What I've Been Working on in 2013

We had a little unexpected surprise in 2013.  In April I found out that we would be having a special Christmas present, and we welcomed our baby girl 10 days early on December 15th.

So far she has been polar opposite from my son.  She eats a ton!  She sleeps.  She goes back to sleep after eating.  She has tons of wet diapers.  And she poops!  Since having her I can see why people decide to have more children.  With my son, I could never understand that concept.  He was such a challenge for us and I never would have willingly decided to have another one.  Quite the contrary.  But what a pleasant surprise she's turned out to be.  I count my blessings everyday.

Going into this pregnancy, my body was so much healthier than with my first.  I religiously take probiotics and vitamin D, I have avoided process foods as much as I can, and also avoid soy and GMOs to a large extent.  I also try to use more pure cosmetics and skin care products.  Earlier this year I also started NAET in case it could positively impact the baby, and I was able to make it through the basic 16--hormones took me 3 treatments to pass.

So far breastfeeding has been a breeze (aside from the initial pain that it causes.)  Baby seems to actually enjoy nursing, which is apparent when my husband tries to top her off with a bottle and she looks at him like he's crazy if he thinks she'll drink it (she's so hungry she'll eat for an hour+ and sometimes I just need a break.)

When she was born we declined the  HepB vaccine and opted for oral Vitamin K (the Vitamin K shots have a large amount of aluminum.)  We delayed cord cutting, which we had planned on only for a minute or two but ended up being much longer as the doctors worked on stitching me up and she just laid on my chest during that time.  The cord was bone dry by the time it was cut.

All-in-all it's been a very positive experience so far, and I'm optimistic about what the New Year has in store for us.  Big brother is so proud and helpful, it really is a joy watching him interact with her.

Happy New Year from my family to yours!