I absolutely love newborn snuggles, and I am sad to think that this newborn phase is already over. I still love to snuggle him when he falls asleep for his naps, or after I finish nursing him, but life is just busier with two kids. With Brooke, I could just hold her for hours while she slept and not think twice. Not so much the case when you have a toddler that needs your attention, too. Balancing my time and attention between my kids was probably one of the biggest challenges of being home.
Colby had his first weight check on the 6th (he was 4 days old). I warned Brooke that Colby would probably cry, and that she would need to hold his hand. Well, of course he did cry the minute we had to undress him. Leslie (the nurse practitioner who I am not super fond of) tried telling Brooke that he just didn't like being cold, but Brooke kept saying "He doesn't like it. Daddy, hold him." I am glad she was fulfilling her role as protector and advocate for her baby brother.
I just love that little guy! I basically lived in my nursing tanks for the first few weeks. With how often I was nursing him, it just made things a lot easier.
I love this picture because I think Kevin felt like super-Dad in that moment :) He was snuggling Colby, when Brooke decided that she wanted to join Daddy as well. She just made herself comfortable and they all rocked together for a while.
My Mom was able to stay a full week, but then she had to get back to work. Bev came and helped out a few days each week for the next 2 weeks while I adjusted to the demands of mothering two. I also started having back pain, which was so frustrating. Colby was the most calm baby, but he was not a great sleeper. He would sleep maybe an hour on his own, and then would wake up crying. He didn't really love his swing, which meant that I was holding him A LOT. I slept with him on my chest most nights, which surprised me because I never could relax enough to sleep that way with Brooke. I guess when you are beyond exhausted, your body just shuts down. Due to the way I was sleeping, or not moving much during the night (?), I started having lower back pain. I was really at a loss as to what to do. My doctor gave me some muscle relaxers, but they didn't help much. I went back to the chiropractor (who I saw a few times at the end of my pregnancy), but was not super happy with the results. I didn't think the adjustments really helped, and I totally cried during one visit when they tried the decompression machine. It was super embarrassing, and just so discouraging. It seems stupid, but in my mind, once I had made it through delivery without an epidural, I felt like nothing could be that hard. Boy, was I wrong. Oh, I forgot to mention that I also had some major engorgement that first week. I could feel that my boobs were super full, but nothing came out when I pumped, so I was in a ton of pain. My doctor was worried that it would lead to mastitis, so she prescribed antibiotics, and I was using heat packs on my boobs and massaging them during feedings. It was so painful, but thankfully it was gone within a week. I still haven't gotten into a pattern for pumping, I just don't feel like I have the time to dedicate to it. I also rarely sit in the nice recliner in my room because I just nurse thin wherever we are at in the house. Whether it's at the table during lunch, on the floor in Brooke's room, or in the loft. The luxuries I took for granted when I only had one baby!
It was helpful to have Bev here though so I could go to my appointments, and try to work on my back issue. When the chiropractor wasn't super helpful, I got a referral to see an orthopedist. Thankfully I took Colby, because I waited almost 2 hours to see the doctor! Bev would have had a very hungry baby on her hands. The exam was super quick, and he basically told me that it was muscular, and that I would need to do stretching to help remedy the situation. I could either go to physical therapy, or he could give me a home program. I opted for the home program so I wouldn't have to fit physical therapy into my routine. I was supposed to do the stretches every day, and I did a pretty lousy job at it. By the time I got around to it each day, it was super late at night and all I really wanted to do was crawl into bed. The nights I did do them, I slept a lot better though. I was just hoping for a quicker fix I guess.
He really has the best personality and is the sweetest little thing.
More Grandma snuggles...
Brooke LOVED this button art activity that Grandma brought with her! She wanted to do it multiple times a day, which was cute.
I guess this post should have been called "Colby Snuggles". I just couldn't get enough. Having a sleeping baby laying on my chest makes me feel such tenderness in my heart. Bringing a baby into this world is seriously amazing, but comes with such responsibility. Several times Kevin and I have talked about what kind of boy he will grow up to be. I hope he is gentle and kind, like his Daddy.
His cord fell off on Day 11, which meant that he was ready for his first bath. I still really love the Puj Tub, and Brooke loved to be the helper. She kept saying, "When I get little, can I take a bath in the sink?" Hahaha. Trying to tell her that she was only going to get bigger made her a little unhappy. She wanted to fit in the sink :)
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