I can't believe Isabella is two weeks old already! I'm already getting sad thinking about how quickly she is going to grow up and I'm trying to savor every moment with her while she's a tiny precious little baby!
Isabella is doing great so far. We went back to the pediatrician to check on her jaundice, which has leveled off, and found out that it will take about a month for her to lose the orangeness. Stephen calls it the "Tropicana Look." She will fit right in with all the tanning bed junkies. We also found out that she gained 9 ounces in one week! Yay! She is now back to her birth weight! (And that explains why I've been feeling so much like a dairy cow lately.)
We love to watch all of Bella's little facial expressions and the funny noises she makes, she's very entertaining. Stephen loves to hold her and has discovered that walking around with her is a good way to calm her down. I feel like my entire day revolves around feeding her, talking to her, and trying to catch up on sleep. Our biggest challenge right now is figuring out how to get her to sleep in her pack'n'play bassinet. She almost always wakes up in the transport from the location where she fell asleep. Any and all suggestions and advice on this topic would be greatly appreciated...
Stephen trying to get Bella to sleep...
I'm feeling much better lately. I've been able to switch to taking Tylenol a couple of times a day and can move around a lot more without hurting much, so it seems that the c-section recovery is going well. The blood loss recovery is getting a little better with each day. A week ago, I could only be on my feet for about five minutes a day and that was it. Now I'm up to about thirty minutes a day and I feel strong enough to carry the baby short distances in our house every now and then. My mom took off work for a week to be here when the baby was born, but since we were in the hospital five days, we only had two days at home to enjoy Mom's good cooking! Stephen's parents were here for several days this week and did some more cooking for us, and having that good food available has really helped out.
Introducing Bella to The Great Outdoors (and me sporting the official new mommy look, complete with no makeup and greasy hair... just lovely).
We're starting to get adjusted to having a baby around, but I am still wondering if I will ever wear real clothes and makeup again, if we will ever be able to sleep more than three hours at a time again, and whether Stephen and I will ever be able to spend time alone together in the next five years. Last night we got to watch half of a movie together on the couch while Bella slept in her bassinet, and that was a huge accomplishment. lol. I am so thankful for all the time I've spent with babies before now, because that is definitely helping to make this transition easier. If not for that, I think we would be going at least moderately insane right now with the demands of newborn care. Instead of that, we are just mildly irritated every now and then (usually at 3 a.m.). Bella is still being a very good baby, and we still have a ton to learn about being parents, but she is being quite patient with us and giving us lots of love and joy anyways. We love her to pieces!
Every new picture you post is like Christmas! Isaac is going to be head over heels by his first birthday. lol. I'm so glad you are feeling a little better. I know what a relief it must be not to have to be on so much pain medication.
ReplyDeleteOur pediatrician told us to go ahead and put Isaac in the crib or pack and play when he seemed a little sleepy to let him learn how to self soothe and put himself to sleep. Ha! That is great and works NOW at five months, but was an utterly preposterous undertaking when he was a newborn. It is very hard when you are dealing with someone who falls asleep anywhere and everywhere, and then wakes the moment you have them where they need to be! That's how Isaac always ended up in the bed with us at 3 AM:-) One thing that almost always puts him back to sleep now, though, is rubbing his tummy. I also began approaching the transport like it was an Olympic sport! I would bend down as low as I possibly could to the mattress and slip my hand out from under him like a magician.
I hope that you can find something that works and get some rest! She'll be on a schedule before you know it and you'll get to sleep more than two hours at a time, I promise.
I can't wait to see you guys and I am going to call and check on you the first possible opportunity this weekend. Love ya!
Jenny
That's great to hear that you're doing better! I'm so glad you're up and about, and regaining strength. How lovely that yours and Stephen's families can be around to do a bit of cooking.
ReplyDeleteBella is so beautiful! She looks like a sweetie... and her cat pajamas are just adorable!
Sorry, I've got no suggestions for getting her to sleep, but when you do find out, please let me know!! :)