One Week Already!

It’s hard to believe that this sweet little dude has been here for a week already! Babies are such a unique kind of love – a sort of raw love. There is still so much that you don’t know. So few actual things that you can know about them at the outset, but there you are with a huge bucket of love to ladle out on everything you find. Love the scrunchy-nose dream smiles when the milk thieving mystery has been resolved at last. Love the frantic madness about wanting to eat. Love the surprise of having a child who will take (occasionally) a pacifier. Love the funny cries, the fuzzy head, the kicky feet. Love who this little man is on his way to becoming. Love every last thing he does. Every cross-eyed gaze is met with affection and enthusiasm. Just so. much. love.

So far we know he is a brilliant problem solver. I know that he and I have a different definition of “game time,” and he wins. The same contraction that made me think we would have a baby in ten minutes made him think “no, thanks.” When I thought the head moving down was progress, he thought “I bet I could get out of here and plug this problem area with my buns.” It was a great victory for him – my belly wildly thrashing about in a break between contractions. Success for Shadders. He faced off with our wonderful OB in a great and glorious effort to turn him – an effort that for some reason totally cracked me up. I think it was having two OB’s, an ultrasound tech, a number of nurses, and my husband hopping into scrubs – but all gathered around my belly in fierce concentration. A big greasy belly that wouldn’t behave. I said I felt like the greased pig wrestle. But I had to stop laughing – I was starting to side with my man child. They did get him to turn first one direction, then the other. But his buns remained stuck in the proverbial oven. He pivoted on them like a fancy break-dancer. Our OB said as he pulled him out there was an audible pop as he was completely locked in. Stubborn? I don’t know yet. Brilliant? Doubtless. Action oriented? We’ll see. A winner? Absolutely.

The OR staff and nursing staff and our doctors were all so great. The anesthesia team took the pictures for us that Mom put up – and all of them went above and beyond to make the whole thing not only safe and comfortable, but sweet as well. We are very blessed. Recovering from a c-section has been a little different, but not so bad. I didn’t know you could stifle a sneeze by having a mild panic attack instead. But things are great. We have a sweet healthy new man to add to our posse – we are rich. God is good. Shadrach is adorable.

P.S. I will answer the laundry/dresser questions soon, but brace yourselves to be disappointed. I’m afraid the whole question has gotten a lot of mystique on accident. I mean, it’s brilliant, but not earth- shattering. Effective, but not gorgeous. Wonderful, but, well…. you’ll see.