TheFelixes.org

So here we are – a week into parenthood and integrating Kelley Canon into our lives. We are elated… running on adrenaline…  scrambling to get a grasp of parenting and a new routine… sleep deprived… learning from our son to live a mindful here and now existence…  amazed by the support of family and friends…  and completely in love with our son, Kelley.

It has been a whirlwind first week and we are grateful to be home safe and sound.  Here are some observations from our first week-

Feeling the Love: We had no idea how strong our feelings would be for our son.  Friends tell you it changes your life, but come on.  The overwhelming love you feel KNOCKS YOUR SOCKS OFF!

Working Around the Clock: Our family and friends also talked about the tough road ahead for the first couple of months.  We underestimated the hours involved with taking care of the little guy.  Neither of us have logged more than three continuous hours of sleep in over a week and the hours in the day seem to vanish before they begin.  This sleep deprivation leads to an odd state of mind somewhere between euphoria and agony.  You definitely become forgetful – how could I let him pee all over me again at the changing table.  Didn’t I learn his trick the last diaper change?  How could I leave the car sunroof open overnight with Hurricane Bill passing by?  Why is my car seat damp?

Power to the Nurses: We couldn’t have made it through the first week without the amazing support of Rex Heathcare’s Birth Center nursing team.  Every twelve hours, we had a new trusted friend and advisor helping us get our arms around parenthood and caring for Kendall and Kelley as they recovered from the C-section.  This support was continuous and consistent from the pre-op preparations to recovery to wheeling mom and son out to the car to head home.

Obsession with Firsts: It is easy and justified to poke fun at new parents for their obsession with photographing, video recording and writing down their child’s every move.  What nerds!  Get a life!  You might as well put a fanny pack on and jump in the mini van.  This perspective changes rapidly once you actually become a parent.  We admit to being obsessed with documenting our child’s milestones.  If you check out our photo set and video log, you will see all sorts of firsts…- first bath, first time in mom’s arms, first road trip, first swing, first dinner out …  It is a never ending exhibition of nerd parenting.  That said, we will fight the mini van urge… for now.

Let the Benchmarking Begin: While at the hospital, we were oblivious to the other parents and babies.  That was until we walked by the nursery one evening when Kelley was getting his nightly check-up.  As proud parents, we gazed in at our son and sized him up against the other babies in the nursery.  Kelley appeared to be larger in size than his nursery mates, was more calm and collected, but when we looked at his outfit, he had the crummiest swaddle of them all.  It was the first time as parents, when we felt like we had let him down.  Suddenly, there were visions of Kelley going off to school in some silly outfit with all the kids laughing at him, taking his milk money away.  It was a new and weird feeling of protection.  Needless to say, Chaz is perfecting his swaddle (Kendall already has it down from her nanny days) and we will leverage his mohawk abilities to give him an alternative edge.

Like Father, Like Son Looks: Once we felt good about mom and baby being healthy and safe at the hospital, the subject of Kelley’s looks and where he draws them from came up.  Both of us initially thought he looked more like Kendall.  His eye lashes, blond eye brows, nose (from the Towery’s) and eyes all looked similar to Kendall’s side of the family.  That was until Kendall came across a photo of Chaz shortly after his birth.  Do you see a slight similarity here?

Thanks for all your support during this process and look for more parent obsessed commentary in the weeks ahead.

Chaz and Kendall