Our First Week Home

So I know I'm doing a lot of "past" posts. But I really want this blog to be our family documentation. So I've decided to pepper in Palmer's first year of life with his second. And then next year, we'll be all caught up :) Bear with me, folks. {Most past posts will be picture drops}

So here was our first week at home. Our first night, Mike had to go to Durham for job interviews {insert reason #52739 why I hate Duke & despised the MBA program, regardless of what came out of it.} So it was just Mom, Palmer & I. And y'all, that first night was rough emotionally. Postpartum is REAL and it comes in SO many different shapes and sizes. I think if every woman to give birth were to be 100% honest, we've all had some form of it. Mine came from not having ANYTHING ready, I had to pump, had no clue how to put the pump together, the pump was dirty from sitting in a bag for who knows how long (yes, I bought a used pump, it worked, I got new parts, leave me alone), sleep deprivation, and my husband was gone. Oh, and my newborn was a freaking glow worm. Jaundice showed up our last day in the hospital & an hour after being home, the jaundice blanket guy showed up. Right when it was time to feed Palmer. Here's the thing about "36 weekers", which I wrote about here, they have a hard time latching & sucking. So getting Palmer to nurse was a task. Add in that I had to pump and the pump needed to be cleaned & I didn't know how to put it back together, and once I did, I leaked everything I pumped and mom spilt almost all of what didn't leak, I was a hot mess. And all of this happened as this stranger tried explaining this blanket to us. Oh that day was horrible. My neighbor came over & I cried. And cried. And cried. "I'm a bad mom, I have nothing ready, Mike isn't here, this is NOT how I expected our first night to be." Sob, breathe, sob. Postpartum isn't always not wanting to hold your baby. It is a big result of exhaustion, too. And at times you are so tired, you can't eat. So then your hungry. I got it together, eventually. I figured out the pump, the rest of the night and days to follow went well. I leaked a few more times, everyone came to visit on one day, the nursery got painted and got as put together as possible, I cried some more, figured out the adjusting of the tank top & pump to keep the pump from falling off my tank tops, Stacie showed up a week later to continue to help me really figure out the freaking dang pump, I got the right sizes for the pump, and eventually, we got rid of the Billiruben blanket & settled into life. Oh that first week was hard, but just like every week from then on, I wouldn't have traded it for anything. 

Glow worm: He learned all about sitting criss cross applesauce, spoons in your bowl in utero. 

First doctor's visit. We LOVED Dr. Whitaker & miss him so much!

Like Mother, like Son. #tanning

Getting our tan on. #jaundicebegone

Meeting Aunt Amanda! The Newells and Aunt Tina came to visit, meet Palmer & paint the nursery and do yard work! And watch football.

First Clemson game as #Newellpartyof3 & Clemson won!

First bath before our newborn shoot. 

Baths are tiring.

He was SO tiny.

Newborn pictures!

My Little Man

First time in his crib. It swallowed him.

Love

I just can't sometimes

Another Dr checkup for our jaundice. It didn't go well. Mommy cried. Liz trying to figure this thing out.

First day alone.

Wub snuggles.

The previous two Monday's were spent in labor at the hospital. On this Monday, we were home, cozy and cuddling. 

Mommy snuggles

All smiles for being a week old!

Love this book. We read it every Tuesday for his first month or so. HIGHLY recommend it!

Checking out this tiny thing that glows and had taken over all of the humans' attention.