Whoa! What happened? I'll tell ya what happened. Laura had a baby is what happened.
Everything's been a fog since then. Something about having a baby makes your brain turn into tapioca. And not like good cassava tapioca. It becomes diner tapioca. Jersey diner tapioca. Yeah. Bad.
The past week has been a blur and a flash at the same time. Laura and I talk about it each night, trying to remember bits a pieces of the night she gave birth, the ride to the hospital, the day in the hospital, the day she came home, and little details keep resurfacing. We wish we had videotaped the whole thing, tho we know we'd never watch it. It wouldn't do it justice.
Yuula is home and she's doing great. She's met both sets of grandparents, a couple aunts and an uncle, some neighbors and even a good old friend. She's given lots of blood, she's recycled, she's sunbathed, she's battled jaundice ... she's had a busy first week of life.
Last week was strange. I had to teach RxHS camp, and I felt bad for leaving but knew I had to. Then Friday came and I had to call out of work. I couldn't take another day to not spend with her. We did a lot of cuddling, and lot of sleeping, and a little pooping. She's awesome at that. You should see. And this week I've returned to work. That feels weird. Will probably get easier but... do I want it to?
Laura's been fine. Like she never passed a baby thru her body. She's my hero now. I was there, but that doesn't mean I know how she did it. She walked funny for a day but other than that she's been calm in the face of hysteria and nurturing in the face of frustration. And maybe the most impressive is how she's managed to be awake when the baby needs her to be. I thought for sure I was gonna be like a single dad with Rip Van Winkle catching z's in the corner all day. This has not been the case. Except for right now...
Maybe most surprising is Yuula herself. You can never know what your child is going to be like but man, she is incredible. She has been so reserved and gentle but needy and direct. She can go from zero to 60 and then 120 to zero. She's strong as a bull. Everyday her eyes open more and she gets fatter. She now has three chins and six thighs. And she's hilarious. She makes us laugh, even with the semi-lack of a real personality. We're in trouble once she starts coming around. We're starting to be able to read her cries, Laura is really good at it. My favorite is the grunting when she poops. Never has a poop been so cute. I got photos, don't worry. Each day we learn something new about her. Hopefully that never ends.
While I have been in a trance and tired and anxious and nervous for ten days, today I feel like I am getting back on a track. Some track. I've collected some decent sleep the past day or so and I'm settling into my new role. I don't think I'm making as easy a transition as Laura did. She was born to do this. But I'm learning. I've got a groove going on with the diaper thing. Taking charge there. I know her favorite positions and have a 87% success rate while trying to soothe a crying Yuula. And I finally got that dresser built after a weekend of knowing it was up there but somehow forgetting how to get upstairs. The nursery is almost done. Only a week late.
So here's a warning: This blog is about to take a drastic change, a shift in subject matter, and if this past week is any indication, a decrease in frequency. So if you're one of those people who think that being overly obsessed with your child is strange and parents need to get a life then maybe you wanna check out another blog. Because we think that. Those people make us sick. But now we understand, and we make us sick.
Everything's been a fog since then. Something about having a baby makes your brain turn into tapioca. And not like good cassava tapioca. It becomes diner tapioca. Jersey diner tapioca. Yeah. Bad.
The past week has been a blur and a flash at the same time. Laura and I talk about it each night, trying to remember bits a pieces of the night she gave birth, the ride to the hospital, the day in the hospital, the day she came home, and little details keep resurfacing. We wish we had videotaped the whole thing, tho we know we'd never watch it. It wouldn't do it justice.
Yuula is home and she's doing great. She's met both sets of grandparents, a couple aunts and an uncle, some neighbors and even a good old friend. She's given lots of blood, she's recycled, she's sunbathed, she's battled jaundice ... she's had a busy first week of life.
Last week was strange. I had to teach RxHS camp, and I felt bad for leaving but knew I had to. Then Friday came and I had to call out of work. I couldn't take another day to not spend with her. We did a lot of cuddling, and lot of sleeping, and a little pooping. She's awesome at that. You should see. And this week I've returned to work. That feels weird. Will probably get easier but... do I want it to?
Laura's been fine. Like she never passed a baby thru her body. She's my hero now. I was there, but that doesn't mean I know how she did it. She walked funny for a day but other than that she's been calm in the face of hysteria and nurturing in the face of frustration. And maybe the most impressive is how she's managed to be awake when the baby needs her to be. I thought for sure I was gonna be like a single dad with Rip Van Winkle catching z's in the corner all day. This has not been the case. Except for right now...
Maybe most surprising is Yuula herself. You can never know what your child is going to be like but man, she is incredible. She has been so reserved and gentle but needy and direct. She can go from zero to 60 and then 120 to zero. She's strong as a bull. Everyday her eyes open more and she gets fatter. She now has three chins and six thighs. And she's hilarious. She makes us laugh, even with the semi-lack of a real personality. We're in trouble once she starts coming around. We're starting to be able to read her cries, Laura is really good at it. My favorite is the grunting when she poops. Never has a poop been so cute. I got photos, don't worry. Each day we learn something new about her. Hopefully that never ends.
While I have been in a trance and tired and anxious and nervous for ten days, today I feel like I am getting back on a track. Some track. I've collected some decent sleep the past day or so and I'm settling into my new role. I don't think I'm making as easy a transition as Laura did. She was born to do this. But I'm learning. I've got a groove going on with the diaper thing. Taking charge there. I know her favorite positions and have a 87% success rate while trying to soothe a crying Yuula. And I finally got that dresser built after a weekend of knowing it was up there but somehow forgetting how to get upstairs. The nursery is almost done. Only a week late.
So here's a warning: This blog is about to take a drastic change, a shift in subject matter, and if this past week is any indication, a decrease in frequency. So if you're one of those people who think that being overly obsessed with your child is strange and parents need to get a life then maybe you wanna check out another blog. Because we think that. Those people make us sick. But now we understand, and we make us sick.
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