MollyMadonna.com

by

a first time for everything. (day 14)

At just shy of two weeks old, Henry has been experiencing a lot of firsts over the past few days, and he’s afforded his mommy and daddy a number of firsts as well. Items to be checked off of Henry’s baby bucket list after this weekend:

-Meet Aunt Bridget

-Meet Mommy’s friend, Dr. Sara (She takes good care of babies.)

-Meet Layla (I hear she’s pretty.)

-Spend more time getting to know Grandma T

-Go to church!

-Meet Pastor Paul, the voice I’ve been listening to every Sunday for a long time (Hey, it relaxes me.)

-Go out for Mexican for dinner

-Two words. Tulip. Time.

-Make Mommy a Mommy in time for Mother’s Day

-Buy Mommy flowers, a nice card, and something that will remind her of me (Ask Daddy to help.)

-SLEEP. And then SLEEP some more.

Henry was very busy, and he earned every right to sleep and snooze and nap and slumber while he wasn’t checking things off of his first bucket list. In fact, he worked so hard that his mommy got pretty tired, too. And so, for Mother’s Day, they spent part of the afternoon together, like this:

Not a first, but maybe a first on camera. And not a last either–certainly not! After such a cozy time together, Henry has added a new item to his bucket list for going forward:

-Take an afternoon nap with Mommy on Mother’s Day every year

Ok…maybe mommy had something to do with that one. Either way, H is considering this weekend a rousing success. And he’s currently sleeping it off. Again.

proud of henry’s determination and get-things-done approach to life, naturally 😉

mm

by

tuesdays with henry. (day 9)

Last night, Henry blessed us with seven whole hours of sleep (thank you, dear)! They weren’t consecutive, no, but they were glorious. Together as a family, we all slept from 1:30a-5:30a, and again from 6:30a-9:30a. I had no idea how good four hours in a row might feel!

Once we were all up and rolling, this little virus of mine got the best of me; so we scheduled a doctor’s appointment for mom for the afternoon and planned our first outing with me behind the wheel–yikes! I’m so grateful that Grandma Kehrer was able to make her way to Holland for today and tomorrow, because with dad heading back to work, I was a tad worried about managing the little bug on my own. We bundled Henry up in his car seat (who knew he’d love it so much?), tucked him into the car and made our way. A visit to the doctor, an ear infection and a prescription later, we headed to Target to pick up antibiotics. Grandma and Henry stayed in the car while I tackled the big red dot for the first time since last week’s big event.

I usually LOVE Target, but honestly, it was tricky to navigate today. I found myself waiting in the pharmacy line and thinking, “This is so strange, and my son isn’t here. How did I manage to end up at Target this week?” I realized in an instant that I’d much rather be at home with the babe than out anywhere else. I stumbled through the rest of my trip and was SO glad to be back in the car, where grandma and Henry had been waiting patiently. He was a champion sleeper, and grandma was a champion sleeping-baby-watcher. What a blessing to have extra hands to help while we muddle through these first days and weeks!

Arriving home, we settled back in and I relaxed a bit with my first bath in as long as I can remember. What a delight to have a few minutes of quiet time to think (or not think), while Grandma K took care of the little man. Afterwards, a friend came by with dinner (so wonderful!), and J and Henry and I took a nap together. It’s been a regular day in a lot of respects, but in other ways, the new normal feels so different…

Henry continues to amaze us daily, and we can’t keep our eyes off of him for more than a few minutes (ok, maybe a minute). We took a brief moment tonight to capture some of his many faces, which he entertains us with at every turn. Nine days in, we’re still learning so much about the ins and outs of life with a newborn. He continues to grow SO well, and we love, love, love him!

A few of H’s “looks” to share with the world:

making faces with the little guy,

mm

by

this one’s for the girls. (15)

I spent a good while on the phone today with a friend who is due with her little one just four days before Baby K. It’s amazing how similar we are as people, but beyond that, it’s been surreal to observe how similar our bodies and babies and pregnancies have been in a lot of ways, too. We called each other months ago with the same news, “I’m pregnant…thirteen weeks…no way!…”
And now we’re hardly counting weeks, but rather days, and it’s exciting and marvelous and crazy to have the same stories to swap, the same hopes for one another–and for our babies.

Pregnancy has been a magnificent ride thus far–not only because it’s incredible to realize what our bodies are able to do and grow and sustain, but because I’ve been on this journey with a number of friends along the way. Some have just welcomed adorable little boys into the world; others are playing the waiting game like I am, wondering what our babies will look like and act like, and who they will become. Nearly everyone who is due within a month of Baby K is having a boy…if they know the gender. And there are a few of us holding out to see if we’ll be responsible for evening the gender score, or if we’ll be adding to the baby boy pool in the days ahead. No matter what, we’re all excited and filled with anticipation in the very best of ways.

On so many counts, carrying a baby around in your belly can feel like a solo act…you can’t pass it off to someone else to hold, you can’t share all of the changes taking place inside of you, and you can’t articulate how it feels to have human feet and arms and knees moving about and reminding you of what’s happening there day to day. But you sure can be supported–and being pregnant among friends is a delightful way to do so. (Having a husband who does his best to uplift and encourage and take on dishes and vacuuming when you can’t helps a whole lot, too…thanks, jmk:)

So this one’s for the girls tonight. For all of our cravings and heartburn and stretching and growing…and hormones and emotion and prayers and camaraderie throughout the process…And for Jason, who is going to make one awesome dad very soon! 38 weeks would not feel the same without you.

plotting play dates and arranged marriages and such 😉

mm

by

four-legged feature. (50)

Hi. This is Kruger. I’m blogging for my mom tonight. She’s kind of tired and looks like she’s had a long day–plus, I decided it was time that I get to put my two cents in about this whole baby thing. I’m not much of a writer, but I’ve been taking notes. And since mom has decided to be on her computer every night around this time, I think I understand a little more about what this “blogging” ordeal is supposed to look like.

First, a little bit about me. Most days, I wake mom and dad up; they don’t seem to understand how important it is to eat and pee early in the morning (although mom’s been getting better at this throughout the night). I guess you could say I’m the go-getter in this house. Once everyone is up, we do things like brush our teeth and get dressed for work, and I follow mom and dad around for a while. When they leave, the house is quiet. I check on things, watch out the window and mostly, I take naps. It’s a rough life.

When mom and dad get home in the evening, I’m really ready for some good conversation. Sometimes we play with toys or take a walk in the neighborhood. Then, I always eat dinner at 6pm. If I don’t, I get kind of irritable. Punctuality is important, I say. For the rest of the night (at least lately), mom and dad do things to make big changes around the house. Now they keep me out of certain rooms and are always telling me I can’t lay on the plush new carpet. I hate that. What am I chopped liver? Wait. Did someone say “liver?” Yum.

Anyway, the other thing we always do now is talk about this “baby.” I’m not totally sure what all of that means, but I do know that mom’s always saying stuff like, “Kruger, where’s the baby?” and “Are you going to have a little brother or a little sister?” I’m confused about why this matters to me. Apparently there’s something in mom’s tummy (she sure is looking funny these days), but all I know is that I can’t play with said baby or sniff it or run around and have it chase me. I’m hoping this will change. I do think something’s about to happen, because mom is different, and dad seems different, too. I don’t know if I like it, but I’ll weigh in on that later.

So, yeah. I’m the dog of the house, and I used to be pretty convinced that my role was clear to everyone. Now, I’m not so sure. I still have my bed upstairs, and my other bed downstairs, and I still get treats for good behavior and for coming inside when they call me. (With the weather getting nice, though, it’s a tough choice.) I like my family (mostly when they’re scratching my ears or letting me lounge on the couch), but I think I deserve a vacation from all of this baby talk. I dunno. Something tells me it’s here to stay.

It’s time for me to bug the happy couple about going outside again. Don’t they know it’s 10pm?!

on the fence about change,

kruger (for mm)

by

indicators. (63)

My belly button is disappearing.

I just checked.

It is a shadow of its former self.

For this, and various other reasons, I am certain that I have become…very pregnant. We knew it was going to happen, and that it was only a matter of time, but here I sit, 9 weeks from my due date and feeling like I swallowed a basketball. And I couldn’t resist mentioning it.

Someday, when baby is all grown up and reads my entries from the 100 days before he or she was born, I want there to be documentation like this–of all of the steps and changes and signs that came along the way. The verdict is still out on whether my little “button” will eventually POP! like the indicator on a turkey thermometer, or if all will just stay as it is, no inney or outey to be determined at this stage. Either way, it’s different, and it means that baby is growing and I’m growing and well…isn’t that what it’s all about?

9 weeks. And then (or maybe before then, or perhaps a little after), we’ll finally meet the baby I am craving to know. Already, he or she is proving to be spunky and full of life, and I can’t wait to see how that plays out in our everyday in two more months.

I’m not quite ready to bring baby home as a tiny little human in my arms just yet. I’m getting close. But I am ready to be mommy. Or mom. Or momma. Or whatever I’ll become. (Ok, maybe not “mother.”)

And once we’re mom and dad and baby all cozied up in our space together, I’ll be ready to have my belly button back, too. Thankyouverymuch.

already full with a ways to go 🙂

mm