PICTURES!

Well, it took me a little longer to do this post than I planned, but it's finally here. :) So, pictures... Here is Andy sporting his cute little outfit from Aunt Lori! My sister says the colors look really good on him. :)

This picture was from about a week and a half ago when I gave Andrew his first bath with the [baby] bathtub in the big tub instead of in the kitchen sink (our kitchen sink is too shallow). He looked so cute!

A week or two ago, Andy and I went and visited Scott's parents while he was at work.

Here is the first picture I've gotten of him smiling! I had to post both pictures, so you can see the progression of what he was thinking. He's just so adorable!!!!!

And just for the record, we have since gotten some BOY hats (instead of the green that makes people ask "is it a boy or a girl?") but they weren't done drying at the time of these pictures.

We were delighted last weekend to get a visit from my Dad's cousins and their daughter Amy!

Amy and Andrew:

This past Thursday, we picked up Author J.R. Parker as he will be staying with us for another 2 weeks! We're really enjoying his visit (even though he's really here to promote his book Kestrel's Midnight Song) and frequently this is what I see:

On Friday we had a get together at our house and realized that we didn't have any pictures of Mom A. with Andrew, so of course, we had to get the camera out! :) I loved how Andrew wouldn't look at the camera because he was looking Grandma!

And one more of Andrew and I! The first couple weeks I only have 2 pictures of the two of us, so I've been trying to make sure I periodically take one.

Andrew is growing and growing. I'm having to get out the few 3-6mo outfits we have (and we picked up a couple at Walmart last night, as his 0-3mo outfits that have feet are too short for him. He is so incredibly adorable!!!! We just love "playing" with him!

I am finally starting to figure out how to balance everything, Wife, Mother, and Homemaker. Jacob's visit is definitely "helping" me stay consistent (God's timing is so perfect). Of course, this post has been sitting on my computer screen for about 8 hours now. :)

Well, Andy is ready for bed and so am I, so I guess that's all for now.

1 Month

Note: I wrote this almost a week ago, and was waiting to post it until I uploaded pictures from my camera. But I have yet to do so, and I don't want to wait any longer until I post this. So, here's the post, and I'll have to do a picture post, once I upload all the pictures I have! :) I've been trying to catch him when he's smiling...

One month. An entire month has gone by since I gave birth to my precious baby boy. I can hardly believe that it has been that long and yet already it seems like such a long time ago since I was pregnant. Andrew now weighs approximately 10 1/2 pounds and is over 23 inches long. He is spending more time each day gazing around, taking in everything he sees and tries copying his Daddy when Daddy tries helping him practice his words. I am slowly getting used to life with a newborn, although I am constantly refocusing on the Lord as it is so easy to start focusing on how hard it is to get things done because Andrew isn't old enough yet for us to have any sort of routine. My dad preached on Sunday night and his sermon was about Faith, the choices we face, and the decisions we must constantly make. It was another reminder to me of how important it is for me to keep my focus WHOLLY on God! I must daily, sometimes minutely make the decision not to be bothered by the clothes I've been trying to get folded and put away for a week or the dishes that sometimes pile up for 5 days before any get washed, or the fact that my room has never been in such a disarray since we've been living here. Having a little one who needs me constantly is so very different. Good, great, but different.

• I have learned the blessing and value of a shower, no matter how short it has to be.


• I have become very good at typing with one hand.


• I have come to take full advantage of any few minutes I can type with two hands. :)


• I have learned how to balance a plate or bowl on a pillow or with two fingers so I can eat while I'm nursing.


• I have discovered that after such a labor and delivery as I had with Andrew, I have to still take things very slowly. I would love to be exercising full blast, but my body is not yet there. I've taken 3 walks over the last week and they were slow, short walks. The longest one was just barely over half a mile. (I know that sounds pitiful, I think it is too, but my body thinks it's quite the workout!)


• I have learned (yes, learned) that I love cloth diapers. At least, I love the cloth diapers I have. The first two times I tried them on him, I wasn't too impressed (he leaked both times) but then I learned how to put them on correctly, and boom, I love cloth diapers!!!! :) I'm only using them when we're at home, and not at night time yet, but so far I've had more leaks with disposable diapers than I have with the cloth diapers.


• I also have learned that homemade cloth wipes (cut from an old receiving blanket and clothes that that were ripped) work a whole lot better than disposable wipes. Now I just need to get over to my Mom's so I can sew the edges before the unravel from being in the wash.


• I didn't know just how much I would love holding my baby! I keep reminding myself that we need to start doing "tummy time" even if it's just for a few minutes. I know he'll love it because he loves being on his tummy and I'm looking forward to watching him as he grows and becomes interested in his toys.


• I have learned that it is useless for me to get attatched to any outfit I put on him as I never know when I'll have to change it.
  
  

Andrew

Andrew is 3 weeks old and growing and changing daily. I'm too tired to do a real post as Andy hasn't slept more than 90 minutes straight in 30 hours, so you know what that means for me. :)

Anyway, I just wanted to share a few of my favorite pictures from the last 3 weeks.

My Mom is such a natural! :)

I love this picture! My dad started bouncing Andrew on his knee while singing John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt and Andrew sat straight up. It was so cute! He's holding his head up much more frequently now and he never stops gazing all around him, taking in as much as he can!

Seven Sisters' Visit

This week we were so very happy to host our favorite family!!!!!!! You may remember the dear, new friends we gained back in December last year who quickly became like family! Well, they are on a trip along the east coast and of course, they had to come visit us!!!! :)

(Susannah and I)

We had so much fun! They arrived at my house just before 5pm on Monday. Andrew started getting passed around right away and he didn't mind it at all. At 7 we headed over to my parents house (where most of them would be staying) and had fun eating pizza, and my family got to get to know the family that I had been talking and talking about for the past 10 months! Trisch and my Mom knew each other, but the kids all got to get to know each other! :)

(Trisch and I)

Jessica and Leah came back to my house Monday night, although we didn't stay up extra late as it is very different having a baby. I didn't realize just how different it is, having a Little One that needs me constantly! But it is worth it! Of course, I had lots of eager arms willing to hold Andrew whenever they could, and it was so much fun watching everyone holding him.

I tried to capture the sweetness of Trisch holding Andrew. It's not easy capturing such things on camera, but I tried. :)

Me and dear Jessica! The first thing I thought when they had left was "we didn't get enough time!" But then, I don't know if we could ever get enough time!

My family came back from vacation the same day our company came and so they hadn't seen Andrew in a week which meant that Andrew had to spend time with everyone. :)

Here is Cassia and Andrew

Bekah greatly enjoyed holding Andrew as well, and Susannah was ALWAYS on the lookout for when she could hold him next! :)

Now we are back to no company (although only for 3 weeks as we will soon be hosting J.R. Parker) and I am trying to catch up on laundry (I have 3 loads of laundry to fold from this past week and just put another load in the washer) and cleaning (have only washed dishes once since Monday, and even though we weren't home much this week, dishes still piled up, not to mention the kitchen floor desperately needs to be washed) without pushing myself too much. I also had to go through a bunch of baby boy clothes as a sweet friend gave me a TON of clothes for Andrew which was awesome seeing as we had 2 outfits and 5 onesies that fit him and only a few outfits and onesies in larger sizes. Now we are set for the next year! :)

Tomorrow I am hoping to go for a short walk with Andrew, weather permitting (it has rained the past week except for Wednesday) and then we have a baby shower to go to for my Aunt. I have 2 new little cousins who will be 2 months younger than my son, which seems funny, but I'm sure that the 3 of them will have lots of fun together as they get older.

I am ready to start exercising in earnest now, but I still have to take things slow and easy for a few more weeks, so whenever I can, I am going to try and take short walks until my Midwife gives me the green light to really start exercising. It's not that I want to be obsessed with my weight, I just want my body to be in good condition. I know that if I stay consistent with taking care of myself now, then it will be much more beneficial in the long run.

On a completely different note, Swords of the Six is now available for pre-order on Amazon for only $10.19 This is being re-released through AMG Publishers and has some new material in it. If you go on over to Scott's Blog http://www.flamingpen.blogspot.com/ you can check out the different rewards/prizes for pre-ordering Swords of the Six!

Have a great weekend!