failed attempt at a 6 week photo shoot

He did calm down for some non-truck pictures in my lap though... ha!

Maybe we'll try again at 7 weeks.

Train of thought

I freakin love this baby. I tell him that a zillion times a day.

Mondays stink. I love hanging out with David all weekend, and then he has to go back to work...

This morning David let me sleep in until after 9! I used to never be able to do that. I felt a tad guilty because David gets up so early every morning to go to work, but he also sleeps straight through every night :).

Oh, but Crawford slept 7.5 hours Friday night. That totally counts as "through the night", right?

We started attempting cloth diapers on Friday. I'm just supplementing disposable with the cd's we currently have while we determine which ones we like best. So far, I've just decided that we need to move our changing station upstairs...

This should have been the first point because it's the most exciting, but I'm too lazy to switch things around... MY SISTER IS ENGAGED!!!!!!!!!!

And, she and Chase stopped by our house for a few hours today! I was about-to-jump-out-of-my-skin excited, and then I almost cried when they left. Birmingham is entirely too far away.

Obviously Ashley loves Crawford, but I think Chase loves him just as much. It's so sweet watching them love our boy.

I love this picture of Crawford because he's so cute, but also because everything in it was a gift. I seriously think of all the sweet people who gave us presents every time we use them (blanket- Susan, lovey- Kate, diaper- Becca Potts).

I don't put clothes on Crawford a lot of days. If we aren't going anywhere, what's the point? He's a little heater, and his little belly is the sweetest thing ever.

C has gotten too long for his newborn things. It made me so sad to put them away... He seems like he's getting so big, but when I see someone else hold him I'm reminded of how tiny he is!

The end.

Bottle time

We've been giving Crawford a bottle (of breast milk I've pumped) several times a week to teach him how to take it. It took a few tries, but he has it down now! It's such a sweet time for David, and a nice break for me.

Oh, and the awesome bib came from aunt Beth! Thank you!!

Slumber party!

Greg has been out of town this week so Jodi and Ella have been spending the night with us. We've loved it, and Harley has been busy playing with slash avoiding Ella!

Blogging from the iPad test

Thanks for the blogger app recommendation, Lauren!

weekend with the Bourkes

I hate that my blogging has become a once-a-week occurrence, but such is life right now. If I could blog from the iPad (which we just upgraded to the 3rd version so I can facetime!), I'd be all over it... Thus, this post is several weeks overdue! 

My brother planned to spend the beginning of his spring break in Chatt meeting his new nephew. So, of course, the rest of the family couldn't miss out on time with G AND Crawford! I was nervous about how it was going to go with a house full of people and an unpredictable baby, but it was really great. They all loved on and took care of C, while I got a bit of a break. I love that I don't mind sharing him since I know only I can feed him. Everyone was so sweet, and so in love with the newest addition to our family.

[one month]

 Things you love:

• your paci!!
• your vitamin D "medicine"
• being held upright
• riding in the car
• laying on your changing station
• laying flat on the couch next to us (but not being touched! so like your daddy)
• holding your head up
• moving quickly (ie- rocking, swaying from side to side, walking around the house)
• riding in the baby bjorn
• going on walks (in the stroller or being worn in the sling/moby/bjorn)
• looking at lights
• your bouncy seat

I was going to do a "things you don't love" category, but we can't come up with anything! You definitely get fussy sometimes, but there is no rhyme or reason to it. You're a pretty easy-going kiddo so far.

Things we love about you:

• your little noises
• how your eyelashes curl up on the ends
• your little belly hanging out of your sleep shirts
• how you wake up slowly
• your monster hands
• your old man bed head
• everything

Birth:

Head- 35cm

Height- 19.75in

Weight- 6 lbs. 4 oz.

Home from the hospital:

Weight- 5 lbs. 14 oz.

One week:

Weight- 6 lbs. 5 oz.

Two weeks:

Head- 35cm

Height- 19.75in

Weight- 7 lbs. 4 oz.

One month:

Height- 20in

Weight- 8 lbs. 9 oz.

One month post-birth, I am... fitting into my pre-pregnancy clothes (thought a bit differently than before...) and still have about 13 pounds left to lose. Granted, I'm not trying very hard... We are going on LOTS of walks in this gorgeous summer-like weather, and breastfeeding is burning tons of calories (at least I hope it is. I'm ravenous!). I am pumping once a day and getting an average of 3 ounces at a time. I am loving staying home with Crawford. I am so thankful that I get to have my dream job. 

Happy one monthiversary, little buddy! You are SO loved.

a day in the life

Crawford is a good sleeper. Last night was his best night yet- he slept for 7 hours and 15 minutes! Yep, he's 3.5 weeks old. I totally didn't expect this because he napped all day long, and he is generally awake a lot during the day. Unfortunately, I didn't get nearly as much sleep as he did because I was constantly expecting him to wake up, and I didn't want him to cry and wake my family (who visited for the weekend!) up. Oh, and I was so engorged I thought my boobs were going to explode.

Generally though, he sleeps for 3-4 hours (sometimes 5) and gets up once in the middle of the "night". We sometimes end up with a weird what-do-we-do-now time around 6am, but I generally decide we're just going to take a "nap" slash go back to sleep after feeding you then. It's kind of awesome to start the day around 9 or 10 sometimes!

So... whenever it is that we do finally get up and start our day, I usually flip on the tv (which I'm trying to do less of) and feed the babe. Crawford is a super fast eater, and it only takes about 10 minutes for him to eat a meal. He is usually his happiest right after eating, so I try to take advantage of that time to get the most pressing tasks for the day accomplished. I have a "to do" list for every day, but the same three things are always top priority:

1. shower

2. make the bed

3. pump

If I get those three things done every day, I at least feel like a human.

Mondays are laundry day, Thursdays and Sundays are baby-gets-a-bath days, and every other day is different. I try to have at least one "activity" each day, whether it is visiting with a friend or running an errand, it helps my sanity to have some structure. We've been heeding the pediatricians advice to keep Crawford at home for the first 6 weeks because of all the junk that goes around kids this time of year. I can't wait to go to church or Target or play group when he's big enough! I know with our subsequent children, we probably won't be this fastidious about it, but for now there's no reason to not abide.

I have been blown away by the Lord's goodness to provide so many sweet people to love on us during this time of transition. Crawford really is an awesome, easy baby, but it has been soooo nice to have different friends stop by to meet him and hang out - almost EVERY day. Seriously, I counted up two dozen different friends who have spent time with us during the week while David is at work. Not to mention all the friends who have brought us dinner!! Wow. We're so, so blessed!

amazing gift from Trey White!

who does Crawford look like?

 David; Emily

stream of consciousness

Dear Crawford,

My thoughts are still pretty scattered, but there are so many things about your little life that I want to remember right now! 

Last night you slept for a 5.5 hour stretch. It was awesome.

Today we made our first family outing (where we all got out of the car together). We went to the Country Club for Hayden's birthday lunch, and you slept in your car seat the whole time! We all kept peeking in on you to make sure you were fine, and you were just perfect.

You pretty much only have wet diapers at night, and that makes my life so much easier.

I guess I haven't updated since your 2-week doctor visit... oops! You weigh 7 lbs, 4 oz! A whole pound ahead of schedule, little buddy! Mommy was SO proud. You had a clogged tear duct, but it's pretty much all better now. Your lips have been super blistered from sucking so hard (hence the pound of weight gain, I guess), and I'm glad they are getting better because they made me sad.

I'm feeding you every two hours (on just one breast per feeding, which is so nice!), and you are a fast eater. It usually only takes us about ten minutes per feeding. I started pumping this week, and it's kind of like a game for me to see how much milk I can store up for the future. I can't wait for daddy to give you a bottle!

Speaking of daddy, he's pretty great with you. He is totally independent and can take care of everything you need other than food. Even when you get really fussy, he's great at calming you down! He has taken total diaper duty during the weekend, since I'm changing lots during the week. He calls you "son" all the time, and it melts my heart. I'm so thankful he's your daddy.

You're wearing out a handful of preemie and smallish newborn-size outfits. I think we'll be moving you into regular newborn-size stuff soon. 

Oh, the paci. We love that thing. We've discovered that if we catch you before a total meltdown (and we can usually tell when it's coming), you'll suck on it and stay totally content. Plus, I've read that taking a paci reduces the risk of SIDS, so I'm all for it! 

That's all for now. 

You're awesome, Crawford boy. Thanks for making our lives a million times better!

Love, 

Mommy

our (current) set up

Since bringing Crawford home, we've rearranged our house a bit to accommodate our new lifestyle. Read: our house looks like a bobo daycare.

Exhibit A:

Lamp on the floor. It stays on all night for middle-of-the-night diaper changes and feedings

Entryway table (that is actually my nightstand, moved out of our bedroom to make room for baby). Our all access changing station! Is it ghetto that the first thing you see in our house is a changing station? Probably. Do I care? Not one iota. I figure everyone who comes to our house these days knows we have a newborn, and that's a pretty good excuse. Plus, the drawer is stocked full of diapering supplies, and the cabinet below is great storage for other baby stuff.

Black bin. Full of the clothes he wears on a day-to-day basis

Exhibit B:

Yikes!

Swing, bouncy seat. Self explanatory.

Brown bin by the chair. Full of burp cloths and blankets.

Exhibit C:

It just gets better and better :)

Rocking chair. We brought it in from the front porch for... you guessed it! Rocking!

Baby on the coffee table. Adorable. We use the Boppy Newborn Lounger all.the.time. (thanks, Becca H!). It's perfect to set on the coffee table, kitchen counter, bed, etc. while he's awake OR asleep. The only bad thing is that the cover isn't removable, (I think I could buy a slipcover) so we keep it covered with a blanket we could wash. 

Dog on the couch. He's so sweet. He follows me EVERYwhere, but is hardly a nuisance (unless other people are at our house...). 

Exhibit D:

Pack 'n play in our room. We had a bassinet, but David decided he'd rather use the pack 'n play for Crawford's bed. It's great for the baby, but not so great if we want to get into our closet. 

Judge all you want!  Our little set up is totally working for us (for now), and I'm sure it will morph over time as little man grows and changes.