One week (almost)

Tomorrow will mark one week since Little Bug's birth. I am still shocked over how different this week has been than Bug's first week. Of course, almost half of that week was spent in the hospital, which was a major change right there. I've already talked about the difference between having a colicky baby and one who actually enjoys life (I still feel sad for Bug when I think how miserable she was for the first four months of life--poor little thing; I wish we could have made it better!), but I'm mostly amazed at the difference in us. Carl and I are so much more relaxed and confident, and all of us are having a better time.

My mom and dad have been great this week--Mom has cleaned and organized my bathroom and laundry room, helped me pack away winter clothes and pull out my summer wardrobe (including a few outfits which I am hoping, rather than expecting, to wear), washed dishes every day, done laundry for me, and otherwise made herself an indispensable housekeeper. I might not let her leave. Dad has helped Carl out with innumerable projects around the house, my two favorites being replacing the old shower head that dripped and trickled water on one with one that actually sprays, and cleaning out the dryer vent and getting it facing out the window so I can use my dryer without it shaking the whole house down and filling the air with moisture.

Bug has loved having her grandparents here, and since I am forbidden from picking her up for a few weeks (technically six, but I have a sneaking suspicion my body will recover before then), I've appreciated having two sets of extra hands to help with basic things like getting her in and out of her crib, high chair, bathtub, etc, as well as just picking her up and hugging her when her molars get hurting too badly. She's also kept us highly entertained just by being her usual delightful toddler self, and every time I put her hair in pigtails I wonder who took my baby and gave me this little girl in her place.

She's adapting quite nicely to having a baby sister--the picture I posted last time is just one example of how affectionate she is. She always wants to pat the baby's head, and just recently she's started rubbing cheeks with her. Yesterday, during Little Bug's first bath, Bug was in tears of sympathy with Little Bug's shrieks and wouldn't be comforted until we wrapped Little Bug in a towel and showed Bug that her sister was really just fine. No jealousy at all yet--we'll see what happens in a few weeks when we've run out of grandparents to stay with us and Papa is back at work full time. But I think she'll be fine. When she's not teething, she really is just a sweet, joyful little thing.

Which brings me to my final point. I never intended for Little Bug to be our baby's final moniker--that was just a temporary stop-gap until she was born and I had an idea of her personality. I've considered Kitten, Squeak, Mouse, and Squirt, but I think I'm going to go with Grace, because that is what God has shown us over and over again in just this one short week of her life.

And Bug and Grace just sounds too weird, so I'm going to confuse everybody (hey, it's my blog, I can be confusing if I want to!) and start referring to Bug as Joy. Joy and Grace--our two gifts from God.