...And Just Like That, It's Been 3 Weeks

Just like everyone told me it would, now that Charlie Mae is here, time is flying by more quickly than ever. She's three weeks old today, and these three weeks have passed more quickly than any other time period in my life [that I can remember].

Sure, this is partly because we're kind of in a Groundhog Day situation over here--and the days blend together in a haze of diaper changes, feedings, and snuggles on the couch--but they're also marked by an amazing transformation in our daughter, one that is happening right in front of us, at every moment, and is pretty incredible to witness in such a short amount of time.

When I was pregnant, one of the things I was told over and over again was how incredible it is to have a child [or children]. Everyone said something along the lines of, "It's the most amazing thing you'll ever do and you just can't possibly understand the love you'll feel until you have a baby of your own." 

By the end of my pregnancy, after hearing these kinds of statements for 9 months, I was kind of like, "Yeah, yeah, I get it, you can't possibly understand it until you do it...it's amazing, yadayadayada..." and then they put Charlie Mae on my chest, I looked down at her for the first time, and I got it. Woah. Everyone was right. I couldn't possibly understand what it was like to have a baby until now and now that I do, I am overwhelmed by the power of this experience; it's all-encompassing in the best of ways possible. 

Although it's only been 3 weeks, I am forever changed, Ben is forever changed, our life together is forever changed, and yes, I would say that even Sayde is forever changed (hehe!).

Our world has gotten both bigger and smaller simultaneously; I can't do all of the things that I used to be able to do (just a mere 22 days ago!), but I don't want to--at least, not in the same way. Not more than I want to sit and stare at my newborn and bask in her adorableness and her ever-changing-ness and yes, even her whiny moods that we can't explain but are always trying to explain ("Maybe she has to burp? Maybe she's hungry? I think she wants to be held like this. Lets try bouncing her!"). 

So, that's where we are at three weeks. Yes, there are challenges, yes, I wish I could take some slightly longer breaks here and there to, oh, I don't know, take a bath without being called back downstairs to feed our crying baby as soon as I've started to relax--but all in all, I'm head over heels, 100% in, totally obsessed with this little 3-week old being. It's pretty awesome.
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[Btw, the pics in this post are a few sneak peeks from our recent newborn shoot with the incredible Kati Mennett! I'll share all of the pics once we have them.]