Today is exactly 10 weeks since our little guy was born. He was born on Friday, May 21 at Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla, CA. We ended up staying in the hospital for 5 days after a difficult labor then an emergency c-section. In general, the neo-natal nurses were great, but we had one guardian angel in the form of a wonderful nurse named Pat who saw us through the darker days of recovery. Becoming new parents was definitely one of the most eye-opening, exhausting, humbling experiences we’ve ever had. The joy, love and sense of fulfillment didn’t seem to hit until we got back home and were able to enjoy our time to ourselves as a family. 
The first few weeks were a whirlwind of diapers, feedings, cuddling and really just getting to know our new little man. It was great to have Tony home from work for 2 weeks so we could start to figure this whole thing out together. We also had lots of family out to visit. The help was definitely welcome and it was a good way for Sam to enter the world –surrounded with lots of people who love him.
Some funny/notable things from the early weeks included a scary night and trip to the children’s hospital emergency room when Sam was only 2 weeks because we were convinced he had diarrhea and was becoming dehydrated. Luckily that Saturday morning at the emergency room was relatively quiet, so after only about 2 hours our fears were allayed and we went home chuckling at ourselves for being those over-sensitive parents but also realizing that the next 18+ years would probably hold many more visits to doctors and emergency rooms. Then, there was Sam’s umbilical cord –it didn’t fall off for 4 weeks! We were convinced we were doing something wrong and we stressed about what terrible parents we were. It finally fell off and we found it under the couch and now Sam has a very cute belly button.
Maintaining balance has been a challenge in the first couple months. After the first couple weeks, we were both saying how easy this whole thing was –but that was when the bub was always asleep and cried very little. Enter reflux and, therefore, parents with little sleep. So, THIS is what everyone was talking about!
Erika started running (okay, really just jogging a bit) at 6 weeks post partum and then started taking a stroller strides class at 7 weeks, which has been a great way to get out of the house with the little one, meet some other moms, and inject a bit of exercise into the routine. The workouts are actually harder than you’d imagine and it’s not always easy to get to them on time with kid in tow, but everyone (all moms) seem to feel much better after the classes. If you have a chance as a new mom –join an exercise class –they really are great!
It’s pretty crazy how much you learn in just 10 weeks. We look back at pictures from the first couple days and weeks and see how small the little guy is. Although we are certainly not experts, I think we are finally starting to get a hang of this whole parenting thing. It’s definitely a pretty big lifestyle change, but the munchkin is so darn lovable that it is certainly worth it. Currently, his big smiles and the beginnings of a laugh just melt our hearts!
And so begins the chronicles of Tony, Erika and Sam…
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