One day at a time

It's true that taking care of an infant is challenging at times. Namely when Pascal is hungry as can be and doesn't want to help me help him get the milk he wants.

It's usually the night feedings where his head and hands thrash about in his desperate attempt to find his way to the milk supply, but even though it's his way of trying to help himself, it really does interfere with achieving the goal. And it's almost impossible to calm him down (if anyone has any suggestions as to how to calm him down first, let me know) with the exception of swaddling him tight so that his hands and arms are confined.

In these times, the verse from the Bible in Acts where Saul (who becomes Paul) meets Jesus in a vision on the road to Damascus keeps coming to my mind, "It is hard for you to kick against the goad." Fitting - basically Jesus is telling Saul/Paul that he (Saul/Paul) is really just hurting himself as he tries to fight against God's direction even though it feels like he's (Saul/Paul) is in control. Just like Pascal is basically frustrating himself more when he fights my attempt to guide him to latch on. I will keep praying that Pascal will stop kicking against the goad and let me lead.

Proud Dad!

Numbers

A few numbers for you...

12 - the number of days we've been parents

2 - the number of trips I've taken on my own with Pascal since he was born (to the doctor's office and coffee with Curves ladies)

2 - the average number of hours Pascal sleeps in a row at night before wanting to eat

65+ - the number of diapers and wipes we've used on his little bottom

500 - the number of birth announcements we ordered to send to friends and family nationwide (be on the lookout for yours!)

6 - about the number of dollars we've spent on groceries since Pascal arrived. People have showered us with food (THANK YOU) since we got home and the only things we've bought on our own were vanilla ice cream and strawberries.

15 - the number of different nicknames I've called Pascal ("sweetie," "baby doll," "dear," "cutie pie," "sweet P," etc....)

Our son is born!

"The system is down"

Our [borrowed] internet is not working as of yesterday:( Thor doesn't promise me that it will return anytime soon. And I feel a bit sad thinking, "How on earth will I communicate with the world around me?" Oh yeah, the phone.

So the local library down the block has become a place to visit again. I took Thor into work this morning (I was an early bird for once in the past few months) because our other car is getting repaired to make the heat work. If it was spring/summer and warm, we totally would have let it go and saved ourselves a chunk of change, but because it is winter, and we're in Michigan, and have a baby due in a few weeks, we thought we owed it to the little one to keep him from experiencing more cold air than he already will be once he comes out of my perfectly heated 98.6 degree body. It's been like living in a sauna for him!

This weekend we have all sorts of social plans. Friday evening, my parents are coming for dinner. Saturday evening we're having dinner with some new friends, and Sunday after church we are heading to Livonia to celebrate my father-in-law's birthday. I'm looking forward to it all because earlier this week I asked Thor, "Are we boring?" And he thankfully reframed the perspective and said, "No, we're peaceful." Our level of activity is much lower since leaving Greensboro without having quite the social network just yet AND it being less fun to go outside during the winter months. I hope things pick up when the weather gets nicer. Sadly I'm reminded that Spring doesn't really begin here until April, about a full month later than NC.

If I sound like I'm whining and playing the comparison game, it's because I am. Not very productive, but still the way I feel.

Although I will say I scored today because at the library, they are giving away (FREE-I like all things free) back issues of magazines to anyone who wants them so I am going home with 3 stacks of magazines including: "Gourmet," "Smithsonian" and some house design/decorating one. That will keep me busy and content reading until the internet chooses to come back to us. I passed over all the body building/gossip/tabloid magazines because I stopped to remember how depressed/less enriched I feel after reading some of them - like my brain just lost cells.