Tulip Festival

Brandon took me, Gloria and my mom to the tulip festival in Anacortes. I really didn't expect it to be as beautiful or as big as it was. If you live nearby, I recommend visiting the tulip festival and then doing some quick shopping/eating in LaConner, which is right next to Anacortes. My favorite were the pink tulips and I enjoyed taking pictures of my new baby next to them (there are more pictures of Gloria next to the tulips on her blog). Things are going well for mama and pops. I really appreciate all of Brandon's help through the emotional ups and downs of being a new mom. He has been very supportive and jumps in to help when he sees that I'm overwhelmed. Breastfeeding has been a challenge for me. I can get about 2 ounces a day to feed her and then we supplement with formula. I didn't expect this to happen and so I was a little discouraged by it but I appreciated Brandon's attitude that we had a lot to be thankful for; Gloria is a healthy baby and if I can't produce enough milk, that's why we have formula. My friends Kaitlyn and Vashti have been so kind and supportive. I love my friends here and feel so lucky. In fact, Shalise stopped by the other day and brought me some beautiful tulips. That was so nice! I am so thankful for good friends. I took baby to the doc today and she weighed 7 lbs. 1 oz. just a little less than last week, which made me a little teary but again, Brandon reassured me that it was probably due to her having just eaten before being weighed last week and her being weighed before mealtime this week. Hopefully at her next weigh-in, she'll be just where she needs to be. My sister Tiffany said that having a baby is like having your heart taken out of your chest and watching it walk around on legs. That is exactly how I feel. It has really made me thankful to God for all of the blessings He's given me and it has also made me feel both confident in myself and vulnerable at the same time. It is an amazing experience to be a new mom. My mom asked me if I was happy I had a baby and I answered an enthusiastic, "yes!" And she said, "I don't mean 'are you happy you're not pregnant anymore,' I mean are you happy you had a baby?" I told her again that yes I was so happy I had a baby and it didn't have anything to do with not being pregnant anymore. There isn't anything I've done to equal how satisfied I feel with having a baby, especially with someone I love as much as I love Brandon. I took Gloria to Lynden to have lunch with Brandon and then do a little shopping. But instead of shopping, I ended up changing her diaper and sitting in the backseat of my car and feeding her a bottle for an hour. I looked down at her beautiful face and thought of the scripture that says "when ye are in the service of your fellow beings, ye are in the service of your God." I felt so happy that I have the opportunity to do for my little baby what she is unable to do for herself. It gives me great satisfaction and real joy.