Elizabeth's First Easter

After several days at home, Karissa and I finally feel like we are getting the hang of this parenting thing. While we by no means have all or most of the answers, I believe we are more comfortable with taking care of Elizabeth and attending to her needs. But, I have to admit, the first few nights were something neither of us expected.

We've all been there before, whether you stay up all night hanging out with friends, going out for a night on the town, or staying up preparing for the upcoming presentation or exam. We've all gone without sleep from time to time, worked through it, and caught back up eventually. Well, Karissa and I both learned last week that there isn't much time to sleep or catch-up on sleep while trying to raise an infant! Between waking up every 2-3 hours for feedings, in between that to change diapers, soothe the baby, etc; I think by day 3 Karissa and I were thinking, how is this going to work? And don't misunderstand me, Karissa is the one doing most of the work. I help with anything that I can help with, but unfortunately, a father can only do so much. Karissa has done a PHENOMENAL job!

After several nights, we've figured out how to adjust to not sleeping all the way through the night, how to establish a routine with taking care of Elizabeth, but most importantly knowing to give each other a break when one is needed. My work has been extremely supportive and has allowed me to take more time off work than most new fathers. I wanted to take this time so that I could help Karissa with the baby, learn how to be a parent myself (though do we ever really accomplish this?) and also take part in our child's life that we won't get back. Because of this, I think we've been able to adjust a little easier and learn to adapt a little quicker. That's made our time together with Elizabeth even more special.

Some milestones this past week:

We finally finished putting up all of the decor in Elizabeth's nursery

Elizabeth had her first bath at home.

She also made her first non-crying/grunt noise (It actually sounded like she was trying to say something, but I know all it was is "baby talk".

Elizabeth also celebrated her first Easter!

My Uncle James and Aunt Sue were kind enough to invite us over their home yesterday for a wonderful Easter lunch prepared by our cousin Ann . Ann's husband Stu and son Logan were also there. We shared a wonderful meal, Elizabeth had a chance to meet some of her new family, and Karissa and I were able to actually get out of the house for a bit. What a fun day for us, our family and Elizabeth!