Post partum: Week 6

Weight: 115 lbs 8 oz (two pounds from pre-pregnancy weight)
Waist: 32.5 inches (6.5 inches from pre-pregnancy size)

Aches & pains: lower sacrial illiac region and upper back between the shoulder blades.
Some headaches and muscle aches.

Visitors: This week my mom came to visit and it was nice to let her dote on the baby. I actually went to the store without any babies and it was liberating. I felt some freedom, but a little bit guilty. Not too guilty to go a few errands now and again.

My mom totally loved meeting Elijah and it was so nice to see her have fun with him. We were doubly blessed this week as my Grandma Rose and Aunt Betty from Post Falls, Idaho traveled over the pass to visit us. We had a great visit as it was Grandma's 84th birthday and she enjoyed meeting her Great Grandsons. We are very excited about having them in the Northwest. For so long, I've not been able to visit
them and now they are just a four hour drive away.

Work: I haven't done much work this week except to go to the studio for a few hours at a time and make some phone calls. However, next week I'll get back to the studio for three full days. I'm still real tired during the days.

I photographed my first wedding this week and I felt really rusty when we were getting started. After about an hour, I captured a great candid moment and then I felt better. Then before the reception we photographed the bride and groom in some really great romantic situations and I felt creative again. I was very excited about it and they could tell that the photos would be great.

It was a long day of shooting and I sprained my ankle at the reception site just before the family photos and it hurt really bad. Two days later and it still hurts. My camera was damaged in the fall, but I wasn't concerned about it. That's a first. Usually I go down protecting the camera, but this time I needed my hands to break my fall and the camera took force on the lens.

Sleep: Elijah is doing very well. He nurses at 11:00 p.m. and then again at 3:30 - 4:00 a.m. and again at 7:00 or 8:00 a.m. He's a good sleeper and I'm getting some rest at night. He's had a cold this week, so we have to suction the mucus out of his nose at night and then he goes back to sleep.

Outlook: I'm feeling pretty good both physically and emotionally. I don't watch much news and stick mostly to the discovery channel and a few cop shows. I'm trying to maintain a sunny outlook on the world.

Doug: He's doing pretty well, considering that we've had lots of guests visiting us and now he can relax.

Finnegan: He's still adjusting to being a big brother. He wants to nurse whenever the baby is nursing and he loves to have a pacifier in his mouth. I guess he's reminding us that he's still a baby. While we try to maintain a schedule for Finnegan things do arise and he doesn't like it, but we always try to give him lots of attention and it's working.

The other thing I've noticed is that he's testing us more and more by acting up and stressing his independence and he's been getting a couple of timeouts every day. The good thing is that "time outs" aren't too hard on him and he gets the message.

It's been a good week.