Two Mommies

Divya now officially has two mommies: me...and daddy.  Last week I returned to work and being a full time student.  It was a rough week to say the least.  After spending nearly every moment with Divya for four months over the summer, being away from her for 15 hours last week felt agonizing.  Every time I was away, I felt like I had left half of heart and half of my brain at home.  Thankfully, Divya was at home in very good hands.  Now, I have blogged about what an awesome daddy Arie is...and it's true, he really is.  BUT, as I told Arie before returning to work, 'you have to be mommy now.'  Because at this age, daddy is optional, but mommy is mandatory!

Turns out, Arie is a great mommy as well.  He had an awesome first week with Divya: they played a ton, he bottle fed her, and he danced her to sleep.  It made an extremely difficult transition much easier.  That's not to say there weren't plenty of tears...there were (but they all came from me).  At the end of the week, as he was snuggling with Divya, Arie said to me, 'you know, I loved her before but now I really feel like we're bonded.'  And I see that as well.  He is acutely tuned into her needs and how to care for her as only a mommy could.  It's a beautiful thing.

So, we did survive our first week.  It's all downhill from here, right?!  In addition to being emotional about returning to work, I've been a weepy mess watching the amazing events unfold in our dear friends Mary Beth and Donald's lives.  Every time I think about what has happened in their lives in the last couple of weeks, it gives me goosebumps and brings tears of joy to my eyes.  Mary Beth and Donald are two of the most amazing people I know and it  overjoys me to see such blessing poured out onto their lives.  Check out their blog Our Life Spann on my blog roll.  Mary Beth and Donald, we love you guys SO much and wish we could be be there to celebrate with you!

Divya at 4 months!

Words cannot describe how much I love this picture

A Few Randoms...

Yesterday, Arie said to me, "You need to blog, otherwise you'll never keep up with it."  Very true.  Divya has been waking up at 6AM lately (and of course she is asleep again now), so I figured I might as well take advantage of this time.  So here are a few randoms...mainly beacuase it's too early to think too coherently about any one thing.

First of all, my parents and sister are in London right now.  And I'm insanely jealous.  They're going to London, Paris (to celebrate my Dad's birthday), Geneva, Turin, Venice and Rome.  They're off bumming around in Europe while I have to return to work.  How is that fair??!!

That brings me to my next point.  Next week, I have to go back to work.  I have many mixed feelings about this undeniable reality, but most of them revolve around this sentiment: I don't want to I don't want to I don't want to.  No really, I think the anticipation is worse than anything.  And when I try to think about it logically, I realize it could be a lot worse and my situation really isn't that bad.  I shouldn't be gone more than 20hrs a week and when I am gone Divya will be with daddy.

Speaking of Divya and her daddy, I just LOVE watching them interact.  They have the sweetest relationship.  D has totally stolen her daddy's heart.  I'm so impressed in the way Arie so seamlessly became a father.  It just makes me love him that much more.  Here are a few videos of the two of them that I shot yesterday.  The first one I just think is so sweet and the second is absolutely hilarious. 

Divya is 3 months old!

It's totally crazy.  I cannot believe Divya is already 3 months old.  The last 3 months have been a blur, but also one of the most amazing times in our lives.  So, here are a few things I'd like to share about our little girl...I'm doing this MB style ;)

• She is 'talking' more and more every day.  She now will hold a 'converstation' with you.  It's too cute for words...literally.
• She is fascinated about the world around her.  Her newest obsession: trees.  She will stare at them for hours.  Now when we go on walks, we'll say "Divya, let's go look at trees!" and she stares at them for the entire hour long walk.  Yesterday at church, we stumbled upon a fish tank which was a HUGE hit.  She was so happy watching the fish swim around.  I think she could have watched those fish forever.  She has no interest in toys, she just wants to explore the natural wonders around her.
• Things that make her smile: mommy, daddy...and the ceiling fan.  I never realized how funny and entertaining a ceiling fan could be!
• The oral stage has fully taken hold.  She loves sucking on her hands (often both at once). Yesterday I was holding her while doing some chores around the house.  She was sucking on my arm, and all of a sudden it really started to hurt!  The next thing I know, I look down to find a huge hickey on the inside of my arm!  She actually gave me a hickey!! A big purple one!!
• She just loves to be snuggled, held and worn.  Absolutely nothing makes her happier than being close to you.
• She's starting to discover the strength in her legs.  She loves to stand, dance and walk..with a little bit of help, of course!  This is great, but makes bathtime a very messy affair.
• She loves hanging out on her belly.  She can lift her head and chest up and look around.  She just started to push off her elbows too.  She kicks her legs like crazy like she's ready to crawl but can't seem to find any traction.  She kind of looks like a beached seal.  It's hilarious.

D has been such a blessing in our lives.  It's so amazing to watch her grow and see her explore and learn the world around her.  We're so thankful that our little tiny preemie baby is doing so well, gaining weight like crazy and developing beautifully.  We can't ask for anything more.

Hanging out

Playing with daddy

 Sucking on her snuggle puppy

Playdate

Becky and I (and Aunti Jo) had another playdate this week.  We've had several playdates already, but this was the first where Bronx and Divya were actually both awake at the same time.  So of course, we had to monopolize on the opportunity and snap lots of pictures.  They are HILARIOUS.  Bronx was totally mackin' on D! And she does not look too happy about it...at all.

Bronx: 'This is kind of nice.'

Divya: 'I don't know about this...'

Bronx: 'Hey, what's up?'

Divya: 'Get off me, that's what's up!'

All joking aside, these two are totally buddies.  They're womb buddies.  Bronx was 3 weeks ahead of Divya in the womb.  It was so great being pregnant with Becky and sharing in that experience together.  She could always give me heads up on what was about to come down the pipeline (cravings, strange sensations, etc).  We ran together most of our pregnancy...and then walked together when running became a bit ridiculous!  Since D was born 4 weeks early, she actually came earlier than Bronx, but not by much!  She was born on a Friday and he was born early Sunday morning just two days apart.  So, their first playdate was actually at the hospital.  Now Becky and I get to share in the experience of being new moms and see the two of them grow up together.  It's truely such a blessing!

Worst Blogger EVER

Ok, I'm finally updating my blog and giving myself the title Worst Blogger EVER. I'm pretty sure the 3 people who actually read this blog have long given up on it. So much has happened since my last post. Arie is done with his coursework and is now working on his dissertation (yay!). I am still chiselling away at coursework for my PhD...slowly but surely. Big news in the Shrestha/Greenleaf household is the addition of our daughter, Divya Aleydis. She was born April 30, a good 4 weeks before her due date. She is 11 weeks old today, and like everyone says, her arrival has changed everything. I'm not sure how someone so small could have so much persnality...and with parents like us, she's bound to be nuts. Sorry, Diyva.

So, I am going to try to start blogging again. If there's anyone out there who is actually reading this...feel free to keep me honest. I should have no trouble finding the time. Right?!

Divya deep in thought...

Laughing at her daddy. Look at that hair!