one week wisdom.

i have been mommy for 11 days now.
i have celebrated my first mother's day.
in that span of time, this is what i have come to discover.

it goes too fast.

there is no word to describe the emotion you feel when you bring a child into the world. it is beyond love. it is beyond happiness. it is beyond excitement. bill and i have tried to put a name to it, but fall short every time. there is no word for this emotion.

just when you think you cannot love your spouse any more than you do, you have a child together. i have never loved my husband more than i do when i look at him with charlie. he has been the most incredible father from the minute she entered the world. charlie is lucky to have bill as a daddy and i am beyond lucky to have him as a husband. i don't know many other men that could handle the hand he has been dealt in the last seven weeks.

you cannot plan labor and delivery! my friend and co-worker was right - it doesn't matter how they get here. what matters is that once they do, they will be loved.

it's worth it - the sacrifices - from wine to your body to sleeping through the night...every bit of it is worth it.

every day she changes. take pictures. record the noises. write down everything.

have the clean diaper ready to slip underneath them as soon as the dirty one comes off. it's amazing how quickly air on the bum will trigger a bowel movement.

shut out the world and fall in love. there is no one more important. if she wasn't sleeping, i would have the computer stashed under the bed. ignore phone calls. return e-mails some other time. send pictures to your spouse at work of every new expression. you can catch up with everyone at her graduation party!

bill said it best. she is perfect. she is without character flaws, without sin, without bad choices...she is absolutely perfect.

we are all doing well. i do apologize for not personally touching base with everyone. we'll get there. right now, we are just to busy loving our little girl and getting to know her. she is an incredible person and when the time is right, we'll be anxious for everyone to meet her. thanks to everyone for their gifts and well wishes.

she stirs...

go well.

one week old.

first mother's day.