Stroller Walking And Splish Splashing

The weather the past couple of days has been so nice...we decided to get out the stroller and take Amelia for her first walk. Her first ride in her stroller was on Saturday and we've been outside walking the neighborhood every evening since then. She loves being in her car seat so hooking her car seat on the stroller and walking around the block is something that she really enjoys. I'm so thankful that she loves her stroller because it's such a nice way to relax, talk to Jason about his day and get in some exercise. I'm hoping these evening walks help melt off the pounds...one can hope, right?

Yesterday when I was changing Amelia's diaper, I got a pleasant surprise. Her umbilical cord stump fell off and she has the cutest little belly button ever! Not only does losing her little stump mean that she's a big girl but it means she can take a big girl bath. She's not the greatest at balancing and sitting up in the bath tub but she loved soaking and splashing! Just seeing her in the bath made me realize how fast she is growing. My little one will be 3 weeks old tomorrow...goodness, where does the time go?

Our little family is adjusting to our newest addition a little bit better with each passing day. We love our little lady!

Grandma And Her Baby Love

My mom got on the first flight available once I called her and told her that I was in labor and was heading to the hospital. She has been saving up her PTO time at work so she could stay and help out for TWO WEEKS after Amelia made her debut.
Mom was able to be in the delivery room...she loved witnessing her sweet little girl being brought into the world. She was beaming brighter than any light in the hospital...just look at the picture below!I'm not sure what I would have done without her, her support, her extra set of hands and her instinct on what needed to be done. She cooked meals, helped clean the house, loved on her newest grand baby girl, took care of the boys, did laundry and just providing an extra set of hands. I'm sure I'm forgetting a few more things that she helped out with but I'm running on little sleep so I'm not able to think of them. She's always been an amazing mother and I loved seeing her in action being an amazing grandmother. We are so blessed!!
With all that said, mom left to go back to Missouri yesterday. Last night was our first night with just the three of us and I think that we did pretty good. Amelia definitely missed her grandma singing to her but she settled for mama's singing instead.
Next week Jason is on vacation and we'll be flying back to Missouri so saying goodbye wasn't as hard as we anticipated because we knew that in only a few days we would be seeing her again.

Mom--I'm so thankful for you and your kindness. Your help was much appreciated...I'll repay you one day!!

Bassinet To Crib

Last night, Amelia slept in her bed for the first time. Up until now she has been sleeping in a bassinet beside our bed but we decided it was time to introduce her to her room and try to establish a routine with her. Bedtime is one of the first routines that we have really been working on. Our routine for bedtime has been the following: a bath around 7:30pm, bottle around 8:00pm, swaddle and put to bed around 8:30pm/9:00pm. She usually wakes up around 12:00am, 3:00am and then again around 6:00am. Of course this routine isn't how every night goes but that's our target routine for now.

I was dreading moving Amelia into her room. I have enjoyed having her in our room because when she needs something, she is closer and it's more convenient for me. We hooked up the monitor so we could look in on her periodically throughout the night without having to actually get up and go into her room. Here is what I saw all night....As apprehensive as I was to put her in her room, after last night I'm certain that Amelia loves her room. She slept like a champ and let her mommy and daddy get some much needed sleep. My baby is turning into a big girl with each passing day...sleeping in her room is just another way to show she is a big girl!

Our Little Lady

We've been so fortunate to have some great photographers take pictures of Amelia over the past week. Her newborn pictures were done when she was 7 days old and then we had some other pictures of her taken when she was 14 days old. Here are some of the pictures of her at her 2 week photo shoot...I could just eat her up!She has already changed so much over the past two weeks...our lives have changed so much in the past two weeks! We are so in love with our little lady!

Amelia's Second Week

Thursday, March 1, 2012: Bright and early Thursday morning, Amelia had her newborn pictures. Shortly after finding out we were pregnant, I started searching for the perfect photographer for her newborn pictures. It was a lot more difficult to keep Amelia asleep and position her in the sweet, little poses but after seeing the finished product, it was worth all the effort. Friday, March 2, 2012: Amelia got to meet Ms. Raina, who is going to be coming over to the house to watch Amelia when I go back to work. It worked out perfectly because Jason and my mom were both around to meet her when she came over. It was nice to see how she interacted with Amelia.
Saturday, March 3, 2012: Tonight was date night for mommy and daddy. Amelia stayed at home with grandma and we got to go out to dinner and run a few errands. Unfortunately, I wasn't feeling the greatest due to a fever and mastitis but it was still nice to be able to have a night of just us. We've said from the beginning that we want to make sure we make time for each other. A simple dinner at Outback and a few errands made us feel like we were doing just that.
Monday, March 5, 2012: After my milk production was cut in half after getting mastitis, I called Amelia's pediatrician and explained the situation. She recommended that we feed her part breast milk part formula until the mastitis goes away and my milk production increases. Amelia ended up getting two days of partial formula bottles and today was her first day. She responded really well to the formula...no issues that we noticed but it was really difficult for me. I felt like I wasn't being a good mom, even though I know some babies eat formula only. I was so glad when I could put the formula away!!
Wednesday, March 7, 2012: Today was another doctor's appointment for another weight check. Weekly appointments were scheduled until Amelia's weight got back up to birth weight. Today when she was weighed she was 8 pounds 6 ounces (56% for her age), which made this momma so proud. I was so worried that she would drop weight because my milk production was so low this week but after seeing the number on the scale, I was tickled pink. She doesn't have to go back to the doctor until her two month check-up in April.

Breastfeeding Experience

*Proceed with caution--this post could have some unpleasant details. I want to remember this experience...all aspects of my breastfeeding experience.

Once Amelia was cleaned up after delivery, she was immediately brought over to me to start nursing. Latching on and feeding for her was no issue. She acted like an old pro...she fed for 15 minutes on one side and then we switched her to the other side for 10 minutes. I knew that it would be painful in the beginning because my boobs weren't used to being used as a feeding tool for a hungry baby. To be honest I didn't care how it felt, I loved knowing that I was able to feed and take care of my baby.
Nursing and pumping were going great up until this past Saturday morning. I started feeling achy and feverish and my left boob had a knot on one side and was getting redder with each passing hour. After 24 hours of running a 100-102 fever and after pumping out some unknown substance, we finally got in touch with a great family doctor! The doctor determined that the substance that came out of my boob was a calcium stone and if it didn't come out, it could harden and really make things rough. After all my efforts, I had still gotten mastitis in one of my boobs. The calcium stone was about the size of a penny and pinkish in color. Talk about a freakout moment when you realize that something is floating in your milk, something that shouldn't be there. Not only was one side painful but it was also affecting the amount of milk that I was able to pump out. Amelia loves to eat so not knowing if I would have enough milk to fill her up made for a stressful few days.
After continuing to pump/nurse and a few days of antibiotics, the mastitis cleared up and my milk production increased back up to where it was. I'm still breastfeeding and pumping (trying to build up my supply for when I go back to work) and it's definitely getting easier with each day. At first, I wasn't so sure that my body would be able to keep up with our hungry girl but we made due!
Breastfeeding is a learning process and I'm sure that I'll continue to learn and I hope it continues getting easier. I love knowing that I'm taking care of my little girl!

A Daddy And His Princess

I just had to share these sweet moments between a daddy and his princess...melt my heart!It's amazing how much love he has for Amelia. I can't wait to see how his love for her continues!