Baby Love

The only rock I know that stays steady...

The only institution I know that works...

is family.

- Lee Iacocca

Two Months Old

Preston is two months old today!

We like to celebrate his monthly birthdays the last day of every month, since that was when he was born.

You weigh 9 lb, 4 oz. and are 21.5 inches long. 20th percentile for everything. We just took you to the pediatrician this morning and you got a great report! You had to get 4 shots in your legs and you let out one big scream and that was it. You did awesome. I am amazed by how much you have already changed!

Things you are into right now - you have learned how to grab. You grab my hair, my jewelry, and toys when we put them in front of you. You easily track objects. One of the coolest things that you do is when you hear Mommy's voice, you look in my direction. I love it! You've starting cooing and the BEST is that you have started smiling. Look at what I caught on my iPhone yesterday morning!

You have also really developed a personality. It's crazy. You are pretty finicky. You HATE having any type of dirty diaper. Once its wet or dirty, you want it changed immediately. I am hoping this means you will potty train early, but who knows :) You are also very vocal when you are unhappy. Your sweet newborn cry has turned into a piercing scream... your dad and I can tell your lungs are getting stronger. I would call you especially high maintenance, but I am pretty sure most newborns are. For instance, if we aren't standing AND rocking AND walking you when you are awake (which is all the time), you cry.

You don't nap. Everything I read talks about newborns sleeping all the time. You might take two 45-minute naps during the day. And you are a light sleeper. You want to take the nap in mine or your dad's arms. The second we try to put you in your crib or bassinet, you don't just cry, you SCREAM. I know one day I will look back on this and wish you still wanted to be in my arms, but seriously, mommy and daddy's arms are EXHAUSTED. ;) And yes, people say, just put him down and let him cry, but it's easier said than done, especially when holding him = a silent, happy baby. HOWEVER, starting this weekend, there is some sleep training in your future!!!

As far as sleeping at night, we think you are doing pretty well. Two weeks ago, you slept through the night (10:30 p.m. - 5:30 a.m.) EVERY night. We thought we were in the clear. Then, this past week, you have had a bit of a growth spurt and have gone back to waking up every 3 hours to eat. At least we know you CAN do it and you'll do it again someday.

Another month has flown by. We love you Mr. P! We love watching you grow and change and develop. Can't wait to see what this new month has in store for us!

A Smile

I love this child so much! Thanks for finally smiling for mommy :)

Awesome Weekend

First, a little St. Patty's Day recap...

Not a fan of the carseat.

This weekend, we really enjoyed family time. Brian took off half of Thursday and all Friday so he could spend more time with us (and watch basketball). I like to pretend it was more about us than March Madness! Just kidding dear, I know you really did want to spend time with your boy.

So Preston and Daddy did a lot of this....

After a lot of basketball and a lot of cuddling, we decided to tackle the formal living room and dining room. They open into each other, so it's hard to do one without starting on the other.

We thought we would try Preston in his swing for the first time while we were working. He LOVED it!

For those of you new to the blog, here is the formal living room and dining room with the previous owners stuff. We have been living with the wallpaper and mustard color trim, but we can't take it anymore.

First, the living room. It's a pretty easy fix really. No wallpaper to take down, just three coats on the trim (thanks to Brian and my dad) and a couple coats of paint on the walls (that is taking place as I type).

What a difference white trim makes! You can really tell how yellow the walls were.

I am so pleased with the fireplace mantel... it looks awesome in white!

Thank goodness for the ability to buy samples of paint.

We debated a lot over the color. Choosing paint colors is hard, but I like doing it. So far, we've been happy with our choices in this house. We're going with the top one - Benjamin Moore's Wheeling Neutral. Love their no-VOC paint. Really, you can't even tell painting is going on in the house - there is no smell! Good for Preston :)

Now, for the dining room. WE. HATE. WALLPAPER.

After scoring, DIFing and scraping, here is what was left. This is just one small section of the dining room.

What we found were two layers of the same paper (what?!?!) and messed up walls. There is no possible way to take this down all over the room. So, we said, what would a little bit of Killz look like over it?

After one thin coat, it covers it up okay. We may try a few more coats in the spot and see how it covers. I think we are leaning towards just painting over it. I mean, look at the mess this SMALL area made.

I'll have more pics as we continue to make progress. Preston just started crying, so I'm off to try to problem solve as to what could possibly be wrong with a well-fed, well-loved, clean-diapered baby :)

An Irish Blessing from Preston

Mornings

I love mornings around here now. Especially weekend mornings. Brian is here and it's family time for us.

I also realized that I never posted pics of Preston meeting Brother! I guess I can blame that on exhaustion. The below pics are actually a few weeks old. So far, Brother doesn't really have much of a reaction to Preston. The only time he barks or acts funny is when Brian and I are BOTH tending to Preston. He doesn't seem to like that very much.

We are looking forward to the nice weather this weekend and plan on spending more quality family time together :) I just want to soak up these moments with the three of us. My maternity leave won't last forever. I love this little boy so much. I feel so lucky to be his mom.

Oh! and one more picture... Preston meeting Hurt. This one is a few weeks old, but means a lot to me :)

Also, be on the lookout for a house related post soon. Next up... dining room and living room!

Recently...

The last week has been pretty busy. My birthday is tomorrow so we have done a little pre-celebrating. I love having all our birthdays close together... P and Brian are two weeks apart and Brian and me are three weeks apart.

This past weekend we went with my BFF Robyn and her husband to Las Delicias. Finally got to try it and it totally lived up to all the hype! We took a little family pic before heading out. Thanks Mimi and Mook for watching P and letting us get out for a bit.

Sunday we got to see Candice and she took some newborn pics of P. I can't wait to see how they turned out! P was wide awake for them and was a tad fussy, partly because he hates being naked and hates when we change his clothes. Photo shoots require a lot of that :) I also got P's announcements (thanks to Robyn = best graphic designer ever) and have addressed them for the most part. I also ordered an address stamper since we have moved into our new house, so when that comes I can stamp them and send them!

This week, we'll also be going to a Grizzlies game and dinner downtown... the Grizz have been doing well lately, so that should be fun. Thank goodness for having BOTH sets of grandparents in the same city. We can actually get out and do things baby-free, although we do miss him when we are away from him.

Here are a few pics of Preston from my iPhone this past week. P is sleeping in all of them, but I still think they are pretty cute :) He loves sleeping with his mouth open, and he even snores sometimes.

For a 5-week-old, I am seriously impressed with his head control. He'll sit in his boppy like a champ.

I talk a lot about his lamb chair. Well, this is how he likes to sleep in it. So weird. I also know that this is against the rules, and WE DO strap him in, but for some reason he is much happier this way. Weirdo. Plus, look at those skinny legs! hehe

And this one was after a feeding... the kid loves to eat! In fact, he is up to 8 lb, 5 oz.

I ended up taking him to the pediatrician today because he has a little rash on his face, neck and chest. The doctor told me how to clear it up and it isn't a big deal at all. Apparently, he caught a little infection through my breast milk, but it is super common and I can continue breastfeeding.

So that's pretty much what is going on with us. Can't believe I am turning 27 tomorrow. I feel much older now that I am a mom :)