Week One

Welcome to the world, Charlotte!

You were born on Tuesday, September 16th.

I could tell you the trauma of 25 hours of labour after having only 2 hours of sleep, ending up with synthetic hormones being pumped into my body as I lay bedridden (the opposite of what I had wanted for my labour), followed by some physical trauma in delivery that ended up leaving me bedridden once again a few days after getting home. I could tell you the frustration and confusion over your inability to eat for a number of days, keeping us stuck in the hospital for an extra day, being constantly told what the previous nurse or consultant had said was wrong and we were wrong for listening to them, and then having constant contact with the local public health department once we were discharged all because you were a "lazy eater" who then became insatiably hungry within 48 hours of getting home. I could tell you the terrible things I uttered about you as I waited for labour to start, fought through contractions, and struggled to get you to wake up enough to eat... and to get you back to sleep at night.

But if there is only so much space in my brain for memories at this time, I would much rather remember the way you look like a baby monkey when you get burped, how excited your cousins were to first meet you, how you'd cuddle with your head on my shoulder, and how Scott has completely taken to his role as "dad" (making me wonder if maybe he should be the one getting the year off to be with you).

There will be plenty of moments of frustration in your future, and lots of pain. That's just part of life on this planet. But there will also be moments of joy and love. And together, let's agree to remember those.