The Best Things in Life

10 Weeks and 1 Day

Tyler had his 2 month well-baby check-up this afternoon. He got 4 vaccination shots (DTaP, Hib, IPV, and PCV7). Poor little guy...I couldn't stand to watch them do so many, so Mike and I spoke with the doctor while the nurses gave Ty his shots - two in each thigh! :(

The good news is that he's healthy and happy! He weighs 13.5 lbs and is 23 inches long/tall.

You know, it is just brutal what women have to go through in their lives. I don't think that I've experienced emotions as deeply in my entire life as those I've experienced within the last 3 months. We get pregnant, which is a wonderful experience and the closest to God that I've ever felt, but our bodies change so drastically and sometimes so suddenly. But yet, we deal with it and many women take it all in stride (I tried not to complain too much about aches or nausea). Then we go through labor and delivery, which is the craziest emotional roller-coaster I've ever been on. Once we come home with our new family member, we're then expected to know how to do and handle everything related to this tiny, delicate person. Women are the last line of defense...if your husband/boyfriend/partner doesn't know what to do with the baby, they turn to you! Once the shock of a new and different lifestyle has faded, some women have to go back to work. I'm telling you that 3 months of maternity leave seems like a long time, but right now it doesn't seem like enough. I will miss snuggling in the mornings with my son and being able to pick him up and hold him whenever I want, and watch him take his afternoon nap. And we're expected to handle everything so gosh-darned well! I feel like I should run and hide when I need to cry, or that I need to turn my feelings into a lighthearted anecdote to be told months later, when I've rationalized my mind into accepting that I cannot be with Tyler every second of the day. Whoever said that having a child is forever deciding to let your heart walk around outside of your body knew all this. The term bundle of joy is so true! I thought that there was no way that I could be happier than when Mike and I got married, but I truly am happiest when Mike, Tyler and I are out for a walk, snuggled on the couch, or playing on the floor together.

When we first brought Tyler home, I was so overwhelmed with the responsibility of taking care of him. I even confided to Mike that I couldn't wait until Ty was old enough to crawl or even sit up...wishing away those newborn times. Now that I'm only a couple of weeks away from returning to work, I want to hold him all the time and stare at him and make him smile, because he'll never be 10 weeks and 1 day old ever again. His cute baby grunting will soon become toddler cries or whines and his cute toothless grin will soon give way to teething.

I guess this nostalgia will soon fade when we get into a permanent schedule of work and day-care. But for now, I'm going to go and hold my son as much as possible.