The Cottage on the Hill

Ever since baby boy was born my nesting instincts have kicked into full gear! Where were they when I was pregnant? I actually find myself weighing whether I want to take nap time, morning time or children's bedtime to go to sleep myself (which is sorely needed) or use the time to work on a project around the house. Today, napping won hands down, but I have a project I'm dying to tackle. It may have to wait until tomorrow.

Who are you? That's the question I ask my newborn son almost every day. Today is his 2 week birthday and he's grown and changed so much already! Yet, he is still a mystery. Who he is: his personality, his interests, his character, his faults, his strengths are still wrapped up inside his newborn soul. He moved a LOT in the womb, so I figured he'd be a wiggly spit-fire. Then he came out and proved to be quite laid back. I don't assume he'll be just like his big brother, all outdoorsy, and all about farms and tractors. Will he play instruments with those LONG fingers he has? Will he continue to be quiet and easy going? Who are you, little man? I can hardly wait to find out!

Baby boy gained back 60% of the weight he lost after delivery! Thanks to Renee's suggestion of www.kellymom.com/bf/index.html, I got some great info on everything breast feeding. Things are going well now and I have plenty of milk. Now, baby boy is asleep and I should be as well.

It is funny how some women, no matter what, can make milk like crazy. For me, breast feeding is a delicate matter. I dried up within 3 months after the birth of my oldest and my middle child. Yesterday once again proved that I have to be mindful and careful when it comes to my milk. Big brother and big sister were rather disobedient and difficult and it caused me great stress. It felt like every time I put baby to breast a fight broke out...a fight bad enough to need physical intervention to tear them off each other. My milk was reduced by half and my let downs were fewer and much weaker. So, once the older kiddos were tucked into bed, I made every effort to relax. I also nursed baby boy on demand, as I've done since he was born, and turned out from 5 pm to 9pm, he nursed every hour on the hour. Then, overnight, he nursed every 2 hours until 3:30 am when he obviously had a good, full feed and was able to sleep for 3 hours until the next feeding. I am fuller this morning. B...

Baby boy's cord stump fell out yesterday! My cousin and his wife had their baby yesterday morning! She's adorable, but baby boy and I got kicked out of the maternity ward by the head nurse. Apparently, babies aren't allowed in the maternity ward. At least not the ones that weren't born there. :b Baby boy's been sleeping most of the day and choosing his wide awake time to be in the late evening. This early-to-bed Momma is a bit sleep deprived now. I usually correct this by co-sleeping, but baby boy is too small to co-sleep for the purpose of nursing/suckling. He's nose gets squished and he can't latch on properly in the lay-down position. So that means Mommy has to sit up with him. Not that I really mind. He's so precious to look at and it's amazing watching him grow! A young lady from church came over with a pint of Ben and Jerry's and a helpful hand weeding the garden. We had a great time chatting and weeding until the rain drops started...

Baby Boy is one week old today! He's doing so well and we are all smitten with him. I am amazed at his growth and progress in just 1 week! Baby Boy is a quiet lad who only cries when it is necessary (at least so far). During his wakeful times, he enjoys staring at patterns or his mommy. He's great at turning his head to look around and listens intently when I sing. He's not the strongest feeder, yet and prefers multiple quick snacks rather than spaced out dinners. His umbilical cord stump is almost ready to fall off. He likes to be swaddled and loves being held. So much so that when I do hold him, he falls asleep almost instantly, but if I put him down, he wakes up. Not all the time, though. :)

Happy Father's Day to my dear husband who is an excellent, loving, supportive, hardworking, caring, fun-loving, endearing father to our children. Anyhow, I decided to post my birth story here: Monday, I felt great! I cleaned the house in preparation for our son's arrival and spent part of the evening praying with a friend of mine that we may both go into labor soon and avoid being induced. By the way, both our prayers were answered. I went to bed around 10 pm and was just drifting off the sleep when my pants felt wet. I thought, "you've got to be kidding me!" You see, I was hoping the baby would arrive later that week. Hubby was working out of town and had just left Sunday evening. After some double checking, I called hubby, called my parents and called the hospital. They wanted me to come right in. So, off we go to the hospital. I prayed hubby would make it in time for the delivery since he had quite a drive. At the hospital, I wasn't having any co...

More news to come when I'm not typing one handed. Can you guess why?