On Thursdays I post from the vault. This post is from May 2009.
Okay, I promise. No placenta talk. But if you really want to throw up in your mouth right now, check this out. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
It’s been a little over a week since Karis‘ arrival. We sprung out of that hospital as fast as we could and left within 24 hours, which was as soon as they would allow us. I. Hate. Hospitals. We were so happy to come home, and because I have the best in-laws ever, we got to spend our first night home without the two older kids, just enjoying our new baby.
We also got to have some special time with each child alone with the baby. (Did I mention I have the best inlaws ever?) On Thursday we had Big Brother Day at home while India went to Disney with Grandma. Jafta was so excited to stay home with his new baby. Yeah, he calls her HIS baby. He is completely taken with her. It is so cute. Every morning he is a ball of anticipation waiting for Karis to wake up so he can kiss her and “see what kind of a day she’s having”. Yes, his words.
On Friday Jafta went to the beach with grandma and grandpa, and India had her Big Sister Day. She was slightly less enthused. She’s not really sure what to make of the baby. I think this video of her first meeting pretty much sums it up, where she offhandedly points to the baby and then wants to know if there is a cookie waiting for her (like there was at cousin Peyton’s birth).
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She’s been warming up a little over the week, but she has spent 75% of her time pretending to be a baby, and 25% of her time pretending to be a mommy. Do you see any signs of regression????
I’ve been doing really well. I am SO, SO happy not to be pregnant anymore. It’s amazing how months of miserable symptoms just sort of dissipate within a week of delivery. I can walk without pain. I can bend over. I can see my ankles. I can eat greens again without getting sick. My heartburn, sleep apnea, back pain, calf cramps, headaches, fatigue . . . gone. And so while there are aspects of having a newborn that are difficult, they honestly pale in comparison. What’s a little lost sleep and engorgement when you are mobile and pain-free? Not to mention, every so often I glance down and think, Oh my gosh, where did this BABY come from?? I HAVE AN ADORABLE BABY!!!!
And yes, a case study could probably be written on my nine-month ambivalence towards the final outcome of pregnancy vs. focus on symptomology of said pregnancy as a defense mechanism over previous losses. But that is a story for another day.
For today, I am a happy, albeit sleep-deprived, mama of three. I was able to crawl into the kids’ beds to cuddle with them at bedtime, for the first time in months. It was delicious. Now if we can just get our boy home from Haiti.
