I'm finally back!

Hi friends!  I'm finally back to blogging and here to finally share my pride and joy, Leah Nicole, who was born at 11:09pm on July 18, 2013.

She was born weighing 7 lbs. 10 oz. and 22 inches long.  I'd love to share my birth story with you all if anyone is interested but I'll save that for another post.  She is a wonderful, beautiful baby and I'm looking forward to sharing pictures and stories of our lives here.

I'm so, so sorry to have gone MIA and left you all hanging for so long.  Unfortunately my transition to motherhood has been anything but smooth.  I had a serious case of post-partum depression that hit me like a ton of bricks.  I thought that since we had planned and hoped and dreamed for our baby for so long that everything would be happy and light once she arrived.  I thought that since I had read parenting books, taken classes and babysat for kids since age 11 that I was prepared.  I thought that since I was staying home with her and had dropped most of my commitments that things would not be too stressful.  Of course I knew that there would be a learning curve, I just had no idea how much of a curve there was and how impossible and overwhelming it would all feel.

I'm doing much better now, although I still have my ups and downs!  But I finally feel like I'm in a place where I can start sharing how I feel again and my hope is that I will encourage someone, or make someone laugh, or make someone smile with one of my posts.

The baby's crying now, be back again soon!  I promise :)

-Erin

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If you or someone you know is going through "baby blues" or post-partum depression, please know you are not alone!  Feel free to comment or message me privately, I think that the more we talk about these issues the less taboo they become.