introducing theodore scott

He's here! He's finally here! The eternal pregnancy is over! (In truth, it only felt eternal for the last month or so.)

Theodore Scott Krause

born July 21, 2015 at 8:42 a.m.

8 lbs 10 oz, 19 in long

Justin and I keep looking at each other, wondering if this has all been too easy. If it's all going too smoothly. Teddy's birth and hospital stay were blessedly uneventful and peaceful. He is a world champion eater, and so far he is a wonderful sleeper. I have high expectations for him, but I'm also aware that this could easily change after the first few weeks.

As for big sister Pippa, she vacillates between smothering her little Teddy Bear with affection and ignoring him completely. She will occasionally rub his head softly while whispering, "Sweet baby," over and over, at which point my heart becomes a puddle.

It's officially been one week since he came into the world, and it's been a blur of naps, feedings, swaddles, and endless loads of laundry. It may sound strange to say, but I kind of love the laundry part. When Pippa was a newborn, we lived in a one bedroom apartment with a community coin-operated washer and drier, so we tried to keep laundry to once or twice a week. This is no small feat when you have a baby as spitty as Pippa was! Now that we have an in-unit washer and drier, I love the freedom to throw a small load in just as soon as enough of Teddy's and Mama's clothes are covered in spit up.

I did end up having a C-Section (I'll write up Teddy's birth story later), but it went as smoothly as it could possibly have gone. Recovery has been surprisingly quick and easy, with the exception of some air from the surgery trapped in my back and shoulders - ouch! It seems to be getting better by the day, though. Some days I feel like the recovery is going a little too well! I feel so good that I want to "get stuff done" and "be productive," then I end up exhausted and sore. I just have to remind myself that I just had surgery one week ago, and I have to take it easy!

I have so much gratitude right now for the community of people around me who have made this transition so easy. First and foremost, I can't say thank you enough to my mom who has been staying with us for the past week and a half. I felt no anxiety leaving Pippa when I stayed in the hospital, because I knew she would have so much fun getting special attention from her Nanny! I can't even begin to describe how nice it has been to have an extra set of hands to hold a baby, play with a toddler, and do the dishes and laundry while I recover from surgery.

We had both sets of parents, Teddy's uncle/godfather, and my sister Annie stay with use for varying amounts of time this past weekend for the the baptism. Everyone was amazing, and I felt no pressure to entertain because they were all so helpful around the house! Not to mention our church community who pulled together to provide hot meals for us almost every night since we brought Teddy home from the hospital. It's sometimes hard to accept help, because I like to feel strong and independent. But there are times in life where we need to lean on each other a little bit, and just pray we can return the favor at some point! I'm thankful and humbled by the kindness that has surrounded us the past few days.

Justin has been an amazing husband, dad, and caretaker to me. I think the job of new dad is sometimes downplayed and forgotten, but I can't imagine doing this without him. Every middle of the night diaper change and swaddle, every foot massage in the last few weeks of pregnancy, every meal he has served me, every extra chore he has done without complaint has not gone unnoticed or unappreciated by me - even if I haven't been the best about expressing it.

Yesterday was Teddy's 1 week checkup, and everything went so perfectly! He's already surpassed his birth weight, which is a welcome change from Pippa, who struggled to gain weight in the first few months of life.
Teddy is such a content little boy so far. He hardly every cries - just grunts and squeaks when he's not happy. He loves laying on his changing table with a mirror next to it. He explores stretching his limbs and taking in the world around him. He actually stays awake between one of his feedings now, and it's so incredible to watch his wide open eyes take in the action.

In short, life is good right now. Praise God from whom all blessings flow!