The Great, The Grand, and the Mama

Tonight my grandparents/Kayla's great grandparents come to Williamsburg. Aside from this being super exciting since it's the first time they will meet little Kayla (please be on good behavior, please be on good behavior), it also meant that this morning I had to pack up our two weeks worth of accumulated goods so that we could relocate from the downstairs guestroom to the upstairs guestroom. Since we've been here so long, I had completely unpacked us and while previously this might have meant Chris and I had each filled one or two drawers and a couple of hangers in the closet, with Kayla here, "unpacked" takes on a whole new meaning. It means I have our diapers and wipes out and organized in the changing table compartments, along with diaper cream, washcloths, rubbing alcohol, cotton balls, etc. It means that Kayla is occupying two drawers of her own, organized into sleeping outfits vs waking outfits, bath paraphernalia, burp cloths, and blankets. It also means that we have out the co-sleeper, my breast pump and all its attachments, pacifiers, my stereo and iPod (complete with baby's own playlist), the laptop, various camera equipment (a new parent never leaves home without a camera!), a pack-n-play crib, etc., etc., etc. Needless to say, packing to move upstairs is significantly more painful than it likely should be. The greatest revelation during this whole process though (aside from the fact that babies really DO require a tremendous amount of stuff), is that I am already having to pack away some of Kayla's newborn clothes! Emptying out her drawers today, I pulled out a sleeper and three little shirts, the only things that actually fit her in the couple weeks after she was born, and realized that they no longer come close to fitting her! I was hoping to dress her up in the little footed froggy outfit that her Great Grandma bought her, but alas! After only two wears, it is now way too small and she can't stretch out her little legs when forced into it. I knew she was growing, but seeing how little some of her newborn clothes now look on her/compared to her, it is mind-boggling to realize how much and how fast she really is changing. Now, if I could just get her to start reliably changing her sleeping schedule...but a new parent mustn't be in too big a rush for their baby to "grow up", right? I should enjoy these nights when she would rather play than sleep and these days when she can't seem to pry her eyes open. I should relish the fact that just when I've accepted that fate she then teases me by spending a whole day wide awake and playful, followed by a whole night with 4 hour intervals in between eating. I should enjoy the spastic nature of her schedule because it means that she is still an infant and we are not yet having to say goodbye to her newborn days. Yes. Yes, that is the attitude. Now, where are my caffeine pills and Valium? (I kid! I kid!)