Week 3... Falling Through the Days

WOW! Owen is 3 weeks old already. Although it has flown, it also feels like he has been a part of the family forever. Things are certainly improving, and I seem to be getting used to the sleep deprivation. Unfortunately we already feel like we have outgrown this house, and may need to move in the near future. Owen makes so much noise grunting and groaning in his sleep, and although I am so exhausted most of the time, I find it difficult to sleep with his cot right beside our bed.
As with our other 2 kids, Greg & I take turns in having a bath or shower with Owen. It is just so much easier than using a baby bath, and he loves it, although most of the time sleeps through it. He is just such a little adorable boy.
I have started back on Weight Watchers today. I am 7kgs heavier now than when I fell pregnant, so am looking forward to shedding that, and an extra 13kgs by Christmas. And then hitting my goal weight the following Christmas. Greg gained nearly 20kgs during my pregnancy (he always goes out in sympathy with me), so he is back on WW with me as well.
Breastfeeding seems to be going well. We are still getting used to things, and sometimes Owen has difficulty latching on, especially during the night when we are both half asleep, but we are nearly 100% right with it.
I am still sore around my tummy wound, and it is slightly weeping, but seems to be on the improve every day. I notice it when I bend or when I turn over in bed.
Following is a photo of Callum & Paige, with Owen in Paige's dolls' pram! Very cute!

Week 1 & 2.... The Baby Blues

I am writing this post 3 weeks after the birth of Owen. The first two weeks of his life are a blur.... I had honestly forgotten how terrible the sleep deprivation that comes with a newborn is! I am breastfeeding & Owen is waking every 3 hours for a feed. I had also forgotten that they feed so much early on. In fact, I have forgotten most things associated with newborns!! Luckily, he is a good baby & hardly cries except when hungry.
Unfortunately the "baby blues" hit me hard when I arrived home from hospital for about a week. The thing that upset me the most was that none of my friends visited me in hospital. I had chosen a hospital that was quite a distance from home, so I assured many friends that it was okay to wait until I came home to visit. It never occurred to me that NONE of them would visit, and I found the evening visiting hours at the hospital on my own quite upsetting. It wasn't that I felt lonely or anything - I just felt sorry & guilty for Owen, being the third child & not having any visitors. Even looking at the cards received with gifts, there are only about a quarter as many as Callum (our first born) received when he arrived. Thankfully the "blues" have passed, along with my stints of crying to myself in the shower or toilet for no particular reason, probably just out of sheer exhaustion.
Hubby Greg has been a wonder, especially with the cooking of dinners. But I still don't think he realises just how hard it has been for me with the healing from the caesarian & the lack of sleep, as well as trying to get the breastfeeding down pat.
The kids are besotted by Owen. They absolutely adore him & have accepted him into the family, which is a blessing. I thought it would be a more difficult process, especially with Paige.

Owen Gordon Born 4th June 2007

He's arrived! Our newest addition - Owen Gordon, born at 11.51am on Monday 4th June 2007. Weighing a healthy 8lb 7oz (3820 grams) and measuring 51cm in length. He is perfect in every way, and an absolute dead ringer for his older brother. He is named Gordon after Greg's grandfather who passed away last year.
The caesarean delivery went well, with no complications. Unfortunately hubby fainted before the procedure when there was talk of what could go wrong, but otherwise everything went without a hitch. My girlfriend Chris was my support person throughout (Greg hasn't been into see any of the births due to the fainting issue!) and she was fantastic, although she was nervous about what to do. Things have changed slightly since the birth of my daughter 4 1/2 years ago, and this time I got to hold the baby for a lot longer (which I did for as long as I could until my arms went weak) and they also had a large TV screen up for me to see the measuring/weighing & dressing of the bubs - it was brilliant.
After a quick stint in recovery, I got back to my ward to be reunited with bubs & my family. Paige was a bit weary of both Owen & myself. I expected her not to warm to the baby straight away (after all he is taking her place as the baby in the family). She warmed to me eventually, but it may have been the distant memory of seeing me in hospital after my car accident, or just seeing me with a drip & in hospital whites that put her off. Callum was (and still is) absolutely besotted by his little brother. He just wants to touch him & look at him all the time - it's very VERY cute & was quite unexpected. Dad is overjoyed & it's hard to get a hold of the bubs when he's around!
Will post more shortly, when I am functioning on more sleep, and will add some photos of the gorgeous babe!

One More Sleep to Go.....

Well, it's 5.30pm the night before the bubs is to arrive. I have a load of washing on, half the house to vacuum, ironing to do, and then I should be happy enough to sit down & relax. I plan on going to bed late as I know I won't be able to sleep much at all.
I have just come home from dropping the kids at my parents' house. I hated leaving them, but they were quite content with the full attention of their grandparents. They have no idea what a change they are in for!!
Greg and I were discussing last night how it really hasn't sunk in for us that we will have a newborn tomorrow. It just doesn't seem real - we are so used to being a family of four. I am sure in a couple of weeks time it will seem like we were always a family of five!
Anyways, LOTS to do & not much time to do it. I am glad to be rid of all the huffing and puffing, and groin pain, back pain, sciatica, extra weight, etc. However, I will dearly miss the feeling of kicking inside me and watching my tummy move when a foot, arm or baby's bum protrudes out.