Day 5 in the wilderness of parenthood:

I didn’t have a lot of exposure to babies & kids most of my life, so I had no idea how I would feel about a newborn or even what to do! I never swooned over other babies so I wondered if I wasn’t cut out to be a mom at all. But I have loved this newborn experience so much more than I thought. I used to be scared to hold little babies or interact with them, but Ollie seems to have unlocked something in me. Now I want to hold & care for alllllll the newborns I can find!

It hasn’t been blissfully perfect - we’ve had a few challenges. We aren’t able to nurse right now, so I am working my butt off pumping as much as I can to feed Ollie & establish my supply in these critical early days. I feel like I’m tied to this hospital grade pump most of the day and my schedule revolves around pumping, cleaning parts, feeding, and starting over! We are hoping as she gets older we will be able to nurse more successfully - I still try at every feeding though just in case she surprises me!

Ollie has had an eventful life in her 5 days - tagging along on some errands, watching the Oregon football game with Zach & her first pediatrician visit. She’s lost a little weight (nothing to worry about), so her cheeks are a little less chubby now. I think she looks like a totally different baby!

I know she’s only 5 days old, but I swear she looks so much older. I already miss that sweet fresh baby they put on my chest last week. I feel like the first days in the hospital flew by and I didn’t soak up the experience as much as I should’ve. I get so emotional & sentimental about her getting older and I would love for her to stay this little forever.

I say it a lot, but I just can’t believe she’s here. She’s real. She’s ours. It feels too good to be true. We are so thankful for her miraculous appearance in our lives and love having a new team member in our family. ❤️