Week #1 and #2 Reflections

WoW! I can hardly believe we wrapped up almost two weeks of being parents. I am so incredibly in love with our little one and truly love everything involved with being a parent. This past Monday was a bit rough and I was dreading being by myself for the first time since she was born, but I have to admit, Ash and I have developed a nice little routine and I am starting to learn more and more about her personality as each day passes. I love being at home with her and our special time together. I am already dreading the day I have to return to work :-(

I feel I am a bit behind on updating how the first two weeks have been, so I will try to include answers to the most commonly asked questions.

Stats
Ashleigh Paige was born at 3:45AM. She was 19 1/2 inches long and weighed 7lbs 9oz. Her weight when she left the hospital was 6lbs 12 oz and when we returned for a follow up appointment a week later, she was back up to her birth weight. Her next appointment is at the end of May.

New "human" buddy
As predicted, the dogs are adjusting well to their new roomie/friend. Actually, Lexi has become quite attached to her. She will constantly follow me around when I feed, change, and diaper her. If she begins to cry, Lexi will run over to her and check to see what is wrong and will start to give kisses. It took Porscha a few days to finally feel comfortable. The first couple of days, she didn't touch her food and would hide underneath the bed. She is doing much better now.

Dirty Diapers!
I have to admit, the first few days in the hospital/at home, I somehow avoided changing her diaper. Between all of our family members, nurses and an eager dad, I just never had the 'opportunity' to help in that area... LOL Well, now that we are at home and I no longer have the nurses button (or the easy button as I referred to it in the hospital) and Rob away at work, I have become quite the pro at changing diapers! For the record, she is an excellent pooper and I get very excited to know that she is eating so well!

Got Milk?
Yes, mamma has plenty of that! I actually am very lucky that I have great milk supply and she approves as well! So far she has been a good eater! During the day, she prefers to eat every two hours (which can be very exhausting at times) and at night, she can last closer to three hours.

Got Sleep?
Overall, Rob and I are very, very lucky in this area. The first night at home was extremely rough- mostly because I forced myself to stay up. I would literally stare at her and make sure she was still breathing every minute. By night #3, I relaxed a bit and tried to sleep when she did. However, she is a very content baby. There are some nights, she will go 3 hours (one night even close to 4 hours) without making a peep! At this time, she sleeps in a rock and sleeper next to our bed, I am not quite ready to put her in her crib.

Weighty Issues
Of course you are going to get asked this question and I'll be honest with numbers. To date, I have lost 26lbs (I think I gained around 30lbs throughout the pregnancy). I still have some additional weight I would love to shed (7 more lbs would be ideal), my goal is to get down to pre-Aruba weight.

Reflections
As I reflect back on our time together so far, it doesn't seem real that she was still in my belly about two weeks ago. Rob and I are on Cloud 9 and just ooo and ahhh over every little thing she does. "Rob, look how she sleeps with her mouth wide open." "Awww, look at her face when we do bath time." I have also learned a lot about myself and my marriage over this short amount of time as well. I am extremely lucky to have such an amazing husband and I feel Ashleigh has brought us even closer. I always thought Rob and I were a good team before, but juggling a new baby, you really bond on a much higher level. I feel we were up for the challenge and our love for one another has only grown stronger. Not to get ahead of ourselves, but we have already talked about our timeline for baby #2. :-) We are just so in love with Ashleigh and I can't imagine life without her!

Some humorous parental moments...
a. Rob and I were downstairs on the couch talking when I looked down at his hand...yep, he had some poop on it. (eww)
b. I have never been so drenched in my life- between the spit up and my 'feeding utensils' leaking milk, I wake up each morning a wet mess!
c. Lady like manners not so much... my poor daughter farts like its her job! I feel horrible even typing this, but girlfriend has some gas issues! There is definitely something so innocent and pure about a newborn making those "noises." We can't help but chuckle when she "toots."