Long overdue update...slacker edition

I really should keep up with this blog more than I have been. It's the only thing I've been doing to document our baby girl's first few weeks of life. Right now I'm watching my sweet husband cuddling his little girl and smiling at every noise she makes as she sleeps. Today was his first day back at work since she's been born and he kept commenting on how big she's gotten. Apparently he put a picture on his desktop at work of Amelia when she was only a few days old and, compared to that picture, she looks pretty big in real life. He's been holding her practically since he's gotten home from work today - he missed her.

We're wondering if Amelia maybe has colic. At least a few nights a week (it's a guessing game of how the night is going to go) she starts screaming around 10 or 11pm and will only stop screaming if I'm nursing her...obviously comfort nursing and not because she's hungry. Our worst night was a week ago when she screamed or nursed until about 5am. Last night she did this from 11pm until 2am when she finally fell asleep. Not easy for her daddy to fall asleep before he had to wake up at 5am to go to work, but I did everything I could to keep her in the living room and keep her quiet. Regardless of my efforts, she was still fussy and crying loud enough for D to hear. He came into the living room where we were around 1am and held Amelia for a bit. For some reason he let out a long hum type of noise that shut Amelia up immediately. Not sure if it was vibration of his voice or what, but she loved it. Of course, as much as I wanted her quiet I wasn't willing to let D stay up with us!

Ok, admittedly it's now Tuesday evening. The blog got put on hold, as usual. The last couple of days my mother-in-law has come over around 1pm to help with the baby. The first day I was able to finally get a shower when she got here since Amelia was either awake, pooping, or eating all morning and I hadn't had the chance to get away. Today when she was here I took a nice long nap...it was wonderful. She also brought dinner for us both days which took a lot off my mind...it was very nice not to have to think about what to prepare for dinner. So, thanks Mama B! The next couple of days I'm going to be entirely on my own but I think we should be okay. Amelia's a dream during the day. It's the nighttime that can be a bit dicey.

I finally clipped Amelia's nails for the first time today. Yes, the first time since she's been born. We were going to file them but D hates the sound, the feel, or even the thought of an emory board. He says it's like fingernails on a chalkboard. So today while the baby was sleeping I used the little scissors in our American Red Cross first aid kit to cut her nails. No more socks on the hands!

The first week of Amelia's life we were at a doctor appointment every single day. Not kidding. The Monday after she was born we went to the lactation consultant which is standard procedure for new moms & babies. However, while we were there we found out she was a full pound below her birth weight which meant a few things. It meant we needed to supplement with Nutramigen until my milk came in and it meant we needed to go to the pediatrician the next day for a weight check to make sure she was gaining. We also found out that since my milk hadn't come in, Amelia was burning more calories eating than she was getting from me. Some time between the two appointments my milk came in and at the ped's she weighed 7 lbs, 4 oz which meant she gained a full 4 oz overnight. We already had a follow-up appointment scheduled with the lactation consultant for Thursday (I had a doctor appointment on Wednesday) and we found out there that she had gained another 5.8 oz. So, her weight was no longer a concern since she was obviously gaining.

That means I found another thing to be worried about. I realized as she was laying on my chest early Friday morning that she would stop breathing for a few seconds every once in a while (usually every minute or so) then she would gasp for breath. It was very scary, but after another trip to the pediatrician we found out that it's totally normal. Actually, the nurse told me when I called that it sounded normal but if I wanted to come in to ease my mind and get her checked out then that would be okay. Being a first time, slightly paranoid mom, I opted to go in. Then we had her standard ped appointment on Monday, too, and we found out that she was up to 8 lbs, 2 1/2 oz which the pediatrician was thrilled with so we're thrilled, too. We also confirmed how much we love our pediatrician. She's awesome.

So, needless to say I'm not healing very quickly. But the last few days have been pretty restful so hopefully I'll heal now.

Let me get to pictures.

Here's the nursery. Still unfinished. D's brother-in-law is making us a shelf for her room so there are a lot of things that will go on that shelf that will in turn move other things to a more permanent, less cluttered place. But, I got the wall decal as a custom order on Etsy.com and I'm really happy with it. I've spent quite a bit of time trying to find lighting for the nursery, but everything that's pink or white is labled "baby" and highway robbery. D had these torch lamps in his old condo that were black and I wasn't a fan of them - they were so...black. Anyway, I guess it's the result of me watching too much HGTV, but I got the bright idea to spray paint those torch lamps white. Also, while we were at Lowe's we found a small brown lamp with a white shade that had a nice shape but it was brown. So, D painted it pink at the same time that he spray painted the black torch lamps white. Anyway, you can see the torch lamp and small lamp in these pictures. Also, the quilt clips are done and hung. I drew the birds as a template and D cut the wood so I could paint them. I think they're a tad too big, but that's how they're going to stay!

The exercise ball is a lifesaver. Oftentimes, especially when she's having issues at night, bouncing with her on the exercise ball is one of the only things that can quiet her down. Here's D using that "technique"...

I just have to say I have the most awesome husband. He's been doing laundry, cleaning, working on home improvement projects, changing dirty diapers, and helps me with anything and everything I could possibly need or want. He's been taking care of everything around the house since I've had the baby and he always stays 5 steps ahead of me in everything. He goes to every appointment and reads up on what our baby could be going through developmentally each week. Man, I love my husband. I'm excited that even though he's back at work this week he'll be off work next week and the week after that. Yay!

And I leave you with a few last photos.

The first one was taken today - I sent it to D at work. The second D took last night...that's the swing that Amelia sleeps in at night, too. We're going to borrow my sister's Moses basket on Thursday so hopefully Amelia will enjoy sleeping in that as much as she loves her swing. She won't sleep in her pack n' play bassinet. I think it's too open & airy and not snug enough for her even though we swaddle.


The first one, Amelia is doing tummy time on a blanket that was made for her by the ladies at church. Each woman made her own square then the quilt was put together. The second photo is just for fun - it's Amelia's drunk baby look after she eats. I think it's hilarious.


And finally, here we are last Sunday outside the church building after Amelia's first Sunday morning worship service. The good news is that I'm only 6 lbs above my pre-pregnancy weight. The bad news is that I was not a good weight before I got pregnant so the weight thing isn't anything to write home about. Although, I'm not complaining - it's a good starting point for a healthier me once I can be active again!

And finally, finally...a video. Taken last Thursday when she was 2 weeks old.