Four Weeks: How it's going

How is it possible that four weeks have gone by since I was laying in a hospital bed and snuggling my little girl for the very first time!? I say it every week, but time is seriously FLYING. She's changing and growing and becoming more and more interested in her world with each passing day.

Those early days of week one. My little newborn seemed so fragile and helpless. The day we were discharged my mom and Tracy came to Iowa City to spend the day and help us adjust to life at home as a family of three. After we organized the house, rearranged the living room, ate dinner, and the grandma's got their baby fix in, it was time for them to leave. My mom and Tracy both gave me a few positive pep-talks that every new mother needs before getting ready to make the return trip to Des Moines. Tearful, I stood next to Alex while holding Julia as they pulled out of the driveway and waved goodbye. The moment I had been waiting for finally hit me. Julia was ours. This sweet, cuddly, brand new little girl was ours. There were three emotions that flooded me in those moments; extreme happiness, large amounts of love, and waves of worry. I wiped away my tears and realized that this is what parenthood is all about.

We have come a long ways since then! Our days are really happy. I feel so incredibly lucky to have a baby that is as calm and relaxed as little Julia. Some say that it's a reflection of the parents, and while Alex and I both try our best to be calm and let Julia run the show for the time being, I know that there are things that make us both nervous and evoke a few anxious feelings. Working in a clinic and seeing how many parents struggle with fussy babies, I'd really like to give Julia the credit. She's just awesome. She loves to be comforted, she's patient when she's hungry, and she's pretty good at letting us know what she needs before getting too worked up. Sleep, eat, diaper change, burps. She has a cry for each. Oh, and she sleeps really well. At nights she sleeps around 5-6 hours which is amazing for a newborn.

Most days we just hang around at home. As of the last week or so, Julia has been MUCH more alert during the day. I typically spend most of the day playing, singing and trying to stimulate her in as many ways as possible without overstimulating. We've come up with a pretty flexible routine that seems to be working for us at this time. Routine is used very loosely - as a newborn baby changes daily.

Alex will go to school around 9:30 and Julia and I will get the household chores done in the mornings; dishes, laundry, give Theo attention, tidy up the house, etc. We have lunch when Alex comes home around noon. He goes back to the Law Clinic around one and we usually use the afternoons to get errands done or take walks and try to be home in time for the best three hours of daytime television; Rachel Ray, The Katie Show, and Ellen. This is also coincidentally when Julia gets the most hungry. After she's fed and changed she'll usually use the rest of the afternoon to nap. Part of the reason I work so hard in the morning to get household things done is so I can spend the afternoon holding my sleeping baby.

I've had advice from lots of mothers telling me to put my baby down while she naps. While this probably does instill good sleep habits, I just can't bring myself to do it. Her snugly, newborn days are numbered and I know in a matter of months she'll be fighting her sleep and wanting to crawl/walk and be busy exploring her world. I'll take these snugly naps while I can. They honestly are my favorite part of my days with her. There is nothing better than having a sleeping, peaceful and content baby in your arms.  And those chubby cheeks. I could kiss them one hundred times over.

Nursing. I was most hopeful that this would work for us. Sometimes the baby just does not learn to latch on well and other times some mothers find the process of breastfeeding to be so demanding that it's more of a stressful relationship than a beneficial one. That was my biggest concern - would it work for us? Would I handle the stress okay? Engorgement? Would my supply be enough for her? I'm happy to report that we've got it down. Her early weeks were tricky and it HURT SO BAD every time she finally latched on. Seriously, it was worse than any labor pains every time she latched those first two weeks. Lanolin was my best friend in those early days and so was the manual pump. I wanted to try the soothies, but I was too worried they would cause thrush with Julia, so I just grinned and bared it and realized that eventually it had to get better. I'm also amazed at my thirst levels these days. Nursing will make you the thirstiest person EVER. I have water bottles scattered throughout the house. The key is to having them readily available because as soon as you sit down to nurse, the most intense feeling of thirst comes over you like no other. Some days all I feel like I do is drink water, nurse, refill water bottles, repeat. You catch my drift.

She typically nurses every 3-4 hours during the day and every 4-6 hours at night. Some days when she's super hungry she will nurse more often, other days she sleeps a little more than what seems "normal" for her. I'm not sure how long I plan on nursing for. Eventually I'll go back to work and I haven't decided what I want to do then. I'm just thankful we had the opportunity to try it, that it worked, and that we aren't wasting our pennies on expensive formula!

I can't even begin to fathom life without Julia. She fits in perfectly. Sure, it takes us a little longer to go places and running errands is just not as easy as it was before; but it all can still be done with a little one. We've learned you just have to be organized and not everything has to be accomplished in one day. We laugh, because as small as she is, she definitely has a presence in the house. We love having her more and more alert each day and discovering pieces of her personality. She's starting to smile a bit socially and her cheeks are filling out. Nothing makes my heart happier than seeing her grow and develop.

Month one has been absolutely wonderful. Parenthood is everything and nothing at all like I expected it to be. Each day I wake up feeling more accustomed to our new "normal" and discovering how much my heart has grown with each passing day. We are so blessed and so lucky to have our healthy family.

Thank you to all of our family and friends who have checked in on us, prayed for us, made meals for us, showered us with gifts, and most importantly, let it be known to little Julia how much she is loved by all. We are so thankful.

Xoxo,
KBG