More firsts...

It's hard to believe that Vincent will be four weeks old on Tuesday! The last two weeks just flew by and are a little of a blur... My mom and her husband Jim arrived from MN and stayed with us during that time and we had a lot of firsts during their stay.

Our first family photo, 2.5 weeks old and ready for the Vikes game!

Of course, it was the first time that Vincent met his grandma and grandpa! We also had his two week appointment and found out that he not only gained back his birth weight, but he also put on another 200 grams! He weighed 3.66 kg at that appointment and had gained almost a pound since his one week appointment. The boy eats like a champ! We also had our first metro ride, his first road trip to the Piedmont region and first over night in Venice. He also met his "aunt and uncle" Sissel and Ragnar, and saw downtown Milan for the first time. Man, we packed in a lot in two weeks!

Meeting grandma and grandpa, also a little smirk- the beginning
of a smile :)

Let me say to all new moms, take it easy! I've been over doing it the past week and my body is not happy with me. Going to Venice was great, but it was way too much walking for 3 weeks post partum and I'm looking forward to resting in the next week. Not to mention the stress that comes with traveling with a new born and the unexpected issues.... Because he wasn't on his normal schedule he wasn't eating every three hours like he had been. The day before he was building up my milk supply, so unfortunately I had some issues with a wet shirt all day in Venice! He wasn't eating much and I was producing a ton of milk. Luckily I had a scarf to cover up the lactation damage! Also, I was constantly worried about if he needed a diaper change, would we be able to find a bathroom with a changing table, or when he was going to be hungry again... As it turns out, it wasn't so bad, but we did have to get creative with his diaper changing situation. We ended up changing him on the floor of a restaurant... in the trunk of the car... on the front seat... even on a bench in St Marks square. LOL. I guess you have to get creative to take care of the little guy!



his first designer hat thanks to Marcella

Playing with grandpa

It was bitter sweet to see my mom and Jim leave this morning. It's nice to have the house back to normal, but I'm going to really miss them. It was great to have my moms insight on the little man, and have her and Jim's experience with babies. It was just a little stressful for me though because I wanted to play hostess to them on their first trip to Italy and have them see the sights, but really they wanted me to relax and rest. It was tough because I wasn't up for doing much and that made me feel bad because I wasn't going with them to see the Duomo or other parts of the city. But they were a huge help and I will definitely miss having them around!

Thankfully I had the scarf that day in Venice!

Vincent loves taking walks and I foresee that becomming a daily afternoon routine for us. When he doesn't get out to move around I've noticed that he becomes an afternoon snacker... He'll eat for five minutes, then sleep for half an hour, then repeat. This can last all afternoon!! So walks will definitely be a good thing to prevent that. He's now been sleep for a couple of hours from our walk today :) That's why I have time to write this blog.

First time sitting through an entire meal at a restaurant in Venice
(not just pizza at Pizzeria Spontini)

Meeting Sissel and Ragnar

We are so in love with our little man and have seen some huge changes already. He's starting to fill out and his cheeks are getting chubby. He's also developing some baby acne, hopefully we can clear that up. He's also making more faces and starting to smile a bit- usually when he's feeding or sleeping. But he'll give a grin when he's awake every now and then.

First time downtown Milan- at the Galleria, 3.5 weeks

Life is good :)

Day 1- only about 12 hours old

Wow, the first week or two with a newborn is an adventure! We have had so much fun bringing him home from the hospital and getting to know this little man that is now living with us. We're in the process of establishing a schedule and figuring out all of his "signals", but it's the most amazing thing.

Day 1 in the hospital

Today Josh and I are celebrating our five year wedding anniversary with Vincent. Talk about a great anniversary gift :) Everytime I look at Vincent my heart just melts. In the first week we've been able to have a few firsts- coming home, his first car ride, first check up with the doctor, his first walk, and first bath.







My view from the hospital room

He liked the car and was actually singing along with the music on the car ride home from the hospital. It was pretty cute! At his first check up he had put on quite a bit of weight already- he eats like a champ! When we left the hospital he weighed 3.1 kg (down from 3.4), but at his appointment he weighed 3.3 kg. He was almost back at his birth weight one week later! On his walk he loved all the bumps along the way, and even the street noise. Our neighborhood is noisy and I think he likes it.

Day 5- nap time

Getting ready for bed- Day 5

Flowers from Josh's work team

Other than the firsts this week, we've been trying to figure out breastfeeding. It's taken a lot of practice for both him and me, but we're starting to figure things out. It's not easy though! I feel hungry all the time (just like during my second trimester), and I'm just exhausted by it! Especially when he goes through a growth spurt and wants to eat every 2 hours, instead of every 3. It feels like I'm training for a marathon or something! But let me tell you, it really does bring down the belly size quickly. It's crazy how fast my big belly is being reduced.

Day 6- his cross eyed look

For me, recovery has been my main concern (after taking care of Vincent of course). I did have some natural tears during the delivery, but thankfully I didn't have an episiotomy. This just makes it difficult to move too much, and my muscles are still sore from the delivery. Just walking across the street and up and down a few stairs is difficult right now. I'm looking forward to having more energy and healing so I can get back into the swing of things. My mom and Jim arrive tomorrow morning to help for the next two weeks- I can't wait to see them! I have a feeling I'm going to cry like a baby when I see her.

Day 7- bath time! He wasn't too excited about his first bath...
He was pretty upset, but gave me this adorable face!



getting ready for his bath

Josh is so great at calming him down, not
to mention how he loves Vincent! Just
look at his face in the picture.

This post wouldn't be complete without mentioning how Josh has helped everyday! Josh has been amazing during this first week! He had to work a few days, but worked from home. He has called himself the "Camp Chef" because he has been cooking everyday for us. It's such a huge help! Otherwise I don't think I would eat! He's gone out to the store almost everyday for random things that I need and is happy to do it. I'm so happy to spend this five year anniversary with the most incredible man and I feel so lucky and blessed to have him in my life! What can I say, life is good :)

It's a boy!! Welcome Vincent!!

So, as it turns out, Tuesday was the day! Well... almost. On Wednesday, September 12th at 2:15AM, Vincent Leonardo came into this world looking like a tiny little blue smurf weighing 3.4 kg (7.5 lbs) and 20 inches long. He has light brown hair and hazel eyes (just like his dad). He's so precious and has been so amazing. It has only been a couple of days, and already I can't imagine him not being in our life.

My little smurf! He looks a little confused
about his new surroundings...
This was moments after he was born. He was
very alert and awake and even started feeding.

The whole experience with the delivery was incredible. I'm so thankful to the staff at Buzzi for making it a wonderful, comfortable (well... as much as possible) and welcoming delivery. They were fantastic. It was by far the hardest thing I have ever done in my life! But it was worth it and I don't regret anything about it. I feel like after experiencing a natural delivery, I can acomplish anything! It's very empowering.

It all started with those contractions I felt during the day on Tuesday (the mild ones of early labor started around 5AM, and continued off and on all morning into the afternoon). By the time Josh got home from work at 8 that night, it was time to go the hospital. I was having a hard time coping by myself, and the contractions were 3-5 minutes apart at that time, and it was getting difficult to talk through them. Since it was after regular hospital hours they brought us in through emergency and checked me out. It was about 9PM and at that point I was only 1cm dilated. Of course I was prepared for that kind of news, but it was still disapointing after all of those hours of contractions! Especially because they were getting more intense. They had me wait in the ER for a couple of hours before checking me again. At 11 they were ready to send us home for a couple of hours because they didn't think I was progressing fast enough and we were prepared to go. The doctor walked by and witnessed one of my contractions, and after speaking with her and describing what I was feeling, she wanted to check my dilation again. When she looked I was dilated 3cm, so they admitted me to the delivery room. Thankfully! It would have been a rough ride home (30 minutes and cobblestones)!

Day 2, sitting on dad's lap

Good morning! Day 3 (this morning)

Once settled into the room (which was huge by the way!) I took a nice long, warm shower which helped to ease the contractions a bit. It doesn't change the pain, but it helps you to relax through them. Not once did any of the nurses ask if I wanted pain meds since they new I wanted to go natural, they only told me how great I was doing and to keep it up. And they only came in the room once or twice to check Vincents heart rate.  It was just Josh and I for most of the time which was great! Once they heard me screaming through contractions they came to check on my progress. At that time I was 8cm dilated and felt the urge to push, so she encouraged me to do just that. Man, after going through those strong contractions while trying to relax, pushing was a welcome relief!! At one point his head was crowning as I finished a contraction and was unable to keep pushing. Unfortunately his poor head was stuck there for a few minutes, but to me it felt like an eternity!! That was the time that the cuss words came out... I'm pretty sure I dropped the F bomb at the top of my lungs, and the nurse just laughed. But on the next push his head was out, then a few more pushes and the rest of his body emerged. Then Josh told me, "It's a boy!" and we were completely overjoyed. It seemed to take a while to push him out, maybe 30 minutes to an hour, but time seems to stand still during the moment, so I really don't know how long it took. All I know is that I entered the delivery room around 11PM, and he arrived at 2:15AM. Without any medical or chemical interventions, and the support and encouragement of Josh, I was able to bring Vincent into a new world and he has done very well ever since. I just can't believe I was able to stick to my goal of an all natural birth!

Just before heading home this morning

Coming home today was an eye opening experience. It's a whole new world out there with Vincent in it! Driving makes me more nervous now, and I'm always wondering if he's ok. It really is amazing the love you feel immediately for child! Some of the nerves may be a little irrational... but they are definitely real! Now I understand what people talk about.

I want to give a special thank you to my amazing husband, Josh. He was so supportive through everything and was by my side the entire time. Having him there was such a relief and I couldn't have done it without him. He is the most amazing husband, and now he's such a great dad! Seeing him with Vincent is the cutest thing and he is such a proud dad. I love you so much and am so lucky to have you!!