My first month as a mom

In just two days, my daughter Allison will be one month old. It still feels strange for me to use the term "my daughter," even though I've already grown pretty fond of her. She's a nice girl.

As I start to get the hang of this mothering thing, I finally have some free time to update all of you on our new addition (for photos and stories of her birth and first days, you can check out David's blog). Many of you have already heard Allison's birth story. I am hesitant to talk about my labor as it's bound to make many mothers jealous. But maybe some future first-time moms can hear it and be encouraged that giving birth might not be so bad. But basically, my pain medications worked flawlessly. They made me a bit sleepy, so in between reading I napped. Once in awhile I'd feel a twinge in my abdomen and ask the nurse, "Was that a contraction?" She'd say, "Yes - a big one!" Finally, when it was time to start pushing, the nurse had to wake me up to let me know. After seven and a half hours of "labor" and 40 minutes (which seemed more like 15) of pushing, Allison was born. She weighed 7 pounds, 3 ounces (the same weight I was at birth) and was 20 inches long.

She was diagnosed with jaundice and had to spend four days on a "billy bed" - like a sunbathing booth without a lid. I was upset at first - she would have to be on this bed 24/7 except for feedings and diaper changes, meaning my parents, who were in town for a few days, wouldn't have much time to hold her. But it turned out the bed fit right into her cradle, so she could spend her days with us in the living room. The bed was actually pretty impressive. Allison was wrapped in a onesie-like outfit that was attached to the bed with Velcro. The back of the outfit was sheer so that her back was exposed to a blue light that helps clear away the jaundice. Finally, by her one-week birthday, her doctor said her jaundice was better and she was declared a healthy baby.

Allison's first night at home was a bit taxing - she had terrible gas and was up most of the night crying. David and I took one-hour shifts comforting her and sleeping, alternatively. We figured out, though, that we had forgotten to push the air out of the bottle insert, which caused her to have gas. Since then, she has done well sleeping at night. We sometimes have to wake her for her 2 a.m. feeding and occasionally she wakes us up in the early morning hours. We are tired much of the time, like most new parents, but I'd say we got it pretty easy.

This past week Allison has finally started to be awake more often. She sleeps most of the time during the day, which allows us plenty of down time, but it has been nice seeing her eyes once in awhile (it's still up for debate whether she'll have Balsley or Griner blue eyes).

This past weekend we visited my parents-in-law for Easter. We got some great photos of Allison and her 9-month-old cousin Ruby. Neither of them acknowledges the other's existence yet, but we are excited about the two of them growing up together.

I'm now down to just two more weeks of maternity leave, which makes me kind of sad. I'll miss being home with her all the time. David will take two weeks of leave after I go back to work, then she starts daycare at the University of Tots.

Thanks to everyone for your well wishes and support. As requested (or demanded, in some cases) here's more photos of Allison's first few weeks and her first Easter. Enjoy!