We welcomed Baby G on April 25th, and her first week home has been so  much different, and so much better than I ever imagined. For starters, normally I would be sitting down to write this on my laptop with a hot cup of coffee and a full night of sleep under my belt. Instead I’m writing draft one using voice to text in one hand as I hold a nursing 9 day old in the other arm. I wouldn’t have it any other way. 

Our first week home has been slow and sweet. We’ve used the time to get to know our sweet girl without the revolving door of hospital staff we had visit during our few days after delivery. We’ve been learning how to change diapers- FAST- and have a lot of laundry to show for times we were a bit too slow. We’ve Doordashed just about every meal without shame, and have only left the house for G’s doctor appointment. On sunny days, we went on first slow stroller walks, and introduced G to her big brother, a pup named Marlo. We’ve fallen in love with her cute faces and funny sounds. These things I expected. 

The first week home has also been filled with things I didn’t expect. For starters, I didn’t expect how fast the days would go. I will have every intention of trying to get one tiny thing done before noon, and before I know it the baby needs to be fed, changed and fed again. When I look up at the clock it’s 3 PM. My seemingly simple to do list to keep our household organized just gets longer, and I’ve learned to be okay with it. I won’t get these newborn days back. As a first time mom I also didn’t expect how naturally being G’s mom would come. I was petrified to bring her home. I couldn’t believe we had to jump through more hoops to rescue our dog than to bring home our child. I’ve never been super maternal and I was full of self-doubt about my ability to be a good mom. Mamas, if you have any nerves about if you will be good enough, let me tell you that you will be exactly what your baby needs. Our first week home has been filled with lots of ups and downs, and each day with G is better than the last. 

What were some unexpected moments during your baby’s first week home?