First off I apologize for weird fonts and random code. I don't know why it's doing this.
Hello everyone!
I’ll start out by saying I love you. Please remember that as you read this!! I want nothing more than to show off my cute babe and let you love him too!
BUT… I have a few requests. I am determined to give myself and my little family all the rest and bonding time we need. Therefore, I’m going to need to set some boundaries. Don’t forget that you’re awesome, and I love you, and all the things on this list are to preserve my sanity and energy-- I am going to need it for my little one-- not to keep you away.
1. For the first week after my baby’s birth, please don’t visit me unless you’re family. ‘Family’ refers to Joe’s or my siblings, parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents, or cousins. If all of them were to visit we’d be hosting a party anyway, which is why I’m limiting it to them. Again, I truly want you all to come and adore the cutest baby ever, but I need to feed, change, nurse, and care for the cutest baby ever and I don’t have time or energy to be a hostess. Once it’s been a week, please come visit me!
2. When you do come visit—family or not—call/text ahead, please! Anytime in the first month after baby is born, I am asking that you call ahead so I can make sure I’m decently dressed and capable of seeing a human. If I don’t answer, please don’t be offended, but also please don’t come. Not because I don’t love you, but probably because I’m sleeping, and after the effort I’ve just gone to I won’t want to be woken. I’ll do my best to keep my phone near me at all times so visitors can have their chance to visit. And don’t worry about interrupting other plans—I’ve purposely kept my calendar open through the first half of August so I can rest, visit and love my baby. ‘Visit’ means YOU, so don’t feel bad visiting! It is more likely than not that a ‘hey can I visit?’ text will be answered with ‘heck yes I would love to see you!’ so don’t hesitate!
(If you need my phone number or address, message me on Facebook. I won’t post it internet-wide, but I’ll get it to you.)
3. I will not host you. Again, I love you, but after having a baby I’m not going to throw a party and provide you with snacks. I probably won’t even clean my own house decently. You may have to move a laundry basket out of the way to sit on the couch. I’ve been advised not to worry about the cleanliness of my house for the first little while, so I’m trying to take that advice. Which leads me to…
4. If you’re not going to help out, please don’t stay too long. I can’t reiterate enough how much I love all of you and how much I want to spend time with you, but I also can’t reiterate enough how tired I’ll be. If I end up being only 50% as tired as I’m expecting to be, great. But I’m going to plan for the apocalypse here so anything else will be pleasant. If you can tell I’m getting tired, excuse yourself… because I won’t want to excuse you, but I’ll need the rest! As for helping out, I don’t mean hold my baby so I can vacuum or do dishes… I mean vacuum or do dishes. With all the love I possess, I’m telling you now that I will want to hold my baby and let my body heal, so if you come and offer to help out, I will give you a job to do. I won’t give you jobs to do if you don’t offer, but if you do offer, your job will not be to hold the baby. (Although I promise you’ll get a turn! J) :)
5. Okay, this one’s important… don’t come if you’re sick! And I mean if you were sick, or think you might be sick, or only have a teeny sore throat… we’re talking about a teeny, wimpy immune system here that’s just getting started. Your sore throat could get my baby really sick, and that would be sad for everyone. I’m sure we’ve all heard this spiel, but sick babies are the saddest thing in the world and I don’t want one! I want my baby to stay happy and healthy! I promise he will still be here when you recover, and I will post pictures and videos to Facebook and my blog in the meantime. (I’ll have plenty of time to do that!) So please, as much as I love you… keep your sick germs to yourself.
6. Also, wash your hands. I know I sound paranoid, but really, it’s an easy precaution to take. It takes once through the ABC’s and a spritz of soap, so… just do it. Thank you.
7. I love you I love you I love you!!! I know I’ve been saying that all along, but I MEAN it! People are what makes life worth living, and that means YOU! Half of the joy of having a baby is sharing his sweetness and freshness and yumminess with everyone else. I will be all too happy to have visitors, as long as they’re not stressful. And if you’re doing your best to honor these wishes, you will not be stressful! I promise!
So please come. And THANK YOU ahead of time to everyone who visits, helps, brings me food, or even just shoots me a text to see how I’m doing. I appreciate every single one of you. You are the most fabulousest of all the fabulous.
Love,
Jenica, Joe and baby
