Treasured Times

Judah is 3 weeks old today! If I'm totally honest, I cannot believe how "easy" these first few weeks with Baby Judah have been. He's already been to the Zoo, the Beach, and a Strawberry Festival (since Mama has recovered well.)

Now before you get jealous or annoyed at our good fortune, hear me out.

I look at him now, sleeping peacefully in the small cradle by our bed with an adorable head full of dark hair, precious closed eyes, perfect little lips, and a pudgy nose that clearly comes from my side of the family. I look at him and have a heart full of gratitude.

Daddy and Judah relax with some skin to skin time.

We have a son. A healthy, calm-tempered, beautiful baby boy.

He sleeps well and often. He nurses like a champ and has since the day he was born. He rarely spits up or has massive diaper blow-outs. His skin is dark, clean and clear. His eyes are wide and alert when he's awake. He's pretty patient with his adoring older sisters. What more could a mother ask for?

Precious baby Judah

As the mother of three children, I know that it's not always this good. And I know that this precious newborn phase lasts ever so briefly. Some parents are relieved when it passes because it can be so difficult. But this time around, I want so desperately to treasure this sacred time. Especially since this will likely be the last time I ever experience this phase.

My expectation was that these first few weeks would be so difficult. That's how I remember them with my daughters. They were precious times too but they came with so much more drama. And when I hold Judah, I cannot help but compare his first couple of weeks with his older sisters...

Johanna was born in December in Indianapolis, In. We were 600 miles from our families, though they did come out to visit and help as they could. The support network was so much smaller out there than what we've experienced here, and I felt sad that so few people had the chance to meet Johanna the first month of her life.

While Johanna was an adorable baby, she struggled more with nursing at first and spit up A LOT. I was constantly changing her...and myself. She was very restless at night and kept us awake many nights.

But the most difficult memories about her first weeks and months of life was the fact that it was the worst "season" of Adrian's seizures. During the two months I was home on maternity leave, my husband had three grand mal seizures that left him impaired physically and mentally. Because of that, he has almost no memory of holding her as a baby :( And in truth, he did not hold her much.

And I struggled with the Baby Blues. Maybe it was because of the seizures, or the challenges with Jo-Jo, or the dreary winter weather, or the on-slaught of medical bill issues that arose in the midst of it all. Whatever the case, I battled post-partum depression for the majority of the first year of Johanna's life.

Welcoming Baby Johanna in December 2011

Adria holding baby sister Johanna for the first time.

Adria was born in September in northern Delaware. The first two weeks of her life, she and I were both recovering from surgery, my C-section and her spina bifida back closure. We spent every day sitting in the NICU at A.I. duPont Hospital watching her and as she improved, we gently held her and tried to avoid getting tangled in the wires connected to our tiny girl.

We spent our nights sleeping across the street at the Ronald McDonald House. I don't think we drove the 1.5 hours home at all in the first 12 days of her life. We didn't want to leave our baby that long.

Daddy with baby Adria soon after her birth.

We were inundated with information about her spina bifida: the need to monitor the fluid on her brain, how to catheterize her if needed, watching for leg movement, and when she would be able to lie on her back once her wound healed.

It was overwhelming at times, yet still we felt thankful as we heard stories of what other parents were experiencing with their babies in the NICU. Some had been there for more than four months already.

Treasured Times

Now, we have Judah who has been such a healthy boy. Our love for him is certainly no more than his sisters, but we sure do appreciate how good he's been to us! Plus, we have been so blessed with meals and gifts from our friends, family and neighbors. What a treat! Tonight I cooked dinner for the first time since he's been born.

As I hold another little baby in my arms, I try desperately to impress on my memory these treasured times. And I enjoy the ease of holding Judah without worrying about wires or back wounds or getting regularly covered in spit-up.

But most of all, I love watching his Daddy and sisters hold him and love on him. Seeing them so happy with this little guy is beautiful. 

Sisters loving on the Baby Brother they had hoped for!

I hope Judah keeps his relaxed and chill demeanor throughout his life. Of course, I know quite a few toddler and pre-school boys and realize there is a lot of adventure to come!