I've finally met the love of my life. He weighs about 9 and a half pound and sucks his thumb. I often refer to him as my "little protege" or my "little man", but his name is Dominic. When I was going through the labor process, I expected this overwhelming surge of emotion when I met him for the first time. That's what everyone had told me to expect. But for me, it wasn't that way at all. That's not to say it wasn't love at first site because I knew I loved him before he was even born. But more than anything I felt a huge sense of relief when he was born. Relief that he was safe and healthy. And relief that my 42 hour labor was finally over! The first week after Dominic came home I went into survival mode, just trying to figure out how to take care of him and avert any disasters. But after week two, once I got the hang of things, I really started to enjoy my time with him a lot more. Maybe I'm just an odd duck, but for me the bonding process has been more gradual and I find new things to love about him everyday. It's safe to say he's already got me wrapped around his finger. Hell, I even love his "pissed off" face. When he looks at me with those big brown eyes and sticks out that bottom lip, I'm done for.
The inevitable has happened. I've turned into my mother. Overprotective. Paranoid. Worrywart. I'm pretty sure all of those would be fitting. I took Dominic to the doctor today because I thought his belly looked disproportionately big compared to the rest of his body. Turns out he was just bloated. I have a hard time not worrying about every little thing, but I guess that's my job. I even find myself watching him while he sleeps sometimes just to make sure he's still breathing. I'm scared to imagine how I'll be acting when he's a teenager.
So I've realized Dominic is a genius. Not that I ever doubted he would be. But in reading up on infants, he's advanced in just about every area so far. He started smiling and giggling at about 2-3 weeks old and he started following my voice around the same time. He's already started to make cooing sounds and every now and then will even put his own pacifier back in his mouth when it falls out. Pretty damn advanced for a (not even) 5 week old! Harvard law school here we come!
I've still got a million things on my plate as far as business goes, but I'm quite content with the progress I've been making. I've come up with a few more brilliant ideas that I'll be rolling out within the next few months. In a few weeks I'm doing a charity event "polar bear plunge" to raise money for cystic fibrosis and the Ronald McDonald house charities. A few friends, a few interns and myself will all be jumping in the Seneca River mid-January in order to get people to donate. Our team will be representing my two businesses, TT's Attic and The Alpha Omega Solution. Should be a fun (albeit freezing) time! This week I'll be finishing up the training for my interns and interviewing some fashion designers for the boutique. I'm going to eventually be phasing out wholesale inventory and have all my items custom designed (among other things). I'm super stoked for the changes this year has in store! But all things considered, the best part of my day is still when I get to relax and cuddle with the cutest baby in the world. It makes all the stress and hard work completely worth it!
"Always kiss your children goodnight - even if they're already asleep."
So taking a dip in the river mid-January when it's 14 degrees outside isn't as bad as one might think! I did my "polar bear plunge" this past Saturday with two of my interns and a few friends. The event wasn't as organized as I had hoped, but it was a lot of fun! Some groups even went in costumes. Team TT's Attic took the plunge to a very fitting "I'm Too Sexy". To be honest, it really wasn't THAT bad and I would do it again in a heartbeat. I went in just about up to my shoulders. The coldness of the water didn't really hit me until after I got out, at which point it felt like knives stabbing the lower half of my body. No biggie. "Security is mostly a superstition. Life is either a daring adventure or nothing."
I interviewed my second round of interns last week and started training my first group of interns today. I'm super excited about having the extra help and some fresh ideas for a few months. I really think we'll be able to make some great progress and plan some awesome events. Time to go balls to the wall!
Every time I think I can't love my little man more, he does something super cute and I fall even more in love with him. It's so funny, before he was born and as I was reading all the pregnancy and baby books I thought I had everything all figured out. I remember thinking "I will NEVER let my baby co-sleep with me" and "I do NOT want Dominic to have a pacifier", yet here I am with a 7 week old who loves his pacifier at bedtime and takes daily naps with his mama. Things changed so much once he was actually here and everything I thought I knew went completely out the window. I've come to realize that it's okay to do things my own way sometimes and not everything has to be done "by the book." Having a child has been such an amazing learning experience so far!
