A Good Week

It's the beginning of a

Ha! I started to say it's the beginning of a good week, but not-so-quickly realized it's WEDNESDAY. Ah, life with a newborn ... I don't even know what day it is anymore! Anyway, we're having a good week for so many reasons ...

1) My best friend Ashley came to visit this past weekend, and I'm still on Best Friend High. (BFH = the feeling I get when spending time with someone from back home who KNOWS and GETS me. It doesn't happen all that often since I live 7 hours away from my hometown friends and family but when it does, hoo boy! I love it!). Over the weekend, we celebrated Ashley's 31st birthday in the most non-exciting way ever ... because let's face it, we're getting old and creeping into our mid-thirties (not even a book-end 30 anymore - geez, when did that happen?). And because she's the sweetest friend ever, she spent her birthday helping to care for my precious new baby, cooking me freezer meals and catching up on lots of girl talk.

We did take Tory out to dinner at Rojo Mexican Grill for her very first time at a restaurant. Of course, she was the perfect little baby and slept the entire meal. I also left Tory for the first time this weekend with our girlfriend Val so Ash and I could get pedicures at a nail shop down the street. I was only gone for an hour, but I felt a pretty intense bout of mommy guilt for leaving her and equally proud of myself for keeping it cool without her.

The hometown visitors just keep rolling ... this weekend my cousin Jen, her husband Zach and baby girl Lauren are visiting from Nebraska. I'm excited to have them here for a day or two!

2) Also, Andi's home!!!! Thank goodness this work event of his is almost over! I keep reminding myself to be thankful he runs a successful company and is able to provide for our family in the way he does ... BUT, I still feel like complaining about it any chance I get. The timing of this event just plain stinks (or maybe it was Tory's birth with bad timing since she was actually planned after the event was). But whatev's. Andi's home for two weeks, then has to leave again for the event finale in mid-October and then it's DONE for good.

I'm so happy Andi finally has some time to bond with Tory. He spent the morning at home yesterday, absent from any conference calls or work interruptions. And it's nice to have my husband back home. I missed him TERRIBLY. (Also, I can't believe how much I missed snuggling up to him without a giant belly between us. It's awesome to actually BE next to him again!)


3) Tory's 3 weeks old already. CRAZY! I can't believe how much my little girl has grown already. She's still wearing newborn clothes, but I'd estimate she's over the 8 pound mark now. Newborn outfits aren't any too big, and I think she'll soon be transitioning out of newborn diapers fairly soon.

I love her chubby cheeks and the little double-chin she's starting to acquire. My little girl is growing faster than this mama's liking, that's for sure. As I sit and rock her every afternoon, I close my eyes and wish to freeze-frame this moment with her snoozing in my arms. It's the best feeling ever. If I never do anything else in life but raise this little girl, I'll be completely content.

4) We're planning to introduce the bottle to Tory this week. It's a little earlier than all the books say you should, but I think she'll take to it quite well. (We introduced the pacifier last week and she didn't seem to have any nipple confusion while nursing). Our plan is for Andi to have a designated time frame he gives her a bottle (first thing in the morning or last feeding before bedtime) so they spend some daddy/Tory time together each day.

We are also traveling to San Diego next week for a wedding and bringing Andi's mom along to babysit. It'll be much easier for all of us if Tory will take a bottle from my MIL while we're there - even if it's just so I can attend the wedding without a baby in my arms.

5) I'm finally feeling like myself again, physically and emotionally. It took 3 weeks for my body to bounce back after delivery. I no longer weep at the drop of a hat and I'm able to use the restroom without a ten-step diagram. Thankfully, Tory is a good little sleeper as well and I'm getting sleep in about 2-3 hour stretches at night. While it's not a full night of uninterrupted sleep (I wonder what that even feels like anymore ...), it's enough to function during the daytime.

I'm no super-mom, but things are becoming easier with each passing day. Glad to have Andi home so life can finally get back to a (new) normal.