Today is the first day of July, and I typically consider July to be the first month of Summer in Seattle, so I am full of hope for some beautiful weather and wonderful time outdoors!
For some reason I also feel like it is a good time to mark a change in my life in terms of seasons. The first three months of Harper’s life feel like the Introduction chapter of a book, and now I am just starting to get into the fun of the story. I could go on and on with this analogy (I just did in my head and it went kind of wonky), but my point is that this is a good time to stop, reflect, and prepare for the next season.
So, the last three months! They’ve gone by so fast and have been so wonderful. Life is different, but we can’t really remember what it was like before. I often wonder how I spent my time before Harper came along (and then I remember that normal people get 8 hours of sleep a day). I spend my days and my nights getting to know Harper and taking care of her every need. We feed her, change her, pray for her, talk to her, and show her our world. We’ve watched as she’s grown to understand the world around her better, and we love when she discovers new things (first it was her hands, then the sunlight, mirrors, toys, and now smiles). We just really, really enjoy her.
And while we’ve had some challenges (sleep deprivation is a form of torture after all), we think we’ve had it pretty easy. She fusses and cries sometimes, but she is a good sleeper and a good eater. And even on the days when I feel as though I’ve bathed in spit up, Aaron comes home, takes over, and I escape to the neighbor’s or the bathtub until he has her sleeping soundly. Then we spend a few (semi-romantic) hours talking on the couch, watching Scrubs, or looking at pictures of Harper. It is weird how watching Aaron with Harper makes me love both of them so much more. We still fight about house work and planning, but I’m thankful that I can say our marriage and friendship are stronger than before Harper joined our family.
Overall, maternity leave has been a positive experience for me. Sometimes I feel bored and unstimulated, but I get out of the house most days and spend a lot of time with neighbors and friends. We’ve also had some great visitors (Jess and Ethan, Jessica, and Aaron’s parents) and we go on lots of walks with friends. I laugh now when I think about how I originally made a list of all the things I could do with my “free time” while I was on maternity leave. YEAH right. My best effort is to try to stream NPR podcasts while I nurse Harper in the mornings or afternoons. In the middle of the day we try to get out as much as possible. Harper has been all over the city. She’s frequented about a dozen coffee shops, several parks, the Microsoft and Gates Foundation campuses, the Ballard Locks, Safeco Field, Pike Place Market, and more. And now that the weather is really starting to get nice, I am hoping to spend even more time outside.
The last three months have also included some non-Harper-related challenges: our 14-year-old neighbor has been living with us for about a month and a half after being placed into the foster care system, and one of my ugly cysts reappeared in full force. Thankfully, R has been a great houseguest and is really a lot of fun. We love her and want the best for her, but it is hard with a new baby and so little space. We just hope that the best scenario for her and for us can unfold soon. And my doctor said that my ugly cyst will just keep growing back, so on Monday I had surgery to remove it, along with my whole left ovary. I am recovering at a slower pace than I expected, but I know I’ll be back to normal soon enough. We are hopeful and prayerful that my right ovary will be able to do the work of two someday. I think Harper would be a great big sister.
While our pace has slowed down a little, we still take a ton of photos of our little girl. You can see them here: https://picasaweb.google.com/Makeba.Greene
I gotta say, you are so blessed to have so many friends there. Perhaps it just takes time. Having those friends who are all yours, not just someone you’ve met through children (I know from my mother that those are great but I’m not feeling the life-long friendships yet). And to have some time to yourself in the evening, and for Aaron to be able to get Harper to sleep already. *sigh* it’s awesome (and I’m a bit jealous).