Before and After

Okay, okay, it has been a little while since we offloaded pictures from our camera, but here are a few I thought you would enjoy. We took before and after pregnancy pictures from our hospital stay. That is the same archway near the ER.

The idea seemed so charming at the start, but looking at these now I remember how I felt before and after they were taken. Quite the difference:

Before, I was so excited! We were going to see this little one; I would be done being pregnant, and finally get to hold and snuggle the angel that was kicking the daylights out of my insides. I was thrilled that I would get my body back, have normal bladder functions, and be able to resume normal living - like seeing my skinny ankles again, putting on pants without a struggle, and rolling over without excruciating pain.

After, however, was not the thrill that I had anticipated. It wasn't all that and a bag of chips. Noooooooo. When the "after" photo was taken, I had been on so many pain meds that it overloaded my system. I had just tossed my cookies minutes before. I was glued together at my incision, and walking like an 80 yr old grandma. I was so sore that I remember thinking, "Hurry up and take the dang picture already!" Can you tell? That is me with a fakey smile, just in case you ever wondered.

Things are MUCH better now, and a little time has allowed me to reflect about the differences between what life has been like before and after baby. It's a bit of give and take. Nothing was perfect either way, but we are definitely glad to be on this side of the whole affair. As you can see from my tummy, things were definitely ready to move. Not just the baby either - Yes, those are the infamous brown stretchy pants that were one of the FIRST things to get packed away. Somehow, I just know, that if I'd kept them out and worn them, I would have been but one step away from living in a mu mu.

Before Sam, we packed two able bodied children in the car by saying, "Get in the car!" Now, it's a mini-circus with bottles, cover up blankets, wipes, 5-point harness straps, binkie, and a carrier that weighs more than Sam. Before Sam, I was crossing off anywhere from 8 to 15 things off my "to do" list. Now, I'm lucky to get 1 - 3 things accomplished (one of those items being "take a shower").
But most poignantly, before Sam, we didn't know that our family was incomplete. Now that he's here, we couldn't imagine our family without him. We are all so attached to this little boy, and instead of their being less of love and resources to go around, there is more. We are so blessed to have this little man in our lives. He looks cute as a bug to us, and we think he will be very smart - he observes things very carefully. I also think that he will be tall like his dad. He's all tummy right now, but those feet are long, and look like they're gonna grow.

I am a lot more tired these days, and I drop thoughts and sentences like an old Nokia cell phone, but I am very encouraged that things will get even better, after he learns to sleep through the night! I just hope that happens before too long. :D