First Camping Trip

Pete did wonderfully on his first camping trip. Camping for us has forever changed but in a good way. We spent less time on the beach soaking up the sun and more time laying on a blanket making weird sounds and funny faces. It was a great time as a family and I am glad we took the chance and got out and did it. I won't say it was easy because it wasn't, but all in all it was a truly enjoyable time. And soon, when Pete takes up more space than his body surface area, we are going to need a bigger camper. :) Here are some pictures of our trip. Enjoy.

Pictures From This Week

Us

11 Weeks

Our baby boy turned 11 weeks old yesterday. How fast time flies! He is getting so big and so grown up already. You can literally sit and have a cooing conversation with him. And he isn't shy about telling you how he feels. When he gets sleepy and is fighting a nap he starts to cry slowly and whimper. You should hear it. It is the sweetest most precious thing I have ever heard. It makes me smile and tear up every time he does it. He is really the sweetest baby boy ever and I love him so very, very much.

Each night P. and I pray with Pete. We first thank God for things like our beautiful family, our health, our home and our dogs. We thank God for taking care of us and for bringing us Pete. We ask His guidance with our parenting in hopes that we can be the best examples for our son. I pray nightly that God will keep Pete a healthy boy all his life and that He will ease my "mommy worries" about his future. Then we pray for small things like bringing Pete a good poop since it has been a long time since the last one. I love this time of night when we can sit quietly in the dark and spend this time together.

Pete slept for almost 9 hours last night. Now when he wakes up we can hear him but he doesn't cry. He just starts talking and sucking on his fists in his crib until we go get him. He is such a good boy. He still only takes naps if you are holding him or if you nap with him but like I said before, I take this time to enjoy being close to him or getting a little more sleep myself. I never complain about holding him. I want to hold him every chance I get because one, I know he wants it and it makes him feel safe, but also because someday he won't want me to hold him and I will miss these days. Let's just say I have strong arms.

Pete's half sister comes Tuesday. We are looking forward to her visit but I am a little anxious about it also. I am going to go from having one baby who takes up all my time and energy to two very different children to take care of. Katie is very independent but she will still need to be fed, entertained, driven places, disciplined and of course, made to do her summer workbooks to keep her mind sharp during the summer. That's always fun doing math, science, reading, etc with a child over the summer. Can you say distracted, lazy, uncooperative. I know I was. So it will be a big change for us, well for me. But it will be fun too. We will do fun things and go fun places. Maybe it will be better. I will have someone to talk to and I am sure the days will go faster. I have to admit I was getting a little bored there for a while. There are only so many times you can read the same books, sing the same songs and look at the same plants and flowers in the yard. It's time to rotate out the books and learn new songs... :)

P. went fishing and camping on Lake Huron this week with his uncle and cousins. The fishing wasn't great because of a storm that had moved in but he had a great time with his family. I am glad he got to go but I was really glad when he came home. Here is a picture. Have a great week. Keep our family in your prayers with the adjustment this week of Katie coming home and of course for our first camping trip next weekend. Should be interesting but I am sure Pete will do just fine. How will mom do?

Happy Father's Day

P., Pete and I had a wonderful Father's Day today at the lake. We took a blanket, packed a lunch and went on a long walk on the beach at P.J. Hoffmaster State Park. It was a beautiful day and we had such a good time laying around talking, getting some sun and walking along the beach in the water. Here are some pictures from our picture perfect day.....

My Little "Man in the Making"

Here is my sweet boy smiling at me this morning. His shirt says Man in the making.... and is from my childhood friend Julie. Isn't he so cute?
Pete slept for 8 hours again last night. He takes a long nap with me each morning and we spend the rest of the day together reading, singing and sitting in the backyard. Pete loves to look at his black and white baby animals book and enjoys waiting for dad to come home from work on the swing in our front yard. He is such a good boy in his bouncer when I want to fix something to eat or get on the computer. He kicks his legs all over and talks to the hanging animals in front of his face. His cradle cap and baby acne have improved drastically. He looks so handsome now. I can't get enough of his big smile. It is so amazing to see his face light up when you have been gone for a few minutes. Just like the dogs, always happy to see you. I heard it isn't always like this when they get older so I am going to enjoy every minute of it while I can.

Better go. Love to all. A.M. and baby Pete

Pete Sleeping

Here are some pictures of Pete sleeping today. First he napped with dad in the big bed then in my arms. He did his little smiling while he sleeps thing again and I got another picture. He is so sweet. We call him our "professional sleeper" now.

8 Hours

Our son slept for 8 hours straight last night! It's like he hit 8 weeks old and figured out how to sleep. In fact he is still sleeping. It is 9:26am and Pete is still sleeping. He woke up at 7am, I fed him a little and he fell right back to sleep and has been sleeping since. It's an amazing thing and I am very happy about it except for the fact that my boobs do not know how to handle the change yet. I woke up at 4am EXTREMELY ready to feed. I had to pump and it helped for a little while but then by the time he woke up, with a little help from me, I was about to explode. Hopefully the body will figure out the new schedule and I can start getting as much sleep as Pete is getting these days. But wow, what a wonderful change. This new nighttime sleep actually helps him nap better during the day too. It's an all around great turn of events!

Yesterday I had help with Pete from two different people. In the afternoon I called my neighbor and she offered to take Pete for a while if I wanted to do something. She had Pete for about an hour and a half over at her place while I ran an errand, grabbed some Taco Bell for lunch and cleaned out our vacuum. I saved the vacuuming for when Pete came home because he loves to vacuum with me. I think it is the walking around and the sound. Then a couple from our church offered to watch him for us if we wanted to go out to dinner or something so I dropped him off at their house early evening. P. and I napped, went grocery shopping then out for Chinese food. When we went back for Pete around 8pm he was happy as a clam. Hungry, since he doesn't take a bottle but happy. His sitters said he did great. He talked and laughed for about 45 minutes, had a big poop, then he slept in their arms for almost an hour and a half, then they entertained him for a bit longer until we showed up. We hung out at their house for about another hour talking while P. gave him his bottle and rocked him back to sleep. P. seems to be the only one that can get him to take a bottle. It's sweet but I wish his babysitters had better luck. All in all it was a great day with a lot of help. Pete is sleeping like a champ. And my great husband just made me pancakes for breakfast. Not bad, not bad.... :)

Michigan Outfit

Pete talking and smiling in his University of Michigan outfit.

Abby's 8th Birthday

Yesterday was Abby's 8th Birthday. My baby girl is 8 years old. Boxers have an average life span of 8-10 years so from here on out we are going to make every day count with her. I love Abby so much. Pete may be the light of my life but Abby is my forever girl, my first baby. Here is Abby with her birthday hot dog and 8 candles.

Movie & Update

Wow. Wow. Wow. Loved the movie! Loved it. It was so fun, so wonderfully exciting and even more than what I had expected or hoped for. I am almost sad it is over with. The waiting and anticipating is over, and I am more than thrilled with the outcome, but now it's over and who knows when we will see the girls of Sex and the City again, if ever. I just had such a good time. I want to see it again, and again.

Thanks to my husband for buying me tickets early in the week and for taking a half day from work just to take me to the movies. P. was one of about five men in the audience. He is such a good husband... And thanks to our sitters who watched our baby boy for us so we could get out to the theatre. I guess Pete did pretty well except that he wants to be held all the time and wouldn't take a bottle. Looks like our date nights for the next 4 months or so will be held to a 2-3 hour time limit so I can get back to feed. We have tried to give him a bottle now 4-5 times and it's always a struggle. We will see. Someone told me that if he is hungry enough, he will take it. Anyway, our sitters Katie and Julie earned their babysitting money with Pete I am sure. Thanks!

I am feeling better. Still dealing with pain and swelling but over all I am much better. My fever and chills are gone. My body aches are much better and migraines are minimal. I deal with a persisitant headache these days just due to such little sleep but in general I am doing well. Pete is well too. Except for lingering cradle cap he is great. Boy is that stuff nasty. As of Friday night he weighs 12 lbs, 4.5 oz. Right on schedule. Pete has grown out of his newborn clothes and is filling 3 month sizes quite well already. He found his hands this week. He chews on his fists and plays with his hair. See picture. He scratches his face a lot now. I am not sure if it is the cradle cap that is bothering him or if he just does it to explore his new senses. His hair is still really red and light. I almost think it is getting lighter. His eyes are a dark grey/blue. Wouldn't that be weird if he had blue asian eyes? Pete doesn't nap. Well, he cat naps 15 minutes here, 20 minutes there but only if in your arms. As soon as you set him down he wakes up. I put him down and let him cry. I let him cry for a half hour to an hour sometimes and then go pick him up. I figured it is better for him to get a little sleep in my arms right now than nothing. I pray every day his napping improves. He is sleeping better at night now. He has slept 6 1/2 hours straight for the past 2 nights. He never sleeps well after that but will come and go for another hour or two until he is up for good. If I could have asked for one thing different with Pete it would be that he slept more. But you can't have it all I guess. He is a sweet, funny little baby and he is healthy regardless of how much he sleeps so I can't complain. It could be much worse.

We are up in West Branch, MI this weekend for our nephew's 11th birthday. Again, it is cold so the birthday party didn't last long outside. We had hamburgers and hot dogs, cake and ice-cream and opened gifts. Krischan and his friends went in the lake but not for long. We got out on the boat but it was cold. See picture. June 1st and it feels like mid March. Today we will grab pizza, see some of P.'s friends in town and head home this evening. It is about a 3 hour drive. Pete did really well on the way up. He slept most of the time, cried a little and fed once. We stopped and I fed him in the car. Can't say that is a lot of fun but you gotta do what you gotta do.

Well, better go. I had some time without husband or baby so I was excited to spend some time blogging again. I will post some pictures of the weekend when I get home. Thanks for your prayers. Much love, A.M.

Sick

I was really sick this week with a stomach virus and Mastitis, a breast infection. I am finally starting to feel a bit better today since I think the antibiotics are starting to work. The pain yesterday was just miserable. I could hardly move or breathe. Please pray for continued healing as I fight both the virus and infection.....on minimal sleep.

Pete never got sick. We spent all day Tuesday in the doctor's office and all night in the emergency room. I would have tried to have someone watch him while we went to the hospital so he wasn't exposed to all those germs but my mind wasn't functioning correctly. Before P. took me to the emergency room I asked him to put socks on my hands and a hat on my head I was so cold. He decided at that point to take me in. That and the fact that my temperature was 102.6. I had an IV for 4 hours that administered fluids, morphine and anti-nausea medicine. Let's just say by the time I left I was feeling much better.

P. and I have had a date planned for today for a long time. Maybe 6 months now. Why? Because Sex and the City comes out today! It feels like Christmas. I know, Sex and the City doesn't really seem like me. I am not into shoes, fashion or big cities. I don't like cuss words, crude language or gossipy girls. But I love Sex and the City. Love it. Love Carrie Bradshaw's character, love the friendships they share, love the complexity of each relationship and how in the end they always have each other. Pete will be babysat by our friends for the evening while mom gets to see the highly anticipated movie. P. is such a good husband. I have dragged him to Juno, Baby Mama and now SATC all in the last few months.

Have a great weekend. Keep us in yours prayers. Here is a pic of Pete during his last bath. Love to all. AM, P. and Baby Pete

Happy Memorial Weekend

Our wonderful friend Erin visited us this weekend from CO. She drove all the way out on Thursday and stayed until late last night just to see us and meet Pete for the first time. It was such a great time seeing her and sharing our son with her. I enjoy every minute I spend with Erin. We laugh a lot. We talk about a lot of things. We share everything with each other and we never judge each other. It's a very comfortable friendship. It has been since the first day I we met. She always makes an effort to come see us and I appreciate it so much. Friday when she came in we went for breakfast and spent a lot of time staring at Pete. Saturday we had a BBQ with some friends and had a great time eating, talking, having a few drinks and sitting around a bonfire until late at night. Pete was the star of the show. Sunday we went to the lake. It was cold and windy. Typical for our weather lately. Well, not lately, more like the past 7 months or so. But we had a great time walking around and shopping, taking pictures and having lunch down by the water. I was sad to see Erin leave and head home but so thankful for the time we had together. I feel so spoiled. She made the trip out here for the shower just a couple months ago. And now it is my turn to make the trip to CO. It's time anyway. It's been 2 1/2 years since I moved from CO and I am ready to see my friends and old co-workers again. I would love to take Pete back since I am so proud of him. We will see.

Anyway, I need to go to sleep. Here are some pictures from the weekend. Hope you had a wonderful long weekend. Thanks to the soldiers this weekend is dedicated to. Thanks to Erin for being my forever friend. Thanks to God for my sweet, sweet son. Thanks to my husband for letting me get lots of sleep today.......

Dad & Pete

Dad reading Pete Money magazine. Pete listened for at least an hour then fell asleep.

Cradle Cap and Baby Acne

My handsome baby boy has come down with TERRIBLE cases of "cradle cap" and baby acne. He is still the sweetest, cutest boy alive but it's so sad to see his sweet face and head agitated like this. Bad timing too. I am taking him to meet all the ladies in my bible study tomorrow night and my friend Erin from CO is coming out to see him this weekend. That's ok, both will pass soon enough and he will be back to his darling little self.

We had such a good day today. He was hardly fussy and we laughed all day long. He pooped 3 times and we went through 5 outfits today. After his bath I spiked his hair up and he looked so funny. We usually feed at 10pm every night then go to bed but tonight he is so out of it I don't think I could wake him up for anything. So, the schedule will be off but I guess flexibility comes with the package.

Here are some recent pics from yesterday and today.

Pete and I yesterday before heading to the mall and Red Robin for lunch.Tummy time today.Napping on the couch today.

Sling

Pete in his new sling. He loves it. He can be held close to you yet you have your hands free to do things. Those things are pretty limited but it is still helpful.

Mother's Day

Yesterday we celebrated my first Mother's Day. It was a very special day with my husband and son just spending time together relaxing. In the morning we got up and tried to have breakfast at a little cafe near our house. They serve an amazing Bananas Foster French Toast but were so busy the line was out the door. We decided against waiting since Pete is not very good at it. Instead we went to Panera and ate then went on a drive in the country looking at big houses and the pretty greenery Michigan has to offer at this time of year. The rest of the day we napped, worked on things around the house and did all the normal things we do every day like feed, burp, change diapers, and hang out and walk around until he gets tired again. It's a constant cycle. Pete gave me a beautiful card telling me I am doing a great job and that he loves me very much. I got a 12 pack of Dr Pepper and chocolate. Boy does he know me well already. :) Oh, and they planted a Gerber Daisy plant in a pot in our front yard for me. It is beautiful, one of my favorite flowers.

All in all it was a great day. I feel very blessed to have such a sweet boy and great husband. I still can't believe he is really here and I am really a mom. It's a crazy thing. It's a great thing. It's a huge responsibility and sometimes I feel the pressure. It's tiring but somehow your mom super powers kick in and you make it another day. Here are a couple pictures. One is of Pete and I at Panera for breakfast yesterday. The other is of him and I hanging out on the couch after a nap. Have a great week!

First Date Night

P. and I went on our first date tonight, alone! Pete is 5 weeks old today. It has been 5 weeks since we have been anywhere without our new baby. Boy has time flown. We have a wonderful friend who is very good with infants. She used to work in a day care and has been around Pete often since he was born. She is just amazing with him and he loves to be with her. We felt more than comfortable leaving him with her tonight and looked forward to our time together. P. and I caught a 4:10 movie, Baby Mama, then went for coffee afterwards. I have to say I did incredibly well for being away from my son for the first time. I didn't call home. During the movie I didn't worry and I checked my cell phone only once. Of course I talked about him constantly but we also had fun conversations about other things in our life. We read the paper at the coffee shop and finally I said, lets go home and see our son. When we got home he was just waking up from a nap in his Baby Bjorn on his sitters chest. I was so happy to see him, so refreshed from some alone time with my husband and ready to shower him with lots of love and kisses. I did miss him. I did worry a little about him. Not so much that he was safe but that he might be fussy for his babysitter and she wouldn't want to watch him again for us. But overall I am so happy we took some time for ourselves to just reconnect and have a quick break from the busyness of parenting. We have a great marriage that needs to be nurtured just as much as our son does. Here is Pete and his friend and sitter. Aren't they sweet? 5 weeks! Our son is 5 weeks old. He is growing up so fast. I wish time would slow down. Every day he looks more grown up, like a little man. A very handsome little man. See for yourself. I am so proud.

Smiley Boy

Our Happy Boy

Pete is a happy boy. His smile can light up my day. Usually after a good feeding and a full belly I can get some smiles and laughs out of him. I treasure the quiet moments after nursing where we just sit and talk, sing, tickle, bounce around and hang out together. He will start cooing and I know the smiles and giggles are coming. Here are a couple picture of the smiles/laughs I caught this morning. He had just nursed and I am sitting in a chair facing him eating my own breakfast.
Soon after breakfast he feel asleep in my arms. He loves to be swaddled and walked around. It can put him to sleep right away if he is tired. It took a few weeks to figure out how to comfort him but now I know what he likes and it feels so good when I can quickly calm his cries and make him happy and comfortable. Here is my silly boy this morning laughing in his sleep. As he starts to drift off his lips curl up in a sweet smile then he snickers a little bit. It makes me laugh out loud. I watch his face intently as he starts to fall asleep waiting for the smile and laugh that I love so much. Today I was prepared, I had my camera on him, focused and ready to shoot his adorable little laugh. It was hard and both my arms are tired from trying to get a picture but it was worth it. I love this little boy so much. How do you ever explain the love you feel for your child? You can't. It is overflowing. It brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it and writing about it. I live to see him, hold him, take care of him, meet his needs and see him smile. I never want him to be sad or lonely or hurt. I had no idea how amazing this would feel. It is indescribable. He is such a sweet boy, my son. I am exhausted. Completely exhausted. But I am so full of love.