The first week...

    Lots of tears these first few days.  Steve was home and for the first probably 4 days I stayed in bed with the baby.  Finally I realized I needed to spend a lot more time with the rest of my family on the couch downstairs.  This helped the tearfulness tremendously!  Change is really hard for me, even when it is good change.  Let's see...what else...  Jacob is my first baby to co-sleep with exclusively.  It started in the hospital and just continued when we got home.  I would just feed him, swaddle him and then tuck him in right next to me.  I was slightly nervous for a few weeks doing this, and would wake up and check on him to be sure no blanket had gotten on top of his face.  I ended up taking the heavy comforter and pulling it back farther on the bed towards my feet, so that it only came up about 3/4's of the way on the bed.  That way, unless the baby moved down, which he wouldn't at this age, the comforter could not come over his head.  I kept a space heater going in our room so that we didn't need that heavy comforter anyway.  

I treasured co-sleeping with Jacob.  During this first week he would just wake at something like 1 and 4 am.  This has since changed, but I felt like I was getting great sleep during those early weeks.  My milk seemed to start coming in on Friday night, transitioning on Saturday, and fully in by Sunday.  (He was born Wednesday night)  Jacob was 8 pounds 4 ounces when we left the hospital, 24 hours after his birth (He was 8 pounds 7 ounces at birth).  On Saturday he was 8 pounds even at his pediatrician appt.  On Monday he was 8 pounds 4 ounces.  Once he started gaining weight, he has been gaining at the rate of about 2 ounces per day.  From the get-go I tried to feed him about every 2 1/2 hours.  Feedings would take about 1 to 1 1/2 hours!  Lots of cold cotton balls and feet tickling to keep him awake!  

(Getting ready to leave the hospital---it was about 10:15 PM!  I hadn't slept in about 36 hours!)

Home!  Yeah!  Picture taken January 10th, our first day home...

Jacob was an instant celebrity at our house!  I loved being around the kids but when I didn't get enough sleep, the chaos around me would make me feel crazy!

(First Bath...mind you, the VERY first bath.  I don't have them bathe our babies in the hospital.  We like to give them their first bath.  This was on Saturday, in the morning, right before I took him for his first check-up at the pediatrician.  It was quite rushed because I tried to do too many things in too little time---typical for me!)

(We got sent home with instructions to use these special lights to help him with jaundice.  His bilirubin level was actually quite good, but she wanted me to use them for 24 hours anyways.  That was an interesting experience!  When the pediatrician told me I didn't have to use them anymore I was relieved)

(5 days old)

(7 days old)