Huck - Month One

Young Henry's first weeks of life have been obsessively documented, and I don't see the rate of photo-taking diminishing any time soon. Shockingly,  I haven't found a lot of uninterrupted time to put all of the swirling thoughts and emotions into words, so for now, a photo dump will have to suffice.

Henry's first few days were spent in the hospital, and they passed in a blur of rotating nurses (Valentina for life!), cuddles, and naps.

{It would be nice if the hospital photographer gave you some kinds of heads up so you could at least throw on some lip chap before her arrival.}

{amethyst (Henry's birthstone) earrings from Tom}

By day two in the hospital, I was up and moving around and looking for activities beyond watching Wheel of Fortune, so we inked Henry up and added his footprint to his baby book.

When we got the ok to head home on Monday, we jumped at the chance.

My mom stayed with us for a few more days after we got back from the hospital, and I'm so glad she did. There was the practical matter of having an extra set of hands, but even more than that, I needed my mom by side as I adjusted to motherhood myself. If I can be half the mother to Huck that she has been to me and my siblings, he'll be in good shape.

{practicing Spanish with Deedee}

The first two weeks after Henry was born passed in a blur of nursing and cuddling and short daily excursions for a dose of vitamin D and catching sleep where we can find it.

{first trip to the farmers market - an important California milestone}

Seriously, the cuddling is out of control around here.

Henry's first bath at home was somewhat traumatic, and we didn't attempt a repeat for at least a week. Fortunately, he's now starting to come around to the awesomeness of a good tub session.

This is a picture that I've been looking forward to taking for years...

I knew that Tom would be a great dad, but he has truly blown me away. I have fallen more in love with him over the past six weeks than I ever could have imagined. He's been incredible - so protective of both Henry and me, bending over backwards to make sure that we both have everything that we need. He makes up silly parody songs to accompany diaper changes and he wears the Ergo around like a champ.

I think that the fact that I seem to have avoided any serious baby blues can be largely attributed to Tom. He's constantly telling me how proud he is of me, swooping in when I start to teeter on the edge of total overwhelm, and doing everything he can to make up for the fact that feeding Henry kind of has to be my sole responsibility for the time being. It also doesn't escape me how fortunate I am to have Tom working from home - Henry makes a great executive assistant when I need five minutes to eat. Henry and I are so lucky to have this guy.

Presented without further comment, a few of my favorites from Huck's first month.

{Huck bleeds purple}

{the first of many pictures of Henry and Mr. Hug'Ems}

{first night home}

{morning cuddles}

{I kind of miss that gross little umbilical cord}

{This is atypical - most car rides involve a lot more screaming and a lot less Zen-like smiling.}

{St. Patrick's Day}

Not pictured: a previously unfathomable number of dirty diapers, the heart-piercing wailing that accompanies all car rides, endless Netflix viewing (in Huck's first month, we plowed though House of Cards, The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, and Bloodline), two am feedings, three am feedings, four am feedings...

There have also been more than a few moments where I dissolved in a puddle of tears. When I cry these days though, it's not because I am sad or even frustrated really - it's just that all of my emotions feel very close to the surface. Maybe by the time Henry's fontanels close and we can no longer see his heartbeat through the delicate skin at the top of his head, I'll have toughened up a bit, but for the time being, I'm essentially a walking soft spot.