One Week Old Today!

Yesterday, I put Noah down for a nap between feedings. As instructed by the doctors, I put him, as I always do, on his back. After a few minutes, I heard him make a very adorable sound in the bassinet. I looked upon him and this is what I found. Small as he is, our little guy is very strong! Needless to say, Noah now sleeps with the sleep positioner his Aunt Christine bought him. Let's see him try to wiggle his way out of that one. (I'd rather not see that actually!)

Today, Noah is officially one week old! This week has seemed like one of the longest of my life and it's been so wonderful. Noah seems to get cuter by the day and all his puffiness and redness from birth are all but gone. His newborn rash may still need a little time but it's not a big deal. He is now on a great schedule and doesn't cry to be fed or changed because it's all being taken care of before he has a chance to. (A two-hour feeding schedule, I must say, is ROUGH, but it's working out so well for our baby!) I still cannot stop staring at his little face. I am so in awe of how perfect and beautiful he is. I took this little video of him just being himself today and couldn't wait to post it. I'm just fascinated with what Michael and I have made by God's Grace :)

I know everyone says this but I really do have the most wonderful husband a new mom could ask for. I cannot express what a help Michael has been to me during this last week when so much in our life together has changed. He has been such a trooper about staying up with me all night long to feed and change Noah and help me to have everything I need to deal with the pain as I recover from my Cesarean. He has functioned in this last week on little to no sleep at all and has still had so much energy to hold and comfort Noah for hours every night.

On Saturday, Michael was injured at work, when he caught his hand in the running part of an engine, and spent the last half of the day in Urgent Care where he got stitches and a splint. When he got home, instead of taking a nap as I wished he would have, he offered to go to the Outlets with Vanessa to get some nursing apparel to help make this week easier for me. He and Nessa were gone for many hours. When they came back they presented me with what clothes they had bought as well as a gift (a wristlet) that they had bought at the Outlets. (I've been in need of something bigger for many months). I was so moved that Michael would spend his time shopping for me to try and make me happy when he desperately needed some rest for himself. A little while after I was done looking through what they'd bought, I noticed that Vanessa kept looking at the bassinet. I told her that she could pick up the baby if she wanted to. Michael said, "Why don't you hand him to her?" So I got up to get Noah. I pulled back the blanket and this is what I found.


In the box was a beautiful silver bracelet with a charm on it that says "Mom." Michael plans to get it engraved with Noah's name and birthdate and Vanessa plans to get me a charm with her name and birthday on it next time there is a holiday. Aside from going to the Outlets after his harrowing day, Michael had trekked all the way to Tyson's Corner to buy me this "push gift." I am an incredibly lucky girl. He had been working extra hard in the weeks before Noah's birth to save up and has not stopped working hard since in spite of the long hours he's stayed up with me and the baby. To top it all, Michael started his third semester of college on Monday. He'll now be in class one day and two nights a week in addition to working a full-time job. I was very sad yesterday waiting for him to come home, but fortunately his class let out early and he got home in time to eat the beautiful dinner our friend Kate had prepared for us. Tonight, he will not be getting home from work until after 8:00pm. I miss him terribly. :(

Fortunately, my family is visiting from New York and have been keeping me company. I have tried to get in as much sleep today as I possibly could so that I can try to stay up alone tonight and let Michael get the rest he'll need to get him through a full day of work and a night of classes tomorrow. I hope that will work.

Noah has had fun with his great grandma Nancy. Here is a picture of him making O's with his mouth -- one of his signature facial expressions that I just love! It has been so wonderful watching Noah getting to know her.

Anyway I will end this entry here as it's dragged on pretty long. Everyone warned me the first week would be the hardest. Admittedly, it has been trying. But I would not have traded a single moment of it -- not even when Noah peed at me last night because I wasn't keeping a proper lookout! (Fortunately he missed.) Yes girls, you did warn me!!













We are so blessed.