Tuesday, August 25, 2009
parent epiphany #597
words of wisdom to live by, brought to you by jeff...diaper changes are much easier in shorts and a t-shirt than they are in a onesie and pants.
Monday, August 24, 2009
you're only here for the photos anyway...
since neither of us have time for a legitimate blog post (yeah, because jeff posts...), my plan is to focus on the pictures!
he's already pretty bored with the camera...
this is ash "mean muggin" for the camera. don't mess with him!
just kidding! he's a lover, not a fighter...
on our trip to ohio...stopping at random gas stations along the way!
more pictures to follow. this is the only way i can get posts out...they are quick and easy. updates...road trip, family dinners, etc.
a road trip with two adults? 14 hours split over two days. a road trip with two adults, one 7-week old (almost 8-weeks!), and a dog? 24 hours split over two days.
our road trip in numbers:
1 mama
1 daddy
1 ascher
1 ginger
2 vehicles
4 gas stops
1 la quinta hotel (seriously?! i'm a marriott girl through and through)
1 greasy spoon diner in backwoods new york
countless diaper changes
1 diaper change on a picnic table...ascher butt on display for all of ny to see!
approximately a dozen meltdowns (half by mama, half by ash)
but, we made it. we were exhausted, but we made it to our temporary living by saturday evening around 5:00 pm. ash was so ready to be out of the car and made it known by screaming for the last twenty minutes (while stuck in traffic...go team!). the binky did little to satisfy him, but we made it!
we will be in the apartment for the next month. the close date on our house is set for september 30th. jeff starts work next monday. until then, we are exploring our new city. right now, i have no idea where anything is! keep your mitts crossed that i don't get lost (too bad). my crystal ball says a navigation system might be in the near future.
ash's big two-month birthday is coming up soon! he's changed so much in the past few weeks and his personality is really developing. overall, he is a very happy baby! he doesn't cry unless there is a specific issue...hunger, pee pants or sleepiness. i've gotten better at distinguishing those cries. i talk to him all the time...telling stories or just telling him about our surroundings. he smiles in response to our voices and makes me proud to no end! i love that he recognizes us. i have a lot to include in his month-end letter. a lot of changes. and a lot more to come.
this weekend, we are visiting my family. ascher gets to experience his first of the mama's-family dinners! going into this experience, there are a few things that i have warned him about: my family is big, my family is loud and we love to eat! our best conversations and our best memories have been created in a kitchen, surrounded by enormous amounts of food! i'm sure he'll figure these things out on his own, but i feel that he should be warned in advance. our family dinners are nothing if not overwhelming. overwhelming in the best possible way. i feel confident that ash will grow up being surrounded by love...especially at our family dinners.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
gettin in the way
moving and a certain 12-pound little man (12?! yep!) have curtailed any attempts at blogging. hopefully things will be back to "normal" soon...
Saturday, August 8, 2009
street festivals
dear city of woodstock,
it's no fair for you to call it a "taste" when there are only two food vendors. especially when one vendor is selling kettle corn. and not a single vendor peddling trashy trinkets? scandalous! this misleading title only sets you up to disappoint hoards of unsuspecting tourists. and by hoards of unsuspecting tourists, of course i mean...well, me.
thank goodness your little city boasts bentley's near the green. no, not an ultra-luxe ride, but a quaint little pub. i appreciate that courtesy. at least the hubby & i didn't starve.
what you had was not a "taste," but a sidewalk sale of sorts. please use the appropriate verbiage in future scenarios. this will help those unsuspecting tourists (me) in the future.
sincerely yours,
a
thank goodness your little city boasts bentley's near the green. no, not an ultra-luxe ride, but a quaint little pub. i appreciate that courtesy. at least the hubby & i didn't starve.
what you had was not a "taste," but a sidewalk sale of sorts. please use the appropriate verbiage in future scenarios. this will help those unsuspecting tourists (me) in the future.
sincerely yours,
a
moving day is set!
here's the deal...jeff and i are relocating. yes, we've only been in new england for a year. i swear we're really not that restless. jeff's company was doing layoffs and we wanted to be one step ahead of the game. we were thinking about our future. when you throw a baby (please, don't literally throw a baby) into the mix, your plans change drastically. imagine the stress...you're home from the hospital (for about two days) with your new baby and you get the call that layoffs are occurring at that very moment. way to add some stress to new parents. thank you, fda.
we moved here with just the three of us (duh...ginger). we'll be leaving here with a new addition. even before the first box is packed, i can tell you that moving 1000 miles was a much easier process without a baby.
in preparation for our move to cincinnati, we went on a home-buying trip. basically, we traveled many, many miles to wear ourselves out looking at houses. sounds like fun, doesn't it? add to that equation a one month old baby and you've got yourself a great recipe for a meltdown. granted, jeff could have made the trip alone, but ash and i felt it was important to put our two cents in on our future home. thank goodness we did...jeff and i discussed it later and realized that it would have been brutal for him to do on his own.
the move date is set. movers will be here to pack up the apartment on august 19 and 20. we'll leave the morning of the 21st. we're splitting the drive over two days...and ash's state count will increase dramatically. ideally, we would ship one car, but unfortunately, we need the space of two cars. the downside of babies...they require a lot of stuff! not only diapers and clothes, but the swing, the bouncy seat, the pack and play! our plan is to travel together and stop frequently to give ash lots of breaks. i can tell you that this drive is going to be significantly different than the drive jeff and i made to new england. pray that it's easy for all of us! time to make some road trip cd's. suggestions for good traveling music is greatly appreciated!
today, jeff and i taking ascher to his first street festival. though you may not know this, i adore street festivals! i love perusing the vendors and checking out the food. the thing is...i have a soft spot for junky trinkets (i blame you, marion jr.) and street food (i wish i had someone to blame for that). ascher will experience "the taste of woodstock." mind you, this may not have the pizzaz of "the taste of chicago," but i'm confident woodstock will not disappoint. i'll keep you updated!
and, just to amuse you...some photos!
my little man helping me blog. bloggers...hide your daughters!
ash showing us that traveling isn't that big of a deal
ascher and the charlotte skyline
isn't this how you spend you saturday mornings...kicked back and half-dressed?
well, the boy is up from his nap. time to jump into mommy mode. i'll let you know about that street fest!
we moved here with just the three of us (duh...ginger). we'll be leaving here with a new addition. even before the first box is packed, i can tell you that moving 1000 miles was a much easier process without a baby.
in preparation for our move to cincinnati, we went on a home-buying trip. basically, we traveled many, many miles to wear ourselves out looking at houses. sounds like fun, doesn't it? add to that equation a one month old baby and you've got yourself a great recipe for a meltdown. granted, jeff could have made the trip alone, but ash and i felt it was important to put our two cents in on our future home. thank goodness we did...jeff and i discussed it later and realized that it would have been brutal for him to do on his own.
the move date is set. movers will be here to pack up the apartment on august 19 and 20. we'll leave the morning of the 21st. we're splitting the drive over two days...and ash's state count will increase dramatically. ideally, we would ship one car, but unfortunately, we need the space of two cars. the downside of babies...they require a lot of stuff! not only diapers and clothes, but the swing, the bouncy seat, the pack and play! our plan is to travel together and stop frequently to give ash lots of breaks. i can tell you that this drive is going to be significantly different than the drive jeff and i made to new england. pray that it's easy for all of us! time to make some road trip cd's. suggestions for good traveling music is greatly appreciated!
today, jeff and i taking ascher to his first street festival. though you may not know this, i adore street festivals! i love perusing the vendors and checking out the food. the thing is...i have a soft spot for junky trinkets (i blame you, marion jr.) and street food (i wish i had someone to blame for that). ascher will experience "the taste of woodstock." mind you, this may not have the pizzaz of "the taste of chicago," but i'm confident woodstock will not disappoint. i'll keep you updated!
and, just to amuse you...some photos!
my little man helping me blog. bloggers...hide your daughters!
ash showing us that traveling isn't that big of a deal
ascher and the charlotte skyline
isn't this how you spend you saturday mornings...kicked back and half-dressed?
well, the boy is up from his nap. time to jump into mommy mode. i'll let you know about that street fest!
Friday, August 7, 2009
welcoming ascher, continued
*i didn't go back and proofread this post, so i apologize for any spelling and/or grammar errors. blame ash...it's all his fault.
i really need to get back into blogging on a regular basis. it's been more difficult to find the time than i thought it would be. ascher is time-consuming to say the least. not that i would have it any other way. i love taking care of him and wouldn't trade him for anything!
i still haven't finished chronicling my birth story. when we left off, jeff and i were headed to the hospital. this post has been a long time coming…
on our way to the hospital, my modesty went even further out the window when i had to have jeff pull over so i could puke. it was a slightly humbling experience, especially since there was some random man watching me from his house! i'm sure i looked like a careless, drunk teenage...puking from the driver-side door at 3:00 a.m.! we checked into the hospital and my nurse knew this was legitimate labor! apparently, i had that look about me...something that women in "fake" labor don't have!
at the hospital, i immediately requested an epidural. i was not one of those delusional women, thinking i could have a baby without the assistance of drugs! as my boss says, "we're not cave women!" i knew that an epidural was a necessity. thank goodness the hospital has a policy...the on-call anesthesiologist has to be within 30 minutes of the hospital. for all the relief i knew it was going to bring, i was scared of the actual process of administering the epidural. combine my fear of needles with the horror stories i had heard...yikes! turns out, people are damn liars. please, liars, stop doing that to pregnant women! even though i had uncontrollable shakes (are those a bi-product of the pain? how weird!), the process was quick and painless. within minutes, i was settled in and comfortable. jeff says i got way more chatty at that point. all i know is that i was prepared to make the anesthesiologist my bff! for those of you who haven't experienced the joys of childbirth (sarcasm) or the joys of an epidural (no sarcasm), it doesn't eliminate the pain. it dulls it and makes it more manageable. still completely worth it, no matter how you look at it.
since my pain was under control, the nurse suggested i take a nap. not sure if you've been in labor, but napping isn't high on the to-do list. you're in pain, you're adrenaline is pumping and you're in a strange place...not an ideal conditions for sleep. around 6:30 a.m., i started to feel the urge to push. at that point, i was fully dilated and ascher was ready to make his debut.
after several hours of pushing (around 9:30 a.m.), my doctor suggested that we use the vacuum to give ascher some incentive to make his exit. though i didn't have a set birth plan, there were certain things jeff and i had discussed prior to going into labor. i knew that i wanted to avoid forceps or the vacuum unless it was medically necessary. when the doctor suggested it, ascher's heartbeat was still steady and strong (as it was through my entire labor). there wasn't a medical issue, other than the fact that i was exhausted and had been pushing for several hours. we debated the issue, but my nurse encouraged me and told me that she really thought i could do it without the assistance of the vacuum. this encouraged me and gave me the push (pun intended) that i needed.
finally (finally, finally!) at 9:55 a.m. ascher arrived! it was such an emotional experience...jeff and i were both crying (side note...jeff swore he wasn't going to cry!). childbirth was unlike anything i have experienced. i have tried, since giving birth, to describe the rush of emotions and pain, but words can't do it justice. my support team was out of this world! my nurses were amazing! and having jeff there, supporting me the entire time, was the ultimate! they were the perfect amount of support and encouragement.
so this was the little man that had been beating me up for months and months. ash was slightly disoriented and a strange, gray color. thankfully, with a little rubbing and warming up, his color improved quickly. after getting us both cleaned up i was finally able to cuddle. while i can't vouch for the cliche of forgetting all the pain at first sight of your child, i can say that it was worth it! what a crazy moment...that instant transition from woman to mother. i felt an immediate sense of wanting to protect him and shelter him. such emotions!
those first days were tough. i was sore...crazy sore! your body is beat up after all of that! ascher cried and ate and cuddled. jeff jumped into daddy mode immediately. he covered all diaper changes and wardrobe changes. he allowed me to lay in bed and focus on feeding and healing. we both tried to rest while we were in the hospital...at the time of delivery, we had both been up for almost 40 hours! sheer exhaustion! jeff's parents were there and helped take care of ash so we could catch some shut-eye. so very helpful. i swear to you, keep the onesies with witty phrases...the best gift to new parents is sleep!
coming home with a new baby is terrifying! i kept wondering why the hospital though we were qualified to handle such a huge responsibility. i felt like i had no idea what i was doing! and the tears kept coming! i would look at him and cry. i would think about being left alone with him and i would cry. this little man terrified me, yet i wanted to protect him. such a mix of emotions.
i covered some details of ascher's first days at home in my one month letter. ascher met a lot of family in those first weeks. we're slowly working toward developing a routine. we're still transitioning, but i think that's normal for as young as he is. he changes on a daily basis and i could stare at him from sun up to sun down. i am constantly amazed and want to be around him constantly. jeff says anytime someone else is holding him, he can see me itching to get my hands on him. hello, have you seen this child? how could you not love on him and want to hold him? it's a natural reaction!
i swear i am going to get better at blogging. i have to carve out a little time each day to post. well, each day may be an exaggeration...maybe each week. and hopefully jeff gets back on the blogging bandwagon. hopefully.
i really need to get back into blogging on a regular basis. it's been more difficult to find the time than i thought it would be. ascher is time-consuming to say the least. not that i would have it any other way. i love taking care of him and wouldn't trade him for anything!
i still haven't finished chronicling my birth story. when we left off, jeff and i were headed to the hospital. this post has been a long time coming…
on our way to the hospital, my modesty went even further out the window when i had to have jeff pull over so i could puke. it was a slightly humbling experience, especially since there was some random man watching me from his house! i'm sure i looked like a careless, drunk teenage...puking from the driver-side door at 3:00 a.m.! we checked into the hospital and my nurse knew this was legitimate labor! apparently, i had that look about me...something that women in "fake" labor don't have!
at the hospital, i immediately requested an epidural. i was not one of those delusional women, thinking i could have a baby without the assistance of drugs! as my boss says, "we're not cave women!" i knew that an epidural was a necessity. thank goodness the hospital has a policy...the on-call anesthesiologist has to be within 30 minutes of the hospital. for all the relief i knew it was going to bring, i was scared of the actual process of administering the epidural. combine my fear of needles with the horror stories i had heard...yikes! turns out, people are damn liars. please, liars, stop doing that to pregnant women! even though i had uncontrollable shakes (are those a bi-product of the pain? how weird!), the process was quick and painless. within minutes, i was settled in and comfortable. jeff says i got way more chatty at that point. all i know is that i was prepared to make the anesthesiologist my bff! for those of you who haven't experienced the joys of childbirth (sarcasm) or the joys of an epidural (no sarcasm), it doesn't eliminate the pain. it dulls it and makes it more manageable. still completely worth it, no matter how you look at it.
since my pain was under control, the nurse suggested i take a nap. not sure if you've been in labor, but napping isn't high on the to-do list. you're in pain, you're adrenaline is pumping and you're in a strange place...not an ideal conditions for sleep. around 6:30 a.m., i started to feel the urge to push. at that point, i was fully dilated and ascher was ready to make his debut.
after several hours of pushing (around 9:30 a.m.), my doctor suggested that we use the vacuum to give ascher some incentive to make his exit. though i didn't have a set birth plan, there were certain things jeff and i had discussed prior to going into labor. i knew that i wanted to avoid forceps or the vacuum unless it was medically necessary. when the doctor suggested it, ascher's heartbeat was still steady and strong (as it was through my entire labor). there wasn't a medical issue, other than the fact that i was exhausted and had been pushing for several hours. we debated the issue, but my nurse encouraged me and told me that she really thought i could do it without the assistance of the vacuum. this encouraged me and gave me the push (pun intended) that i needed.
finally (finally, finally!) at 9:55 a.m. ascher arrived! it was such an emotional experience...jeff and i were both crying (side note...jeff swore he wasn't going to cry!). childbirth was unlike anything i have experienced. i have tried, since giving birth, to describe the rush of emotions and pain, but words can't do it justice. my support team was out of this world! my nurses were amazing! and having jeff there, supporting me the entire time, was the ultimate! they were the perfect amount of support and encouragement.
so this was the little man that had been beating me up for months and months. ash was slightly disoriented and a strange, gray color. thankfully, with a little rubbing and warming up, his color improved quickly. after getting us both cleaned up i was finally able to cuddle. while i can't vouch for the cliche of forgetting all the pain at first sight of your child, i can say that it was worth it! what a crazy moment...that instant transition from woman to mother. i felt an immediate sense of wanting to protect him and shelter him. such emotions!
those first days were tough. i was sore...crazy sore! your body is beat up after all of that! ascher cried and ate and cuddled. jeff jumped into daddy mode immediately. he covered all diaper changes and wardrobe changes. he allowed me to lay in bed and focus on feeding and healing. we both tried to rest while we were in the hospital...at the time of delivery, we had both been up for almost 40 hours! sheer exhaustion! jeff's parents were there and helped take care of ash so we could catch some shut-eye. so very helpful. i swear to you, keep the onesies with witty phrases...the best gift to new parents is sleep!
coming home with a new baby is terrifying! i kept wondering why the hospital though we were qualified to handle such a huge responsibility. i felt like i had no idea what i was doing! and the tears kept coming! i would look at him and cry. i would think about being left alone with him and i would cry. this little man terrified me, yet i wanted to protect him. such a mix of emotions.
i covered some details of ascher's first days at home in my one month letter. ascher met a lot of family in those first weeks. we're slowly working toward developing a routine. we're still transitioning, but i think that's normal for as young as he is. he changes on a daily basis and i could stare at him from sun up to sun down. i am constantly amazed and want to be around him constantly. jeff says anytime someone else is holding him, he can see me itching to get my hands on him. hello, have you seen this child? how could you not love on him and want to hold him? it's a natural reaction!
i swear i am going to get better at blogging. i have to carve out a little time each day to post. well, each day may be an exaggeration...maybe each week. and hopefully jeff gets back on the blogging bandwagon. hopefully.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
month one (and some change)
running a bit behind...here are our one month letters to ascher.
my dearest ascher,
how can i begin to describe how our lives have changed since you made your appearance one month ago? you arrived on a tuesday morning...slightly disoriented, but alert nonetheless. i knew immediately that i would love you and protect you forever. labor was unlike anything i had ever been through. daddy was there, encouraging me the entire time. i know that i couldn't have gotten through it without him. he was so amazing and supportive. i know that you will learn those qualities from him and i have faith that you will show your future wife the same respect and love.
in your first month, you have changed so much. you started as somewhat of a blob...a blob this mother loved with her whole heart. those first weeks, you ate, you slept, you pooped. repeat the process. you didn't do much else. it was a simple existence, but you rocked it. prior to your arrival, i had grandiose ideas of parenting. my plan was to have you sleeping in the crib from day one and to read to you every day and to shower every day. well, my little bug...those plans were out the window. out the window along with sleep. i was no longer concerned with where you slept, only that you actually slept (bassinet, bouncy seat, swing, my arms...). i didn't read to you every day...i was barely able to take a breath, let alone read a book. and showering? that was a luxury reserved for the other half of the world. thank goodness, you didn't mind a day-old mama.
your first month, you met a lot of family. of course, they all loved you. how could you not? you met gramma and grandpa wolf within the first hours of being born. they were so happy to finally meet you, especially after waiting with us in new hampshire for a week while i was overdue. i loved seeing you, daddy and grandpa together. three generations of wolfs. (side note: you have quite the footsteps to follow in...your dad and grandpa are pretty amazing men. i'm confident you'll be fine, though!) the next week, you met uncle dave, aunt jen and ellie and maddie. they were excited to meet you, too. and they drove so far! and finally, the week after that, you met mamaw. she traveled pretty far, too. she had the grandma touch and was able to calm you down just by being there. and she reassured me when i was having a breakdown (induced by sleepless nights and a screaming baby).
we had a few rough nights those first weeks. nights where you wanted to eat every hour and never sleep. i will apologize now for falling asleep during feedings and drooling on your cute little head. but let's be honest...it will probably happen again. parenting was harder than i thought it would be. but, just when i thought i was going to fall over with exhaustion or go insane from one of your fits, you would give me a smile. people will tell new parents that newborns don't smile, that it's just gas. i'm here to squash that lie...you smiled at your mama! and it made every hard part of my new job completely worth it. i would walk a million miles to see that smile or to hear your happy baby sounds. those squeaks you make when you're done eating or the soft sound of you breathing, deep in sleep. it is pure heaven.
you have a lot coming up in your next month. lots of changes...moving across the country, moving into a house. we hope you embrace those changes and continue to thrive. i look forward to watching you grow and to see your personality continue to emerge.
all my love,
mama
The word that best describes the first month of your life is, WOW! I have found myself saying that word more over the past month, than the rest of my life combined. The first time I used it was when you stuck your head out and greeted us. It was probably the most amazing thing I had ever seen. You were kind of a grayish color and the strongest memory I have of that moment is thinking, WOW, mommy just did that. Don’t tell anyone, but your dad was balling his eyes out at that same moment. I was just so proud of your mother and happy to see you. I can’t emphasize enough, the amount of pain and effort she went through to bring you to us, so please be good to her, forever!
After the initial shock and awe of the moment, I got into daddy mode. I grabbed the camera and started snapping photos of you. While doing that, I kept asking the nurses, he is okay right? He is healthy right? After an accurate finger and toe count and several re-assuring smiles from the nurses, I was convinced. After they cleaned you up and mommy got put back together, my job as the sole provider for my child was over. Yeah, dads get about 30 minutes of isolated parent time and that is about it. From that point on, it is all about you and the mommy. She fed you, she held you, she fed you again. It is an amazing thing to see the woman you marry turn into a mommy in the blink of any eye. There was no time to be overwhelmed or scared anymore, just 100% dedication to keeping you healthy and happy.
Once we got settled, Grandma and Grandpa Wolf came into the room and saw you for the first time. It was one of my happiest moments to see them so proud of what we had done. You were a handsome boy! After a few sleepless nights at the Alice Peck Day Hospital, we were ready to come home. The 2 bedroom apartment was not the home we envisioned for you, but we made due. We decorated the second bedroom with all sorts of cute stuff and made you a cozy home. Of course, after a full month you have not slept one single night in that cozy little home. Maybe next month…
love,
daddy
my dearest ascher,
how can i begin to describe how our lives have changed since you made your appearance one month ago? you arrived on a tuesday morning...slightly disoriented, but alert nonetheless. i knew immediately that i would love you and protect you forever. labor was unlike anything i had ever been through. daddy was there, encouraging me the entire time. i know that i couldn't have gotten through it without him. he was so amazing and supportive. i know that you will learn those qualities from him and i have faith that you will show your future wife the same respect and love.
in your first month, you have changed so much. you started as somewhat of a blob...a blob this mother loved with her whole heart. those first weeks, you ate, you slept, you pooped. repeat the process. you didn't do much else. it was a simple existence, but you rocked it. prior to your arrival, i had grandiose ideas of parenting. my plan was to have you sleeping in the crib from day one and to read to you every day and to shower every day. well, my little bug...those plans were out the window. out the window along with sleep. i was no longer concerned with where you slept, only that you actually slept (bassinet, bouncy seat, swing, my arms...). i didn't read to you every day...i was barely able to take a breath, let alone read a book. and showering? that was a luxury reserved for the other half of the world. thank goodness, you didn't mind a day-old mama.
your first month, you met a lot of family. of course, they all loved you. how could you not? you met gramma and grandpa wolf within the first hours of being born. they were so happy to finally meet you, especially after waiting with us in new hampshire for a week while i was overdue. i loved seeing you, daddy and grandpa together. three generations of wolfs. (side note: you have quite the footsteps to follow in...your dad and grandpa are pretty amazing men. i'm confident you'll be fine, though!) the next week, you met uncle dave, aunt jen and ellie and maddie. they were excited to meet you, too. and they drove so far! and finally, the week after that, you met mamaw. she traveled pretty far, too. she had the grandma touch and was able to calm you down just by being there. and she reassured me when i was having a breakdown (induced by sleepless nights and a screaming baby).
we had a few rough nights those first weeks. nights where you wanted to eat every hour and never sleep. i will apologize now for falling asleep during feedings and drooling on your cute little head. but let's be honest...it will probably happen again. parenting was harder than i thought it would be. but, just when i thought i was going to fall over with exhaustion or go insane from one of your fits, you would give me a smile. people will tell new parents that newborns don't smile, that it's just gas. i'm here to squash that lie...you smiled at your mama! and it made every hard part of my new job completely worth it. i would walk a million miles to see that smile or to hear your happy baby sounds. those squeaks you make when you're done eating or the soft sound of you breathing, deep in sleep. it is pure heaven.
you have a lot coming up in your next month. lots of changes...moving across the country, moving into a house. we hope you embrace those changes and continue to thrive. i look forward to watching you grow and to see your personality continue to emerge.
all my love,
mama
The word that best describes the first month of your life is, WOW! I have found myself saying that word more over the past month, than the rest of my life combined. The first time I used it was when you stuck your head out and greeted us. It was probably the most amazing thing I had ever seen. You were kind of a grayish color and the strongest memory I have of that moment is thinking, WOW, mommy just did that. Don’t tell anyone, but your dad was balling his eyes out at that same moment. I was just so proud of your mother and happy to see you. I can’t emphasize enough, the amount of pain and effort she went through to bring you to us, so please be good to her, forever!
After the initial shock and awe of the moment, I got into daddy mode. I grabbed the camera and started snapping photos of you. While doing that, I kept asking the nurses, he is okay right? He is healthy right? After an accurate finger and toe count and several re-assuring smiles from the nurses, I was convinced. After they cleaned you up and mommy got put back together, my job as the sole provider for my child was over. Yeah, dads get about 30 minutes of isolated parent time and that is about it. From that point on, it is all about you and the mommy. She fed you, she held you, she fed you again. It is an amazing thing to see the woman you marry turn into a mommy in the blink of any eye. There was no time to be overwhelmed or scared anymore, just 100% dedication to keeping you healthy and happy.
Once we got settled, Grandma and Grandpa Wolf came into the room and saw you for the first time. It was one of my happiest moments to see them so proud of what we had done. You were a handsome boy! After a few sleepless nights at the Alice Peck Day Hospital, we were ready to come home. The 2 bedroom apartment was not the home we envisioned for you, but we made due. We decorated the second bedroom with all sorts of cute stuff and made you a cozy home. Of course, after a full month you have not slept one single night in that cozy little home. Maybe next month…
love,
daddy
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