It turns out that all the stuff they tell you is true.

Like how you never knew you could love somebody so much, or that you can function on so little sleep, or that having a baby makes you fall in love even more with your spouse.

Today is our little man’s seventh day of life, and here are a few of the things I’ll remember from the hospital stay…

• Sunday morning, the day I went into labor, the pastor preached about how the end times will be like a woman going into labor. He made sure to elaborate on how painful the process of childbirth is (“if you don’t get an epidural,” he said), while my dad, sitting next to me in the pew, covered my ears. Later he told the pastor that he must’ve “preached that baby out!”
• When we saw Weston’s face the first time, he pursed his tiny lips as hard as he could and looked like such a grumpy old man!

Grumpy old man face:

• We prayed hard for his lung problem to work itself out naturally, and I felt like I reached rock-bottom on night two when one of the NICU nurses said they were now worried about jaundice because they were dehydrating him by taking his blood and hooking him up to IVs. I felt like we were stuck in an endless cycle of medical interventions “just in case.” I just knew if we could get him out of the hospital and home, he’d do great.
• “Uncle Charles,” one of our best friends from college, came and spent a day or two with us in the hospital. It’ll always be a special memory for me to think of Charles praying with us for Weston’s life and his future.
• The precious time I had hanging out with my friend Emily who came to visit us many times, easing my mind and bringing me dark chocolate. 🙂
• Once while I was out of the hospital room, Andy was alone and mid-diaper change when Weston started pooping, peeing and spitting up all at once! Welcome to fatherhood, dad.

And some memories from our days at home…

• Andy and I built a little nest in our bedroom and barely left it for days while we got to know the little guy and fell in love with him.

• Wondering how I ever could’ve worried that I might not bond with my baby.
• Watching Andy fall naturally into fatherhood with such grace that confirms he was just meant to be somebody’s dad. He’s done all the heavy lifting, almost all the diaper changes and has become a pro at putting baby down for naps. I don’t know how anyone could do this without a partner like Andy.

• Raw emotion! For the first couple days, my emotions were so raw that I cried at nothing and everything, unable to handle the joy. Andy made a funny joke and I cried. Andy kissed my cheek and I cried. I cried looking at the baby, cried thinking about the baby, cried knowing how much we now have to lose. (Whew! This whole pregnancy to birth transition wreaks havoc on your body and hormones!)
• Precious time spent with my cousin Angie, who had planned a trip to Atlanta for the weekend that happened to fall just days after Weston was born. As an experienced mama with three little ones at home, she taught us lots of practical tips, imparted some needed wisdom, and took some fun pics of Weston that I can’t wait to see (and post!)

All in all, I’ll remember this time as something so sweet and special. I’ll remember that at 3 a.m. when the baby was fussy and wouldn’t sleep, Andy and I laughed together. We’re learning this parenthood thing and GAH – it is absolutely turning me to mush!