Mad's Seventh Day: One Week with Our Sweet Girl

 

How has it already been a whole week with our sweet Mads? It’s hard to believe. She’s absolutely wonderful and amazing, but of course, there are tough moments too. She can be a bit fussy at times, which I guess is pretty normal for all babies. The transition to parenthood has been both exhausting and all-consuming. Some days feel incredibly long, but at the same time, this first week flew by in a blur. As the days have gone on, we’ve found more of a rhythm, but life as we knew it is forever changed now that we have our little Madeline with us.

Once again, Mads slept fairly well last night. When she woke up in the morning, though, she was ravenous and had a nice long feeding session with Alison. Because of that, our morning walk with Tex got pushed back a bit, but it was still a beautiful morning. Mads looked absolutely adorable in her little ladybug pajamas, and I couldn’t help but smile the entire time. There’s something so peaceful about getting outside with her and Tex—it’s become one of my favorite parts of the day.

Nighttime burping

When we got back from the walk, I handed Mads off to Alison, who was still enjoying a slow, cozy morning in bed. I turned on the Yankees-Cubs game, which was being played at Wrigley Field. Thanks to some quirky local rules, Wrigley has day games on Fridays, so we had baseball on early in the afternoon. We didn’t mind one bit! Alison started explaining some of the finer points of baseball to Mads, telling her all about the fun things we’ll show her when we take her to Chicago someday. Watching the game with my girls was such a perfect way to spend the morning.

Before we knew it, the afternoon started slipping away. We’ve been going through all these newborn diapers that Alison’s coworkers gave us during her baby shower. They wrote funny little messages on them, and the one we used today had “aww, shit!” written on it, which turned out to be hilariously accurate since Mads gave us her second poopy diaper of the week in that one. Alison offered to change her, but I took over, and she was glad she dodged it once she saw the mess! So far, Alison hasn’t changed a single diaper, which I think is pretty impressive, and I’m more than happy to take the lead on that.

A fun highlight of the day was receiving the new parent bundle from Levain Bakery. It had all the essentials—four of their scrumptious black-and-white cookies, a bag of coffee, and the cutest little onesie for Mads. The cookies were a perfect mid-afternoon treat, and we couldn’t resist diving in right away.

In the afternoon, my grandparents came over to meet Madeline Joy, and it was such a special visit. Watching my grandma Sue hold her newest great-grandbaby was a really sweet moment. Mads was her usual calm self, and we had a wonderful time chatting and catching up. They ended up staying for almost three hours, and we shared a couple of Levain cookies with them while they were here.

While my grandparents were visiting, we had two other sets of guests stop by. First, a couple of neighbors from the Relief Society brought us dinner and a thoughtful gift. We hadn’t met them before, so it was incredibly kind of them to go out of their way to serve our family. Then, later, another neighbor and her 12-year-old daughter came by with a gift. We often saw them during our morning walks around the lake, and when they hadn’t seen us for a while, they figured Alison must have had the baby. The 12-year-old even brought one of her baby toys for Mads, which was the sweetest gesture. We feel so lucky to have such wonderful neighbors.

As much as we appreciated seeing everyone, by the end of the day, Alison was feeling a bit drained. It’s so important to keep an eye on mental health, especially during this tender postpartum period. We were both glad when things quieted down, and Alison could enjoy some peaceful snuggle time with our baby girl.

One big win for the day was getting Alison outside! She realized it was the first time she’d been outdoors since we valet-parked at the hospital for Madeline’s birth. It had been way too long. Getting out in the fresh air was so good for her mental health, and we’ll definitely make sure she’s outside more as she continues her recovery.

Later in the evening, Alison finished feeding Mads just before 9:40. Instead of putting her down right away, we kept her up for a few extra minutes so we could wish her a happy first week with us. It’s hard to believe our baby girl has already been here for a whole week. Time moves fast when your heart is this full.