May was our first full month of parenthood. I went back to work after two weeks off following Lena’s birth, and Chelsea stayed home with Lena.

Here are some highlights. (I’m writing this in June, on my phone, while Lena sleeps. Sorry if it sucks.)

Grandma time

Grandma (Cravens) came down from Illinois to help Chelsea take care of Lena during the day. She was also invaluable in taking some shifts during the night to give both Chelsea and me (but mostly Chelsea) some uninterupted sleep.

Grandpa time

Grandpa (Stiles) came out to meet Lena for the first time, and really enjoyed it! It’s easy to fall in love with Lena.

Garden

I started planting our vegatable garden in April while I was home following Lena’s birth. This is my first time gardening, and I have learned that I enjoy it quite a bit. This year we are growing corn, sunflowers, bell peppers, tomatoes, and zucchini. We have a 12×16 foot plot in the backyard, which is only a third of the total garden space. We agreed to give the tenants the other two thirds since we weren’t sure how much time we would be able to dedicate to gardening this year.

I also built a compost bin that now sits in the back corner of our yard. We have been collecting kitchen scraps, grass clippings, and shredded cardboard and paper. So far it is working pretty well, but I don’t think we will have enough in time to add to the entire garden before fall.

Great Tilling and recovery

On May 11, 2019, a great tragedy beset our garden. The tenants had a friend come over to help till their side of the garden, which we happily agreed to. Sadly, the tiller strayed too far across the dividing line and bulldozed straight through the snap peas I had just planted, and destroyed three sunflower sprouts.

No pictures. The aftermath was too gruesome.

In loving memory of those lost in the Great Tilling of 2019, extra sunflowers and zucchini were planted in their place. #neverforget

Lena progress

Lena doesn’t seem for very long stints, which means we are up frequently during the night. She is getting better, though.

She is pretty good at holding hey head up when on her front, but still needs support when holding her upright.

She really likes lamps. REALLY. Just straight up stares at them.

Here is a video collage of May. It’s mostly about Lena, so I put it in the Lena section.

Finances

This month was dominated by hospital bills. Excluding health insurance premiums, Lena’s final birth cost was about $2,800. We had the foresight to choose to increase Chelsea’s insurance to the highest plan absolute last fall. I think it was a good choice, because in the very least it protected us from unexpected procedures. Chelsea ended up getting an epidural even though she didn’t plan to. That procedure turned out to only cost $260.

And, meet Roger. I think he ate two of my sunflowers.