Family of Three

It seems that our lives have officially begun. We are off and running as a family of three. Last Sunday was Will's first Father's Day; Hayden had arrived just in time. The day before I left them alone together for the first time while I ran to the mall to get him a present for his special day. He told me to take my time and enjoy being out, but I was home in an hour, and that included stopping to pick up lunch on the way home. I suppose it helped that I knew what I was going to buy him (a new watch.... Guess. I had given him a very nice Kenneth Cole watch just a couple of years ago and a seal broke on it and now it fogs up. Makes me mad because it was a very nice watch. Still going to try to have it fixed.) But his new watch is also very nice and now he can feel more professional on the job. I love that his fashion accessories help him to accomplish this; I'm very much an accessory kind of person. They survived just fine while I was gone. I was proud of Will. I have somewhat of a time limit when other people are watching her right now since I'm breastfeeding; whenever I leave her I unfortunately take her food with  me. Haha. We are going to introduce her to a bottle this week so wish us luck. I have tried to give her a pacifier in the last week, but so far it is a no-go. Some people would say that's good, since it is hard to wean them off of them in the long run. However, it has been shown that pacifiers greatly reduce the chances of SIDS (my newest fear) and also because (and this is a little TMI, but whatevs) my boob has made me into a human pacifier. It's my ace in the hole when nothing else works as far as soothing goes. And it works every time. If I could pop a pacifier into her mouth every once in a while, maybe I could keep my shirt on for more than half the day. I am really happy because the last three nights, she has gone to bed between 9-10 pm. This is huge. That first week we were staying up until 3 or 4 am. I have decided that I am going to start attempting to put her down at 9:00 every night, even if it takes several tries and forty-five minutes to achieve success. This puts us on an average night feeding schedule of 9:00, midnight, 3 am, and 6 am. This is perfect for me. I have discovered as long as I can sleep for at least a couple of hours before her first rousing, I am good to go. Staying up all night was making me a little insane and more than a little frustrated and weepy. Not a good feeling. So I am really glad we are working it out; it just took a minute for us both to adjust. Hayden really is a good baby. I have been very lucky in her mostly easy demeanor. She definitely knows who Mommy is, and Nini (my mom); I think because my mom and I were together so much that she recognizes my mom's voice. She is coming around to Daddy and Papa, though. We spent the weekend there the past two days because Will was gone for work. Boy oh boy, those days were not easy, so it really helped to have my parents there to help me. My mom is willing to do anything and take her any time so I can bathe, brush my teeth, eat, get a much needed nap, or even just a break for a few minutes. This was such a tremendous help. I was eating lunch earlier today when I heard her wake up from a nap. My dad made it to her before I did and they were just fine together for quite a while. That was a nice surprise. Speaking of dad's, Will and my dad had a good Father's Day. The whole fam congregated at my parent's for steaks and baked potatoes and a day of togetherness. Hayden was of course the star of the show. My parents gave Will an Academy gift card, which was very nice of them. Will had bought a framed authentic MLB Nolan Ryan picture for my dad several months ago for Father's Day, which I thought was really nice that he took it upon himself to pick out and buy my dad's present. He was so proud when he bought it home. I had no idea that he was doing that. It makes me feel good that my dad and Will are close. They talk on the phone regularly and it makes me happy that my dad is always there to give him support, advice, and teach him new things and take him to do new things that he has never done before, like duck hunting and shooting cross bows. It's nice to know my husband looks up to my dad. I DO have a great dad who has been there for me every day of my life and taught me to be the person I am today. He has witnessed all of my successes in life and has never wavered in my sadness. I always knew my dad was there for me, and it makes me very happy for Will to now experience the same. Dads are such special people in our lives, and I know Will is going to be the best dad to Hayden. He is already. Anyone can be a father, but it takes someone special to be a dad. 

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