Realizations of a New Mother: Episode II

-- I'm getting kinda good at typing with one hand while holding Finn with the other.

-- Sometimes Finn sleeps with his eyes open and keeps them closed when he's wide awake.

-- Throughout most of my life, I never really believed in soulmates. Then I met Zeb, and everything clicked so easily and comfortably with him that I became a believer. But I really think that a mother's truest soulmates are her children while they're young. There is absolutely no satisfaction or joy greater than realizing that your newborn is comforted the most by your presence -- that he listens and watches for you to enter the room.

-- Bar none, the most awkward stage of attire throughout the whole pregnancy process is RIGHT NOW for me. Maternity pants fall down; regular jeans don't fit. I mean, yoga pants are fine until you want to look even relatively attractive/cool. Even tops don't fit over my boobs since I'm breastfeeding. I don't want to buy new clothes for this awkward stage because, gosh darn it, I don't plan on being here long.

-- This has been my best birthday ever. I've hung out and played with Finn all day, and now we're all going to my favorite restaurant in Carrollton for dinner. 30 is looking reeeeal good so far.

First (Real) Bath!

Finn had his first real bath two nights ago!

He wasn't a huge fan of it, but he'll come around.

And yes, he did pee in the bathwater.

Keep Calm and Carry On

Wow, I'm watching "The Happiest Baby on the Block," and I'm realizing what a calm baby Finn is. These newborns are screaming their little lungs out, and the mothers are telling horror stories of their babies crying for hours on end and not sleeping.

Finn hardly ever cries. (Knock on wood.) I mean, he lets us know when he's hungry or needs a diaper change, but it's more of a whimper or a grunt.

So thankful that he's a chill little kiddo. Whew.

Photo Shoot!

Absolutely. This blog will contain inordinate amounts of photos of the lil' babe. Here's the first installment.

Realizations of a New Mother

Realizations of a New Mother: Episode One

• I don't know how to fold baby clothes. They're too tiny. I also don't know how to organize them: Should I group them by the article of clothing -- Onesies, pants, sleepers, etc.? Or should I organize them by size -- Newborn, 3 months, 6 months, etc.?
• Breastfeeding hurts, no matter how many people tell you it shouldn't. When showering, it is essential to not face the stream of water directly. (Or cover your sensitive bits.)
• I've already forgotten how bad labor and delivery sucked. Well, almost.
• Holy paranoia! The first night we brought Finn home and tried to sleep, I was convinced that every little sound he made was a sign of distress. I don't think I slept one full hour that night. Since then, I've come to realize, Finn just likes to grunt and moan. Kinda like me in the last trimester.
• I think Finn has been held approximately 90% of his life so far. I know I'll need to change that at some point so he doesn't become totally spoiled and reliant on other people to soothe him, but right now, I can't help it. He's just so stinkin' cuddly.

Today's my first day at home alone with the kiddo. On the agenda: PHOTO SHOOT! (And write thank-you notes... )

The Real Beginning

As most of you know, little Finn finally arrived on January 6th! The delivery itself was a little more dramatic than I would have liked, but we got him here, safe and sound. He weighed 8 pounds and 6 ounces and was 20.5 inches long. He has really long fingers and feet and dark red hair. And, since you asked, his ears are normal, but we think they're beginning to... unfurl a bit. (What Barnes/Duffey kid would be complete without big ears, anyway?)

I've heard a million new moms say that they've "fallen in love" with their newborn, but it's a much more profound feeling than falling in love to me. It's far beyond what I equate with love. It's a completeness and feeling of utter responsibility that is both wonderful and intimidating.

It's interesting to explore and get to know a person that you and someone else made. To recognize expressions and gestures. To witness personality taking shape. To learn the unique quirks and patterns in his behavior.

I am beyond thankful for this little guy. For years, I've wanted exactly what I have now, and I'm so incredibly grateful for all of it. I'm glad I had to wait for this life to start because, now that it has, I'm able to recognize the good stuff. Like cuddling in bed in the mornings with my warm husband and a snoring baby.

Finn's Room

Wanted to share some before and after photos of the nursery we've got set up for Little Finn when he gets here.

BEFORE:

(We used this room to store mostly my junk.)

AFTER:

The namesakes of this blog: Zeb's grandpa's fiddle (with a rattlesnake rattle inside it) and the fox hide under the baby shoes. (Not to worry -- we didn't kill the fox ourselves. He was an unfortunate victim of vehicular homicide when Zeb found him.)

 

Ta-Dahhh! 

The Dick and Jane illustrations are from Zeb's mom's old reader. The London telephone booth bank was a gift to me a few years ago from my good friend, Genevieve.

The Etsy Wall (below):

Mobile from Mere1975 (Mere Designs)
Karmann Ghia drawing from ChristineBerrie
Blocks from LemonSunCat

I know I'll have to childproof the room when Finn starts crawling, but for now I love the look of the white deer antler on the white table with the yellow lamp.

There are a few paint touch-ups needed on the chest-of-drawers, but you get the idea. (This is the same chest-of-drawers from the first photo.)

Love this old footrest. Got it a few years ago at Goodwill for $7. The blanket was a shower gift.

This happens to be Franklin's favorite room (rug) in the house. Wonder if it will still be his safe-haven when there's a crying baby in that crib...

Wilbur is Zeb's duck. He once made a road-trip as a passenger with Zeb (from Maryland to southern Florida) in the red Karmann Ghia immortalized by Christine Berrie above.

The Indian girl in the windowsill was mine as a kid. And the Mickey Mouse on the bike was Zeb's.

Got this little cane-bottom chair from Feathers and Twigs in Carrollton.

We're borrowing the rocking chair from Zeb's parents. The little gingham blanket on the back of the chair was made and given to us by Zeb's grandmother. Curtains were a hand-me-down from my pal, MQ.

Our crib was a gift from Zeb's parents (LOVE IT.), and the quilt on the bed was made by my mom. She and I had fun picking out the batiks for it together. Love this little bed and can't wait to see my baby boy in it.

I had so much fun using mostly found, cheap, or hand-me-down items for our nursery. A limited decorating budget turned out to be a fun little obstacle.

And of course, there is no way we could give Finn the welcome we'll be able to without the gifts and support of all of our family and friends. You all have been incredibly generous, and we're so grateful.

Upon Searching for an Interesting Image of a Fox

I wanted to find an image of a fox to make a little logo/banner for this here blog. Which led me to this image:

(http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/02/0208_050208_foxes.html)

How stinkin' cute are these guys? They're domesticated foxes!

Upon further research, I found out that foxes are illegal to have as pets in Georgia, but they didn't say anything about domesticated foxes.

However, you can, under no circumstances, maintain a manatee or a sloth as a pet in Georgia. Sorry.

The Beginning

At 40 and a half weeks pregnant, I'm a captive audience.

I've kept fairly busy these last few weeks. I've finished at work. I've nested. I've done yoga and walked. We've had Christmas get-togethers at our house.

But now, I'm resting -- got my feet propped up -- and I've become a captive audience. Mostly to the internet and to my own thoughts. Figured it was time I combine the two and create a new blog to chronicle the new life we're about to bring home. Eventually. One day.

Throughout the whole pregnancy, I'd wanted to do everything naturally. But it's amazing how, at 40 weeks, when my doctor mentioned induction, I jumped at the opportunity. I just can't wait to see this kiddo's face. And get my body back to a normal girth. And be able to move without grunting.

The last couple of days have been interesting. On Sunday, New Year's night, we were admitted to the hospital for a routine labor induction. January 1st was my actual due date, and my doctor had concerns about me going much past my due date because of a history of large babies (and babies' noggins) that runs in my family. Regardless, the doctors in this practice only let you go one week overdue, so I thought we could go ahead and get on with it.

The long and short of it? Induction: FAIL.

After taking Cervidil overnight, and Pitocin for 9 hours yesterday, we're back where we started. We were sent home empty-handed last night -- baby still in belly. I can't tell you the disappointment I felt when we left the hospital last night without a little boy in the car seat.

But Zeb, my husband, pointed out the positives of the situation. And there are a TON of positives. Our little boy maintained a strong, consistent heart-rate throughout the whole deal, and while we aren't able to hold him in our arms quite yet, he's still happily snuggling in my enormous belly. He's healthy.

I've also realized that I can handle labor. Fear of the unknown is the absolute worst, and now I know labor well. I'm not scared or even nervous any more.  I'm ready.

My family and Zeb's family were there non-stop, and several times, I thought of how grateful I was to have such a support system ready to greet our kiddo when he got there. Such awesome, caring people.

But to get all mushy, the strongest realization I had last night was how thankful I am for Zeb. We were on the same wave-length all day, and when a contraction hit, he knew exactly what I needed every time. He's a quiet, calm comfort to me, and I'm so glad to have him.

All in all, we're thinking of yesterday as a practice run.

And it's inevitable. This baby's gotta come out one way or another. We'll just be as patient as possible until he does!