Simon Giles Strickland came into the world on January 8th, 2010 at 5:46 AM. Since that moment, he has been changing the lives of his two parents in ways that they can barely comprehend, but it’s undeniably for the better.

Even if it is just for my journaling pleasure, I thought it would be a good idea to keep track of my feelings, Simon’s changes, and special moments, especially during this early time…

Being A Parent
It’s hard to describe the wave of emotions that we have undergone this week. Being at the hospital was surreal, and it wasn’t until we got home that the reality of parenthood began to sink in.  Having a house full of grandparents the first day was both wonderful and overwhelming.  The minute I went upstairs to feed and was confronted with my first all out crying session (with no luck feeding), I felt a bit scared about what I was in for.

On the opposite end of the emotional spectrum, I sat Simon on my chest today while I got comfortable to feed him. As he instantly calmed down and cooed at being close to his mommy, I began bawling out of pure love and vulnerability. How could I exist from here on out without this precious creature?

For the most part things have been in the later camp… happy and calm. The nights are a bit exhausting waking up every hour or two hours to feed him or change a diaper, but he’s been pretty easy to read and work with… crying usually only out of hunger or discomfort (wet diaper, desire to be held).

Actually, our house has been a state of bliss and excitement, a kind of dream world where the realities of our jobs and lives outside of taking care of Simon have kind of disappeared for a bit. While out in the “real world” for the first time yesterday, I managed to drop and break a bottle of wine and wander around IKEA in a daze, finally feeling the effects of lack of sleep.

All About Simon
Nothing to complain about so far. Everything I was scared of has been less scary than I had thought. Waking up in the middle of the night isn’t ideal, but is tolerable. Simon is a proficient and frequent breastfeeder, and I have not suffered yet from sore nipples (although I’ve definitely soaked a nursing pad or two).

I have also pretty much fallen instantly in love with him. I can’t stop kissing him and touching his soft skin, and I’m not the only one. As Grandma Sandy reports, “his head is like a little warm peach”. I was worried I’d feel detached to this foreign little guy that isn’t able to express much emotion, but his little squeaks and odd facial expressions only make we want to hold him closer.

He has melted my heart. And I am so excited to see him develop. I watch intensely for every second during the day that his eyes are open (still very few right now) and I can stare right into his eyes. I feel proud during our very limited tummy time when he is able to turn his head from one side to the other, albeit with much frustration.

I don’t really even know who this person is yet, but I know I love him differently than I’ve loved anything before and that I want to take care of him.

Firsts This Week

• First Breastfeeding: We started right away in the hospital. I don’t think it worked the first time, because the second time I felt a definite latch on and sucking sensation, like the pieces just clicked into place.
• First Car Ride: On the way home from the hospital
• First Bath: Although it was more of a washcloth rub down in the tub after Simon had another first… first diaper explosion the minute we got home
• First Doctor’s Appointment: Checked out all healthy, and had a great big poopy diaper right on the doctor’s table
• First Manicure: Tried to file down his perfect little fingernails, which is no easy task when his hands are so so so small
• First Tummy Time: He’s not too happy about it, but we’ve been giving him small (like 5 minutes) of tummy time each day. He turns his head a few times, tries to push onto his knees, and does a few “superman” poses before crying in frustration. It makes him so sad, but I know it must be good for him
• First Photo Shoot: Look for pictures shortly, but we had lots of fun with outfits and Simon held up surprisingly well… although he needed a nice long nap and feeding afterwards
• First Baby Sitter: Grandma Sandy took care of him while we ran out to IKEA and a few other places for some baby goods.
• First Bottle Feeding: I was nervous to do it, but Simon has been so good about latching on that I figured one time couldn’t hurt. Sandy fed him a bottle of breastmilk while we were out shopping, and other than a little drool, he did fine and took down 2 oz!!

Favorite Picture(s) of the Week
There will be a lot of these for sure. We are two media obsessed parents with some expensive equipment. So I figured I might want to select a favorite picture or two each week. Some of the best aren’t even going to make it into this week’s post, because I’m going to tweak them in Photoshop. I’m a nerd, what can I say?

Mommy’s Favorite

Daddy’s Favorite