Smiles

Colin is just starting to show his smile.  He doesn't do it too often, but when he does, it is so cute!  I was able to catch it on camera after I arrived home from dropping Nana at the airport.  I put him on my bed while I did a couple of things and he was so happy.  He gave me a couple of really good smiles and poses.  I think he is going to be a happy and fun little guy as he gets older.

I can't wait until I can interact with him and get more smiles from him.  I'm not sure what makes him smile just yet, so I keep doing all kinds of different things like making faces, singing, laughing, tickling, and kissing.  We have found that he is ticklish.  When we tickle his sides he reacts and when Matt touches his neck (I don't like it done to me, so I don't do it to him), he "turtles" just like I do.  It is pretty cute, but I am thinking he isn't a fan of it just like his Mommy.

This is the part of being a parent that is so fun!  I love watching him grow and change and do new things!  I want him to stay little, but I also am excited for him to experience all that life has in store for him!

Nana's Visit

My mom was very patient to wait until Colin was 5 weeks old to make her first trip here.  She was so excited that I think she could have flown herself here.  She arrived on Thursday and left reluctantly on Monday morning.  I'm sure she would have stayed longer if she could have.

She was a great help to me (and Matt) by just helping keep things clean and making sure that I ate and got all my "chores" done.  I actually miss having her here.  Some days I just feel like I have no time to get everything done and take care of Colin.  Plus, I need naps and I can't get naps when I know he is awake and needs me.  My mom helped me feel comfortable taking naps while he was awake. 

Matt and I even went out for our first date without the baby while Nana babysat for us.  It was a little strange for me because it was the first time that I was not in the same vicinity as Colin.  I've never been away from him for longer than a few minutes.  We went to a movie and were gone for over 3 hours!  I knew he was in good hands, so I didn't worry (much).  I was happy to get home and see his adorable little face, though.

I'm looking forward to Nana's next trip in October that will also include Papa as well.  Maybe Matt and I will go out to dinner AND a movie.

Thanks for helping Nana!

5 weeks!

It amazes me that five weeks have already passed since I gave birth to my little man. Time is just flying by. He is gaining lots of weight and most of his clothes are getting too short on him. Okay, so his fluffy butt makes clothes short, but he is even outgrowing diapers. His Happy Heiny minis now need to be on the largest setting, so pretty soon he is going to fit into the one-size diapers without them looking ginormous on him. My baby is growing up!

He is doing fairly well with sleeping, but today he was just a little fussy. He wouldn't lay down to take a nap without me. So I was forced to take a nap with him, which wasn't difficult for me to do, but it isn't like him not to sleep on his own. I am not sure if he is having gass issues or not, but he just seemed to fuss most of the day while he was awake. Even now as I type while hanging out in his room, he is awake and not falling asleep well. I am looking forward to the day when he goes to bed easier and sleeps through the night.

Tonight Daddy is on baby duty, so maybe I will get a little more rest.

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

For Daddy's birthday, Little Man and I decided to take him to lunch.  It was my first time back on the Lockheed campus since the week I went on maternity leave.  I can't believe it has been so many weeks already!

We went to one of our regular spots--Ginger Cafe.  The server has watched up go from couple, to pregnant woman and husband, to couple with a baby.  The hostess fawned over him a bit and the server (our regular) had to comment on him and gave us a big smile.  He is a little goofy, but he seemed very cute about the baby.  It was funny to even hear the other customers commenting on the "little baby."  I forget he really is little sometimes.  One day I know I will miss how little he is now, but for now, he is just getting bigger and isn't as small as he used to be.

We are officially 2 plus a baby when we go to a restaurant!  It really is strange.  I love it!

And Week 2 begins...

We are already on to week 2 as a SAHM.  Today went pretty well.  Colin and I are both adjusting.  Squiggle is still depressed, but I think he is also happy that he isn't home alone all day. 

Today was a simple day.  We didn't drive anywhere and we just kinda hung out and did stuff around the house.  I actually took a nap at the same time as the Little Man, which worked out well for me.  Although, he did wake me up by crying rather loudly.  Makes me sad because I was only about 10 feet away from him. 

Our big outing for the day turned out to be a walk to the mailbox by the grocery store.  The mail carriers comes by our house pretty early (before 10am) and I miss putting things out quite often.  Today, I needed for Matt to sign some papers for Colin's 529 and he did that when he came home for lunch (yay!).  So, after our post-lunch nap, the three of us got together and walked down the street.  I have to say that walking a baby stroller and an excited pug is no easy task.  The stroller is large enough that I cannot see the dog if he walks in front of it and of course that is where he wants to be.  I'm not sure how many times I bumped his butt with the wheels.  Ah, well...we all made it to the mailbox and home without any real damage.  Little Man probably doesn't remember any of it because he napped the whole time.

I did find that Little Man only poops when Daddy goes to work.  Daddy didn't work yesterday and there were no poopy diapers.  Today, we had many.  So many that Little Man's butt is looking a little raw.  Poor guy...I don't know what to do for him.  We keep telling him to slow down on the pooping (at least when Mommy is the only one home), but he isn't listening.

Overall, we are improving and starting to have a good time together.  Little Man is getting close to smiling, so we play a lot and I try to get a smile out of him.  Nana will be here in a couple of days, so those days are going to be lots of fun!

Almost a full night!

Last night around 9pm, Colin got his last feeding and then was swaddle up in the Miracle Blanket and put to bed.  I expected him to get up at least twice during the night, so I went through the process of preparing a few bottles and putting them in the fridge so when the time came all I needed to do was heat them up a bit.  I finally put my head down to rest at 10:30pm expecting to be up in another hour and a half or so.

When I woke around 3am to no baby cries, I wondered what what going on.  I checked the monitor and he was still asleep...at least I hoped so.  My mind started racing a bit and wondering if he was okay.  I said a couple prayers and tried to go back to sleep while still watching the monitor to see if he would move.  Within the hour I heard a few grunts, so I knew he was okay.  But why wasn't he crying to eat or for a diaper change?

Finally at 4am I couldn't stand it anymore and decided to get up and change him.  I first went to the kitchen to warm a bottle because I knew waking him would then require a feeding.  So, I sleepily walked back to his room with the bottle in hand and hoping all was okay.  When I looked in his crib and put my hand on his chest, I could feel his steady breathing and then he started his cute little noises.  I checked his back and found a little wetness, so I decided I would change him (I hate for him to have a wet bum).  It probably wasn't necessary, but I needed to make sure he was fine.  By the time I was done with the change (which included a wardrobe change), he was awake and ready to eat.

After the diaper change, I wanted even more baby bonding time, so I even did a little breatfeeding.  Okay, so it really isn't much of the "feeding" part, but I did put him to breast.  he gets something out of it and we get to bond. :)  I had the bottle ready so as soon as he was finished bonding, he got plenty to eat.

By 4:30am I was ready to go back to bed, but Little Man was still awake.  I held him for a while and then put him back in his crib.  I went back to bed and watched him in his crib for a bit while he watched his mobile.  We finally both went back to sleep and didn't get up again until 7am.  I felt more refreshed than I had in a while.

I'm hoping for a repeat tonight minus the worried mommy running in to change him because she wants to make sure he is breathing.

Mommy Bonding Time

On the final day of the week, I planned a Mommy get together at my house.  I invited Cheryle and Chiara and a few of Cheryle's mommy friends. 

Colin had a great night and slept for 5 hours straight from 9pm-2am.  I only had to get up the one time in the night and then Matt got up with him for his morning feeding at around 6:30 and brought him into the bedroom with a bottle for me to feed while he headed to work.  All went well as Colin finished up his bottle and just hung out next to me.  We both ended up falling asleep and unfortunately, Colin had a little leakage issue.  I woke up feeling very wet and thought I had just leaked, but found the leaking wasn't near my boobs and was a little too much.  Turns out baby boy and peed and the diaper didn't hold any of it.  It had been my first attempted diaper that I made and I see now that it was a bit of a failure.  I am learning each day what works and what doesn't.  I'm actually excited to get sewing and make a few more updated diapers.

I had another successful shower while Colin hung out in his bouncer.  He stayed awake the whole time today and just kept looking around at the new surroundings.  He was really good!

By the time noon rolled around, I was tired, but also excited to have some other mommies over.  Tina arrived first with her little boy Jaxon.  Malia arrived at the same time, but sans baby since she doesn't have one.  She just wanted to see all the babies!  Cheryle and Christopher arrived next and Chiara with Cayden were quick to follow.  All these little boys!  Malia fawned over all of them and just had a fun time taking pictures of the babies and holding them and giving them cuddles.  Tina had to head out soon after, but then Cheryle's friend Janessa arrived, so we were back up to 4 mommies.  We also finally had a little girl in the group!  We spent the next couple of hours just talking about being mommies and how fast the little ones grow and what is normal and not.  We also each had to change at least one diaper and feed our babies once (or twice or three times).  It was nice to be with others who know what I am going through!

It was 4:30 before Chiara and Cheryle realized the time and had to head out.  Matt had arrived home from work, so I was off baby duty and I realized that I needed a nap.  So, off to sleep I went...

It was a great ending to the first week of being a stay-at-home-mom.