one month!

May 22, 2011
Dear E,
You are 1 month old!! You are the sweetest baby ever and rarely cry. The few times you have gotten really riled up, Daddy and I just talk about how surprising it is to hear you cry. If you are hungry, you just kind of squeak and fuss a little till you are fed. Nursing is going wonderfully and we can tell you are gaining weight. We love you so much and are just overjoyed that you are now a part of our family. Your brother and sister love you and ask to hold you and Judah likes to pet your hair 
*You are in size 1 diapers
*Your newborn onesies are getting way too tight
*You smiled at mommy and daddy right around your one month birthday. I was unsure if it was a real smile, but today I am sure that it is.
*Everyone comments on how much dark hair you have. It is so soft but it only starts growing about halfway back on your head 
*You went to the tulip parade on May 11th—you were about 2.5 weeks old.
*You have been to Uccellos restaurant when you were 2 weeks old for Auntie Stephanies bachelorette party. You also have been to Margaritas restaurant in Holland—we took Grandma F. there for mother’s day on May 9th.
*You nurse every 3 or so hours during the day and at night you sleep from around 11p to 3a and then from about 3:45a to7a or so. You then will even go back to sleep after you nurse at 7a. You are a great sleeper.
*You are having more periods of awake time.
*You love to be held and cuddled. You love it when mommy rubs your head.
*When you are tired ready to sleep but we haven’t gotten you settled yet, you get a little squeaky and bothered until you get situated and then you go right to sleep.
*You nurse for around 30 minutes every time—sometimes more, sometimes a little less.
*We adore you.
We love you so much little boy!! Love, Mama

soaking it up

this little sweetness is baby e,
who joined our family on Good Friday april 22nd at 9:35p, weighing in at 7lbs10oz and 20inches long. (although... at the doctors office the other day, their measurements were 19 1/4 inches long. and he did not have a conehead that shrunk, so maybe they measured him wrong in the hospital?? either way, we are going with the nice round number of 20 inches.)

he has the sweet disposition that i desperatly prayed for, and i am praying it sticks around. he nurses about every 3 hours and now, at 11 days old is having some periods of more alert time after every nursing. today he lost his little belly button and he will be starting some tummy time tomorrow :)

while it is hard to be at someone's beck-and-call 24/7, i am trying to soak it all in. while i don't get more than 2 or 3 hours of sleep at a time, i still have joy in my heart, because he is here. and healthy. and mine. the hubs has been a dream the past week and a half. he has been filling my water glass, asking me if i need snacks, folding laundry, and the biggest help of all: keeping the older kids fed/happy/entertained/loved.

we are settling into a new way of life around here but it is a good life. may i never forget the soft wispy black hair, the toes that are barely bigger than tic-tacs, the peely new-baby-skin, and the sweet baby smell that accompany almost all of my moments right now.