Ok so when I was kidless I was fundamentally against having a blog. It just seemed so silly to me that people were so entitled that they felt everyone would want to know the minute and insignificant details of their life. So, for all you blogger moms that I once laughed off... I deeply, DEEPLY apologize. You ladies deserve more credit than that and I'm so sorry. Phone calls with friends and family have been few and far between since I had Delylah seeing as how she wants to be held, played with, and maintained for the majority of her day. Rather than making my loved ones feel neglected and out of the loop, I figured I'd start this so I can hit, like, 50 birds with one stone, or sawed-off shotgun. It's less for me and more for Delylah. It also gives me a chance to practice and polish my narrative skills. Since most of my conversations are between me and my infant, I worry that my intellectual abilities are slowly dwindling. This, by no means, means that I'm losing my ability to reason, problem-solve, and learn. In fact, since having Delylah I think those have soared to new Hights (see what I did there?). Having a baby has challenged my body and my mind more than grad school ever could.
Anywho... here's a sneaky peek into what our lives have been like the past few months:
I sometimes wonder what she stores in those cheeks
Day 1
1 week
Cheering for her 1 month
6 weeks old visiting Grandma Cathy
Discovering her feet at 2 months
Kicking ass at tummy time
Delylah's personality is really starting to shine through which has been really fun to watch. She's so much like her dad. When she wants something she wants it NOW. When she cries, she goes from 0-60 in about .25 seconds but when she's satisfied, she goes right back to the smiley, drooling, leaky little girl that I love. She now holds her head up pretty well and is starting to grasp things with her hands and uses her mouth as a third feeler in addition to them. Her favorite things are lights, fans, the pinata toy from Auntie Jessica, the singing bird from Auntie Jodi, the musical seahorse, and having intellectually stimulating conversations with mom. We discuss such things as universal healthcare, civil rights, the deteriorating social service system, PTSD, Buddhism, and green parenting. She doesn't mind being dressed up which is fun for me because I never had all of these really cute clothes when I played with my water baby as a kid. Remember those? I loved mine until it got mold inside the tummy and it started to leak. Delylah leaks too but it's usually the milk that's inside hers. She spits up and drools constantly and therefore goes through more outfits than Audrey Hepburn. As for the home environment, piano solos are usually playing in the house during her waking hours but I think she prefers country. There's also an overlay of Skip To My Lou that comes from the play gym that is endlessly amusing to her (so long as I'm sitting next to her shaking the toys that hang from it). Even though she always require that I be close to her interacting with her, she also no longer likes to be cuddled unless it's bedtime. She would rather observe and interact. It's really fun to watch her and you can see in her eyes that she's learning that her tiny little world is actually much bigger than the womb or even the living room.
Having a baby has been so much fun excluding the monetary expense. She's worth it though. Through my pregnancy and becoming a mom (yikes) I've reconnected and re-established solid friendships with some really, really great people. I started talking to my RA from my freshman year, Kayse. I don't get to talk to her much but the conversations we've had really helped me through my pregnancy. I recently starting talking to my old soccer friend and best friend of the Brown family (my second family), Ashleigh, which is so AMAZING! She has a son that is about 2 weeks younger than Delylah and I know that as time passes, the flirting between them will blossom. My friends never cease to amaze me. The eagerness and enthusiasm I got from Steph, Emily, Dayna, Ruthie, Katie, Amanda and Emmalee has definitely been a driving force at times when I have felt defeated. I've become closer than ever with my sister, Jodi. Words can't express how blessed I am to have her. She was definitely an emotional rock throughout pregnancy. Early on, I rediscovered the unconditional love that my family has for me that I was so scared I might have lost. The support that I got from my own parents, aunts and uncles, and cousins is so amazing. Jake's family is outstanding. I don't think we would have been able to do this without Cathy, Jeff, Matt, Leslie, Pam, Wayne and Virginia. It warms my insides to think of how wonderful they all are. As for me, having Delylah has redefined love for me. It's overwhelming at times when I realize just how much I love her.
Jake is completely smitten. I'm so proud of him for braving the poopy diapers. He doesn't even change his shirt anymore when she spits up or pees on him. Now that's a true dad! He's been really busy with work but I know he wishes he could be around more. However, he really enjoys being a cop and is very good at what he does. For those of you that knew him before, who would have guessed he would have gotten involved in enforcing laws instead of breaking them? I mean really...
I started work a couple of weeks ago which has been challenging but fun. I work mainly from home right now until we can close on the lease agreement for an office. I've never been a part of the ground floor of a business before and it has been a lot of fun learning how to run a company efficiently. For those of you that don't know, I work for Aptitude Habilitation Services which offers comprehensive service to children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder and their families. I worked for the company when I was in Sacramento and I absolutely fell in love with the job. Down here, I will be in charge of managing and running the clinic and I'll also have a caseload. In other words, I'll go into the homes and work with the child and their families providing behavioral therapy. The goal of the therapy is essentially to work myself out of a job. In other words, I'll work with the child and family until the child can function, thrive, and flourish on his own with the help of his loved ones. Kids with an ASD are so charming. I miss the families I worked with in Sac but I know that I'll fall in love with the kids I work with down here. I wish I could work with them forever!
Welp, I think that this is long enough. The blog probably isn't that pretty but I'm going to try to do some googlin' to see if I can make it fancier. Until next time, may what is most precious and valued in me honor what is most precious and valued in you!
