Hello, Sera!

I have been meaning to write a new blog post for over a week. Prior to reaching motherhood, I have had several people tell me, "Oh...newborns do nothing but sleep. You will be bored most of the time. La te ta de da!" I must say that I have enjoyed my time with Sera the past eight days, but I don't think I have ever felt bored. Everything about my day revolves around Sera in some way. Boredom has not entered my emotions in the past eight days. Therefore, the time to write a blog post has not occured until now.

So, just in case you were living under a rock, Sera was born on 3 July 2012 at 5:05 pm, weighing 6 lbs, 8.25 oz. She was 19 1/2 inches long. Within about 20 minutes of her birth, we were rushed to the nursery and scrubbed and gowned up. Sera was a little cold and naked, lying under a warmer. In the nursery were two other babies, both about 5 lbs. The little girl was with her 18 year old mother and her grandmother. The little boy was with his mother, a school teacher. Craig and I huddled over our beautiful baby, eyes watering, murmuring at how beautiful our naked baby was. She began to scream after two injections and we took turns massaging her chest to calm her. Her warmer began to alarm, notifying the nurses that Sera was not warming up as expected. It was then that Craig and I realized how hot our necks and the backs of our heads were. We were huddling over Sera in amazement so much, we were the ones soaking up the heat, not her. The nurse then returned to trim Sera's cord (a ick situation for Craig). Craig turned away and then noticed the school teacher struggling with a backpack, trying to take a picture of her son. Craig helped her with the backpack and then offered to take a picture of her and her baby. The boy's father entered and Craig returned to Sera. We continued to ooh and aah over beautiful, sweet Sera, marvelling at how tiny and cute she was. We were then whisked away to a hospital room. Within 30 minutes alone, Sera had eaten, burped, and pooped. The nurses were quite impressed. We cuddled with Sera for awhile longer. Craig then left to pick up some of my things, while the nurses educated me on feeding. The hospital arranged for me to stay at the hospital with Sera for two nights, just like a regular mother. The first night, the nurses woke me to feed her and change her. Sera always had to be awakened for feedings and changings. In the hospital, she never once woke me up with a cry.

A day after she was born, I was sitting down to a hospital lunch of chicken and dumplings. Our birth mother's nurse then entered with a note. The birth momma thanked us for the flowers we sent her and felt that Sera was a beautiful name. She then asked us for a favor.....one little favor..... a meatball sub, chips, and juice. We laughed. She just gave us a baby and she politely asks for Subway. Of course she can have Subway! Craig then went downstairs to retrieve lunch for our birth momma. We never had any face-to-face interactions with the birth momma, but she sent messages with the nurse. On the second day, while Craig went downstairs for dinner, the nurse came and informed us that the birth momma wanted to view Sera through the nursery window, but not hold her. I wanted to be as accomodating as possible, so I said yes. When Craig returned, we began to panic, worrying she'd change her mind after seeing how cute Sera was. The birth momma did see Sera in the middle of the night, as Sera was having a hearing test. The nurses asked if she was certain about the adoption and the birth momma told them that she was sure.

The day of discharge was like a whirlwind. To be discharged, we have to meet with the nurses, doctor, hospital social worker, the birth momma's nurse, and our attorney. Prior to this process, we received a text message from our attorney about the plans for the day. The attorney then mentioned that we "made an impression on [birth momma's] brother." We were confused. We didn't remember meeting birth momma's brother and certainly didn't recall what we did to make an impression. Well, remember the school teacher in the nursery and the baby boy's father? That was the birth momma's brother. Sera briefly shared a nursery with her cousin.

Around noon, we were discharged and we all headed back to our hotel. The first night, Sera slept soundly and I had to wake her for her scheduled feedings. She slurped down her formula and quickly went to sleep. She rarely cried. On the rare occasions she would cry, she was easy to soothe. We felt so blessed. We waited so long for a baby and so many people referred to her as "perfect." I looked at her and announced, "I'm sorry to all the other babies in the world because you are the cutest." Craig cuddled with her and informed me, "I love her already."

That Friday, we left our first hotel and travelled down to Chambersburg. We couldn't leave the state, but wanted to find a border town, closer to family and friends. Plus, we wanted to find a hotel that had a kitchen, as it is tiring and expensive to eat out all the time. The first night was lovely. We love so much about her. Her head full of curly, black hair. Her big, brown eyes. Her adorable coos and all of the silly facial expressions she has. The dimple in her chin. Her baby smell and spastic legs. However, I do not think we were fully prepared for the crying. No one fully warned us about the inconsolable crying, lasting up to two hours. I don't think anyone told us how frustrating and anxiety-provoking those times could be. A day after our move to Chambersburg, Sera began to have what we refer to as "Mt. St. Sera eruptions" in which she cried and cried and was inconsolable. Craig and I are good about playing "tag" during these episodes of crying, but there are times when there is nothing Craig and I could do. For two nights, the only helpful technique was to lay Sera on her side, her head resting on my chest. I spent two nights sleeping on the couch like that, cozy and warm with Sera heat, but paranoid all night long that I would lost my grip on her.

In the past week, Craig and I have developed a good system. I tend to wake up for Sera's mid-night feedings, as I can hear her better and I fall asleep more easily after being wakened at night. In the early morning, Craig takes Sera out of the bedroom and shuts the door, allowing me to sleep late. We take turns. If one of us feeds her, the other changes her. However, Craig has stepped up on diaper changes and has likely changed more than I have. He often volunteers to change Sera, proud of his newfound skill.

We have not been alone in our journey as new parents. Last week, my best friend, Serenity came to visit and we took turns holding Sera and talking to her. Former nanny, Serenity gave us helpful hints for Sera and helped with feedings and changings. Serenity returned home on Friday. On Saturday, my older brother travelled to meet his new niece and marvel at her cuteness. On Sunday, we had a mini-York College of PA reunion. Former roomies, April and Mandi (also cousin) came to visit and chat. April set my mind at ease by confirming that it is normal to feel anxious about the potential for baby "eruptions." Mandi remained for dinner and answered some silly baby questions I had, since she had cared for so many nieces and nephews. On Monday, my in-laws travelled from VA. Together, we have ventured on outings around town and they have taken turns in calming Sera during her eruptions. They have also alleviated some of our anxieties about Sera's eruptions, giving us tips and sage advice.

On Monday, we took Sera to her first doctor's visit. The nurse and the doctor were impressed that she gained 6 oz and grew 1/4 inch. Meanwhile, miles away, the birth mother attended court. Before the judge, she was described as "poised" and then officially relinquished her parental rights.

We will remain in PA until we receive approval to leave the state. We do not know if that will occur in a few days or next week or the week after. Craig and I were homesick long ago and we miss our furbabies. However, our family and friends make us feel like it is more like home.

Right now, Craig is passed out in the chair and Sera is laying on his chest, her arms draped to the side. She seems to like snuggling with her dad, but also loves it when her mom rocks her. It will be fun to see what other personality traits emerge in the near future.

I would like to post pictures. However, the silly ipad won't allow me to upload things. When I return home and have access to a real computer, I promise to overload everyone with pictures.