Our baby boy arrived on Friday, January 8th, just shy of his January 10th due date. Jasper (nicknamed Jazz) was born at 3:35pm. 6 pounds 14 ounces, 20.5 inches long. A colossal love wrapped in such a tiny bundle.
We brought him home that Sunday, on a bright and crisp winter afternoon. We've spent the days since settling into our new routine which becomes just noticeably less difficult with each passing week. Except for visits to the pediatrician, we've been holed up at home for family bonding time. Kevin and I are constantly sleep deprived, but we've tackled new parenthood as a team, taking shifts at night, encouraging each other to nap, and making efforts to lend a hand when one of us is starting to feel worn out.
Dog walks have disproportionately fallen on Kev lately, but I'm well on my way to being recovered from delivery and have begun pitching in more on that front.
Speaking of, I've loved watching the dogs welcome Jasper into our pack. Our two little guys, Huxley and Fitzgerald, are very interested in the baby. Huxley's reaction in particular has been adorable. He seems to understand that we're caring for Jazz, and checks on him in his bassinet when he begins to cry. Hux also runs over to where the baby is as a first stop when he comes back from walks, and his tail goes wild when approaching and sniffing Jazz.
True to character, Fitzgerald was more apprehensive at first. He's since grown more comfortable, now curling up next to him sometimes, the two small enough to share my lap. I look forward to one day finding these two snuggled up and napping together. I think they will really love each other.
Our golden girl Sunday is too sleepy to care about our new addition. A gentle soul, she has sniffed Jazz at our prompting, but generally is neither interested nor bothered. We're pretty sure she's been a mama in her lifetime prior to coming to us, so I like to imagine that she knows exactly what's up and is being extra easy-going as a way to show us moral support.
Taking this time away from pottery was something I had anxiety about while pregnant, but I've found that I'm quite at peace with this break. There are just so many things to do, with chores to tackle during nap times (which really should be spent catching up on sleep, but it's so difficult to simply go to bed when you finally get some time to yourself). Our renovations are also still going on, in the home stretch and at a stage where it's time to make furnishing decisions and tick off the last remaining items.
Jazz will be three weeks old as of tomorrow, and already I cannot help but imagine what the future holds for him as a toddler, a child, a teenager, an adult. Already, he's outgrown some of his newborn clothing, and I'm wishing that he could stay this way for just a little longer, this perfect tiny thing. At the same time, I'm also really looking forward to when he'll be able to interact with us. I'm longing for such opposites while trying to stay in the moment.
I'm looking back at my January list today, and feeling happy and fulfilled with how this first month of 2021 has gone. Soon, I'll sit down to work on my February list, and let myself imagine, plan, and hope some more.