2 weeks later...

Little Miss Brooke is 2 weeks old today!

 (Yes, this is the best picture we could get. There's another one with Brooke making a really hilarious face, but that will be used for blackmail purposes in the future. Like on her first date.)

She weighs 7 lbs 7 oz, just 2 ounces shy of her birth weight. She is 21 inches long, so she's supposedly grown an inch longer. I don't totally trust the methods of the Malad nurses, since at her 1 week appointment they weighed her with her clothes and diaper on, so I'm not sure if she really has grown an inch. But she is very healthy and her slight jaundice is all gone. Her umbilical cord fell off a couple days ago so she now has an adorable little belly button on her round little tummy. She's not quite the voracious eater that Tayvin was as an infant, but we're getting the hang of breastfeeding.

When Brooke was born we opted to not give her the Hep B vaccine yet since there really wasn't a good reason for it. The only time a newborn really needs it is if Mom has Hep B, and I certainly don't. So she had her Hep B shot today, and while she cried when she got poked (they put that needle in deep!) she calmed right down as I rubbed her leg. I was impressed. Then I took her over to the hospital to get her second PKU test done, and the lab tech had to sit there for almost five minutes and hold her foot and squeeze out little drops of blood. There was a lot of crying (just from Brooke, I have become immune to baby cries in a medical capacity. I'm a little heartless.), but she lived. And then took a really long nap.

Tayvin is getting used to his sister. I put her on a blanket for some tummy time yesterday and as soon as he saw me laying on the ground with her he scooted over and gently pushed me out of the way so he could see Brooke. Then he "tickled" her toes, which consists of him wiggling his fingers on her feet and saying, "Tickle, tickle!" I think he's going to be a very sweet big brother.

As for me, I feel pretty good for two weeks after my surgery. My doctor applied a special surgical glue to the outside of my incision for added strength, but it's had time to heal so it was time to remove the glue. The glue had made the incision look larger than it actually was, so after I took it off I was shocked to see how narrow the incision was. It's still a good 6-7 inches wide, but the scar is going to look a nicer than my old one. I am really impressed with the job my doctor did. My recovery has been so much easier than it was with Tayvin. I don't think I lost as much blood this time. I can actually sleep and eat, and I'm not as anxious as I was with Tayvin. So altogether this has been a much better experience, even though the actual C-section was a lot more uncomfortable.

Here's where I get to brag a little. Last time I was at my doctor I had lost 20 pounds, so I'm only 5 pounds over my pre-pregnancy weight. I can button my old jeans, although they're a little snug. And I somehow miraculously escaped getting stretch marks again, so my tummy is just a little flabbier than usual. And no, I didn't use any special lotion or anything on my belly. I'm just part Elastigirl or something. My pregnancy acne has finally cleared up, and I'm starting to get more energy and feel more active. Now the hard part is to not over-do it before my Mom leaves so I can get the rest I need to keep on recovering.

I'm supposed to be able to go back to my old routine by 4-6 weeks after the surgery, so I need to try and take it easy before then. It's hard, though. I want to pick up Tayvin and do laundry and move things around, but I'm not supposed to lift anything over 10 pounds. But you know what? Life could be so much worse. I'm so thankful to have had such a good experience with this birth. I'm thankful I had such a good doctor and surgeon, and a wonderful hubby and a very kind Mom to come and take care of me and my family.