I better start out by saying that I’m not actually Wonder Woman.
That was hard to admit.
When we were in the hospital, the only time I cried was for a very short time when Isaiah was born. After that, I think I went into shock survival mode where I was just trying to get through to the time we could leave. The relief that the adoption was over, the relief that Isaiah was born, the nervousness of taking care of a newborn, and the uncomfortableness that was not being in our own home caught up with me as soon as we got home.
We walked in the door and tried to introduce Isaiah to our dog. Amico is the best dog I’ve ever known, but he’s extremely enthusiastic in everything he does. When he’s interested in you, he needs to be on top of you. When he plays, he plays hard. When he wants the couch, he will push you off of it. We’ve had him for 7 years and he is a member of our family. He lived outside for a few years, but when we bought our house he came inside to live with us.
When he wants you to move he has no problem getting this close to your face.
Mr. Polish was a little unsure what to do. He put me in our bedroom and said “I’m going to close the door, and you do what you need to do. I’ve got everything under control out here.”
So I started crying about how Mr. P. was a better parent than me because he wasn’t crying. I was crying because I was crying.
Then I started to think about our birth mom. I cried for her because she left the hospital hours before, knowing that she wouldn’t see Isaiah again for a very long time, if ever. I hadn’t seen him in ten minutes and couldn’t handle it.
And then I cried about the color of the curtains in the bedroom. Ha. Just kidding.
The three of us fell asleep and when I woke up I felt so much better, and we laughed about how crazy I am.
I’m happy to report that I’ve been fairly stable since that night, and now we have a great story to tell Isaiah about the night he came home.
GOLD / wonderful pomegranate / 28905 posts
Dude, we have the same dog. Except mine is a female. She’s crazy too but loves M like no tomororw.
It’s been an experience and my husband is def way more patient with her than I am. But I’m trying to be better about it and tell myself she’s adjusting too.
pomelo / 5000 posts
This post is both really funny and really touching. I love that your husband put you in your room like that! Sometimes you just gotta let the tears flow, baby.
hostess / wonderful persimmon / 25556 posts
And Amico is still a part of your family. Also, we have a dog that I don’t believe is as large as yours but at 18lbs, does everything you just mentioned. How does an 18lb dog take up the whole king sized bed, I ask you? No idea.
Crying after having a baby (whether adopted or birthed) is so normal. You’re so normal!! I’m glad you could laugh at yourself afterwards. I have to say, I’ve had those moments. One thing makes you cry so then you cry about crying and then just find anything else to cry about, too…
blogger / watermelon / 14218 posts
Crying because you were crying. Welcome to motherhood!!!!!!
That was so classic. That is a fantastic story to tell Isaiah about his first day with his big bro!
blogger / eggplant / 11551 posts
And you will have more stories like this to tell!!
Motherhood is messy, but worth it. Enjoy your new fambam!!
blogger / pomegranate / 3300 posts
I think, especially with adoption, that coming home is very emotional. I think I cried like 20 times our first night home. It’s such a mixture of emotions that it can be absolutely overwhelming.
blogger / pear / 1964 posts
Ha! This was my life for the first month! Great story.
blogger / pomegranate / 3491 posts
New motherhood is truly an emotional roller coaster ride – I remember the same feelings when we brought Little C home. Loved your post
blogger / persimmon / 1398 posts
We had it scheduled so that we returned from Korea with “Little” and then “FurBaby” (who was a sweet, gentle greyhound) came home two days later from her vacation at the grandparents. If she could speak, I’m sure she would have had some very colorful words for us. Her face said it all … “What the HECK have you done to me?!” I thought I was going to throw up. I know exactly how you felt that first night. It’s a hard, hard feeling.
(And seriously, I cry because I’m crying all the time now. I used to go years without crying! What’s up with that!?)
blogger / nectarine / 2010 posts
@regberadaisy: Yes, Mr. has been much more patient with the adjustment than I have. He had to point out to me that I was hovering over the dog which was making him more nervous anyway. We’re getting there!
blogger / nectarine / 2010 posts
@mediagirl: Amico is about 55lbs, and he takes up sooo much space!
@mrs. train: I was wondering if it was an adoption thing or just a mom thing. That was the point though when everything felt decidedly different. It was really real then.
@mrs. paintbrush: Motherhood makes us completely different people, I’m told.
I’ll never be able to see another Nicholas Sparks movie again.
blogger / pomegranate / 3300 posts
@Mrs. Polish: it is absolutely a mom thing. Most moms have that moment when they get home when they realize “oh my god someone let me come home with a baby! What now?” But I think in a newborn adoption like yours and mine yo have all the normal stress of a birth plus all the stress and worry about if this truly will be your baby. When we got home I just felt like I was allowed to love him as mine and enjoy being his mother. Then with the sadness involved with adoptions are hard. It’s hard to be so happy when you know someone is mourning. It’s just is a big mess of emotions. But it’s completely normal, and your dog will also adjust.
blogger / cherry / 247 posts
sounds right on par for a brand new mom!!!
blogger / nectarine / 2687 posts
i swear, adopting messes with your hormones, too. i cried allll the time before and after lil’ CB came home!
cantaloupe / 6923 posts
Oh no
I hope my crazy cats will react well to kids coming into our house. I still think your wonder woman!