happy easter

Our first Easter as a family of 3 (+Pens)! 

We had our family over for a BBQ and Easter egg hunt for cousins Harlow & Jacob... Kyle is worn out from all the family love and I think he's going to sleep very well tonight :)

5 weeks

Kyle, you are 5 weeks old!

After 5 weeks we finally figured out that you will actually nap somewhere other than mommy's arms - swaddled in the big swing. Yay! It was getting pretty hard to do anything but hold you, because every time you'd fall asleep during the day, the second I'd put you down you were wide awake. But in the swing, you'll put yourself right back to sleep with no fussing. It's a magic swing.

Luckily, no swing is needed at night. You'll eat a good dinner and for the most part we're able to put you down in your sleeper around 10-11 pm, where you'll stay asleep until 3-5 am, eat, and then back to sleep for another couple hours. This schedule has been working out pretty well for us.

You're starting to grab onto things, like mommy's shirt when you're nursing. You (sometimes) like when I read you nursery rhymes and you love kicking the air as hard as you can! You also seem to like your crib. You don't sleep in there yet, but you'll chill out in there for a while after we change you and you seem pretty content.

We've been running some errands together, going for lots of walks and you still really like the drive. 5 weeks is pretty fun!

Yesterday's walk down Seal Beach Pier. You seemed unimpressed, but mommy was stoked to get some fresh air and eat some frozen yogurt.

pressing my luck

After yesterday's super fun adventure, I thought today's mission would be a piece of cake: get Kyle's announcements in the mail. How hard could it be to address 60 envelopes, stamp our return address on each, drive to the post office, buy stamps, place stamps on envelopes and drop them in the mail?

Ha, ha, ha!  Turns out Kyle was not in the mood to deal with announcements. 

I was able to address & return address them all while nursing (my new version of multi-tasking), but the post office was another story. He fell asleep in the car on the way there, but the second I took him out he started fussing. By the time I had purchased the stamps, the fussing had turned to a soft cry. I thought he would calm down after I found his paci so I started to put the stamps on the envelopes, but after I got through 2 stamps the soft cry had turned to full-on screams. Aaah! My first time in a public place with a screaming baby! Time to haul ass back to the car.

Luckily driving calmed him down some and I was able to hurriedly stamp the rest of the envelopes and drop them in the mailbox with minimal cries. But I would like to apologize in advance for the seriously crooked stamps on 80% of the envelopes.

__________

Our other adventure today was much more mellow and successful: lay on a blanket in the shade in the park behind our house. Aaaaah, how peaceful and relaxing. And this sweet boy loved every second, just soaking in the breeze and the sounds. My favorite moment of the day.

dexter

Today, Kyle watched (ok, slept in his stroller while mommy watched) a scene being filmed for one of our favorite TV shows - Dexter.

I love that Dexter is filmed mostly in Long Beach and have always wanted to stalk the cast when they're filming around town, but of course I have always been at work when I hear that they're on a local set. When I saw that they were filming in Huntington Beach today, I knew this was my chance! Maternity leave is awesome!

I fed Kyle, packed a lunch for myself and drove to HB with the hopes that Kyle would be fast asleep by the time we got there and would stay asleep for an hour or so while I played lookie-loo. I was so excited that my plan worked! The neighborhood was blocked off, but I pretended I lived nearby and was just taking my baby out for an afternoon stroll. 

I got there at the perfect time - just as Dex and Deb were setting up to film a scene. So fun! Thanks Kyle for being a good baby and not crying when they yelled action!

Little adventures like this make me so happy.

DEX!

The scene we watched was Deb pulling Dexter from the water after this crash.

1 month

Kyle, you are 1 month old! 

How did that happen already?! You've already grown and changed so much since the day we met you. I can only imagine how fast the rest of your first year will fly by.

You love to eat. All the time. In any capacity.

You were born at 9 lbs., 2 oz. You went down to 8 lbs., 8 oz. the week after and now you weigh 9 lbs., 15 oz.! Wow! After a rough start, you've turned into a really good eater.

Surprisingly, you're still wearing size NB and just a couple of things size 0-3 mos. fit you. Even though you're almost 10 lbs. now, you're pretty slender. I was expecting you to be out of size NB in the first week! You don't have very many size NB clothes, so you'll be dressing much cuter in a few weeks.

You are happiest in the morning. Since we're not getting tons of sleep at night (2-4 hour stretches with an hour or more of awake time in between), mommy likes to stay in bed with you for a while in the morning and you usually like the snuggle time :)

You kind of like the moby wrap but only for a little bit. We've gotten pretty good at getting you in there, and we've done some laundry and chores with you in it before you fall cry or fall asleep. We haven't tried the Baby Bjorn yet, but that's next!

You like to lay on your colorful mat for about 20 minutes a day, on your back and then your tummy. And you've already rolled over from your tummy to your back! Strong boy.

You also like to go on walks in the park with Penny. We usually go out 2-3 times a day and is our time to get some fresh air.

Your eyes are more brown than blue now, and your hair is still pretty red! I think you're looking more like mommy, but some people have said you look like daddy.

You were having fun at the beginning of our little 1 month photo shoot...

Kyle & Penny
Thanks to our friends Jill & Justin for the cute month-by-month stickers!

...but then you got a little upset that I kept making you sit in the corner. Sorry about that!

more pictures here!

fighting cabin fever

I am loving maternity leave but cabin fever has started to creep in. I get really excited to get in the car with Kyle and go somewhere - anywhere! So far we've gone to the doctor twice, breastfeeding workshop 3 times, taken a family drive to Rite Aid for an ice cream, had dinner last night at Grandma Suzie's and today the 2 of us went to Papa's house to hang out with Auntie and Kyle's cousins for a little bit. Kyle is turning out to be a fun little buddy!

Kyle really likes the car! He stares out the window and is very content in his car seat. And I'm starting to get the hang of carrying 50 lbs of stuff with me wherever I go. (Still working on how to gracefully open the stroller with one hand with Penny's leash in the other.)

Here's a picture from today's adventure. I've never had so much fun just sitting in my dad's backyard for an hour. Having my sweet baby asleep on my chest makes everything better :)

happy Tuesday!

3 weeks

Kyle, you are 3 weeks old! 

We celebrated with a mini photo shoot with our friend Jill. You were a pro! I can't wait to send out announcements to all our friends & family!

This was our first week home all alone during the days, just Kyle and his mama. I focused on improving our feedings and just giving you lots of love and kisses. Dad would bring home dinner when he got off work and we'd spend evenings as a new family of 3. I think the week went great :)

Most nights this week you slept two 4-hour stretches at night. Let's hope this is our normal schedule for a while, because mommy was trying hard to run on empty but it's a challenge!

You went back to the doctor this week for a weight check and he said you were doing great. Grandma Suzie came with us and hung out in the back seat with you to make sure you were ok. It made me feel better because I hate when you're back there all alone, out of reach.

You do the cutest thing with your hands when you eat. Every time you nurse or suck on a bottle or pacifier you clench your fists and bring them to your chin. It makes me smile every time.

My favorite time with you is in the morning after you have breakfast. You'll snuggle with me in bed for a couple hours and I'll talk to you and cuddle you until you fall asleep again. You'll sleep a couple hours, and that's when I get dressed, eat breakfast and do (a little) housework. I already know I'll miss this sweet, sleepy newborn phase and am loving every minute.

We took this picture for your auntie, who was sick and couldn't visit! She missed you.

home alone

Since we brought Kyle home I've been so lucky to have Brian and my mom with me to help out. Brian took a week off work, and my mom took 2 weeks off. My mom brought me lunch every day and made us dinner. She would watch Kyle while we ate, then do the dishes and head home. Yesterday, the two of them spent hours cleaning our house and doing laundry so I would have nothing to worry about this week except taking care of my son. It was heaven on earth.

But today is the first day of my new life. My mom is back to work, and Brian is back to his normal schedule. It's just me and this little guy home all day, trying to figure things out on our own. It's scary, but also exciting. At this point, my days pretty much consist of feeding him, changing him, watching him sleep and doing it all over again. Eventually I'll need to start functioning outside of the house, figure out a schedule and put on makeup (ugh), but for now I'm happy just soaking him in and living in this amazing temporary world with my 2 week old baby.

2 weeks

Kyle, you are 2 weeks old!

You love sitting up and holding up your head like a big boy already.

Since your umbilical cord fell off this week you had your first big boy bath and hated every second. But you did stop crying the second you were wrapped in the warm towel, so maybe feeling clean isn't so bad.

You braved the rain/hail with mommy for your 2 week check up with Dr. Kramer. Mommy was a nervous wreck driving the Xterra on the 91 by herself with you in the back seat, but you were an angel the whole way there and back! Thank you!

You got your first taste of the pacifier and you're not sure what to make of it. You love to suck but would much rather have the real thing ;)

You are enjoying being awake during the day a little more this week than last week. Week 1, if your eyes were open you were crying. Week 2, you like to sit up and look around, soaking in the colors and lights around you. You like to open your eyes really big and take it all in.

You are fussiest in the evening when mommy and daddy attempt to eat dinner.

You are sleeping better during the night and made it 4 hours last night! Mommy was happy to get a good stretch of sleep but of course woke up almost every hour to make sure you were ok.

Your favorite place to sleep is mommy's chest. She loves it too.

You usually like to be in your stroller and take walks with Penny, mommy and daddy in the park.

You are not a fan of diaper changes or getting in/out of clothes, but you do like to be rocked and you love the feel of soft blankets on your skin.

You like to keep your hands in tight fists, or have them up by your face when you're eating.

Next week, you go back to the doctor to make sure you're gaining weight... eat up, little man!

1 week

Only 7 days ago my sweet baby was in my tummy, and now he is sound asleep on my chest. I'm soaking up every second of this newborn phase, knowing that in just a few short days, weeks, months he will never be this young again. 

It feels like yesterday I was getting ready to head to the hospital to meet our baby, but then again it feels like I've been a mama forever. I'm surprised how naturally some things came once Kyle was in my arms, and how hard it's been at the same time. We're still getting to know each other and figure things out, but we've finally settled into a nice groove of eating, sleeping and snuggling. And watching my husband be a daddy has got to be the sweetest thing in the world.

I've never been so tired, or so in love, in my life.

sweet dreams, Kyle Martin!