Reality is Sinking In

Yesterday afternoon, our last out of town visitor left.  We have enjoyed all of our special guests who have traveled across, up, and down this country to come see Wonder Girl.  There is nothing sweeter than Grandmas and Aunts making special memories with a little girl.  Not only have our guests shared special time bonding with Emma, but they were so  helpful to me as they cooked, washed dishes, watched over laundry, and took care of Emma to give this very tired new mommy some extra rest!  We sure are going to miss that around here!  But as all good things come to an end, we will find our own groove and get into it as a family.

Speaking of finding and getting into a groove, I feel like the schedule nazi lately as I'm trying so hard to find a good schedule for Emma to be on so once she begins daycare in less than two short weeks, it won't come as a shock to any of us.  Yes, I read Babywise, and while we've tried to do most of what it says, this little girl changes her schedule about once a week so then we try to find something else that works.  While I thrive on routines and schedules, I also try to be flexible.There are things that I have to take into consideration while establishing a schedule for the little lady, such as her prematurity and travel times to and from the daycare in the mornings and evenings.  While the pediatrician has assured me she will catch up developmentally with her peers, she is still considered a preemie and I've been advised to keep her on a 3-4 hour feeding schedule.  Well, when you consider it takes her just about an hour to eat, burp, and stay upright to digest (we don't like reflux here), that leaves you a short window of time before the next feeding is scheduled to begin.  She recently has stretched herself a few nights for 5 hours, and I think that is a sign of progress, however, I am waiting until our next pediatrician visit to ask if we can do so more regularly at night. That would really help everyone around here when I return to work.

Another topic on my mind lately, returning to work.... sigh!  When Kevin and I first talked about having a family, we initially always thought I would stay home, however things change.  I'm going back to work... for now. I've already had nightmares about not being able to get to the daycare to pick Emma up at the end of the day, and nightmares about bursting into tears at work because I miss her so much!   I just keep telling myself that people work and raise families all the time, and I need to let the small stuff go. Do you think lack of sleep has anything to do with this??? Probably.  

I wouldn't trade this time I've had at home with the little lady for what will be a total of 3 months. As my maternity leave is quickly coming to an end, I am savoring every moment and trying to capture as many pictures and videos of her as I can because I know it will never be the same. She will never be the same. She will always be my EmmaBug though!!!