Wow, I can't believe it, Joe and I have been parents for a week. Brock is the most precious Angel we could have ever asked for and we wonder daily how we ever lived without him. He was delivered via c-section at 3:44pm on Friday May 22 and weighed 8 lbs. 11.4 oz and was 21 inches long. He is a very healthy and strong little boy and we are so blessed to have him. We stayed in the hospital two nights then made our journey home to start our new life. It was a big move after only two days but everything went perfect! Joe and I really work as a team and when one of us is stressed the other takes over. Joe is an excellent Father and has taken to parenting like a natural. Day one and two were the hardest. Since I was still recovering from the c-section there were many simple tasks that were still very difficult to do. I had to sleep on the couch the first two nights because I was too sore to get into our high bed. After the second night I was able to use a small stool to get into bed and was able to sleep much better in between Brock's feedings. Brock eats pretty consistently every 3 hours. This gives me about 2-2 1/2 hours between feeding to relax or do small things around the house. I honestly don't feel sleep deprived or too overwhelmed like many new Mom's (I follow that statement with a knock on wood so I don't jinx myself). I feel like Brock is a very good baby and I have such an awesome support system that helps me out tremendously! Brock took to breast-feeding like a champ. Joe says he is a "boob man" but whatever it is I am so thankful! I had really hoped that breast-feeding would work out for us and so far we have had great success. I hope to keep Brock on an exclusive breast milk only diet for 6 months. Of course things happen and we will certainly adjust if we need to, but that is what we are shooting for. My recovery is going very well and every day is better than the one before. I am still quite sore but really can’t complain too much. I go for a 2-week check up with my Dr on Friday and I think by then I might be almost back to normal. Wait, normal doesn't exist anymore. haha Brock had a 4-day check up on Tuesday that went perfect. He has already started gaining back the small amount of weight he had lost in the hospital and showed no signs of Jaundice. The Dr kept saying he was "perfect” I have thought that all along, but was happy she agreed :-) Thursday we had Brock's newborn pictures taken. He did really well and stayed awake the entire 2 hour photo shoot. It was incredible! I have posted a few of the pictures and will post more when we get them back in a week or so. The ones I have seen so far are awesome; I don't know how I am ever going to pick a "favorite"! Friday I was needing to run to Target and Joe wanted to go to Sears so we made a big move and had my mom watch Brock for an hour and a half so we could quickly go run our errands and get back. I missed him terribly but knew he was in good hands. I checked my phone about 1,000 times, sent a few text messages to my Mom, and stared his pictures on my phone often! Brock did great, Nana gave a good report, and it felt good to get out of the house. I don't think she put him down for one minute the entire time we were gone. :-)
Next week we look forward to Joe's parents and Sister visiting on Monday. I also hope to get around to starting a few photo alums of Brock and filling out more of his Baby Book. Joe will be home again all next week so that we can continue to get the hang of this parenting thing and bond as a new family. Also, since I am still unable to drive, he will make sure we get to all of our important Dr's appointments safely. I am so happy that he has been able to take these two weeks off of work to stay at home with us. It is so wonderful having him around and just hanging out as a family!
I want to spend the last part of this blog thanking all of our amazing friends and family who have helped us so much and have showed us such love and support throughout these first couple days. The flowers, the cookies, the visits, the phone calls and emails, it is all more than we could have ever asked for and we truly appreciate all of your compassion.
Speck Photography by Cindy
