Well, Adam and I survived our first whole day alone together yesterday. Mike had raquetball after work, so Adam and I really were together alone the WHOLE day. But, I think we did pretty well. Unfortunately, Adam decided again last night that he know longer likes sleeping until 4:30 a.m. and got up at 2:59 a.m. last night. Ugh. I know that is close enough to 3, but the clock still was showing a 2. I think I was spoiled by those 7.5 hour nights. But, 5 hours is not terrible for a newborn. The problem is that once he's up I only get 30-45 minute short spurts of sleep after the one long stretch during the night. Right now he is laying on his play mat in his cute little onesie with little cars on it and grabbing at his different toys. He just turned around to look at his mommy and my heart melts. He is definitely worth the sleepless nights.

So, last night at 2 I woke up to Mike coming over to my side of the bed and telling me to scoot over. I thought, "Oh how sweet. He is laying next to Adam so that he can get up and let me sleep since I've been running low on sleep lately." But then at 2:59 Mike was not getting up to Adam so i got up (and let's just say that from the noises Adam was making I knew there was one bad diaper that needed to be changed). In the morning when Mike came down around 7 a.m. (well rested and showered and leisurely eating breakfast..mind you that I had been up since 3, no shower, no food, etc) he said, "What's up with you taking up my side of the bed last night. I had to move over to your side because you were hogging the bed." So much for the romantic gesture. But, Mike and I had a good laugh about it in the morning because of our two very different perspectives of what had happened.

So, the biggest challenge that I have been facing as a new mommy once we finally got past the first few nights is nursing. Let's just say that I have a WHOLE new respect for mothers out there. I think I need to start buying my mom a much nicer gift on Mother's Day! The toughest part about nursing for me is the time constraints. Since I've been nursing it means that I have to be available when he is hungry and you can't really plan exactly when that will be. Sometimes he can conk out for 4 hours and not need me. Other times he is hungry 30 minutes after we finished the last feeding. He seems to be especially hungry in the mornings (before noon) and in the evenings (after 4:30). That's why it is especially difficult for me to walk away and run errands and things. Because if he ends up getting a bottle then I need to pump around the same time so that my body knows to produce enough. And if you wait too long to pump and he gets hungry again, then I might not have enough for him during his feeding. So, like I said in the beginning it's all about the timing. I feel like I need to have a stop watch next to me. But, things are definitely getting better every single day and I'm happy with all of the benefits of nursing, but I'm not going to deny that it is a challenge.

Okay, we're getting ready for bed now. Hopefully we'll all be asleep by 9. We're really party animals these days. I think Adam is planning to blog tomorrow. He is hoping to get more messages on his "Leave your mark" link!

Katie

Well, Mike is at work today and Grandma and Aunt Sarah are back in Minnesota. So, it is just Adam and I. I feel MUCH MORE comfortable and confident now. For anyone who hasn't had their first child yet I have to tell you that the learning curve is exponential for the baby and the parents in the first few weeks. I remember back to the first few nights after he came home and the complete panic I was in compared to the relaxed atmosphere we have now and it is a complete 180. Now, I am still very tired and don't have a lot of free moments but I am much more confident in the fact that when he cries I will be able to get him to stop. I am more confident in knowing what he needs and I am much more organized and prepared for having long periods of time where I am confined to a chair with him, so I have things within an arms length away. We also measure our success now in poopy diapers, hours slept, and loud burps. Today Mike was able to go to work AND Adam has been fed a few times AND we had "tummy time" AND I have had a shower and am wearing real clothes AND we went for a walk AND he is down for a nap. And this was all before 10 a.m. (granted we go to bed by 9 these days and get up around 4-5 a.m. to start our day for good). He only slept for 5 hrs straight last night, but that is still decent so I can't complain.

When we took Adam out of the car seat on the first night home he pretty much started crying and really didn't stop until about 1 or 2 in the morning. The motherhood thing did not come so naturally at first. I felt so awkward with him and I felt like I was going to break him. Mike came in and told me to go to bed because I was completely wiped and still trying to recover. I woke up 3 hours later with a start because Mike hadn't come in to wake me up. I went into the nursery and there was Mike in the glider with Adam in his lap on the boppy pillow. Mike had him wrapped up and was holding his little hand. In Mike's other hand was a book called "Be Prepared." It's a book for new dads with a comic twist. When I walked in Mike said in an official and calm tone.."this book says some babies like to be swaddled and some don't." He had finished reading the entire book. I asked Mike how Adam was doing and Mike said that Adam just needed someone to hold his hand and that when Mike let go Adam would get restless and his breathing would start getting fast. I knew at that moment that I was married to a GREAT man and that he was going to be a wonderful father. Adam is a very very blessed boy. When Adam finally fell asleep and Grandma took over Mike and I spent every free second organizing our house so that we could actually leave the nursery with Adam. Then we had grandma start a list of EVERYTHING we discovered we all of the sudden needed from a velcro swaddler (best invention ever) to the formula they had used at the hospital to bottle liners. It was so helpful to have her there to run to the store for us and take the morning shift while we showered.

Slowly but surely I am actually able to do a chore or two in addition to taking care of Adam. We are also slowly being able to handle more and more guests and everyone who has been coming to help is greatly appreciated. And it has been equally nice to have those moments where it is just Mike and I and Adam getting adjusted to what life is now like as a family of three. Also, to everyone who has been sending gifts and cards...THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU. I will soon be catching up on thank you cards and emails but please know that our family is very thankful for your generosity and well wishes.
We feel very loved.

Love,
Katie

Whew! What a rollercoaster! It is Day 11 and I finally have 2 hands to write a little blog entry. Adam slept for 7.5 hours last night. When he started squirming this morning I shot out of bed and searched for the clock. I couldn't believe it when I realized it was 4:30 a.m. and he had fallen fast asleep at 9:00 p.m. the night before. I felt like a whole new woman!! So, let's go back to Adam's first day from my perspective.

After a whole whopping one hour of sleep I woke up at 12:30 a.m. on Saturday the 28th with contractions about 8 minutes apart. Like the good wife that I am I let Mike sleep for a couple of hours until my contractions were 6 minutes apart. At 3 a.m. I told him and my mom to start getting ready because my contractions were pretty consistently less than 5 minutes apart and it was time to go to the hospital. They got themselves all showered and prettied up while I sat next to Mike's "talking clock" and had to time my own contractions. And for those of you that know me yes my hair was a disaster and I could barely care enough just to put on a fresh pair of clothes. (Contractions are not pleasant). My contractions started slowing down when we got to the hospital unless I was walking the halls. They were talking about sending me home (although my contractions were 4 minutes apart and an 8-9 on the pain scale). So, I was determined to keep the contractions coming and I would set "mini-goals" as to how far I would walk. I even started doing the stairs..whatever it took! Mike stayed back in the hospital room to take a nap. The nurse was a bit surprised when she came to check my progress and found Mike sleeping in the hospital bed. By the time they came back and were still talking about sending me home I was ready to pull out fake tears, because I hear that works. But, they finally decided to admit me and break my water.

Well, that was about the time the pain really kicked in, ESPECIALLY after they broke my water. They asked if I wanted an epidural and I was ALL about it. Let me tell you..epidural is a BEAUTIFUL thing. As soon as I got it I conked out and slept for over an hour. I woke up with a big smile on my face and still didn't feel a thing. Mike was looking at my contraction sheet and was amazed that I wasn't feeling anything. During my hour nap I went from 4 cm dilated to fully dilated and ready to push. Then they turned the epidural down and I went from being pleasant to nagging the nurses every minute (I'm surprised they didn't turn off the call button) that I needed to push. They wanted me to just blow the urges to push out through my mouth like blowing bubbles because the doctor was busy at an emergency c-section. Well, after I wouldn't let up with the call button the nurse finally said we could start pushing. An hour later with the doctor running in and putting on scrubs as fast as she could because I refused to stop pushing little Adam arrived. Mike said that he thought it was funny because the first thing I said when they put Adam on me was "That's my Baby!" He started talking about how that was an excited utterance and in court it would hold up as not being hearsay..or something like that..and that it was an obvious statement so it was funny that I would choose to say that. I don't really know what Mike was talking about all I know is that I was SO HAPPY to be done with the labor part. The other funny statement I made was "How do women do this?" I guess I said that while I was pushing.

Well I just heard some bubbles coming out of little Adam and an "aroma" is quickly filling the room. Mommy duty calls!