It's All Up To Us Now

Mom left at the end of the week and so it was our time to do it on our own. We were actually ready. I was feeling much better. I could actually sit down and walk normal so that was a major milestone. I thought I would cry when my mom left but I didn’t because I knew I would see her in a few weeks, plus I was ready to take on the challenge of being a mom. Jon was very confident that we could do this and WE DID! I am not going to say the first 6 weeks were easy but they were manageable and we learned quickly that we had to work as a team. We took turns getting up at night to feed and change diapers so the other one could get a few more ZZZZ’s.

 

Jon and I kept Beau in our room for only 6 days! We decided that we would get more sleep if he slept in his own room. We were not getting much sleep with him in our room because he made so many noises. He really did sound like a little piglet rooting around in this bed. We were fully equipped with a video monitor and it was very sensitive to sound so we felt confident that he would be find in his room. My cousin’s wife Aimee and her mom gave us one of the best gifts ever! It is a little “hammock” as we call it, made by Fisher Price and it was the perfect thing for Beau to sleep in. It allowed him to be slightly reclined, it rocked and he fit snug in it so he could not turn over. We LOVE this hammock for than I can tell you! It is portable so we can take it on trips with us or over to a friend’s house for dinner. It really has made our life so much easier.  At the beginning Beau was going to bed around 9 so we were getting up at 1, 4, 7 and then he would nap off and on during the day. Around 2 months he was getting in a much better routine. He would go to bed around 9 and wake up around 4am and then get up for the day around 7. Finally around week 9 he was sleeping through the night! It was an awesome feeling the first time he did that! Jon and I both woke up in a panic and I said “Jon, did you get up with Beau last night?” He said “No, did you?” And I smiled and said “NO.” I quickly went into his room and saw that he was sound asleep! His new sleep pattern was going to bed between 7-8pm and then waking up around 6 for about 15 minutes which was just enough time for us to change him and then would sleep until 8-9am. WOW this really changed our life. We finally did not have the “fear” of going to bed but knowing that we would not get a full night sleep. We finally could go to bed and know that we were going to get some good sleep.

 

Jon and I were talking the other day about how rough the first six weeks are. As a new parents who have never been through this wild journey, you just don’t know how lack of sleep will mess with your mind. We were getting frustrated with each other and with all kinds of things for no real reason. We could not understand why we were getting frustrated until we started getting good sleep. It is like we have just come out of some crazy fog and are back to normal. Jon’s parents live in South Huntsville and have been a huge help. I am really not sure what we would do without family living close by. They will sometimes keep Beau on a Saturday or Sunday for a few hours so Jon and I can either go to the store, shop, go to the pool to relax or just sleep. This “free” time that we have is much needed. I love to run into a store and not have to take a baby carrier, diaper bag and be on a time crunch in fear that Beau might have a meltdown at any moment. I can get so much more done by myself! On the flip side of that, I know that Beau LOVES his time with the Reynolds. They hold him, tell him stories and just love on him for the entire time he is with them. They are great grandparents! I with my family lived closer so my family could get some regular Beau time too!

Our New Life

My mom stayed with us that first week and I am not sure what I would have done without her! My brother and dad headed back home to Daphne once we got home and were settled. They had to go back to work. I did not mention this earlier but while we were in the hospital my family stayed at our house and helped us out so much with so many things. They fixed things that needed some attention, changed the oil and tires on my car, put our new grill together, fixed our ice maker and filled our house with food. We really appreciate all they did for us!

Mom helped me get in some sort of routine. She made sure we were fed, the house was clean and assisted us with things with Beau. She was a huge help because I was able to take care of myself and Beau while she took care of all the house stuff. Jon was a huge help too! He changed Beau’s diapers and would rock him. I was breastfeeding so I mainly fed him but once I got used to pumping then he could give him a bottle. We did supplement with formula at night because the doctor said the formula would help push the jaundice out of his body. Even though his numbers were not in the dangerous level, he still had jaundice for about a week after he was born. I was very happy when Jon fed him because that allowed me some time to myself. Life as we knew it before was gone but a new and exciting life had just begun!

First diaper change

 

Mom also helped give him his first bath at home. He was so small for the little bath tub chair and kept falling forward. We tried bathing him in the sink but we quickly found that the bathtub was the best place. The bath calmed him down and he enjoyed it.

Days 1,2,3 & 4

Life as new parents is so much fun. I really never knew that so much love could come from such a small little person. Jon and I had a blast in the hospital while we were there. We had no idea how our hospital stay would be like and we were pleasantly surprised. The nursing staff was very attentive, supportive, patient and caring. They took great care of me! Our room was really big which allowed for a lot of visitors to come see us. There was a pull out couch for Jon to sleep on which was perfect and he actually slept great! The first night we had the option to keep Beau in our room or send him to the nursery. Jon wanted to try him in our room so we put his little carrier in between our beds and after about 30 minutes of us trying to sleep Jon said “nope, he has to go!” Who knew that something so small could make so much noise! He grunted and moved around so much! Sounded just like a little piglet. I pushed the call button for the nurse and she came to get him. Once he was gone we got to sleep for about 3 hours before he was back for a feeding. I fed him for about 30 minutes and then he want wheeled off back to the nursery. All through the night I would get woken up by either a nursing coming to take my vitals or Beau coming to feed. You would think I would get upset with getting woken up so much but I never did. I was just so happy to finally have our little boy with us! Every morning we would get up around 7 and Jon would go get us Starbucks from downstairs. Oh how I loved the convenience of that! I ate hospital food for every meal but Jon always ate with either my family or his. The food was actually not too bad! I really was not in the mood for anything other than bland food because honestly I was terrified to go to the bathroom (#2). That was a huge fear of mine b/c I heard how horribly painful it is.

We had some great visitors come see us! Our days went by really fast and we loved every minute with Beau. He was a great eater, only cried when he was hungry or had a dirty diaper, good sleeper and was just precious. We spent a long time trying to figure out who he looks like. We think he has my eyes and nose, Jon’s mouth and cheeks. He has really long toes and fingers which are so cute. Overall he is a doll!

 

 

I was feeling pretty good after the delivery. I was very sore and in some pain but I had some medicine to help with that. I was so excited to take a shower that first night. I felt so dirty and the warm water just felt awesome! I was also really excited about putting on my own pj’s to sleep in. That hospital gown was not very comfortable and I felt very exposed, especially when people would come visit.

On day 3, Beau had to get his bilirubin test which was going to see if he had Jaundice. This test was the indicator if we were going home the next day or not. Jon and I did not think anything about the test because we were totally convinced that our baby was perfect. Well the nurse came in our room and said that Beau did have jaundice and his level was a 12.7. This is actually a borderline number because the cut off was an 11 so he barely had it. The pediatrician that was on call came and talked to us about staying one more night and having Beau sit under the billi lights overnight.

 I guess my hormones were out of whack b/c I cried when she said he had to sit under the lights and only could come out to eat. I called my family and the minute my dad answered the phone I started to cry when I told him that Beau had Jaundice. He was really calm and reminded me that I had it as a baby and that everything would be fine. Beau went under the lights around 5pm that night and it was so sad to see him in there. He had to be totally undressed except for his diaper and he hated that! We could walk up to the window and see him in the little tent and he was just shaking and screaming. Ugh, I would tear up every time I would see him like that. The next morning they check his levels and they had gone down so we were free to go home. So, Saturday evening at 5pm we were headed home!

We called our family and told them that we were all free to leave and we quickly packed our things. My brother came up to the hospital to help us get home with all our stuff. My parents were staying at our house so mom had a great meal ready for us when we got there. Oh how I missed real food!

 

We were finally home and I could sleep in my comfy bed! Life was good!

 

The First Bath

When they wheeled me upstairs we stopped by the window of the baby nursery to see our little guy. Jon was asked to go inside to help with the first bath. I had to keep moving to get checked into my room. I did not see the bath but I have tons of pictures that Mrs. Kimmy took so I feel like I saw it all.  Jon had so much fun and actually learned a lot from the nurses. He came back to the room and taught me stuff that I did not know. He is such a good dad!