Family Update

Margot (Pronounced Mar-G0) One week old in her Boppy. 5 Pounds, 10 Ounces

Grandma Young taking a break from her house chores to hold Margot.The first time Grandma Cornelius got to hold her granddaughter! Chester, toy tester, extraordinaire!

Bob and I have been parents for ten days now, and it's been a really amazing week and half!

So here are a couple of updates on how I'm/we're doing:

1. I am healing quite nicely after the c-section- and am off the Percocet a week early. That stuff is just really hard on your mind and body! I was thankful for it the first couple of days after surgery, but hope I never have to take it again.
   
2. My milk has come in perfectly, and baby Margot is gaining weight. Now we're just trying to get through the pain of nursing. My friends say it stops hurting somewhere between 2 and 3 weeks. So each day, we're getting a little closer. She's a little chow hound!
   
3. The whole family is learning how to sleep in 2-4 hour increments and feeding for one hour in between those nap sessions. It's different, but doable.
   
4. Bob is an amazing daddy! I've never seen the man worry about anything in his life, and all of a sudden there is this entirely different side of him. He worries about diaper changes and poo consistencies. He takes Margot's temperature daily and checks to see if she is breathing. There are another dozen things I could add, but I won't. It's nice to see him completely wrapped up in this. I think he is doing a year's worth of worrying in two weeks.
   
5. Bob deploys sometime this week. My heart breaks at the thought of it. And I am starting to worry at what an enormous responsibility it is to raise a baby on one's own!
   
6. My mom has been here and has been a busy little bee. She refers to herself as our house servant. She seriously has laundry clean and folded almost before you take the clothes off your body. The house is vacuumed, a couple of different kinds of cobblers made, and still she has time to hold Margot and read a book. The woman is amazing. I really appreciate her energy. I couldn't have done this without her!
   
7. Bob's mom, Betty, came out for a long weekend visit, and I'm so glad she did. Bob and Betty were planning a trip out in October, and they're still coming then. But who can blame a new grandma for wanting to come out just a little earlier to get a peek at her granddaughter? They're only this size once! Betty's got such a peaceful energy about her, and it was a treat to see her with Margot. Plus a bonus: she makes killer German Style Potato Salad.
   
8. Chester, the beagle, seems to be doing his level best to ignore Margot. He is, however, very interested in all of her toys. We figure they'll be sharing just about everything eventually, so we put blankets in her seats and let him snuggle in them. He'll probably be more into the baby when she is more interactive. Right now she just eats and sleeps like it's her job.
   

We are so thankful for the support and love we've received from everyone. It's fantastic to know we are not in this alone. I might need regular infusions of that message in the year to come. I know raising a baby alone is doable. I have amazing Army friends who have done it and are doing it every day. My hat is completely off to them. And I am humbled beyond words (and scared shitless) to join their ranks this week.

Until next time...