SNG and I have been parents for just over a week. How has it been?

No joking, it's really much more fun and exciting than I thought it would be. I've never been much of a "kid person," and I've certainly never been a "baby person." If anything, I'm more of a Jr high/ High schooler person. In college I had a job tutoring jr high and high school kids, and it was one of the most fun and interesting jobs I'd ever had. I also worked as a 2-yr-old day care teacher, and it was the worst torture I've ever endured. And babies? Never really my thing.

This one is certainly different. Perhaps it's the knowledge that we're her primary advocates in the world, and that if everyone in the whole world were to turn their backs on her someday, she'd still be able to count on SNG and me. It's a funny feeling to be in love with someone with no strings attached at all. She's charming, beautiful, funny, cute, captivating. As Tita said, she's got SNG wrapped around her finger. Well, that goes for both of us. Actually, I think it goes for every single person who has held her so far.

OK, enough sentimental stuff.

I decided to try to jump back on my fitness bandwagon right away, since the doctor told me I could. Last Wednesday mom and I took a 40 minute power walk. I hadn't moved that fast since probably April or May, and it felt great. But by the end of the walk, let's just say I felt like I was turnng inside-out. And the next day I came down with a cold. Probably my body saying "WHOA, Nellie, put on the brakes! I gotta get some sleep before you can sign up for the next triathlon!" So I've been taking normal-speed walks, doing abs in the living room (which feels SO GOOD after not being able to due to distatis erecti (SP?)). By some stroke of luck, e-babe hasn't caught my cold or SNG's (different) cold or anyone else's... yet.

Yesterday SNG went back to work. He doesn't get paternity leave, only vacation, and he didn't have a whole lot of that. He misses her, she misses him.

I might get out of the house long enough to hit the BabiesRUs for some essentials, and if I'm lucky, I might even get around to designing the birth announcements! Imagine that! And, if that doesn't impress you, I've taken a shower every day since last Wednesday. Uh, huh! That's impressive, isn't it? Go me.

Actually, none of that would even be possible if not for the fact that my mom is here doing everything. EVERYTHING. She makes dinner, she makes the veggies for my breakfast omelette, she does our laundry, she takes care of the baby when SNG and I need to go take a walk alone or get out of the house, and on and on. I think she's having a good time, even though she is doing stuff that nobody likes to do. She's been getting to the movies, taking walks in the woods, and sleeping all night long in exchange for her hard work during the day. Don't tell her, but I think I've got the better end of that deal.

Perhaps in a few months I'll have more exciting things to blog about, but at least for awhile, it'll be mostly Adventures In Parenthood (And Frogs In The Woods) around here. I hope you'll keep reading!

I'm confident that everyone likes to stare at her as much as I do, so if you would like to see some live-action baby action live and action-packed, here are some videos... Action-packed!
NOTE NOTE NOTE: If you are on a phone line, these will take a long time to download. Also, it is going to have to download, so you might have to modify your security settings to allow downloads in order to view them.

VIDEO 1 in the hospital

VIDEO 2 at home

VIDEO 3 at home

VIDEO 4 at home