Well, I had some very busy shifts at work and am now in the middle of a few nights off, which is lovely! Only 13 more shifts before my maternity leave starts! It’s so hard to get breaks to eat (to feed the baby), and I’m worried about how I’ll find time to pump when I go back. At work, I feel like the patients’ needs should come first, and I’ve gone 12 hours or more without eating or going to the bathroom if there wasn’t time. It’s hard to have to prioritize a baby, too. And I can’t rely on sugar and caffeine to keep going! My coworkers are great and will help when they can, but they get busy – and need breaks! – too.

Our roses are blooming! They smell wonderful. On Mother’s Day, which I felt partially entitled to celebrate but not really ready for, A. brought me this one in a vase:

Here are the roses along our front walkway:

This bush in front of the baby’s room window is a really dense rhody! There is one flower at the top of it:

Here is Andrew lying in front of the other rhody. Apparently they’re poisonous to dogs, and he keeps breaking off leaves and branches so I hope he’s not eating them. We’re not sure what to do besides keeping a closer eye on him. But if we take the rhody out, maybe we can plant a lilac…

My coworkers had a potluck shower for me! It was a busy night and we never managed to sit down together, but they gave me some nice cards and gift cards, and I got lots of advice and reassurance from the moms throughout the night.

One coworker gave me this adorable 3-piece outfit for when he’s a little older. I told her it’s perfect, because his name means “lion” in Hebrew!

A.’s brother and soon-to-be sister-in-law have had several gifts sent to us, so we’re getting stocked up!

They sent a couple of the cute cloth diaper covers I want to use, and disposable inserts. I chose the Thirsties Duo Wrap with snaps because they’re very adjustable and ideally you don’t have to wash the cover every time you do a diaper change. I tried it out with the disposable insert, which just sits inside the cover. A cloth tri-fold is used the same way, without any pins.

This kimono bundler seems really nice and simple for a newborn, and easy for diaper changes. The ends of the sleeves fold down and I think they can be used like mittens to prevent scratching.

A cute dinosaur towel and washcloths! A. has a bag he loves with a dinosaur on it, so these should make him happy, too.

The Baby K’Tan carrier! It’s supposed to be like the better-known Moby wrap but simpler to use. I found it very easy to figure out how to put it on and tuck this stuffed dog into it in the newborn “kangaroo position,” although I can see in the picture that I got it kind of twisted. It’s a nice, soft jersey fabric. Hands-free baby-wearing!