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Saturday, November 19, 2011

What I Didn't Know

I call myself a pessimistic optimist.
I fixate on prepare myself for the worst case scenario and every related contingency like I'm the love child of Cassandra and Eeyore.
Because the mutant nightmares I conceive rarely happen, I generally walk around with the awed delight reserved for Disney movies and Narnia.

True to form, while preparing for the Wren Bird, I was certain my days would be merely a parade of staggering zombie marches from a warm bed to a screaming baby.
I think people tried to tell me I might like having a little human around the house, but I was staunch in my conviction that a mandatory purgatory of lost control and sleep were the sum of my new reality. 

It's been two weeks of awed delight.
  
I didn't know I would love:

...the Mister diving to turn off the radio when a classic Father|Daughter song came on because he "really can't think about her wedding right now."


...seeing her sleep with her little booty in the air.


..little baby kisses on my neck.
 ...her furrowed brow and straining little chicken neck when she is So.Sure. she knows where dinner is.
 The Mister says she gets her confidence in her disorientation from me.  
Apparently you can never live down one upside down map in Dublin.
...stretches that are SO. BIG.
...those first stares that seem like a moment of recognition.

Monday, November 14, 2011

Evidence a Proud Daddy Lives Here

I love being in the other room when the Mister is spending his "daddy time" with the Wren Bird.
All I hear is him laughing at her various faces.  
Then he sighs and tells her he can't believe how pretty she is.

I sigh tenderly and smile. 
Hallmark will be knocking on our door any minute.

We send out those kinds of vibes.


Then I open the computer and see the photo stream of "daddy time"...

Hallmark probably won't be knocking.

Saturday, November 12, 2011

Evidence of a Newborn




Looking back over this past week, there are some decisive clues that a newborn has brought drastic change to our little home.

1. Stumbling in from a 3am feeding, I saw the Mister sleeping with his face smooshed into the pillow and I almost woke him up in hysterics because of his high risk of SIDS.

2. I allowed a 25% off a sale-priced purchase coupon to JoAnn's expire.
{{I didn't realize it was expired until I tried to use it.  Then I cried.  And blamed hormones.}}

3. When the Mister asked if I was excited to get my new iPhone I responded with despair, "I don't want an iPhone, I just want to sleep."
{{I recovered when I heard Siri could sleep for me.  The iPhone is ordered.}}

4. My pretty magazines remain unopened.
5. Multiple loads of laundry remain in various stages of completion.
6. A trip to the Yankee Candle store was pure pleasure instead of desperate and fearful sniffs to find the candle that wouldn't make me ill.
{{Which is more "Evidence of Not Being Pregnant Anymore" than "Evidence of a Newborn"... eh, semantics.)
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7. We now think "milk drunk" is just about the funniest thing that ever did happen.
 

Friday, November 11, 2011

NFL Sunday

Earlier this week, we tried to initiate Wren into the local religion culture, for her first NFL Sunday.


Unfortunately, with an 0-9 start, Wren was not convinced this was the fan base she wanted to join.


We'll keep working on her...

In other news, what a happy difference a week makes!

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Scenes From the Week a Birdie Flew In


Wren Louise Strycker

10:58p | November 2nd
6lbs 8oz | 19in

A few of the moments from this past week.

We went to the hospital Tuesday night.

After a night of Dexter, I spent Wednesday morning crunching ice, reading blogs, and Pinteresting with our fabulous nurse, Carmen.


After the epidural, visitors were fabulous.

After a week of knitting frantically, I still had to finish ONE MORE hat.

There were a few scary moments through the day, when the doctor was about to take us back for a c-section because I wasn't progressing but Wren's heart rate was decelerating.  At 9:15p, the doctor told me I had until 10:30p to progress or off to surgery we'd go.  She left the room and told the anesthesiologist that we'd be heading back to the OR in an hour.
I often struggle with procrastination because I tell myself I work well under pressure. 
Apparently that is still true.  
At 10:35p she looked at me in surprise and said I was ready to push.
Thankfully, once the Wren Bird was ready to come, she was READY.  Within 10 minutes of leaving the room, the doctor was back in the room, while Carmen urged frantically, "Wait! Wait! Don't push anymore!"

Healthy, safe, and squishy - even her little cone head was perfect and beautiful to me.
Watching the Mister hold the Wren Bird and tell her how beautiful she is, have been some of my favorite moments in the last few days.
Our first family photo!


Just a few of the wonderful visitors we've had.  We are so incredibly blessed to have so many dear friends to share in our joy!

Uncle Jim
Aunt Jennie

Grace and Emma - Future Babysitters!

Aunt Emily and Wren Bird in matching hats.

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Dress Up Day: Desperation

Because both of our moms live over three hours north, I took pictures of the Wren Bird Bump during the last two weeks.  
Most people would take a picture a week and show a lovely progress of growth as the wee one develops.  
Not me!  
No way!  
I make certain that I'm so silent and out of touch during the first 38 weeks, by the time one actually receives the pictures, she is absolutely shocked and celebrates even though she just received fourteen photos where I look. exactly. the. same.  
I'm not certain if the famine makes one appreciate the feast or if gluttony makes one appreciate asceticism, but I'm pretty confident in the process.

These last few weeks were probably some of most difficult of my life to get dressed.
I felt like I finally understood the allure of the saggy bottom sweatpants, stained wifebeater and exposed midriff rolls so popular at so many southern Indiana gas stations. 


13 Days to Go

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Something was wrong with my iPhoto editor here - somehow no matter how much I "enhanced" the flyaways remained, no mascara appeared, and I was still wearing the ten year old sweatshirt.  But I'm still learning how to use the program.

10 Days to Go

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Somehow the costume jewelry remnants of my church attire merged into the best the Colts have looked all season.
2 Days to Go
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