Maternity

Well, I definitely feel like a parent now. There's nothing quite like a crash course in raising a child! This little peanut is a lot of work, but she brings her father and me so much joy! Eliana is doing well and just celebrated her 7 weeks on earth with us last Thursday. Since I last wrote, this child has done not much other than grow and grow! She's already too big for most newborn outfits, and at least one dress I never had the chance to put her in! Much to my dismay, while getting ready to go to church with Eliana for the first time, I was unable to zip up the silky floral number I had giddily laid out for her debut. Don't worry, she still looked beautiful in her 0-3 month stand in; we've got 2 or 3 more months before she outgrows that one.

Eliana eats about 4 and a half ounces of formula per feeding, about 6 times a day. I was recently reminiscing about the "two ounces, every two hours" schedule that tied us down just a few weeks prior. I can't say I miss that! Those nights were rough, but now we have a great schedule worked out that has me only getting up once per night. I've been trying to go to sleep around 9 or so, and Zach feeds the baby around 11; he's usually up that late anyway, and doesn't mind pushing the feeding back an hour if the peanut is dead asleep or not hungry yet. That leaves the 3AM feedings to me, which I faithfully and only sometimes begrudgingly do, then up again at 7 while Zach gets ready for work. I usually get to lay low, and even sometimes get a quick nap in before noon while Eliana rests, but starting October 7th I will be getting ready for work in the mornings alongside my husband!

That's right, folks ... maternity leave is O-V-E-R. Boy do I wish I could be a stay-at-home mom, but my unavoidable student loans make me a slave to the 9 to 5. (8 to 4:30 to be exact, but you get the idea.) Working at a family company has its perks however, and I am going to give bring-your-daughter-to-work a good ol' college try. I'm not getting my hopes up for this transition to be perfect, but truth be told I don't have another option at this point. My budget no longer allows for luxuries like affordable childcare or two-ply toilet paper. Okay, the toilet paper was a joke, but seriously, I haven't purchased many non-essentials since Eliana was born, and I don't intend to for quite some time. I'll just keep praying for the finances to make ends meet, and to keep Baby happy, and healthy, for a very long time.

Believe it or not, my life is not ALL baby. Okay, okay, yes it is ... but I still like talking about other things! Football for example, I love football. Football reminds me of all things Fall. Cool weather, pumpkin flavored everything, and late nights cheering on my favorite team in the NFL, (which may or may not be 0-4). I'm in a "pick-'em" group with two of my brothers, and it totally adds to my enjoyment of the sport. I'm way more interested in the outcomes of the entire league since I have to correctly predict who will win each game. I can't say I'm exceptionally good at the entire picking process, but I am currently beating both of my brothers, so I've got bragging rights for now!

Today is one of my brother's birthdays! Happy birthday, John! I'm so interested in the way people celebrate their birthdays around me, and I'm sure I've touched on this subject before. Most people in my immediate family truly enjoy celebrating their special day. Growing up, we always made a big deal about birthdays with cake and singing, awesome presents when money allowed it, and cheap tokens of love when money was tight. There was always plenty of excitement leading up to the day, and when it finally came to an end, we felt like we were blessed with another year of life. It seems like a majority of people over 30 don't actually like their birthdays. I know some people hate getting older, and they associate getting older with a birthday, but seriously, it's not like one day you're 29, and the next day you're a whole year older. It's more like one day you're 10,585 days old, and the next day you're 10,586 days old! If you're pissed about getting older, than why aren't you upset about the day after your birthday? I think the day should be more of a celebration of the anniversary of your birth. Does anyone hate celebrating anniversaries? "Aww man, Zach, being married to you for 4 years totally sucks!" Um ... not exactly.

Anyway, back to baby for a minute, I just saw a video of Eliana moments after she was born for the first time! I'm not sure how almost two months went by before I saw it, but Zach was going through files on his phone and started playing some of the videos of the baby. It was not at all what I had expected. Most people's "fresh-out-da-womb" videos/photo are, well ... gross. Instead Eliana was all cleaned up and lying there squirming, letting out little short cries as the doctors checked her. It warmed my heart to finally be a part of that special moment. At the time all that was going on, I was on the other side of the room getting stitched up! Zach also had a video of Eliana staring deep into his eyes in the recovery room before they wheeled me out to bond with my daughter. That moment was special, too! She was already rooting, waiting patiently for her first meal; Zach said he couldn't believe how long it was taking, and felt bad that the baby had to wait so long! And here I thought things moved rather quickly! Still, after watching those videos, I'm convinced people should celebrate the anniversary of the day they were brought into this world; it is nothing short of a miracle.

Until next time,

Xoxo Liz