Postnatal return to normalcy

In the pregnancy trimester recap posts, which I wrote while still pregnant, I allude to not enjoying pregnancy. It's hit home since Evelyn's birth though the extent to which I disliked being pregnant. With every passing day I feel more and more like myself, and look back on the last nine months as a long period of discomfort and anxiety.

Basically, while pregnant I felt like pregnant Bella from Twilight, playing host to something sucking the life out of me. Like this, only also fat:



Here are some examples of what I've missed about not being pregnant that I've noticed in just these past nine days:

-self-confidence
-sleeping on my tummy and on my back
-breathing without panting or snoring
-lying down without feeling like throwing up
-intimacy without heartburn
-hot baths
-mobility, like leaning down to pet the dog and not having to sit to put on pants
-not being afraid of falling (or anything else that may cause a miscarriage)
-energy (seriously: more energy with a newborn than at any point during my pregnancy)
-not having food aversions or getting full after small meals
-eating whatever I want (yay, poached eggs and sushi!)
-drinking coffee
-stomach muscles
-being able to stand without feeling faint or nauseous
-non-maternity clothing
-lying in the sun
-picking up my six year old for a cuddle
-losing weight instead of gaining
-reading aloud without running out of breath
-not needing to slather moisturizer on my stomach several times a day
-exercising
-feeling easygoing, happy and having a positive outlook

Nighttime wake-up calls, sore breasts and dirty diapers? Bring it. So much easier for me than pregnancy!

In other news, we dropped off Liana and Caleb at their dad's yesterday until tomorrow so things have been relatively quiet here. Evelyn decided to sleep all day yesterday and be wide awake several times overnight. Going through a bit of a rough nursing patch as it takes quite a few tries to get Evelyn to latch well - there's some painful rawness going on - must be diligent and correct her position every time.

Today Becka came over and photographed the baby for three whole hours! Evelyn was well behaved during the shoot. We also lucked out because after 20 minutes of naked baby time I barely got her diaper on before she filled it - phew! Pictures to come. Hoping to send out birth announcements sometime next week.