The First Few Days…
It’s hard to believe it’s been 2 weeks since Abigail was born! Yesterday (Saturday) marks that time frame and it feels both slow and fast at the same time, like Abby’s always been here and yet like the last two weeks have been full of extra hours in each day. We are adjusting to a new routine and I think it’s going pretty great considering it’s such a huge and instant life change! Here’s what the first bit of time has looked like…
After Abby was born, we had several hours just the three of us, soaking her in and enjoying her before we FaceTimed our parents to share the fun news (she was born on my mom’s 60th birthday!). Mikey’s parents came over for a visit the next day and then about every other day as we hunkered down and embraced rest and the new normal. The time with just Mikey, Abby and I was beautiful and we were definitely on an adrenaline high for probably 3 days!
Soaking up some sun on our porch with Abby on day 2!
We often listen to movie soundtracks on Spotify at home, and after listening to so many epic songs we decided to watch an epic trilogy – the 3 Lord of the Rings movies! It was so fun watching the movie in little chunks and getting teary at every single emotional moment in the movie with Mikey – the love scenes, the friendship scenes, the good triumphing over evil scenes… It was a really special few hours and so much fun together!
Blurry – both the pic and our eyes from crying and just being so happy!
We had a few midwife home visits, which was such an event – we were thrilled that, one week later, Abby was gaining weight and doing well on all her assessments. It was fun to have them come and check up on all of us and I felt very loved and cared for. Then on Saturday, my parents arrived! I waited SO eagerly on the porch steps and couldn’t believe how excited I was for the car to pull up, and watching my parents meet Abigail was just an incredible moment! We spent two days hanging out at home and just enjoying Abby – well, that, and my mom mowed the lawn and cut back all the dead bushes and flowers and made us food!
The weekend included some time with all four grandparents which was so, so special! Mikey’s parents don’t have other family besides us in the city, and have 3 grandkids far away (Mongolia and British Columbia!), so they are thrilled to have a grandkid in the city! It’s hard to have my parents far away, but that’s part of life, and the fact that they were able to visit for the beginning of Abby’s life was so special!
My dad left early on Tuesday morning and my mom stayed for the week, and while it was sad to say goodbye, I’m so grateful we were able to share a few days together! And then came my now SECOND favorite day of the year, Halloween!
So grateful for our little pumpkin.
My mom and I went to our first midwife clinic appointment (no more home visits for us!) on Wednesday as Mikey went back to school (real life slowly commences again!) and Abby is doing great in terms of weight and eye assessments and the like. She gained 1 lb, 1.8 ounces and I lost 20 lbs! So cool how your body just starts doing it’s thing and heals itself when you let it. As far as breastfeeding is going, it was not easy at first, but it’s going better as we learn together how this relationship works, and she’s a little hungry woman and a great feeder! My nipples aren’t as cut up and I’m healing – which makes the process so much better.
This was my first day out of the house – on day 11! – as I’ve been taking my postpartum recovery just as seriously as my prenatal workouts and my training on the way to birth throughout pregnancy. I have felt no need to get back into walks or workouts and didn’t even really go stir crazy at home! I know the more I lay low right now, the sooner I’ll be back at it moving and living from a healed state; “slow is fast,” right? I’m healing well, but bleeding for 6-10 weeks is normal, and more movement tends to mean more bleeding. Plus, we had a really crazy snow storm blow in just after my dad left and it literally has not stopped snowing AND is cold (-12 C or 11 F, even though the “feel like” temperature is even colder!), and that’s helped me not want to do too much – pretty cold for the new babe and me, too! I am continually reminding myself that the gym and walks and movement will always be there, but I get this time back – both for recovery and for time with Abigail. So I’m trying to soak it in and not worry about the time – plus, it’s only been 2 weeks! Gotta remind myself of that, too.
The last event of the week was a baby shower thrown for me through my mother-in-law’s friend group, and it was set in a big, beautiful home with a snowy backdrop and full of smiles, generosity and love. We are so thankful for the great gifts and show of support – these women have been praying for and supporting us since Mikey’s cancer diagnosis, so it was really special to share that moment with them. Thanks to Caroll for hosting and the women for their kindness, generosity and friendship!
the girls
I said goodbye to mom early in between feeds Saturday morning and we embraced – both her and Abby and her and I – until we head down to California for Christmas! The next 6 weeks will go fast, and yet my eyes continue to well up with tears from time to time throughout the day. I’m even more grateful for my parents now that I have a daughter (I STILL can’t believe that!), so my emotions are high but mixed with lots of goodness! I look forward to getting to know what routine with just the three of us and just Abby and I while Mikey’s at work are like, and like my birth, I plan to approach this time with both curiosity and confidence. Thanks for the support along the way!
Live well & be well!
Bonnie