Life One Week In…

We’ve survived the first week.
And I still am in shock that she’s here.

I cannot imagine her not being a part of our days and nights but most of all our lives. So far life as a family of three is off to a great start and Elizabeth is a fantastic baby!

Highlights from her week:

Day 1: Coming into the world! Meeting Nana and Papa Brogle, Uncle Jeff & Aunt Patty, Cousins Macayla, Lauren, and Jack. Snuggles from Mommy and Daddy. First bath in the hospital to remove all the vernix.
Day 2: Meeting Grandma K. (mommy’s mommy), friends of Mommy and Daddy’s, & heel pokes for jaundice. First hearing test, which she failed.
Day 3: Second hearing test, passed with flying colors. More jaundice heel pokes, & going home with Mommy and Daddy. First car ride.
Day 4: First outing alone with Mommy to the lactation consultant. We survived. First night survived at home; we didn’t get much sleep:)
Day 5: Much better sleeping and eating through the night and day. Going with Mommy to Daddy’s softball game for a little bit. First walk around the block in the stroller.

Day 6: First Doctor’s appt. Weight back up to 7 lbs. 8 oz. from a low on day 4 of 7 lbs. 2 oz. Lost her umbilical cord stump. Met Grandpa and Grandma Winter and Uncle Matt via Skype.
Day 7: Another outing with Mommy & Daddy to Target for essentials. She wasn’t impressed and slept the entire time. First bath in the big girl bathtub! Met Uncle Chris, Aunt Jen, and cousin Kate via Skype.

Glimpse into a day:
Elizabeth is an amazing baby…or I could be biased. Things are coming easily to both her and I. After getting some great encouragement at the L.C. on Monday, feeding has been going really well. She eats between every 2-3 hours and sleeps most of the time in-between feedings. She does much better at night in terms of efficiency which means I have been getting some pretty good stretches of sleep. She’s a very relaxed and mellow baby, very rarely cries, has yet to have a blowout or major spit up though I’m sure they are in our future. We spend a lot of time snuggling, napping, eating, and enjoying our time as a family of 3.

How’s Mama doing?
I’m doing surprisingly well. I often have to remind myself that I just had a baby and to sit and relax. Although having someone to snuggle up makes leaving things around the house much easier. Physically I’m feeling good. A little sleep deprived and a little sore, but both have been manageable. I feel really blessed that she’s a good eater and took right to feeding. Something I had been a little worried about before she was here. I’m lucky to have an amazing husband as well who is not only great with Elizabeth but extra loving to his wife.

One week in for Mommy:
Throughout the pregnancy I retained A LOT of water. I ended up gaining right around 35-37 pounds by the time she came. After leaving the hospital I was down 10 and after 7 days I’m down 22. They told me all the water weight would most likely be gone after a week; there’s still a little in my feet but I was able to wear my wedding rings today which I call success. I’m really surprised so much water was in me and believe me, I eat A TON now that I’m nursing! I can now, after 3-4 months, recognize my thighs, knees, and ankles…all of which looked like a tree trunk just a week ago. I’m not planning on doing anything to get the weight off except nursing and just going about our day. I’m in no hurry and know however my body decides to adjust is fine with me. Other than the occasional bout of tears in the first day or two home, I’ve been feeling emotionally really well and so overwhelmed with love for my husband and baby girl.

How’s Daddy doing? Daddy’s doing great! It’s been really fun to watch Alex evolve into the role of a dad. He’s never been the type to ooh and ahh over other people’s babies or even hold them. But from the minute he laid eyes on Elizabeth he’s been hooked. He was able to do skin to skin with her first in the hospital and loves cuddling with her. In fact, we often fight over who gets to hold her next:) There’s something about seeing your spouse with a baby that just makes your heart swell with love and pride. She’s blessed to have such a loving Daddy!

So there you have it, week one in a nutshell. We’re excited for week 2 and having Grandma around for the week. I can’t wait to see how she changes!