quick takes

one

The first month postpartum is just the worst for clothes. You still have a pooch, your boobs are suddenly huge, you have to wear something you can easily nurse in, you don’t want to wear something that makes you look pregnant, if you had a C-section most pants hurt your incision, and none of your old clothes fit yet. Thank goodness I rarely have to go out of the house. I’ve settled mostly on maxi skirts and loose button-down shirts for now, but here’s the outfit I wore today which includes neither of those things.

two

Liam is doing great. He’s still calm and quiet and fairly undemanding. Even when he’s hungry he just grunts and squirms a little. I’m so glad he’s so low maintenance so far because his sister sure commands attention. Anyway he passed his second newborn screen, is gaining weight, and seems to be healthy all around. He has a cephalohematoma which is a pool of blood underneath his scalp on one side; I just call it his bump:

It will reabsorb, but it may take several months. His cord stump fell off a few days ago and of course I cried. Which leads me to my next point…

three

I’m still so emotional. At some point every day this week I have cried or come close to crying. I’ve already started trying to convince David to have another baby which is just crazy talk at this point. I’ve been looking forward to maternity leave for a long time now, but I am remembering that it’s not just a three month break from work. I mean I’ve basically been relegated to the house for two weeks which has gotten depressing but it’s probably good that these hormones aren’t being released into the wild yet. I am struggling with wanting to spend more time with Meredith and being exhausted by her when she’s around. I’m still processing the whole birth experience. I’m not yet in a groove of caring for two kids by myself, but I’m getting there.

four

Yesterday I went to the doctor and was released to drive!!! I think this is going to do a lot to boost my mood. Today I took Meredith to daycare and it was so fun to see her teachers again and she was so excited to show off her baby brother. Then of course I hit up Starbucks and later I’m meeting my sister-in-law (& her kids) for ice cream, so it’s looking to be a great day.

five

I’ve been setting mini-goals for myself each day to keep feeling productive. For example, on today’s list is: add Liam to my insurance, call about maternity leave benefits, read 30 pages, stitch one square of the sampler, write five thank-you notes, and watch one episode of Sherlock. In addition to that, every day I make sure the whole house is picked up and tidied. Next week I think I’m going to migrate from the couch to the craft room and get started on the holiday minibook.

six

Have a happy weekend…David has to work on Saturdays for the next couple months so I will be desperately calling family to find some help on the home front. Not ready to face an entire day with two kiddos all by myself yet!