Ob-la-di

Today marks one month at home.

Looking back at this month with our little lady, the NICU seems very far away.  There was a time I was sure we would never get home.  That our sweet girl was  going to grow up in the sterile walls of the hospital.  I often half joked with the nurses that I would soon be committed to a psych ward and given a baby doll named Prudence.

I say half joked because I was often afraid that would come true.

 It has been a crazy wild month of chaos and yet it is so much more peaceful than before.

We have enjoyed learning our little girls tenacious personality.  She eats about 3 oz at a time now and drains the bottle of every drop.  She has almost outgrown her newborn clothing completely, meaning I have to find time to start packing up her first round of clothing and  prepare the second round.  She has rolls blossoming every week it seems and those are sweet indicators of the weight she is gaining now that we no longer get the luxury of tracking it daily.

This is poop face....it happens.

Prudence smiles a lot. And not just little grins but huge gummy faces that can warm up a room.  She loves her toys, but mostly this fish rattle that used to be Lucy's.  Prudence will only do her boom booms (bowel movements) about 5 minutes after putting her into a clean diaper.  She enjoys bath time, especially getting her hair washed and rinsed.

Lucy is adjusting.  She is the sweetest big sister always kissing and loving on baby sister.  Every now and then we have to remind her to be gentle, but mostly she
is very sweet.

We had the pleasure the other day of offering our advice to a new NICU mom the other day.... it was surreal saying these things.  It's a rollercoaster.  Cozy in for the next 12 weeks.    Expect anything and nothing all at once.  Be a parent in any way you can.

As I am saying this I realized that until you have lived as a NICU parent, these words are empty.  You never understand that rollercoaster until you ride it.  The significance  of a due date carries a whole new  meaning.  And being a parent becomes more precious than anything. You live for the next diaper change or temp check.

Again it's surreal now.
She is so happy and healthy.  And chunky.  Cute chunky though, not oh my God stop feeding your kid mayonnaise by the spoonful chunky.

And so life goes on.  My favorite times are afternoons when Lucy snuggles up beside me when I'm holding Prudence and both girls dream next to me, which is all I could ever ask for.

Slowly we add things back in, we pick back up, and in the evening she's a singer with the band....

Oh and HAPPY 50 YEARS Beatlemania!  So happy you got together.  No idea what I would have named my children without your aid and brilliance!