On the afternoon of January 7th, Eric and I took our baby girl home to start our new life as a family of five. Since the boys were both anxious to see their baby sister again and they had previously been arguing about who would be able to 'play' with her first at home we picked them both up on our way home. First we got Asher from school and then we headed over to Avery's daycare to get him and introduce Hazel to Christina. Then we all headed home together, giving the boys equal time to be with our newest member.
As soon as we got home, all three of the kids (Emma included) couldn't wait to see her.
Throughout my pregnancy, I really wasn't sure what to expect for the boys' reactions to the baby, but I was still quite surprised by what actually happened. Since both of the boys are good with littler kids and babies I was pretty sure that everything would be fine and that they would like her. Early on I worried about Avery who had told me before he knew we were expecting that he didn't want a baby in the house because they cry too much. However, as time continued he got more and more exciting and kept asking when the baby would be here and wishing it was time. With Asher I was never really concerned. He is older and loves little kids so I thought I had nothing to be concerned about. However, I quickly learned that there was such thing as too much love. From the moment we arrived home, it was quite evident that both of the boys were crazy about their baby sister and would pretty much do anything for her. It was also evident that we needed to set up some serious boundaries. Don't get me wrong both of the boys were and still are great with her, but they both (& especially Asher who has told me multiple times that he loves her more than I do) get a bit rough with her as they try to play more than she is ready for and Asher, now being six and a half years old thinks he is practically an adult and that he should be able to hold her, and walk around with her like adults do. We are working on it and he is MUCH better now, but let's just say that that very first night was completely overwhelming! So much so that I decided to send Avery to daycare all week while Asher was in school so that I could adjust to caring for Hazel without having to worry about either of them inadvertently hurting her.
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| Eric brought some souvenirs for the boys from the hospital. Mini Dr. Avery is too cute! :) |
Once the boys were in bed and I only had one child to focus on, I hoped that things would improve. However, deep inside I knew better. The first night is ALWAYS rough. With Asher, I remember being up all night not knowing how to calm him as he screamed in the nursery. With Avery, I remember Asher yelling to me from his bedroom to make him stop crying. This time around I knew what to expect, but nonetheless you can never be fully prepared for that first night combined with the exhaustion of the time since labor and delivery.
Knowing it would be a rough night, Hazel and I took the bedroom and Eric slept on the floor in the nursery. I did my best to care for her and feed her but due to the fact that my milk had not yet come in she was not a happy baby. I was going on almost no sleep since Friday, so by the wee hours of Tuesday morning my body could take no more. I was mentally, emotionally and physically exhausted. I would fall asleep while I was nursing her in our bed and then jerk myself awake. Fearing that I was going to throw our newborn baby girl out of my arms and the fact that I literally started to see two blurry heads instead of one when I looked at her I finally woke up Eric to come and help. He stepped in, fed her one of the bottles of formula that we had left from the hospital and then she passed out for three hours (while I too slept). Eric told me later that I was asleep before he even left the room.
The next morning, knowing the boys were both anxious to see their baby sis again, I took her downstairs to visit them before they headed off to school and daycare for the day. Once they were off to school we spent a little time with my parents at home and then Eric, Hazel and I went back to the hospital for her check-up. There she weighed in at an even 8 pounds and was slightly jaundiced but since she was just below the cautionary level in both cases she was cleared. As expected the nurse (one of the so-called "nursing nazis") was a bit dismayed that we'd given her formula and gave us a bit of a guilt-trip that we allowed her to drink the entire bottle showing us on a chart that her stomach was currently only the size of a walnut, but for a mom that got 3 hours of sleep in a row allowing me to function for the day, I didn't really care. She was fine and we had survived the night.
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| Hazel found her hand as we waited for our appointment at the hospital. |
When we were finished up at the hospital, we brought Hazel on her first trip to Meijer to pick up a few supplies. We casually walked around together, even taking a detour through the baby girl section, grabbed what we needed, checked out and even allowed Hazel her first ride on Sandy. It was a fun little trip, but I quickly realized that it was a bit much for my first time out since delivery. I was very sore and as the days continued I found that my 38 year old body would have a little harder time recovering that it had had with either of the boys.
From there, we headed back home to rest and relax for the remainder of the day.
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| Put up your dukes! |
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| Big brother back home from school. |
Video: Asher Lovin' on Hazel
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| Asher trying out the baby gym. |
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| "Baby Avery" |
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| A VERY Proud Big Brother!! |
That evening was similar to our first one home. I tried desperately to feed with the minimal amount of milk my body was creating while fighting exhaustion. Then Eric again stepped in with our last bottle of formula to allow me to get a little rest.
Thankfully the next day (Wednesday) my milk began to come in and from that point on our girl was much happier!
That day I also got around to washing the girl clothes I'd received months prior from a friend so Hazel was able to wear her first pink outfit. It was a sobering moment for both Eric AND I because even thought it was a superhero onesie we were not used to having pink in the house. It was another reminder that we now have a GIRL!
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| FB Post: First pink...but still SUPER like her big brother!! #batmanfans |
So as I said, the pink Batman onesie was a bit of an eye opener for us. Obviously we'd known we have a daughter for four days now, but seeing her in this outfit really hit it home. Due to the fact that Hazel was born as an almost spitting image of her big brother Avery and the fact that we were pretty sure throughout the entire pregnancy that she would be our third boy, it was (and still is at times) hard to wrap our heads around the reality of this little girl. We also apparently messed up Avery by calling the baby 'him' and 'he' all the time during my pregnancy because he could not remember 'she' or 'her' for the life of him. And, when she wasn't wearing pink, I just saw my little Avery so much so that I frequently would call her by that name instead of Hazel (& I still slip up on that once in a while). Despite that, there WERE three moments that I vividly recall an eerie feeling that the baby I carried *could* be a girl and that I *could* be wrong. The first, was when I received the box of girl clothes from my friend that the Batman outfit came in. In it there was a little baby girl swimming suit with a pineapple on it that I thought was adorable and I remember looking at it and thinking, "maybe I will actually be able to dress our baby in that." The second, was when we were trick-or-treating downtown with the boys. As we walked down the street, I looked up to see the name we'd picked out if our Peanut was a girl in big bold letters across the front of a building. Apparently there was an antique shop there by the same name as our little girl. Finally, was just moments after my water broke. I can recall talking to Eric from the bathroom as I tried to figure out what to do next when he said, "It's gonna be a girl. She'd already complicating things for us." I heard those words and I think a tiny part of my knew he was right.
The rest of the day on Wednesday was another day spent mostly just relaxing at home and tending to Hazel's needs, with the help of Eric and my parents. I also watched as Grandma and Papa spent time bonding with her in preparation of leaving and heading back to their home the next day.
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| A silly face for Papa |
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| Snuggles with Grandma |
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| Cuddles with Papa |
That night, with my milk continuing to come in our girl was MUCH happier and she and I were both able to get a few hours of rest. (Yay!)
On Thursday, it was time for my parents to head back home. However before they did so Eric and I decided to give Hazel her first sponge bath in the sink upstairs and Grandma and Papa couldn't help but come up and watch our little girl get cleaned up (which despite the pics she mostly enjoyed).
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| Cross Eyes...Makes me Laugh! |
Before my parents left, I made sure to get a few more pictures...
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| Three generations of Piche girls. |
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| Avery wanted in on the pictures. |
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| Grandma & Papa with their Granddaughter. |
Once my parents were gone, we were only alone for a short time. Within an hour or so, Eric's parents arrived to meet their newest granddaughter.
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| Avery wearing Grammy's glasses. |
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| Our Love Bug. |
That night, we out to Culver's with Grammy and Gramps for an easy dinner. Hazel did ok on our first dinner outing, but got a little fussy so Eric walked around with her while I ate. He quickly noticed that although a baby will draw attention despite the gender, a newborn in pink will draw the attention of every female that catches a glimpse. :P
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| Avery was chilly while we ate so Grammy and Gramps made an Avery Sandwich. |
The next day was Friday and when morning came Eric took Hazel downstairs to visit with everyone while I caught up on some sleep. Later, Gramps and Avery went on a mission to find some old toys at Goodwill to up-cycle.
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| The boys are just IN LOVE with their little sister! |
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| Avery and his mini? |
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| Hazel enjoying the warmth of the furnace. |
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| Making (crossed) eyes at Daddy. |
When Gramps and Avery got home they used parts from the toys they'd found a Goodwill along with broken toys that we already had to build some new ones for the boys.
(2) Videos: Up-Cycling
When your Gramps is a retired mechanical engineer, broken toys can be repurposed and brought back to life.💙
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| Newborn Snuggles = One of life’s greatest joys 💕 |
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| Naps for Hazel & I while the boys played. |
While Gramps and Avery were out they also purchased some erector sets to build. Once Asher was home from school that is how they spent much of the rest of their day. Well that, and learning to play "Hunkle Bunkle Beanstalk" from Daddy and Gramps.
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| Waiting while the toy was hid for a round of Hunkle Bunkle Beanstalk. |
When the weekend came, so did more family. Despite some yucky winter weather in Illinois, my brother and his family came out to see us and meet their new niece/cousin.
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| Morning snuggles with Daddy. |
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| The Klingenmaier 6-Pack now has a little girl! No one will mess with her with those 6 crazy boys looking out for her! |
We visited with them for a while and let the boys play with their cousins and then after they'd headed back home we enjoyed some lazy family downtime together watching Sugar Rush on Netflix.
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| FB Post: Family Down Time |
That night, I headed up to bed early while Hazel stayed down with Eric and his parents to party for a little while and let Mommy get some sleep.
The next morning was Sunday and our baby girl was already one week old!! Eric's parents said their goodbyes and headed back to Michigan and we shared our first semi-lazy day together alone as a family of five, gearing up for a new week ahead completely on our own. Note I say "semi-lazy" as Hazel and I attempted (unsuccessfully) a 1 Week photoshoot and Eric and Asher went to Asher's friend's birthday party at the bowling alley.
Video: Hazel & Avery
Video: Wii Boxing
Avery & Asher Duke it Out
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