Notes from a New Mom

They never said it was going to be easy.  I suppose this statement is true about many things.  Now that I've been a Mom for all of six weeks and one day*, I'm learning just how true those words are.  Naive me, I thought I had some idea of what I was getting into.  I've been around plenty of babies in my time, and have a fair bit of experience.  But let me tell you, when it's your own baby, when you can't give that baby back, it's a different story.  Before becoming a Mom I thought that I had come to the realization that things would likely be difficult, and when people would give me advice or 'just waits' it went in one ear and out.  Parenting is one of those things that you can't know about until you experience it.

What no one tells you is that laboring and giving birth is the easy part.  What comes next, that's the hard part.  I would gladly go through labor again if I could get a guaranteed 5 hour stretch of sleep every night.  (This coming from a girl who could easily sleep 8-10 hours every night.)  Those first two weeks were some of the hardest in my life.  Partly due to the fact that I was struggling a bit with a case of the baby blues, and while the name sounds cute, it was scary for me.  I've had anxiety in the past, but this was a new beast.  Luckily for me, I have the most amazing husband who was there for me and supported me through it, and it only lasted about a week.

Soren is the greatest blessing to ever come into our lives, and I'm so incredibly happy to be his Mom.  He is a wonderful baby.  He likes to eat, which is not that surprising for a nearly 9 lb newborn.  So far (and please God let this continue) he likes to sleep too.  He's still sleeping around 18 hours every day, that may sound awesome, but his longest stretch of sleep to date is three hours.  He wakes up nearly every two hours, and is famished every time.  We call him 'grunty' because, well, he grunts.  It's adorable and sweet.  But at two am, it can also be tiring.

All you hear during these first weeks and months is 'enjoy this time, it goes by so fast.'  I think that you have to be reminded of this because, well, sometimes it's just not that enjoyable.  Who loves changing wet/poopy diapers 10 times a day?  Who likes to breastfeed through the pain?  Who likes being awakened every night at two am because your baby is grunting and farting?  The good times far outweigh the bad, and I'm reminded everyday of our good fortune. We're convinced that Soren is the best/smartest/cutest/most wonderful baby ever.

*It has now been a month since I started this post, and I'm just now getting around to finishing it.  I'm finding that a lot of things take a backseat when you become a new mom.  Most of my days feel a bit like ground hog day over here.  I can't help but think that if I were back in the states we'd have more of an opportunity to get out and about.  Alas we still have some time here, and I plan on making the most of it.  Motherhood is certainly one of the most challenging undertakings, but also the most rewarding.  I feel like I've won the lottery every time Soren smiles at me, and I wouldn't trade it or him for anything in the world.

Baby A's Nursery Part 2

I was planning on writing this post before Soren's arrival, and now it's three weeks after his arrival.  Best laid plans.  We've been surviving the past few weeks, and have slowly adjusted to life with a newborn.  I've figured out how to get some sleep, so I'm feeling much better.  Although Patrick had a bug the last few days, and I've missed his help desperately.  As much as I love holding and cuddling my little man, it's nice to have a break every once in a while.  And that's when it would be nice to have the Grandma's visit, if only we didn't live a half a world away.

Here are some pictures of Soren's completed nursery.  I think that it turned out pretty well, though if we were staying longer I may have done a bit more.  

My Grandma Arleta gave me this when I was
a baby.  It makes me think of her.

My ridiculous organization.  I think that around
85% of these clothes are from my mom.

Baby Soren is here!

On Monday January 30, 2012 at 10:11am, our handsome boy, Soren was born.  After nearly 40 hours of labor he finally decided to come out to play.  My labor was long, and completely natural.  There were many times that I wondered whether I could do it, but once I had set my mind to the task at hand I was able to get through each contraction.  Patrick was amazing, and I've never been more in love with him.  His support and love was what got me through.  We also hired a doula (a woman who helps you through birth), and she was fantastic.  Everyone at the hospital was extremely supportive and helpful.  They did their best not to deviate from my birth plan.

Here are a few pictures for those of you without Facebook:

My handsome men!

Baby Shower

Last month my dear friend Nicole threw me a baby shower.  It was incredibly thoughtful and sweet.  I was unsure whether to even have a baby shower, because while I have some friends here, I don't have all that many.  I wasn't sure that I wanted Nicole, or anyone to go through the trouble of a shower.  When I told Nicole she said that was fine, but little did I know that she and Patrick were planning to have one anyway.  I have the best friends and the sweetest husband!

The theme of the shower was books.  I love to read, and while I have a kindle now I love just going in to bookstores to have a look around.  I can't wait to read books to my little one, and hopefully instill in him the joy of reading as well.  Nicole made the decorations herself, with a little inspiration from Pinterest.  They were so adorable!  My friend Richele who is a very talented baker, cake decorator, and artist made the cupcakes.  There were red velvet, salted caramel, and chocolate.  My favorite, and probably everyones favorite was the salted caramel.  I only tried one at the shower, but I brought a few home to try.  Too bad Patrick demolished them before I even had a chance.

One of my favorite details was a game that Nicole arranged.  She had Patrick come over one night after work, before coming home, and had a list of questions for him to answer about my pregnancy.  She filmed him answering them, and they were so great!  I laughed, I cried, I loved every minute.  Some of the questions I didn't even get right, but he did.  I thought it would be fun for those back home to see the questions and watch the video below of Patrick answering them.  I'm sure that it probably would have been fun, but after trying about 20 times to upload the video, it won't work!  I'll give you a short recap, Patrick was adorable and sweet and this video made my day.

1. What food has Emily craved the most during her pregnancy?

2. What is Emily's favorite part about being pregnant?

3. How many times has Emily thrown up?

4. What was the first thing Emily did when she found out she was pregnant?

5. How many times a night does Emily get up to pee now that she's in her 3rd trimester?

6. What features does Emily hope the baby inherits from Daddy?

7. What feature does Emily hope the baby inherits from Daddy?

8. What is her least favorite part of pregnancy?

9. What gender was Emily secretly hoping the baby would be?

10. What is the main thing Emily thinks about when daydreaming about your little boy?

11. What's the strangest food combo Emily has had?

12. What will be Emily's favorite lullabies to sing to Baby A?

13. How would you rate Emily's moodiness during this pregnancy on a scale of 1 to 10?

It was such a beautiful shower, and a wonderful time to get together with friends.  I was so pleased that Nicole had asked to throw it for me.  She has been a truly amazing friend these past ten years, and I'm very lucky to have her in my life.

37 Weeks

Here are a few photos from my 37th week.  I'm nearly at 38, and counting down the days.  I know that our little one will come when he's ready, and I don't want to rush him by any means, but I'm ready.  Maybe not ready for labor, because I'll be honest, I'm a bit nervous about that.  However, I feel ready to have my body back, and to have this little guy out.  Check back in about a month from now, and we'll see if my tune has changed.

It has been such a beautiful few weeks here.  The sun has been shining, there's a slight chill in the air, and the mountain is beautifully snow capped.  We get rain every once in a while and the wind can make the day a bit blustery, but it's been a fairly mild winter.  Patrick and I stopped on the roadside to take a few photos of Mt. Etna, the bountiful orange trees, and beautiful yellow flowers that litter entire fields with their bright blooms.  While I know that I have a large pregnant belly I'm sometimes astounded by pictures of myself, could that really be me?

 

Mt. Etna Erupts (again)

This morning we walked out the door to a cloud of ash floating over our heads.  Mt. Etna put on a pretty good show this morning.  Though we weren't out early enough in the dark morning to see the lava flow, we saw the after effects.  She is such a beautiful mountain, our 'gentle giant,' and loves to show off every now and again.  We've grown to love our view of her, and the amazing shows she puts on.  This past weekend when we went up there was plenty of snow, granted it was melting, but certainly not at the accelerated pace that happened today.

The volcanic ash is a lot different here from what I've seen in the past.  When I was in elementary school Mt. Spur erupted in Alaska and the ash was fine, much like soot from a fire.  However, here the ash is more like small, small rocks.  As we were driving and then walking into our doctor appointment this morning you could hear it hitting the car and the trees around us.  As we walked indoors I had to brush the ash out of my hair and off my clothes.

Here are a few photos from the day:

Mt. Etna during the eruption, with all the snow on top.  (This photo was not taken by me, but I'm unsure
who to give the credit to.  I'm sorry!)

Mt. Etna after the eruption, that is steam and ash coming from the top.

You can see from our driveway where the
ash covers the ground.  The upper
area is covered by the carport.

Off to a great New Year

Though we may not have rung in 2012 in fashion, our year is starting off beautifully.  On New Year's Eve we were in bed (and asleep) by 9:30.  I made a dinner of baked coconut shrimp, halibut olympia, parmesan potatoes, and mixed salad.  I figured that when I woke up around midnight for one of my many trips to the bathroom, I would wake Patrick up and we could have our kiss.  Luckily the background fireworks did the trick for us.  We woke briefly to wish each other a 'Happy New Year!', exchange a quick kiss, then back to the land of nod for us.

If you haven't noticed these last few months have been sparse on travel for us.  With my trip to Alaska, and now not being able to fly, we haven't made many trips abroad.  Though to be honest we still have a few places around Sicily we would like to visit.  Sicily may not be a huge tourist destination (especially when you compare it to the rest of Italy), but there are some very lovely towns to explore.  We likely won't be straying too far from home for the next few weeks, but we are still hopeful that we will get out a bit more.

Sunday we thought it would be fun to head up to Mt. Etna.  When we lived out in town we were on a direct (or as direct as an Italian road is) to the top of the mountain.  In fact, we could have driven there in about 15-20 minutes, but really never did.  We decided to drive up through our old town and straight up to the mountain.  It's been snowing some up there and we were desperate for some snow.  (Sorry to those of you reading this from Alaska, mainly my parents.)  While we were happy that we ventured up there, we didn't think about it being the first of the year, a Sunday, and a holiday.  It was nuts!  We didn't do much exploring, but we plan to go back sometime soon.

Monday we took a quick trip up to Taormina.  We've been there a few times, but wanted to go back again.  When our friends visited in April they bought a vase, but after staring at it for a few months decided they would prefer a different color.  I knew exactly where they bought it, so when she asked if we could go to pick it up for them, I told her 'no problem.'  To be honest, this was a few months ago, but I kept forgetting.  I blame my forgetfulness on pregnancy brain, it's a real thing, you know!

We walked through the beautiful city, picked up some ceramic bowls, and a beautiful painting.  I think my favorite part of the day was lunch.  Yes, I'm pregnant, but trust me you would have liked this place too!  So many of the touristy cities are filled with the typical trattoria and pizzeria type fare.  Think pizza (duh), pastas, salads (consisting of mixed lettuce, tomatoes, maybe some corn, tuna, mozzarella, olive oil, and vinegar), pannini, etc.  Each restaurant has much the same menu, and the food tastes about the same.  However, on this trip we stumbled across a wonderful little place.

Mt. Etna from the East.  It almost constantly has steam
rolling off the top.  It is one beautiful mountain.

The chef came out to our table to ask if we had any questions.  He told us about the homemade pastas and sauces that were on the menu, and made some wonderful recommendations.  Patrick had carpacio of beef, we split an amazing eggplant appetizer (thinly sliced eggplant, fresh pesto, tomato sauce, parmesan), and tried what I would describe as a caprese fritter (buffalo mozzarella and tomato wrapped in a bread dough and fried).  For our main dishes Patrick had homemade ravioli stuffed with potatoes and shrimp, and I had pillowy soft homemade gnocchi with pistachio pesto.  It was divine!  And I promise that for those of you who come to visit us, we will go to Taormina (a must!) and eat at this wonderful restaurant.  It was my favorite meal we've had here.

Week 35 and 36

How was everybody's Christmas?  Ours was very nice.  In the military community you quickly discover that your friends are also a part of your family.  We are so often far away from our family during holidays and celebrations.  This year we hosted Christmas dinner at our house, and it was lovely.  Our friends brought a couple dishes to share, and we supplemented the rest.  I'm always so worried that there won't be enough food, which means that there is always too much food.  But as my Dad likes to say "More's better, and too much is just right."

Patrick and I started a new tradition this year.  We made lefse.  I didn't think I liked lefse until I had it fresh off the griddle in Norway.  This year I thought it would be fun to make some ourselves, and it turned out pretty well.  After ricing the potatoes, adding cream, butter, sugar, and letting it sit overnight, the next day I added the flour.  However, having never made it before I was unsure of the correct consistency and texture.  That's where youtube came in.  Patrick and I watched a video to help us figure it out.  Once I had it down I rolled out the dough and Patrick fried it in the frying pan.  We had fun, and it tasted great.  (Though I thought it was a little thick.)

We started our weekly doctors appointments this week.  My belly is growing bigger by the day, and our little guy loves to stick what I think must be a bended knee out.  It is such an unbelievable feeling, that is amazing and indescribable.  Our doctor took a quick ultrasound to make sure that his head was down, and it was, though a little off to the side, so she may have to check again in the weeks coming up.  I was staring at the screen trying to discern something, anything, but I could not see one darn thing.  I guess he's just too big now.  Oh well, hopefully I'll be seeing him sooner rather than later.

Here are my belly shots from weeks 35 and 36, week 35 was after Christmas dinner, and the two days of prep so I look a bit tired.

Gingerbread Village

I have a very talented friend.  She's an awesome baker, and cake decorator.  She recently made the cupcakes for my shower (which I'll write about once I have some pictures).  I've seen some of her work and I'm always amazed by what she can do.  Last weekend we went to their house for dinner and to decorate gingerbread houses.  I was under the impression that she had some left over houses from a children's party she and her daughters attended.  Boy was I wrong.  She had gone online to print off templates for different buildings, and had even made her own template for a Little House on the Prairie house.

Before dinner we assembled the houses (with very detailed and sometimes confusing directions) and let them set.  After dinner we decorated the houses with all the candy you can think of.  It was a blast!  Patrick was responsible for a Church and I made the Country Store.  Patrick finished much before me and retired to the couch.  Unfortunately I couldn't quite finish all of mine before we had to head home.  Maybe next year?

This is my vegetable box.  Can you tell what the veggies are?

Weeks 28, 29, Nearly 30 and 33

I've missed a few belly photos, so thought that you may want an update on my ever-expanding mid section.  It has been fun (and a little scary) to see how much my belly has grown.  I'm already at the point where I feel like it's impossible to grow any larger.  And for those women with children, please, please don't write any comments about how much more time I have.  I'm already having a hard enough time getting up from the ground, or off the couch.

With the hoopla of travel I unfortunately missed two weeks of photos, hence the space in weeks.  From now on out, I don't see any reason why I should miss anymore though.  (Unless I get far too embarrassed to post any more.)