Letter to my Baby Brynn: 1 Month

She turned one month on the 7th, but it took me THIS LONG to get her letter finished. Bless my heart.

Dear Brynnie,

Your first month flew, absolutely FLEW, by before I knew it. I know that's partly because the earliest days with a newborn are so blurry and hazy, but I also think it's because, on Baby Number 3, I'm more than aware of how quickly the baby days are over. And I'm just in zero hurry to have them pass by quickly.

During your first few weeks of life, I had such a euphoric sense of completion: we made it- you and I (and everyone else, but here I'm just referring to the sheer physicality of it)- all the way to the end of a HARD pregnancy. It brought me so much joy to finally see, cuddle, and care for a healthy, beautiful baby after such a long slog. I've been trying to stop any sense of urgency to be productive and get things done in favor of enjoying your baby days (incidentally, there's a lot of things that aren't getting done...).

I'm loving spending time cuddling you, and I'm also loving watching Claire and Lily welcome you to our family. They have been having the BEST time with you! It started in the hospital when Claire didn't want to share you with anyone else and SOBBED when she had to leave. And Lily offered to share her chicken strip with you. We have been so happy with how enthusiastic Claire and Lily have been! I hope the three of your are able to maintain a close friendship for all of your days.

You've been such a good eater since the very beginning, and I'm really thankful for that. You've been putting on weight exactly as you should- way to go! You're also a fairly good sleeper. I say "fairly" because you are a bit more prone to taking quite a while to get back to sleep in the middle of the night than other babies I've had...despite that, you've already slipped into an eating schedule (for the most part) and aren't at all a "bad" sleeper. Plus, I really do love all the extra snuggles we get.

Off the the pediatrician for your first visit!

 Good sleeping girl

You've had a couple of baths, and true to Boswell form, you love them. Your very first one was actually a sponge bath in the bath tub so that Claire and Lily could "participate." It was so cute. They had a blast "helping," and you were a good sport.

This was not your first bath. This was a bath I had to give you by myself after you had an EXPLOSION.

We are so fortunate that you've already met a lot of family! All 4 grandparents and both of your aunts! And one of your great-aunts! You'll meet almost everybody else before the end of the summer. I know with all my heart that you will charm them.

This was your favorite position to be held in!

In my sleep deprived state, I didn't trust myself to just remember things from this first month, so I jotted thoughts about you down when I would think them. Here are a few I typed up really quickly:
1. For the first few weeks of your life, you were so tiny that Daddy could (safely) hold you in one hand.
2. You had a VERY loud cry- especially for a newborn. No doubt you'll be able to make your voice heard in life. 
3. Lily loves to be a helper by bringing your paci to you when you cry. And as a reward, you gave one of your first conscious smiles to her!
4. You like to be held by your sisters. Claire requests to hold you daily.
5. You started holding your head up, you strong girl. The name "Brynn" actually means "strong," so it seems we chose well.
6. You prefer to fall asleep on someone. You will stay asleep once you've been put in your bed or swing, but you want to fall asleep while being held. You pretty much get your way on that one, truth be told.
7. You have a way of making me slow down and enjoy all the baby-ness. I love it so much, no matter how tired it makes me.

Brynna, you are a joy and a delight. We love you so much and are so thankful you're here with us.

 Claire and Lily thought your headband situation needed a little extra something.

And because I refuse to let the busy-ness of life with 3 little children deter me from it, here are my hard-fought for weekly pictures from Month 1:

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

1 Month

We love you, Brynnie!

More Brynna

Much like with Lily, we could not decide on a name for Baby Girl #3. We had various lists of possibilities off-and-on throughout the months leading to her birth, but it fluctuated so much and so often that we ended up not even really having a list at all by the time she arrived. We knew for months that we were going to use "Jane" as her middle name; both of our mothers' have Jane as their middle names, wonder of wonders, and we loved the idea of using it for the third Boswell lady. About 2 weeks before Brynn's birth, I was listening to a podcast, and the host mentioned that her podcast editor, Brenna, was joining her for an episode. 

Hmm.

I'd always liked the name Brynn, but after we'd decided on Jane, I knew we couldn't use Brynn, as "Brynn Jane" would sound ridiculous. After hearing the name "Brenna," my wheels started turning. I had a few hesitations, but I ran it by Brad anyway, and surprisingly, he didn't immediately shoot it down. We chatted about it a few times and made a few adjustments: Brynna, rather than Brenna. Brynn, rather than Bryn. Despite all that, we still didn't have anything settled before I went into the OR.

Right after she was born, we actually thought we were going to use a different name for her, but very shortly after making that call, we both decided to change it to Brynna. And we loved it.

NOTE: Her legal name is Brynna. We call her Brynna, Brynn, or Brynnie at any given time. The "y" is a short "i" sound. 

As soon as I began coming to after surgery, my primary goal was to get to the point where my big girls could come see us. I knew they'd be so excited to meet Brynn and to see me doing well. Thankfully, we were able to start working on getting the girls in for a visit within just a couple of hours. 

We had the best time introducing the girls to Brynn and watching them step into their new roles. They were so sweet, so kind, and so enthusiastic; it was, seriously, one of the best moments of my life.

We videoed their first meeting because I INSISTED. I wasn't sure that I would be able to remember the moment through all of my pain killers/residual anesthesia, and I was not going to lose that moment. I'm so thankful for have the video; Claire could not have been more excited. Or Lily more eager. I hope this video works, because it's SO CUTE.

Pictures of the girls waiting until they were able to come to our room...

...their patience was very short...

Bless my dad and sister for managing them. I mean, look at Lily's face.

First family photos

#nailedit

Claire's first time holding Brynna. Lily very much wanted to join in.

Lily's turn!

Snuggles for Brynn!

Then she was done and found herself a Lily-sized perch.

Then she moved on to sitting with me. Perhaps you're gathering that Lily was ON THE MOVE at basically all times while in our teeny tiny shoe box of a hospital room. If that's the case, you would be correct. It was nothing short of Olympic gymnastics to keep her remotely contained.

Claire's turn again. Claire took a lot of turns.

She looooves her.

True love: Lily offered to share her chicken strip with Brynna. 

Reluctantly sharing Brynn with Poppy.

(Please note: My dad's fancy necklace that he wore with great pride.)

And Nana.

And Bo.

Just kidding...she didn't actually share with Bo. Bo stayed at the hospital during nap time so that she could finally have the chance to hold Brynna.

Diaper change for the 2-year-old...in the newborn bassinet.

Picking up the Big Sister from school the day after Brynn was born. And yes, she wore the same outfit two days in a row, as she didn't have school on the day Brynn was actually born. You MUST wear the right outfit on the right day, guys.

Snuggles with Daddy.

Sweet, sweet baby.

I was in the hospital for two-and-a-half days, and the girls (and Nana, Poppy, and Bo) came up to visit several times. Claire was pumped to hold Brynn every single time, and Lily explored the hallways and nooks and crannies like it was her job. Brad and I enjoyed spending time getting to know Brynn 2-on-1 for a bit (albeit, I enjoyed all of the blood panels, vital-taking, sugar-checking, and frequent night time interruptions very little), and we were VERY thankful for a drama-free stay + an early release. PRAISE BE.

It was a long, hard slog to get Brynna here safely, but goodness, we're so glad she's here. She's making the world a brighter place already.