<p>Wow.&#0160; </p>

<p>Thank you for the nice comments - Benjamin&#39;s birthday was a lovely day and I guess it comes through in the pictures.&#0160; The epidural helped, as <a href="http://www.drugstore.com/products/prod.asp?pid=157529&amp;catid=12243&amp;trx=GFI-0-RVP-11899&amp;trxp1=12243&amp;trxp2=157529&amp;trxp3=1&amp;trxp4=1&amp;btrx=BUY-GFI-0-RVP-11899">did</a> <a href="http://www.drugstore.com/products/prod.asp?pid=157519&amp;catid=17704&amp;trx=GFI-0-RVP-11899&amp;trxp1=17704&amp;trxp2=157519&amp;trxp3=1&amp;trxp4=1&amp;btrx=BUY-GFI-0-RVP-11899">this</a>.&#0160; </p>

<p>Really, you are all too kind.</p>

<p>I find that the first 24 hours after giving birth are pretty easy - reality doesn&#39;t hit until the second day at the hospital and the first day you&#39;re home with the new baby.&#0160; After that the reality of life with a newborn hit me like a truck.&#0160; The strangest part is that this time I felt less prepared than I did with the first.&#0160; </p>

<p>Could it be that this time I didn&#39;t read anything about newborn care?&#0160; Could my mind have erased any memory of those first weeks in order to trick me into continuing to propagate the species?&#0160; I think so.&#0160; How else do you explain the fact that I forgot all about the umbilical cord stump and how much it freaks me out every time I have to change his diaper?&#0160; Or the sheer volume of diapers - I had forgotten that newborns poop every time they eat.&#0160; And that they like to eat at night.&#0160; So you have to get up and feed and change a diaper and they like to keep their legs close to their tummies and their legs are so squirmy yet so strong.</p>

<p>And having a newborn and a toddler can be summed up by this:&#0160; the toddler sleeps all night, the baby sleeps all day.&#0160; Isn&#39;t that awesome?&#0160; Everybody gets attention, as long as you don&#39;t need to sleep.&#0160; And I do.&#0160; So goodnight, I&#39;m off to steal a few minutes of rest.</p>
