Yesterday we had family round to thank them for their love and support over those hectic first few days and weeks after Grace's arrival.
Gotta say I'm pretty proud of myself. I prepared all the food the day before. While it wasn't the gourmet spread my Mum and sister would prepare if they were hosting, it was tasty and plentiful and I think people were well fed.
Managed to be present for most of the afternoon and was able to let Grace have cuddles with a few people (particularly the ones that live across town and don't get to see her as much). Grace tends to get a bit restless when she is handed round, and even though she looks asleep, she actually is not getting the deep sleep she needs. So I find it hard to let her be "pass the parcel", especially in a noisy setting like a party. However, we coped and while I did have to lock myself away to feed, express and then try settle her for sleep, everyone seemed to understand and continued to have a good time.
I find that in those situations I get a bit torn. My top priority is Grace's happiness but I'm acutely aware how loved she is by her extended family and don't want to deny people a chance to interact with her.
The good the thing is that close family and friends seem to understand this. So while I felt a bit bad at times (like saying the kids can't hold her - I'm just not ready for my precious bundle to be held by young people), I think people respected my decisions and know that I'm a new, over protective Mum who is still feeling her way through things.
All pretty tiring though and Chad, Grace and I all crashed after everyone left. Can't say I'll host events every weekend, but it has given me confidence that I can juggle things and I know that my confidence will grow even more over time, both with parenting and party hosting!!
On an unrelated note, our dog has shown that he is completely dominated by the cats in the household as seen in this photo. Poor Flynn does not seem to realise he is significantly larger than Penzance and has the right to kick the cat off his bed. On the flip side, Penzance fails to realise that perhaps he does not own every comfy spot in the house!!
