Peterson: Party of THREE

Life has been a little surreal lately. The last 2 hours that I was in labor I had my eyes closed tight and didn't open them again until our baby entered the world. I feel like I closed my eyes on life before, and opened them to a completely changed world. Seriously...my life will never be the same. It's overwhelming, but beautiful.

We've been doing a lot of snuggling and napping and recovering and growing and learning. First of all, I feel great. I expected to feel like I'd been hit by a train for weeks after giving birth, but have been happily surprised to feel fairly normal since Raelan was born. The best part is not being pregnant anymore! They talk about the pregnancy glow, but I'm more of a believer in the postpartum glow. Nothing says 'glowing' like pulling your jeans out of storage and wearing them again after 9 long months. I can also lay on my stomach, turn over in bed without assistance, and hug my husband much closer. Happy happy day.

We don't get much sleep during the nights these days. It seems like Raelan's longer naps occur during the day. I'm desperate for a solid 4 hours of sleep. If we'd had the choice, we wouldn't have stayed up to welcome the new year. In fact we would gladly have slept through the entire first day of 2013. Haha. I'm ready for some more relaxed days. It's been crazy with a new baby during the holidays.

It's crazy what can happen in a year. We started trying for a baby at the start of 2012 and at the end we were parents. I'm excited to watch my baby girl grow this year and to learn all there is to learn about being a mom. It will be crazy next year to look back on 2013 and see how much Raelan changes.

Stay tuned for a review of 2012...