When I first became a stepmother, my mom told me: “The two things a child needs is to feel safe, and to feel loved, in that order. Everything else is just bonus.” It was great advice, and in the time period before I really knew my stepdaughter (meaning – before I knew what the hell I was doing), it was a great default: make sure she knows shes safe, make sure she knows she’s loved. And, sure enough, as our relationship formed and got stronger, everything else – the bonus- came with it, but having those two cues to start with were enormously helpful to me.
Anyway, I was thinking about this on Saturday, when I heard a THUD behind me and looked over to see my five day old daughter lying face down on the ground between the ottoman in the chair, a position she apparently hurled herself to in a fit Wanting Food And Not Getting It Quick Enough.
Back to the basics, it appears. Sorry, little girl. We’ll try to keep ya safer than that.
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Here’s what’s crazy: I look back on pictures from her birthday (6 days ago), or even just yesterday, and I recognize her immediately. When she first landed on my chest, she felt like a stranger to me, but now I feel like I’ve known her forever.
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Reagan Mary Teubner, born December 3rd — her great-grandmother’s birthday. We’re so happy, you guys. Sleep deprived, a little shell shocked, but so happy.
InnerTeub 
liz, she’s so beautiful. so so beautiful. so glad she’s here now. and that paragraph about recognizing her- it just made me so excited about what’s ahead.
There was this time, I used to roll over in bed and I’d just start WHALING on Phil in the dead of the night, all, WHO THE HELL ARE YOU WHAT’S GOING ON WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE GET OUT (I didn’t say any of that, it was pretty much implied with hitting) only to accidentally find his face a few seconds later with my hand and recognize it and be like, “oh, just you, carry on,” and turn over and go back to sleep, and I think that was a lot like my kid’s arrival. Also probably from Phil’s perspective, too, now that I think about it, in the whole, “HOLD ON I WAS FINE UNTIL YOU STARTED WAVING AROUND” aspect of things.
Seriously, though, unrelated to the whole “Excuse me, are you sure my uterus is the only uterus currently open in this room, because this baby…. ?” thing that went away, totally separate from that, we went through this long phase where there had to be a safety pillow in between us because of a really dangerous spate of sleep-punchings. It was real bad. Real, real bad.
Anyway, I like how you went and had a baby. Way to go.
Congratulations and good luck! Her protector looks dubious so far.
Congratulations!
This made me a bit weepy. I’m just so happy for you all.
The picture of Moose and president baby! Ahhh! Liz, all of this, even the thud. It is so wonderful. I laughed, I cried, I got that warm fuzzy feeling. I’m so happy for you guys.
Awwww
She’s gorgeous! Congrats!
[…] give birth? So many people! My sister in law. My proximal BFF. Several of my favorite internet ladies. There were a slew of internet babies, in fact. […]
Congratulations on your beautiful little one!