Fun Times with Baby

Normally whatever pictures I post to my blog will go on Facebook as well. The last few days when I've tried posting pictures on Facebook it won't work. I'm pretty sure I need to update my computer, but I haven't had time to worry about it.

Anyways, we are on day 11 of having a baby and I absolutely love it! We're still trying to work out logistics (mainly sleeping), but for the most part everything is going really well! Audrey actually sleeps really well (the sleeping logistics we're trying to work out are mainly things like when will Mommy sleep?). Audrey is also doing REALLY well following a schedule. We haven't really worked on it until today, but I was trying to make sure and follow a 2-3 hour feeding pattern so that she would transition easier to a schedule. We've tried doing more of an eat/wake/sleep schedule today and she has done so, so well! In the mid-afternoon (after her 2:00 feeding) I struggle keeping her awake during that feeding and for any wake time afterwards, so we've just been putting her straight to bed. Literally, the poor girl is sooooo sleepy!

Michel has been absolutely wonderful as a husband, and as a new daddy! I'm not going to lie - I've had a couple of "new mommy meltdowns", but Michel is so good about knowing what to say or do to make it better. He also knows when I'm overly exhausted and will send me to bed and will do Audrey's nighttime routine so that I can gain an extra bit of sleep. He also does one supplemental formula feeding for me on some nights when I'm just too tired to think. I know, as a breastfeeding mom I need to worry about my milk supply, but sometimes Mommy has to do what's right for Mommy and let Daddy take the baby.

Anyways, these last 11 days with Audrey have been so much fun! She is such a good baby - she's easy-going, and she really doesn't cry much unless she's hungry or needs to be changed. Michel and I have already started learning her cries - we can tell when she's mad vs. when she's just fussing. The evenings generally are harder for her, and after doing some reading online, it seems most babies have their fussy time in the evenings. She generally is most fussy from about 5:30-8:00ish when we start her true nighttime routine. Luckily for us, her fussiness is not awful, so I'm not complaining.

So on to the fun stuff - pictures! We've had lots of friends come by to see Audrey and bless us with dinner so that we don't have to worry about trying to cook while figuring out life with a newborn.

Denise and Chase with Audrey

Katy and Audrey

We also had a meal brought to us by other friends from church, but I totally forgot to take pictures while they were at our house (sorry Amy Bratton and Michelle Hutchison!).

Yesterday, Michel's parents came by to visit us (but let's face it - they really came to see Audrey!). They came to visit us the day she was born, but they live over 2 hours away, and Michel's dad had to leave by 7:00 the night she was born so that they would make it home at a decent hour and he could go to work the next morning. She was born at 4:30, but visitors weren't allowed in until about 5:30 after I was cleaned up, Audrey was cleaned up, and I had a chance to try nursing for the first time. Anyways, here are Grandma and Grandpa with their first grandbaby! They took lots of pictures yesterday...I think they're pretty smitten with her already :)

I took the picture right as Audrey turned her head so it really looks like her poor face is buried in the blanket!

When we're not entertaining guests at our house, we're pretty laid-back. We've had fun tummy time:

She's actually really good at tummy time. She has pretty good head and neck strength, so she has been able to lift her head off the blanket a couple of times, and she almost always turns her head from one side to another at least once during tummy time. She has a duck rattle that is pretty entertaining to her - she likes talking to it, so that keeps her entertained during tummy time.

I've also felt that it is my responsibility to introduce her to the best TV show to ever air:

The Price is Right!!!

Ninja is still getting acquainted with the newest member of his family, but he's doing a great job! He's not aggressive with her at all (he's really not an aggressive cat anyways, so that wasn't ever a huge concern to me). He's just appropriately curious about her and her toys. Usually during the night he jumps on our bed, and looks like he's thinking about jumping into her pack 'n play, but he only does it when she's making noise, and I know he is just trying to see what's going on in there, but we can always distract him away from where she's sleeping. The rest of the time he'll sniff her head and then just kind of wanders off.

We've also had several successful bath times! The first time we gave her a bath was last weekend when my sister was here and could show us what we should be doing. We learned then that Audrey really likes having her head scrubbed. She gets pretty still and quiet when you're rubbing her head. I've done 2 or 3 more baths since last weekend and she's grown to like each one more and more. She's not a fan of having her clothes taken off (or her diaper changed for that matter) because she gets chilly, but once the warm water hits her skin she's so content - it's really cute!

I love my family of 3!!