Sunday, April 04, 2010

holy pictures, batman

I warned you about the billion pictures, right? Well, here we go-- a little (okay, more than a little) look at what we have been up to.


G meeting his baby sister for the first time in the hospital. From this first moment he has been so tender and sweet with her. He was so worried about her umbilical cord ("Does it hurt her?"), and is not a fan of when she cries ("Baby is loud!" while covering his ears), but there has not been any jealousy or feeling replaced (that I can tell). If anything, I have to be watchful that he doesn't smother her too much when he hugs and kisses her and I have to remind myself not to get upset if he wakes her up because he wants to touch her and be close to her so often. I am so happy and grateful that this transition has been so smooth thus far-- it is almost like she has always just been there (to him-- her parents have had some adjusting to do for sure :)).


We had planned to stay in the hospital for two nights (they wanted us to since I had been Strep B positive), but after the first night of being woken up constantly by well-meaning nurses, we decided that we would all do better in our home. We got the okay from the doctors, got our little Pea (get it?) dressed in an impossibly tiny outfit that was still baggy, and were on our way.

We spent the first week at home, pretty much without leaving the house. We loved, LOVED having J with us for all that time, totally uninterrupted. We didn't get a whole lot of sleep for the first few days, but here are a few things we did do:

stretch
kick tiny legs
sneeze
stare
stick out tongues
pucker little lippies
sleep (mostly during the day, naturally)
get bundled
squint eyes shut
suck on a binky
take out the binky
play with mama

play with daddy
use opposable toes
bite long fingernails
have pretty eyelashes
get drowsy while taking pictures

be wide awake while taking pictures



play in baskets (this is actually her bassinet)




this one is an actual basket


take real baths now that her umbilical cord is off



This little guy has been busy, too. Besides being a happy big brother, he is loving wearing hats right now. He only likes to wear them sideways, and goes around saying, "I'm a cool guy!" with a little drawly accent.

He is still such a delight to me. I think it is normal to go through a little bit of irrational emotions right after giving birth, and mine came fast and hard one night when we were getting ready to put the babies to bed. I'm sure it was a mix of sleep deprivation, hormones, and feeling a little overwhelmed by my new responsibilities (I truly believe all new mamas can relate to these feelings-- I remember them when Baby G was a newborn too. Luckily for me, they seem to only last for a few hours one night when the baby is a few days old), but I handed the baby off to her daddy and told him I was putting G to bed. I had been so busy with my new little girl at night that J had been putting G to bed, and I was feeling so guilty and sad that I hadn't been spending that time with him. So my little boy and I went in his bedroom, and I am sure he was entirely puzzled as to why tears were rolling down my cheeks as I put him in his pajamas. He kept asking me why I had tears and all I could think to tell him was that it was because I loved him. That was the only explanation I had for myself, too. As much as I adored my precious new bundle, there was no denying that my time was now, by necessity, divided and I was missing my boy. He is so dear to me.

And his little sister? Oh how she fills my heart, too. Each day we are getting to know each other a little better, and I find myself bursting with gratitude that I have two precious little souls to care for. One night after putting G to bed, I walked into my bedroom where little Pea was sleeping. I started to feel a little anxious thinking about the long night we had ahead of us, and immediately knelt down to say a prayer that she would sleep better so that we could all get a little rest. As I started to pray, the words that I had thought I would say did not come. Instead I found myself pouring out my soul in thanksgiving that I was blessed with a healthy baby, and that I have been given the opportunity to be a mother again. What a sacred privilege it is to have been trusted with these two special little people.

Love these babies.

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

She is beautiful. And I truly love reading your stories about motherhood and the feelings you have. Thank you so much for sharing!

Tiffany said...

She is absolutely precious! Liz you take such amazing pictures! Baby G is so darling. What a great big brother. I'm glad your family is having such special and precious moments. I so wish I could hold her!

ash b said...

I love her, love her, love her! You have two gorgeous children! Congratulations on your amazing little family. :)

ash

GregR said...

Thanks for all the photo's. She is beautiful, just like her mother.

Katie said...

Ok, you have officially have the most beautiful little girl I have ever seen (besides my own of course). Seriously though, she is gorgeous!

Emily said...

she is the most amazing baby I've ever seem. Absolutely gorgeous. Congrats. I can't wait to meet her.
She looks like a doll.

Jenny said...

Amazing pictures as always. She is so cute and G is adorable! Love reading and looking! Hang in there:).

Katrina said...

Wow, she is one gorgeous baby! Seriously so beautiful. I love all the pics. You have captured some really sweet moments. Makes me SO excited to meet my own baby girl in a few months.

Mama Janet said...

Wonderful Easter present, I appreciate the pictures and really need some hugging now! I'll be over very soon.

Teacher Mama said...

She is awesome. I'm really missing her now. I think I need a baby cuddle soon.

Cam and Linds said...

Oh my goodness she is adorable!! That little face is so precious!!

The Edwards Family said...

All those feelings are the same ones I felt (and still feel sometimes!) Your kids are precious and I'm so glad George is loving his little sister. It makes life so much easier except like you said that you have to constantly watch the toddler to make sure they don't smother the baby. I still have to do that all the time because Emery thinks she can hold Asher by herself and tries to pick him up all the time. It's a challenge but so fun and I'm glad you get to experience the sibling love between your children! It's the best!!!

Sara said...

She doesn't ven look like a newborn she is so pretty! Wow! I am jealous of your camera!! I want one! what is it? So I can dream about it... and perhaps beg and plead for one from my husband!!

Mama Janet said...

This is my fourth time seeing this post of beautiful Peal and I just can't believe how precious and darling she is...

Jenny said...

liz, this is jenny metcalf will you send me your email so i can invite you to my blog?
your kids are soo cute. my email is metcalfjenny23@gmail.com
have a great day.
jenny

the mama monster said...

liz i love reading your blog. your thoughts on being a mama are so true and sweet. aren't we so lucky to be able to take care of this special litttle people. i need to come see you guys, i have a little gift for your pretty little baby, who by the way looks like your mom i think.

mandy said...

Such cute pictures Liz. I'm so happy for you! What a wonderful mother you'll be to a little girl. I'm excited to see some more amazing pictures! :) hope mommyhood with TWO is going well! :)