Home sweet home. It was exciting to bring Alyssa home a week ago today and have her begin to adjust to the place she'll be calling home. In the past week, it's be fun to see how much the house has been taken over be her - from the bassinet that moves from our bedroom to the living room and the swing and rocker recliner that required rearranging the living room slightly to the bottles and formula that are now sitting in our cupboards. And we know this is just the beginning.
Alyssa has done a great job of adjusting to life at home. We had a few trying days at first when it seemed that all she did was cry, but by Wednesday after an in-home visit from a nurse, we figured out why. It turns out that she wasn't getting enough to eat. So the nurse recommended that we give her 2 oz of formula after each feeding from me; since doing that, she's back to the happy baby we first met in the hospital. She weighed 9 lbs, 3 oz at birth, but by the time we left the hospital four days later, she was down to 8 lbs, 4 oz and 2 days after that, she was down to 8 lbs, 2 oz. Because of this, the pediatrician wanted to see her the next day; we were happy to see the scales tip 8 lbs, 8 oz at the pediatrician appointment, so the supplementing is working. She's happier, she's started peeing more and is now having one or two poopy diapers a day too. While she's still not pooping as much as she should be, she's moving in the right direction!
We've discovered in this first week at home just how tricky it can be to get much done. Alyssa is quite the hungry little baby (guess that's why she weighed 9 lbs - whose family does the appetite come from?!) and eats every 2 1/2 to 3 hours; since it takes anywhere from 30 to 60 minutes to feed her, it doesn't leave too much time for getting things done in between, especially after washing the bottles for the next feeding and cuddling with her! We certainly can't pass that up. Having Nana and Grandpap Fleming stay with us that first week was such a blessing; they helped keep the house in shape, everyone fed and provided a lot of love and moral support for all of us, especially during those few crying-filled days. Visits from Grandma and Grandpa Menke, Auntie Stacy, and friends also have been a lot of fun and provided us with some adult conversation. Aaron worked full days Wed-Fri last week, and will work half days this week while Alyssa and I try to establish our own daily routine.
We managed to make two family outings this weekend - one to the grocery store and Target and one to church. Much to our delight Alyssa didn't make a peep during church; we could sit in our normal spot and not have to go to the family room (AKA crying baby room). This was also our first chance to show Alyssa off. While we didn't take her out of the car seat at all - several people around us peeked in at her face and congratulated us. I think we're both proud parents.
I guess that's the latest from here. I heard that some of you wanted to hear my version of the birth, but really Aaron really hit it right on. Great anticipation and anxiousness kept me up most of the night before, so I went into the whole process pretty tired. The early stage of labor wasn't too bad in fact Aaron couldn't even tell when I was having a contraction; the nurse was impressed as apparently my contractions were pretty strong and I wasn't complaining of pain. She thought I must have a high tolerance for pain - fooled her! The epidural was amazing for the first several hours until it caused my legs to swell and become unbearably heavy and they turned it off. I remember being thankful for the visitors as they kept us distracted and made the time pass quicker. When it finally became time to push, I was ready but I was also very uncomfortable and a little scared. Pushing was definitely hard work but Aaron was right by my side and kept encouraging me. He was so calm but yet so excited to finally get to that stage. The nurses who helped us through all of this were amazing; they did a great job of explaining everything and encouraging both of us. I don't remember at what point I shut down during pushing - I think the alternating between sweating and freezing, the uncontrollable shaking, the pain in my back, and my physical exhaustion all just got the better of me. When our doctor came in and made the decision to move to plan B, I was ok with that, a little disappointed but thankful that I could leave that stage behind. I remember trying to sign different consent forms while shaking and being amazed by how quickly everything took place once the decision was made. I was alert when I first got into the OR - talking to the doctor and other staff, but that's really about all I remember until Aaron had Alyssa right next to me; even then, I think he had to tell me a few times she was a girl before I caught onto what he was saying. I don't know whether fatigue got the better of me, whether I passed out from pain (I could feel the beginning of the surgery), or whether they drugged me to keep me quiet (apparently I was screaming). All this makes for our very own birth story and has given us the most perfect little girl. We are so thankful for her and amazed by her...
Here are a few things you may not know about Alyssa:
Alyssa has done a great job of adjusting to life at home. We had a few trying days at first when it seemed that all she did was cry, but by Wednesday after an in-home visit from a nurse, we figured out why. It turns out that she wasn't getting enough to eat. So the nurse recommended that we give her 2 oz of formula after each feeding from me; since doing that, she's back to the happy baby we first met in the hospital. She weighed 9 lbs, 3 oz at birth, but by the time we left the hospital four days later, she was down to 8 lbs, 4 oz and 2 days after that, she was down to 8 lbs, 2 oz. Because of this, the pediatrician wanted to see her the next day; we were happy to see the scales tip 8 lbs, 8 oz at the pediatrician appointment, so the supplementing is working. She's happier, she's started peeing more and is now having one or two poopy diapers a day too. While she's still not pooping as much as she should be, she's moving in the right direction!
We've discovered in this first week at home just how tricky it can be to get much done. Alyssa is quite the hungry little baby (guess that's why she weighed 9 lbs - whose family does the appetite come from?!) and eats every 2 1/2 to 3 hours; since it takes anywhere from 30 to 60 minutes to feed her, it doesn't leave too much time for getting things done in between, especially after washing the bottles for the next feeding and cuddling with her! We certainly can't pass that up. Having Nana and Grandpap Fleming stay with us that first week was such a blessing; they helped keep the house in shape, everyone fed and provided a lot of love and moral support for all of us, especially during those few crying-filled days. Visits from Grandma and Grandpa Menke, Auntie Stacy, and friends also have been a lot of fun and provided us with some adult conversation. Aaron worked full days Wed-Fri last week, and will work half days this week while Alyssa and I try to establish our own daily routine.
We managed to make two family outings this weekend - one to the grocery store and Target and one to church. Much to our delight Alyssa didn't make a peep during church; we could sit in our normal spot and not have to go to the family room (AKA crying baby room). This was also our first chance to show Alyssa off. While we didn't take her out of the car seat at all - several people around us peeked in at her face and congratulated us. I think we're both proud parents.
I guess that's the latest from here. I heard that some of you wanted to hear my version of the birth, but really Aaron really hit it right on. Great anticipation and anxiousness kept me up most of the night before, so I went into the whole process pretty tired. The early stage of labor wasn't too bad in fact Aaron couldn't even tell when I was having a contraction; the nurse was impressed as apparently my contractions were pretty strong and I wasn't complaining of pain. She thought I must have a high tolerance for pain - fooled her! The epidural was amazing for the first several hours until it caused my legs to swell and become unbearably heavy and they turned it off. I remember being thankful for the visitors as they kept us distracted and made the time pass quicker. When it finally became time to push, I was ready but I was also very uncomfortable and a little scared. Pushing was definitely hard work but Aaron was right by my side and kept encouraging me. He was so calm but yet so excited to finally get to that stage. The nurses who helped us through all of this were amazing; they did a great job of explaining everything and encouraging both of us. I don't remember at what point I shut down during pushing - I think the alternating between sweating and freezing, the uncontrollable shaking, the pain in my back, and my physical exhaustion all just got the better of me. When our doctor came in and made the decision to move to plan B, I was ok with that, a little disappointed but thankful that I could leave that stage behind. I remember trying to sign different consent forms while shaking and being amazed by how quickly everything took place once the decision was made. I was alert when I first got into the OR - talking to the doctor and other staff, but that's really about all I remember until Aaron had Alyssa right next to me; even then, I think he had to tell me a few times she was a girl before I caught onto what he was saying. I don't know whether fatigue got the better of me, whether I passed out from pain (I could feel the beginning of the surgery), or whether they drugged me to keep me quiet (apparently I was screaming). All this makes for our very own birth story and has given us the most perfect little girl. We are so thankful for her and amazed by her...
Here are a few things you may not know about Alyssa:
- She has very long fingers and toes (from me!).
- She sneezes a good bit and sometimes in twos and three (from Aaron!).
- She hasn't yet learned to burp like a lady; you can hear them in the next room.
- She has so many different expressions that make us laugh - from her furrowed brow look, to her raised brow that crinkles her forehead; to the pouty bottom lip; to the subtle smile and the "I'm about ready to let loose a cry" look!
- She's quite squirmy. She's really quite strong and can flail her arms and legs with a good bit of force. Her neck is also pretty strong for as young as she is.
Thanks for indulging me and letting me ramble about our little angel. And thanks to all of you for your prayers, thoughts, well wishes, visits, congratulatory notes, and overall love and support. It makes us so happy to know that Alyssa is already so well loved! We love you all and look forward to keeping the blog updated with milestones and photos-
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