Happy New Year

Evelyn is about 2 1/2 weeks old now! Nate and I can't believe how quickly she is changing. Her facial features are getting more defined, her little body is growing, and her hair, unfortunately, is starting to thin out.

We are on yet another feeding plan, but this one seems to be working very well. I am no longer pumping (hallelujah!!), and my milk has come in (mostly). We are still supplementing with formula. This has allowed Nate and I to alternate the nighttime feedings. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, that means we are getting about 6 hours of interrupted, but not getting out of bed, sleep a night! What a huge difference!

We have also managed to stay away from doctors and nurses this past week. It is nice to enjoy time with our healthy baby girl.

Evelyn loves to spend time with us, even if it is sleeping in the same room as us. She especially loves tummy to tummy time with her daddy while he plays video games. She has gotten so strong this week! She is lifting her head off Nate's chest and will control her head for short times while she is held upright.

Here is a picture of Evelyn resting while I blog:

Ten Days Old

Whew! Ten days have already gone by, can you believe it?! Evelyn is such an incredible little person. Her facial expressions crack us up (especially her Popeye face!). We are learning her queues, which is making life a little easier on her and us. Here is a link to her website: http://evelynsdecemberbirthdayphotos.shutterfly.com/

We are on a different feeding program now, which is working out well. I am still trying to do a small amount of breast feeding (to remind her how and to prevent a lot of soreness), feed her formula, and pump any extra she didn't get out (to feed her later). We have rented a hospital grade pump in hopes it will help bring in my milk. We will see how this goes; we are giving it another week.

Evelyn is off the billibed! Her jaundice has gone away, and she is back up to her birth weight. We are all happy about this!!

Also, her check up at the orthopedic doctor went well. Her left hip is considered "loose" but not "unstable". She will have a follow up appointment to get an ultrasound in a month. The doctor is optimistic it will fix itself.

We had a funny experience at Babies R Us the other day. We stopped by to pick up a few items, but Evelyn needed to be changed while we were there. I took her to the changing room. Poop explosion. Whoa. As I lifted up her feet and hips to wipe her, she peed. Pee went all over her onsie, the changing table, the dirty diaper. I had to strip her down, give her a little "bath" with wet wipes, and put her in a new diaper. Not predicting this type of naughtiness, I had not put a spare onsie in the diaper bag. Evelyn spent the rest of the shopping trip in just a diaper. Lesson learned.

Evelyn helps us keep our sense of humor.

Merry Christmas! I hope you keep your sense of humor this holiday season and enjoy the small things.

Evelyn Minnette has arrived!

Evelyn was born on Wednesday, December 14, 2011 at 12:47am. She was 7 pounds and 1 ounce and 21 inches long. Beautiful. The most incredible person I have ever met.

Nate was absolutely fantastic during labor and delivery. He never left my side and didn't sleep a wink. He also gave me surprise gifts throughout the process.

Daddy with brand new Evelyn

We all went home that day, healthy and happy! I am recovering well; moving around and eating well.

Evelyn has had a little more then normal weight loss resulting from a difficulty of mine to produce enough milk for her. We are supplementing my milk with formula and feeding her often. Her weight has already risen to normal levels after only 24 hours on the new feeding plan.

First bath

She also has high Bilirubin levels. This causes jaundice. Every baby gets some jaundice after birth; Evelyn's levels are just a little high for her age. She is doing a 24/7 treatment of sleeping on a light bed. She is very comfortable and getting better very quickly!

Finally, she has an appointment this week to get her hip checked out. Since she was breech, her hip may have developed in a way that allows it to go in and out of its socket. This does not hurt her at all right now. We will see if she will need to wear a brace for a few months until her muscles develop enough to hold her leg in its place.

Olivia, our dog, has done quite well with Evelyn. We let her sniff Evelyn and get close to her without licking her. Really, Olivia is more afraid of Evelyn then the other way around.

All in all, we are one incredibly happy family. We are savoring the time we have together as we bond and grow closer. I know that sounds cheesy, but I have never been happier in my whole life.