The First Week

Merry Christmas to the new family of three...well four if you include our little Lancey!

Here is our little peanut all dressed up in her Christmas outfit ready to celebrate the holiday with the Henjums!

Well a week ago today Chris and I packed up the car with our hospital suitcases and left the house around 7 to have a baby! By 11am my contractions started and by 3pm I had made it to 7cm and the pain was absolutely unbearable so I decided to get the epidural which helped soooo much! I was able to relax for 5 hours on the bed and Chris was able to watch the Vikings game! they didn't win but I think Chris still had a pretty good day because by 8pm I was pushing and at 11:08 we had Linnea April Meyers! What an experience! We had wonderful help and support from all of the doctors and nurses. They had to keep a close watch on this lil one since she was laying on her umbilical cord so her heart rate kept going down when I would lay on my back. So we just moved me from side to side every few minutes! So enough about the labor...

We cannot believe Linnea is already a week old...and what an eventful week it has been. We are loving it but definitely had a scare the first day home...Linnea and I have been struggling with breastfeeding and it turns out the little peanut wasn't getting enough and had not peed three days after birth which just happened to be Christmas Eve so no clinic were open and we had to head to the ER. It was a very hard thing to do but definitely the right thing to do because they figured out she was indeed dehydrated. They put an IV in her and took some blood to see if anything else was going on. The blood tests came out a little off so the doctors wanted to keep her in NICU overnight. So this new family spent their first Christmas Eve in the NICU. Not ideal, but we were so happy to know she was getting cared for and would be okay. Everyone in the NICU was so nice and we made out pretty well on gifts too. They have a way of making a not so good situation much better. We came home with three stockings for her...two full of toys and receiving blankets. We also got a gingerbread house and a build a bear. Thank you Children's Hospital in St. Paul!

Whew...now onto happier things...Linnea has regular poops and pees now in her diaper so we are ecstatic about that! We keep a feeding and diaper diary so we know we are on track. I have been breast pumping to make sure she gets enough. We still practice on the breast before every bottle in hopes that she latches one of these days. We are still waiting for my milk and I am confident that when that comes she will get it. But if not...I will gladly keep pumping because we really want her to drink/eat my milk.

She is a very sweet good baby so far. She has met so many people already too! We had many great aunts and uncles and aunts and uncles visit in the hospital which was so nice. We have had a few friends over to meet her briefly as well. The Henjums came over for Christmas on Christmas Day and we had our Christmas chicken meal, opened gifts and even played some rock band. I think Linnea really enjoyed my singing! HAHA! Yesterday she went to her first bridal shower where she also got gifts! Today we have been taking it easy...we are only 1 week old after all! She put on her little Viking cheerleader outfit and watched the game with daddy. Mommy slept through an hour of it but then enjoyed the last part of the game with her family.

Linnea already makes so many cute facial expressions and is really exploring the house slowly with her eyes. She also moves those long fingers all around...Chris says she is casting spells. Overall she sleeps through the night...we usually have to wake her for her feedings. Once she is up at 11 though she likes to stay awake until around 1. Then when her 5am feeding comes around she likes to stay up until 7. We are definitely okay with this schedule. We know it may not last forever but we will take it for now! She usually starts out in her crib, but ends up in a bassinet in our room. We just feel more comfortable with her in our room and she is just so small in the hue crib!

As for Lancey adapting the new addition...we don't think she hasn't quite figured who or what Linnea is yet. She just kind of sniffs and sniffs around her when and if she comes into the room. Lancey usually steers clear of us these days and hangs out in "her" poppason chair in the office.

I am so happy Chris is able to be home for 2 weeks. He is such a good daddy and I don't know what I would do without him! He says I was amazing during labor but I have to say he was too! He was very active and in the room the whole time! We are very lucky ladies to have him!

Well I think that about sums up the week! We are looking forward to some more stay at home days this coming week but a few outings in there as well. We will be celebrating New Years Eve at an old friends house in Minneapolis. She is visiting from Germany and I am so happy she is home to meet baby! New Years Day will be at the Henjums to celebrate Christmas with Erik, Lisa and Dylan. It will be fun to have the cousins together! Chris' family will come and visit after New Year's Day. Lots of fun days ahead!

Thank you to everyone for all your good wishes and thoughts throughout the pregnancy! Now you can send good parenting wishes our way!

Chris has posted all of our pictures on picasa and facebook. So if you are on facebook check out either of our pages.

Here is the link for picasa. We hope it works...if not, try to cut and paste. If that still doesnt work let us know and we will gladly email you an invite!

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredir?uname=c.w.meyers&target=ALBUM&id=5282715358853656865&authkey=TN87kIWh7Zg&feat=email