She's still alive

Maybe some of you more experienced parents can explain this mystery. Any time I nurse Hannah during the day she immediately passes out, while at night, when Ed and I have designated it "bedtime" she puts up a fight and won't be lulled to sleep until we've spent an hour feeding, changing, feeding again, and then swaddling and shushing. And then she somehow decides that she is no longer groggy the minute she is laid in her bassinet. At which point she proceeds to make those darling newborn noises that are somewhere between content and fussy so that her devoted parents lie in wait for the next outburst asking each other questions like "does she need to be changed again?" or "could she be hungry?" and "why isn't she sleeping!?!"

It's a good thing she's so darn cute.

cloth diaper update

We hit the first snag in the cloth diaper experience. We've been drying the diapers on the back porch to save energy and gain the benefits of the good old fashioned sunshine. Unfortunately a couple days ago was the first day there was little to no good old fashioned sunshine, and the full load of diapers Ed put out to dry was still damp and smelled a little funky when I remembered that they were still out there. This was not so good...

The moral of the story: drying diapers outside works best when it's not rainy or muggy.

Holding pattern

Hannah had her 2 week check up yesterday. She gained 6 oz.! What a relief. The doctor was overall pleased with her growth and progress. She now weighs 7 lbs. 13 oz. and is about 20.5 inches.

Here are some pictures of Hannah sleeping... she does sleep...occaisionally...

We continue to be sleep deprived. I am feeling better every day. Ed is back to work. I am slowly getting back into doing things around the house. She continues to be charming and demanding.

Saving the planet one diaper at a time

Ed's comments on cloth diapering: "They don't leak as much as Huggies and I don't feel so bad when they only last 20 seconds" (side comment: Al Gore's an idiot and has a comb-over)

We began our foray into cloth diapering last night. They are a little bulky, but Hannah doesn't seem to mind. We've washed a load (mostly diapers we used to keep the changing pad fresher) and they came out just fine. Overall the transition has been seamless....so far.

Ed also wanted to note that he feels like Hugh Hefner...walking around in his PJs in the middle of the afternoon in a house full of beautiful younger women.

One week check up

Hannah turned one week last night. What an amazing week. Ed and I are adjusting to a whole new way of life. Number one change, as all parents know, is a completely different sleep cycle. Hannah doesn't cry a whole lot at night, but she does wake up hungry every couple hours. And as the nurses at the hospital reminded us: what goes in must come out. Despite all his fears, Ed has become the prime diaper changer. He confided that changing diapers is not as scary as he thought it would be. We'll see if things change when we dive into cloth diapering.

Nursing has been a challenge unto itself. I never realized that babies need to be taught to nurse. The nurses at the hospital and the lactation consultants were ever ready to help with advice and hands on demonstration. I'm thankful for their help, though at the time I felt a tad overwhelmed by all the focus on getting it right. The visiting nurse on Friday expressed concern that my milk had not come in. Hannah lost 7 oz. of her birth weight putting her at 7 lbs 4oz. More than what the nurse wanted to see. This visit was followed by Hannah's first "fussy" night. She wanted to be up every hour to nurse. She exercised her lungs in a cry that Ed has affectionately nicknamed her "HA-NA-AH-AH-AH" cry. By the next day I was sure my milk had in fact come in (not that I didn't still worry and consult several friends and relatives about the weight loss).

Yesterday was the one week check up. Hannah's weight is back up to 7 lbs. 7 oz. She otherwise met with the doctor's approval. I also got affirmation from both the doctor and the lactation specialist that I was getting the hang of the nursing thing. Good news.

Happy Birthday Hannah!

Hannah Josephine was born July 2nd at 8:29pm. She was 7lbs 11oz, twenty inches long, and has a head full of dark hair. If you imagine the Beetles you're not far off. I was simply amazed at how tough Marie is. She declined the epidural and remained strong through what has to be an incredible amount of pain. I'm blessed to have her. I'm blessed to have both of them.

Marie is on the phone right now and it seems the peanut gallery is getting restless because they want pictures of Hannah. Time to wrap this up and make everyone happy.

Pictures will be up in five minutes Kelly...

Today is the Day

Marie is being induced today and is at the hospital. I've run home to grab her overnight bag so the note will be brief. Everything, and everyone, is fine. Not a bad 30th birthday present for Hannah's Uncle Jim!

Officially Late!

We have learned something already about our little carrot. Hannah, like her daddy, doesn't seem to be "clock bound". This is a huge disappointment to many, including Mr Teddy Bear.