A Whole New World!

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Yeah- that pretty much sums up our first week with baby Elsie. For her and for us. I am so grateful for all the help I have received over the past week. My mom, my sisters, and wonderful friends from Church who have brought me dinners all week long. What a blessing! Time is flying.. and I am just along for the ride. Right now I mostly feel like a dispensary of milk. The Dairy Queen. But that's okay- cuz my little milky pump is the cutest little one ever! I just can't stop looking at her, kissing her, touching her, loving her. She is SOO tiny. And her little hands and feet are so sweet. I think the skin on her cheek leading down to her neck has GOT to be made of pure velvet. It is SOOO soft. I am totally in love with it.

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When I first had her, they laid her on me- as a part of what they call Kangaroo Care . If you click on that link and read some of the research it is really cool to see how awesome the power of skin to skin contact is for the health of a little newborn. She snuggled up to my chest and laid on me, and I try to have her touching me closely whenever we snuggle and nurse. It's such a happy connection for us both.

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Because I didn't tear or anything.. my recovery so far has been light years easier than with my previous two. I can sit, for one- without the aid of anything that looks like a life saver flotation device. But to compensate for the easing of that pain, nursing has been a beast. Elsie has some serious suction action - I would liken it to a small vacuum- and has a teeeenie tiiinny little mouth. And -well- without too much description- I have some rather LARGE um...mammaries. So it is still an adjustment for us. I am sore.. but I know it'll get better in time.

She's certainly has no trouble practicing. ALL. DAY. LONG. It's cool though. She's gotta eat- right? ;0)

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I am already overly anxious to return my body to a non pregnant state. I know I need to be patient. I can't run out and get lipo and a tummy tuck a week after giving birth. But I did do 50 "crunches" yesterday. I put that in quotations because they may not have resembled crunches to the "fitness expert" - but it was me laying on the ground moving my neck and head in the vicinity of my abdomen....in a crunchy-like way. And I counted to 50. SO it was a start. ~

As far as activities goes.. I have walked to the park with her in her pram... and today was actually my birthday.. so we had a little dinner and outing at my favorite outdoor shopping area. Ate my fave food at the Cheesecake Factory and my sweet family got me some cute gifts. I will say that I am no longer an age that I really am excited about. (31) And hopefully I can just combat it with excersize and healthy living so I don't start looking and acting O-L-D.

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I don't know why but it's some sort of strange tradition in my family to take pictures of your pretty food at restaurants... my parents always do it.. and here's my favorite meal ...

LISA! Do you know what's coming to our little part of the world??????? EEEEEEKK! I am sooo excited!!

Saying goodbye to our Mary Poppins (they left for a vacation this morning!!) I cried...almost like a baby.

Here I am modeling- whoops- I mean USING my cute nursing cover I made! I used a heather Bailey fabric. Just love HER stuff!

And here are the kiddoes playing in the fountains.. having a blast..