Whoa- I MADE that!

My baby girl is 8 weeks old today. And every couple of days, still, I step back and think "holy crap- I made that thing!". It sure has been an adventure, and although it has certainly come with its share of frustrations, I love this kid like nothing else in the whole wide world. I am her mama, and no one else is. It feels kind of like when I was first married and felt like I was pulling one over on everyone when introducing myself with my new last name. You're suddenly known as this whole new person, your role in life has completely changed in an instant and it's magical and wonderful and takes some adjusting.

I'm still on the mend, and that's been tough. Whether it's because it really was that bad or simply just unanticipated I'm not sure. Doesn't really matter I guess. But for those having babies for the first time, just be aware it may take a bit to heal all the way. Also, I wasn't expecting my body to be this different. I'm lucky enough to actually be back under my pre-pregnancy weight, but none of my old clothes fit anyway because I'm shaped so differently than I was before, with that whole hip widening business and a body built for feeding a newborn. I've had a few tiny identity crises, but that's probably exhaustion induced.

We laugh a lot, my little family. There's a lot that's funny. Like baby farts. You would think that everything about a new baby would be baby sized- not true. She's beginning to be more expressive and really look at things. She likes trying out her smiles a lot in the mornings, or when her daddy is playing with her. Brinley thinks Landon is the coolest thing ever, and who could blame her? She plays games like Russian Poo-lette (I swear she tries to go potty when her diaper is off) and Whack-a-Mole (I have a mole on my face.... And she has a head that's as good as any mole-whacking mallet at the state fair). She wakes me up at exactly 3am every morning to be fed. I love her fuzzy hair after it dries when it's freshly washed. Clean baby is one of the best smells. She's growing so fast, sometimes she only wears an outfit once or twice before it's too small.

Some days are tough, most days are good. Even on the hard days, she eventually falls asleep, often in my arms, and cradling your sleeping baby might just be one of the most beautiful feelings in the world. I'm tearing up just writing about it. Darn hormones.

Brinley has been in the world eight whole life-altering weeks. As tired as I am and as un-showered as I often look these days, I wouldn't trade it for anything. My baby girl is amazing and beautiful, and I tell her every day. I'm in awe that such a sweet spirit has been entrusted to me. The whole thing is pretty incredible.

A letter for Baby

Dear unborn child,

Your parents are pretty good people, and we love each other very much. But there are a few things you should know.

Your daddy rides a skateboard and still thinks farts are funny. He occasionally falls over when putting on his pants in the morning. Your mama would rather watch tv than clean the house and particularly detests doing the dishes. Also, I don't really cook. The lawn is shaggy. There are chew marks on the coffee table from the dogs. I guess what I'm trying to say is we're not exactly "grown up" material.

I'm hoping that I have everything figured out by the time you realize this but in the interest of full disclosure, I just wanted to write and say that we have no idea what we're doing. Probably because we've never done this before. I still feel like a dumb kid about to take on a huge responsibility that I'm terribly unqualified for. Your daddy tells me I'll do great. He's good like that.

I have a lot of apprehension leading up to your birth because I want to do the very best by you, because you deserve my best. I'll give you all I have, and some days that might not be very much but I'll sure be trying. Please be kind. We're only human.

Your daddy and I love you very much, and even though I'm trying to block out how terrifying it will be to bring you into the world, we're very excited to meet you and have you officially join our funny little family. We laugh a lot. We work together well. I'm so happy you've been chosen to come with us through this adventure. See you soon.

Love,
Mum

Adventures with doggies in the nighttime

I have two boxer dogs that I love dearly. One is about a year and half old, the other about year. So they're basically giant puppies. And they provide many, many examples of my totally glamorous life.

About two weeks ago (naturally around midnight because what better time to have an adventure with doggies in the nighttime?), I was letting my dogs out for their final potty of the night when I heard their "I'm hunting something" bark. Fairly similar to their "I've cornered a small dog, you should come get him now" bark, but still distinctive. I pulled on my boots as quickly as I could and headed out to see what the ruckus was all about, because that's exactly what I wanted to do seven months pregnant at midnight. Dog #1 was still barking but Dog #2 apparently had more luck, because he was carrying a possum around in his mouth. Somehow my yelling was correctly interpreted and possum was dropped, left in the yard, and I verbally herded my boys back in the house. Don't be jealous, not everyone gets the opportunity to run around super pregnant in the middle of the night in jammies and rubber boots to yell at their dogs to drop a giant rodent. I hoped possum was only playing dead and not actually dead, and would be gone by the next morning. I was lucky.

My husband misses all the fun stuff.