Evan's First Week

I cannot believe my baby boy is already 10 days old and we've been home from the hospital for a week! On the one hand, it feels like time has flown by and its hard to believe 10 days have already passed since he was born. On the other hand, it feels like we've had him home forever and I can't believe it's only been 10 days since this sweet baby boy entered our lives.

Since Evan's birth was fairly traumatic, there's been a lot of recovering since coming home. Not only did I labor for 16 hours (mostly pain-free, thank you epidural!!) and push for 2 hours (most exhausting 2 hours of my life!), but after all that I ended up needing a c-section. My OB did everything she could to get him to come out on his own - and believe me, she did a lot. In the end, we discovered that my pelvis is too small and there was no way he was going to fit. So, our baby boy came via major surgery. Definitely not the birth I had hoped for, but the end result has been absolutely worth it!

This first week home with Evan has been such a learning experience. Getting to know Evan has been such a joy so far, and here are a few things I've learned about him. I've learned that we have truly been blessed with a content, easy going, good-natured baby. I've learned that Evan likes nothing more than to be cozily wrapped in a blanket and snuggled up against someone. He is such a cuddle bug! I've also learned that this baby boy of ours is already learning so much himself. One of the biggest things he's learned is how to be awake during the day. At first he would just start fussing when awake because he didn't really know what to do with himself if he wasn't eating or sleeping. Now he is taking in his surroundings, sitting quietly & contentedly, and starting to respond to us. One thing I wish he would learn is the difference between day & night, but I'm sure that will come eventually!

One of the biggest lessons I'm learning is to let him be my guide, even if it means doing something different than the "experts" recommend. He is his own little person with his own unique personality and preferences, and I feel so lucky that I get to spend my days getting to know him. I'm also learning to take the time to just enjoy him as he is right now. I want to enjoy every minute of snuggling with him, listen to every little noise he makes in his sleep, and watch every expression that comes across his sweet face. And even in the middle of the night when I'm utterly exhausted, I want to treasure those times when it's just me and him. I know I'll look back and think that these days went way too quickly, so I don't want to regret not taking the time to enjoy them while they last.

Before closing this post with some pictures, I do have to say how thankful I am for the support system I have. Will has been absolutely amazing and I could not have made it without him, especially while we were in the hospital. He made sure I had everything I needed at all times (water, Ginger Ale, crackers, etc) and he even changed every diaper while we were there! I also am SO grateful that my mom was able to stay with us this whole week. From cooking to doing laundry to helping with Evan, she has been a HUGE help and I am definitely sad that she has to leave today. Since Evan's birth we've had lots of well-wishes and visitors, and it has made me realize even more what great friends we have. We really are so blessed.