evelyn's first days

We are still here, still alive and kickin'. Barely. :) I tried to post some pictures last night but blogger was not cooperating. Of course! So, this is just going to be a big wordy post, mostly for my memory. But, read on if you want to hear about our first days with our new little one!

We are enjoying this little girl so much! It has been so fun having some pink and other girly things around here after 2 boys. Evelyn is a very easy baby so far, which is wonderful. One thing that has been tough is that she came home from the hospital with her days and nights mixed up. You always hear of this happening but never think you will actually have that child! Well, little Evelyn, you are that child. :)

The first two nights home from the hospital were r.o.u.g.h. Evelyn wouldn't sleep longer than 45 minutes at a time. She seemed to want to eat constantly, and when she wasn't eating, she was wide awake! Needless to say, we barely slept those two nights. The third night was much better, as she had a couple of 3-hour stretches of sleep. Still not so great, but totally do-able, especially compared to the 45-minute stretches she was pulling the other nights!

Nights have gotten a little better since then, but she seems to alternate good nights and not-so-good nights. One night she will go 4-hour stretches (amazing!!!) and the next she will do 2- or 3-hours. Then the next will be back to 4. So, we are getting some sleep around here. You other moms with multiple kids know how hard it is to be lacking sleep when you have other kids to take care of! There's really no downtime to take naps or even close my eyes for just a few minutes. This has been tough.

Evelyn is a great little eater! We decided to bottle-feed her from the very start. This is something David and I discussed a lot and prayed about, and decided it was the best thing for our family. If you'd like to talk with me in further detail about this, I'd be happy to share with you why we made this decision! Evelyn started off eating 1 oz. in the hospital, to eating 3.5 oz. now at 11 days old! Her doctor was quite surprised at the amount she is consuming every 2-3 hours! You know what that means... she's growing like a weed already! I can't wait to go back for her 3-week checkup and see how much she's grown.

The boys are adjusting really well to their baby sister. The novelty has definitely worn off and they are getting very used to her being here. I remember when Anderson was born, I was so nervous about Camden getting anywhere near the baby, fearing he might touch her too hard or accidentally hurt her. I had those same feelings this time, but they have now worn off. If the kids lay next to her on the floor, I just sort of keep half an eye on them (Anderson) to make sure he doesn't poke her in the eyes or anything that our typical crazy boy might do. Thankfully, he's never done anything like that and he's been caught quite a few times rubbing her head and kissing her cheeks. :) Camden thinks she's cute, but I think he's ready for her to get to the stage where she interacts, smiles, and begins to play.

How is my manly-man husband adjusting to having a little girl in the house? Y'all, he is smitten. I don't think he'd mind me telling you that. He responds to her very differently than he did the boys. It's SO much fun to see this different side of my hubby! Poor Evelyn is NEVER going to get a date with a protective daddy and two big brothers!!! Sorry, darling!

How am I adjusting to my new normal? Well, I want to be honest and say that it's been much more difficult than I anticipated. I just have to laugh sometimes when I think about how rough the first few days after having a baby are! You've just given birth, your body is recovering from a rather traumatic experience. Then there's the sleep deprivation. Oh, the sleep deprivation. Even without having just given birth, a lack of sleep is difficult. Your hormones are completely out of whack. Then, there's the other kids that we have. Oh yeah - they need to be taken care of too! They need clean clothes, a lunch for school, and help with homework. I knew life would be busy after the baby arrived, but it's hit me pretty hard! I have also been struggling with a lot of anxiety, which I never really experienced with the other two. I think once we get settled into a routine, and once Evelyn starts to have more of a predictable schedule and starts sleeping more at night, things will get better. I have asked friend and family to pray for my anxiety and I can definitely tell a difference since the first few days of Evelyn's birth. If you have been praying for us, thank you, thank you, thank you!

We have been SO SO blessed by all our friends and family since Evelyn was born! I have been given bags of clothes and other necessities, both used and new. It has been great since we literally had nothing when she was born since we didn't know she was a "she"! We have been receiving delicious meals from friends and family which is hands-down one of the biggest blessings for a new mom! It's so nice to have one less thing to worry about.

I think that's about all I have to update right now! I really hope to get some pictures up soon, if I can figure out why blogger won't let me post any. Alright, off to take a much needed shower! :)