Coos and Smiles

I feel grrrrrrreat! I just ran for the first time in months. Being high risk in pregnancy (fallacy, in the end) was the worst hell ever, as I doubt that my heart rate ever got over 80. Walking, skiing and skating are not enough exercise, in my book.

Hungry Hippo is with the Brooks Bunch, and I have a night to myself. Matt is in Chicago for a CLE class, so I've been on baby duty ... alone ... for three days. Akk! Tonight I cleaned the house top-to-bottom, read a little Brothers Karamazov (being so short on time, I'm sticking with the classics, huddled over tomes of prose with my pince-nez, for the next 18 years) and ran. Now I'm drinking wine. Go mommy, go.

Hippo and I have had a great time together. I miss him when he's gone. We've hired a part-time nanny (know-it-all) who relieves me occasionally so I can write and think (and do laundry). When Sam returns to me he's in high spirits, and it makes me feel warm and alive. I wuv him.

We've ventured out for mommy's coffee every morning (coffee is all I have until dinner these days). We took a walk on the Monon yesterday with dear, sweet Kev. It was wonderful catching up, having the two meet. I think Kevin is a saint, and undoubtedly the kindest soul I've ever met. Hippo slept, but if I know Kevin like I think I know Kevin, he left his mark with his voice alone.

Matt escaped the seminar crowd last night and got out for some Blues. We text-messaged (verb) through Hippo's slew of bottles, and missed each other electronically. We're never apart, so it's weird hearing the house creak and Sam coo, knowing I'm alone for task. Sam slept on Matt's side of the bed the other night for a while, and I, happily leaning on my wrist and elbow in pain, stared at him and cooed along. I whispered, "I love you...and I love your daddy." Sam got that little smile on his face, which I refuse to believe is a gas pain.

Heros

I've yet to verify, but Matt and I have reason to believe that our grandfathers were friends, and played basketball at the same time at I.U.: 1937 Big Ten Champs. Our worlds were meant to collide.

Our hungry, hungry hippo already weighs 12 lbs, and I think he'll be a basketball player too. Matt has some freakishly tall relatives, but he's 6'2" and I'm 5'7", so Sam should be tallish, not smallish.

Life is still wonderful and Sam, oh my, he's the best baby. He laughs and "talks" a lot now. Grunts a lot too.

My favorite way that Matt protects us: ignore and delete. ; )~

Family Unit

Well, it's official. I'm a stay-at-home mom. At least for now. I just can't justify leaving Sam with someone else for 40 hrs + per week, and as he develops I know it'll get easier to write from home. Right now it's hard to find time to shower.

Yesterday was the first time he really smiled at me, recognized me. He did it to Matt too. My friends said this "recognition" would come around 3 months, but, well, Sammy's advanced....Ha. I love moms who say that. I'm not sure if he's advanced, but he sure is demanding.

We have "family time" every night, with Sam between us on our bed. We talk about our days, and let Sam tell us what he can. Matt stays up with him every night during the witching hours, 10-midnight, and I take over in the wee hours (when he falls right back to sleep). My average sleep each night is about 5 hours, and never consecutively. But I love holding him in the dark, when the house is quiet and he's warm and sleeping against me. A better feeling doesn't exist.

Matt and I joined checking accounts over the weekend. This was a huge step for two very independent people, but we're a unit now; we know this, we love this, and we share everything. Matt was holding Sam the other night and said, "Jill, we created this boy...look at him, he's the perfect combination of us." He is. His Brooks features are beginning to surface (appetite!) and every day is a blossoming adventure.

Right now, I have no appetite, and I'm back to a size 4: hallelujah! Lucky me (lucky Matt). ; )

Walking the Monon

Sam and I took our long, daily walk today as the wind shifted and rain threatened a visit. Sam slept in his high-tech-all-terrain-pumpkin-seat-assault-stroller, covered in mosquito netting. I took three bites myself for the home team, because that's what mommies do.

The only time he opened his eyes was to growl at a lawn mower, and then a dump truck, both making noise and keeping him from his baby dreams and heavenly, adorable sleep smiles.

I'm in love all over again.

This Is Our Life

Sam is wonderful, such a great baby. He's held up his head and looked around the room since the first 8 seconds of his life (yes, I'm sure he's advanced). ; ) My mom's in town and today we ate lunch at Bazbeaux, where they told me Sam's stroller was a fire hazzard (come on) and they played very bad 80s music. Madonna; the theme to Top Gun; the Tina Turner theme to some 007 movie; the song that goes "turn around bright eyes..." Dear God. I told Sam to plug his ears.

Matt and I are in full baby swing now and we're getting the nighttime feedings down. Am I going back to work? Eh, probably not. I must decide this week. I have lined up freelance writing with a PR firm, and I'll make a lot more moolah anyway (I never work for money, I work for a cause). I have a lot of decisions to make...immediately. I love my job...been there 5 years now!

Thanks so much to all of our friends and family for their support during these first difficult weeks. The baby is almost a month old! Thanks for the phone calls, tremendous gifts, dinners brought to us, etc. What amazing people in our lives. Matt and I are constantly looking at each other saying, "We're so blessed. This is our life...let's live it!" We love every minute.

Sam is Matt with my social skills (he's a talker!!). Blonde, blue-eyed, alert and very, very long. I can't squeeze him enough!

Baby Blues

I've been singing to my baby the Grateful Dead lyrics to Uncle John's Band: Well the first days are the hardest days... and he seems to understand. I followed it up with sound advice: when you're anywhere past the ninth grade, don't ever send someone song lyrics to describe your emotions. Don't plagiarize; either write your own poem or move on.

These first two weeks have been challenging to say the least, but Matt and I are getting it down now. We're a great team and taking "shifts" is the trick to management. My OBGYN says that new babies drive particularly organized people nuts for the first 6 weeks or so. Well stated.

Our baby, as most C-section babies are, is quite perfect. No cone head or squished parts. He's just so gorgeous, and he loves to cuddle, coo and burp...very much like his daddy. He's a keeper.

Matt's parents are in town this weekend and we're heading to a patch to allow this fellow to choose his first pumpkin.

His social security card arrived yesterday. Funny! Life is sweet.