Bringing Home Hallie

On Thursday, May 6th, we brought Hallie Elizabeth Tanner home from the hospital. We were excited to be home together as a family. The first few days (and nights) were tough! But we learned quick. Austin bought several books (he knows thats how I learn best, book smart some would say) that her pediatrician and friends recommended. I thought having books to read to help me care for my baby would be helpful EXCEPT I was too busy trying to care for my baby to find the time to read the books! But after 30 minutes of sleep on night one and 2 hours of sleep on night two, I decided to find time to read Babywise: Giving your Infant the Gift of Nighttime Sleep. This book helped us establish a routine. Every 3 hours during the day (7, 10, 1, 4, 7) Hallie eats, plays, then sleeps. At night, we do not wake her every three hours to eat. She sleeps until she wakes up, then I feed her. She has been sleeping 4-5 hours at a time before waking to eat. So, usually I get up twice during the night with her. Needless to say, Im sleeping more at night too! It's wonderful. During the days, we've had lots of company (for Hallie, of course)! I want to thank all of our family and friends for bringing food and volunteering to watch Hallie while we've caught up on a few hours of sleep. I didn't realize how big of an adjustment the first couple of days would be, but with everyone's help it has been much easier.