Tuesday

This baby... This little girl...  This Rowan - she is really easygoing, unless I undress her in any manner (whether to change her diaper, bathe her, or change her outfit).  I'm just waiting for her to do a 180 and turn into some sort of monster.

She only gets up for one middle of the night/super early morning feeding. 

Then again, we co-sleep, so she sleeps very peacefully from her last feeding of the day before bedtime at 9 or 10, until about 1 or 2 a.m., then she sleeps until about 5 or 6 a.m.  The whole feeding process takes an hour - feed from one side, burp, change diaper, feed from other side, go straight back to sleep.

I swear, I'm getting more sleep at night now, than I did in the last trimester of my pregnancy.

In fact, she's on a sleeping, er, roll today.  Four hours between feedings.  I'm kind of in shock about it.  I figure it's temporary - a little phase now that my milk is in and she's very satisfied with feedings.  Also, I've already warned hubby that Week 3 will be the week from hell (or is it "whell", Mental?). 

Yes, the growth spurt.  I know that is coming.

But everything is going smoothly now, and I won't take it for granted!  We went for a walk on base today to run errands.  People were surprised to see me out and about with a 5-day-old infant.  Hey, it's not like I'm doing intense cardio.  It's just a walk on a fairly nice day (cloudy, but warmish at 50 degrees).  In fact, the stroller makes running errands even easier, because I have an extra place to put groceries.

I also make sure I'm doing something special for myself everyday.  I have zero concerns about postpartum depression, and I am not affected by the lack of sunshine here, but I know making time for myself is important no matter what.  These are little things, like shaving my legs, clipping my toenails, removing old nail polish, putting on a fresh new color, etc. 

In the living room, I've set up a feeding area.  It is just a little table next to the couch where I keep What to Expect, the TV remotes, Rowan's vitamin D drops, and plenty of room to lay out snacks and water.  If I'm feeding her in bed, I have my laptop and books up there.  I feed her here at my desk and can check email and such.  I'll even type out a message with one hand while she eats.

Life is moving forward.  Not at the crazy ambitious pace I normally embrace, of course, but at a slower, more leisurely one.  However, I feel good that it is moving and not stalling.

I also embrace the unexpected, like falling asleep next to her at 1 p.m. after a feeding, and waking up a half-hour later, or only getting half the laundry out of the dryer, because Rowan needs my attention.  The other half isn't going anywhere.

So, yeah...  I'm all about peace and love, and just taking my time with things.

Copyright (c) 2013 Wendy L. Callahan