samson's first week

so i've been posting some things from sam's first week on facebook and i figured i'd better put them on here, too, so they won't get lost in time and space.

first post, 4/17: just wanted to post that i'm alive and samson is doing AWESOME. i'll post more and check my posts/messages when i have more energy. gonna eat dinner. thanks to everyone.

4/18: just ENGULFED a left over meatloaf sandwich. hunched over it like a ravenous cavewoman, i literally drooled on the second half while eating the first. hopefully i will gain some energy from this...

4/19: i feel like i've been transported to an alternate universe, where somehow my own house seems strangely unfamiliar. i just realized today that i have not seen my own purse in several days. what a strange feeling. it's been a rough few days; i feel like several parts of me spontaneously stopped working when samson was born, and now i'm on a quest to figure out how to get them working again. it's all worth it, though. i thank god i have such an amazing partner to help me through it all. i know together, we will have the patience necessary to conquer anything. he is so stunningly good at being everything i need exactly when i need it. i know with his help we will make an amazing baby turn into an amazing man.

just had an awesome breakthrough/epiphany/genius idea while nursing. now for the first time i don't dread the upcoming feeding, crossing fingers and preparing for defeat. instead, i am excited to try my new idea. wish me luck! i've got a year of this to go...

2 brains are better than 1--and apparently 4 brains can conquer the world...my world at least. thanks to j, my mom, a lactation consultant, and myself, we now have a baby who has TWICE IN A ROW nursed like a pro. fingers crossed for future feedings...

samson, 4 days old and already such a wise sage. in this short time you have already taught me so many things--new skills, the importance of patience, that sometimes things won't go as i planned and i just need to SUCK IT UP. i look forward to all you have yet to teach me.

4/20: well the votes are in--samson is officially the mayor of boob town! haha three more successful feedings under our belt. i feel like everything makes sense to me now. i think he actually knew what he was doing all along, and i just had to figure out my part. day 5 and i have such an overwhelming sense of anticipation and joy when i think about the coming hours, days, months, and years. :)

4/21: wow, what a night. i've created a boobie monster. eat eat eat, poop poop poop. i feed him, he falls asleep, he poops, i clean him, this wakes him, he roots around for more food. WHEN DOES THE SLEEPING PART HAPPEN, BABY?? the only dream i had last night was of him crying and me needing to feed him. pretty ironic, since right before we went to bed, i made him this:
o sense of humor, where would i be without u? some of my favorite j quotes that've been helping me keep my sanity: sam is soothed by vacuums & rascal flatts. probably cuz they both suck...(while holding samson) *pffft* i think that was just a fart. *squiiirt* that was not. lol i've nearly laughed my stitches out a couple of times these last few days.

souji has been so cute. every morning now around 8 or so, he just starts barking downstairs at nothing at all. he never used to do this. i think he thinks that he needs to warn all the bad guys each day that he has a new baby and he will protect it, so they'd better watch out! haha

life before samson: what is there to do? life after samson: WHEN is there to do?!?!?? hahaha

sarah: j, i wish there was some way i could repay you for how amazing you been through this entire thing. j: they're called blowjobs. LOLOLOLOLOL!!!!!!!

j is reading to samson, who just made a huge dump in his pants. j: "well, i guess we got your review."

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so sam got his first bath on day three, went for his first walk on day 6 (would have gone sooner but it was so WINDY his first few days here!), lost his cord stump around day 8 (which is actually a little early).
the first 4 days were really, really rough. i just couldn't get the nursing down no matter what i tried. we had a couple of successes, but nothing seemed to stick. finally, with j's support, my mom's guidance, the advice of a lactation consultant, and my own instincts, we NAILED IT! now he eats all the time like a champ! day 4 was a huge turning point for us. i got my first shower, he was eating well, and i started taking the placenta capsules. since then things have been going great. we saw the pediatrician monday and he was impressed that samson had already regained his birth weight, (which they don't expect to happen til he's 2 weeks old) plus 5 ounces. monday was also j's first day back to work. that was HARD. my best friend and biggest support was gone, and the only person i felt could comfort me through this was him! but at the same time i didn't want to say anything to him about it and make him feel bad for having to work. but boy did i miss him desperately. once i got through that first day, though, it's been a lot easier.
j is having a bit of a hard time with the nursing, feeling like that's all samson ever really needs or wants, and it's the one thing j can't do for him. i just keep reminding him of all the other things he can and does do for him, and that as time goes on he'll require more and more of us, and i know j will kick butt at all those things, too.