Greetings from the land of Non-stop Nursing and Very Little Sleep! I plan to post a more detailed birthing story sometime this week, but I wanted to get some more photos up for now. We are home and doing well. So far, this experience is so different than the first time around. Of course it's challenging and demanding, but it's also been really enjoyable. I've really loved getting to know my new son these past few days. And it's so surreal to be a family of four. At one point today David was sleeping next to me, and I heard crying from upstairs in Katy's room. For a second I felt disoriented, like, wait, how can I be hearing crying when the kid is fine right in front of me? And then I realized, oh yeah, now there are TWO of them.
Not that I am taking care of both of these kids yet. I have had a tremendous amount of help so far and it is incredible. I could not do it without all the family that has been around for the past few days. And Brian, of course, is such a great dad. I am really lucky to have him.
Physically I am getting better. I had forgotten how completely terrible you feel for the first few days (weeks?) after the birth. Ugh. Right now we're in the really painful stage of breastfeeding, which is tough. But at least this kiddo wants to eat and knows how to do it, it's just a matter of getting over the painful hump.
Our first night at home was pretty rough. We could not get David to go to sleep in his bassinet, no matter what we tried. We even tried letting him sleep in the bed with us, but that wasn't going well either. He's definitely a snuggler, likes to be held and sleeps really well when he is. But sooo....how do we get any sleep? Finally at 4:00 this morning Brian brought him downstairs and slept with him on his chest on the couch. I was completely spent at that point and so thankful for the break. So I don't know... here's praying for a better night tonight.
Katy has been doing better than I expected. She seems to love "Baby Damin" and tries to be gentle with him. There are moments when she wants Mommy and gets upset that I can't give her my undivided attention, but we've been able to distract her. Of course, there have been lots of people around to give her attention up to this point. In a couple of weeks when it's just us, it will be a different story, I'm sure...
I'll post more details as I am able. Thanks again for all the support...
8 comments:
What great pictures of David and the family. He is certainly not lacking attention. Katy is going to be the best "big" sister! Take care of yourself and only do what absolutely has to be done. Times like this help us sort out what's really important. You and Brian are doing a great job as parents. God bless. Linda
It was lovely to see you today & meet the little fella. Call if you need anything, including an ear to bend!
Oh my gosh, Emily, he is so adorable! What a little sweetheart. I had a dream about you last night. You moved near us and I came over to see the new baby. (Who was already crawling, ha!) Strange, I know.
Anyway, I loved all the photos. I hope that things settle into a routine quickly. Best of luck.
This was awesome. I absolutely LOVE the photos, all of them. What a beautiful family.
I KNOW about the newborn sleep. The first night at home is so scary and awful. With both our boys, I swaddled them up and let them sleep all night in the swing. I did that for a good six months with both of them. We went through an obscene amount of D batteries, but it was worth every penny because we got more sleep than when they slept in their cribs.
Plus, even though I fretted about it, they both transitioned into the crib just fine.
I've been thinking about you a ton and am so happy you are all home and healthy!
Congratultionas, Emily! Your new little boy is so precious. After you get settled in and the visitors slow down a bit, I will stop by to meet David. Until then, if I can do anything, let me know. --Susan
Thanks for sharing the pictures. David is adorable and Katy is cute, as always. My biggest lifesaver in the sleeping department was learning that I could nurse laying down. The babies would start out in the cradle and then I would bring them into bed with us when they wanted to nurse. After they nursed and fell back asleep, I would put them back in the cradle until the next feeding. Swaddling helped a lot too. Hope you get some rest!
You all look so happy together! I am freaking out about Michael coming home because I know how difficult it will be, but we both know that it will be better soon. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other. I'm so happy for you and thinking of you. Can't wait to get our broods together when the boys are a little bigger!!!
Oh. Those. Cheeks.
He is the sweetest thing ever. He reminds me of my big baby boy...who is now 4 and cheeky in an entirely different way.
Good luck with the sleeping thing. One part I'm NOT looking forward to again...but it passes and you all figure each other out.
Thanks for the prompt pictures. Can't wait to hear the birth story.
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