Our Week in Review (wk 6)

Our Week in Review

Tuesday = 6 weeks old!

size update:
Colton weighs 11 lbs 11 ounces & is 22 inches long.

Car seat comparison shot:

2 days old

and

6 weeks old today!

complete control of his head during tummy time.

Colton dressed up in his tie onesie to celebrate a day home with mommy and daddy.

Even when he cries he's cute!

Friday

He had a strong heart.

My answered prayer from Friday was this:

Colton's pediatrician heard a slight heart murmur the day after he was born and asked a children's cardiologist to check him out. After the ultrasound the cardiologist did hear the murmur, but said it wasn't anything to worry too much about and that he wanted to see Colton in a month for follow-up. During the next few check-ups with the pediatrician she heard the heart murmur still which of course caused us a bit of worry. She did tell us that if the cardiologist was worried he would have scheduled Colton's visit for sooner than a month, as in the next week.
So, we should take comfort in the fact that it was merely a check-up that we'd be seeing the cardiologist for.

Colton's ultrasound was on Friday with the cardiologist and after the ekg and ultrasound he said that our baby is very healthy and that the murmur would be considered an innocent heart murmur. One that doesn't heed for worry or concern but that is very normal. Both Wes and I let out a huge sigh of relief at this news. I didn't realize how worried we both were until we were given this great news. We both walked away giving praise to God for our healthy little man. :)

* As we received our good news on Friday, I couldn't help but think of the Neer family. Their news wasn't as uplifting as ours. I think of you and your family often, Jenn. You are in my prayers more than you could ever know.*

He rolled from his belly to his back today!! The milestone was caught on video (the 2nd time) so I need to figure out how to post it for your enjoyment!


Saturday

Colton and I had munched athen's fries & a gyro salad with the ladies at Paymon's. It was dee-lish!

Steph and Debbie came to visit Colton...oh, and me. :)

Debbie meeting Colton for the first time.
She brought him the cutest Easter outfits...look for those to appear next month!

Mr. Colton is all dressed up for lunch with the ladies...and all conked out after a day of fun.
He looks like a little boy in this outfit.
Melts my heart.

Sunday

We made it to church!! We went to the new campus of Hope Baptist in Boulder City (the new campus was awesome, by the way!) . Being with our church family after missing 6 weeks of worship and teaching was like coming home. Colton did amazing--he slept the entire service in his car seat and in my arms.

We grilled out with Gloria and Victor then enjoyed playing our new fave game: Ticket to Ride.


Wes pulled the swing back out and as you can see, it is perfect. (also helps that the seat tips back--just figured that out!--so he shouldn't plunge forward)
Colton loves to swing and look around. He also likes to fall asleep here, too. We don't complain because that means less walking him for us!

Monday

Sunbathing baby.

He is so Mommy's best friend. (after Daddy, of course!)
Sound asleep.
First nap he put himself to sleep w/o being rocked or held.

Dinner with Dad.

My family.
I love nothing more than to see Wes and Colton together.
and yay for pumping...this freed me up to have a road trip to pick up ice cream. :)

Colton's Birth Story

The anticipation was building as we neared Colton's (scheduled c-section) due date of February 15th. My to-do list was long, but I thought I had plenty of time since we had scheduled the arrival of our first baby. Little did I know that he'd surprise us all and come on his time, not ours.

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Colton's due date given by the doctor when we learned we were expecting a baby was February 21st which was exciting since this was my dad's birthday. However, I had a myomectomy in 2004 (surgery to remove a fibroid from my uterus that was the size of a grapefruit) and the doctor had told me all along that I'd need to have a c-section due to the possibility of a weakened uterine wall. Thanks to the addition of more fibroid friends that showed up and grew during pregnancy (the largest was the size of an orange when it was removed after Colton was born) we had tons of extra sneak peeks of our baby via ultrasound. I loved that.



Thus the scheduled due date of our son: February 15th.



Two weeks prior to the c-section date I worked double time to get things at school organized, planned, and prepared for when my long-term substitute would take over my class for twelve weeks. I don't know where this sudden surge of energy came from (because I was extremely exhausted) but I got so much done that I had great peace about walking away for such an extended period of time. Maybe this is where my nesting desires landed since they didn't quite make it to the to-do list for home.



So, at this point our baby is due in about 10 days and I still haven't washed all his baby clothes in Dreft, packed a hospital bag for the baby, packed a hospital bag for Wes and me, or done my final cleaning of the house. One would think, "Gee, baby is coming soon. Better get on that." But, nope. Not me. I had a schedule. The 'baby date' was February 15th. Period. I had plenty of time.
*Enter our son who's schedule is so not our own.*



It was SuperBowl Sunday and I started to have this funky pain on my lower left side that would come and go. I didn't think anything of it. Then the pain intensified the next day as it came and went, but it stayed in that one spot. I also kinda just felt icky. Again, I thought "Well, my entire pregnancy has rocked, I've been very healthy, and I've felt wonderful. Some of my friends have felt miserable during their pregnancies. If I have to endure pain for the next week then so be it."



The next day (Tuesday, February 8th) came and I felt great. I got ready for work and just as I was leaving the pain returned. Only this time it didn't come and go. It stayed and was intense. Wes called as he was leaving racquetball and I mentioned my discomfort. He said I should take a half day and this sounded like a great plan to me. My plan was to get through the morning then come home at lunch and sleep in the afternoon.



Every Tuesday there is a staff meeting at work. I sat through about 20 minutes of it--sweating, shifting in my seat trying to get comfortable, and trying not to cry from the pain. Finally I walked over to my principal and asked to speak to her. The minute we walked into the teacher's lounge she asked me what was wrong. I started bawling and said that it hurt so bad (as I pointed to the point of pain on my lower side below the baby). To which she answered, "I think you're in labor, honey." Which sent me into more tears with the answer of, "I can't be in labor!!" I had in my mind that once a c-section is scheduled, that is when the baby arrives. Not earlier.



My principal rushes me down the hallway and we got the doctor's office on the phone. I explain my pain and the nurse didn't seem too excited since it wasn't like typical labor pains. My doctor has all his scheduled c-sections and surgeries on Tuesdays, so he wasn't in the office and there was nothing they could do for me if I came in. Then I mentioned to the nurse the scheduled c-section in a week, explained about the myomectomy, and that the pain was so intense that I was crying. Then she told me to go to labor and delivery at the hospital, that they'd get hooked up to the monitor, and the doctor would make a decision.



While I was on the phone with the doctor, the office manager was talking to Wes. Tuesdays are his day off of work and he had a full day planned: meetings for the summer camp he's planning, moving furniture, and he was currently 30+ minutes away. While he turned the car around to come and get me, he made phone calls to cancel his day all the while thinking that it'd be a false alarm. (I believe a friend even teased him that he was using this as an excuse to not move furniture...)



It seemed to take Wes forever to get to work. I think my principal thought I would have the baby on her very pretty rug--that I am sure was expensive. Finally, my knight arrived and we were on our way to the hospital.



The hospital monitors said that I was having contractions every minute. Ohhh, so this is where the pain is coming from. Odd that it was only in one place, but that probably had something to do with the fibroid. The doctor decided to move up the 'baby date' one week and that "We're having a baby today!"



At this news Wes and I just stared at each other in disbelief. I'm pretty sure we both thought this would be a false alarm and that we'd be sent home. And now, we're having a baby. Today. Then the excitement bubbled to the surface. Everything from here on out happened so quickly. We were having a baby at 3:00 p.m. today!! We had about 4 1/2 hours to wait. Wes wanted to go home and get the camera, so I made a packing list of items I thought I needed from home (mind you I used maybe one-fourth of those items). And off he went--he was a bundle of excitement and pride.



After being admitted and everyone was done poking and prodding me, I had a few moments to myself. As I sat in the quiet of the hospital room I was over come with emotion.

Nervous for the surgery.

Surprise that our baby was coming today.

Wonderment that I'd be holding my baby by 3:00 p.m.

Peace knowing God had me wrapped in His hand of love and protection and that everything would be okay.

Love for the son I was about to meet.

Thanksgiving for the blessing of becoming a mommy.

And then I prayed.
For my unborn son.
For God's timing, not my own which is perfect.
For our family that was about to grow to 3.


It was a sweet time of solitude with my Savior. One that blanketed me in peace and comfort for the upcoming arrival of a baby that God had given us. Then suddenly, I was ready. So very ready. Time seemed to stand still. All I could think about was: Let's meet our son!



Kristi arrived and was an excellent distraction to the ticking hands of the clock that seemed to slow down. The best part of her being there: she prayed over us right before we went to the operating room. God's peace was cascading over us now.



We donned our fancy blue hats and Wes put on the sexiest blue scrubs, booties, and face mask. Off we went to meet our son. I was shaking...I was so excited and so ready. Everyone said that the maternal instinct will just kick in. I wasn't so sure because I hadn't felt it yet. But as we walked down the hallway, I felt it. I was born to do this. Born to be a mom. Colton's mommy.



When I heard the first cries of our son, the tears started to flow. That's our son. Our baby. The one that God so intricately formed in my womb for 38 weeks and 2 days. The one God specifically to us. The one we prayed for. The one we will love with all our hearts forever.

Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday dear Colton,
Happy Birthday to you!!

Colton's rockin' it.

Can't believe that our baby is 6 weeks today.
I am overly grateful that I have another 6 weeks at home with Colton...I can't imagine going back to work tomorrow (as so many of my co-workers have after having their babies). What a blessing that we decided to take the option that gives 12 weeks for FML.
6 weeks just wouldn't be enough.


Doesn't he look so little in the Papa Bear chair?

Victor & Gloria blessed us what a delicious lunch and board games on Sunday. We had so much fun! (Wes even got a Scrabble game in!)

Colton is "Mommy's Major Hunk" in his outfit from Vic & Glo.

Bath time!

Bugga Boo likes baths...for the first few minutes. After that, not so much.

Kristie came to meet Colton on Saturday. Had we known he'd sleep so much, we would have shopped till we dropped! (Next time for sure!!)

LOVE the babe's face.

Ice cream or sleep?

Last night I chose sleep after much deliberation. (should have been a no-brainer to choose sleep, but I had such a sweet tooth!)
Telling myself that I can have ice cream tomorrow...but that tonight sleep is definitely the priority. Glad I did! So refreshing to sleep from 10pm to 2am without interruption.

Colton was super active last night and this morning:
Smiling at us. We're convinced it's not gassy smiles...but true, I am happy and content smiles.
Cooing as sweetly as only babies do.
Giggling when his daddy would make funny noises.
We have one happy baby. :)

And we thank Steph for doing an awesome job rocking our baby to sleep last night!

Roaring into 5 weeks.

*Colton starting to track us with his eyes. It is so rad to watch him watch us.
*His iron-clad grip is relentless on anything he comes into contact with (fingers, clothes, blankets--anything he can grab).
*Colton holds his head up so high with such stability (almost all the time)--especially when we are holding him to our chest. It's quite adorable.
*He had his first bottle today (it was a successful 2 ounces of momma's milk). Hopefully this will mean a date night soon for my hot husband and I...or even a solid night's sleep for this lady...or maybe a mani/pedi and a girls day out... (now I'm dreaming!)
*Starting to get back into our previous routines: Tuesday night Bible Study for 2 weeks in a row. (week 1 = super sweet & sleepy Colton. week 2 = super sweet & awake Colton, until...he decided he was having none of the quietness any more. Thank goodness for our church family who loves us despite the noise!)

Finally...the cute binky shot I was looking for!

It's tough keeping the bink in the mouth sometimes.

And...that's a wrap!

Our Colton Dean is going to be 5 weeks tomorrow.
where o where has the time gone???

at his doctor's appointment for 4 weeks he was:
10 pounds 6 ounces
21 1/2 inches long

I've spent the last 5 weeks...

watching his eyelashes grow in. They are long and oh so blond--just like his hair.

mesmerized that such a small wonder could be made by God--mixing all the good in Wes and all the good in me to make such a perfect blessing of a baby boy. Colton, God gave us you.

snuggling, cuddling, hugging, and kissing my sweet lovey every chance I get.

humming 'Amazing Grace' for hours on end when he is fussy.
I guess I don't know any other songs in their entirety. But what a beautiful song to sing (ok, hum) over my son.

reading books to Colton. (and crying over the sappy sweet ones.)

having the best time choosing handsome outfits for him to wear.
Wes thinks I am silly...I think I'm head over heels for yummy boy clothes!

organizing and reorganizing all the clothes as he quickly grew out of the newborn sizes and into 3 month sizes.

learning that once we think we have our son figured out, it changes and we have to start all over again. Like his favorite position to be held in. Binky, or no binky. Is that a hunger cue? Will he fall right back asleep after a diaper change or does he need to be nursed?

enjoying nursing in the quiet hours of the night, when it is just the babe and I.

praying for our son. Praying that as he grows he will know God's love in a personal and very real way.

amazed at the small changes that are happening before our eyes.

just watching Colton. Watching him sleep. Watching him as he wakes up. Watching him interact with Wes...and falling in love all over again.

listening to his cooing noises. Listening to him grunt as he eats. Listening to him as he starts to wake up...right before the bellow of a cry escapes.

wanting to capture each and every moment in our memory bank for when he's not a newborn baby and no longer fits so snugly in palm of our hands.

every night as I crawl into bed (sometimes numerous times a night) I feel wrapped up in a blanket of my family love. Colton in his bassinet on my left. Wes asleep at my side. Life couldn't feel more right. And I fall back asleep thanking God for my precious family of 3. I am one blessed lady.

enjoying being a mommy and a daddy to our Colton.
Seriously. Best job ever.

__________________________________________


Yesterday we (finally!!) remembered that there were baby carriers and wraps that we'd received as gifts. This carrier worked...until I needed to take him out. Then he woke up. :(

Dianna reminded me about the Moby wrap today...so I pulled it out, read the instruction manual, and went to grab Colton to give it a go. And wooo-la! It worked! It's a little intimidating--all that fabric & that it comes with a thick instruction manual--but I think that the Moby wrap and I shall be friends for a very long time. (Going to try it out with Wes wearing it tonight!)

and I shall call it hands-free mommy-hood!

In the last week our Bugga-Boo has started to take a binky sometimes when he is fussy. We are so thankful he has found a way for him to self-soothe.

And I think little babies with a binky are super cute!

Chilling with Daddy during Amazing Race last night...and giving Mommy 'feeding cues'...but I was too busy snapping this photo.

and we shall title this photo:

Milk Wasted.
got this quirky term from our neighbors...and it so fits because this is the sweet peace that I see at the end of a long, fulfilling feeding.

Michele and Ryan came for a visit last week...and Michele had a long cuddle with Colton.

Julia finally got to love on Colton last week when we went for a visit to her salon.
(and this mommy got pampered with cute toes).

Last Wednesday I got the sweetest text from my husband while he was working late:

"can you please send me a pic of the two of you? i miss you both."

made me melt.

so, here's Mommy & her lil rockstar--who's 4 weeks and 2 days old.

Week 4 in review

Bugga-Boo's new favorite thing:

(for only 10 minutes at a time, of course!)


My baby has a strong grip! He always grabs on to the neck of my shirt...super sweetness.

Colton gets pretty fussy at night when it's "bedtime" (now "bedtime" = when mommy and daddy are exhausted and are ready for bed themselves, however Colton has different plans...) so I thought that I would try out this swing during the day time to see if he'd like it or not. I love the progression of how he isn't so sure....to totally fighting the sleep....to finally snoozing away.
p.s. decided he's a titch too small for this swing--I'm scared his head is going to fall forward since he's so active & he doesn't have control of his bobble head quite yet. We'll definitely try this swing again soon, though.

Wes' dad said he used to carry him around like this when he was a baby. Colton seemed to like it (for the moment)...and yet I'm not sure how Wes is smiling cuz we walked the baby for hours that night! (oh wait...that's every night!)

{Photo Booth}

Pretty much I'm addicted to starring at my son. I am in awe of the many faces he makes every second. So, I thought I'd share what I see...and won't you agree that he's so yummy-licious that you can't help but stare too?

Don't you just want to reach into your computer screen and kiss his sweet cheeks??

Learning as we go.

I can't believe that our baby is 3 weeks old today!
[Tuesday, March 1st]

At times it feels like Colton has been apart of our lives forever--like when we go through our daily routine, know what a certain cry means, totally rock a trip to the store or doctor's office, and just look into his sweet, perfect face. At other times it feels like we have no clue what we're doing as we guess and completely change what we thought was a "routine". & I guess that's what they call Parenthood. My dad reminds me often that "You can think you have it all figured out today, until it completely changes tomorrow." True story.

Our Bugga-Boo with his newest newborn outfit.
Ya'll weren't kidding when you said he wouldn't wear newborn sizes for long.
Unfortunately, this will be the last day he wears it since his torso is so long!

Our babe weighs in today at 9 pounds, 10 ounces.

Can you just see the action in this photo? He's constantly moving.

so alert!

Our Colton is already a praying man!

I found my favorite Easter candy today at Walgreen's!
When I was young, I didn't like hard-boiled eggs so my mom would hide these for me instead for Easter morning. They are the best candy ever! Soft & gooey marshmallow covered in a hard milk chocolate shell = melt in your mouth goodness.

Mommy and Daddy needed a little food therapy today. It was delish.