First Outing

SO strange to drive again after not only being bedridden for over a week or going through one of the most traumatic events of my life yet (natural labor) but now carrying the precious cargo of a little life. At least I had my mom with me for the first big outing. This is us heading out to our one week check up with my midwife. Here is Brighton, snug as a bug.



It was strange to head back to the birth center where Brighton was born and feel the emotions of that intense night. But it was fun to return this time as a mom with my son and not as a "stuffed" pregnant gal. I was VERY glad to be on THIS side of labor! Brighton had almost gained back his birth weight, back up to 8lbs after going down to 7lbs 11oz during the "no-milk" first few days. He's growing and changing so much in these first couple of weeks. Now much more alert and with it. He's been going through one of his first growth spurts lately and has been eating every hour today. Whew! By the time he's done I have about 30 minutes before he's ready to go again!

He's also had a pretty upset stomach the past few days causing him to spit up a lot more and struggle with the whole gas issue, poor guy. It stinks seeing your little kiddo grimace and wail from pain you can't do anything about. I guess this is just the beginning of learning what it means to hurt for your kids and want to do anything to "save" them from pain. Hmm, a constant battle for lots of mom's I know. I guess this is also the beginning of realizing I CAN"T be his "savior", but Christ can...and is with Brighton, fighting for him, more than I'll ever know.

So today marked the beginning of me feeling antsy as well, and wanting to get "back into life"...whatever that means now with a baby. I walked to our neighborhood co-op with B in the Bjorn and felt a great sense of accomplishment buying our stash of spinach, blueberries and wheat tortillas. Ha, guess it's the gradual steps that'll help me feel like I'm getting back into some sense of normalcy. I still wonder how I'll ever brave an extended outing or trip to a large store without feeling panicky though. After our midwife appointment, my mom and I stopped by Whole Foods to eat a sandwich outside, but B just lost it. We both hurried to get him back in the car and settled down. Ugh, guess I'll need to recruit friends to accompany me on those first few trips out.

That's the latest from the new momma and her gassy sidekick (snoozing peacefully in one arm...so excuse any spelling errors/typos as this was a one-handed blog...yes, it takes WAY too long typing with one hand!)