1st Week of School

Gracie has now completed her first week of school.  She did such an awesome job!  I was so worried that she would be fussy, but her teachers said she did a great job.  I am so proud of our little girl.  I am so thankful that I can go check on Gracie throughout the day.  It is so nice to be able to go and check on her.  I can't even imagine having to leave her for 8 or 9 hours straight.  I had hoped that I would be able to feed Gracie several times throughout the day.  Although work did not always allow that, I was able to see her.  I can't wait to see how much Gracie grows and learns while being at school.  She is doing such a great job holding her head up by herself now.  She can't do it all of the time by herself, but she is working on it.  Another exciting development is that Gracie is opening her hands up more and more.  It is amazing how big her hands seem now that she does not keep them closed all of the time.  These are just a few of the changes with our little girl.

My first week back to work, it was quite exhausting.  I was not prepared for how tired I would be going back to work.  After only one week back at work, I feel like I have been there for weeks.  There are so many new challenges of going back to work.  The hardest challenge has been not being able to be with my little girl all day long.  Yes, I know that I have it so much better than most mothers, since I can see her throughout the day.  But I still struggled with me not being her primary care giver during the day.  My main concern is that she will grow more attached to her teachers instead of me.  However, I have to say, it melts my heart when I walk into her classroom to give a tour or talk to the teachers about work related stuff, and she hears my voice and starts to cry.  No, I don't want my little girl to cry, but it is nice that she recognizes my voice.  The first day I left my little girl while being at school was on Thursday when I went out to lunch to celebrate my friend's birthday.  We were sitting at the table when all of the sudden I realized I had left my little girl.  This was the first time I had been away from here except once when she was a week old.  I was sad for a minute but then realized she was taken care of and perfectly fine.  We are now getting ready for our second week of work/school.  I can't wait to see how my little girl does this week.

My little girl on her first day of school! :)

Lessons Learned in the Past Month

  My little girl was one month on Monday, and I have learned so many things in the past month.  One of the biggest things I have learned that being a Mommy is one of the greatest things in life, but also one of the hardest.  I love my little girl more and more each and every day, and I also worry about her each and every day.  Just when I think I have one worry down, another one creeps up.  I also learned that the first few weeks after having a baby are the very hardest, but things do get better.  You learn to adjust to your new life.  No, life will never go back to the way things use to be, but life is even better.  My life now revolves around Gracie and her needs. 

Another lesson I have learned is that babies cry and it's ok for them to cry.  I freaked out each time Gracie cried at first.  I thought, oh no, I'm not being a good mom because my baby is crying.  I have now learned that as long as she has been fed, doesn't have a dirty diaper, and is comfortable, then she will be ok if she cries.  One of Gracie's favorite times to cry is while I am trying to get ready in the morning.  I always place her in her little swing up in our room, but she seems to always want to cry while I get ready.  At first, it really bothered me, but now I've learned to try to comfort her as best as I can, but it's ok if she cries.  Usually she is just sleepy and wants to fight going to sleep.  There are other times that she cries during the day as well.  I try to comfort as best as I can, but I know that as long as she is ok, it's ok if she cries a little bit.  Now, of course, I don't want her to cry, but I have learned not to think something is terribly wrong if my baby is crying.

I have also learned how important it is to take some time for myself each day.  I need that break to be able to recharge myself.  Sometimes this break is simply walking the dog, other times it's just taking a few more minutes in the shower to think.  Some days, these breaks are me looking through my closet, and trying on a few clothes to see what fits, and other days it's trying a new way to wear my hair.  No matter how I spend my small breaks, it is always nice just to a have a few minutes to myself.

I have tried to learn how to savor each moment.  I am amazed how quickly this first month of Gracie's life has quickly passed, and I know the other months will fly by, especially once I return to work.  I especially enjoy the moments that I get to watch my wonderful husband spend quality time with our little girl.  Every morning, they cuddle and play while I walk the dog.  It is a special time for just the two of them.  I have fallen even more in love with my amazing husband as I watch him with our little girl.  He is especially patient with her at night when we are trying to put her down to sleep.  I am always so tired and ready for bed, but he has so much patience with her when she's fussy and doesn't want to go to sleep.  I have also learned to savor my moments with my husband.  We are much busier at home now that we ever were before, and we will only get busier when I return to work.  However, I have learned it's important to stop and spend time with my husband as well.  Even if it's just laying on the couch watching some tv, or listen to him tell me about his day.  I know it is so important to keep our relationship strong.  I love him with all my heart and grow more in love with him every day! :)

I have learned that I will be forever doing laundry.  Every time I think I catch up on the laundry, Graice goes through like 3 outfits in a day, and it's time to do more laundry.  I also learned to attach the Velcro on the bibs and swaddles so that it doesn't stick to all the other clothes!  :)

I have learned how to do many things with only one arm, since my other arm is full with carrying my baby girl! 

I have also learned that a baby uses a lot of diapers, many more than you would ever imagine.  It seems like as soon as I change her diaper, I hear her doing another job! 

These are just a few of the lessons I have learned in the past month with my sweet Gracie.  I have learned so much and I know that I will continue to learn even more as the months continue.  I can't way to see how myself, my wonderful husband, and my sweet little girl will all learn, grow, and change in the coming months and years!  :)