Three Weeks Old

 

 

 

Meet Grandma

Being a trio has brought us an equal amount of joy and trial.We are so thrilled to be the parents of such a gorgeous baby girl and we feel God's goodness all around us. Doubly exciting, {more like a blessing} is that she is an EASY baby. So far she is pleasant and predictable. However, adjusting to a life with a newborn is sometimes anything but joyful - not to mention that we just bought a house so we are still trying to tell up from down. Left from right. A.M. from P.M. Paid bill from bills due. But, as usual, we are never alone. We have support systems that stand by us during the ups and downs.

My mom came in from WI following our return home. She wanted to be of help in any way possible while I was healing from the C-section. And, that she was! Truly, there is no one that loves you like your mother!!! My mom is a woman of service and hospitality. She makes herself available whenever she can, but what she's best at is just "doing." Mom never stops! She spent her days here cooking, cleaning, running errands, soothing Charlotte, but mostly she spent her time trying to convince me to rest and let others help me. Easier said than done. She raised three bold woman and some of us are more stubborn than others!

It was also a treat to have my older sister, Emily, and her two girls come for a couple days. We had a full house but it was overflowing with smiles, love, and laughter. Charlotte's first outing was spent at a Cinco de Mayo shin dig. She slept quietly in her car seat while mama bear said hi-hello's for about an hour. The next day Charlotte went with her cousins to the Tulip Time Parade downtown which was very special to me {Something I've never attended in my 8 years living in MI since I've always been working!} We also got to see an old friend from Hope College at the parade and at brunch the next day. It just happened, also, to be Mother's Day which was special {and tear jerking!} to spend with my family.

Dish soap fun!!

Once my family left we were on our own! Enjoying a quiet home was first thing on our agenda but it proved to be more difficult than we had thought. Apparently when you have a newborn everyone wants to see her/him {to know fault of their own}. This made sleep, privacy, housework, and sanity even more far fetched. And, what happens when your sleep {what sleep} is few and far between, your husband goes back to work, you turn into a milk factory with one very demanding customer, you forget to eat, your dog is being an ass, the dishes are over flowing in the sink, and your hormones are trying to stabilize.... the blues, that's what.

My first Mother's Day

It came on suddenly. Out of nowhere, really. Eric came home for lunch and as he was leaving my eyes swelled with unexplainable tears. The kind of tears you feel stupid for crying, so you cry more. The kind that stream down your face. The kind that freak out your husband because they were unprovoked. Yes, even in the midst of the bliss of being a mom to the most beautiful baby in town, I was struck with the baby blues. But, like anything else we are a team and we've been working on getting through this together. That doesn't mean it's been easy. I've had more melt downs about feeling like a milk maiden who stares at the walls all day. Eric has sought help from "been there, done that" friends but still had a hard time nailing his role as a partner to an emotional wreck of a wife. {It must be noted that he is doing much better!} Now, we're both doing our part to make this phenomenon a short-lived time in our lives. Eric is very attentive to my needs and I am working on getting out of the house more despite my new-found anxiety. What's been most helpful though, is the support from my friends.


Eric opened up to our girlfriends one night when I was at home with the baby. They were able to empathize with him and have since been very purposeful in helping keep my spirits high. After all, there is a beautiful new life to celebrate!!! These are the same woman that pulled through with a box of freezer meals to get us through the first weeks! These girls are my heart! It just means the world to me that they will come to my home just to visit and check in. They share their post partum stories, they come hold my sweet baby and keep my mind occupied, they get me off the couch for a Captain Sundae walk {who doesn't love ice cream!}, and they listen. I can honestly say that everyone's efforts {whether intentional or not} have made a difference. And, I'm very grateful for Eric who sought a way to better understand how to be a supportive husband.

Karen and Judy's "favorite" birthday present!

Little Charlotte has been so fun to show off. I brought her to work for snuggles and kisses from the ladies. She behaved herself and was wide-eyed for everyone! In fact, she's already famous at work. Her picture is proudly displayed in Judy's office and in mine. It was cute to see that kind of enthusiasm for our little peanut's anticipated arrival.

Charlotte {Charlie} has also enjoyed a park date, several trips to the old house, a bbq, an ice cream date, a thrifting trip, and a Memorial Day get together at our home. She's a social butterfly! We're hoping that our next local trip will be to the pub - the place where mommy and daddy met. I miss my co-workers terribly and I know they are all dying to meet this love bug. In fact, it was brought to my attention today that a new featured cocktail has been named "Charlotte Mae." How special! I'm so tickled and I can't wait to try it -- MMMmm gin! But, before I go catching a buzz off of a couple sips, we have to survive our trip this weekend to Wisconsin for Charlie's great grandma's 90th birthday party! Surprisingly I'm not too worried about the trip but I do know that it will take us longer than the usual 4 hours with a baby on board.

Randomness Updates:


1st piggy bank loot!!

- Charlotte will be one month old on Eric's birthday (June 4th)
- She has super loud toots and a hairy butt
- She's in the 90th percentile for height
- She has recently started fighting sleep.... by crying....
- She is a lazy eater and I have to tickle her feet or undress her to keep her awake
- We love bath time
- Eric is a baby whisperer
- I can finally wear my wedding ring again!
- I've got 5 pounds to go before I reach my pre-pregnancy weight

Time to run! My little piglet is demanding a meal!



I can't get enough of this picture! Haha!