Nipple Obsession

Well, I thought that'd be a catchy title that fairly sums up my last 2 months of renewed parenthood... Need I say more?
Noelle is growing by leaps & bounds (as much as a tiny human can I think). And I've truly fallen into the new world of nursing, obsessive bowel movement scrutiny and miniature socks. It's kind of a surreal feeling at times, undoubtedly brought on by my new 5 hour naps (which is a REALLY good night's sleep in comparison to other new moms). My introspection this week consists of deciding that (and possibly giving into) parenthood as a series of comfortable repetitive predictabilities. Wow, deep. I've figured that the struggle that new parents have after having their first child is falling into the rhythm under the dictatorship of the new life (even though most of us are already slaves to some sort of routine). The struggle after having a second comes with the realization that 'hey, you ain't getting your autonomy back - for at least 20 years' - it's a very short struggle and more like a few seconds of thought (struggle); followed by surprise (realization); then someone yells 'CHANGE MY BUM'.. What was I thinking about again?

Noelle's First Birthday Party!

Okay, so it's not her first birthday but her first attendance at an organized social gathering celebrating her sister's second birthday.. (whew!). The only slightly exhausting activity for a baby at these functions is to tolerate being passed from set-of-arms to set-of-arms. As a mum, I enjoyed the freedom. Also on this day, we had a silent celebration of being a whole month old - and the entire family being rested enough to enjoy it! Be it luck or be it genetics, the wee one is sleeping a solid 5 - 6 hours at a time during the night and we couldn't be more thrilled. Of course, I have to endure huge uncomfortable breasts as the trade off but hey, what's a little discomfort after enduring childbirth anyhow??