Thank you everyone so far that has visited and responded to the page. Its a lot of information to juggle right now so its nice to be able to put it all down in one place where everyone can have access to it. I am hoping by creating this it will help both Bill and I to feel less overwhelmed with everything since entering into parenthood is overwhelming in itself. Feel free to leave comments, such as questions or if you need clarification on something. You just might end up asking the same question that someone else has and Bill or I will respond to each question/comment in the comment box so check back after you leave a question.
We are finally in a place where it seems everything is done and literally the only thing left to do is give birth to this little girl! We are not sure what God has planned right now as far as when she will grace us all with her presence. Today marks 2 days to due date but for all we know that 2 day wait might be more like a 12 day wait (Shannon was 10 days late!!).
The purpose of this post is to communicate information regarding our first week home as a family of 3. These are just a few "policies and boundaries" (if you will..) that are important to us as first time parents. Please know first that we love all of you and look forward to sharing this new life with you all! We have been positively overwhelmed and pleased by the physical, emotional, and prayerful support so many of you have provided over the last 9 months and who will continue to in the coming years! So, here are a few ways you can continue to support us during our first week as a family:
- Our first 24 hours home from the hospital are being reserved for private family bonding and physical healing, so we will not be allowing visitors (this includes friends and family) into our home during that period. We will not be receiving phone calls or responding to email during this time as well. (we will post information regarding when visitors are welcome into our home..and while now we say 24 hours, we reserve the right to extend this if a particular situation presents itself where it would be best to extend the time)
- Once we begin having guests into our home, we ask that you please call ahead. We would like to be prepared ahead of time, not to mention we would like to try and arrange your visit so you can actually visit Mirabelle! She will most likely be asleep but we would rather not have guests during nursing sessions since the first 2 weeks for a new mom can be tricky and time consuming.
- We ask that guests not come to the house if they are sick or have had fever in the last 24 hours. We will also ask that EVERYONE wash their hands prior to holding our daughter. [I realize this request might seem overprotective but what can I say...we are first time parents and her health insurance will not start for a while... unnecessary hospital or doctors visits are just not in the budget!]
- Children are welcome in our home for visits, again, as long as they are not ill.
Our First Month
We thank you ahead of time for respecting our wishes! We do not plan on keeping Mirabelle away from public, large group settings...particularly from attending worship. As long as momma and baby are healthy, we plan to being attending the Kaleo worship gathering after two weeks home. Though we will be attending public gatherings, parties, and outings we do not plan on "passing her around" for at least a month. This is a decision we have made based on the health, safety, and well-being of our daughter. Such situations can be very overstimulating so cuddle sessions will most likely be reserved for our home or yours only.
Meal Schedule
Our good friend Amy Hartley will be arranging a meal schedule to help us out the first week or two home. If you would like to participate you can email her [amy.hartly@gmail.com] for sign-up information (please note that yes, the E in her last name is purposefully missing from the email address).
As many of you know Bill is a particularly picky eater and I have already been asked what he can and cannot eat. To sum it up in a few words as possible, Bill likes very plain foods (no sauces, gravy, etc..), he will not eat casseroles, but he loves meat, fruit, bread, dry pasta, some veggies (particularly raw), and Diet Coke (a staple to his diet..he-he). Shannon however will eat just about anything with the exception of pork and beef. It would probably be best if we steered clear of anything spicy. Now, if the task of cooking a meal for a picky eater like Bill seems daunting (because it is...) a good alternative might be gift cards for local restaurants or grocery cards...Bill can always make a meal run if need be. If you would like to plan your visit around a meal time let us know, and perhaps if everyone is up to it, we could all eat together! Those that sign up to bring a meal will be given a contact number for us by Amy (in case you don't already have it) so that you will be able to call ahead and we can plan your visit.
Well, thats about all I can think of for this post. Again, please feel free to ask questions via the comment box below and we will respond to each question, comment within the post it lies.
Thank you!!
