how she was an itty bitty in need of learning how to function in the outside world.  But now that we're halfway through my maternity leave (OMG!), it's time to start trying to put together something that's slightly more consistent.

So last night I gave her a warm bath, dressed her in her jammies and handed her to Adam for a bottle.  Afterwards a drowsy baby was swaddled and put into her crib for the first time (at night) and lulled to sleep by the sounds of the Baby Einstein aquarium.  And she slept.  For 6+ hours.  By the time she woke up I was slumbering away so Adam was the one to do the middle of the night feeding and apparently she had a hard time going back to sleep and was up for 3+ hours before going back to bed in her crib.

Which is where I found her in the morning.  At 10:15.  I heard her stirring (I woke up before my baby!) so I went into her room, peered over her crib, and was rewarded with some huge smiles!  Lucy looked up at me with her eyes wide open and gummy smiles as if to say "Hey Mom!  I'm so glad you're here!"  I melted right then and there.

She's growing so fast!  We're connecting more each day and it's awesome.  I'm already dreading going back to work.

How far we've come

Yesterday I found myself at the doctor's office.  11 days postpartum and all was not well with the lady bits.  The equation is simple.  Epidural + catheter = urinary tract infection.  Awesome.  However, that's neither here nor there.  I was unable to get in with my doctor but when I caught a glimpse of him down the hall, I found myself seized with an odd sense of affection for the man.  I wasn't expecting it and it took me awhile to put my finger on it.

He delivered my baby girl.  He cared for us both for 40 long weeks and then safely and uneventfully brought her into the world.  In that single moment, I really truly appreciated all of the wonderful things he does for women and their families everyday.

But that isn't all.

I was thrown back a year plus to sitting in one of those little exam rooms with him.  I'd sit on the table while he poured over my chart trying to determine whether the dosage this cycle was right and what he should prescribe for the next.  Because it still hadn't worked.  I still wasn't pregnant.  On February 17th I sat with him following this ritual we had gone through so many times before.  After talking through my options (if this cycle didn't work, he'd refer me to someone who could do more to help me conceive), he patted my knee, handed me a prescription and said "Come back pregnant.  Don't let me down."  I chuckled but teared up as I left the office.  One month later, I finally got a positive pregnancy test and life as we know it changed.

All of that came flooding back in the mere seconds I saw him down the hall.  And now I wonder whether he realizes what great work he does on a daily basis.

Thanks, Dr. W.

True love

I'm in love with a little someone special.