Favorite Moment During the First Week of Motherhood - Part Four

During my pregnancy, Dan and I learned that another couple we knew was also expecting. We had the same due date - April 1 (not kidding) - and were not going to learn the sex. I thought I would have a baby girl and she thought she would welcome a baby boy. We were both right.

We ended up taking the same parenting class at our hospital and exchanged giggles as we watched 1980's style movies featuring pregnant moms in tapered overalls and abnormally long fingernails.

Even though we had the same due date, they welcomed their baby boy almost three weeks early and Ingrid was a week late - making them a month apart.

Through those foggy first months of motherhood, we regularly attended a Mom & Baby Networking gathering at our hospital. She encouraged me to attend and I'm glad she did. Through this group, we were able to spend time with our babies, receive tips and encouragement to breastfeed and connect with other moms. Honestly, I looked forward to this class for a reason to get out of the house and to hear everyone's challenges and triumphs.

Just as having overlapping pregnancies with my west-coast girlfriend strengthened our friendship - having a new mom-friend in the area to recommend books and offer support was wonderful. She is level-headed and always offers a listening ear. In short, she's a sanity-saver, and a great mom:


One of my favorite moments of the first week was coming home from the hospital.  It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon, and my parents, my husband's parents, my sister, niece, and nephew were there with us. The best part, though, was when they all left. Just Chase, Connor, Lily (our dog) and I were home together for the first time. We sat Connor in the boppy on the kitchen floor right in front of the patio doors with nothing but a diaper on. The sun was streaming in the window and we just looked at him for no lie, like two hours. It was so amazing to see all his little parts and how he moved and how he yawned and how skinny he was. That was the first time where I was really like "Wow, we made this thing."