Happy Birthday Story (Two Weeks Old Today!)

Dear Story:

Daddy went back to work today and left us alone for the first time. I admit, I was scared of the quiet. For the last two weeks, your Daddy and I have lived in an isolated bubble of baby burps, diaper discussion and sleep pattern analysis. We have been impervious to the sleet and snow outside, except for its guilt free reason to shut out the world, stay inside, light a fire and exist in our own little baby kissed universe.

Reality suspended, we have enjoyed every moment of our two week staycation. During the day, we patiently observe a cycle of eat, change, activity, sleep. Daddy does the wash, cleans the dishes, takes out the trash and makes the coffee. Mommy makes the bed, feeds the baby, and prepares all the meals. We share diaper duty. At night, we toss and turn with your every coo, grunt and wail, praying that you will sleep more than 2.5 hours at a time.

In our bubble, there are no bills to pay, phone calls to return or obligations to the outside world. And then today it burst. Dad went back to work and I sat down at my desk to go through the pile of mail and compile my “to do” list.

Here is what I had hoped to accomplish today:

• Do the wash
• Write eight thank-you notes
• Clean the kitchen
• Go to the grocery store
• Complete three unfinished blog posts
• Pay bills
• Organize baby paperwork
• Prepare lunch
• Prepare dinner
• Put something aside for Daddy to eat for dinner
• Invoice clients
• Reach out to three new client prospects

Here is what I actually accomplished:

• Got one load of wash out of the dryer and dumped it on the center of the bed
• Fed you, burped you, changed you
• Asked Dad to write eight thank-you notes before he left for work
• Fed you, burped you, changed you
• Rocked you for two hours because you wouldn’t stop fussing
• Thought very hard about loading the dishwasher
• Put you in the ErgoBaby and heated up some leftovers for lunch
• Fed you, burped you, changed an extremely dirty diaper resulting from an assplosion of mythic proportions
• Looked at the bills but you started crying
• Rocked you for another hour until you nodded out for fifteen minutes and then woke up grunting and fidgeting - why does this not happen when Daddy is here?
• Managed to Skype with your cousins for eight minutes
• Started to write this blog about five times, one word at a time, while I jiggled you on my lap until you started grunting and thrashing
• Put you in the car seat and zoomed you around the house which was somewhat effective until I stopped
• Tried to swaddle you, you escaped
• Fed you, burped you, changed you
• Thought maybe you have dark circles under your eyes and spent twenty minutes on the internet researching birth defects that cause blackened eyes
• Put on all our going out clothes and then decided to take a nap instead on the sofa
• You slept about twenty minutes and cried the minute I moved you to your bed
• At 4:00 PM I put the stove to 400 degrees to attempt to make pizza
• Put you in the ErgoBaby and got the mail!
• Fed you, burped you, changed you, tried again to put you down
• Replaced your soothie when it fell out of your mouth over fourteen times in one hour
• Decided you have your Daddy’s nose
• Fed you, burped you, changed you
• Shit! Left the stove on for three hours and never made pizza
• You closed your eyes for about eighteen minutes and I finished this blog

Don’t tell your Daddy, but I had no idea how much easier this was with four hands instead of two. Now don’t worry Ms. Story Brynne, I’m determined to persevere! This is only day one, and I can't remember a job I did well at (or still liked) on the first day. With time, we are going to be a great team!! Of course, I know that once I’ve mastered this challenge, there will be another one waiting. And just like today, I promise to meet each challenge with patience and love. Nothing worth having comes easy. You will be my life’s greatest work.

Love every little eyelash, toe nail, and ear hair - Mom