Sleepy Saturday Morning after the Hardest-Week-Ever, wherein Laurel is 8 Days Old!

I'm taking a few brief minutes to start updating this blog as to the Amazing Events of the past week. As you might have guessed (but probably already know) --

Laurel was born on Friday the 21st, in the wee hours, a happy healthy 7 lbs 8 oz & 21 inches long!

She was born in a hospital FULL of birthing mothers and babies, where off-duty doctors, nurses and anesthesiologists were being called in left and right, and rooms were filling up. Our first night in Family Care (Recovery), every single room was occupied! Over 40 mothers and babies and families across the entire ward (and all of us with private rooms =) In the couple hours before Laurel was born, as my cervix rapidly dilated (for a first-time Mom), my doctor delivered 6 other babies. Another doctor on the ward was delivering just as many, resulting in a necessary jostling of nurses as they made sure that everyone was well looked after and cared for.

...In conversation with one of the delivery room nurses, we have no idea why that night was such a big birth night. It wasn't a full moon, there wasn't anything particularly special about that Friday night -- except all the beautiful babies. =)

So Much to Share, So Little Time to Do It In
I've been itching to blog All Week as events and circumstances have changed on a Daily Basis. I've either been far to occupied or too exhausted to log on, but now it seems a routine is starting to shake out (with much help from our lactation consultant!) and I think I'll have a little more time to go back and tell you the story of what's been happening. In the meantime....

Sleepy Saturday Morning before Another Busy Day
Laurel is peacefully sleeping of her last nightime food coma, which means I have a little extra time (hence my logging in). In a couple hours we'll launch into our daily 2-hour nursing cycle, which is somewhat of a training course at the moment though more for her than for us - she has a problem with sucking I'll get into later.

Today, we're cleaning up the house a little bit as we can in anticipation of a visit by good friends this afternoon. Hurray! It'll be great to see them and to share our beautiful kids with each other. (They have a gorgeous 12 mo old whom I hope will be OK in our non-toddler-proof house haha!) It's not even 8AM and The E.P. is already at the grocery store, and in a moment, I'll be preparing the day's bottles (part of nursing-therapy) and straightening up the nursery -- hopefully all before Laurel wakes again and starts to complain. We shall see. ;)

A NOTE OF GRATITUDE TO THE E.P. & GIGI:
Broadcasting to the World how Happy and Proud I Am that we've been taking care of a newborn for a week - a wonderful and at times horrible week, naturally - and Our House Is Not A Disaster!!! Sure, we need to run the vacuum rather desperately. But My God, the kitchen counters are pretty clean and the dishes are far from piled up. The toilets are clean. The only piles lying around include the baby-care materials from the hospital/HMO (an oft referred to necessity), pillows used at feedings, the recycling to go out, and unread mail. Even the baby laundry is done. That is a real accomplishment, and I'm so proud of us!

Of course I'm proud of the baby too! But I'll brag about her later. =)