1 month old today

Wow can't believe Caleb is one month old already and at the same time I very much believe it. Yeah still working on sleep, however I will say he did pretty well the last two nights sleeping in 3 hour increments. I'm an analytical person, so the frustrating thing about figuring out this sleep thing, is that there is not an obvious cause and effect and there is no distinguishable pattern. We are however now working on establishing a routine which if for no other reason helps me feel like I'm working toward a goal. It also appears to be working.

The highlight of my day these days is typically my walk around the neighborhood. During my walks I have lots of time to ponder and reflect on the day. As such I have come up with some random thoughts:

1. Just because you didn't have stretch marks when you were pregnant does not mean you will not get them. They can appear after the baby is born. I like to call my stretch marks purple flames.

2. I think I will always be more sensitive then I was before Caleb was born.

3. People are not very tactful when giving advise, see number 2 above. I know that they are not trying to say that I'm a bad mom when they give advice but it feels like it.

4. Mom instincts have not set in yet. I love my son and desire to shower him with love and care, but I don't currently love staying at home taking care of an infant that doesn't interact with me. As of right now I think I'm more of a toddler and above person. I like older kids, which is why I teach high school.

5. I've decided that parenting is like factoring you guess what is wrong or needs to be done and you check to see if it worked, repeating this process until you get it right. The more you do it the better you get at guessing, which shortens the process, until you come to a problem you have never seen before like a leading coefficient. After a few of these new problems you get the hang of it until you come to a totally new problem like x^3 + 8. I'm curious if any of you guys remember how to factor this one? You would have learned it in Algebra 2

looking cute in his dinosaur pj's

he's started sting out his tongue

one of only 3 pictures of me and the little man, note i'm looking a lot like a mom (no effort for my looks)

Max and the little man cuddling

the little man not so happy to not be held, notice the red face it's a barometer for his mood also note max is not phased

daddy and the little man after his first bath ( the pic is old i just forgot to post it)

one of my favs

Sleep oh how I desire you

Sleep, the beloved word that Chris and I crave. We aren't doing so great at this right now. I finally decided I need to read a few books to get some help, but haven't been able to finish any. Because well when do I have time. Some days he naps and some days he doesn't. It seems like he is so tired that he just can't go to sleep. And so far at night it takes way to long to get him to sleep. He will be calm and appear to be dozing off, then we put him down and with in 30 minutes he is wide awake again. So the cycle starts all over again. It seems that if we hold him for 20 to 30 minutes then when we put him down he will sleep for an 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Which at 3 in the morning is not what i want to be doing.

So today I am trying to establish a routine. To make sure he naps during the day, but not for too long and that he eats enough during the day that he can sleep at night. I know that nothing will be perfect in one day but yet the ration side of my brain is not communicating well with the rest of my brain. And, I am having trouble with following through on my intentions because every day seems to be different. And yes I know that he is almost a month old which is not old enough to expect much "normalcy". But I find that I desire it. I would like for a few days in a row to be the same and for him to only wake up once at night. Oh that would be so nice.

Must Have More! (posted by Mardis)

Life is full of potentially addictive activities and substances...some are utterly detrimental while others are quite harmless.

One of my favorite addictions when used in modest porportions is the bubblewrap page. Click on the bubbles below to pop them. (You're welcome.)

One of the lesser known addictions, however, is the intoxicating personhood of our new son (pictured below), but it appears that only grandmothers are yet known to be susceptible. It is indeterminate at this point if this substance is harmful for its users, but we have identified one of the latest side effects: technically it is known as "Repeatedly Re-Repetitive Speech." By way of example, one of the latest instances of this side effect goes something like this:

"There he is! Yes, there he is! I found you! There you are! I see you!"
(Re-repeat until loss of consciousness.)

Again, the long term effects of this addiction is unknown, but we'll be sure to keep you up-to-date with any future determinations in this regard.

Pictured below: Paternal Grandmother

Pictured below: Maternal Grandmother

Updates at Work (posted by Mardis)

So while I'm off at work doing "work" things, Mikki is faithfully tending to our little one. Occasionally, she'll send me picture messages of their happenings which is the highlight of my day:

Out for a walk

Taking a nap

At the grocery store

Wide awake!

Up close and personal

2 weeks old

Okay, not much time to write, since Caleb doesn't seem to enjoy chillin by himself. He wants to be held or bounced at all times. Which is a bit exhausting.

Breastfeeding is going much better, as are my emotions. They seem to be less crazy these days, but I still tear up for no good reason.

Notice his adorable tie. Thanks Martha. We got all dressed up for our first family outing to the end of season volleyball banquet.

My two boys. Max is actually on the couch also, at Chris' feet.

He looks so serious

One week of being a mom

What an eventful week. We learned everything we could about birth to prepare ourselves for the big day, which was super helpful. Now we are trying to learn everything we can about being parents (for now focusing on babies).

One of our biggest hurdles this week has been breastfeeding. We learned a ton about the benefits of breast feeding and we were excited to be a part of that. However the actual breastfeeding did not come so easily. The first few days seemed so easy, turns out I wasn't feeding him enough. So one day he was starving and crying and very upset, which made me very upset and after an hour or so of this we called the La Leche League. The lady helped us get through the morning. Then we went to the paediatrician and got help from an ex-nun turned breast feeding expert. She taught us more about how often to feed, and how to feed and when to feed, etc. After a day or two we were back to frustration of not latching on, therefore not feeding. So we saw a lactation consultant at Kennestone Hospital and it seems we are finally getting the hang of this.

The most surprising thing this week, has been how emotional I am. Some days I just want to cry for no apparent reason, other days the reason is clear. For example, this morning we had Caleb circumsized. I am glad I watched but at the same time, that was too much for me. Caleb was such a strong little man, it was mom that was crying.

So here are some pictures from this week.

We had a water birth ( I highly recommend it to anyone wanting a natural birth)

On our way home

My two men

Finally getting the hang of this. Look how thick my hair is, when is it going to start falling out?

Chris and Max chillin, while Caleb is eating

Max is still getting lots of attention, as he is our first child

Linda holding Caleb, check out Koko Mardis

Bill and Caleb

Tonya (c's sister) and Caleb who is blissfully sleeping

No, that's not santa that's my dad.

My mom, ecstatic to be a grandma

Max trying to share his toy with Caleb. Max always greets Caleb when we return (only two trips outside of the house so far)

The little man himself

And while I have your attention, I have to brag on some amazing girls I know. Last night the Pope volleyball team won the state championship. I managed to get out of he house to go and see them play. They played so well. This is Pope's first state title. It is an honor to be a part of this sports program. Click here to read the entire article.