Flashback

After talking on Skype last night to one of my oldest and dearest friends and her most awesome newborn son, it got me to thinking about those first weeks with Harper. Those first weeks that were so nutsy with little sleep, the hormonal three-ring circus that was me and poo that I swore that I would surely never, ever forgot what this was like.

And then, talking to Erin, I realized that I had forgotten. I had to seriously scratch my chin and squint my eyes, trying to remember if Harper had problems sleeping at night. And then it was all there again, and I was like, “Oh, riiiiight. That’s how it was.” While Harper still is not a champion sleeper, there was a time when she had no bedtime. When I felt like I needed a piece of wood to bite on every time she latched on to nurse. When I felt like my head had been packed with cotton and I couldn’t keep a single thought in my brain. When the idea that I would ever be able to do anything other than worry about that baby seemed as far off as … oh, I dunno, heathcare reform in the States. I felt like The Person Formally Known As Brandi.

But now, having emerged from Baby’s First Year relatively unscathed (and fitting in my old jeans, bitches), I can now say that I am Brandi 2.0: With bigger boobs and more awesome than ever. But seriously, dear Erin and anyone else with a newborn, it does get better.