MeeMee and Grandpa Koehn

My parents have come to spoil their first grandchild! They arrived last weekend and have been loving every minute with their new grand baby! They have been so helpful. More than I could ever imagine.

Mom has become the permanent diaper changer! She doesn't seem to mind this at all and a lot of times we have to go check on her because she's in the nursery so long. Turns out, that she is dressing Joey up in all of his cute outfits and taking tons of photos (which by the way, all of the photos on recent posts are taken by her...I figure there is no need for both of us to take pictures when she's taking one million with her camera)!

Mom also just holds Joey while I shower, or nap, or work on this blog. She will stay up late with Joey, so Michael and I can get a little block of sleep before Joey wakes for his middle of the night feeding(s). Mom will also cook all of our meals and make sure that we are well fed! :) Yayy for Mom!

My Dad has been super helpful, too! Besides loving on his grandson and just keeping Joey quiet (we've been calling him the baby whisperer because he does have a way to calm Joey down), he has been working on our "To Do List" for the house. Little repairs and upgrades that we have been wanting to do, but haven't had the time. Dad also built Joey this amazing cradle for Joey. My Mom wanted my Dad to build a cradle for me when I was born, and he just never got around to it. Well, she asked him to make a cradle for Joey and Dad went above and beyond the call of duty on this one. The cradle is beautiful and we couldn't have asked for anything nicer!

First Four Weeks

I know a few of you have been stalking this blog, as well as my Facebook page, looking for new photos of Joey. I understand your need for more Joey. I really do, and I'm not ignoring your pleas.

It's just...we are...so...TIRED!!! This baby is a freaking barracuda and does not like to come up for air from my boobies. There is nothing in life that can prepare a person for the sleep deprivation that comes with having a child. Did you know that sleep deprivation is a form of torture?!?! WTH?! Michael and I are really trying to fit sleep in when possible! It is very tough when your child is latched onto your boob for 15-19 times a day (that's right, you read those numbers correctly)!

I hate breastfeeding. There, I said it. With us about to enter the fourth week of Joey's life, the breastfeeding has gotten a lot better but it has been the hardest thing I've ever done. My nipples still hurt. They hurt consistently for the first two weeks. It felt like razor blades were being sucked out of me every time Joey would latch on. We worked on his latch which was the cause for this ungodly pain. I think we finally have accomplished a good latch now.

I'm about to make a statement and I want you to actually think about what I'm saying before you make some snide ass comment about babies and what did I expect. I'm not sure if you guys knew this about me, but I don't like needy people. I pride myself on having very self-sufficient, independent, awesome friends that can take care of themselves. Well, as you all know, babies are needy! VERY NEEDY. However, the part that bugs me is that I am the only one in the house that can breastfeed Joey. We are exclusively breastfeeding (so no formula) for health, economic, and vanity reasons (go away baby weight!). When your child eats up to 19 times a day and you are the only one out of a house full of people to be able to fulfill this task, this act gets old...fast. Plus, I know some people get off on people completing relying on them for stuff...I don't.

I also hear lots of moms talk about the bonding they feel with their baby when they breastfeed. I don't feel bonding at all. I feel annoyance that I have to sit still for another 20 minutes while this child mutilates my boobs. I'm sure it will get better over time, but right now, with my lack of sleep and crazy ass hormones out of control, I'm not having much hope! However, last week I was at my breaking point, and I was talking with my dad about the subject. I didn't want to quit breastfeeding because of all of the benefits, but how could I keep doing something that made me not so in love with my child?

During our discussion, he reminded me that between the 4-6 week mark, I can introduce a bottle and pacifier to Joey because the "nipple confusion" period is over. That means I can start pumping breast milk and other people can feed Joey, not just me. This was music to my ears! I love Joey so much and do like that he always wants me (I'm going to ignore the fact that Joey is only in love with me because I smell like a walking milk buffet!). I swear I have A.D.D. and I have a really hard time sitting still. Maybe it's a good thing that I'm the only one that can feed Joey because it forces me to sit my butt down and enjoy time with my son. But once we introduce the bottle, then other people can help me out once in awhile. This makes me feel a lot better! Now with the realization that others will be able to help with this duty, breastfeeding does not suck as badly. And it has gotten a lot better during these past four weeks, so maybe in a few more, I won't even mind it all anymore. One day at a time. Baby steps, right?

Ding Dong, the Cord is Gone

It happened!!! At Joey's 3 AM diaper change, his umbilical cord fell off!! Woo-hoo!! I took off his diaper and there it fell!

The nasty cord remains!

Joey showing off his new non-umbilical cord belly!

There's Gold in These Here Hills

We had Joey's two-week appointment yesterday! He is a doing great and is a growing boy! He weighed 8 lbs, 4 oz at birth and then lost about 8-9% of his weight while we were in the hospital. We went back two days after we left the hospital and he had was up to 7lbs, 9 oz. This was pretty good progress.

Well, obviously, I have liquid gold in my boobs and my milk is plentiful because Joey weighed a whopping 8 lbs, 9 oz yesterday!! That means he gained 1 lb, 5 oz in just over a week!! Thank God he gained some weight! I may have freaked out if he hadn't gained so much weight just because he has been eating so much! Good to know that I am providing him plenty of milk.


We're not sure how long he has gotten because we were both so concerned about his weight gain that we totally didn't pay attention to his length. We know he has gotten longer though, because we now have to put him length-wise on the changing table versus the width-wise way we were always laying him. We also have had to start getting rid of some of his newborn clothes already because they are too short! We're so proud of our little weed!

The rest of his appointment went well. His umbilical cord has not fallen off yet, but soon! His circumcision has healed, so no more penis ointment! Woo-hooo! Joey sounds a little congested when he breathes, but since he was a c-section baby and did not get to pass through the vaginal canal that helps push all of the fluids out of his lungs, this congestion is to be expected for awhile.

So, until our next appointment, grow, Joey, grow!

I Had the Blues

You know the emotional roller coaster I complained about constantly during my pregnancy? Well, those emotions are nothing compared to the ones I have felt since having Joey. They say every new mother goes through about a two-week period after delivery where their hormones are trying to get readjusted, called the "baby blues". This time is no joke!

One minute I am so elated and happy, and the next, I am a crying babbling idiot!


The first experience with those blues was the day we arrived home. During the whole pregnancy, I told Michael over and over how we had to be calm and patient with our pets once we brought Joey home. We would have to let the animals smell Joey. We would need to show them a little extra attention. We would have to let them follow us into the baby's room. Michael loses his patience with the animals a lot quicker than I do, so I was actually a little worried about how things would go when the big introduction occurred. Do you know what happened? I was the one that freaked out! I was such a ball of nerves and anxiety that I actually started crying like a baby (no pun attended...haha!) when the dogs were trying to meet their new pet. I was really upset, and for the first time in my relationship with our dogs, I really did not trust them. The dogs gave me no reason to feel this, but I just did! You know what else was crazy? Michael was the calm collected one. He came over to us and tried to calm me down. He played with the dogs. He made all of us...better. Crazy how things really went down.


I had several other crying episodes during the week. Over nothing major, just little stuff. The worst day was when Michael went back to work and I was by myself with Joey for the first time. I think I cried 20 times over the course of the day. However, I also had no sleep. Joey is quite a little chunker and ate 18 times over the past 24 hours. If you think about this, when did he sleep? That's right, he didn't sleep because the boob was in his mouth most of the day. So if Joey doesn't sleep, then I don't sleep! A tired mom really does not make a happy mom! People aren't joking when they tell new moms to sleep when their baby sleeps.

Luckily, my emotions have calmed down immensely! This may be due to the fact Joey and I are starting to get a schedule established where I can get about 3 hours of straight sleep now. I know three hours doesn't sound like a lot, but it really does help. The small baby naps Joey and I take during the day also don't hurt! Since we are sleeping a little more and the breast feeding is going a lot better, I haven't cried! Thank goodness!

So, for all of you new moms or expecting moms, don't worry if you're a little "blue" when your baby gets here, it happens to the best of them! And, most importantly, sleep when the baby sleeps! A tired mom is not a happy mom!

Let's Backtrack...

I know a few of you readers out there actually use this blog as a reference or resource for your own pregnancy/new baby adventure, so I'm trying not to leave anything out. I did want to tell you a little more about my emotional stuff after the delivery.

You know how in the movies or reality shows all of the women that just had babies all cry and supposedly feel this overwhelming love and emotion once they see their new baby? Well, that did not happen with me.

I'm not sure if this was due to me having a c-section. Since I have never had a vaginal birth or even had to go through labor period, I did not have this huge buildup of hours and hours of intense pain to then be rewarded with my son.

I was laying on the table with a baby in me one minute, and the next minute, I had my body back. I felt the doctors actually pull Joey out of me. It's like when you are so bloated that you feel like a goodyear blimp and then you finally pass gas, you feel the biggest relief of pressure. I know that's not the most "romantic" analogy, but it's the best comparison I can think of!

As soon as the docs removed Joey, they took him to the corner of the room to make sure he was okay. After about five minutes, they brought Joey over to me so I could see him for a quick minute. Then he was gone. Michael was gone, too. I just laid on the table trying to tell myself that I just had a baby. This was the most surreal experience I have ever had! Where was all of the emotion and love I was supposed to feel when I met my little man? I didn't feel any of that. I had to actually keep reminding myself that I just had a baby.

I still did not feel much emotion for our little guy while we were in the hospital. This was probably due to the constant attention of medical staff for Joey and me. Michael and I weren't in our own home where reality could set in.

However, I did eventually feel the love and emotion you see on tv. It was during our first week home. The more time I spend with Joey, the more in love I am with him. He really is amazing and I am in disbelief that Michael and I created such a beautiful perfect human being.

It didn't take long

So, we're totally obsessed with Joey! And like I mentioned in one of my previous posts, we are now officially those parents that take a zillion pictures of our baby! Here are some of our favs so far!

Trying to wake him up for a daytime feeding! Notice I said "daytime". If this was at night, this little piranha would constantly be attached to my boob and wide awake. We are currently waking him every 2 hours during the day and feeding him an extra amount in the evening to try to get him to sleep, at least a little bit, at night. I'll keep you posted on how this goes.

Wakey, wakey, boobs and milk!

He can burp and fart with the best of them...after all, he is my child! ;)

A small baby nap after chomping down

Trying to move Joey when he's really "out" is like playing with a rag doll.

Mmmmmm, I heart milk!

Where's the boobie?!?!!?

Joey's first "bath". His umbilical cord is still attached, so we are giving him a sponge bath here.

Rub-a-dub-dub!


So...turns out I'm allergic to Chlora-Prep. This is the stuff they rubbed all over my belly, and upper legs to sterilize the area before surgery. I've had this rash all week and haven't thought much about it since I've never had a c-section before and figured this was just part of it. That was until I hard, hot, lump formed in my leg and I thought I had a blood clot! Of course, me being super hormonal freaked out and thought I was going to die and cried for hours and hours because the doctor wouldn't call me back. We finally were able to go into the hospital the next day where the doctor informed me that I am allergic to this Chlora-Prep. The lump (now two lumps) was not a blood clot, but part of the allergic reaction. I am now taking some benadryl which really knocks me out, especially since I'm already super tired!