July 31, 2016

Bringing baby home

The entire birth experience + hospital stay all felt so surreal, with
the real part beginning the day we took baby home! Neither of us
could quite believe we got to take this little darling home with us.
As we rode the elevator down I told Chase I felt like I was taking
the Mona Lisa out of the Louvre and no one was stopping me!
(Except ten million times more valuable than the Mona Lisa :)
It didn’t feel possible that we had delivered a healthy baby,
all had gone well, and now she would really be ours. We
could not get over it the whole way home (and we’re still not!) If you’re taking your new born home soon or they’re already at home with you and you’re looking for tips, visit best for mums website for all the information you could need on being a new mother. Make sure you consider which season your baby is going to be born into as well because what you need will depend on it. For example, you will definitely need air con in their room in the heart of summer. Today Americans use mostly portable versions for air conditioning, as they save money, are better for the environment and don’t require installation. A good tip!

We had to take the classic new parents “leaving the hospital” pic!
We loved Stanford children’s hospital for our delivery.
Leaving with her new blankie, bow, and flowers!
(PS her cute name blanket is from Boco Baby,
I’ve had lots of questions about it after I snapped it!)
Strapping her tiny self into the carseat for the first time ^^
^^ Happiest new dad in his pink shirt taking his little girl home!
She was a little unsure about being buckled into something, but the
second the car started to move she fell right asleep for the entire ride.
We also drove approximately 10 mph with this new precious cargo,
and along the way Chase was hilarious pointing out everything we
passed and teaching Reagan about them. We even passed a Google
self-driving car and he said “Reagan this is a self-driving car!
By the time you turn 16 maybe you’ll be driving one of these!”
We walked in the door to the sweetest decorations that my mom had set up
to welcome Reagan home! A “birthday” sign for her actual birthday, and
cake + treats from our favorite Los Gatos bakery Icing on the Cake! So sweet.
Lots of sweet gifts and flowers were waiting at the house too ^^
Chase took her straight into the nursery to show baby her room,
and he started tearing up right when he sat down! It was so sweet-
we all started to cry. I think it just hit us that after setting up this
room and anticipating it so much, she was finally here and home!
Tiny baby burrito in her big crib! ^^
Her nursery has been waiting for her! ^^
Little love ^^ Thanks for the jammies, Mimi!
This tired little newborn has been such a sweetheart to have around.
I never thought I’d love changing diapers or getting up in the night
so much ;) Just look at those long legs and the little strawberry diaper!
^^ Walking in on darling sights like this has been the best part!
We also laughed SO hard trying to do the hand and footprints…they
didn’t turn out so well – haha! Should have done it while she was sleeping.
We watch her sleep all day. I can’t get over the tiny toes!
Chase said the cutest thing to me: “Honestly I could watch
her for HOURS and not feel like I am wasting time.” Amen!
Who knew getting a diaper change was so relaxing? ^^
Amazing breakfasts & meals made by Linny, and baby wrapped all up ^^
Naps with her grandma Linny ^^ We’ve loved having her staying with us!
She’s also had lots of time with my dad via our Nest monitor ^^ ha!
We gave him access to our monitor, so he can tune in on his phone
remotely anytime and see her sleeping, talk to her, etc! He may be
very far away but he is so close in spirit and she loves him already!
She had her first doctor appointment the day after we got home!
I laughed so hard writing her age on the pediatrician form: 3 days :)
She did well, but had lost 10% of her birth weight so we got a little bit
stressed and the next few days I was having a hard time figuring out
breastfeeding /making sure she was getting enough food. The doctor
was so helpful and I’m feeling so much better now, but it was tricky! We’ve been
advised to have a look at something like a lebenswert formula as this is supposed to have
great nutrients that’ll make her super healthy and happy, and it’s definitely
something that we’re considering.
The other lifesaver has been the Owlet that I’ve mentioned in a past post.
They sent us one to try out in exchange for our honest opinion, and it
has given us such peace of mind. We haven’t put it on every time she
sleeps because sometimes she’s already swaddled or we don’t want to
wake her, but for the long stretches we put it on and can get alerted
if any levels drop out of range or the baby stops breathing (which I
have checked for a million times since bringing her home :)
How amazing is this? ^^ I am obsessed with tracking all of her levels.
And the little mint sock is pretty cute on her long little feet ^^
My mom picked up Chipotle for us and we all had R’s bday cake!
(Seriously the banana cake from Icing on the Cake…life changing)A few things we love about her so far since having her home..
Her monkey cooing cry •• head shake to get milk •• long long arm stretches
•• smiles during sleep •• loves cuddling in our bed after early morning
nursing •• hands always by face/in mouth (they must have been like
that in the womb, because she loves them up there!) •• ankles constantly
crossed…so ladylike! •• longest feet & toes, loves having them rubbed ••
strong arms and fists you can’t move if she’s tense •• loves staring at her
dad when he sings songs…good thing she doesn’t know it’s all the wrong
lyrics :) •• little golden hair sticking up in the back makes us call her a
little duckling •• snorts when she is really hungry, hehe •• holds my finger
with her hand while she nurses (be still my heart) •• changes every day!
“A baby will make love stronger, days shorter, nights longer,
bankroll smaller, home happier, clothes shabbier, the
past forgotten and the future worth living for.”