Happy Camper

Well all in all I have to say our first camping trip with 'Lil Miss Audrey was a success. Mike and I were a little worried of how she would do away from home but our worry was for nothing ...she's a born camper!
Most of our concern was about the weather since the forecast was calling for 60% chance for thunderstorms however it only rained while we slept. In fact, Saturday was so beautiful that we were able to spend the whole day outside. Along for the adventure were the Maes' and the Partins' (it was Andre's first camping trip too) and then Heather and Sam came up to spend a couple of hours to enjoy the nice summer day as well. Needless to say Saturday night posed a little challenge getting her to sleep after the fun filled day (Andre' had the same problem) however we still feel the weekend was a success. So much so that another planned trip is already in the making.

Hooray! Hooray!

Last night was Audrey's first full night in her crib. She looked so sweet when I went to get her this morning that I just had to take a picture to commemorate the moment. I will admit, there was a part of me that missed waking up next to her however I'm extremely proud of her!
On another note, I went to the doctors yesterday and found that I weight 4lbs less then I did when I got pregnant. I'm now a huge fan of the breastfeeding ...heck, maybe I'll breastfeed until she's 5 years old ...I'll be fashion model size by then!

Happy 6 Week Birthday

I can't believe it but Audrey is already 6 weeks old today! She's growing so fast that I swear if I blink she may be walking the next time I look.
She certainly had discovered her lungs at this point. The poor thing has been dealing with some obviously painful gas issues and has no problem letting us know she is uncomfortable. Below is a picture of her in the "football" hold, one of a few positions that make her comfortable. Mike calls her his "baby alligator" because of her posture here ...it's pretty darn cute.


Last week we had are first shopping trip with Christa and Andre. Both the babies were so good. They slept the whole time we shopped and we even got to stop for a quick bite to eat! Andre sits up much better then Audrey so he's lending her a shoulder in this photo.

The sleeping at night is getting much better. She sleeps a majority of the night in her crib now so I'm no longer worried about our current sleeping arrangement anymore. I'm confident that she'll transition to her crib fulltime in just a matter of weeks ...fingers crossed!
This weekend we are taking our first camping trip. Audrey seems to enjoy the fresh air of the outdoors so we're hoping for the best! I'll post pictures next week.

Audrey at 5 weeks

Audrey had her 1 month doctors appointment last week and came home with a good bill of health. She weighed in at 9lbs 3oz and is now 20 1/4 inches long. She's sleeping really well at night now even though most of that sleeping is done with me instead of in her crib. There is progress being made though. Just last weekend she slept about 3 hours each night in her crib. Now I just need to figure out how to get her to go back down after our night feedings. I'm not worried though, she'll get there eventually or I should say we'll get there eventually ...it's a team effort thing.
I'm feeling much better too since my whole ordeal. My incision has finally healed nicely now and I'm pretty much already back to my pre-pregnancy weight (there still seems to be a visible pregnancy pooch though ...I'll work on that). The breastfeeding is definitely the most challenging of all in my opinion. I was definitely ready to throw in the towel when I experienced my first clogged milk duct. I don't think I've ever experienced anything so painful in my life (...remember I didn't have to go through labor)! I fought through it though and after only a day of suffering we finally got past it and are back on our regular feeding schedule. So my goal is still three months ...God give me strength!

Three weeks already!

See what happens, have a baby and the bloggin' comes to an end! I've tried to update this blog on numerous occasions but something always seems to intervene ...like a hungry baby or a poopy diaper. There is so much to say I'm not even sure where to begin. Well as I posted in my last blog, Audrey was born on May 12th via c-section. We spent 4 days in the hospital and finally made it home on May 16th. Our first couple of nights on our own were a bit challenging, especially since I was still recovering from the surgery but we made it through, as all new parents do. It wasn't until our fifth day home that we realized something was wrong ...not with baby but with mom. I was having hot flashes and cold sweats which I brushed off as hormones but finally Mike insist we check my temperature which to our surprise was at 103 F ...back to the hospital we go! I was diagnosed with endometritis which is a common infection that may occur after a c-section. The only way to fight it is through IV antibiotics which had to be pumped in me for five days so our Memorial Day weekend was spent in the hospital. It was a disappointment yet we were lucky to have been able to bring Audrey to the hospital with us so I could continue to breastfeed and not have a mental breakdown, which almost did happen when I was forced away from her for just 6 hours in the ER (pregnancy hormones are wacked ...I don't think I stopped crying the entire time I was away from her). We were finally released again from the hospital the Tuesday after Memorial day only to have been sent back to the ER the next day because my incision opened up. You can imagine my reaction to having to go back to the hospital but it turned out that I didn't have to be admitted this time. I just needed a quick patch up in the ER and I was finally back home, this time to stay, with my baby.
Audrey is doing great. She's already past her birth weight and is doing very well with the breastfeeding, especially since she was forced to indulge in a bottle of formula here and there when I wasn't able to feed her during my medical incarceration. She sleeps really good ...during the day! Her night time fits usually start around 9pm and will last until midnight. During this time all she wants to do is feed ...there is no break for me or my boobs! Finally around midnight she'll settle down and sleep from anywhere between 2 to 4 hours until her next feeding. The days surprisingly go by really fast but I think thats because we really haven't found our routine yet. Mike goes back to work tomorrow so I think things are gonna finally find their way to normal around here! So my new job begins and I'm lovin' every minute of it!