Welcome to the world Brijin Joy

I'm so sorry for keeping you all in suspense...

We returned home from a family of two to three from hospital with our new, baby girl Brijin Joy Wednesday night and have been tending to her needs since. I finally feel like I have a moment where I will choose five minutes of blogging over five minutes of sleep... Amazing.

She arrived at 9:04 p.m. on Memorial Day at a long and skinny 7.0 lbs and 20.5 in.

The first thing I noticed were her big lips. :) Later, with help from our friends and family who visited, we awed at her long fingers and gigantic feet! Not long after, my husband and I realized just how precious and scary taking care of this delicate, little life is and will be.

I have so much to catch you up on. I'd like to document so many things from the past week, if Brijin will let me sleep enough to think through it and have the time to type it out! LOL!

I want to share the following:

• My birth plan compared to my labor story - how meditation and presence helped me through it
  
• Naming our baby - Brijin is pronounced like Bridget but with a "jin" at the end (it's the Swedish version ... will tell you more about it later.
  
• My hospital stay
  
• My breastfeeding journey - boy, is it one! definitely a LEARNED experience and your first team effort with your child
• Bringing home baby
• Adapting our dog Charlie to our new bundle of Brijin Joy
• Continuing to learn and feel confident taking care of our daughter

Please comment (hit comment button beneath post) and let me know if I left anything out that you want to know, and I'll fill you in on the details.

I've truly enjoyed sharing my pregnancy through my blog and plan to continue Yoga Mama as I journey through motherhood. My yoga practice will have to focus on meditation and breath for several weeks as my body returns back to normal, and I will try to incorporate yoga into my posts. However I'll have to admit I may be very baby focused for a while. :) And particularly on one special lady.

Getting our dog ready for baby

Four days and COUNTING LOUDLY. Can you hear me God? I've been reading my newborn-care baby books and articles and watching the DVDs so we're ready to go! I'm so anxious to meet this little guy or gal. I've been having a bit of cramping today, which I chalk up to Braxton Hicks contractions since they have been fairly random and not really painful as I imagine full-on labor contractions to be. It's so hard to know when it's really time.

Our current baby is Charlie, who will soon become our dog once our baby girl or boy arrives. He's a lab-border collie mix so he's a big boy at 80 pounds and is very sweet and lovable. Our neighbors adore him because he never barks. He's also pretty good with our nine-month old niece, but he is a bit oafish. Loves to step on our toes so I'm a wee bit nervous about him being around our newborn. Thought I'd make him the subject of today's post since I found a good online article called "Preparing Pets for the New Arrival."

Here's a few tidbits from the article I thought were the most helpful:

Before baby arrives

• Make the nursery off-limits. Paws on or in a crib can waken baby.
  
• Get your pet used to the baby’s belongings and furniture.
  

Before baby comes home

• Have the pet-sitter repeat your newborn’s name to your pet, showing the pet where the baby will sleep.
• Have someone bring home a clothing item your baby has worn and let your pet get used to the baby’s scent.

Once baby is home

• Introduce your pet to the baby. Tell your pet the baby’s name and watch your pet’s reaction closely.