We have Survived...

...11 days with Jack at home!  Hooray!  I would have to say that's a pretty big accomplishment.  I truly don't think we had any idea what we were getting ourselves into when we strapped that little guy into his car seat and brought him home.

And to say it has been an adjustment is an understatement.  And if I'm honest, I think the night time shift has been a bit of a shock for Peter.  He keeps informing me that I have been getting up multiple times in the middle of the night since December 31.  First, it was by the nurses feeding me my medications, etc, throughout the entire night, and then once I was discharged I was waking up 2 times in the middle of the night to pump and now that Little Buddy is home, we feed him at least 2 times in the middle of the night.  So I am officially use to being sleep deprived among other things.  Now my husband on the other hand is not.  Poor man!  But we are adjusting and we are learning, each and every day, about ourselves, our baby, and each other.  And all of it is such a blessing!

So let's see I wanted to share 11 things I have learned in the past 11 days...

1.  I couldn't live without his little giraffe sound machine.  Truly - I couldn't live without it..his little noises would keep me up in the middle of the night.   It turned off one night, and I tapped Peter and said can you turn the giraffe back on please.  These things are an absolute MUST!



2.  I love the velcro swaddlers and any and all swaddle blankets, but these ones by Aden and Anais are pretty fabulous.  Both items are a must, and even though our little guy is teeny tiny, I can still confine all his little limbs with the velcro ones.

3.  Our son loves to be held...all the time...by anyone.  He does not discriminate.

4.  Babies don't have a ton of laundry.  Maybe it helps that it's all miniature in size.  And maybe it helps that I don't change his outfit every day!  But you do feel like you are doing laundry ALL the time.

5.  Bibs are little lifesavers because babies spit up a LOT, and it seems as though I am washing those items all the time.  I have started to use cloth napkins and anything I can get my hands on to clean up the little guys face in hopes of saving his little outfit from discarded milk.

6.  Our baby, considering he was a preemie, has a very specific food routine.  He is drinking breast milk via a bottle, but we add a supplement to it to increase his caloric intake.  And we have to measure things out and use all sorts of bottles, and I have to get up in the middle of the night to put the concoction together, and when all is said and done breastfeeding seems so much easier!

7.  Having a husband that is able to work from home is such a blessing, even if it's only a few days a week.  Sure makes things a whole lot easier for me to tidy the house, take a shower, run to the grocery store, etc.  I'm sure you get the picture!

8.  Another thing I have learned is that I love using reusable wipes.  I truly can't imagine throwing all those wipes away!  I have some of these, but I also just bought cheap little wash clothes at Marshalls and those work great!

9.  And I am really excited to use cloth diapers - so tired of going through all the diapers!  But it is what it is for now...but let's be honest, this kid goes through a lot of diapers.  In the meantime, my cloth diaper stash is increasing!  I now have four. 

10.  And I absolutely love sleepers that zip!  Best invention ever!  It makes the whole diaper change thing so much easier, and I find myself thumbing through his closet and intentionally discriminating against ones with snaps.

11.  We love this little guy so much and like Peter said last week..."I know he hasn't been in our lives for that long, but I truly can't imagine our lives without him in it."  Well said husband, well said.

And that's all for now...

Love,

Malia