Snippets and Stories: Just another evening with a newborn

Claire is only 3, but apparently, Brad and I have forgotten basically everything about what life was like with a newborn. How that's possible is just beyond me, and yet. We've seemingly forgotten things like blow-outs and spit up and the poor timing that newborns have when doing those things. For example...

About 10 days after Lily was born, our friend, Hillary, was bringing dinner over. Brad actually had somewhere to go for dinner that evening but was holding Lily while I finished baking some banana bread for him to take with him. Things were going so well...until they weren't. At the same time, the banana bread (a recipe I have made MANY times and have never had a problem with) started to burn, AND Lily had a blowout that soaked Brad and puddled on the floor. Hillary had already texted me that she was on her way, so I knew we had mere minutes to try to rid the kitchen of the burnt smell, attempt to salvage some banana bread, clean Brad up, and change Lily.

Brad was desperate for me to help him, and simultaneously, I needed to deal with the burning banana bread so we didn't end up with a smoke detector situation. Thankfully, my mom was still here, so after I pulled the bread out of the oven and started up the vent, she took over salvaging the banana bread so I could help Brad (note: I still have no idea what happened. At all.). I took Lily to start cleaning her up, and Brad frantically started to change his clothes. At one point, he shut the front door (we had it open with just the storm door closed), which greatly upset Claire. She thought that by closing the door we weren't going to let any friends come in. So, while we're all tending our respective situations, Brad hollers to Claire, "We have to close the door so daddy can take off his clothes!" At which point Mom and I laugh hysterically and Brad attempts to restate his meaning in a less shady-sounding way.

Mom managed to semi-salvage the banana bread (enough for Brad to take a decent-looking plate of it to his dinner), and Brad got his clothes changed. I was doing well with getting Lily cleaned up (clothes, diaper, skin) when Hillary arrived. And at that very moment, Lily spit up in a spectacular way; she covered herself, me, the floor, part of the couch, and the coffee table with spit up. She was very thorough.

Thankfully, Hillary has her own 3-year-old and 6-month-old, so she had nothing but sympathy and a few chuckles for us (plus a fantastic dinner). We chalked the whole series of events up to "we have a newborn and this is what they do + how could we have forgotten so soon?" We're probably going to use that line of reasoning for a loooong time. Until it's no longer socially acceptable.

Bless us all.

Lily and the odds and ends

There are so many things about Lily's birth and the subsequent weeks that I'd love to document well so that I have a record in years to come. I'm not sure if documenting everything would even be possible, but I'm doing what I can during my waking hours (I should have Brad double check the things I write...I'm pretty sleep-deprived these days. Who knows what kind of crazy might emerge?).

Here are some odds and ends that I don't want to forget: 

We had the most wonderful nurses at the hospital: Laura, Reagan, Lawanda, Calyn, Claire, Stephanie, Sandy, and Pam. They dealt with all of the gross post-partum things, brought me medicine and ice and graham crackers, helped me deal with my migraines, and raved about how sweet and pretty my baby was. Laura and Reagan were so encouraging and capable during my c-section. Calyn dealt with my second round of frightening clots/blood loss and remained super calm and reassuring. Stephanie and Sandy were so kind and attentive to me during some bad migraines. I just had wonderful women taking care of me through the days and nights and am so grateful. Thank you, nurses, for all you do!

My parents ordered the most beautiful roses that brightened up my hospital room and were a great reminder that I'm loved!

My Bible study small group leader and her little girl dropped by the hospital with a jar of flowers from her garden + ridiculously yummy cookies. There's no picture of the cookies because I dealt with those bad boys ASAP (or maybe I should say STAT since I was in a hospital).

The hospital is located about 2 blocks from a Chick-Fil-A, and when patients are discharged from Mother/Baby, they are given two free sandwich vouchers to CFA! You better believe that we stopped there for lunch on the way home (and CFA took care of the rest of our bill after seeing that we'd just left the hospital). SO NICE!

Our church set up a meal train for us. I was so humbled by it; the schedule was set for three times a week for three weeks. Y'all. Only one of those slots wasn't filled. We were so blessed by so many folks, some that we already knew and some that we didn't. Blacknall took such good care of us.

Our neighbors have been incredibly kind to us, as well. We've been given gifts by three of them and a chicken pot pie, as well. We live in a neighborhood comprised primarily of older couples, most of whom have grandchildren that live elsewhere. Claire is a favorite for this reason, and now Lily has joined the ranks. We're very thankful that our children open up opportunities to get to know our neighbors better.

We've also had a sweet time having good friends over to visit and meet Lily. And just hang out with us in general. The Boswells are facing a rough summer of having quite a few friends move away, some expected and some very unexpected. All hard. So, we're trying to make the most of the time we have. (I'm trying to be adult about it, but in reality, it's breaking my heart and making me want to cry in the corner. I need prayer, guys. And chocolate. And new friends now...)

Some of our favorites. We're so excited for their opportunity to go to Notre Dame, but we will MISS them! So much. I can't talk about it.

Happy for you, friends, but I really wish I could keep you.

Very recent but very dear friends who are headed to Texas in a few (very short) weeks.

Lily's first few doctors appointments have gone very well! She's gaining weight like a champ, and I'm quite proud. Claire had to go for tons of weight checks when she was this small, so it's nice that we don't have to do that this time. They have us take her diaper off every time she's weighed, and she soaks the table every single time. Bless her.

Getting checked out.

She's just not sure about this.

Claire was so excited to help give "Wiwwy" her first bath. We're doing our best to involve Claire in as many Lily things as possible, hoping to create positive feelings and connections between Claire and Lily. Bath time has definitely been a favorite for Claire.

Prepping for bath time. Claire was helping with the towel.

Lily's spa day.

Family affair.

Helping to dry Wiwwy's hair. We're all still in shock that she even has hair, truth be told.

Our first month with Lily has been so very good. We've had our wonderful parents here for so much of the time, which has been incredibly helpful, but also so sweet, knowing they're getting to spend time with our girls. Our moms, in particular, have been so selfless and giving of their time and energy. And BOY does it take a lot of energy to keep up with Claire! They've also made meals for us and stocked our freezer. I'll admit it: I cry a little when they leave (I blame it partially on post-partum hormones, though). We've also had wonderful friends send us the sweetest gifts and words of encouragement. So far, we've gotten goodies in the mail from Tennessee, Alabama, Texas, and Virginia. We have the BEST people in our lives and are so grateful (I'm looking at you, Mrs. Tidwell, Biermans, and Amanda! Hugs!). 

I know I'm gushing. It cannot be helped. I'm just so thankful.

Letter to my Little Lily: 1 Month

Dear Lily,

Goodness gracious, Lily-lou. I cannot believe that you are already a month old. This past month has flown by- and not just because my sleep patterns have been greatly altered and I've been a little fuzzy-headed. It's been so interesting going through the newborn phase with you; since we've already done it once before with Claire, we were a little more prepared for what to expect, including how quickly it really does go by. We're trying so hard to appreciate all the little moments with you while you're so very small and newborn.

And you've been making it such a great experience. You've been such a delight! You're a laid-back baby and so happy just to be with us. You rarely cry or fuss (except when you're hungry), and you're an excellent snuggle buddy. You really love just being with us. Which is good, because we always love having you around.

Holding Daddy's finger

You are probably the most hiccup-y baby that there ever was. Every day. Multiple times a day. They seem to take over your whole little body, and you kind of sound like a squeak toy. It's really quite cute...but also makes me feel sorry for you. And while you hiccup all the time, you make us work to get you to burp. You also really like to be on your stomach. (Note: we don't let you sleep on your stomach at night. You just like to lay on us on your stomach.) Also, Nana held you in what we dubbed the "sloth hold" (not to be confused with the Sloth Grip Roll), and you loooooooved that. 

Tummy-ing

Slothing.

I've really enjoyed watching you and Claire together. To be honest, I was pretty nervous about how Claire would take to you, but so far, she seems quite fine. She asks to hold you about once a day and really loves to give you hugs and kisses. She also likes to look at your "tiny fingers! and tiny toes!" You take everything in stride and always let her love on you.

I love these faces.

One of my most favorite things about you is how peaceful you are. That's the word that comes to mind most when I think about you. I look back on your birth and think that it was, overall, peaceful. As were our days in the hospital. And really, even your nighttime wakings and feedings are mostly peaceful and calm. The morning that you were born, I spent a long time listening to this song on repeat, reflecting on what God has done for us and in us. A few hours later, while I was laying on the operating table, waiting for them to get started, I sang it over and over in my head, making it the last thing on my mind before I was sedated. Peaceful. From the beginning.

One of my favorite things about Claire's first year was taking weekly pictures of her so that we could look back on them see how she grew. I'm looking forward to doing that with you, too! Maybe it's ambitious (as most normal people just do the monthly pictures), but I loved doing it with her and know that I'll love it with you, too. So, here are your first month's snapshots:

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

One Month! (Thanks to Amiee for the BEAUTIFUL monthly stickers! I LOVE them!)*

And, now a few outtakes:

I call this one "Put Up Your Dukes!"

So maybe this one should be "Hit Me With Your Best Shot...Wait! Don't!"

And "I Am Baby. Hear Me ROAR!"

Lily, we are just so thankful that you joined our family. I always think it's a little weird when people say, "We just can't imagine our lives without you!" to their new babies because, really, that was the reality just a few weeks prior (so technically, they can imagine it). However, I fully understand the sentiment of "I can't imagine ever going back to a time when we didn't have you." That's 100% how I feel! Our life was wonderful before you were born, but now it's so much richer. I'm so looking forward to getting to know your personality more and more and seeing the wonderful person you become. We pray you'll love Jesus and know the joy that accompanies knowing Him.

We love you so much, Lily!

*Your one-month birthday was on a Sunday, so you were wearing the beautiful white dress shown in the picture (Thanks, Auntie!). I had planned to take your picture sometime on Sunday afternoon while you were wearing the dress. Before I could get the pictures taken, however, you had a blowout. One for the books. All over your beautiful white dress (and your swing and yourself, and it got all over Daddy, Gran, and me in the process, too). So, before I could take the picture, I had to special treat your dress, wash it, and air dry it. It was about a 30-hour process, Missy. Good thing you're so cute.

A date with Poppy

Before my dad headed home after Lily's birth, he set aside a morning to take Claire on a date. And, boy, was she excited! She went to bed talking about it and woke up the next morning talking about it. It was really the sweetest.

Dad made a list of some of Claire's favorite things to do around town and set out to do as many of those things as possible. They started by visiting "the park with the pelican." There's a park across the street that she calls "the park with the blue swing," but there's a bigger park about a mile away that has this pelican:

It's a good day when she gets to visit the park with the pelican. This park also has these slides, which Claire can play on for hours, if you let her:

Clearly, she had a good time.

The next plan for the day was to go to the Museum of Life and Science, but when they got there, there were so many people that no parking was available. No worries; Poppy changed gears on a dime and took her to Target, instead. Claire loves to walk around Target and then get popcorn. 

And she found a PinYA-TA!

It was also at Target that my dad offered to buy Claire a stuffed Lightening McQueen, with the caveat that Claire would poop in the potty (she has a thing about that). Claire responded with, "We better put it back." That's right: she will NOT be conned into things. He did buy both Claire and Lily some books, though. Poppy cannot be stopped when it comes to buying books.

After Target, they headed to their final stop before naptime: Costco! I can't overstate how much Brassarts and Boswells love Costco. We love shopping there, walking around there, and eating actual meals there. Poppy and Claire chose to put away a couple of foot-long hot dogs for lunch. And yes, my 3-year-old is capable of eating (almost) an entire foot-long hot dog. And yes, we definitely let her. Bless us all.

I'm so thankful for a dad who takes the time to spend a morning with my daughter doing things she loves. I wish we lived closer to one another so that this could be a more regular thing, but we'll take it when we can get it. Thanks, Daddy/Poppy! We love you!