Happy Thursday! A few have asked how things are going with Emmerson at home, so I thought it'd be a good idea to write a post to remember some details!
Life has never been sweeter. Everyday I have to pinch myself, as it is still astounding to me that this beautiful being in my arms is our daughter. She's amazing. The love I feel is an overwhelming, incredible one. It's one that is has been described to me, and one I had envisioned, but one I could not fully realize until Emmerson came into our world. It's one that is worth every second we waited for her. The love we feel doesn't erase the pain of our journey, but it does provide a healing and fills an Emmerson-shaped hole in our hearts, as only she could. We are blessed beyond measure to have her here.
I tell her a thousand times a day that I love her and kiss those sweet cheeks (and toes, thighs, belly, wispy-haired head) pretty much constantly. I have made the career switch from being a teacher to staying home with her, and couldn't be more thrilled to do so. I just want to soak up every moment, and find myself panicking that she'll be off to college before we know it! (Yes, she's only five weeks).
Day by day, we keep busy. She sets the schedule right now, and I'm good with that. We do tummy time, read books, lots of napping, eating and snuggling. One of my favorite times of day is after she wakes up, around 6 am and we sit in bed with a cup of coffee. We're learning how to soothe her (she loves movement, being swaddled and shushing at the moment). Emmerson loves having her arms and hands up by her face, and is very expressive and alert. She also loves being worn in a carrier, and we've tried the k'tan, boba, and a sling. We're looking for a more structured carrier, probably the Tula, to move into next. The dogs love her, too! They definitely were a bit confused by our new, tiny family member, but they've adjusted well and race to greet her each time they walk in the door.
Baby girl is still in newborn clothes and diapers, but we can tell she's growing fast! 0-3 month clothes are pretty huge on her, but we've started to roll up pant legs and shirt sleeves to fit into some things.
Overall, she's a happy baby! As far as sleep is going, for years we would have given anything to have a tiny baby keeping us up at night, so we're grateful to be up with her now. She is sleeping in slightly longer stretches, about 4, 4 1/2 hours or so, which is great. It's funny how your body adjusts to functioning on less sleep. At first, we were a mess, but now getting four hours in a row seems like a luxury and we feel renewed when we get that stretch. :)
For eating, we are breastfeeding! I know it's personal and there are so many ways to feed your baby, and what's most important is that your baby is eating, right? Since I did share we planned to breastfeed, I thought I'd update on that. It's been an adventure, for sure, but from what I understand that can be the case for anyone. In India we didn't have a lot of support in that department, so I was mainly pumping and giving bottles of breastmilk that way. Once we got back, I met with my lactation consultant right away, and we've made so much progress and are nursing every feed now. She's learning and I'm learning, so we're giving each other time to figure it all out. She is doing great! I still pump around the clock to make sure she has enough, but thankfully my supply has kept up and changed as she has, which is truly awesome. I'm really happy to have the opportunity to do this.
It wouldn't be a complete update if I didn't talk about Emmerson's daddy. TJ is such a phenomenal dad, which I knew he was and would be. He loves spending time with her and she sure does love him. He is up at night with us, and is the swaddling king. I know it's hard for him to be away from her, and we're very thankful for him making it possible for me to stay home with Emmerson. I love him more than I ever thought possible now that I see him as a daddy.
That's life right now! It's blissfully sweet and our new normal is this beautiful, unbridled joy. Of course there are challenges, but our perspective is to just be grateful for every moment with our girl, and when you have that, the little stuff doesn't really matter all that much. I thank God every day, multiple times a day, for Emmerson Kate. And I want to continue to encourage those who are waiting for this season of life. It's worth it, friends. Please hang in there and do not give up. Thank you all for sharing in our joy and excitement, and for loving and praying for our precious girl each step of the way.
Life has never been sweeter. Everyday I have to pinch myself, as it is still astounding to me that this beautiful being in my arms is our daughter. She's amazing. The love I feel is an overwhelming, incredible one. It's one that is has been described to me, and one I had envisioned, but one I could not fully realize until Emmerson came into our world. It's one that is worth every second we waited for her. The love we feel doesn't erase the pain of our journey, but it does provide a healing and fills an Emmerson-shaped hole in our hearts, as only she could. We are blessed beyond measure to have her here.
I tell her a thousand times a day that I love her and kiss those sweet cheeks (and toes, thighs, belly, wispy-haired head) pretty much constantly. I have made the career switch from being a teacher to staying home with her, and couldn't be more thrilled to do so. I just want to soak up every moment, and find myself panicking that she'll be off to college before we know it! (Yes, she's only five weeks).
Day by day, we keep busy. She sets the schedule right now, and I'm good with that. We do tummy time, read books, lots of napping, eating and snuggling. One of my favorite times of day is after she wakes up, around 6 am and we sit in bed with a cup of coffee. We're learning how to soothe her (she loves movement, being swaddled and shushing at the moment). Emmerson loves having her arms and hands up by her face, and is very expressive and alert. She also loves being worn in a carrier, and we've tried the k'tan, boba, and a sling. We're looking for a more structured carrier, probably the Tula, to move into next. The dogs love her, too! They definitely were a bit confused by our new, tiny family member, but they've adjusted well and race to greet her each time they walk in the door.
Baby girl is still in newborn clothes and diapers, but we can tell she's growing fast! 0-3 month clothes are pretty huge on her, but we've started to roll up pant legs and shirt sleeves to fit into some things.
Overall, she's a happy baby! As far as sleep is going, for years we would have given anything to have a tiny baby keeping us up at night, so we're grateful to be up with her now. She is sleeping in slightly longer stretches, about 4, 4 1/2 hours or so, which is great. It's funny how your body adjusts to functioning on less sleep. At first, we were a mess, but now getting four hours in a row seems like a luxury and we feel renewed when we get that stretch. :)
For eating, we are breastfeeding! I know it's personal and there are so many ways to feed your baby, and what's most important is that your baby is eating, right? Since I did share we planned to breastfeed, I thought I'd update on that. It's been an adventure, for sure, but from what I understand that can be the case for anyone. In India we didn't have a lot of support in that department, so I was mainly pumping and giving bottles of breastmilk that way. Once we got back, I met with my lactation consultant right away, and we've made so much progress and are nursing every feed now. She's learning and I'm learning, so we're giving each other time to figure it all out. She is doing great! I still pump around the clock to make sure she has enough, but thankfully my supply has kept up and changed as she has, which is truly awesome. I'm really happy to have the opportunity to do this.
It wouldn't be a complete update if I didn't talk about Emmerson's daddy. TJ is such a phenomenal dad, which I knew he was and would be. He loves spending time with her and she sure does love him. He is up at night with us, and is the swaddling king. I know it's hard for him to be away from her, and we're very thankful for him making it possible for me to stay home with Emmerson. I love him more than I ever thought possible now that I see him as a daddy.
That's life right now! It's blissfully sweet and our new normal is this beautiful, unbridled joy. Of course there are challenges, but our perspective is to just be grateful for every moment with our girl, and when you have that, the little stuff doesn't really matter all that much. I thank God every day, multiple times a day, for Emmerson Kate. And I want to continue to encourage those who are waiting for this season of life. It's worth it, friends. Please hang in there and do not give up. Thank you all for sharing in our joy and excitement, and for loving and praying for our precious girl each step of the way.
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