I am a zombie! Are you? (contains BABY PIX)

[Blucactus]

Hey mamas!

It's been three weeks already! I'm checking in to update & hope the other new mamas will as well.

(I've been lurking a lot but while nursing (A LOT) and the typing with one or no hands is not exactly my thing.)

We are doing well! Baby is growing like crazy (must be all that nursing like crazy! ) and we are still getting to know each other. I am still just in awe of the blessing our birth was. Most of the responses to his birth story IRL go this way: weren't you scared to death? and then I say, heh, heh. No, it was fun! He was a bit jaunticed the first week ish, but has pinked up nicely and has a good set of lungs : and loves to use them, esspecially in the evening. :yawning: He has little curly hair and supposedly looks like me.

I'm wondering how the other new mamas and babes are faring??

...I am feeling weird that I don't have this big ole belly to carry around anymore...but Xander is a HUGE fan of the Mei Tai so I am carrying him around in front still, just a little higher up. I am sleeping maybe four, five hours a night if you peice together the snippets I get, but have been able to take a short nap during the day when the boys do. I am still a zombie though. Big brother is doing great, I joke that he is the only one in the house that is thinking logically & clearly & knows what's going on. I am loving being the mama of boys! I'm sure there's much more to say but I am needing my nap...

Mamas in waiting--it will be your turn very soon! How exciting!

I have a bajillion pics but will have to restrain myself and just post these:

http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u...igoFern/xc.jpg

http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u...ofDSC07784.jpg

(Most recent, three weeks old)

http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u...ofDSC08018.jpg

http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u...igoFern/xl.jpg

http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u...igoFern/xi.jpg

[Aeress]

Oh my goodness, what a sweetie. I love the pic with the yawn. I'm glad you are getting to know one another, enjoy!

[HeatherB]

Yay! So glad you are doing well, despite the lack of sleep!

Judah is actually my best sleeper yet - though that's not saying much around here. I haven't been looking at the clock much in the last week or so but when I was checking, we were getting 3 hour blocks at night pretty consistently. I was pretty amazed to have had 6 hours of sleep at just a few days postpartum! I still wish I could get more, especially as we've all been sick this week. Ugh. I could use 12 hours and still not be done!

We did 2-wk pics last night so now I need to get my DH to finish tweaking them and then I'll post some. I can't believe it's been two weeks! Long weeks, but boy does the time fly!!

[mamabearsoblessed]

Oh Mama~~ He's so beautiful!!

Thanks for the update!

[Inspired007]

Naiah is doing well also. She is 6 days old and we've finally nailed down a breastfeeding routine that suits us both. I've been dealing with sore, cracked nips but they're getting much better and now she latches on very well (although it still hurts in the beginning sometimes). She is gaining her weight back and is almost back to her birth weight of 6 lbs, 11.5 ounces. She nurses about every 2-3 hours with naps in between so for the last two nights in a row we've been sleeping pretty well. She wakes up to be changed and fed and then falls right back to sleep.

Right now we're cosleeping but today we're trying to get her used to the bassinet b/c I am a little nervous having her in the bed with us. Dh doesn't wake up as readily as I would like him to and I don't truly trust myself fully. I mean, when you're sleep you are unconscious so although I've transistioned into a light sleeper, it still doesn't mean I'll hear everything. The bassinet is positioned right alongside my bed so I think it will work out fine if she takes to it. At the moment, she doesn't like to be out of my arms, which is fine by me. She's barely a week old so IMO it's good for her to feel secure in the world.

I am so surprised by how fiercly I love my baby! I look at her and know that I would trade my life if it could save hers and without hesitation! What an amazing love it is from mother to daughter! It makes me appreciate my mom a little more now.

Also, my tummy is almost flat, which is a HUGE surprise to me! I was (and still am) going to post this in the RRL tribe thread but my uterus has done a great job for me this last week. My belly is basically already at it's pre-pregnancy flatness. I still have a ways to go with some of the skin tightening but the ab muscles and uterus have already gotten back to where I was prior to! I attribute it mainly to RRL tea. My lochia is almost non-existant! It's barely been a week. My little sis said she bled for 6 weeks after the birth of her baby and I just don't think there will be much blood left after next week. It looks like day 4 of a five day period, yk? My labor was pretty fast too so I truly think RRL tea was the reason why.

Here's another cute pic of Anaiah.

[2bluefish]

Wow, I can't believe you guys have like real babies. I'm in that "I'll be pregnant for ever" mindset now. What cuties - thanks for sharing the pics!

[durafemina]

Wow, I can't believe you guys have like real babies. I'm in that "I'll be pregnant for ever" mindset now. What cuties - thanks for sharing the pics!

ITA
What beautiful photos, I am in complete awe that I could have one of those soon!

[kleines]

What cute babes you all have!!

[hetaera]

Originally Posted by 2bluefish

Wow, I can't believe you guys have like real babies. I'm in that "I'll be pregnant for ever" mindset now. What cuties - thanks for sharing the pics!

Thats exactly what I was thinking.
This thread is so inspiring. I can be patient when I know something good is coming, this thread reminds me just how amazing its going to be!!!
:

All your little ones are so beautiful... I LOVE the yawn pic especially though, because my first used to yawn SOOO big, and when they're that tiny, its like it takes up their entire face.

[Dena]

Aw, what beautiful little ones! Thanks for sharing the pics, mamas!! Every baby pic I see just makes me more excited to meet Ellen!!

Glad you all are getting some sleep at least, and that things seem to be going smoothly for all of you!!

[gypsyfaery]

It makes me so giddy to see your beautiful babes! It really is hard to believe we will have another soon too!

Glad to hear there is some rest ahead. I am not getting 5 hours straight now with my 2 year old...UGH!

Keep the pics coming

[wildgarden]

I'm so glad you are all still around and doing so well. Your babies are beautiful. Sending you some sleep-vibes, although I guess I'm not really getting much sleep either so send some back this way!

[bygones75]

He is just gorgeous!! Too cute.

Yeah, no sleep around here either. But I remain hopeful that James will not follow in Thomas's footsteps and wait two years to learn how to get shut eye.

(Oh hey, cute pic of Anaiah too!)

I love this, even without any sleep.

[hammycakes]

I'm here, too. Lurking mostly.A little tired, a little overwhelmed at times but mostly happy. Hazel at 3 weeks has an unofficial weight of 9 lbs 2 oz which I think is pretty great since her newborn checkup weight at 3 days was only 7 lbs even. She doesn't cry that much but she grunts all night long and has started spitting up a lot if I don't burp her right away, so I'm not getting great sleep. But hey at least she isn't screaming all night, right?
She is starting to focus her little eyes on things and hold her head up for a minute or two here or there. I'm waiting on that awake first smile - she smiles all the time in her sleep and it almost brings a tear to my eye 'cause it's so cute.
Here's a pic, I'm thinking of using it for the birth announcement photo.

http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l5...ntree/hjb1.jpg

[bygones75]

Originally Posted by hammycakes

She doesn't cry that much but she grunts all night long and has started spitting up a lot if I don't burp her right away, so I'm not getting great sleep.

nak. hammy, this is james to a tee as well. grunting all night long... spitting up too. do you think it's reflux? gas? i can't figure it out. the grunting keeps me up though, even when he's asleep.

thomas had terrible reflux... but he was a screamer/colic baby. plus i don't remember the reflux starting this early.

[HeatherB]

hammycakes, love the photo!

Judah is getting more spitty and fussy, too. But he's also had a cold (thanks to my big boys!) and so he's had more mucous which could account for it.

Now if my boys would ALL just sleep I could not only get some sleep but maybe get a bath!

[Banana731]

Just lovely!

[hammycakes]

I had a bath with the baby this morning- she loved it and was so relaxed. Boy and she needed it after all that spit up caked in her hair.

Suz and Heather and any other spit upon mamas- I sent my dh this link

http://www.babycenter.com/0_why-babi...nfo%401de928d1

as I had forgotten about spitting up- and it was reassuring because I was worried about reflux, too. She is really gassy also, I can hear the little tummy making sounds and the gas is amazing for someone so small. Hoping it's her immature digestive system and not something in the milk she is reacting to.

I'm trying to get better at burping her and see if that helps any.

[HeatherB]

We have a chiro appointment tomorrow for both baby and me. Hopefully that will help if there are any underlying issues. I, too, worry about him reacting to something I'm eating. In fact, I've done elimination diets of one sort or another with both of my big boys - guess I'm a little paranoid! But so far no allergies here, just spitters and refluxers. Judah is definitely spitting more and more, so we'll see if tomorrow changes things.

Ah, and a bath! I need to get him in one. I'd like to just get one with him, but still have some bleeding so I'm not sure I can yet. It's almost done, though, at 2.5wks pp, which is great. But I've thought I'd check with my MW to make sure it wasn't a problem now. Judah has so many kisses on his head that his hair's a mess!

[cherubess]

aww cute piccies

Glad that everyone is doing well. Just hold on Mamas who are still preggers ... not much longer!

One week old today and this baby is very much stubborn (as I knew from her breech position which she refused to budge from).

She feeds for 10 minutes and that's it ... no more.

Even if I change her nappy and she wakes up she won't eat anymore.

Just promptly falls asleep.

I am very happy to be home with my family.