Three Generations

Nani, Noni, Nona... We're not sure just yet.

My mom, Susan, has been with us for the past few weeks from Colorado, but she is on the way back West tomorrow. She's bummed to be leaving us, especially Orion, and we're going to miss her, too!
She's been a big help around the house, shopping, and supplying us with cloth diapers so Orion can be a green baby! She's also helped with keeping the cats happy, fed, and attended to, and is a big fan of our little turtle, Toodeloo. That has allowed me to stay on the couch, get healed up, and spend a lot of time sitting with Orion on my lap. That makes those late night hang-out with baby sessions a lot easier, too, because if I need to sleep in or am a zombie all day it's ok...
Russell's mom, Jo Ann, has also been super helpful. She's been on the ball about making sure we're fed, even while we were in labor! She's been a great support, and we're really happy to have a grandma in town as well.
So here's to the grandmothers, or 'glam-mothers' as a friend quipped...
We're lucky to have such great moms, and Orion's lucky to have such fabulous grandmothers!

Settling In

At the moment my days are still spent on the couch with Orion as I wait to heal up and feel better. I'm just starting to feel less sore, but boy those stitches just suck, and that's all there is to that. I'm looking forward to being more mobile, though I know that once my mom leaves I'm going to be here alone with baby most days, and that things will be tougher without the extra help. For one thing, I'm going to have to put him down once in a while! We've 'practiced' taking showers and baths with him in the bouncy chair in the bathroom with me, and so far he's been a good sleeper through those experiences. I'm learning to just get him fed and content before I try to do anything - and have managed to eat and even tie a few hemp bracelets with him nursing away on the Boppy pillow.
Although it's going to be tough on us financially, I'm really glad I have the 12 weeks of maternity leave to take care of our little guy during his first three months. I imagine by the end of that time I'll be quite glad to go back to work, though it'll be hard to leave him!
I'm still sort of processing the fact that I'm now a mother - sometimes I look at Orion and realize that I'm going to be oriented to this little person for the rest of my life. I think that's awesome, but it's also sort of overwhelming. Things will never be the same, but I believe that's a good thing! I've wanted to start a family forever, and I'm really glad to have Russell in my life to do it with. He's the best partner I could ask for, and we sure made a cute baby.
On top of that, I still haven't quite processed the fact that I actually gave birth - this blows my mind. Since it was really up in the air until the very last minute whether I would deliver at the BC or have to go to UNC (or even have a c-section), I suppose I hadn't really settled into the idea that I was going to push this baby out the natural way. Even as I was doing it my brain sort of shied away from the fact that I was in labor, even up until the point that Orion was laying on my chest all slimy and still attached to his umbilical cord! Now I look back and think, wow, I did it. Supposed to be the hardest and most painful thing, and I did it - without any interventions. Wow.
And here I am on the couch with him sleeping next to me, making calls to my insurance company and Medicaid to get him all covered and legally registered, etc. It's official now, folks - Russell and Sachi have swelled the ranks of hippie families by one sweet baby boy!

How Do They Know?

How do babies know when they have a new diaper on? In the past day, Orion has managed to soil a brand new diaper directly after being changed at least three, maybe four times. On the one hand, it's pretty funny, but at 3AM after finally getting him settled down only to have to change him (and wake him up) again, it can get pretty nerve-wracking. Add to that a particularly 'stuck' burp bubble taking its time to work itself out, and you have a recipe for a fussy baby and a very tired mamma! This was our night last night, which was finally saved by burp-master daddy Russell, who got up and got Orion to burp (and changed him, twice) before laying him back down to nurse with me - and finally fall asleep.
Yay, parenthood!
I was thinking around 4AM or so that it's a good thing I've got the next three months off, because I don't know how we'd do this otherwise!
Still, he's a cutie pie and I'm glad he's here with us, even while I'm begging him to calm down and sleep in the wee hours of the morning...

(More of) Orion's Ancestry

So it turns out that Orion shares his birthday with my great-grandfather George Denison, and his great-great uncle Runyon Colie Jr. on Russell's side. How wild is that?
Here's the info from Russell's aunt Louise:
"Orion also shares his birthday with his great, great uncle, Runyon Colie, Jr. who turned 94 on the day you gave birth. He's Gie's [Russell's grandmother] older brother. I doubt Russell remembers much, but he has been one of the world's greatest sailors, sailing in the Olympics and winning world championships in one class or another (Penguins and E-skows). So maybe Orion will be a great sailor. Louise"

New Mommy=On the Couch with Baby

The view from the couch hasn't changed much in the past week, excepting the rotating bouquets of flowers and the random baby-clutter. Though the new sun lamp in the turtle tank does add some light and color to that side of the room!
I'm still healing, so I'm still sore and rather uncomfortable as things get sorted out down below. Luckily, I haven't been too hormonal and have only experienced a few cranky days, which is better than I expected! So far the worst thing about new parenthood has been the soreness, which isn't even directly related to baby-raising. I'm just looking forward to being healed up enough to do basic things, like laundry - or even just walking up and down the stairs without having to do so very carefully and deliberately.
Orion is such a sweet baby! He's a good sleeper - so far we've gone out to eat twice and he slept through it both times, completely unperturbed by noise and activity around him. However, he's spending some time each day in the 'quiet alert' state, which means he's doing well and learning. He is more interested in looking around at things and seems curious about the world. He's also quite the mover - he can lift his head and does so a lot, though he can't hold it up long. He also squirmed all over the bed last night in an effort to get closer to Russell and me, and when I turned to look at him he was looking up at my face. Such a cutie pie! He rarely cries, and then only when he wants to be fed, and makes some pretty funny noises and faces when he's working on a burp or a gas bubble.
Since we co-sleep, I haven't felt too sleep-deprived; he stays right there next to me, so when he wakes up to nurse I wake up immediately, and we've had no late-night crying fits. We've also mastered the 'sleep-and-feed' (as Russell calls it), in which Orion lays on his side and me on mine, so he can nurse while I doze. He'll nurse on-and-off for up to and hour and a half without really disturbing my sleep. I'll wake up to find him contentedly snoozing away next to me. It's a nice way to sleep!
Since he was born, Orion has rarely been put down - he's almost constantly in someone's arms or lap. The longest he's been down have been the times that he was in his stroller at the restaurant, and he slept through that. I think this is really good for him, but it can't last forever, sadly! My mom is here till the end of the week, and after that it's just going to be me and him during the days, so I'll have to put him down sometimes. I'm glad we have a swing and a bouncer seat for him to chill in if I have something to do that I can't hold him while doing... I also believe it's time to master the Moby wrap that Jessa made for us, as babywearing time is nigh!

Dreadlock Daddy!