The First Two Weeks

I fully intended writing after Anna's first week, but time blew by us so fast! I can't believe that our little girl has quickly passed the two-week old mark! It feels like yesterday that I was still pregnant, but at the same time, it feels like we've had her forever (in a good way). :-)

First night at home

Anna had to spend about 12 hours in the NICU after she was born because she was having a hard time regulating her breathing. She was breathing too quickly to suck, swallow and breathe, so they wanted to keep an eye on her. She also had a chest x-ray which showed a little bit of fluid in her right lung. We were able to go see her after she'd been up there for a few hours and I was also able to feed her. She was being pretty stubborn and wouldn't open her mouth, she had it shut tight, but eventually she got a few good sucks in. To this day, she closes her mouth very tight & it's very hard to get in there....even her pediatrician could barely get in there, haha.

Cuddles with Daddy in the hospital

Around 6:30pm, they brought her to our room for her to stay the rest of the time. She had a second x-ray which was much better than the first, she had stabilized her breathing and low blood sugars, so she was good to go. Our first night in the hospital was exhausting, my lack of sleep was catching up with me, but we made it through. The next day my parents and brothers came to visit before we were discharged around 5pm.

I'm going home!

When we got home, Tim went outside to take care of some things in the yard, and Anna & I went into her room to rock in her rocking chair. When Tim came in the house, it was super quiet and he couldn't find us. He checked every room but hers, and when he turned around and saw us, he said, "Where's my baby?" It was so funny! I assured him that I still had her and that we were just nursing. :)

Adorable

I'd have to say that I think Tim and I are adjusting to parenthood very well. This is something we have looked forward to for years and I feel like we welcomed it with open arms. We've also been blessed with a beautiful, easy-going baby! Anna is just the sweetest. She only fusses and grunts (occasionally it'll be a full cry) when she needs something - diaper change, to be fed or to be burped....that's usually about it. *Knock-on-wood, she has been an excellent sleeper, especially at night. We're also both getting the hang of breastfeeding. It's quite the learning experience, but we're getting better each day. Again, I am fascinated that my body is able to provide for her - its incredible.

First trip to Target & Hobby Lobby

The first week at home was so quick, but it was excellent. Tim was able to get a week off of work and it was so nice having him home. The first full day we were home, we had several visitors. A couple people from work stopped by to see Anna, as well as Tim's parents and their spouses.

My coworkers started back at school on the 14th, so Anna & I showed our
support by wearing owls, our school mascot.

We did much more in the first week than I ever thought we'd do with a newborn, but I'm very glad we did. It's not fun being stuck in the house all the time, so each day we tried to get out to do something. We took Anna to Target and Hobby Lobby at just a few days old; we went out of town to lunch and to a couple stores; Anna had her first doctor appointment; we visited my school where she was able to meet many staff members; and my favorite day was when we took her to meet her great, great-grandma who she is named after.

Anna & Anna, 100 years apart - priceless

On Thursday, at six days old, we headed an hour north where most of Tim's family lives so Anna could meet the wonderful woman she's named after - Tim's great-grandma, Anna Danner, who we all just call Danner. Danner was SO excited to meet one of her great, great-granddaughters! It was so sweet, and absolutely priceless, to see her holding Anna. Danner said she wanted to put Anna in her pocket and take her home. :)

After our visit with Danner, and great-aunt Shirley, we headed over to (great) Grandma Dorothy's house. This is Tim's grandma and the one who will be taking care of Anna when I have to go back to work. While we were at Dorothy's, Anna was able to meet several of her cousins, her Aunt Elise, and a few great aunts & uncles, too. She was immediately swarmed when we brought her in the door which just showed me how much love the family has for her already!

Anna being swarmed by her loving cousins :)

Anna had her first doctor appointment at four days old. She weighed 6lbs 4oz, which was just 3oz less than her birth weight. Her pediatrician, who we love, was very pleased with that. He was also absolutely amazed that I have CF and that I am the first CF parent he's ever met. He couldn't believe that I was healthy enough to carry her, and he is also curious how CF may (or may not) affect my breast milk. He said he's going to try to find any research on it, but we both agreed it'll probably be difficult since CFers having children is such a 'new' thing.

"How am I one week old already??"

On Monday, the 18th, Tim had to go back to work, so Anna and I had our first day together, just the two of us & we decided to stay in our PJs all day. We sent Daddy a nice gummy smiling picture to help him get through the day, and as soon as he walked in the door that evening he said, "where's my baby?" and came over to see her...it was so cute.

Poor little thing had a gunky eye, so I put some breast milk
on it and it was cleared up the next day - amazing!

Anna had a follow-up doctor appointment at 12 days old, which went very well. She was a whopping 6lbs 11oz! This means she had gained 7oz in just over a week and had surpassed her birth weight! I was so proud of her! The doctor was very pleased and again, surprised that I wasn't supplementing at all...take that, CF!

This is the BEST!

Over this passed weekend, Linda and Roger came to meet Anna and hang out with us for a few days. We had so much fun together and I'm so glad they were finally able to come down. On Saturday, we even went down to meet Alayna and see the girls together for the first time. On the way back we stopped at Scheels where Anna got her picture taken with a bear and even caught a fish. :)

Uncle Roger & his peanut

Love this!

At two weeks old, Anna is very laid-back. She nurses about every two hours during the day and every 3-4 hours at night. She's producing plenty of wet and poopy diapers, which have been a lovely yellow-orange color. She loves to cuddle, but also does a great job sleeping when she's put down. We

do fifteen minutes a day of tummy-time, per doctors orders, and she is so strong! Anna loves to have her hands by her face constantly, which can get a little tricky when trying to latch on to nurse, but thankfully hasn't scratched herself too bad. I think she can recognize mommy & daddy's voices because she gives us big gummy smiles when she's awake and we're talking to her. She also loves to stare at us, and will turn her head to follow our face or voice if we're up close. We've given her a few sponge baths over the two weeks. The first one she didn't care for too much, but the next ones she did very well. She was very calm while Daddy was pouring the water over her head and body and just seemed to be taking it all in - I hope this means she'll like bath time & water. She lost her umbilical cord at 10 days old, so we gave her her first real bath shortly after. She wasn't so sure about it at first, but didn't do too bad.