One Day I'll Be A Good Blogger Again...

...but it probably won't be today. :)

Whether blogging is or isn't important to me doesn't matter...Miss P takes up nearly every waking minute that I have (and most of the non-waking ones, too). Not that I'm complaining! I'd give up my computer cold turkey to have her but it is a big adjustment for me.

Many of you have asked how we're doing, so I thought while I had a minute (she's napping in her Daddy's arms for a few minutes between feedings), I'd catch you up on the everyday instead of finishing the birth story posts. I mean, you obviously know the outcome, right? ;p

Preslie is a good baby. I am working on being a good mom. I am doing lots of things that I said I'd never do and nearly none of the things that I planned, but we're making it and so far, she doesn't seem any worse for the wear. :) Hopefully I haven't screwed her up too badly just yet. And I will tell you, the past 4 weeks have been NOTHING like I thought they would be, both good and bad.

The hormones have been outrageous...I have cried and cried and cried. Seriously, you need waders and hip boots just to come in the door some days around here. And they are not necessarily bad tears...EVERYTHING makes me cry. And I can't stop it. I cried today because I finally had time to take a shower and shave my legs and brush my teeth...on the same day. Seriously. :)

The physical recovery process is taking longer than I would like. I've got stitches on top of my stitches (more on that later...in that elusive birth story post) and I'm more more sore than I thought I'd be, even a month later. And the bleeding is no fun either. Just when I think it's finished, it comes back 'round for another stay. And feeling frumpy doesn't even begin to cover the way I feel...though I have already lost all but 10 pounds of the pregnancy weight I gained. Woo-hoo!

Tired doesn't begin to cover the amount of sleep deprivation that is going on. FOR REALZ. Sleep now...that's all I've got to say. :) I'm averaging about 6 hours a day...on a good day...broken up into a few naps here and there but no periods of sleep longer than one glorious 3 hour stretch the other night. It's more like 2 hours TOPS once in a day and smaller little cat naps otherwise. But who needs sleep when I can send that time with my baby? :)

Breastfeeding is absolutely the hardest thing I have ever, ever done. It makes labor and delivery look easy. I don't say that to scare any of you but I wasn't nearly as prepared for it all as I thought I was and I totally understand why lots of moms give up on it. Preslie Jo nurses about every 2 hours or so for about 40-45 minutes at a time, sometimes closer to an hour. Actually, it's usually closer to an hour. Then she naps for about 30 minutes or so, we change diapers and snuggle for a few minutes and start the whole process over again. That said, it is the most wonderful, special, rewarding thing that I have ever done and I can't imagine not doing it. For those of you who are going to give BFing a try, I say this: educate yourself now. Read EVERYTHING twice and then read it again. Learn the pitfalls and common problems. Build yourself a support system NOW. Other BFing moms, close friends and family, lactation consultants, your pediatrician, books, videos...whatever you can think of...and use them! I have a couple of good friends that have absolutely SAVED me in the past few weeks and I really don't think that I'd still be nursing P if it weren't for them. Ask lots of questions, get whatever help you need and whatever you do, don't give up. If I can do this as screwy as I am, I know that you can do it. :)

And if I can help you in any way, please, please ask. I wish I had prepared as much for breastfeeding as I did for pregnancy and L&D. I mean, really...BFing can last much, much longer than those things and I was ultra prepared for them. Duh.

Becoming a parent is most definitely a scary learning process! Really, I second guess most everything I do, though after a month, I am starting to do better. I can bathe her without crying now, I know that I'm feeding her correctly, I can dress her and burp her and try to soothe her when she fusses. Most of the time. :) And when I don't, I have a wonderful support system to help me through the tough times.

Anyway, thanks to you guys for asking about my girl and for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers. We are learning more about each other everyday and I am learning more about myself than I ever knew there was to learn. :) It is awesome and terrifying and I can't imagine my life without her, even though I've forgotten what my bed looks like. ;p I really wasn't living until she came along.

I sincerely appreciate all of you and hope that you're all still doing GREAT. You're still in my prayers and I'm doing my best to keep up with your blogs, even though I don't have the time to comment like I used to. Keep writing and I'll keep reading...and one day in the future, I'll get back to blogging again. And I promise, I'll finish that birth story sooner rather than later because I really do have some interesting and important things to share, especially with those of you who are close to delivery. But for now, my little princess is calling and it's snack time once again...