I am having some issues with Blogger uploading the photos to my site, but I got my workaround. Here are two and a bunch more over in the Gallery which you can get to by clicking -- Athena the first days.



Morella meeting Athena for the first time. I think this captures how excited she is. Ha ha.

Athena ended up getting this handmade crocheted hat. I didn't care for it because I think it must be itchy, but she doesn't seem to mind and it made for a cute picture.

I just got home this afternoon around 4:00. There was a little adjustment for Morella when she came started crying and I had to feed her. I think there is going to be a lot more adjustments going on in the following days. The whole experience hasn't really caught up with me yet but I am sure that when it does I will probably cry and feel totally overwhelmed. At which point, I will know that the labor and delivery adrenaline has passed and I have moved onto wild hormone induced mood swings also known at the baby blues.

On the plus side, Athena is SO much better at breastfeeding them Morella ever was, and in fact the whole 'having a baby' experience from beginning to end, including the recovery room was better than the first time around. I will say this though -- labor sucks. It really, totally, honest to god, sucks and why anyone wants to do that naturally is beyond me. I guess I am just not earth goddess, hippy enough to really have embraced it. I was very glad to be done with it and never really want to do that again.

Though I love Athena. It's amazing how much faster I have bonded with her than I did with Morella the first time around. I think it's because we were new parents and it was a very difficult first few months trying to figure out how to feed her. It's also just amazing to me how much bigger Morella seems to me. She seems like such a big kid!

Speaking of big....Athena is big. She doesn't fit into newborn clothing -- her legs and arms are just too long. Isn't that just nuts?! I will try to work on a birth story -- at least for myself, but we'll see how the following days go by. Tim has two weeks off from work to help with the new addition which is super nice. It was great having Tim's Mom here to help with Morella too --- I think it made the whole experience for her a little less traumatic. We already got one delivery of prepared food tonight by friends in the Monday playgroup which was AWESOME! Cooking really was the last thing we needed to think about today.

Even though I was gone for barely more than a day it feels like a LOT longer. I want to sort of nest and put things away and find a place for things now that Athena is here. However, my swelling is pretty bad and I am tired, and starting to feel the rush fall away.

Thank you for all the comments, congratulations and encouragement. It was so great to hear them from Tim during the past couple of days. You guys are wonderful. :D