Lessons learned from a newborn-part 1

Okay. It is officially 2 days shy of 10 weeks since life was changed!!!!!! Miss Daelyn Grace is growing like a weed...literally. Like seriously her weight and length is about the size of an average 4 month old. (insert blank stare here). I'm gonna not only be skinny (breastfeeding DOES cause you to lose weight without doing NOTHING) but my arms are also gonna be buff as she constantly requires rocking, cuddling, holding and bouncing. :D

Anyway, despite the fact that my life currently revolves around her, my plan is to continue to blog about passion, purpose, life and other randomness and not turn this into a baby blog. Sadly, life and randomness are all baby-centered for me as I have not yet returned to work and my involvement in other non-baby activities (eg dissertation, church, etc) have been few and far between. BUT as I sat and thought about what I could share I realized that some lessons I've learned from these past 2 months could be applied to almost any challenging situation.

So...here we go!

First, give yourself some credit. Yes, things may not be as you like it and you may seem like you are flailing about or even failing but I can assure you, it is not 100% bad. Recognize that there are some bright spots and celebrate them. After all, life in general is filled with challenges. Furthermore living life according to kingdom principles becomes even "harder", simply because it goes against our automatic nature and against what everyone else is doing.  In short---Celebrate you. Celebrate your triumphs. Celebrate life.

Second, talk to your someone in your circle- its cathartic. Keeping things in is counter to our mental and physical health. You will quickly find that you may not be the only person in this situation.  Its amazing how similar our experiences are as humans but yet when we go through tough times/challenges, we tend to isolate rather than congregate.  Of course you can't share with everyone, not even everyone in your support network, but definitely find someone to talk to.
Also, if the situation involves someone else, find the right time and place and discuss it with them. One word of caution: it is important how you approach the conversation. Therapy teaches about "I...you" statements. For example, "I feel drained when you.....". This allows us to express our feelings without coming off like we are attacking the other person. The cool thing about this conversation is that sometimes this conversation reveals that the person just did not know...Sadly, many major conflicts start because people aren't on the same page. Anyway...in short, we are made to commune. To live together. To be a support to each other. When we are at our low, that is when this becomes vitally important.

Until next week...

Grace peace and love,
Gia

One month later...

Yesterday made one month since our lives were forever changed. Daelyn Grace is growing....rapidly (already has a double chin and rolls in her thighs) and mommy and daddy are somewhat gaining some sense of normalcy.

We've been blessed with amazing family and friends who have been uber supportive and helpful...if only with sending an encouraging text or a short phone call (whenever I have a free hand to answer). Speaking of hands, these two hands have seemingly multiplied. I thought I could multi-task but this is another dimension. Amazing what toes can do too!

My mom and mother-in-law have been indispensable with cooking, cleaning and sometimes just taking her from me in between feedings. Unfortunately, that sometimes is only 45 minutes as I am exclusively breastfeeding (EBF) and she has not yet been introduced to the bottle.  That we are only EBF'ing has been THE biggest challenge and I now totally and completely understand why many moms choose to supplement and breast feed, or only end up breastfeeding for a couple days/weeks or totally just formula feed from the beginning. The struggle is real!

I'm typing now in this rare 5 minutes (this actually took more than one nap session)...I technically should be trying to eat but I really wanted to blog. I've got babygirl here next to me "sleeping" on the bed and she's coo'ing and grunting and making other random noises as she flitters in between sleep and wake. Someone should have warned me that newborns are rather noisy. Who knew? It was quite disconcerting those first nights/days with her...it was like..."ummm did she swallow animals?"

I've learned soooooo much these past 31 days...about myself, and about infants/newborns and even a little bit about our culture. I find my prayer life has doubled as I am often times clueless and just need the comfort of that heavenly connection. I've become stronger, a tad bit wiser and definitely have had to make some interesting decisions.

Tecnically the "newborn" stage is done and although emotionally and physically exhausting, it was enjoyed. I kissed, cuddled, smiled, and was just woo'ed by this beauty. I am looking forward to the next couple weeks when a routine is established as she moves from that unpredictable-getting-adjusted-to-the-outside-world stage, where I will have a bit more independence and freedom (the only time we leave the house has been for doctors appointments) and I can also jump back on the dissertation wagon (hopefully longer deep naps).

As I leave (for whoever knows how long), here is one of the pictures for her room. It was inspired (almost a duplicate) of an image I saw online and just personalized for my little princess.

Grace peace and love,
Gia

Who knew...

a love like this.

So for those of you who don't know...our sweet little princess, Daelyn Grace is here.

She made quite the appearance last Wednesday and has been rocking our world since. That's both physically, emotionally and every other aspect of life!!!

I told someone, when I saw her taken and passed from one doctor to the next in the operating room, I literally held my breath and tears just began to flow. That "alien" that resided in me, had made her way and I could see her. Of course the tears just continued when her pediatrician brought her face to mine for the first contact. Sometimes just thinking of the miracle that has been pregnancy and now this new life has me tearing up again.

Its that face that I continue to just stare at...and kiss...and smell and kiss some more.

I can confidently say, my God is a very creative, awesome being to come up with this brilliant idea of bringing forth life.

Okay..so considering I've probably had less than 8 hours of sleep in the past 72+ hours, I'm signing off now to rest while she peacefully naps.

Grace peace and love,
Gia

PS. Remember it may be awhile before I'm regularly blogging again. Got to make sure first things are dealt with first. ;)