January 2009 - Recap

Well Nataroo, you survived an entire month with your rookie parents. And likewise, your rookie parents survived an entire month with a newborn.

January 2009 was a month chock full of adjectives - wonderful, scary, sleepy, amazing, breathtaking, heart-breaking, love-filled.

Your dad and I had no idea how we could love someone so much so quickly. Someone with the most beautiful pair of lips, someone who frequently expels the contents of her stomach all over our clothes, someone whose tongue is permanently taking residence outside her mouth, someone who (for the most part) calms down when her rookie parents sing "You Are My Sunshine", someone who could easily take the title of "World's Best Snuggler", someone who gets fairly grumpy when her mom makes her burp during feedings, someone who has single-handedly managed to fill the hearts of numerous people with an astonishing amount of love.

High points:

• Random smiles. We can't wait for you to smile on purpose!
• Your hysterical facial expressions. Seriously - this is why I can't get anything done during the day. I watch you for hours, waiting to see what you'll do next.
• Finally getting the hang of nursing
• Sleeping for four hours in between nighttime feedings. I don't expect this to last, but the few nights it's happened have been wonderful.
• You sleeping on our chests - one of the most peaceful experiences ever.
• Bath time (minus the horrific first bath - you would have though we were bathing you with hydrochloric acid)
• Introducing you to our friends and family. You have no idea how many people love you.
• Making up new songs
• Coming up with all sorts of silly nicknames for you (unfortunately "Natalie" is very far down on our list of names we call you)

Low points:

• The first two days home from the hospital. No need to relive it. It was rough but it didn't last long. And thankfully we never have to go through that again with you.
• You pooping on my hand after giving you a suppository (High point? Me wiping poop on daddy's hand after he laughed at me for getting poop on MY hand. Always remember this: never laugh at someone with poop on her hands.)
• The pain that acid reflux was causing you. Your dad and I have never felt so helpless.
• Your days and nights being mixed up for the first week or so.
• Me going on a dairy-free diet in the hopes that it'll help you not spit up so much (I know this isn't technically a low point, especially if the dairy-free thing helps you ... but seriously. Mommy misses cheese.)
• The first time I took you out by myself.

You made us parents this month. And it's been the best and hardest month of our lives. We couldn't be happier. We could be a little more well-rested (I'm lookin' at you, kid), but we couldn't be happier.

Hugs and smooches,

Mommy & Daddy