I was standing in line at the pharmacy with Jubilee in the stroller next to me, and there was a man arguing with the pharmacist ahead of me. (I’m sure you all can relate.) He was really worked up and continued on for about 5 minutes, so my first impression of him was that he is not a pleasant person.
When he turned to go, he saw Jubilee staring up at him and he said, “What a darling!” She smiled her big smile back at him and cooed. Then I watched the stress on his face melt away as he, and everyone else in line, said “Awwwwww…”
Jubilee brought about a wonderful release of tension for everyone in line.
Mom and Dad Leon are back from their trip to Branson, MO. Jubilee and I spent almost the entire day and evening with them. I picked Mom up, who stayed in the car with Jubilee while I got some blood work done. Then we met Dad and ate dim sum. Jubilee decided to wake up from her nap instead of do her usual “I’m a perfect restaurant baby” act. After lunch, Dad held his Juju-b?ɬ©b?ɬ© while Mom and I bought some groceries. Then, Mom, baby, and I went to Home Depot. Finally, we went back to their house where I fed Jubilee. I was getting ready to leave when I found out Dave was done with work! So Dave came over and we hung out there, ate dinner, then went home.
The last two nights, she’s been cranky in the evening, refusing to take one last nap. This infringes upon our husband-wife time (talking, eating, relaxing). However, she slept 9 1/2 hours, which is awesome. At one point, she was crying until we put her in her swing, and then she immediately stopped and smiled. David, who often says to Jubilee, “You are…amazing!” decided to change it to “You are…a mystery.”
My knees, shins, and feet are progressively hurting more and more. The concrete foundation, wooden floors, and super-steep stairs are making it difficult for me to move around the house. Please pray for me, that God will heal my physical stress.
A couple weeks ago, I had an opportunity to watch The Oprah Winfrey Show. Oprah?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s guest was Brooke Shields, who just wrote the book, Down Came the Rain : My Journey Through Postpartum Depression. It?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s now ?¢‚Ǩ?ìall the rage?¢‚Ǩ¬ù among young mothers. It was so refreshing to hear Brooke share honestly about her experience through pregnancy, delivery, and postpartum depression. Brooke shared about her feelings of depression, hopelessness, confusion, and guilt. It was encouraging to know that I?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢m not alone.
Yay, she slept 9 hours! At 5am, I thought she woke up hungry, but she was stirring only sleep. Poor baby was probably having a nightmare.
This week has been fun watching Jubilee play in her play gym. She can now easily grab the links by herself. I think the play gym now has an entirely new meaning to her.
Jubilee and I have a new way Mommy and Baby activity. We both lie on the bed; I?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢m to her left. I hold a Mr. Men or Little Miss book for both of us to read. She enjoys the picture and listening to me read the story. Lying on the bed works well because we can both see the picture and the text at the same time. (In particular, Jubilee enjoyed seeing Mr. Funny.)
While David and I were eating lunch, Jubilee hung out in her car seat. I looked over at her and saw she was holding a toy. ?¢‚Ǩ?ìOh, did you give that to her??¢‚Ǩ¬ù I asked David. ?¢‚Ǩ?ìI just put the toy next to her,?¢‚Ǩ¬ù replied David. That means Jubilee grabbed the toy by herself!
Today I went to the New Mother’s Support Group for the first time. It’s a group that meets at Los Gatos Community Hospital (like the Breastfeeding Support Group), and it’s facilitated by a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. Afterward, Jubilee and I went to 2Wire and lunch with David. Before going home is when Jubilee and I dropped by Santa Clara Valley Medical Center to see Jenifer, Leo, and baby Chloe. Chloe is, of course, adorable. I helped change Chloe’s diaper (she had a ton of meconium) and showed them how to swaddle her into a little burrito baby. It was surreal to hold a newborn again.