I haven't blogged in six weeks. My bad. Granted, having a newborn at home keeps you a lil busy, but still. I suck.
Way too much has happened since my last blog entry for me to try to update with specifics. But basically, the only thing that really is important to know... is that our beautiful angel baby girl came home on February 5th, 2010. She was discharged from the hospital weighing in at 4 lbs, 6 oz, which, eerily enough is what her Mama weighed when she went home from the very same hospital 30 1/2 years ago!
Anyway, we've spent two and a half glorious weeks at home with her so far and, while definitely experiencing sleep deprivation firsthand, we are loving every second. She is amazing, and growing and changing every day. As of her last pediatrician appointment on 2-19-10, she was 5 lbs, 4 oz, and I'd venture a guess that she's put on a few oz even since then.
Tomorrow, chronologically, Natalie will be 8 weeks old. I cannot even begin to wrap my mind around that concept. It seems like yesterday when I was lying in that hospital bed, not knowing what the next hour would bring. And all of those countless trips down to see Natalie in the NICU... 38 days worth. Sometimes 2 or 3 times a day. The ups and downs we faced... the days that seemed like they would never end, and those when the sun set before I even realized I hadn't eaten breakfast.
I'm experiencing a new meaning of the word tired. And those Moms who say, "try to sleep when the baby sleeps" are smoking crack. There is a lot of life to be lived in the brief hours you have while your infant is soundly sleeping. There is laundry to be done. Thank you notes to be written. Breast pumps and bottles to be washed and sanitized. Food to be eaten (I'm good at forgetting that one). Showers to be taken. Houses to be cleaned. And so on, and so forth.
I am definitely getting *some* sleep, thanks to my lovely husband who lets me skip a feeding or two now and then and takes bottle duty. But in the end, all of the hard work, the struggle, and the exhaustion is worth it.
So I'm back, and I'm committing to keeping up with this blog a little better. I might even go back and type out the rest of Natalie's birth story... though to document all 38 days in the NICU would not only be boring and tedious, but most likely impossible, considering all of the days basically ran together in my brain anyway. But I'll at least attempt to get it all down and recorded so someday I can tell Natalie her tale. :)
