It has been a while since we've blogged, but now that Adley has just turned 8 weeks old (yesterday) I felt like I should sit and put down on paper (the electronic kind) my reflections from one of the fastest 8 weeks of my life.
First, is just that. The time... where does/did it go?!?! I swear it was only a few days ago that I witnessed the miracle of my daughter's birth and brought her home from the hospital. Five hours feels like 5 min when she's happy and 5 min feels like 5 days when she isn't. I can't even count how many times I've tabled some chore or task thinking I could get to it later that day only to blink and realize it's time for bed.
Second, the incredible change in how I see my own life. It's only been 8 weeks, but I have serious trouble remembering what our lives were like without Adley. Even when I think about past trips or events I feel a nagging sensation that I'm forgetting something and then I wonder how we would have done the same trip with Adley in tow. I've noticed that this even extends to friends who've had children recently. I remember them before their child, but now whenever I think of them, there's three names instead of just two that come to mind. It's amazing how quickly they wiggle their way into everything you do, think, and feel without you even realizing it.
Third, the huge mood swings all three of us experience. Adley, obviously, can go from happy as a calm to seriously ticked within the same breath, but I've noticed that Melissa and I do it too. When she is upset and we're having trouble calming her down we both can get snappy and things said out of love are taken as nagging or insults, but as soon as Adley smiles or coos we seem to forget why we were upset or frustrated. Who would have thought that a beautiful simple smile or an unintelligible noise could cause such drastic shifts in emotion?
Fourth, the growth. Not just Adley, but in my wife also. Adley grows incredibly fast, which is probably why these past 8 weeks seem to have flown by. She's had a couple growth spurts which were crazy. You could almost she her getting bigger. She's gained the ability to grip things and smile (my favorite!), and everyday it seems like she shows me something new. I've been nearly as impressed, if not more, with the growth my wife has shown. I always new she was great with kids, but seeing her with our daughter and how she cares for her is amazing. She has seemingly limitless patience as well as the amount of sacrifice she has made so that Adley can be happy and healthy and so that I can get enough sleep before work have been incredible.
Lastly, do I feel like a Dad? Yes, no, sometimes, all the time. I'm not sure how to answer it. I feel like I've got a lot more to be responsible for... cause I do. There's a bunch of things I'm worried about doing wrong or forgetting, but at the same time I realize I've got to go with the flow because Adley will tell us what she needs. I've learned things about babies that I didn't know before, like they really do have different cries. I've learned things about myself that I didn't know before, like when it comes to my daughter I do have patience.
Update:
As I said, Adley is 8 weeks now and growing like a weed. Melissa takes her to a weigh-in group every Thursday morning and the lactation consultant who runs it is always amazed at how quickly she grows. Thus far, she's been gaining weight at nearly double the normal rate. At her last meeting, Adley weighed in at 10 lb. 14 oz..
She has her two month check up this week and Melissa is dreading it because it's when she gets her first round of immunizations, and since we don't take health advice from former Playboy playmates who think they can diagnose and cure autism... we're getting her immunized.
Other than that, we've had a lot of visitors to CO to help care for and meet Adley, but right now the house is just us three. We're looking forward to the summer since my work decided to trial a 7-on-7-off shift on the day shift. I get all the time off I had while on midnights without having to mess up my sleep schedule! We're heading back to MI for a camping trip in July and I'm sure we'll think of other fun things to do before summer is out. Later!
m@
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