6 Weeks and back at work

The update is five days past due, but better late than never.

I am writing this via email/blackberry because I am pumping. Yep, today is my first day back at work and I feel like a cow on a farm. I come in every 3 hours. It is kind of odd, but in the end it is the best thing for you and it is the one thing that I feel like I can give you since I am not able to stay with you.

I probably shouldn't even get started on that subject because I (stupidly) am not wearing waterproof mascara. Let's just say that I miss you terribly and want so badly to rush home and get you and spend the next 24 hours loving on you and trying to make it up to you that I abandoned you and left you with some random person that isn't related to you for an entire day. How am I going to do this every day and be able to live with myself?

Oh yeah, back to your update! I will have to post pictures later, although I will try attaching a couple that are on my phone.

I finally created and sent out your birth announcements!! Now that everyone probably knows you are here.

Your sleeping pattern hasn't really changed yet, but your eating habits seem to be evening out more and more all the time.

You are growing like crazy!! The newborn outfits have to be stretched to fit you, so they are basically out of the question. Newborn diapers have been a thing of the past for a couple weeks now. Socks that at one time were loose on your precious, tiny little feet... Now leave little marks to show that you are outgrowing them. What hit me the hardest though, was when I put on 0-3 outfits and they fit perfect. Shouldn't they be kind of big still because they are supposed to be for up to 3 months?! You really need to slow the growing down.

I am able to get you to smile all the time now! You have no idea how much that makes my day!

Oh, and this coming Sunday (Mother's Day) we are doing Parent/Baby dedication at church. More on this later in another post.

Time to wrap up. I love you and miss you soo much right now!!

- Mommy

5 Weeks

My titles have really been boring lately. Sorry about that... I will try to be more creative in the future.

I am writing this via email on my Blackberry with you sleeping peacefully on my chest, so I am going to try to keep it fairly short. And I will post pics in another post.

Does the "back to sleep" rule apply when on mommy or daddy's chest?

I tried to measure you today and you seem to be about 22 inches. You are still about 10 pounds, so you have hit a plateau. Of course, you still seem to be eating a decent amount of the time.

I still have about 15 pounds to lose though, so I think you should maybe eat more. Maybe.

On a brighter note, my face has finally cleared up from the horrible post baby breakout that appeared on my chin right after I had you. It only took 5 weeks, R-I-D-I-C-U-L-O-U-S!!

You, my little man, have your own acne problems. But yours comes and goes in a matter of days and sometimes hours. Not weeks! I think it has to do with your eating and my arms and oil and dirt and all that good stuff.

You are holding your head up on your own more and more and your smiles seem pretty darn intentional!

I thought I had more to report, but as usual it is slipping my mind. Will post later as things come back to me.

P.S. Your eyes are still blue so far!

- Tiffany

4 Weeks / 1 Month

Pictures of my sweet little angel at 4 weeks (April 15)...
You looked everywhere EXCEPT at the camera!!

I took some pictures of you at one month too (April 18)...
Again, no looking at the camera. And you weren't too keen on the pacifier either! That is the onesie that your Auntie B made you! Cute!

I have been meaning to post for a few days now because I think of all sorts of things I meant to say after I am done with my weekly post. Like the fact that I have nicknamed you Thumper because you have a twitchy leg. I am pretty sure this comes from your Papa! He has a twitchy leg too!

Or the fact that you are already over ten pounds! You are gaining like a pound a week! That weight was last week, I will have to weigh you again and see if you are continuing that trend for your 5 week post.

Then there is the fact that you are smiling quite frequently for me. I am not really sure if it is intentional or not, but I love it! You mostly do it for me, but Daddy says he has seen one or two.

And have I mentioned that you do not really like sleeping in your bassinet? You prefer to be snuggled up right beside me. I must say that I love cuddling with you too, and it makes it easy to feed you in the middle of the night... but we are going to have to get you used to sleeping on your own soon. I don't want you to get used to sleeping with me and start refusing your own bed and end up with you sleeping in our bed for the next five years!

Everyone always comments on your one dimple and I just realized I don't think I have ever pointed it out on here. It was pointed out to me in the hospital, and is especially precious because I have one dimple (and a cute story to go along with it) and Austin has one dimple too! My boys take after Mommy!

Speaking of taking after me, so far it still appears that you might have lucked out. It really looks like you will have blue eyes... or at least something that isn't brown. That could always change, but I am just in shock that it is even a possibility you might end up with non-poopy eyes!!

You are starting to move your arms around a lot. I have used that to start hitting at your brother and poke his eyes (at least he is convinced that is what you are doing)!! And I have started putting you on your playmat, where you are now interested in the toys hanging and the sounds and lights.

I am sure I will think of more that I have left off, and hopefully if I do I will make time to get on and post. I will leave you with a few more pictures.

XOXO and all my love,

Mommy

Three Weeks

I can't believe I am only posting on a weekly basis. It seems so difficult to find the time (and peace and quiet) to complete an entire post.

Have I mentioned in any past posts how much you are eating? I am sure I have, but I will do so again. Mostly because that is all that is on my mind. When is he going to want to eat again. Do I have long enough to ____ (fill in blank with any random task here).

The list of tasks that are unfinished is ridiculous. I am barely getting out to do anything because I feel like the house needs to be in perfect condition before I can justify doing anything else. And I am starting to get this unsettling feeling that the house is never going to be perfect and that I am wasting away my maternity leave trying. I just need to get a maid already. Think we can find any volunteers?

You are awake so much these days. And when I say awake, I mean your gorgeous eyes are wide open! I love actually seeing you when you are eating. And you hold my hand. It is the most amazing feeling. Oh, but the best is when you smile!!! I am sure it isn't intentional yet, but you have the happiest, sweetest little smile and I just cannot wait to catch it on camera.

This past Sunday you went to the nursery during Sunday School so that I could help Daddy with the lesson. Luckily we made it through the story before I was paged to come and feed you! And you ate so much that I thought SURELY you would be content through service. Yeah right!! I was again rushing to the mother's room to feed you and watching service on the TV! It seemed like everyone in the nursery wanted to hold you and others that are in different rooms were sad to find out that you weren't in their room so they could hold you.

You really are so precious to hold. I find myself hugging and kissing on you non-stop. I just want to cuddle you and keep you like you are now a little longer. I know it will all be over before I am ready and it saddens me when I remember that...

Last night I almost broke down and gave you formula. I don't know if I was just extra sleepy or if you had really just eaten so much that I wanted a break, but it was about 3 in the morning and I didn't think I could take anymore. And I know that formula is more filling and would help you sleep more than one or two hours. And we have it on hand from the hospital and the free samples they mail. But you finally feel asleep right about the time I was crying to Daddy that I didn't know what to do, and when you woke up at 5ish, I was fine again.

Some nights are great, and some nights you seem to want to eat more frequently than I am prepared for. I don't know if I have mentioned this in a while, but I really (I MEAN REALLY) like to sleep. But for the most part, we are getting through just fine! I just hope your eating regulates by the time I go back to work. Otherwise that will be very difficult.

You stayed with a "sitter" for the first time this past weekend. If you can call Noni a sitter! It was Mommy and Daddy's five year anniversary. I think that I probably drove Daddy crazy because after about an hour away, all I wanted to talk about was my babies! Of course, it didn't help that anytime I think or talk about you, my chest starts to get a little sore because it figures you are probably ready to eat.

I wish I had an update on your height weight, but our next appointment isn't until May 18! Maybe I will try to weigh you with me on my scale... just for our records.

Here are a couple more pictures!!

This one was actually two weeks, look at that blond hair!

Your first outdoor outing, the Outdoor Learning Center

Hanging out at an Easter playdate... this was about all you did (besides eat)

Three weeks old