Who's Who??

The first thing someone does when they meet a new baby is think, "Who does it look like??"  We spent 40 weeks daydreaming about what our little man would look like. To be honest, when Ayden came out, David and I didn't really see either of us in him...  Before he was born I rounded up our newborn pictures so we'd have them for comparison purposes.  Here they are:

Newborn Sarah

Newborn David

Newborn Ayden awake

Newborn Ayden asleep

What do you think?  I think that he looks a lot like my baby picture but when people meet him and tell us who they think he looks like they tell usually tell us David.  This makes me so happy because it tells me he is the perfect mix.  He may look like me in pictures or at certain times but it also says that his mannerisms or certain facial expressions remind people of his daddy.  It will be so fun to watch him evolve as he grows.  The best part of it all is that, though he may remind us of one or the other at times, he'll actually be his own little person.  I can't wait to see what he has in store for us!  It's so tempting to want to freeze time and preserve him in this utterly adorable newborn stage but if we did that, we'd never get to see the person he will become.  We can't wait!

~Sarah

Got Milk?

A few big things happened today. We watched Ayden's birth video (which is amazing!), we went for a walk (hadn't seen the sunshine in days) and my milk came in (it looks like I've gotten a boob job). I noticed yesterday that the girls were starting to get fuller.  I told David that I thought my milk would come in within the next couple of days and I was right...  During my first post-partum appointment today, they went from kind of full to completely engorged.  This was in a matter of a hour or two.  Luckily my midwife was with me while it was happening so I was able to get advice on what to do right away.  My instructions were to nurse often, use a warm compress right before feeding, take a hot shower and massage any knots (which could be clogged ducts) and as a last resort, pump just enough to take the edge off.  You see, breastfeeding is a supply and demand system.  When the milk first comes in, it is typically more than your baby needs.  Then the body somehow keeps track of how much milk your baby consumes over the next several days and then adjusts accordingly.  The human body is absolutely amazing!  So, here I am at 11:00pm and heading into a night where I'll be encouraging Ayden to nurse as often as I can wake myself up for and I'm sitting here writing a blog post.  It's going to be a long night!  Here is a picture of my new little love enjoying one of his first true milk comas.  I know I'm biased but I think he's pretty darn precious :).

~Sarah

Settling in...

We are enjoying every second as a little family of three. This morning, the reality of what we have accomplished truly set in when I saw my husband and my son lying on the couch together listening to music. Both of them were equally fascinated with each other and it felt amazing to witness such a special father/son moment. It is just a dream come true. We are filled with emotion and love and just couldn't be happier to be starting this new chapter of our lives. We are still getting settled in but I will write Ayden's birth story very soon!
~Sarah

So in love <3

This little man has captured our hearts. He has quite the birth story. We are going to take some time soon to recall the details for another post or two before we forget. We just can't get over the fact that we made this perfect human from scratch. A little of me and a little of the love of my life. No words can describe it but since a picture can say 1,000 words:

He Is Here!!

Ayden Matthew

7lbs 1 3/4oz and 20" of pure cuteness. 

He arrived today at 4:03pm.  

Welcome to the world baby boy!!

Still Waiting...

Soooo our due date came and went yesterday (surprise, surprise).

 We had a midwife appointment last night and everything still looks great! The best news is that our little guy is fully engaged in my pelvis (never really crossed my mind that such things would one day be so exciting). Here was my friend Whitney's response to the post-midwife appointment update text:

Haha, love her! :)

I'm lying in bed right now because I can't seem to get more than an hour or two of sleep at a time. I figure if I hang out here, I can take full advantage of any sleepy opportunities that may present themselves. It's also still only 8:53am and I think most normal people who don't have to go to work, or have young children are still in bed at this time anyway. One upside to being over-due is that I still belong in this category.

In a recent post I had said that I'd accept any discomforts with open arms because I was concerned that the "loss" of my pregnancy would keep me from fully embracing labor. Well bring. it. on! Last night, Ayden got in the most terrible position! My back was aching in the most indescribable, uncomfortable way and he was shoved up into BOTH sides of my ribs (a first as he's usually considerate enough to only crowd one side at a time). I also was having some mild, yet crampy contractions. To top it all off, it all happened at bed time (and then continued all night long). Needless to say, after another night or two like that I'll totally be on board with my anxious husband and family members who WANT THIS BABY OUT!

But, at almost 9 am on the day after my due date, my comfort level is good again (comparably) and all seems quiet. Now I shall summon the patience that every parent needs to find to let their babies do things in their own time and in their own way. I want to be the best mother I can possibly be so in the spirit of finding the bright side, I shall look at this great waiting game as our first true test. We love this baby so much already and can't wait to have him in our arms but it will be on his own time and in his own way and that is as it should be.
~ Sarah

The Great Waiting Game...

Tomorrow is January 17, 2012... our estimated due date. I've been experiencing some interesting symptoms since Friday (a couple of spells of crampy contractions as well as some pelvic pressure) but nothing too crazy. David and I got all bundled up yesterday and took Maverick for a brisk 3 mile walk and I've been bouncing on my birth ball and engaging in... other physical activity as much as possible ;). I know all of these things are supposed to get the baby in position, and possibly even induce labor, but at the end of the day our little guy is going to come when he's good and ready. Until then I'll continue to try to encourage things to get moving as well as do as much of this as possible:

Snuggling with my cat, Polly

...because I know relaxing just may become a thing of the past very soon! I am actually using the Blogger App on my iPhone to write this and think it will definitely help me post much more often!! See you soon!

~Sarah