The Newborn Life

I guess my blog may shift gears for a while. I have all these saved posts on different topics, but writing about the Here and Now is going to be a lot more fun. I think writing while being completely sleep deprived and experiencing extreme mood swings is definitely the smartest way to go. It's more genuine and all that. 

How is life with a newborn? This time around, I can only describe it as Surreal. Well, actually, I can describe it better than that. Why else would I write an entire blog about it?

I have to laugh at my prideful foolishness over the years where I swore I was finished
having children. Now, I look at this little person and wonder how my life seemed complete without her. She's so sweet! Along with all the quiet moments of motherly bliss, I have also noticed a few things I totally forgot about since I haven't done this whole New Baby gig in a while. 

This is the first time in my life as an adult that I have essentially hit the STOP button. I'm not rushing anywhere, and haven't for weeks. I love it! This is the closest I will ever be to being an OC Housewife. All I do is eat, sleep, nurse, take care of the kids, and workout. The end. And repeat. It's awesome. However, the flip side of ignoring my work phone and staring longingly and lovingly into my newborn's eyes is the loneliness that comes with being the mother of an infant. I think all moms can relate: having an infant can be isolating AF. 

I struggled a bit with some postpartum blues- they come and go. But I expected that. The reality of the Newborn Life is that there is no one else who the baby really wants; people are typically hesitant to check in or stop over for a visit because they want you to sleep; sleep deprivation makes you sensitive; oh yeah, and none of your clothes fit. You walk around smelling like breast milk and spit-up the majority of the time and for a solid month your entire body hurts. And then there are the fun surprises like gigantic painful breasts, muscle loss, extreme hunger, and more isolation. The baby wants to eat ALL THE TIME (hence, porn-sized boobs), so you ultimately experience this weird "host/parasite" situation... Only you actually love the parasite even when she projectile spits up all over you while she's eating, hence perpetuating the looming musty smell that covers your clothing, shoulders, and chest. My adventures went from flying a surveillance mission in a helicopter or arresting bad guys to strategically planning a trip to the grocery store that doesn't include my child needing to breastfeed as I walk through the store like some primal lady in secluded Africa. It's an adjustment!! 

Those are the downsides, but they are so fleeting. That's what I love most about Baby #3: I am not overwhelmed by the negatives because I already know that within a few months they will all pass. 

The girls are super helpful and they are so in love with Hope. It's incredible to watch all the love that has come into is house because of her. 

Next up: when you workout your entire pregnancy only to realize that the first few weeks back in the gym are more similar to that fat kid from Super Bad attempting to run the Boston Marathon than the Return of the the Great Warrior a Goddess you dreamed about.