March Phone Dump!

Well, it's April 20th, and I'm just now getting around to March phone pics... But better late than never!  :)

 

This pic makes me so sad.  We miss you Hobbes kitty.

 Welcome Christian Michael!

 Jackson starts tee-ball!!

Mimi's Here!

Mimi is spending the weekend with us this weekend while Ryan is gone... And let me tell you - I'm SO thankful.  We have so many things going on this weekend - we got invited to 4 birthday parties on Saturday!  We obviously won't make it to all of them, but we also have Jackson's first tee-ball game this weekend... So I'm so glad my mom is here to help me with all the kids.  There is a major learning curve to adjusting with three kids!  I'll get there... :)

Christian's first road trip!

We drove up to Little Rock on Sunday to take Carol to the train station... While we were there, we made a few stops.  Ryan stopped off at his dad's house to introduce the newest grandson... And I was super excited to visit my friend Darcy and her new baby boy Eli.  Eli and Christian are only 1 week apart, so it was a lot of fun to be pregnant at the same time as Darcy and have someone who could really relate to the exact stage I was in..  We had fun catching up... Christian was a rockstar in the car seat... Glad we went!

Our week with Grandma Carol!

Ryan's mom came to visit from Milwaukee last week.  We all absolutely loved having her here!  She was a huge help to me with all 3 boys... and I've declared her having the magic touch with Christian.. He fell asleep shortly after she holds him.  She did some art with Jackson, and helped me by completely doing an art project that I had to do for an ornament exchange in June (I'm not creative like she is!).  She also got to go with Ryan to see Ethan's music program at school (I was at the dentist). 

We really loved having her here - looking forward to our trip to Milwaukee in July. 

 THREE GENERATIONS!

Family Date!

Two Saturdays ago, I told Ryan that I was getting a little cabin fever... needed to get outside for a bit and enjoy my boys! So we headed to the safari.  Ryan took the boys out while I stayed in the car with Christian.. The boys saw baby lions and got to pet them... among other animals.  The safari ride was fun too!  Christian slept in the back, and Ryan and I got to really enjoy our big boys!  Fun day...

Christian and Grandma Betty...

My grandma was here last week!  Ryan was home with us the first week after Christian was born, and my grandma was here the second week.  It was so great having her here because she knows a LOT about babies.  Christian is her 9th great grandchild!  He loves to be held right now - and she is really good at holding babies!  I'm so glad I had her here!!

Three Weeks Today!

I can hardly believe it!  It doesn't seem like it's been three whole weeks since this guy made his speedy entrance into this world, but I can honestly say, I can hardly remember life without him.  He is such a sweet, sweet baby.  He eats like a champ (yes, I'm actually still breastfeeding - the longest I've ever gone!), and he sleeps GREAT!  Most nights, I have to wake him up after 5 hours since his last feeding...  He loves his baths and stretching out his legs.  He smiles when he's falling asleep - which melts my heart.  His eyes are the brightest blue - making me wonder if they may stay that way and I'll have a blue-eyed baby!  He is horribly gassy these days, but mostly just between the hours of 900p-1000p.. hmmm... He is a total sleepyhead and usually has trouble staying awake through a feeding because life is rough when you're 3 weeks old. He loves to snuggle and I must admit that I just love that he stops screaming when he hears my voice... He is just so precious.  My baby angel. 

Happy 3 weeks, Christian. I love you!

Outside Time.

 

I have been thankful for our playset lately... I must admit to offering for the boys to "go outside and play!" a lot lately... I never realized just how loud they were until I was trying to keep a baby asleep while they are running circles in our living room.   So these two goof balls have played outside quite a bit lately!!

Easter 2013

Easter was a bit different for us this year.  With Christian only being 1.5 wks old, we didn't want to take him out to church - so my mom came over and stayed with Christian so that Ryan and I could take the kids and go to church.  Ryan dressed the boys - and this little suit that Ethan is wearing was my brother's! I think these boys look pretty darn handsome!

Christian's 1wk / 2 wk Pediatrician Appts

I know I'm SO behind on this blog!  I am still trying to figure things out with 3 kids!  It's way harder than I thought it would be... Thankfully, my grandma has been home with me this week and she's the best baby-holder there is!  And since Christian REALLY prefers to be held, all the time, it's working out great for me!  I'll try to do a quick update here....

On Thursday, March 28th - we had Christian's 1 week appointment with the pediatrician.  He said Christian looked great! He weighed 7 pounds, 2 oz (28.27%), his height was 19.29 inches (14.03%) and his head circumference was 35 cm.  I had a few concerns to ask about... Christian has been SUPER gassy - which doc said could be just baby's body getting adjusted or it could be something I'm eating... he suggested cutting milk (ugh) to see if that helps.  He also had a rash on his chin - which apparently was caused from saliva and totally normal.  He also looked at his umbilical cord -which was starting to stink!  Lastly, he checked Christian's breathing - he sounded a bit wheezy to me, but doc said he sounded good.  Doc asked that we come back in 1 week to do a weight check since Christian wasn't back up to his birth weight yet (which was 7 pounds, 7oz).

On Thursday, April 4th - we had Christian's 2 week appointment.  Christian weighed 7 pounds, 11oz (33.03%)!  YAY!!  Baby boy gained 9oz in one week!  Wooohoo for milk coming in!  His length was up to 19.5in (9.56%) and his head changed to 36.5cm.  It's amazing how fast growth happens in small babies!!!  I am so happy that my sweet boy is doing so well.  I'm officially embarking on new territory.  I only breast fed for 2 weeks with each of my older boys... and the fact that I'm still breast feeding, and my baby is thriving, is such a great feeling of accomplishment for me!  I hop
e to keep going for awhile longer, God willing.  :)

RIP Hobbes Kitty, 2002-2013

One week after Christian was born, we lost our beloved kitty Hobbes.  At a time which should've been so happy and joyful, Ryan and I were heartbroken.  Ryan and I got Calvin and Hobbes about a month after we got married - almost 11 years ago.  Hobbes was the sweetest, most loving cat you could ever imagine.  He tolerated our kids so well and was really starting a very close relationship with Ethan.  It broke our heart to lose him.  I won't go into the details about what happened, but he left us way too early - years before his time.  If you live in NWA and use The Cats Clinic, I suggest going somewhere else.  We will never EVER go back to that clinic and truly believe that they are partially responsible for why our sweet kitty is no longer with us.

  Nevertheless, we will forever love and miss Hobbes. He cannot be replaced.

Ryan with his two kitties and his new baby... This was taken 4 days before Hobbes passed away.  I wish I could go back and do many things differently so we don't lose our sweet kitty.  I feel angry and sad and guilty, but I know that it must have just been Hobbes' time to go.  I sure hope we get to snuggle with the Treezy Hobbes Kitty again, someday.  :(