Isaac's First Week

He's here! Finally, all the waiting is over and our precious boy is here to hold and adore. Up until the very end I kept hoping that I would go into labor naturally, but that did not seem to be God's plan, so I went in to be induced on Monday Feb. 20th. Isaac Joshua was born on Feb. 21st at 4:08 am--birth story to come. This birth was more difficult for me than the birth of my firstborn, partially because Isaac was about a pound bigger and had a larger head. Also, since the induction took so long I was very tired after he was born--Josh and I went right to sleep in our deluxe hospital bed. We paid more to get the nice room with a double bed. My mom stayed with us and helped as we needed it. After a few hours of rest they brought Isaac to our room. He had nursed right away after being born and I was eager to feed him again after getting off to a rocky start with my firstborn. Isaac was a natural! Sometimes it took him a while to latch on properly, but then when he got it he had a good strong suck, so that was a relief to me. After nursing he would get very sleepy and would conk out for a few hours. Josh and I rested and ate to get our energy back and Josh enjoyed having access to TV stations that played Jeremy Lin's games and interviews over and over. Yes, he is 'Linsane!'

Isaac was born in the middle of the night Tuesday and we stayed in the hospital until Thursday. This time we were at St. Joseph's Hospital in Kaohsiung and I highly recommend it to anyone who values breastfeeding and rooming in with their baby. Both at the hospital and after getting home we enjoyed some sweet visits from sweet friends and were/are blessed by the many gifts and congratulations that people have brought to us. At home Isaac continued to be a sleepyhead, eating about every three hours during the day and about every 4-5 hours during the night. (I usually have to wake him up but sometimes I can't get myself to move.) So far Isaac has just been a dream baby, and more how I expected a newborn to be from everything I read before Caleb was born. Caleb was much more uptight and demanding as a newborn and didn't like to be put down or fall asleep or have you sit down while you held him. Isaac is pretty content to sit in his chair and falls asleep easily almost anywhere. I have to make sure I don't neglect him sometimes because he's such an easy baby! (so far)

Caleb is doing well. He had a hard time accepting his little brother at first but has made amazing progress in the first week. At first he couldn't even look at his brother, but now he points at him and squeals or tries to touch him. You have to guide his hands to make sure he's gentle. The hardest thing for Caleb though is watching Isaac nurse. It makes Caleb jealous and sometimes he even tries smashing his head on the [tile] ground to get our attention. A few times I've attempted nursing them at the same time but I am a little worried Caleb will crush Isaac so I'm trying not to make it a habit. The other day when Isaac was crying, Caleb tried to share his crackers with him, so I see his sweetness and sharing heart coming out even though he struggles sometimes. God has blessed us with sweet boys!

One big blessing during Isaac's first week was a baby shower that my BCC (church) friends threw for me while my mom was here. Since Isaac was so new we didn't bring him, but the ladies prayed blessings on him and me and on our family and it was a wonderful time for my mom and I. Sometimes I am so overwhelmed by the many blessings God has brought us.

Two quick comical notes:

1. What's under that blanket?

When Caleb was new and I used to use a nursing cover to feed him, people always asked me what was under the blanket, or asked if the baby was sleeping and would try to peek in. This time around, my mom brought us an awesome double stroller and I usually cover Isaac up with a blanket to avoid people's questions about how old he is. (It's taboo to take out a baby that is less than three months in Taiwan.) But people aren't used to double strollers like the one I have and they see Caleb in the front and point to the back and ask, "What's under that blanket?" Makes me laugh.

2, hormones

I remember having this problem when Caleb was born too. I feel really prematurely emotional about Isaac growing up and moving out. If I try to talk about it, I start crying. Josh just laughs at me and I know I'm being a little ridiculous but I just can't seem to help being a blubbery mess!

That's all for now!
-Paula