Saturday, October 01, 2016

first things first



The first of October.

The first blog post in a little while, and predictably, I am starting posting again at the start of a new month. Today also marks 6 weeks since our son was born, and so we celebrate the first 6 weeks of parenthood.

These weeks have been full of firsts, big and small. It feels like he has been a part of our lives for a long time, and yet life seems to be flying by at an alarming rate. Having spent so long knowing that our baby would be born in the summer, it was shock to realise that we have now already moved into Autumn. In the last few days we have found that some of his first outfits no longer fit, and that is frankly far too soon for him to be growing out of things!

The first weeks are somewhat of a blur now. As well as the overwhelming mix of emotions of those initial days as new parents, my grandad had an emergency trip to hospital in the first week, I was a bridesmaid for a close friend two weeks after the birth, my stepdad also had an emergency trip to the hospital, and there have been numerous birthdays in recent weeks, including The Husband's. Life has felt intense recently, to say the least. Gladly, everyone is doing fine, and we are settling into our new normal.

The Husband went back to work in mid September, and so this will be my first full month of maternity leave without him at home during the week. I have already realised how lucky we are to have family and friends so nearby, their support has made such a difference as we grow accustomed to life with a new baby.

This first blog post is not coming easily. I have found that the right words often evade me at the moment, and so trying to sit and write sentences is less more challenging than previously! I feel unable to do justice to these first weeks, to the incredible elation, the highs and lows, the overwhelming love and the waves of deepest gratitude. I can't explain the new ways in which I see my husband, as he becomes an amazing daddy to our son, or my parents, as they dote on their grandson with such tenderness. Whatever I write won't capture fully the experience, and though countless others have been through it before, it is somehow, at the same time, entirely unique to us.

We are so very lucky, and while I won't pretend we haven't had plenty of tough moments, curled up, as I am, with the dog draped across my legs, and The Husband next to me cradling our baby boy, I am very content. Our first baby, he has made parents of us, he has made life richer by far, and brought our family so much closer, he is so very lovely and so very loved. Welcome to the world my darling son, and thank you from the bottom of my heart.