five weeks, A!


Five weeks!  We're growing and learning how to smile and nursing much better this week!  Victory!  Anderson is getting so big it seems like each day he's grown just a bit more.  This weekend he'll meet some more family and had his first sleepover at Grammy Ruth's last night.  The week went well with our outings, including one to the Pediatrician's where we learned he is over 9 pounds !! and in the 90% percentile for his height.  He's going to be a tall one we think.

Remember when we found out we were having a boy and bought a little shirt for him? He wore it for the first time today and looked rather dapper if I do say so myself...  



Today he napped on me for about half the day and I soaked it in.  When his little brother or sister is a baby he'll be running around and I won't get to do that with them as much so I was soaking in the baby time with him.  Can't believe we're onto week 6 now.  Time sure is flying by...

At the end of this week he'll get to meet Mamma T and Pepa!  I can't wait to see them with him and I know they can't wait to meet him!

four weeks lil' buddy


4 weeks old.  Can't believe tomorrow will mark 1 month!  Loving him more and more- especially when he sleeps for good stretches at night!  My perspective of good sleep has forever changed and I'm happy to get 3 hours in a row now.  He's rocking his camo outfit with the bear thanks to Manet.


I'm not sure what it is but I keep calling him Buddy... I then remember that I need to call him Anderson more so he's not confused by his real name.  This weekend he got to meet Kate and Matt.  So fun to have them here and crazy to think of a friend who I've known since 3rd grade and now she's meeting my baby.  Life.

smooches... and beef stroganoff



...Just some pictures from today.  We got to Bible Study again this morning and Grammy Ruth came over this afternoon after her doula job.  Beef stroganoff is for dinner which I was able to throw in the slow cooker when we got home and Anderson was still sleeping.  I made it happen quick as you never know when he'll start stirring.  The recipe is here if you want to check it out.  A friend brought it for us the other week and I'm now on a kick- it seems like the perfect meal to jump start the fall weather we've been having.

Anderson: Three Weeks and Molasses Mustard Pork Tenderloin


Three weeks and growing.  This past week we made it to two Bible studies and church too.  It felt great to be out even if it meant bringing a lot with us in the car.  "You never know.." seems to be the theme of why we bring so much with us.


This week I put some of Benjamin's baby clothes on Anderson.  He's growing so fast I need to try on some others before he gets too big. This 3 week growth spurt is no joke.  I'm hoping tonight goes a little better than last night where he was grunting and waking up often to eat.


I think I could hold him all day....after all he'll only be this little for so long.  Other things can wait...


We made it out this weekend which was great- we were gone all day and enjoyed seeing some fall leaves changing and the 73 and sunny weather which is rare here.  We'll soon be bundling the little man up to go anywhere.  

Tonight we entered into the world of cooking again- Molasses Mustard Pork Tenderloin was grilled after it had been marinading in 1/4 cup molasses, 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, 2 tablespoons dijon mustard and 2 tablespoons coarse ground mustard.  The marinade was then boiled down with another tablespoon cider vinegar and used as a sauce.  Quite tasty and a keeper of a recipe.

It's almost 9...which means almost my bedtime first nap of the night after he eats again.  

Anderson: Two Weeks



Here you are at just two weeks old.  Week two was pretty similar to week one.  We ate and slept and went to the bathroom so loud I'm questioning how we'll get through church without you making a scene.



I love your long fingers and toes- you get those from me.  Your nose and mouth are your daddy's and I think your eyes are mine.  I'm still so surprised by your super blonde hair.  Grammy Ruth had hair that blonde when she was little.  I was really thinking you'd come out with red hair like your cousin Owen and Uncle Todd.

Time for you to eat again...and then Mommy's taking her first nap of the night- at about 9 pm.

Anderson: One Week and the Things I Never Knew


I think this picture describes week one pretty well.  It's a bit emotional (to say the least) for both baby and Mommy.  So much change and for us trips to the doctor every day but one to check his bilirubin levels.  I finally learned how to spell bilirubin after several days of referring to this jaundice term as Billy Ruben.  As far as I was concerned he was an unwelcome visitor in our lives.  To make things worse it was rainy so there was little to no sun to put the babe in.



Thankfully he overcame the jaundice on week two and we didn't have to get his little feet pricked anymore- an experience traumatic for the both of us.  He also went from his birth weight to 6.1, 6.3, 6.9, and an amazing 6 lbs 14 ounces early on in week two!  Good job, champ.



We're eating often- and with that I will say nursing is not easy.  His first week, because of the jaundice, our pediatrician recommended some formula so we could take him home from the hospital with us.  Bad moment for me.  It was like offering him McDonalds compared to breast milk.  After that experience we did some finger feeding with my own milk to avoid bottles (nipple confusion) and are now nursing with some help from modern tools (nipple shield).  Hopefully he'll nurse au natural soon, but until then I'm super thankful for all the progress we've made.

Too much information? I say this because these are the things I never knew.  Nursing is really hard.  I knew it could be, and it is.  It's exhausting too and nothing compared to labor I'd say.  I haven't slept for more than 2 hours in 2 weeks... When we went from 2 hours between feedings to now 3 hours at night I was elated to sleep from 1 am to 3 am- it seemed like a sweet relief.  



In other post-partem news, for all those prego ladies out there get ready for cramps after the fact.  Another thing I never knew could be so strong.  As your uterus contracts down the cramps are really like contractions shrinking it back up- and they can be painful.  Combined with the soreness of pain down below this makes you be a.o.k. with taking the doctors advice of taking it incredibly easy.

And finally, be thankful for family and friends willing to help and bring meals and for Mom's who come and spend the nights on your couch, making sure every one is awake and ready for feedings and changings and pumpings.  Thanks, Mom!