Skip to main content

2 and 1/2 Weeks In....

And Stella is amazing! She sleeping like a champ and eating like there's no tomorrow.  I'm fully aware that she's only 2 weeks and this could all change but for now she is very laid back and a fabulous baby. 

What I've learned in 2 weeks
  1. When it's night time do not wake up the baby because you are worried she is starving. She isn't, she just wants to sleep like you do! Once Darren and I figured this out we all slept better. In fact a few nights ago she slept 6 hours! I thought she was dead! Nope.  She's averaging about 3 to 4.5 hours at night between feedings which is amazing!
  2. Pampers are waaaay better than Huggies. I have a pack of Huggies that I got as a gift that we are currently using just to get through them and go back to Pampers. I love Pampers and love their rewards program (Gifts to Grow).
  3. When you buy a sound machine for your child get one with an IPod connection. Before Stella was born I had these grandious ideas of playing Bach or Mozart during her feedings. After her birth I now realize that I too have to listen to it while I'm feeding her so we listen to my IPod instead. I'm sure because of this Stella will always get a hankering for milk when she hears Miranda Lambert and Adele but oh well, it keeps me sane.
  4. Breastfeeding is hard. Not only do you not know what you're doing but neither does your baby. After some tears (from both of us) we finally have the hang of it and I now think I could climb Mount Everest with her attached to my boob. I'm not going to try it though. I also concerned about not having enough milk....I have now sprayed Stella in the face no less than 5 times. Let's just say if you have a kid who you feel needs some breast milk, please call me. I have enough to share. My body is definitely not my own but it's really crazy to see this tiny person grow and know it's coming completely from me. It kind of makes me feel like super woman (with huge boobs and a pooch of course). Check out her chubby cheeks.

  1. The bouncy/vibrating baby seat is amazing! Stella loves to sit in this seat and watch the room, especially our ceiling fans. Darren or I have to sit near the on/off switch to keep the fan turned on but only for a second so she can still follow it. The picture above is Stella watching the fan in a cute onesie from her Godmother Nicole.
  2. The swaddle. I read that it may look like babies hate it, and it does look like that until she falls asleep right away AND stays asleep! Thank you swaddle blanket makers everywhere. Below is a picture of me waking her up and unswaddling her. She's in love with it (and sort of still has an alien head from her birth but I digress).
  3. Parents are the most incredible people on the planet. No, not me, I'm still a work in progress. I mean my own parents.  They stayed with us for 2 weeks and gave me a whole new respect for them. My Dad cooked and my Mom did laundry. It was amazing to come downstairs after a marathon breastfeeding session to find dinner on the table and laundry on my bed ready to put away. I have NO idea what I would have done without my parents the first 12 days of Stella's life.  They also filled our garage freezer with tons of food and in Emily OCD style they made a list of each meal and posted on the freezer so I could mark off food when I used it so I would know what was left. Did I tell you they are amazing?
  4. My Mom- I do realize I just mentioned my parents but my mom really out did herself. It's so nice to have someone to look to and say "how did you do this?" and then she tells you calmly and cooly. My mother's patience and advice over the 12 days they were here was truly invaluable. Some of my favorite quotes from my Mom during her visit:
    1. You aren't nearly as crazy as I was when I had your brother. You are holding up so well.
    2. Every day you look thinner, the weight is really coming off (this isn't entirely true but it always made me feel good when she said it).
    3. We will stay for a year if you need us. (This was during a breastfeeding session where Stella and I were both crying, mine was mainly hormones, Stella's was frustration)
    4. Thank you for letting me spend the first 12 days of Stella's life with you. It's all I ever wanted to do, now I feel complete. (How do you not cry when your mom says this? And you happen to be weepy and hormonal)
    5. And my favorite reaction from my mom.....I had to go to the doctor a week after being released from the hospital as I was diagnosed with Preeclampsia (can't spell) and they wanted to check my blood pressure one more time to make sure it was coming down.  I got home and told my mom they asked me if I had resumed having a sex yet (keep in mind this appointment was literally 10 days after I had Stella). She nearly fell on the floor from laughing. She had tears in her eyes.  I told them I hadn't been having sex but I had been horseback riding....NOT!
Just wait until week 4. I'll probably have a novel to publish.  Just kidding.



Comments

  1. hughesfamilyApril 13, 2012 at 1:38 PM

    You ARE doing awesome!!!! I am so impressed! Love the Stella pics and those cheeks!!!! I really do think she looks like you!

    I love your mom's comment: we will stay here for a year If you need us." :)

    Post a novel! I love stella updates!

    ReplyDelete
  2. JENApril 13, 2012 at 1:57 PM

    Pampers are so my favorite disposable - but I do love my cloths! And give yourself a gigantic pat on the back for breast feeding!!!!! Stella is adorable - and I can see that she has a nice Carter's wardrobe :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. gloverfamilyApril 13, 2012 at 5:42 PM

    I LOVE HER! She looks precious in her little outfits and most importantly, in the swaddle!

    Pampers are better when they are tiny, but I found that Huggies were ok when they are in bigger sizes. And, Seventh Generation is always there if she gets ridiculous diaper rash like her cousin, Anderson.

    Woo hoo for breastfeeding! It is a rough go for sure, but you've made it this far so you're doing awesome.

    Can't wait to meet her

    ReplyDelete
  4. thebrimerfamilyApril 14, 2012 at 11:08 AM

    So excited to see a new blog post! You are doing an awesome job and I love that you are using the swaddle. I personally wish I had one for myself - Jack always looked so cozy in his. She is precious! Can't wait to hear more! Also, Huggies are awful. Jack peed through every single one. Go Pampers!

    ReplyDelete
  5. WizApril 17, 2012 at 8:57 PM

    So much to say, I dont know if I can remember it all!.

    1)I like Pampers and Huggies naturals. They are soft like Pampers. I liked Pampers swaddlers the best but they stop at size three, thats when I switched to Huggies naturals.

    2)Breast feeding is great and it sucks all at the same time.

    3) Loved reading about your mom. I remember my mom saying that she was going to going to stay a week after Colt was born. I wasnt sure how it would go but she was SO helpful. She still is. She was just here for nine days while John was out of town and was up with me at 2AM when Sula wouldnt stop crying from teething. I can only repay her by doing the same for my children one day.

    So glad you are doing well.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The First Day of Daycare and other happenings

Last week we started daycare.  The reason I say we is because Darren and I both had to get used to the new routine and the morning I took Stella really felt like my first day at school. How weird am I? The minute we entered the daycare I felt good though. It smelled like blueberry muffins first of all! I mean, an ax murder's house doesn't smell like blueberry muffins right? When we walked into the infant room the three babies that were there were all smiles and the teacher was very sweet.  Stella on the other hand wasn't so easy. It was actually time for a nap for her and her lower lip started quivering and she gave me this sad little face. I had to keep telling myself it wasn't separation anxiety because she's way too young for that. I picked her up and started rocking her and then gave her to another teacher who was excited to hold her and figured out immediately that Stella loves being propped on a shoulder.  I felt really good about leaving but it still took m...
5 comments
Read more

That's a Real Baby!

Darren and I got to see our little baby this week! He/she is measuring 13 weeks and 1 day and everything looked healthy. This picture cracks me up because the baby looks like it's pouting because we woke it up.  We did though, the tech was pushing on my belly like I do when I'm trying to get into pair of jeans that are too small!  Baby Hawk wouldn't move! Enter the Kashi cereal bar.  I hadn't eaten in nearly 4 hours (the appointment was VERY long) so I ate my Kashi bar that I always keep in my purse for ultrasound emergencies. BOOM, baby Hawk was wiggling and sucking and even looked like he/she was sucking it's thumb! Yes, this is indeed my baby, I go nuts for food too! I do think the profile looks like Darren though. Darren makes this cute pouty face when he's being funny.  So, the mystery is solved, this is Darren's baby. Whew, we were wondering. I'm totally kidding people! This picture is sort of creepy to me but I must share my 3-D picture. I...
8 comments
Read more

From Doer to Leader, 5 Tips to Make the Transition

You did it! You got the promotion and now manage a team. It doesn't matter if it's a team of 1 or 100 your skill set must shift from doer to leader. While many a doer get promoted, few take on the actual characteristics of a leader. Instead they stay in doer mode causing frustration, resentment and turnover in their organization. This is what I refer to as "death by doer." Killing all hope, creativity and productivity of a team. Don't become the grim reaper of your team. Instead adopt these simple behaviors to ignite passion in your group and share your doer gifts. Stop doing and starting teaching Why were you such a successful doer? Because you thought differently than your peers. It's time to share that thinking with your team. As a leader it's your job to teach your team how to think, not what to think. Many a leader get caught up in micromanaging tasks. They believe there is only one way to accomplish a task and it's theirs. This is the u...
Post a Comment
Read more