Happy Mother's Day!

Well, K had her first vaccinations this week! I'm sure it was harder on me than on her--she handled it like a champ, only crying for twenty seconds or so after the last needle was removed. Hardly even a low-grade fever to show for it. The tops of her little legs (where the needles were put in) do seem a tiny bit swollen, though. I'm sure that'll go away soon enough. I was dreading the way she would cry since I knew it would be that I'm-in-pain kind of cry, but it truly wasn't as bad as I expected, and short-lived. I also was a bit worried about the rumored autism link...ninety nine percent of my brain was and still is sure that there is absolutely no connection between vaccinations and autism, but that pesky one percent kept asking "What if?" And of course that one percent has the loudest "voice". :) But I'm okay now, and the next round at four months will be no big deal, I'm sure.

The best news? The kid is thriving! Height: 87th percentile, 24 inches, up from 19 3/4 at birth. Weight: 64th percentile, 11.4 pounds, up from 6 pounds 1 ounce at discharge from the hospital. I couldn't be happier, and the pediatrician seemed quite thrilled as well. Her physical abilities and reflexes are spot-on for her age, and we'll just keep working on the things we've been working on: raising her head, reaching for and grasping objects, rolling over at some point. (She's not really close to that last one yet, but it'll happen soon enough.) And overall, she's quite mellow...she doesn't fuss or cry too often, never spits up, smiles all the time. Her two favorite things right now are her mobile that hangs over her crib and plays a little tune (she LOVES it!) and a set of brightly colored plastic rings that I hang on her car seat's handle or on the bar over her bouncy seat. She has started to "talk" to these two things as well as her other toys, which makes me laugh, and she's started actually cooing, too. Yay! SO much fun to watch her change and grow, even though part of me wishes she'd stay little as long as possible.

I've been rather emotional lately, realizing that Sunday will be my first Mother's Day. I took this opportunity to tell my mom (in writing) what a great mom and grandmother she is, and how much I've appreciated all of her support, help, and encouragement during her three visits here since K was born, and especially during the delivery and at the hospital. I don't know how I could have done it without her, and I'm thrilled to know how much she loves K, just like I do. But I've also been thinking about all the women out there who will have a hard time on Sunday because they want a child so badly and don't/can't have one (yet--I choose to think positively)...I know from experience how hard that is, and my heart goes out to them. It breaks my heart to think about it, actually. I think that's because now that I know this joy, this amazing love, my only wish is for everyone else to get to experience it, too.
Happy Mother's Day to all new moms, experienced moms, and moms-to-be! Oh, and aunts, grandmothers, stepmoms, godmothers too......... :)