No One Ever Told Us!
Topic: Reid's Sleep Pattern
Day 11:
I think we had a parenting breakthrough last night. =) Reid's wake time tends to be between midnight and about 3am. He's just wide awake and cries when we put him down to sleep, so one of us ends up getting frustrated and losing more sleep to rock him, sometimes while he's still crying. I'm starting to try to get him on a flexible routine by feeding him every 2.5 to 3 hours, waking him during the day when necessary. (At night I let him wake me as needed for feedings.) I try to give him wake time after day time feedings then put him down for a nap until the next feeding. I'm hoping he'll use more energy during the day, but it's been hard keeping him awake at all, so he still has that midnight wake window, just like when he was in my belly. So, last night during that window, I fed him, made sure his diaper was dry, got all the burps out of him and swaddled him tight, then put him down, even though he was wide awake. By the time I got back in bed, he started crying as usual. It escalated to a scream and Colby and I decided to let it ride. It was hard not to go pick him up to get him to stop crying but we did it and he only screamed 4 minutes the first time and about 9 minutes the next time (seemed like longer, but I was watching the clock!). Then, he must have used all his little body's energy on those cries, because he fell fast asleep, so then we did too. =) Yay!

All is well down under!
Day 10:
Today his little circumcision ring fell off. To all concerned, everything is looking normal. =)

Thanks, Ma!
It's been a caotic week with the sudden responsibility of caring for a newborn for the first time, trying to recover from giving birth, having visitors, and hardly sleeping between feedings. With Colby's dad and step-mom, Julie coming to stay for the weekend to visit the newest member of our family, I was a bit upset about the mess that had accumulated in our home. I was willing to humble myself to the fact that I can't do it all, but then my mom came and cleaned the entire house for us. Scrubbed toilets, cleaned sinks & showers, did dishes, watered plants, dusted, vacuumed, etc. She even took all of our laundry, including our linen to wash and return later. Could a daughter ask for more. I guess so, but she would probably suck. Thanks, Ma!

Good bye cord, hello belly button!
Topic: New Developments!
Day 5:

Reid’s umbilical cord fell off today. Thank goodness, too! It was scary the way it just hung there. It looked like a shriveled up piece of bacon!

Four Days Into Motherhood
Topic: Reid's Sleep Pattern
When Reid was in my belly, his kicks kept me up at night and my daytime movement rocked him right to sleep. Just as we suspected, this sleep pattern is no different, now that he's thriving outside the womb and it's definitely taking its toll on us -especially compounded with my trying to recover from the birth, our shock of this sudden overwhelming responsibility, and all the action around us welcoming Reid.

Considering that Colby and I are the first among many of our friends to enter into parenthood, I believe in the importance of being as honest as possible in this blog about what it's really like. While I could write about how you start to experience symptoms of insanity due to the lack of sleep causing you to dream while awake, I prefer to abide by the saying, "a picture is worth a thousand words..."

A Warm Welcome for the Newest Family Member!
Yesterday we got a visit from Reid's Great, Great Granny, Great Grandma Judy, Great Grandpa Joe, and Grandma Kelly, and today Reid got to meet his Great Auntie Kim!

Welcome Home!
Hooray! Ous son has a name! He will be known as Reid Alexander Waltenburg. This is the name Colby had chosen for his 13-year old sister, Quincey, in case she turned out to be a brother. =) Belive it or not, we recently found a corny, Christian Romance novel with a main character named Reid Alexander. Seriously... We found it while I was pregnant and already considering this name Colby came up with 13 years ago! Anyway, he was a cowboy, so I guess it's still ok. Reid is also the name of Colby's great uncle who shot his own arm off with a shotgun by accident...

Well, today we bring Reid home. Even though it's only been a day, we're eager to get discharged from the hospital to get back to the peace and comfort of our own home.

In addition to Reid's Grandmas kelly & Debbie, Grandpa Gary and Aunties Quincey & Audrey, who were all present during Reid's birth, we received visits from his Grandpa Ray, Uncle Mikey, Great Aunt Debbie, and "Auntie" Mandy during our overnight stay in the hospital. Here are picures from some of those visits...

Happy Birth Day!
INTRODUCING...
Baby W (no name yet), born at 4:30pm on 8/20, weighing in at 8 lbs 7.2 oz, measuring 21.5 inches!

For those of you interested in the gory details of the 14.5-hour long unmedicated labor and delivery of our baby, I will be posting our birth story soon, so check back to this link.

Below are some photos of our new Little Man. Click here for even more photos from this special day.