9 weeks!

Kim

9 weeks!

9 weeks old.  Wow.  (I typed 9 "months" the first time...oops...definitely not wishing time to move THAT fast!)  But it really is hard to believe that it has been over two months since Henry made his debut, and I only have 3 more weeks of maternity leave left.  Currently, I am not too anxious about returning to work.  I've been blessed with a pretty perfect situation.  I get to return to work, but at part-time hours, and Henry will get to go to our preschool.  It is much easier to know that he'll be right down the hall and in such good hands.  I'm also pretty excited about working shorter hours.  I will be busy during my day, no doubt, as my job responsibilities are not changing, but I know I'll be able to get it all done.  Plus, I can finish anything I need to from home. That's definitely an advantage of working in "multimedia," i.e. doing most all your work on the computer.  I am looking forward to having my afternoons off to be with Henry. 

Maternity leave has been great though.  The first 4-5 weeks truly were nothing but a blur.  It is almost already hard to remember those weeks of sleepless nights and feedings every 2-3 hours.  Henry still eats every 3 hours, but things are much easier with a bottle.  Also, he's sleeping 6-7 hours a night for us now, which is awesome.  I put him down at 10pm and he will usually sleep until around 5am.  I give him a bottle then and lay him back down and he'll (usually) snooze until 8am.  I have absolutely no complaints.  When I think back to how exhausted I was those first few weeks and how I "slept" on the couch that first month, I can really see how far we've come.  I remember at one point wondering if I'd ever sleep in the bed again!  I also remember when it seemed like an extremely successful day if I managed to shower.  I am glad those days are behind us.

Now that we've gotten our sea legs in all of this, our days are much more relaxed. I am trying hard to cherish this time because I know that it will never be like this again.  Never again will Henry be so small, and never again will we get constant one-on-one time together.  He really is my little buddy who goes everywhere with me (I can't very well leave him, can I?) and I love him more every day.  We try to get out of the house at least once a day, even if it is just to the grocery store or to a drive-thru for lunch.  Some days I do feel myself starting to go a little stir crazy, or wishing I could just run to the mall pr wherever without having to worry about whether I should take his stroller or just carry him or whatnot, but then I just remind myself how lucky we are to have this time together, and really, is there anything better than that?  There is not. 

He's really starting to show some personality.  He has started smiling, but he makes you work for it.  He has the sweetest open-mouth smile though.  We usually have some really good play time in the morning together and that is when I tend to get my most smiles.  I love it.  Also, he's now "talking" as he plays, cooing and making noises at whoever will listen. 

I am actually writing this blog from the outpatient surgery waiting room at a hospital in Raleigh.  Matt is having some minor surgery today, and we left Henry with his grandma.  This is the longest I've been away from him and it is definitely weird.  There is no one I'd trust him with more than either Matt's mom or mine, but it is still strange.  All of these thoughts keep running through my head, even though I know he is in extremely capable hands and will have a great day with his grandma.  This is just part of becoming a mama, right? 

I am so familiar with all of his little intricacies now.  I can picture exactly how he looks when he gets mad and exactly what he does when you take his bottle away when he finishes it.  It's pretty amazing to know someone that well.  Just another incredible part of this journey. 

He's growing and changing every day.  I'll leave you with this sweet picture. 

I am precious!

And let's not forget how little he used to look in his swing...

Awww!

Slow down!!