Mother’s Day Weekend
I felt so incredibly blessed to be celebrating Mother’s Day this year as a mommy…as Sophia’s mommy. I cannot describe the amount of joy she has brought to my life. It’s true that you cannot understand a mother’s love until you actually become a mother. Every day I feel this overwhelming love and gratitude for Sophia and I cannot imagine what my life would be like without her. Becoming a mom has also caused me to look at my relationship with my own mom in a new way – I have a deeper sense of appreciation for everything she’s done for me throughout my life. I love watching her relationship with Sophia grow. Sophia is absolutely smitten with her grandma and it makes me smile every time the three of us get to spend time together. I am so thankful to have such a wonderful example of what motherhood is all about and I strive to be as good a mom as my mother has been.
Our Mother’s Day celebrations were a bit crazy this year. My mother’s day celebrations actually kicked off on Friday with Mother’s Day tea and dessert at my great grandma’s nursing home. It was a special celebration with my mom and aunts. Saturday, we enjoyed some time with Dave’s grandma who was visiting from Arizona. It was her first time meeting Sophia, who slept through our lunch downtown Cedarburg. On Sunday, we had lunch with Dave’s family and Sophia got to meet her Aunt Katie who flew in to visit from Peru that day. We then celebrated with my family at a family cookout. I felt like I didn’t really get to savor the day with my daughter this year as we ran between visiting our own mother’s and as other people shuffled Sophia from one set of arms to another. Having a baby makes you pause and re-think how you spend those special occasions in your life. I told Dave that next year I’d like to spend a quiet day, just the three of us. I think it’s time we start our own family traditions, especially as we celebrate our first holidays and special occasions together.
Returning to Work
My maternity leave came to an end last Tuesday and reality set in as I headed back to work. Throughout the week prior to my return I began feeling awful anxiety and I think I had convinced myself the day really wasn’t ever going to come. I wondered if anyone would even notice if I didn’t come back. Unfortunately, my boss was expecting me and I did return. My feelings of anxiety have only multiplied and I find myself unable to concentrate most of the day. My days thinking about diaper changes, feedings, and tummy time have quickly been traded for court hearings, case files, and wait lists. I am thankful that my parents took last week off to care for Sophia while Dave and I were at work. Had she headed straight to daycare I don’t think I would have made it through those first few days. Dave is now home with her for three weeks and they’re enjoying their daddy-daughter time together. There were lots of tears the first couple of days and I still feel those terrible feelings of guilt but I’m finding a little peace knowing that she’s at home with daddy. I will admit, I never thought I’d want to be a stay at home mom but suddenly I have this overwhelming urge to walk straight into my boss’s office and quit. No worries, I’m good at controlling that urge….for now anyways.
Special Visitors
Sophia got to meet both her Aunt Katie and Great Grandma McAvoy in the past few weeks. She also had a special visit from her Godmother, Kelsey. I think she enjoyed seeing some new faces...it must get pretty boring staring at mommy and daddy's faces all day (and night) :)
Three Months
Tomorrow marks Sophia Grace’s third month in this world. She continues to grow and change daily. I’m guessing she’s around 14 pounds now and she’s probably close to 25-26 inches long. She’s just this little chunky monkey who loves to eat and play. She has a beautiful smile and big blue eyes. She is holding her head up on her own and loves sitting in her Bumbo seat. She was doing so well with sleeping until I headed back to work…now she’s giving me a run for my money, waking every few hours. Each night is a little different but we’re quickly learning that Sophia much prefers to be awake and appears to have this fear that if she closes her eyes she’ll miss something terribly important. Dave’s goal for his time off with her is to get her on a consistent napping schedule – so far he’s having better luck than I ever did. Sophia falls asleep much faster in her daddy’s arms than mine…I think she’s already becoming a daddy’s girl. Sophia enjoys going for walks now that it’s getting nicer outside. She’s met a lot of our neighbors who were surprised to learn we had a baby – apparently I hid my pregnancy well over the winter months. Sophia got hit on by her first boy last night, our friend’s five month old son. I’m convinced they were flirting in their cute little baby talk. He may just be one of the few boys Dave approves of her dating in the future. Sophia’s the most smiley in the morning and giggles when she’s super happy. She's starting teething and can often be seen with her hands in her mouth and a sloppy pile of drool rolling down her chin. My favorite thing...Sophia really knows who her mommy and daddy are and it makes my heart melt every time she looks at me with her beautiful big eyes. She’s just such a joy to us and I’m learning to savor every little minute that I have with her.
what a precious little girl!!
ReplyDelete