The first few days in the life of Lydia

It doesn't take long to forget how tiny and helpless these precious little ones are when they come straight from heaven.  I think they bring a piece of heaven with them, as the spirit in our home is always so sweet those first couple weeks.  Too bad it is only for a short time!

 Stetson was the best little helper!  He wanted to be right there, helping with everything and asking questions.  I was impressed with how loving and gentle he was with his new baby sister, definitely not the rambunctious 5-year old boy I was used to!

With big brother Stetson

So Lydia was 3 weeks early, and though everything seemed to be developed fully, she was TINY!!!  I didn't realize how tiny she was until I started putting on the "SUPER TINY" clothes (as Stetson called them just the week before when we were getting them out) and seeing how they would drown her.  I think my favorite though, was her tiny, skinny legs.  I put on the tiniest socks I had, and they looked like little boots! 

Lydia's first pair of boots

We were very lucky that we were able to come home from the hospital the night after Lydia was born.  It was so nice to get some rest in my own, comfortable bed.  And Lydia only woke up once in the night to eat . . . that's my girl!  I didn't really have the wherewith to get her all fixed up before we left the hospital, so we did it the next morning.  Here she is, almost exactly one day old, all dressed up after her first bath.

24 hours old

Kenny's mom had this little bassinet that she used for her kids, and I have used it for all of mine.  It seems little until you put a tiny newborn burrito baby in it!  Still, it is better than starting in a great big crib, plus it is on wheels, so I could wheel it over right next to my bed for easy access during the night.

Lydia in her little bassinet

So this was day two, and I think Lydia finally learned how to cry.  I was wondering as she had been so calm and content for the first 48 hours.  But on this day her mean mama was trying to get some pictures, and Lydia just wanted to eat, couldn't her mom tell she was starving to death!  As sad as it is, I love to hear (and watch) a newborn baby cry - it is so adorable!!!

Lydia's first big cry

The first indication that this girl was going to be a snuggle bug.  I put this cute teddy bear she got from the hospital up to her and she grabbed right on and hugged it close; it even calmed her down for a few minutes until she remembered how hungry she was!

Lydia's first teddy bear

Stetson and Lucy LOVE their new baby!  This was a relief, as you never know how the kids are going to react to bringing a new person into the home, however it did cause a little contention as they both wanted to hold her ALL the time!  Plus, mom and dad wanted a turn too!  This is one of the advantages of breastfeeding, when the baby is hungry, it's mom's turn no matter what, ha!

Stetson and Lydia

Lucy had a difficult time being gentle, and sometimes her hugs and kisses were a little too much for her tiny baby sister.  Still, it was amazing to me how long she would sit and hold Lydia, just gazing down at her - pretty amazing for a 2 year old!

Lucy and Lydia

On day three . . . the three cutest kids ever!!!

Lucy, Lydia, Stetson

Just shy of two weeks old, Lydia went to church for the first time.  Grandma and Grandpa Black were reporting on their mission, and we couldn't miss out on that!  She was super good, and slept the entire time!

Lydia's first day of church

Lydia's umbilical cord was cut a little long, so at her first visit to the doctor he cut it off a little shorter.  The end dried right up, but the part close to the skin stayed moist and got kind of nasty.  I know they say not to use alcohol, but I had to do something to dry it up!  After about two weeks the last of it finally fell off, and we were able to have a "real" bath - yay!!!

Lydia's first "real" bath

Aunt Suzie made this super cute quilt for Lydia.  It is crib size, so it will be perfect for her to use when she moves into her crib.  I know this picture is kind of funny, but see how her eyes are open really wide and you can see a lot of the white?  Lydia does this quite often, and one day Stetson said, "mom, Lydia looks like an alien when she does that!"

My alien baby