8 Weeks and more smiles:)

My little one is smiling all the time now!! I have spent the last two weeks sitting around making funny faces and sounds so that Evie will smile and giggle at me. Evie is also giving us a five hour block of sleep and has a good schedule for eating. We started giving her a bath at night and this helps us avoid her fussy time, which has made life more enjoyable. The only time she really gets upset is when she wants to eat and we are not ready with the bottle. She is a very demanding eater and that maybe why she is such a big baby. Evie has her two month Dr. appt next week and I can't wait to see how much she has grown.

Post Partum Depression

It is Saturday morning at 7am and I am awake but Evie is sound asleep - what is up with that! I thought I would post about ppd while I had a few minutes of peace and quiet. The first couple days after we brought Evie home from the hospital life was great- I thought I was adjusting great to this new, miraculous addition to the family but I was terribly wrong. After numerous nights of only getting an hour or two of sleep I started getting panic attacks and major anxiety issues. I couldn't eat and felt like a train ran over me. Then Brian had to go back to work and I completely lost it- I cried all of the time, I didn't want to hold or feed Evie and I couldn't sleep at all. I was so disappointed in myself for not handling her birth better, for not healing quicker (physically and mentally), for not feeling for Evie the way I felt I should! Luckily, I have a great support system and my Mom, Brian and my Mother-in-law came to the rescue. My Mom came and spent two nights with me, while Maryann took me to the doctors and helped me realize that everyone has a hard time and Brian was supportive no matter what I said or did. My doctor prescribed Ambien for sleep and Zoloft to help with the anxiety and depression. I also seeked help from a therapist so I could get an outsiders perspective on the situation and I spoke with family and friends. Within two weeks I was almost back to normal and at the present time I feel like my self again! I absolutely adore and love my child and I did from the very beginning - I was just to anxious, tired and depressed to realize it. Our life has changed drastically but for the better with the addition of the little monster and as she grows up it will only get more amazing!! I hope this post helps out those that are considering having children, those that are pregnant now and the Mom's already out there- I wish I had known what it was going to be like but no one can fully understand what ppd is like until you experience and it is different for each woman.

7 Weeks = Smiles

My little Evie has started to smile!!!!!!!! We thought she had been smiling at us but not sure if it was gas- well this weekend she def. smiled and giggled as I made funny faces at her:) My heart just melted and it was probably one of the best moments ever.

Last week started off rough because I bought new, bigger bottles and used the wrong nipple (fast), which made Evie so gassy that she was up half the night crying from the pain and farting up a storm. I felt horrible but I figured out the problem and by the end of the week we were happy again. Brian and I had our first date night since Evie was born - Brian and I walked around Stuyvesant Plaza and then went to Delmonicos for dinner. I was able to have a couple of chocolate martinis and they were fabulous. Evie spent the day with her Grandma, Aunt Samantha, and Aunt Debbie- they said she was an angel and slept most of the time. Evie did give Aunt Samantha a little gift- a very nasty diaper!! We were supposed to pick her up around 10 but I couldn't wait and at 8:30 I was holding my little one again:)

On Sunday, Brian and I were able to get a bunch of small projects done (clean the house, fix the mail box, clean and organize the cat's room, clean up outside, and gather stuff for the garage sale we want to have in a couple of weeks), while Evie spent some time in her swing and taking naps. It felt great to be productive and to have Evie happy and content.

6 Weeks

Evie with her favorite stuffed animal- it plays Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.
She is trying to talk to the giraffe in this pic!

Evie and her Uncle Chris eating dinner out for the first time in the restaraunt my brother works for.

My absolute favorite picture of my little one!!

Evie and I have been extremely busy this past week. We took my brother home to Vermont on Tuesday with my Mom and cousin. It took us three hours to get there and Evie slept the entire way! We took her out to dinner at my Brother's restaraunt and we had an amazing time. We were spoiled and the Chef kept sending out awesome food. I was able to have my first martini since getting pregnant and I was thrilled but it hit me pretty hard. We spent the night in a hotel and my Mom helped with some of the night feedings so I could get some rest- Thank God for Grandmas. We drove home the next day but this ride took a lot longer cause we had to stop and feed Evie halfway and then we had to stop and feed us. 5 hours later we arrived home, tired and happy to be there.

Brian, Evie and I headed to Morrisville on Saturday for Brian's sister's 35th birthday party - 2 hour drive. Once again, Evie was a trooper in the car and slept the whole way. She then stayed awake for 8 hours straight but she was well behaved and wanted to be part of the party. She enjoyed meeting her Aunt, Uncle and two cousins (pics to come later). Luckily she slept great that night and we had another good ride home.

Quick Update

Evie went for her one month check up and she is a happy, healthy 5 week old:
10.8 pounds (75th percentile)
21.5 inches (50th percentile)
head size is in the 60th percentile
How did Brian and I get such a big baby? Well Brian was 9.8 pounds and 22.5 inches long when he was born while I was 6.6 pounds and 21 inches (obviously she takes after her father in size:) She is also eating between 4 to 6 ounces of formula every 3 to 4 hours which could be a contributing factor to her size.
I look forward to finding out if she is skinny and tall when she grows up!

5th Week

My baby pic from the hospital in 1979. Evie Marie at 5 weeks- I think she looks like me!

Evie and I spent three nights at my Mom's this week and had a fabulous time. I think we wore my mom out but she loved every minute with her granddaughter. Brian joined us for a pig roast on Saturday and above is our first family photo. Evie was able to meet her Uncle Chris for the first time - he thought she was adorable until she had one of her fussy moments and cried for awhile. My Mom, Evie and I will be taking Chris home to Vermont on Tuesday so hopefully our first road trip will be amazing. I will post on how it goes.