Adjusting to family life

The past three weeks have been a whirlwind of craziness. Everything is new to me. Everything is different. I couldn't have read enough books or gotten enough advice to prepare for the moment of becoming a parent. It's a scary thing.

So far I think Sheldon and I are doing a decent job. Sophie seems like a happy baby and she has gained weight since birth. She's also digesting her milk and sleeping, which I hear is a good thing.

There have been some bumps these first few weeks – hard decisions, hard situations to deal with, and some hard adjustments, but friends and family have really helped us get through it. We seem to be on a smoother path these past couple of days, possibly due to a routine and just getting used to our baby.

As expected, new experiences have impacted my life over the past few weeks.

The fear that motherhood brings. From day one since bringing Sophie home, I’ve been nervous that anything I do will somehow be wrong or I’ll accidentally harm her in some way. It’s such a big responsibility to care for a new human…why would anyone trust me with such a precious being?

Learning how to function on half the sleep I used to get. This one is harder than expected. I answer the little bit’s cries each night and try to keep up with daily activities as well. When I’m by myself, it can be overwhelming that the dishes need to be done, laundry has to be finished, and the house has to be picked up while the baby is napping. I’ve come to learn to take this one step at a time. I set one goal a day and don’t worry with the other stuff. It’ll get done eventually and most importantly, I need a nap too! This follows into my next realization.

Discovering that being home all day with a newborn doesn’t allow for much free time to get anything else done. I used to think I’d have a lot of free time being home with a baby all day. Wrong. Maybe that will happen when Sophie is a few months older, but for now she’s a demanding little bundle and I do good to get a shower some days.

Though it’s been a rough start, there are a few things I know for certain. I am so thankful for my understanding, supportive, loving husband. He has been so much help and is a great daddy to Sophie. I also cherish our little punkin-head Sophie. She’s a lot of work, but she’s also the adorable, sweet little girl I had hoped for and I wouldn’t change my mind for one second (ok, maybe one second, but not two) about deciding to start a family.

Here are some updated pics of our sweet girl: