First Smiles

Nathan is 7 weeks old today. He is growing up fast. Today was another milestone. I'm going to call it his first "real" smile. We've gotten lots of smiles since he was born, most of them while he is sleeping or at other random times. But this morning was different. He started fussing during his morning nap, and I went in to check on him and put his pacifier back in his mouth. I started patting him and singing to help him fall back asleep and he looked right at me and smiled. I immediately pulled his paci out and the smiles continued. He gave me several big open mouth grins. It was the sweetest thing ever. I almost started crying it was so precious. He was happy to see his mommy. I just love that boy so much I can't stand it.

Weekend in Weatherford

Matt had to make a quick trip back to Florida this past weekend for work (the last one ever for this project!), so my parents, Nathan and I decided to make a weekend trip to Weatherford. It's always easier when Matt is gone if I have things to keep me busy, and Nathan hadn't seen his great grandparents since the weekend he was born. We had a great weekend and Nathan was spoiled by three of his great grandparents.

He did great in the car for the almost 3 hour trip. We stopped twice on the way to Weatherford for diaper changes, and I fed him a bottle in the car, so we didn't have to stop for me to nurse him. We made it to Momoo's house on Friday night, and Nathan was worn out from his long car trip.
He got some good cuddles in with Momoo that night. We spent Saturday morning playing, cuddling, and visiting and then went out to lunch.

I wanted to get a picture of the four generations in our family. Nathan doesn't mind being the only boy in the picture.

Saturday afternoon we said goodbye to Momoo and headed to surprise Granny and Grandaddy. They knew my parents were coming for the weekend, but we kept it a secret that Nathan and I were joining them. When we got to their house. I sat Nathan at the front door, rang the doorbell, and hid. Granny answered it and wasted no time picking sweet Nathan up. They were so excited to see him, and oh my, Grandaddy went crazy over that baby. He held and played with him the whole time we were there. We left him with them for a few minutes while we ran to get a snow cone, and when we got back, Grandaddy teased that we weren't gone long enough. Poor Granny just got a few snuggles at bed time. They both mentioned over and over how they wouldn't mind getting up with him in the middle of the night and holding him. I don't think Granny slept at all because she almost beat me to him when he stirred in the middle of the night. After I fed him, I handed him off and I don't know how long she held him before she brought him back to bed.

Sunday morning, Nathan and I ran up to church before we left town so Granny could introduce Nathan to some of her friends. She took him out of his car seat as soon as we got there and ran around the church showing him off to everyone. Nathan slept through almost all of it and was totally unaware of all the attention he was getting. I've always believed that I have the best grandparents, and this weekend confirmed it. They are so smitten with their great grandson. It reminded me of all the fun memories from when I was little and stayed with them. My mom told me that Grandaddy was the same way with Jeremy and me when we were babies. She said Granny almost never got a turn holding us.

We made it home Sunday afternoon, and my mom watched Nathan so I could get a much needed nap. We were all worn out.
Nathan was sweet and sleepy after his bath on Sunday night. We missed Daddy especially on Father's Day, but it was a lot of fun spending time with Momoo, Granny, Grandaddy, Grammy and Papa Joe. Grandaddy called me Sunday night and told me what a great weekend he had and how special Father's Day was for him.

Let's Roll

Weekend Recap

We had a fun weekend. It actually felt somewhat like a real weekend. Lately all my days are running together. Since Matt has gone back to work, weekends do feel different than the other days of the week. No more sleeping in on Saturdays though, but my little alarm clock is worth it :).

On Friday night after dinner, Jason, Andrea, and Chloe came over, and we held babies and played a game of Settlers. Nathan and Chloe both slept through most of the game. We are all a little more distracted during the game now, but we still have a great time playing.

Saturday afternoon we headed to a neighborhood block party/cook out. Since Matt is on our HOA board, he helped set up and clean up. Nathan and I just went for the fun. We enjoyed meeting and visiting with our neighbors. Nathan always attracts a lot of attention these days. He's like a magnet.

I decided it was time for Nathan to show his true colors. Is he not the cutest little Pokes fan you've ever seen? As I was dressing him I told him how fun it would be to go to OSU when he grows up and that Mommy and Daddy would come visit him and go to football games.
Matt wanted to show off his early Father's Day present. I ordered it from thinkgeek.com. He wore it to work on Friday and again on Saturday to the cookout.

Saturday night, we took Nathan over to Grammy and Papa Joe's to play and went on a date. We saw Kung Fu Panda 2, and it was actually really good. We both laughed a lot. There was one scene where the panda village is being attacked and baby Po is crying because he is scared. Matt and I both mentioned how sad we were during that scene. Matt said that we are just more sentimental now that we are parents.
After the movie, we ate dinner at a Chinese buffet. I told Matt a few weeks before Nathan was born that we should eat Chinese sometime. It had been years since we had been to a buffet. Well, we never got around to it until this past weekend. We stuffed ourselves good, and I laughed a little how our dinner and movie both had an Asian theme. After dinner we picked up our little Nathan and headed home for the night. Date nights seem so much more special now that its not just the two of us anymore. I definitely don't take time alone with Matt for granted.

We had a pretty normal routine on Sunday including church, lunch, and a nap. Matt is so good to watch Nathan on Sunday afternoons so I can get a good nap. That evening we started the Couch to 5k program again. Matt is doing it with me this time. I followed the program pretty strictly the Spring before I got pregnant and it worked great. We started back at the beginning since technically I haven't been cleared for exercise until my 6 week appointment next week, and because I did just carry a baby for 9 months, and my body isn't the same as it was. I'm hoping to stick to it, and be back to running 3 miles in 9 weeks and get rid of some of this extra baby weight. Nathan seemed to enjoy our jog. We don't have a jogging stroller yet, but for the short distances, Matt said his regular stroller works fine. Nathan likes to go fast. He would start fussing every time we stopped jogging.

Weekends may not be as relaxing as they used to be, but they are definitely still a lot of fun!

Our Schedule at One Month

My life and my schedule sure have changed drastically in the last few weeks. Our day and evening routines look so different than they did just 5 weeks ago. I realize that just as fast as Nathan grows and changes, our daily schedule together will change to, so I want to record our life right now to make sure I don't forget these special times with my little buddy.

Our life right now revolves around feeding times. Usually, Nathan eats every 2.5 to 3 hours and takes between 30 and 40 minutes per feeding. That means between each feeding, we have anywhere between 1.5 to 2 hours to get things done.

Right now he usually wakes up anywhere between 7:30 and 8:30am and as long as there isn't anywhere we need to be in the mornings, he is my alarm clock. Once he is sleeping through the night, I'll probably try and get up before he does and get ready for the day, but for now, I'm giving myself an out to sleep as long as he does. As soon as he wakes up, I change his diaper and feed him. After his early morning feeding I get him ready for the day. Lately that means a bath. Usually in the morning he has a big dirty diaper or a major spit up incident, so its just easier to throw him in the bathtub. He's so happy in the mornings, that he actually seems to enjoy his baths. After he is dressed and ready for the day, I take some time to play with him. This week we have played with toys on the floor, made faces at each other, and read a few books. Sometimes I take a shower while he is awake and happy and he sits in his bouncer in the bathroom. He takes about a 45 minute nap in the morning and that is when I finish getting ready for the day (sometimes that means a shower, sometimes not). I also try and get the house straightened, throw in a load of laundry, etc.

He wakes up and is ready for his second feeding of the day which usually occurs between 10:00 and 11:00. Sometimes if he eats earlier (around 10) we'll try and run a few errands. This week we went to Walmart, and I had a meeting at work one day. We try and be home when Daddy comes home for lunch at 11:30. He plays with Daddy for a few minutes while he's home for lunch and then it's time for a nap. Sometimes I take a nap with Nathan, sometimes I finish up things around the house, eat lunch, pay bills, etc.

Our early afternoon feeding is usually between 1:00 and 2:30. After this feeding, we usually either take a nap together (after Nathan has been awake for a little bit), or this is the prime time that we run errands. I like to try and get out of the house at least once on most days. This week we've run to the bank, the pharmacy, sonic, Babies R Us and visited a friend. There was one day where we didn't leave the house until Daddy got home. Nathan usually sleeps through most of our errand running and is almost always well behaved when we are out.

I try and work it out, so our late afternoon feeding occurs just before Matt gets home from work (between 4:30 and 5:30). Then he watches Nathan while I cook dinner, and if we are lucky, Nathan will nap while we eat.

I feed Nathan again around 7 or 8 and after this feeding, all four of us (Rhapsody included) go for an evening walk. Nathan usually falls asleep around the end of the walk and when we get home, Matt and I have some time together. Lately we've been playing the wii during Nathan's evening nap.

In the late evening, I usually do some cluster feeding, to make sure we get 8 feedings in and to help Nathan sleep longer at night. So, on most nights I feed him twice between 9:00 and 11:00. After his late evening feeding, we both go to bed. Matt is always asleep by the time we make it to bed.

Nathan has been doing super at night and usually has a 5-6 hour stretch between feedings. He wakes up between 4 and 5 to eat and then goes back to sleep until 7:30 or 8:30.

I thrive on a schedule and like to have a plan for our day, but I also want to be flexible. My mantra since we found out we were pregnant has always been, "A baby joins your life, you don't join a baby's life." So even though I try to always be consistent with the feed, wake, sleep cycle, and making sure he doesn't go more than 3 hours between feedings during the day, I'm also flexible and adapt our routine to whatever we have going on. Some days that means feeding Nathan at 8:30am and again at 10am because I have a meeting at 11. Or it may mean heading to a friend's house or a play date immediately after a feeding, even though I know the car ride will put him to sleep before it's time for a nap. Life may not seem too glamorous these days, but I am loving spending all day everyday with this precious baby.

Play time

Nap time

Bath time

One Month Old

Dear Nathan,

You are already one month old. For me the best way to describe this past month is with contradictions. It's flown by but at the same time seems like a really long time. Sometimes the days go fast, and sometimes they are really long. It's also probably been the hardest month of your mommy and daddy's life, but at the same time one of the best of our lives as well. Your mommy has cried more this month than any other I can remember. Sometimes it's been out of fear or frustration yet so many times I've cried tears of pure joy. I remember when you were just a few days old, I was rocking you in your room and you just stared right at me, and I lost it. What a blessing you are to our family. Then there was the time when we scared your daddy by walking out in the garage where he was working with tears running down my face, because I had changed your diaper and you were bleeding from your circumcision and it just broke my heart that you were hurting and I didn't know. There have been nights when you and I have both been in tears because I didn't know what was wrong or how to soothe you. You have certainly changed our lives and now we can't imagine life without you.

We have learned so much about you this month.

You love to be held and sleep best when you are in someone's arms which is where you've spent the most time since you've been alive. For the first three weeks, someone's arms were usually always available to cradle you. Daddy got up at night after I fed you and would hold you while you slept. You could be sleeping so soundly in our arms, but the second we put you down, you would wake up. We've been working on teaching you to go to sleep in your crib since Daddy has had to go back to work, and you are still learning. The doctor told us you were old enough to let you fuss for awhile in your crib when we lay you down for a nap, and surprisingly this has been harder on your daddy than for me. I think it's probably because its more important to me that you learn to be a good sleeper. He's not up with you at 3 in the morning anymore since he has to work all day. Plus I've read books talking about the importance of teaching you good sleep habits.
You love to suck. When we saw you on ultrasound one time you were sucking on your arm. You continue to do that sometimes, and anytime I see you sucking on your arm, I remember that special day when we learned you were a little boy. You like to have your hands in your mouth all the time too. Other people always think you are hungry, but your mommy and daddy know that you just like to have something to suck on. We wanted to wait at least 2 weeks to give you a pacifier, since you are nursing, but during a really rough night when you were ten days old, Mommy gave in and let you have one, and you haven't let go yet. You love your paci, and as long as your diaper is dry and your belly is full, your paci almost always soothes you. Sometimes you try and get your hand and your paci in your mouth at the same time. That usually doesn't work very well. It reminds us of Rhapsody trying to get two tennis balls in her mouth at the same time.
You don't like to be left alone. You will happily be swinging or laying on the floor, and if we leave the room for a minute we hear you fuss. You like to be close to us and don't like feeling left out. I think you get that from your mommy.

Sometimes before you start crying you will pant a little (hee, hee, hee) like you are working up the energy to full out cry.



You like to take your time when you eat and make your mommy work to keep you awake sometimes during feedings. When you were little bitty, sometimes there was nothing I could do to get you to wake up, and I tried everything. Now that you are older, I can usually keep you awake. Sometimes we dance, and there are several times that I have to change your diaper or take your clothes off to keep you awake. You get better at eating everyday though and your momma gets more confident too.
You have a love/hate relationship with your swaddling blankets. You seem to sleep better sometimes when we swaddle you tightly, but other times you fight that swaddling blanket with all your might to get your arms free. Then you sleep with your arms above your head. It's precious. We've stopped swaddling your arms as often now, and you are still sleeping pretty soundly.

You are still tiny. That's what everyone says when they see you. They comment on your hair too. You were a little slow at gaining the first couple of weeks, but made huge strides during your third and fourth week. We went to the doctor two days before you turned four weeks old and you weighed 8 lbs, 2.5oz and were 21 inches long.

The mornings are my favorite time with you. Right after you eat, I get you dressed for the day and lay you down on a blanket and watch you kick your legs and wave your arms. You rarely cry in the mornings even when I'm changing your diaper.

Speaking of diapers, you go through a lot of them. We feel like we are always changing you. In your 31 days of life, we have gone through 4 big boxes of diapers, 2 smaller packages, plus about 40 diapers we got from the hospital. You hate having a wet diaper, and whenever you fuss, that's the first thing we check. As much as you hate being wet, you hate being changed just as much. You will scream and scream the whole time I'm changing you, and as soon as I pick you up you immediately stop crying.

You still don't like baths. I remember hearing you scream so loud in the hospital when they gave you your first bath and you continue to show off your strong lungs when we bathe you at home. Every time we listen to you scream while you are getting bathed, I tell you that someday you will love baths and you will cry when we make you get out of the bath tub.

We are trying to get you one somewhat of a schedule and are using the Babywise principle of the feed, wake, sleep cycle. We both get a little better everyday. You usually stay awake after you eat, but usually at least once a day it's hard to keep you awake and you take a really long nap. Also, at least once a day, I have to wake you up to feed you. I try not to go longer than 3 hours between feedings during the day to make sure you get enough to eat, and so you will save your long stretches of sleep for during the night instead of the day. The biggest struggle right now is that at your late evening feeding, you don't realize that the cycle changes and you are supposed to go to sleep right after you eat. Instead you are wide awake for usually close to an hour after your late evening feeding. I've gotten into the habit of just holding you while I lie in bed until you fall asleep. As long as you are in my arms, you are content to look around and suck on your paci. Lately you have been eating around 11:00, falling asleep about 12:30, waking up around 3:oo to eat and then sleeping until between 7:00 or 8:00. If we could just get you to fall asleep right after your 11:00 feeding, we'd be doing great.

You are still wearing newborn clothes and newborn diapers. I put you in 0-3 month clothes sometimes, but they are still too big for you.
I love to watch you stretch when you are waking up or right when you finish eating. You raise your arms over your head and raise your eyebrows too. I've been trying to get it on video, but I haven't been able to yet. I really hope I can capture it on video before you grow out of it.

Daddy loves it when you hold on to his finger. He comments all the time what a strong grip you have.

Everyday I feel like you and I start to figure each other out a little more. Some friends who had a baby two weeks before you were born told us when you were 2 1/2 weeks old that eventually the good days start to outnumber the bad days, and that has been true. As we get to know you more and are able to meet your needs better, I've noticed that you are much more content and less fussy. There are lots of times during the day when you are a happy baby. Your daddy and I love you so much and fall more in love with you every single day.

Matt's Birthday

We celebrated Matt's 28th birthday on Saturday with a few of his favorite things

Sweet baby Nathan

A game of Settlers

Pizza and games with great friends

And of course a cheesecake
Hopefully Nathan will let me be a little more creative with his birthday cakes. His daddy always wants cheesecake