happy birthday to you

Happy one month birthday to my Little Mister! Oh yeah, he finally arrived by the way :) I didn't rush to blog about it because nobody knows about this blog yet, and I had other things to do. Like take care of a newborn. I don't feel like typing out the whole birth story right now (maybe when the time fairy grants me a few minutes I will) but suffice it to say it went something like INDUCEMENT> OMG PAIN> NO PROGRESS >EPIDURAL>SWEET RELIEF>PUSHING with some more OMG PAIN> and then TADAAAA. My little Benjamin popped out on August 28th, and was 8 lb 12 oz. I can't believe it's been a whole month, and yet part of me can't believe it's only been a month. That weekend was filled with so many emotions, a hearty dose of pain (it's true you forget most of it), and a happy reward at the end. Sometimes I still can't believe I did it. Zach was wonderful through the whole thing, and continues to be as we adjust to our new life.

Speaking of adjusting, did you know that babies cry? Like a lot? Because I didn't. I mean, of course I knew they cried sometimes but I didn't know they could cry inconsolably for weeks on end. It's terrible to watch a baby cry and feel helpless, especially when you know it's a "I'm in pain" cry. That was basically the first three weeks around here, but I'm happy to report that things have gotten much better. I'm pretty sure he has reflux, which is common in babies and causes a lot of pain, so we got him on some baby Zantac and it seems to be helping a little. Why baby Zantac tastes wretched and only comes in mint flavor I'd like to know, but he takes it like a champ. Benjamin can now entertain himself for a little bit while I take a shower (or at least he did today), and doesn't scream bloody murder every time he's not eating or sleeping. I was seriously afraid that it was going to be like that forever, and may have shed a tear or two envisioning a future of nonstop wailing. But the last few days have given me hope.

As expected, I've had to alter my life a lot. I used to be a slow eater and now most of my meals are consumed in five minutes or less, much to the dismay of my digestive system. I can get him to sleep if I wear him in his Moby wrap, but I have to keep moving/walking/bouncing or it's game over. Case in point, I'm currently writing this entry from the bathroom because the counter is the right hight for my computer to sit on. But I don't mind, and I'm just so happy I can finally DO all of these things that I just dreamed about for the last 9 months.

Taken around three weeks on the first day he stopped crying long enough to grab the camera and take some pictures - happy day!