Catching Up

We came home Thursday afternoon, a little over 24 hours after Sadie was born.  I remember it being really windy and much colder that it has been.  Juan decorated the front of the house with balloons and a huge welcome home sign.  Unfortunately we didn't get a chance to take any pictures, rats!  But it was the sweetest thing.  Juan is so thoughtful and cheesy like that!  :)

The first few days were a whirlwind. We were still sleeping on the pull out couch in our living room because the upstairs was airing out from all the painting. Sadie would wake up every half hour or so to eat, so sleeping wasn’t really an option. We quickly learned what it was like to be delirious.

Sadie’s first doctor appointment was that Saturday. She had lost a lot of weight - went from 7 lbs 9 oz down to 6 lbs 6oz. The doctor suggested supplementing formula every third feeding. But that quickly turned into every feeding because although I fed her every hour in hopes of increasing my milk supply, she still wasn’t getting what she needed. And she wasn’t crying anymore!  I think this may have been where breastfeeding started going downhill. I’ve had a few people tell me the baby sort of has to “starve” the first few days until your milk supply increases. Is this true??  I attempted pumping for the next SEVERAL weeks, but found it to be really exhausting and hard to keep up with. So I decided to call it quits.  I felt guilty at first because there are so many benefits to breastfeeding, and I wanted Sadie to get the best of everything. But I tried, and that’s all I can do. Thankfully a few weeks later a wonderful friend of mine who is still breastfeeding her baby said she would pump a couple times a day for me! So Sadie is getting some breast milk daily. :)

At four weeks she was 9 lbs 7 oz and 21 inches long. She started sleeping better too... but the little princess DEFINITELY loved sleeping in our bed.

Sadie started smiling somewhere between 6 and 7 weeks. She started sleeping through the night around then too, often sleeping up to six hours straight! And wake her up to eat? Psh! She wouldn't miss a meal if her life depended on it.

I recovered rather well. Besides being sore and winded the first few days, I physically felt like I was back to normal. Emotionally though I had a few post partum "issues." I wouldn't call it depression but I definitely battled my emotions more than normal.

Thanks to my mom for coming over on a weekly basis for the last few months to help remodel our room and Sadie’s room, and to help me clean. And for coming over our first full day home from the hospital. I got to take a break from domestic responsibilities and she even hand scrubbed our socks! I haven’t done that like ever! Thanks Mom, you've helped make the transition so much easier.

A HUGE thanks to my grandpa for his brilliant carpenter skills and willingness to help us finish the mess we started. He was at our house by 7:30 AM and often stayed until 5 pm, determined to finish before Sadie’s arrival.

And to my dad for helping us put in our new floors. We really could not have done it without you guys!

Juan's "secret weapon" to comfort Sadie was to take his shirt off...it actually worked!

She is such a sweet sleeper :)

Found her thumb

Oh Sadie you are so loved!