Monday, March 27, 2017

All By Myyyseeelllfff - Nope. That's a Lie.

Eve Cahill is two months old today.  Two months of glorious living, and, I have to say, I adore her.  I adore her in that way where I hold her little body just so that her heart is directly over mine just to feel them both beat and I breathe in her neck at least 50 times a day and I miss her when she's sleeping or when I leave the room.  I adore her when she's crying and she reacts to the sound of my voice and in the wee hours of the morning when she nudges me and smacks her lips to tell me that she is hungry.  We're in that kind of obsession mode.  And, I'm happy to report that our little Ebba (did you know that was a nickname for Eve? Me, either) feels the same about me.  And Leo.  She feels the same about me and Leo.  The rest of the family (Adam included) are kind of like pleasant extras and not really necessities in her little world. And this works out okay for now, because here is how life has changed in the last two months:

I am never alone.  Not ever.  Not for ten minutes.  I'm never alone.  I think, when someone asks, "what's it like having five kids?" that would be my go-to answer.   Last night, there were six people and one dog in my bed.  And I have a big bed.  But it's not that big with seven mammals in it.  And this weekend, Adam I went out for my birthday (and, note: if there is anything Adam does really well, it's date night) and our littlest one came along.  She came to a brewery tap room and out to a fancy dinner.  I nursed her with a bucket of champagne and two flutes on the table.  There is a bouncy-seat in my bathroom where Eve sits while I shower and get ready (because her well-meaning sister is rough).  There is a swing in the kitchen, where she sits while I prepare meals.  Inevitably, Hatch or Annie are on my heels during every waking hour and Eve, well, she's usually in my arms, save the two times mentioned above.  And I think I could be alone, for, say five minutes, if I really tried, but I don't care much.  I like to have the kids close.  And, since I'm raising a crew of intensely affectionate children, this works out well for all of us.

But, aside from that, things here are pretty much the same.  I'm ridiculously happy.  The kids are adjusting well.  I'm trying to cope with the post-baby body; the soft parts that shouldn't be so soft and the other parts that are just...so...big.  (My boobs.  There were big before.  They are enormous now.)  But that's the trade-off, right?  I get this perfect little girl instead of a reasonably-proportioned midsection.  I'll say that's fair.

For record keeping, here are the memorable bits of Eve at two months:
10lbs, 7oz, 22in
Has new hair, a beautiful auburn (but a little scant on the top and full in the back)
Has a fierce stork-bite over the back of her neck, over her right eye, under her nose, and between her eyebrows.  
Has short little fingers (like me!)
Has two toes that never quite separated all the way (also like me)
Loves to be talked to
Loves to be sung to even more
Nurses on demand...and demands a lot.  
Is, at this moment, sound asleep in my arms.  She's been like this since we came home from the doctor's today.  She'll probably be like this all night long.  And that's okay...I didn't have any plans anyway.  This is a good way to spend a Monday.



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