Owen's First Week....

Daddy & Owen napping in the hospital Owen all ready to go home from hospital (Weight: 9 lbs, 0 oz) Mommy & Owen with the flowers from Daddy We are all home & Ava is opening her presents Ava with her new "baby brother" doll - about the same size as Owen

Grandpa Glenn and Owen

Owen ready for bed his first night at home

Proud Big Sister Ava

Heading to the doctor for first well check-3 days old (Weight: 9 lbs 4 oz)

Owen with his eyes open - 4 days old

Mommy & Owen

Owen's favorite place to sleep...Mommy & Daddy's bed!

Snoozing in the swing

Our first week with Owen at home has been good overall. Our biggest struggle has been sleeping at night. He has spent the majority of each day sleeping (I wake him to eat) and then he is up all night, eating every hour from around 10pm to 4 am). I've had several nights where I didn't get to sleep at all until 4-5am. Other than the severe lack of rest, things are going well. Owen is a good baby and really doesn't cry much unless he wants to eat. He seems to enjoy being in our bed and will fall asleep after nursing. However, if we try to lay him down in his own bed, he's not a big fan. He is getting more alert each day, and we are really enjoying the fun of having a cuddley newborn around again. Ava had a rough first few days after we got home from the hospital, but she is doing better all the time. She did ask me if Owen was going back in my tummy the other day, but for the most part she really loves him. She constantly asks to hold him and gives him kisses pretty often. She is starting to get used to how things are with a sibling, and we are trying to keep things as close to the same for her as possible. She really looks forward to Daddy coming home each day so they can have their time to play that she so enjoys. We were fortunate to have my mom come and stay for a few days and help take care of the house and Ava a couple days after we got home from the hospital. It was nice to have someone else available for the needs of Ava along with the cooking. Now we are on our own...

Our Newest Blessing...Owen Bradley Sieve

Happy Birthday Owen! Peaking out of his blanket

The Proud Daddy!

Grandma Chris with her 6th grandchild

Ava is so excited that her baby brother is finally here!

All cuddled up by Daddy

First Family Photo

It's so hard to believe, but our baby boy is finally here! Owen Bradley Sieve was welcomed into the world at 3:13 pm on October 15, 2010. He weighed 9 lbs 9 oz and was 21 inches long. My labor went really well. Dr. Salama broke my water at 9:00 am and I was fully dilated by 1:45 pm. I started pushing at around 2:45 pm and he was here less than a half hour later. I had great staff for the labor, and was very fortunate to have Dr. Salama again for delivery, just like when Ava was born. Owen was a good baby in the hospital. The first night, he only nursed once between 11:30 pm and 7 am. The second night he nursed a little more often, but we still managed to get some rest. We once again did not want to leave the hospital with the three wonderful meals served to you each day and the nursing staff to take care of all our needs. I even had a complimentary massage during our stay as part of the spa McKennan now has for new moms. It was fantastic!

On a side note, my sister Shelly had planned to take Ava for a few days when she left the hospital Friday night. She had her two children and Ava in her van, and got into a car accident just a few blocks from the hospital. Thankfully, everyone was fine, but her van was in tough shape. Brad ended up going to the scene of the accident and helping get all the kids moved over into our car, reinstalling the carseats which took some time. Shelly and the kids then made a late trip back to Sioux City. Brad had to bring my mom back to Luverne, so we would still have a vehicle at the hospital for us to come home in. It was kind of chaotic, and Brad didn't make it back to the hospital until around 11:30 pm. We are thankful it was only minor and no one was injured. A story to tell on Owen's birthday!