The First Couple of Weeks

There has been a lot less sleep at the Raml house, but many more sweet moments. We find ourselves just watching Austin & giggling at his different faces. I find myself wondering what he's thinking about all these new experiences in his first 19 days. I wonder if he even remembers my tummy any more.

A few funny things we've realized in the first few days...
1) 0-3 month clothes don't really start at '0'!
2) Size 1 diapers are too big for a Newborn...even though they say 'newborn' on the package.
3) It is possible for one person to carry a carseat, a diaper bag, a purse, Austin & a boppy.
4) The question of "will this time work to visit" doesn't have a clear answer until the time arrives...Austin is on his own schedule.

Here are some pictures of tummy time with Mom & Dad!

Of course his Grandparents have been soaking him up too!

Austin has been a GREAT baby & occasionally let's us get 3-4 hours of sleep at night, which we appreciate greatly! Mom has been instructed to eat certain foods to help boost up her milk supply for Austin. He hasn't been eating as much as he should thus creating a lower supply in Mom. We are on a regimen now to bulk up the supply. It's a bit of work (takes 1.5 hours to feed him...when Mom has help), plus making sure she follows all the instructions with diet & vitamin supplements. We go back early next week to get a weight check. We feel confident that he will be in better shape. Due to this we had to introduce bottles to him a little earlier than we'd planned. Here Dad is feeding Austin for the first time!

His last Dr. appointment his height was in the 90th percentile, but weight in the 10 percentile. He's a skinny bean. With that in mind...check out this picture of Austin & his cousin Owen. Owen is 6 weeks older.

And the Raml Clan below in all our glory.

Austin & his first puppet show...

Many people have asked us, has he peed on you yet...Yes, several times! I call this shot "Diaper Surpirse"

The Big Day Has Come!

He's has arrived!!!

Austin Michael graced us with his presence on February 9th at 10:07 AM. He was 7 lbs. 5 oz. and 20 1/2 inches long.

Here he is celebrating his own arrival with a touchdown signal while soaking in the world on his birthday! We were both excited to see our new little bundle & to be done with the labor process.

Mom & Dad didn't have much sleep in them when he arrived. On Saturday Feb. 7th around 2 am, Emily woke up with lots of pain & cramping, but she didn't realize that it was labor at that point. The pain subsided around noon on Saturday. Then the following night she was up around 2 am again this time she quickly realized this was labor as they were somewhat consistent. There wasn't much sleeping on either of those nights, especially for Mom. We labored at home all day & then Emily's water started to leak. We packed up our van & drove calmly to the hospital knowing our lives were about to drastically change & be more enriched with our new son.

At the hospital, Austin gave everyone in the room a bit of scare by dropping his heart rate on a couple of occasions, so things got pretty rushed. Mom had to pull or rather push overtime with each contraction & the Dr. also tried the vaccum. After 31 hours of consistent labor, Austin Michael was born.

He definetly has some sweet faces & adorable poses. Here are a few pictures of his first week while at home.

Mr. Sleepy

Austin & some of his stuffed animals, perhaps thinking, 'which one should I play with?'

Just darn cute in his swing!

Austin's first sponge bath at home! Oh boy!

Mom & Dad have been adjusting to the 'sleep' schedule this week. We have some more adjusting to get accustomed to it though. We're learning what his schedule is & his fussy periods. It's been fun to watch each other in our new role as parents.

Stella has been doing very well. She loves Austin & wants to give him kisses all the time. We're trying to prevent these for a little while yet, but I'm sure she shares her love on occasion. Whenever Austin makes a noise (cry or hiccups), she runs to him & makes sure he is okay. We know they will be best of friends in no time.

Today we took Austin on his first shopping trip. We had his car seat carrier cover on him, but the wind opened up the little peak-a-boo hole & he let out a "Ehhhhh!" We looked down to see what was wrong & covered him up. We got a good laugh & just told him 'Welcome to Minnesota!"