7 Quick Takes: Charlie Edition

-1-

Last Friday, Charlie turned 1 month old! At his doctor's appointment, he was 7lb 13 oz and 21 3/4 in long! He got his second vaccine. He was such a champ. He only let out a tiny cry which was good because otherwise mommy would have cried too. Despite the black out on the 22nd, we got Charlie a tasty cupcake and sang Happy Birthday to him. It was fun! 

-2- 

We started reading to Charlie. He looks at the black and white pictures and loves snuggling with his daddy when they read together. So far, the hubby has read him Goodnight Moon and Runaway Bunny. 

-3- 

Charlie has started losing some hair on top! However, you'd never know. He still has so much hair. It is getting a little long in the back. I think he looks a lot like his Uncle Andrew! 

-4-

This week I took Charlie to the Hamptons for the first time. He was great in the car and appeared to enjoy being outside. There was another little boy at our friend's house. His name was Charlie too! He was 9 mos old and a very lively little boy. 

-5-

Charlie seems to have lost his "schedule" it appears he might be napping once in the morning and once in the afternoon instead of one big nap in the middle of the day. It is wonderful to watch him sleep! He's just so sweet. 

-6-

I am very fortunate that I have summer vacation. I can't imagine going back to work in a week. It would be way too hard.

-7-

We are desperately trying to get Charlie used to "Tummy Time" he doesn't seem to enjoy it at all and ends up screaming after a couple of minutes. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. We generally do tummy time on his activity mat. 

Thank yous

Folded Note Cards by Vistaprint

Birth Announcement

3 Weeks Old & 4 Weeks Old

The weeks are just flying by! Charlie is so much more alert these last few weeks. I feel as though I am constantly trying to entertain him/stimulate him. We were given an activity mat by a friend so I have made a few little toys dangle from it for Charlie to "play" with. He mostly stares at them and will occasionally flail his arms and legs in their general direction. We listen to Pandora radio on the internet since they have lots of free kids music. He LOVES listening to music. This past Sunday Charlie went to church for the first time. He also went out to eat for the first time at Golden Temple. (One of our favorite restaurants) He is so well behaved that it is easy to take him out and about. We had another play date with his friend James. James is six months old and is VERY active. It is fun to think about what Charlie will be like at that age. Unfortunately, James will be moving to Texas in August. For the time being we are enjoying our walks in the stroller together. It's nice for me to have some adult conversation during the day. On Friday, Charlie will be one month old. We have our doctor appointment in the morning. It will be awesome to see how big he's gotten. Any guesses on his weight?

Happy Father's Day!

7 Quick Takes: Baby Edition

-1-

Proud Mommy Moment of the Week: 

The little guy had his weight check on Wednesday since he hadn't gained any weight between leaving the hospital last Saturday and his pediatrician appointment on last Wednesday. Our little one gained 8 oz. in 7 days! There was lots of cheering in the exam room from the nurse, the doctor, and mommy when they weighed him. 

-2-

We are trying to get back into a "normal" routine. My mother went back to work on Thursday so, the little guy and I are on our own until Daddy gets home from work. It is interesting trying to figure out what "normal" will be. I enjoy seeing that the little one has some patterns to his behavior already. (If you can't tell, I'm a planner!) 

-3-

Breast feeding is difficult and stressful but, ultimately super rewarding. I am grateful for the support of friends and family. Many people have said that it is almost impossible to successfully breast feed without support because of the exhaustion and frustration that sometimes occurs. 

-4-

Showering is one of the small luxuries that I took for granted before the little guy arrived. I wait anxiously everyday for the opportunity to take a relaxing shower. I know I could just bring the little guy in his rock n' play into the bathroom but, I would really like my down time. 

-5- 

I have discovered that teaching has prepared me for motherhood because I am used to functioning on very little sleep. Don't get me wrong, I am tired but, it is not nearly as bad as I thought it would be. (I know he's only two weeks old but, I was picturing no sleep at all.)

-6-

One of the perks of having a baby at this time of year in NY is that the weather is relatively mild so we can go take a walk everyday without having to worry about freezing/roasting the little one. It is definitely good for me to get outside everyday and do something other than watch him sleep, feed him, or change him. 

-7-

We are overwhelmed by the generosity of family and friends. It is unbelievable how many people have stopped by, sent cards, or sent gifts. We are thrilled to pieces that our little one is home and healthy and look forward to sharing him with our friends and family. 

Two Weeks Old

On June 5th our little man was two weeks old! 

What's new? CHARLIE WEIGHS 6LBS 13 OZ! He gained 8 oz. in just 7 days. 

Sleep: He is still sleeping several hours at a time.

Feeding: Breast feeding like a champ! He gets 2 oz. of formula just before bed to help everyone get some rest. He has taken a liking to cluster feeding at night before bedtime. 

Special talents: Charlie rolled from his stomach to his back last night. The pediatrician was quite impressed. 

Favorite past times: Charlie loves his walks in his stroller. He stares at his frog toy that hangs in his rock n play. 

Likes:  His frog. His pacifier. His blue striped blanket. (I'm not sure why this one is different from the others but, he sleeps better when he has that one. 

Dislikes: Diaper changes. (You'd think I were torturing the child.) 

Demeanor: He loves to smile and make cute faces.  He's super calm and easily soothed. 

What's up next: Still waiting on the innie/outie. Part of the his cord stump fell off.  

Infant Life

Our darling little boy seems to have his days and nights mixed up. He slept all day and now appears to be wide awake at 1 AM. So far he has wet our bed twice. Graciously my mom and hubby have changed the sheets and washed the comforter. I guess I haven't been as quick as usual to get the diaper changed. As a friend of mine pointed out at least it wasn't #2.

We are hoping that on Wednesday he will have gained back all of the weight he lost in the hospital. My goal is to continue breast feeding but, if he hasn't gained weight we will have to look at supplementing with formula. I am working on being O.K. with that idea. Right now, it is not sitting well with me. All we want is for our little man to grow big and strong.

We have been so blessed to have many friends and family stop by to visit our little man. It is wonderful to see everyone. People have been so generous to our little man. He has received many lovely gifts, including a 365 prayer book, pat the bunny, goodnight moon, several accessories for his room and countless little outfits that someday he will be able to wear.

I find it funny that as the days go by he becomes more and more alert. As the hubby was changing the sheets, the little one decided that Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns would be an excellent show to watch. He was completely entertained by the characters on the show. I quickly decided this was not what we were going to encourage and we went to hang out in his room while we were waiting for the hubby to finish changing the sheets.

The little one is incredibly good at entertaining himself with his hands and feet while he is awake. At the moment, he is playing in his bassinet. His hands are soooo exciting! Of course, he wouldn't be nearly as entertained if he didn't have the hiccups for the 9 gazillionth time today. He have dubbed him "squeaky toy" because he sounds like one when he has the hiccups. The pediatrician has indicated that there isn't really much we can do for him and his hiccups. So, we'll just hang in there until the little one falls asleep.