I can't believe it has been over a month since I last updated my blog. I have slowly come to the realization that having a four-month-old at home requires my 100% undivided attention, and I wish I could have 48 hours a day!
I L.O.V.E. my daughter. Simply put, but it is very true! Entering motherhood, at first, was a shock to me, as I did not know what was expected of me, and what my responsibilities were. I remember a week before my scheduled c-section, I asked Joe what do I do at the hospital after I gave birth. Joe answered, "Spend time with our daughter!". My response at that time was, "I do not know her and she does not know me. Where do I start and exactly what do I need to do?" The moment I saw her at the OR, I knew exactly what I need to do... to protect her, to cherish her and to spend every waking moment with her.
My love for my daughter grows everyday. A lot of our friends said that Bethany is a mini-Louisa. It warms my heart when I hear this comment every time. Bethany sure does look like me, and she has my chubby cheeks when I was a toddler! :-)
We took Bethany to her four month's check up last week. She weighs 13.25 lb and measures 23 inches long. Her pediatrician said that Bethany is a very healthy and alert baby. Bethany has really strong head and neck support so Joe and I are planning to start her on solids when she is 5.5 months old. Bethany had her vaccinations last week. When the first needle went in, she cried a bit. When the second one went in, she screamed and yelled. As a mother, my heart ached when I heard my daughter was in pain. She was screaming at the top of her lung when Joe tried to dress her after the shots, and I had to stop Joe halfway so that I could pick her up and comfort her a bit. The good thing, though, is that she did not have any reactions after the vaccinations.
Our Christmas tree was up a few weeks ago. This year, Joe insisted on getting a real Christmas tree, and we got a very nice real Christmas tree. A week after the tree was up, Joe and I pick a saturday lazy afternoon and put decorations in the tree.
All our christmas shopping was done a few weeks ago. We mailed out all the presents for our families two weeks ago. His family got the parcel a week ago while mine received the parcel yesterday!
This Christmas is going to be Bethany's first Christmas, and also the first Christmas for Joe and I as parents. As first-time parents, Joe and I both agreed that we will not go overboard with gifts and presents for Bethany. We do not wish Bethany to grow up as a materialistic person and we want to make sure she understands the true meaning of Christmas, the birth of Jesus Christ, our saviour. We want Bethany to grow up understanding that there are a lot of less fortunate children in this world and we need to help them if we can. Joe and I do not believe in buying tons of gifts for Bethany. We want Bethany to understand that quantity does not count when it comes to giftw. So this year, we told everyone (both sets of grandparents) that only one gift for Bethany as having a toy mountain under the christmas tree is not the way Joe and I envision to raise Bethany!
