Lily
Before I had Lily, I envisioned updating my blog shortly after giving birth, sharing my birth story, and attaching a handful of happy photos from the hospital.Instead, I've hesitated to post here because some days I don't really know what to say. My birth story wasn't a happy one, and it's hard to find any photos of me smiling from our unexpected five-day stay at the hospital. I've posted a few snippets on Instagram over the past two months, but they barely cover what really happened.But if there's anything I've learned, it's that being honest about my struggles in real life and on social media (no matter how minimal the details) is surprisingly very healing. I'm amazed by how many women messaged me to show their support and share very similar stories. Bringing a baby into the world is harder than I thought it would be, and nothing could have prepared me for the roller coaster of emotions that come along with it. But knowing I have an awesome community of women (and men!) surrounding me really, really helps.Maybe I'll sit down someday and properly write out my birth story, but for now, I'm just glad it's all behind me and I don't really have any interest in reliving it at the moment. I'm healthy, Lily is healthy, and that's pretty awesome.It's December 30th and tomorrow is the last day of 2021. Hard to believe. Lily was definitely the highlight of my year and I feel so lucky to have her. I have so many things to share about her! I feel sad realizing I sort of dropped the ball there and have been neglecting my blog.Having a newborn is weird like that, though. In the beginning, they sleep so much and you feel like you should have all this free time, but you don't. You're exhausted between feedings, and at the same time, you're trying to keep up with house chores and feeding yourself and showering...But anyway, I will make more of an effort to update my blog in 2022! Maybe I'll work on a 2021 recap like I used to do. Those are so fun to make, and 2021 was my most eventful year yet. We'll see!It's almost 11:00 PM and Lily is sleeping peacefully next to me in her bassinet as I type this from bed, and I can barely keep my eyes open. I never stay up this late! I think I was feeling optimistic when I started this post and had planned on blabbing on and on about our perfect baby girl and how much joy she has brought us, but I guess I'll have to save it for another post.
I'll sign off with this photo of the happy little baby who made me a mama and say goodnight for now. Much more to come! As always, thanks for reading. xo