Motherhood, Part 2- At 7 weeks
by Torrie Vicklund on Saturday, 31 January 2009 at 09:32
It's been 7 weeks. 7 long, hard, rewarding, enjoyable, frustrating weeks. I take things day-by-day, and am to the point of not really being surprised by the lack of consistency and routine in my days. I would like to use this venue to chronicle progress/changes so far.
Physically, Erika is a different person. She has gone from a scrawny 6.5 lb baby to a plump 12 lbs. She no longer has the starved-baby look and has grown a very nice set of chins and cheeks. Her hair has not grown much, so she still sports a nice “baby mullet” (a term coined by a friend and quite appropriate). Her eyes are changing to a medium blue and may continue to change, up to 1 year of age. Clothes-wise, she is already into 3-6 month old clothing. This blows my mind, and I find myself already missing the teeny-tiny little baby Rick and I brought home.
Personality-wise, she has changed so much I could not begin to list of them. She has learned to smile at people, and not just at random moments. She likes/dislikes bath time (depends on the day) and is especially cranky in the evenings. She is a joy when in a good mood and luckily this is 80% of the time. The other times, although a challenge, she is never really unreasonable in her demands. With a dry diaper, a full bottle and a pair of loving arms, she is once again the adorable baby we cherish. She occasionally allows Rick and I to put her down in her bouncy chair to either sleep or hang out- but there are also days where she acts like my personal trainer and does not allow her 12 lb frame to be put down- on those days my biceps scream in protest but I acquiesce to her demands none the less.
On my end, life is settling in. I no longer daily miss my previous life and am enjoying my time at home with Erika. I have gone from needing 8-9 hours of sleep at night to a decent 5-6, and no longer feel like death when she wakes me up for a feeding at 3:30am. All of my previous pre-pregnancy clothes fit once again, although my body has not come through the pregnancy unscathed. With very frigid winter temperatures waning (one can hope soon) I look forward to more outings and visits outside the house- this will help cure the cabin fever. Frequent visits and phone calls from friends and family have been a thankful lifeline to the outside world, and I am forever grateful.
I have never in my life experienced such a steep learning curve. Although I didn’t have a romantic view of motherhood, I never thought it would be as challenging as it has been. And as many have said before, I wouldn’t change a thing!
Physically, Erika is a different person. She has gone from a scrawny 6.5 lb baby to a plump 12 lbs. She no longer has the starved-baby look and has grown a very nice set of chins and cheeks. Her hair has not grown much, so she still sports a nice “baby mullet” (a term coined by a friend and quite appropriate). Her eyes are changing to a medium blue and may continue to change, up to 1 year of age. Clothes-wise, she is already into 3-6 month old clothing. This blows my mind, and I find myself already missing the teeny-tiny little baby Rick and I brought home.
Personality-wise, she has changed so much I could not begin to list of them. She has learned to smile at people, and not just at random moments. She likes/dislikes bath time (depends on the day) and is especially cranky in the evenings. She is a joy when in a good mood and luckily this is 80% of the time. The other times, although a challenge, she is never really unreasonable in her demands. With a dry diaper, a full bottle and a pair of loving arms, she is once again the adorable baby we cherish. She occasionally allows Rick and I to put her down in her bouncy chair to either sleep or hang out- but there are also days where she acts like my personal trainer and does not allow her 12 lb frame to be put down- on those days my biceps scream in protest but I acquiesce to her demands none the less.
On my end, life is settling in. I no longer daily miss my previous life and am enjoying my time at home with Erika. I have gone from needing 8-9 hours of sleep at night to a decent 5-6, and no longer feel like death when she wakes me up for a feeding at 3:30am. All of my previous pre-pregnancy clothes fit once again, although my body has not come through the pregnancy unscathed. With very frigid winter temperatures waning (one can hope soon) I look forward to more outings and visits outside the house- this will help cure the cabin fever. Frequent visits and phone calls from friends and family have been a thankful lifeline to the outside world, and I am forever grateful.
I have never in my life experienced such a steep learning curve. Although I didn’t have a romantic view of motherhood, I never thought it would be as challenging as it has been. And as many have said before, I wouldn’t change a thing!
At 7 weeks old
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