The Cuzzies

After a patchy few days, we've gone into hibernation, limited our visitors and focused on Sarah catching up on some much needed sleep, as well as slowly sorting out some feeding issues with Stella. Stella finally met both her cousins - Lorna and Nicky - on the weekend. She's also enjoying a bit more stimulation after her feeds so out comes the baby gym and story books!

Angel by Day...

... but still getting used to night time. Last night Stella was very wakeful then proceeded to sleep like an angel for most of the morning! We're going to try sleeping her in the big cot tonight as she is really enjoying stretching out her arms and legs, managing to inch her way up the bassinet and ending up with her head resting against the top! Time for the big move, aided by a monitor to keep Mum and Dad happy.

Fun in the bath

We're slowly getting the hang of bath time, yesterday Stella slept through most of it (yes, is was 4pm and Sarah was still wearing her pjs - getting dressed is a major achievement these days!) Fortunately Stella really enjoys the water - perhaps due to Sarah having spent a lot of time in the water during the pregnancy? Anyway, there is very little fuss so it is a nice thing to do together, and she smells so good afterwards!!

Her eyes are opening

Stella spent most of her first week with her eyes shut, she looks like a different baby with them open, each day they are bigger and open for longer. We've been reading and singing to her when she is awake and were quite excited today when she focused on her horse and grabbed its leg!

Had to add the one with Mark as its a lovely pic, she's a very cuddly baby and its been great having Mark home from work to enjoy her first two weeks.

The Aunties

We are fortunate to have a lot of our immediate family living in Auckland, however we thought we would dedicate this entry to Stella's aunties - Linda, Katherine and Claire. All have now met Stella and we look forward to sharing her with them over the coming years.

We're now into week two and Stella appears to be putting on weight after losing the average 10%. The midwife visits again on Monday for a weigh in. She is eating well and doing everything a little baby should and is actually quite a cruisy wee thing, only fussing for a reason. So far so good, but we aren't counting our chickens, taking one day at a time and enjoying the quiet moments she has been giving us from time to time throughout the day and night.

Going home

After 4 nights in hospital, we ventured home. All the stairs in the house are proving a challenge for Sarah's post-caesarean tummy however Mark and Nana Kathleen have been a wonderful help. We're laying low for this first week while we get feeding issues under control and figure out how to get through the days (and nights!) If you'd like to visit over the next few weeks, please give us a call. If you call the land line and get the answerphone, just leave a message as we aren't always able to get to the phone in time.

Stella Katherine has arrived

Stella Katherine entered the world at 2.43pm on Thursday 11 May weighing 9lb 6oz. Here are some pics from her first few hours.