3 months old, and full of smiles!

We took these pictures on the 4th of July -- a holiday you must love because you were so smiley!  We spent the long weekend in Madison, WI to visit with your Nana and Papa, Auntie Sarah and Uncle Mike, and your cousins Annie, Luke and Chase.

Milestones:
Sleeping:  On Sunday night, after your first experience with "babysitters" (aka: Nana and Papa) you slept all the way till 6am!  It was the first time you slept through the night (and I loved every second of it!)  Of course last night you woke up at 3am and 5am, but I am hoping that you'll start sleeping through the night soon.  Usually you wake up just once at 4am these days.
Eating:  You are still nursing well.  This is the first time we're going 2 months between pediatrician appointments, but it seems you're still doing well and gaining enough weight.  You've started to learn to scream a bit, and have been doing that lately during feedings.  We're not sure what's going on there, but hopefully that will stop soon.
Etc:  We traveled a lot in the last month.  You took your first road trips to Georgia and then Wisconsin to visit family.  You did amazingly well on each leg of the trips.  You are lifting your head higher and higher during tummy time.  You have started playing with your hands, and your new best friend is your thumb.  You can put it in your mouth yourself, which is a new skill.  Ever since you were 2 months you've been able to support your weight on your legs, and that is something you still like to do. 

Life As We Know It -- the house

SB and I have a new "Date Night" tradition.  Basically it involves eating dinner together (with Logan) at home or somewhere nearby, and watching a movie together once Logan is asleep.  It's not at all glamorous, but somehow calling it our new "Date Night" makes it feel special.  This weekend the movie we watched was "Life As We Know It" with Katherine Heigl and Josh Duhamel.  The movie itself was ok - but the house in it was just beautiful!  I loved how they decorated the place -- from the art to the accessories to the furniture to the wall colors.  The movie is based in Atlanta, and apparently at some point recently the house was actually on the market.  Here are a few shots of the house in their listing, and of the house in the movie.

 

Look who's 2 months old!

June 2 already?!?  Logan continues to grow, grow, grow!  We went to the pediatrician yesterday for his 2 month checkup and he weighed in at 10 pounds, 11 ounces (75%), 23.75" (80%), with a head circumference in the 80th percentile as well.  He received his first round of vaccinations, and took them like a champ (you'll see his bugs bunny and daffy duck band-aids in the pictures that follow).  By the look of his smile in a few of the pics, you can see that he quickly forgot the momentary pain brought on by the shots (though his mama may still be recovering ;).

Milestones:
Sleeping:  You are still sleeping quite well (minus last night!).  We moved your bedtime up this month from about 9/9:30 to 7:30/8pm.  We bathe you, read a book, turn on your mobile and usually you are out like a light.  Sometimes you require a little extra rocking, but not much.  You usually wake up around 3-4am for a feeding, and then sleep till 6:30 or 7am.  It's not a bad routine, and we are very grateful for a good amount of sleep!
Eating:  You are nursing well.  We have started to go a bit longer between each feeding. 
Etc:  I had my first (and hopefully only) bout of mastitis this past weekend.  It wasn't fun for about 24 hours, but once I received the antibiotic, things were on the up and up.  You are really supporting your head quite well.  You are doing well with tummy time, and can hold your head at about a 45 degree angle.  You've started cooing this month, and that smile still makes my heart melt.

Recent Pictures

Logan will be 8 weeks old tomorrow!  He is really growing, and next Thursday we will learn just how big he is these days at the pediatrician's office for his 2 month check-up.  It's amazing how just a few pounds make him feel soooo much bigger!

Here he is in the swing from his Aunt Leslie and Uncle Donnie....

 Lilly supervising tummy time....

 And our smiling little man!  His smiles just melt my heart.  I can't wait to hear him laugh. 

Peony Season

We planted two peony bushes last spring on the side of our house.  They grew back this spring and produced even more beautiful blossoms!  Peonies are my absolute favorite flower.  They are just so big and full!  Unfortunately it's also tornado season here in St. Louis.  Apparently it's the worst tornado season in 60 years with the number of warnings/watches that have happened thus far.  Last night was another bad storm -- but thankfully SB was able to come home a little early.  I swear being a homeowner makes it all the more scary -- I mean, we have insurance, but the prospect of having to replace everything just sounds awful.  Fortunately all was fine yesterday - just a strong storm here!

Parenting is hard work!!

I know nobody ever said it would be easy.....but parenting a newborn is really tough!  Of course there are millions of moments where I just cuddle him to pieces and stare at his changing facial expressions and kicking legs and moving arms, but there are also lots of moments where I feel totally unsure if I'm doing the right things.  I've questioned if he's sleeping too much, too little, if he's getting enough milk (I'm breastfeeding), if I'm feeding him too often, if I'm catching his tired signals well enough (putting him down for a nap can be a struggle some days, but some days it's a breeze), etc. etc.  And on the days when he doesn't nap well (like yesterday), I end up feeling exhausted which then leads me to feel emotionally overwhelmed, and I really wish at those moments that my mom or sister lived just down the street and I could jet over to see what they think I should do.  One of our friends recommended the Tracy Hogg E.A.S.Y. routine.  Are any of you familiar with that?  If so, when did you start implementing it?  The concept is basically that you separate Eating (the E in the acronym) and Sleeping with Activity.  I think it's a good concept and I'd love to have more of a routine, but seeing as how Logan is still just 7 weeks, it seems a touch tough.....though everything I've read advises against waiting too long to implement.  I think we'll give it a try and hope for the best!  Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't trade this for anything, and I have a feeling that everything is totally normal - but this is hard work!!!

You shouldn't love material things...

BUT this one is just calling my name.  If only it wasn't so expensive!  Darn you, Kate Spade!  I could wear it to a million events -- most notably to the August wedding of one of my best friends from college.  Except that I'm not quite back to my pre-pregnancy size right now.....and I'm not buying anything till I am! (yes, I'm stubborn when it comes to some things!)   For now, I'll just put a picture here and daydream...

My 1st Mother's Day as a Mom!

Things are going well here.  Logan set a new sleep record last night....9:45pm to 5:15am, and then another two hours after eating.  After the first night home from the hospital when he woke up every single hour to nurse and I called home to my mom in tears, wondering if I was going to make it -- we are really doing well :)  Thank goodness (and thank goodness for moms!)!  I guess it takes one of those difficult nights to help you see how easy it is when they just wake up once. 

On to Mother's Day.... 

SB's mom was in town to meet little Logan, so we had two moms celebrating here.  Our celebration was about as tame as could be -- it involved SB picking up lattes for us from Starbucks in the morning, him learning how to make homemade biscuits from his mom (gotta love those Southern roots....we also have perfected our homemade sweet tea recipe too -- it is SO easy to make!  I can't believe I used to buy it from Publix all the time.  Talk about a waste of dinero), cooking out on the grill, and an early evening walk with SB, me, Logan and our dogs.  SB wrote me the sweetest card, and gave me a beautiful canvas print of our little Logan. 

Honestly, it was the perfect day thanks to his rowdy crew (and Lilly too):

One Month!!

Happy 1 Month Birthday to our little guy!!

Logan is already one month old!  We celebrated by going to the pediatrician's office for his one-month scheduled appointment on Monday.  He is now 10 pounds, 7 ounces, and 23.25 inches long.  He is growing, growing, growing - and doing really fabulously!  The past month has flown by.  The first two weeks were extra special as SB was here on his paternity leave.  I will always cherish those two weeks.  The next week my parents came to visit, and it was very special to introduce them to Logan.  Since then, we are getting into more and more of a routine here.  I am getting used to Logan's patterns for sleeping and eating.  I feel like I've been living in our own little baby bubble for the past month, but am starting to feel like myself again!

Milestones:
Sleeping:  You have turned a corner when it comes to sleeping!  You just recently started sleeping 6-7 hour stretches, from about 9pm to 3 or 4am, and then a few more hours after that.  This has made a dramatic difference in how your mommy feels!  We can't wait till you sleep completely through the night, but that might not be for another month or two, which is a-ok.
Eating:  You are nursing well.  You like to eat a lot at night, but we know that is just in preparation for an extra long sleep :)  You had a growth spurt week when Nana and Papa were visiting, and you wanted to eat non-stop.  It was tiring, but it helped you to grow well!
Etc:  You love to ride in the car, in your stroller or in the Baby Bjorn.  Movement seems to calm you.  You also seem to like the infant chair and swing.  We have seen you smile and laugh, and we can't wait till you do more of that!  We have started doing "tummy time" with you, and while you aren't totally loving it, you are doing well lifting your head and looking around.  Your neck seems to be very strong for an infant your age.

Speaking of new arrivals...

SB and I are beyond excited to introduce you to our new bundle of joy:

Logan Everett Brooks 

Born Saturday, April 2, 5:20pm

8 lbs, 6 oz, 21" long

It's impossible to believe that a week has already passed since he was born.  He came one day before his due date, and our scheduled induction.  I feel sure that he was listening to his Daddy's advice about punctuality --- "if you're on time, you're late."  Daddy loves to be punctual, and his new buddy does too :)  We are soaking in these precious moments.  It is a blessing to have SB around this week and next.  He is a terrific daddy in every possible way, and a tremendous husband too!