Tearful Day

"How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard."
-Little Orphan Annie




We miss you so much, Mom. But we are so grateful for the time we got to spend with you these last few days. Looking forward to our next visit - it can't come soon enough.

Bashful

Awesome

"What d'ya say, doctor?"


"Oh my gosh! I gained 1 pound and 1 ounce in less than two weeks? And my 9 pounds, 11 ounces is in the 20th percentile? Awesome!"

Deer Hunter in the Making

Hey, Uncle Zack. Do you like my deer hunting duds? Let me show you my first tree stand.


Oh, no. My deer got away.


Oh, well. I look goooooood.


And my Noni loves me.

Wannabe Native Texan

No offense to anyone in any other state, but Jerry and I really wanted Alex to be born in Texas. We love our great state of Texas (and can't wait to get back there one day). In fact, when we do get back to Texas, we may have to get Alex the bumper sticker that says, "I may not have been born in Texas, but I got here as fast as I could."

In the meantime, we thought we'd pay tribute to his heritage since his mommy and daddy are native Texans. Our little cowboy is sending a big HOWDY to all of our friends and family back home.

(Are these not the cutest little socks you've ever seen?! They are "boots." Alex got these as a gift, and we love them! They are perfect for this little quilt that was a gift, too.)

Yee Haw!

Six Weeks

Alex turned six weeks old on Wednesday. This week when we went to the doctor for the one month check-up, he got weighed and measured. He is 21 inches long (38th percentile) and 8 lbs, 10 oz. (15th percentile). The doctor wasn't concerned about his weight, but he did want to see Alex back again next week for another check-in to see how he's doing with the weight gain.

Alex has been a little less grumbly this week - thank goodness! We've been working with the doctor and the lactation consultant to try and get things under control so that he'll be less gassy and fussy. Hopefully it will work. To those of you who posted comments - thank you for your suggestions and words of encouragement. They've been very helpful and comforting to me. =)

Tell me I'm not alone...

This is what Alex looks like a lot of the time these days.


That's right. My sweet Munchie has turned into a grumbler lately. During the days, we've had lots of fussing to contend with. He's very difficult to console. Nothing I do seems to make him happy.

But then his dad gets home. And he's all smiles. Well, not literally because he only has random smiles right now. But if he had smiles, he'd be giving them to Jerry.

Please tell me that there are other moms out there who've had a similar experience. I need some reassurance because the confidence levels are dropping here...

New Best Friend

I think I may have mentioned that Alex has a bit of an affinity for his paci. Ok, ok. It's more like an obsession. Which means that every time the paci comes out of his mouth, Alex believes that a disaster has occurred, and he finds the need to scream like a little lunatic until someone comes to put it back in. (Note: this makes for fun nights when you're sleep deprived and walking like a zombie back into his room to help him cope with his crisis.)

Jerry and I have wondered what we could do to help keep that stinkin' paci in his mouth. Could we tie it around his head like a surgeon's mask? Could we create two ties to go behind his ears? Both were possibilities but seemed a little inhumane for an infant. Which is why we are so excited about a cuter, more kid-friendly solution. Let me introduce you to our new best friend - the Pacimal.

That's right. You're seeing the pacifier attached to the top of the monkey's head. The extra little weight of this monkey helps Alex keep the paci in his mouth. And, when he gets older, he can hold the monkey, too. Praise the LORD for some genius parent who came up with this idea. We love it. Thank you to the Paul family for giving this gem of a gift to us. We are grateful!

I Mean Business

Me: "Hey, you!"

Alex: "Who, me?"


Me: "Yeah. Hey, let's take your picture."

Alex (with a stern set of eyes): "No more pictures. And I mean business, mommy."


Me: "Nice try. But no such luck little buddy. We've got family and friends back in Texas who like to see you."

Alex: "Ok. Just make sure you get my good side."

Family Photo

Jerry and I bought some new furniture for our front porch. (We got a rockin' deal at The Home Depot since the summer season is coming to an end!) So we thought we'd use the opportunity to snap a quick family photo on the new loveseat piece. Hard to believe that this is actually the very first photograph of our little family of three!

Sammy and Alex - One Month

It's hard to believe that a month has already come and gone. Time really seems to fly (except during the night time feedings when I feel like it drags on and on and on and on...).

Jerry and I have enjoyed watching Alex grow. Here's what the little man has been up to.

• Yesterday he had his first "coo." So far, the only peeps we've heard out of Alex are crying and hiccups. I was so excited to hear a new noise. Especially a sweet one.

• Speaking of hiccups, for the first two or three weeks, Alex would get them after every feeding. Thank goodness he only gets them occasionally now.

• Much like his friend Jackson, Alex enjoys his time outside. If he is fussy, normally you can take him on the front porch or for a ride in the stroller, and he'll calm down.

• Yesterday he set a record for spitting up. Five times in less than five minutes. I think he may have spit up his entire breakfast. Needless to say he was hungry shortly thereafter.

• He's able to see things better. If you put a toy in front of him and move it slowly, he will follow it with his eyes.

• He's enjoying his baths a lot more. Still a little bit of fussing, but for the most part, he seems to like it.

• Alex has now moved into his room to sleep at night. Admittedly, I was a little sad for him to make the move out of our room, but I felt like it was time. He's done pretty well sleeping in there at night - all of his little sock monkey friends are there to keep him company.

• In the last few days, he's broken out with a case of baby acne. I am a self-professed picker. But I have managed to restrain myself and leave his little acne alone. Fortunately, Aunt LiLi told us that if we wash his face each night with a wet washcloth it will help clear it up. Thanks for the tip.

• For the last few nights, he's managed to make it four hours in between feedings. I love having an extra hour of sleep!!

• He's enjoying his discovery mat - as long as he's on his back. Tummy time is another story altogether.

• I'm proud to say that he LOVES story time. We read bible stories, Beatrix Potter books, Guess How Much I Love You, Counting Kisses, Where the Sidewalk Ends, Curious George stories, Giraffes Can't Dance, Chimpanzees of Happytown, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, and many others. While he doesn't really look at the pages yet, he loves to listen to me read to him. It's a special time for us.

As promised, here is his monthly picture with Sammy.


And just for grins, here he was with Sammy when he was just 11 days old.

Mirabelle Before and Afters

It's been a while since I made a post about the progress we've been making on Mirabelle's updates. Mostly because the progress had halted somewhat. I know I promised to show the "afters" a long time ago, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it because, well, the house has been a mess. Not to mention that I haven't put all the decorative touches on it I'd like. And while the decorative part still hasn't been addressed, Mirabelle is cleaner than she's been in a long time, so I thought I'd seize the opportunity. At least to show a few of the rooms.

Here's the kitchen before.


And the kitchen after.


Here's the dining room before.



And the dining room after.



Here's the office before.



And the office after.



Here's the downstairs bathroom before.


And the downstairs bathroom after.


Ok, that's all I've got for now. Oh, and one little picture of Munchie because I couldn't resist! =) I call this one "HEAR ME ROOOAAAAARRRRR!"

Birthday Wishes

Munchie and his giraffe friend are ready to celebrate. Happy Birthday to Aunt LiLi and Aunt Katherine! We love you guys and are sending lots of hugs and kisses!

All that I expected...and then some

When I was in college, I worked at a daycare. That job opened my eyes to how much work it is to care for a child. That job also made me think long and hard about whether or not I wanted to have any kiddos of my own. For almost 15 years (and most especially during my pregnancy), I thought a lot about what a huge responsibility it is to be a parent. And now that Alex is here, I realize that it is all the hard work and responsibility that I thought it would be. (And I know that it has only just begun.)

But it is also so much more than I ever could have imagined. Gone are the days of thinking "what have I done?!" They have replaced with wondering "what would I do without our little man?!"

Today our little man turns four weeks old. And apparently, at four weeks, he transitions from "newborn" to "infant." Who knew? Anyway, here are a few pics we shot today.

Tummy Time (more like "Torture Time" by the look on his face!)


Raise your hand if you're excited that Ganny and Gandpa are coming for a visit this weekend


Holding my paci all by myself (yes, this is a fluke - he doesn't really know how to hold his paci yet)

Beary Cute

Um, is he precious or what?!

Seriously. I could just eat him up!

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

Happy birthday, babe. Alex and I love you so very much! You bless us.

Saturday Fashion Show

Today was one of those days - the kind of day where Alex goes through multiple outfits because he pees all over himself. So here is a little fashion show.

We started out the day in this outfit.


And less than 15 minutes later we had moved on to this one.


And a couple of hours later we had moved on to this one.


By this afternoon we were on outfit number four, but I didn't have a chance to get a photo of that one. I was too busy doing the laundry that had piled up all day long!

Finger Toes

One of the first things Jerry and I said when we saw Alex for the first time was, "Look at those toes! He has finger toes!" I'm proud to say that he gets those from my Pawsie (my mom's dad). If you had ever seen my Pawsie's toes, you would instantly agree!