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!

Lilly's new arrivals

Spring, spring, spring!!  These new Lilly items just scream happy, sunny summer days to me!  I can't wait to wear normal clothes again (as if I haven't said that a million times already) -- and these new bright pieces make me extra excited to buy a few new things for the new season. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's kind of a big day around here :)  It's my birthday...and not just any bday.  I'm 30!  I'm still getting used to that idea, but so far I'm embracing it.  To be honest though, I have the baby's bday on my mind much more than my own.  We had our weekly doctor's appointment this morning, and things are really looking good!!  Hopefully we'll get to meet our little guy reallllllyyyyyy soooooonnnnn!!!!

Pregnancy Update: 39 weeks!

Pregnancy Highlights:
How Far Along: 39 Weeks -- 1 week till our due date!
Size of Baby: He is the size of a small watermelon
Weight:  Lots.  I can't wait to be back in my normal clothes.  I feel like a blimp.
Maternity Clothes: Yes, yes and yes. (and even some of those are getting tight!)
Gender: It's a BOY!!

Movement: Still lots of movement.  It's changed a bit as he has less space in there, so it's less the huge flips from several weeks back, but he's still moving a significant amount. 

What I Miss:  Running, normal clothes.  SB and I went shopping around today, and I found a bunch of cute items (one running outfit at REI that I really wanted), but I just can't buy anything right now because I feel like I won't know how quickly I'll lose the pregnancy weight, and I don't want to put too much pressure on myself to get back to my normal size in two weeks or something crazy like that. 

Cravings: I've been hungry all week.  I thought that was supposed to taper off around now!!  It's awful when you don't want to gain too much weight, but obviously you have to listen to your body and put the baby's health first and foremost. (though the brownies probably weren't that helpful for the baby...I just couldn't stop!  aggghhh!!)

Symptoms: Swollen ankles, swollen hands (swollen face, if you ask me -- though that's probably just the weight gain!)

Best Moment This Week:  We had a good visit with the doctor last Monday.  The baby's heart rate is still healthy and in the 140-150 range (I always love to hear it).  I have a feeling that he's going to go full term or longer.  The good news is that our doc says we would likely induce if he went to 41 weeks (phew -- I couldn't go too much longer).  I am so, so, so anxious to meet our little guy.  My husband has been especially sweet and supportive, but the anticipation is just killing me....but we've come so far - so 14 more days (max!) won't kill me.  I think I can...  I think I can.... 

 And in other news.....I totally jumped the gun on spring!  It snowed Friday and all day Saturday.  I was not amused.  Fortunately it melted today, but I am SO ready for more of those 70 degree days...pronto!!  We spent the day on Saturday lounging around the house, and then went to see the new Bradley Cooper movie "Limitless."  It was really good!!  It was suspenseful, with action, but not too gory or anything like that.  Today we met another couple for brunch, then did a bunch of errands.   I'm bummed that Duke lost in the Sweet Sixteen....but the tourney games have been really exciting!  I'm cheering for Butler now -- their coach seems like such a good guy, and I love the background story of Matt Howard.  How amazing that they've made it to back-to-back Final 4's!!