Life's Motherhood Rat Race ---- Am I winning?

Life has it's ups and downs but lately the rat-race has proved to be more than I WANT to handle these days...

As I sit here thinking of our care-free weekend ahead of us without any expectations, obligations or requirements except what I, well WE want to do, I think about how nice it would be not to have to endure the rat-race of the coming week, to stay at home and live a simpler life. BUT other than the question of whether or not my immensely long to-do list will ever be complete, I ponder is it for me...?

......That is the question.....

I've given this idea much thought and discussed it and cried about it and prayed about it and pondered it and discussed it some more (why I'm writing this). Either way you are giving up something and gaining something else. It's a trade-off of the most imperative kind. But what does the future hold? What will Norah and our family NEED in the coming years? More financial solidity created by both mommy & daddy working? Or more flexible family time created by a stay at home parent?

I'm COMPLETELY torn....

On one hand I love having a career and being a part of a successful team that helps 'get the job done.' However, on the other hand I want to be home with Norah, having play dates and going to the zoo in the middle of the day (although not in the summer), able to take a breath of fresh air every now and again, go to the grocery store, etc. Right now I spend literally a few minutes in the morning smooching and playing with Norah before I rush off to work and I get 45min-2hrs on a good day with her at night. She is growing up so fast in front of me because 90% of the time during the week I'm away from her. I thought the idea of being away from her would slowly fade away with time. I know she is being well taken care of. I know she is a well-adjusted happy little girl...just wake her up in the morning and you can see the meaning of absolute JOY! However, it is MY time with her that is suffering. Suffering for a good reason? Yes! But that does not change the mommy hurt! Not at all! (these are the images that race through my head as I work)

 

 

What options do I have? What future am I setting up? It's all in question for me right now...

 

If $ wasn't part of the equation, I think this would be a much easier answer. But like 99.9999999% of all people finances do play a BIG role in this decision. I keep thinking about the article of a surgeon turned mother who quit her very successful $250K job to be a stay at home mommy. Unfortunately my job doesn't quite pay me that much but the loss of my income would still have a significant impact on our family. Whether or not our family needs me to stay at home and lose my income is a huge deal. Paul and I have plans to pay off debt, first and foremost, and buy a new home, somewhere we can have a more permanent placement in. Houston isn't a bad place to live but the Houston Independent School District leaves something to be desired. So buying a home close to the med center/not very far from downtown sounded appealing coming from Austin but it's now become somewhat of a sore point for me. A home is 'supposed' to be an asset, supposed to leave you with the pride of ownership. Instead I feel as if I made some kind of mistake by buying this home. It's been upside down in the market for the last couple of years due to the countrywide housing . Unfortunately, our area has NOT recovered enough for us to be able to sell it for what we NEED to in order to make that coveted move. So we push that off...hopefully not for much longer.

On the other hand, our debt, AKA my debt (school loans) are eating away at me. The decision ultimately to become a stay at home mom is almost out of reach merely because of the student loans I still have. Nothing like getting a good education to saddle yourself with 20+ years worth of debt right? I made a commitment to pay off my student loans far more quickly than the recommended time frame in order to save $$$$$$$$$$ of dollars in interest. It's the right decision to pay off this debt before making any other major moves...however, it's killing me that I can't stay home with my angel. Who wouldn't want to stay home with this little booger??? >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>




So what's the alternative?


Well I have come up with a pretty solid one, I hope! One that I'll elaborate more about later. But I'm venturing out on my own. Starting a business so that I can be my own boss, set my own hours, do my own thing and be there for Norah WAYYYYYYYY more!

I'm going to start slow and build it up into something that can subsidize our income, all the while having my full-time job (for now) so that we can finish paying off our debt. It's amazing what you can do if you put your noggin to it! I'm so excited about the prospect of what it'll mean for our family and I feel like it'll give me the best of both worlds: some income but more importantly the freedom to be a part-time stay at home mommy!

Stay tuned for more details about the biz...

Test Scores are in...I can call myself a CPA!!!

The time has come!!!

The tests are over!!!

Now all that's left to do is think about how difficult it's been to get to this point and to CELEBRATE!!!

I finally got my last test score and passed with an 81! I passed all 4 parts, after retaking a few of them and spending quite a bit of money on the tests and study material.

BUT now I'm able to submit my final paperwork to get my CPA certification and it feels amazing!!!! I can now hold my head up high and call myself a CPA!!!

And although I'm riding an amazing high , feeling incredibly accomplished and satisfied I will also remember how difficult it was to put aside what I 'wanted' to do and study. And the heartbreak of receiving back scores that were not passing grades after I had studied so hard and sacrificed so much just to start again and tell myself that I can do it. Paul was amazing for that! He's been such an amazing support for me through everything, but definitely in the moments that I was feeling lower than low and he told me: "It's going to be ok, get back on the horse, you've got this!" I believed in myself, in part, because he believed so strongly in me! So grateful for that!

It was something I set out to accomplish as soon as I finish school but have had hiccups along the way for one reason or another. Life has definitely been full of adventures, blessings & hardships but I can now say that I've made it to the other side where I'd like to be. Surgery, wedding, honeymoon & now baby were all pleasant distractions along the way among the many other parties, outtings, etc. that took place. I can now say that all the nights of studying on the couch while Paul watched TV and spending my lunch break at work studying instead of going out with the 'girls' now means something.

I'm hoping this is a great addition to my career and can be utilized in the future, whatever the future entails. But for right now I'm just going to sit and stew in the proud moment of accomplishing something so incredibly difficult with only myself to blame and only myself to REWARD! :)

...and with a pass/fail rate of 49/51 roughly I can say that I've beaten the odds by studying the material on my own and passing two of the 4 tests on the first try (only a 5% chance of that).

...and getting married, having a baby and having my gallbladder out hasn't stopped me from accomplishing my GOALS! I couldn't be more proud of myself!!!

Norah is 5 months old!

Norah is 5 months old today! Ok you got me....yesterday! (I was close though) ;)

Happy 5 months baby girl!!! You are truly AMAZING!!!

Weight: 15.2lbs.

Length: ~25inches long

Major Accomplishments thus far: rolling over (both sides & both ways), sitting up assisted and unassisted for brief periods of time & eating rice cereal & sweet potatoes

I can't believe the wonderful amazing changes that have taken place in Paul and my life over the last 5 months. Well + the pregnancy time so 14 months. Here are a few milemarkers that we've seen/noted since she was 5 weeks old.

• Back to work :(

I went back to work when Norah was 8 weeks old. That was a HUGE challenge. Just ask any mother who's been in the same position. I tried to come up with any and every way possible to justify staying home with her. I tried to make it work. Even thought about owning my own daycare so that I could take care of her full-time. It just seemed like I was forcing a round peg into a square hole. Right now, working is what is in the cards...only time will tell if that will ever change. I just told myself that I have to live in each moment and relish the moments I get to spend with her. Like when she holds my fingers so hard so that I can't leave her...

• Daycare/Breastfeeding: Going back to work also meant that baby girl had to start daycare. Mrs. Alex, Mrs. Cookie & all of the staff are really sweet and take good care of baby girl. They give us newbie parents some much needed advice about babies at times. I think they're a great sounding board considering they 'raise' babies for a living. Although it was incredibly hard at first, for Paul and I, I'm not ashamed to say that I balled like a baby the first time I dropped her off at daycare. That was not fun! God creates such a strong bond between a momma bird and her baby bird that it just SUCKS to have that bond stretched ( I REFUSE to say break because our bond definitely isn't broken). ;) I can honestly say that breastfeeding has been an amazing experience after going back to work. It definitely keeps our bond strong and helps momma feel like Norah still reallyyyyyyyy needs me! (see pic below ;) )
  

• Playing: She's been rolling over for about 7 weeks or so now from her belly to her back. She's also learned how to roll over from her back to her belly (seemingly more difficult) in the past few weeks. So now she's able to 'chase' her toys when they are put out of her reach. I tried not to type this as if she was chasing a ball like a puppy but hey...

Video of me making her giggle (one of my favorite things she does) & her rolling over

She's been rising to a sit position with minimal help and sitting up on her own. It's a whole new POV for her and she's able to play for a lot longer on the floor because of this. She loves her bumbo and so do we... ;)

• Food: Norah's become soooooo curious about us eating lately. I can't even eat and nurse her anymore or she just stops to see what I'm doing. She looks at daddy as if he were performing a magic trick when he makes a chip disappear into his mouth. We've given her rice cereal a few times in her bottle, mixed with breastmilk, and she's taken it no problems. We've tried to spoon feed it to her as well which she seemed to handle ok, except for the awful face she made, but to her credit it was absolutely disgusting (yes I tried it...it was only mixed with formula...calm down!) ;)

SOOOOOO.....we gave her the first taste of real food yesterday. She had pureed sweet potatoes. YUMMM! Not sure if she completely liked it but she ate it :)








Here's a cute video of her very first feeding!

Sleepy Time: She's doing awesome at going to sleep these days. I used to have to nurse her into a deep sleep every time. Now most days I can just lay her in her crib when she gets tired and she falls asleep. We've figured out now since she can roll over on her own and has in order to go to sleep that she REALLY does want to sleep on her tummy so we've abandoned the idea of swaddling/sleeping on her back altogether. We're still getting up a few times in the middle of the night for nursing/cuddling mommy time but otherwise we are getting MUCH more sleep than before. It's wonderful!

I think the most impressive things that we've experienced however, is the confidence in having a baby out in public or just in a place that is not our little house sanctuary where we've got all the toys/gadgets that help entertain, calm her etc.

 

Like her new swing we affixed to the house (for lack of large trees in our yard)

I think this was one of our biggest goals in parenthood - make sure that you have a life (modified of course) outside of having your little one. We didn't want to be hermits, confined only to our quarters. We've made a huge attempt in this and have hosted dinner parties, had friends over several times, been out and about several times. We make sure we're on a good solid schedule for her, always maintaining the same consistencies with when we put her to sleep, etc. However, we are living our modified lives and loving it. I guess it helps and is a noteworthy point to say that Norah is an AMAZING baby. She loves people and doesn't have a problem being passed off to the 7th person in the same hour. She's a trooper.

How I see things overall...

...how I phrased it to Paul just recently seems fitting: "during baby bootcamp she was training us. Rightfully so. We knew NOTHING! But now as we've learned our little girl and what she likes and dislikes it's time to train her to be our little girl too. We have to show her that traveling, spending time with people, going to and fro is all a part of our lives. I can only imagine how much more difficult this will be when there are multiple kiddos but for now our little family is happy, healthy and thriving!!!

Four years ago...

Four years ago my tragedy ended

I cannot forget but I have learned to be mended

 Slowly I picked up the pieces of my shattered life

Tossed, churned & jagged these small pieces were proof of my strife

The anxiety & guilt were all that remain

How does life go on & one now sustain?

Such tragedy not many know so young

Wept tears for the end, deeply reminded as I sung

Vince Gil's, Go Rest High...

May times I listened and tried not to cry

Only now the memories serve as reminder of the strength I carry

No longer shamed am I to have them to bury

I look back at my shattered life from a place from high above

Flying blissfully, without fear, like a dove

I no longer feel regret, sadness or guilt

For I have worked hard not to forget the character that I’ve since built

Without sadness or fear that I did wrong

For God walked with me...and I still hear his beautiful song

Jesus loves me, Yes he Does!

In sadness he did not forget me just because…

I wondered then if all would forget of my sadness and pain

Now it’s all I can do to refrain

Speaking of this tragedy I thought unbecoming,

No one wishes for a life of misery and abuse

Now I wish to tell my story running

…& stop being a recluse

A life lived and now passed

A young life no longer set on course to crash

Now a mere memory of my continued strength,

Which some never achieve even with lives with much longer length

May God take my hand in endeavors ahead

Yet continue to remind me of the blood I have bled

5 weeks into baby bootcamp!

1st week: We had many highs including going home from the hospital; I think I had to reassure Paul that it was ok to drive a little faster. ;) We forgot the diaper bag on our first outing to the pediatrician's office. Kind of a newbie-parent move to have to ask the receptionist at the pediatrician's office for a newborn diaper and wipes. Lol. Apparently they've seen it all and had plenty on hand. The dogs have been awesome around baby Norah! I think they're disturbed by the crying in the middle of the night...aren't we all? Aside from that, they are careful and accepting of the newest addition to the family. They may even get more walks in the future when we get out more and more and walk Norah. They'll like that. :) My sweet Momma came and stayed a week and my sister Casi and her son, William, joined. My mom is a master swaddler and it made me feel a little more at ease having her there to know what to do. The noise level was intense with Norah and William in the same house, but we managed to make it work and have a few laughs in between the cries. It made me think about the kind of things my Mom had to go through with me when I was a baby. I realized even during pregnancy that becoming a parent, Mother or Father, means one thing: absolute willingness to sacrifice for your own. It made me look at my own Momma a little differently. :) 

2nd Week: We learned our baby girl was struggling with reflux. Our Doc prescribed her baby Zantac which seemed to be working very well. We struggled with sleep, but who doesn't with a newborn in the house? We had my dad over to help with the baby, but he left that job to me and tended to the lawn work and trying to fix our somewhat dilapidated fence. He ended up cutting the cable line in the process...uh oh! We also had my sister Jami, her hubby George and their two angels, Lenea & Skylar, over for the weekend. It was nice to see everyone and share the 'baby experience' with seasoned veterans, but I was exhausted from the company after they left and looking to get back into 'figuring out our princess' with her Daddy. 

3rd week: Was a testament to my ability to multitask as Paul traveled to Wast Texas for work, leaving me alone to fend for myself. I'm becoming a champ at maneuvering with the baby and getting things done with one hand. It's amazing what you can accomplish if you really try. ;) Also, I experimented with the Moby wrap (as did Paul) so that we could carry her with us and still get stuff done. The problem is getting her out of the darn thing. I'm going to try to come up with my own wrap that has quicker in/out access. 

4th week: Paul had to travel again to OK for a few days and when he was gone I thought I was going to pull out my hair. Norah screamed and cried and wasn't consoled by ANYTHING. I finally had enough and took her to the doctor's office to see if her reflux medicine wasn't working. Memere and I had to wait about 20 minutes for the doctor to come in, and while we waited we listed to an inconsolable Norah scream for practically the entire time. Not the kind of crying that I've heard most babies do, but screaming like we were torturing her. It's awful to hear her cry like that. Doc gave us the bad news that Norah was probably developing colic. I've only read about colic in my weekly pregnancy-turned-mom updates but it sounds like some sort of torture camp: colicky babies cry for no less than 3 hours a day and that's on the low end. When the doc shared his own personal feelings of having 2 out of his 3 kids who had colic, this mama got a couple of tears in her eyes realizing that the last two nights that had left me extremely sleep-deprived and a stressed out/emotional mess were likely going to be the 'norm'. However, after thinking about what I had eaten over the last couple of days I realized (after some research...thank goodness for google) that I had been eating chocolate and had a few cups of coffee, both triggers for colic. Some babies can't process caffeine so that's a biggie!!! So after cutting those out completely and changing up my burping/feeding techniques slightly we're back to having a baby that still cries, but that is able to be consoled and doesn't get to those gut-wrenching screams where all you're seeing is gums and the top of their mouth because they're crying so hard...very hard to watch and feel helpless. Thank goodness that those couple of days seemed like a fluke and thank goodness that Memere decided to come and stay to help me when she did....I needed those breaks to take naps & to reclaim my sanity. 

 

5th week: which ended 3/27, was awesome. We've been trying to push ourselves to go out into the world and do things like 'regular' people with little Norah in tow. We've tried to time our outings so that she's fed right before leaving and it's been awesome. It's allowed us the freedom to go out and have Paul and Kali time (mini dates) to just enjoy each other's company and reflect on how our lives have changed over the last couple of weeks. It's awesome to be able to have that time with my husband to look at him and remember how much love we have in our lives and in our family. :) 

Breastfeeding is difficult & messy but very very rewarding! We have been very blessed that Norah knows just what to do intuitively when it comes to nursing...I've heard some bad stories about breastfeeding, but we've been lucky. I think I have been changing my shirt twice if not three times a day since we started this journey...but it's all a learning curve. I burp her in the middle of feeding and refrain from fast movements or I'll get hosed! Lol. It still astounds me that I can provide all the nourishment our little girl needs...for quite a long time in her life. I'm going to try to make it a full year of breastfeeding with her. Of course that means pumping for daycare, date nights, nightly feeds etc. but it's well worth it when you weigh the nutritional benefits. We've made it out in public several times by now and I've had to feed her twice in public. I don't think I will EVER be one of those women who's comfortable 'whipping them out' in public to feed. Don't get me wrong I will do whatever it takes to feed my baby girl and I do think it's a wonderfully natural, beautiful thing; however, exposing myself in public is JUST NOT ME! 

Nighttime is getting easier and easier over all; however, like most other things with a newborn each time you think you've got something figured out and there is a schedule in place something changes. We actually recently had our best night since birth...only woke up twice between 10pm and 7:30am a few nights ago. It was awesome! We've also started having Paul do one of the feedings at night so Mama can sleep a little longer in between nursing. We're still having to experiment with different bottles/nipples to find the perfect harmony in between not enough milk and Norah becoming exceedingly pissed off, versus too much milk at one time and choking. W're staying positive though, she has no problem going back and forth between breastfeeding and bottle-feeding. That's great! I can't wait until we can sleep a solid 5 or 6 hours  at night but for now we're at a pretty good average of 2 1/2 hrs between nursing/feedings and rocking her back to sleep. 

BathTime has been interesting lately. She really seems to enjoy being in the water and feeling the warmth as I dump little pink pitcher after pitcher over her tummy and head. However, she has had great timing for pooping, peeing & throwing up on me & in the water. Oh, what's having a newborn in the house IF NOT extremely messy business! Haha!!

We've been struggling to even put her down while she sleeps as she seems to need the warmth of our bodies holding her and the positioning of being on her tummy (which is a big no no when they are sleeping alone in their cribs due to SIDS) so it's been interesting to try to find the perfect time to do bathtime or take a walk or have tummy time. But with each passing week she's getting bigger and stronger and allowing us to put her down in the swing, in her bassinet or wedged in the boppy for longer and longer without crying. We've been working on getting her to go to sleep on her own too...with the help of Mommy or Daddy's hands cradling her chest, a pacifier and a little lamb (one of the best gifts ever...from Ryan & Jeremy) that plays white noise. I've learned what patience truly is...

Some of the best moments after the last couple of weeks include: 

• Watching Paul play with Norah. He loves singing crazy 90's songs or rock classics! He's crazy so anything goes...even a little 'gangnam style' this evening! 
• Watching her develop a relationship with me. Just today she looked up at me and smiled the biggest 'I know who you are and you make me happy smile'. 
• Refalling in love with Paul...even through some of the more challenging 'what the heck are we doing wrong, this is crazy stressful' moments. I especially loved the night that we finally finally finally got Norah to calm down and sat down to eat a little spaghetti. We were both sooo stressed out! We were watching "Chopped" on Food Network and he remarked about how much he loved Seafood. So I asked Paul if he liked ALL seafood? Of course he said yes so I took a big bite, chewed it up a bit and opened my mouth and muttered 'see...... food!' I love being silly with him! It's just us being ourselves. 
• Having everyone comment on how beautiful she is...especially from the newborn photos. They were able to truly catch her beauty! It's magical. 

And probably the best moment was a few days after Paul came back from Oklahoma and I had rocked her to sleep and I was able to sit down with Paul, watch tv and cuddle on the couch, realizing that the colic nightmare from just a few days prior seemed like it had gone away and we could relax and 'enjoy the ride' again. We're having so much fun with Norah but working hard at making each situation work for us too. We strive to still have 'a life' even if it isn't the life we had before where we can enjoy our friends and families company. We do not want to be hermits! 

Each day is a new challenge and each day brings more to be thankful and feel blessed for! 

The one good thing about Paul traveling...

There's a wonderful feature on iMac's that takes all of your photos in iPhoto and creates a collage of one image slowly zooming out and making that one image clear, then repeating the process. As I have been nursing, watching tv, etc. since I've been home I've found myself staring at those images and just letting it take me back to each one of those moments in time. Like a window into time reminding me of how I felt and everyone I shared it with. 

Let me take a step back: I absolutely hate when Paul travels...as we both find the greatest comfort in the downtime at nights snuggled up on the couch, watching our favorite shows, discussing the day, etc...just genuinely enjoying each other's company. 

However, the one good thing about Paul leaving is the time to reflect about our relationship!

...so as I've been watching these images flash before me randomly on the iMac I realize how joy-filled my life has become! I look at these pictures and see such an amazing transformation within myself. Just a few years ago I was merely a girl hopeful that something existed in this world with a modicum of happiness that I hoped for in life. We all have experienced hardships and my story is no different but I have come to understand in my grand old age of 29 ;) that most of my hardships were created by a situation I put myself into. A relationship, a lease, a job, etc., etc. However, right before I met Paul I vowed not to let that be the case any longer. Not to let myself be a victim of my own situation, to always do right by others and by yourself, that no matter how difficult or no matter how patient you must be the end result will be ever better in your favor for it. I'm not saying I'm perfect because I'm human and have many flaws but I have tried my darnest to be the best person that I can be. At times it can be hard to wait or to do the right thing (at least the best thing I thought) but I have to say my happiness is proof that something about my change in mindset must have worked. I vowed that my relationships with EVERYONE were important and that I would prove that to them over and over again. I am a 100% believer that the best relationships require the most work! You have to continue to put down great top soil, water daily and fertilize seasonally in order to have a luminous garden to enjoy. ...and while some of my relationships still need more 'tending to' I'm so happy that I am who I've become today!

I think my immediate family relationships have been the most improved of all! The relationship with my mom has flourished and I now consider her one of my closest confidants where we wanted to kill each other when I was 16. I am still a 'daddy's girl' but have found a greater friendship with my father than was there before. ...and while the relationships with my sisters has been rocky at times I can say that I've found the greatest of friends in each of them at times and continue to work on our communication, honesty and openness with each other! Family is sooo important to me and I strive to improve on that constantly!


...and I have to say that my reward has been granted 1000-fold for anything I could have imagined in finding love! I've said before and I'll say again that I didn't know a love existed like the love I share with Paul. I look at these pictures and just see the amazing impact that the love of one man has had on this simple girl, now turned into his wife and the mother of his child. Could there be a more special thing that we've created together...a beautiful baby girl with our shared features and I'm sure personality and quirks. What an amazing journey that I did not know I was embarking on that impactful day we met at Pei Wei. :)

A picture is worth a thousand words and I think these 3 pictures say it all for me!

1) Our first date I set up, a cooking class making filet mignon and bananas foster

2) Our wedding day, getting ready with the girls

3) The day I gave birth to our beautiful daughter, Norah Renee St. Pierre

So I look at these 3 images as a microcosm representing these specific points in time in my life and realize that my life is truly a fairytale (at least my own fairytale). I couldn't be more grateful, happy or blessed in this world!

Truly a transformation from a young woman...to a wife...to a mother!

Meet Norah Renée St. Pierre

 Meet our little bundle of JOY!!!

Name: Norah Renée St. Pierre

Birthday: March 23rd, 2013 @ 11:19AM

Weight: 6lbs, 7oz.

Length: 19.25 inches

It's been quite a waiting process for her which started many months ago when Paul and I decided it was the right time to start a family of our own.

BUT she's here now & we're in love already!!!

We've almost made it through our first two weeks! There hasn't been a tremendous amount of sleep, but I think we're on the diminishing part of our learning curve! We've established a fairly decent schedule for a newborn baby, but everyday brings a new challenge to overcome. All things can be done with love and faith! 

My body is pretty much healed entirely except for the bruises on my hands and wrists from all the IV sticks. It's still hard to fathom that a little over 1 week ago this sweet little angel was born out of my belly...woah!!!

Here are some of our precious moments with our sweet baby Norah! Lots of 1st's for Norah & her still-figuring-it-out parents! 

Daddy's favorite pic

 My brother watching over me

First captured smile!

Mommy loves me...

I've definitely learned that although hard at times this is what life is truly about. The unconditional love you feel from looking into your babies eyes and being so overwhelmed with happiness and emotion! The second that little angel joined us in this world and started screaming at the top of her lungs Paul and I lost it. We were a puddle of tears wrapped in a overwhelming emotion of joy and happiness!                                             W                                                                                                  We can't stop all of her tears and it can be frustrating as new parents to want to help her so bad but not knowing what to do...but I'm confident that we will be very intuitive very soon to what our little angel needs from us. We're doing a good job of figuring out each cry and fuss. I'm so proud of Paul & myself for dealing with everything so gracefully thus far. I wouldn't trade any of it for one more second of sleep or comfort. It's all about Norah :) 

My first bath!

Look at this hat grandma made me...

Happy baby = happy parents! =) 

Little foot

Milk drunk!

I love holding my Daddy's hands!

Sooo cold out of momma's belly...

My first Easter...& my crazy parents have already put me in an egg...

We've had some great help so far with my mom & sister Casi coming over to help us get acclimated to our new life. When they left a few days ago my dad came over to help out for a few more days. It's a little strange not being at work and having so many friends & family coming and going but we are so incredibly grateful and feel very blessed by the welcoming that baby Norah has experienced! We have many more scheduled visits & people to show her off to...it's all so fun!

Memére & Pepére holding little baby Norah in the hospital.

                         Grandma and Grandpa holding baby Norah when she got home.