Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow!

First white Christmas I've ever seen. It was a truely beautiful site once we were all safely in Conover. Christmas eve, Irelynn attended her first church service and behaved better than I've ever seen her behave. She played quietly and with the help of the puff cereal, we made it through the entire service...what a blessing! Then, we went to the Puff's for some family time, food, and gift giving. Irelynn got a great train that she can now use to balance her as she walks. She also got a really cute car and some other toys. Katie got black Uggs, which she loves and some other clothes and accessories. Christmas morning was filled with the tradition of Mariah Carey's "All I want for Christmas," breakfast casserole, and present's galore. Then, we were off to the Myers' in Winston-Salem to see the Boone/Myers family. We started seeing snow about half way, and hurried through a fabulous meal, to make it safely to Conover. There, Irelynn got a play house from her Grana and Pop and a keyboard from her Nannie. She also got some of the cutest clothes I've ever seen. We are so lucky to have such wonderful families! We arrived home on Monday and Irelynn was so tired from all of the playing that she has slept all night long for 2 nights in a row. This is a first for my baby girl. Go Irelynn!!

A few new things that Irelynn has started doing:

Playing peek-a-boo like a champ and pulling the pages back on her peek-a-boo book all by herself.

Playing "chase" where we chase her around the room and she crawls as fast as she can giggling all the way.

Clicking her tongue and making a fake coughing sound.

Making all kinds of talking noises and taking turns talking with someone.

Mommy is finally starting to feel like a real person again. This baby thing was way harder than I ever thought. There are so many things to worry about and so many things to do! Mommy guilt is something that I never gave much though, but it is as real as any feeling I've ever known. Being a mom opens up a whole new area of your soul, one that was rarely entered before the birth of your child. Once Irelynn was born, my world felt much bigger, much fuller, much more wonderful, but much more complicated and I'm pretty sure that that feeling is here to stay. As I watch my baby grow and change, I realize how quickly time passes and how precious each moment of every day truely is. I feel a richness in my life, a love so deep that it aches, a responsibility so encompasing that it is, at times, utterly overwhelming. With all that said, month 9 is my favorite yet! Baby I is growing and learning and mommy is starting to figure some things out.

Sleep

Last night, Irelynn gave me the best birthday present I could ever imagine, a good night's sleep. She slept from 9pm to 7am, only waking one time to feed. Now this may not sound like much to many mom's, but our nightly rituals have been less than pleasant lately. We have had several middle-of-the-night crying sessions and a couple of feedings. So, clearly, last night was nothing short of a miracle in my eyes. I am hoping that this becomes our new nightly ritual, but I won't get my hopes up yet. Sleep is just one of those things that I never fully appreciated until Irelynn was born. I think I have learned the definition of sleep deprivation and how it can be used as torture in some settings. Thank you, Irelynn, for giving your mom such a wonderful gift.

I just got back from a 3-day, overnight, work conference. I was so nervous about leaving. The night before I left, Irelynn cried for almost 3hrs on and off before I finally put her in the bed beside me. I left the next morning for the airport at 4;45am. Irelynn, Katie, and their daddy had a blast while I was gone, but I know they all missed me....

Irelynn is starting to really be a talker. I love her coos and sounds. It sounds like she is singing a song. When we talk to her, she coos and makes sounds right back at us. Lately, she has found a lot of entertainment looking at herself in the mirror. She will talk and talk and just stare at herself. She has also started to gain strength in her arms and legs. She can put most of her weight on her legs and pull pretty hard with her arms. She is so cute when she looks at her hands and tries to get them into her mouth. She just hasn't mastered their movement yet. She saw her feet the other day and was amazed by them! Even though she kicks and kicks, she doesn't quite understand that they are part of her body.

Irelynn attended her first wedding this weekend. Well, it is more like she sat outside of her first wedding. My cousin Jason married his high-school sweetheart in Charlotte this weekend and we had the pleasure of attending. Irelynn looked so so cute in her dress! We decided to stay outside in the lobby during the wedding so that Irelynn's beautiful voice wouldn't be the thing that people remembered about Jason's special day. We had a wonderful time with family and friends.

It has been a big couple of days for Irelynn! Monday Grana came and we went to the doctor for her 2 month appointment. She did great getting her shots! She is in the 60th percentile for her head circumference and her height and 75th percentile for her weight. She weighs 11lbs 11oz. She has really started smiling and cooing, which has been so much fun for all of us. This also makes her much easier to entertain. Irelynn also decided that she likes sucking her pacifier.

Yesterday, Irelynn and I went to our mommy/baby belly dance class. Irelynn slept the whole time in her baby carrier, and I got quite the workout. It wasn't that intense, but that is the first real workout that I have done since Irelynn was born and carrying all of her 11lbs/11oz the entire time made it even harder.

Days are passing so quickly lately. Irelynn is almost 8 weeks old. She has changed so much. She started cooing a little bit around five weeks, but now is really able to use her voice to make lots of sounds. Our big challenge this week has been Irelynn trying to suck her thumb. She tries and tries, but just can't get it in her mouth. She actually just tucks it under her fist and gets really frustrated that she can't figure the whole thing out. I try to guide her thumb into her mouth, a first of many challenges I hope that I can help her overcome. She fits into all of her 3 month clothes already. I'm really excited to see how much she ways at her 2month doctor's appointment on Monday. She has started really looking at her mobile and the toys that hang down from her bouncy seat. It is really fun to watch her change and grow.
The best thing that has happened is that she has slept 4 hours in a row on 3 separate nights! Yay! I thought that this would never happen. Surprisingly, sleeping 4 hours in a row seems like 8 to a new mom. I have felt so much more rested lately.

Happy Mother's Day

What a great day to start a blog. This is something that I have been wanting to do, so what better day to do it than on Mother's Day. Today is extra special for me because it is my first Mother's Day with Irelynn in my life. I have 2 beautiful daughters, my first one just calls me Jennifer instead of mom. If there is one thing that has made me appreciate my mom, it is having children of my own. I now understand the depth of love, worry and joy that children can bring. As prepared as I felt before giving birth to Irelynn, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I had no idea how much my life would change, and I had no idea how much more I would appreciate the sacrifices and time that my mom made for me. Below is an article about Motherhood that a professor read to us in nursing school. It touched my soul when she read it and it means even more to my now.

Motherhood--It Will Change Your Life

by Dale Hanson Bourke

Time is running out for my friend. We are sitting at lunch when she casually
mentions that she and her husband are thinking
of “starting a family.” What she means is that her
biological clock has begun its countdown and she
is considering the prospect of motherhood.

“We’re taking a survey,” she says, half jokingly.
“Do you think I should have a baby?”

“It will change your life,” I say carefully.

“I know,” she says. “No more sleeping in on Saturdays,
no more spontaneous vacations…”

But that is not what I mean at all.

I look at my friend, trying to decide what to tell her.
I want her to know what she will never learn in childbirth
classes. I want to tell her that the physical wounds of
childbirth heal, but that becoming a mother will leave
her with an emotional wound so raw that she will be forever
vulnerable.

I consider warning her that she will never read
a newspaper again without asking “What if that had been my
child?” That every plane crash, every fire will haunt her.
That when she sees pictures of starving children, she will
look at the mothers and wonder if anything could be worse
than watching your child die.

I look at her carefully manicured nails and stylish suit
and think she should know that no matter how sophisticated
she is, becoming a mother will immediately reduce her to the
primitive level. That a slightly urgent call of “Mom!” will
cause her to drop her best crystal without a moment’s
hesitation.

I feel I should warn her that no matter how many years she
has invested in her career, she will be professionally
derailed by motherhood. She might successfully arrange for
child care, but one day she will be waiting to go into an
important business meeting, and she will think about her
baby’s sweet smell. She will have to use every ounce of
discipline to keep from running home, just to make sure he
is all right.

I want my friend to know that everyday routine decisions
will no longer be routine. That a visit to Mc Donald’s and a
five year old boy’s desire to go to the men’s room rather
than the women’s room will become a major dilemma. That
right there, in the midst of clattering trays and screaming
children, issues of independence and gender identity will be
weighed against the prospect that danger may be lurking in
the rest room.

I want her to know that however decisive she may be at the
office, she will second-guess herself constantly as a mother.
Looking at my attractive friend, I want to assure her that
eventually she will shed the pounds of pregnancy, but will
never feel the same about herself. That her life, now so
important, will be of less value to her once she has a child.
That she would give it up in a moment to save her offspring,
but will also begin to hope for more years, not so much to
accomplish her own dreams, but to watch her child accomplish his.

I want her to know that a cesarean scar or stretch marks
will become badges of honor.

My friend’s relationship with her husband will change, but
not in the ways she thinks. I wish she could understand how
much more you can love a man who is always careful to powder
the baby or who never hesitates to play with his son. I think
she should know that she will fall in love with her husband
again for reasons she would never have imagined.

I wish my modern friend could sense the bond she will feel
with other women throughout history who have tried desperately
to stop war and prejudice and drunk driving.

I want to describe to my friend the exhilaration of seeing
your son learn to hit a baseball. I want to capture for her
the laugh of a baby who is touching the soft fur of a dog for
the first time. I want her to taste the joy that is so real
that it hurts.

My friend’s quizzical look makes me realize that tears have
formed in my eyes

"You'll never regret it," I say finally. Then I reach across the table, and squeezing my friend's hand, I offer a prayer for her and me and all of the mere mortal women who stumble their way into this holiest of callings.