One Month

It's hard to believe that it has been one month since we were joined by our little Lillian June.  ...not simply that she is now a one-month-old, but that it has been a month since we received the biggest blessing from God.  We thank Him every night for bringing her to us and keeping her healthy and strong.  It's hard to wrap my mind around the fact that she really is our baby, that we made her, and that she grew inside of me!  In my mind, she really is a miracle baby:  we got pregnant at a time we thought we couldn't; she survived a nuclear bone scan (which, if the doctors were doing their jobs correctly, never should have been done); she survived a t-bone car accident; and she survived one of the most emotional time periods in her mother's life!  We knew that she would come out strong and a fighter, and she has not disappointed yet.

For her momma, most of Lily's first month here has been a pain in the butt...literally!  My physical post-partum recovery was (and sort of still is) surprisingly slow, as I've been battling multiple infections, a bad tear, and other good stuff.  Between Lily's BM issues and Momma's issues, I think we had almost ten doctor visits in the first couple weeks.  Thank goodness for painkillers and all the great friends and family I have in my support system.  I don't know where I'd be without both!  :-)

The physical woes aside, this month has been truly amazing and surreal.  Again, I can't believe this little angel really and truly is all ours!!  As I'm sure all parents can relate to, that thought is exciting and extremely terrifying at the same time!  As a wise woman once told me, "All you can do is love 'em!"  That uber-wise woman is Aunt Nancy, who was in the delivery room with us and stayed at the house with us for about a week after Lily was born.  The physical and emotional support that she gave was invaluable, and I honestly don't know where we would be (mentally) if she hadn't given us that best gift of all.  She is like a walking Google Baby:  We could ask her anything about anything baby related, and she would have all the answers!  All of her help was even more appreciated since Mom couldn't be here with us during this amazing transition period; her presence helped to soften that never-ending blow as well.  During her time here, Nancy fell in love with little Lily, just like everyone who meets her, and called her the fourth cutest baby she'd ever seen.  :-)   (For those not in the family, Nancy has three kids...)

I can't believe how much Lily has grown and changed just in this first month.  We were warned that she would change so fast, but I notice changes in her every single day.  I just got over being in bed sick for two days, and when I finally got to hold my little angel again, it was like holding a different baby!!  I told Steven that I can't get sick anymore while she's a baby because I miss way too much!

So much has happened and changed in our lives since she was born, but I want to highlight some of the little things that I love and don't want to forget about my quickly changing little angel in her first month...  I love all the extremely silly noises she makes, including some really cute ones because of her tracheomalacia.  I love how she falls asleep with her tongue just barely sticking out and how she flails her tongue about when she gets really excited (as she did in utero).  I love the way her little fingers stroke my shoulder or hand when burping or feeding her.  I love her little forehead cowlick in the same exact spot as her daddy's.  I love watching her sleep.  I love her little alien cry, which she has mostly grown out of, where her eyes bug out and mouth vibrates.  I love how she has held her little head up so well and for so long for a while now.  I love how she sometimes looks pissed off and glares at you when trying to give her the last drops of a bottle, but she is clearly done!  I love her full body, super squeaky stretches.  I love watching her in her amazing daddy's arms.  I love how she prefers her arms over her head (as she did in utero).  I love how she prefers to sit like a frog on your belly with her legs curled up underneath her body.   I love how her eyes roll back in her head when she's really tired.  I love making eye contact with her now that she can really focus on things.  I love how she does so well when meeting new people.  I love her emerging smile.  I love how she makes fists and puts them up to her chin when you're giving her a bottle.  I love her beautiful blue eyes, which, thus far, are the ONLY thing she got from her momma!  And most of all, I love feeling her little body curled up and so peaceful lying on my chest.

What a great time to be alive!  Will write more soon...