Life with Elliott

So today marks our official fifth day with our little boy, and so far the whole experience has topped every expectation I have had about life after baby. This could be due to the fact that we have had amazing help so far, with my mom and Peggy helping me by making meals, doing laundry, and helping with the baby in general. Despite the interrupted sleep schedule, I am so happy to wake up to feed my baby that I don't seem to be getting groggy or grumpy (yet). I'm trying to nap when he naps, but it is a little easier said than done.

Elliott is making it about 3 hours at night between feedings, but isn't quite used to laying down by himself in the bassinet, and like his momma prefers to be snuggled while he dozes. I'm trying to ease him into the idea of napping on the couch, or in the bassinet during the day, so that eventually I can reclaim our bed and avoid him getting used to sleeping on my chest. For now, however, it is just a little easier on me to have him sleep between feedings at my side or on my belly because David and I can sleep too. David is adjusting to the little grunts and noises that babies make, and hopefully they won't keep him awake all night too much longer.

We took him to his first pediatrician visit on Thursday, and then again yesterday. His weight initially went down (like all newborns) but they were concerned he would lose too much too fast so we came back on Friday and he was gaining some back again. I also forgot to pack a diaper bag for the first appointment, so of course when we undressed him to be weighed he had a dirty diaper and I had to ask for supplies to change him. Whoops. We also went on our first family outing yesterday, and I figured out why infant carriers are sometimes nice to have. We had to play "pass the baby" so everyone could eat their meal since we didn't have anywhere to set him down. My mom didn't seem to mind being the main baby holder, although David had to give her a little break so that she could eat her burger with more than one hand. It was also funny to see her become a germ-a-phobe, because she would cover the baby's head whenever someone walked by the table. Even with tons of experience with babies, it's funny to see how much of a rookie mom I am, and how much I have to learn.