palmieri postings: olivia

so i'm working on olivia's birth story, but for now i want to document that my little girl is already one week old! i snuck up on nonna (josh's mom) today and asked to hold her, because i wanted to be the one holding her on her one week birthday! and sure enough, at 2:33pm, i held her and started crying, because what else have i done every 10 minutes since giving birth to her!? how crazy this week has been. the range of emotions that i have experienced could never really be documented, but suffice it to say that i just cannot believe that one week of my life could fly by so quickly. i want to cherish every moment i have with her, which is hard when you are going on very little sleep, feeling completely exhausted, and feeling pain all over your body!

i don't have a format for this, and there is no way i will do this every week, so i'll just wing it!

olivia, you are a great sleeper! you generally fall asleep shortly after eating, and you love to sleep in your crib best. this is hard for your momma because you look so tiny in your crib and i can't be right next to you. your dad and i are still trying to figure out what our nights look like, but we are using the video monitor a lot and trying to let you sleep in there since that's where you are happiest. we don't really have a schedule for now, but you like to eat every 2-3 hours, which is good for your momma since she has more milk than she knows what to do with!

at the pediatrician on monday you weighed 7 pounds, 8 ounces, which is exactly one ounce more that you weighed at birth! clearly you are a good eater! the fact that we seem to change your diaper non-stop also suggests this.

you are one strong baby! you were lifting your head a little right after you were born, and you have the strongest arms and legs! you actually do little leg lifts while you sleep, which we feel the effects of when we go to change you and we can barely close the tabs on your diaper because you won't put your legs down! your arms are also very strong and you love to have them up by your face when you nurse. sometimes it is so hard for me to pull them out of the way! lastly, you are already rolling to your side when you sleep! how do you do that!?

you love to cuddle with anyone, but especially your dad. you are seriously one of the cuddliest babies i have ever seen, which makes me so happy. i just love to snuggle you and stare at you after you finish eating and fall asleep. little drops of milk dribble down your chin and you look completely and utterly relaxed. i stare at all of your features and gently stroke your cheek or arm, and think about how i am the luckiest momma in the world. i love you so much it hurts!

of course this first week has been all about just adjusting to life outside the womb for you. we were in the hospital until the 23rd, and then we've been home since then except for venturing to the pediatrician on monday the 25th. nana came down the day before you were born and stayed until monday, and nonna came on sunday and is staying through the week. you love both of your grandmas so much, and of course they are totally smitten with you! how could they not be!? here are a few pictures from your first week!