You know how people are always telling you how time flies? How children grow so quickly? And so on…. I never really understood until now. I seriously cannot believe how fast one month passes. Or even one week. Heck, it almost takes an hour to feed Mollie.
The first month of being a parent was something else. Emotional overload, to say the least! Nate and I were beat after spending two nights in one hospital, then two nights at home, and then two nights at another hospital. Mollie’s first week of life was something else.
Nate and I had the instant need/feeling/intuition to take care of this little human, but we weren’t sure how much we loved her. Don’t get me wrong, we wanted her…. and were so blessed and happy to have her in our lives and everything, but neither of us had the immediate love connection. For some people, like us, our love had to grow. Over the first 4 weeks, we loved Mollie by taking care of her every need. We loved her by getting up every 2-3 hours and feeding her, and giving her a bath, and rocking her, and everything else that comes with a newborn baby. After being married for a while, I always defined love as putting the other person above yourself… always thinking of their needs before your own. Parenting is no different.
We had some hard times, where we literally thought, “what were we thinking?” But, I think every first time parent has those times. You know where you are rocking your tiny baby in the middle of the night crying along with her…. It had been just Nate and I doing whatever we wanted for seven wonderful years. And, we love each other more than the average couple, so it was hard for us to not be the center of each other’s lives anymore. Now, we had someone else to think about all the time.
Through it all, Nate and I had great patience and ultimately…. great love for our beautiful daughter. Looking back, I can see how much this new life has changed me. They saying is true…. a baby changes everything. And, I’ll add to it…. a baby changes everything for the better. As I write this (and catch up on the blog) Mollie is almost 4 months old, and I can honestly say my heart is completely full. I love this little life just like I love my Nate…. and I didn’t think that was possible ;)
What an awesome life we get to have on this earth. And, being a part of bringing a new life here has been the greatest experience yet.
Momma and Daddy truly love you, little girl!
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If there is anyone out there that has a newborn at home, and you’re feeling disconnected. Don’t worry… Love grows with time. And, in my experience, that is the best kind of love.
