4 Months Old!!!

At 4 Months You Are:

• Wearing 3/6 month clothing
• Still eating every 3-4 hours, mostly every three
• Going to bed around 10:30, wake up at 2a, eat, sleep until 5a, eat, sleep until 9a.
• Resisting a consistant schedule and keeping Mommy guessing as to how to get you to sleep through the night!
• 17.5lbs, which is at the 89th percentile
• 80th percentile for length and 94% for head
• Strong and healthy
• Grabbing at everything! It's fun to see you reach for toys and our faces.
• Interested in our food and love to grab out for cups and trays at restaurants
• Happy to hang out in your exersaucer or under any mobile you can bat at
• Giggling a lot more, when we are silly with you or tickle you
• Light up when you see a familiar faces and give lots of smiles to your sister first thing in the morning
• Grab your toes!
• Willing to be on your tummy longer now. You hold your head up so well and reach out for toys.
• Follow us around the room with your eyes, you love to watch Daddy walk around!
• Enjoying being in the bath tub, you love to kick and splash around :)
• Getting awfully close to turning over onto your tummy.
• Still sleeping in the pac n play in our room. We will move you to your sister's room when you stop waking up 2x/night!
• So wonderful and precious! We love your tiny face and your big blue eyes, don't grow up too fast little sweetheart!

3 Months Old!

Look at me grow!

At 3 months you:

• Eat every 3-4 hours, 6 oz each time
• Sleep from about 11p to 5a, eat, then sleep until 8:30 or even 9.
• Don't sleep through the night like your sister did at this time, but I don't mind getting up once with you :)
• Have outgrown your bassinette and we set up the pac n play instead, now you have room to stretch out
• Wear 3mo and 3/6mo clothing
• Have grown your top hair back, but are loosing side and back hair now!
• Rolled over 4 times from your tummy to your back!
• Will giggle on occasion when we play with you
• Adore your big sister and will stare and smile at her for a long time while she sings and talks to you
• Love sitting in your exersaucer!
• Really reach out for toys and faces now and grab on!
• Like patty-cake and other such games
• Don't drool much, but still spit up a ton!
• Are a sweaty boy, you must have some Erickson genes!
• Still have beautiful blue eyes
• Have the most kissable chubby cheeks
• Weighed 14lbs, 3 oz at your 2 mo check-up, your sister weighed 12lbs at that time!
• Like to ride on Mom and Dad in a baby holder. You like facing out and starting at the world
• Took a trip to the Mall of America and Quarry Hill. You did great at both.
• Light up and start cooing when people talk to you.
• Are an absolute joy and blessing. Such a beautiful baby boy who is growing much too quickly!

Some pictures as of late!

We love you sweet 3mo old!

My 10 Weeker

Hi guys, it's me, Carson Adam.....

 

A few updates at 2.5 months old:

• He found his left thumb on 8/25 (10weeks old) and has been sucking it quite a bit ever since!
• Has started to make little spit bubbles :)
• It filling out the 3mo. clothing quite well
• Has gotten an ear infection at week 9 and got his first antibiotics
• Is 13lb 11oz at 9 weeks
• Is now batting at his mobiles more and more
• Played patty cake with Mama and gave her three tiny giggles
• Is getting cuter and cuter and cuter!

Following in his sister's footsteps!

Playing dress up with Audrey.

Being cooperative for his 10 week picture

Hanging out with Daddy at his 1st Faribault tournament

2 Months Old

At 2 Months You:

• Have been giving us big beautiful smiles since 5 weeks old
• Are cooing up a storm
• Give strong eye contact to people and objects
• Your favorite items are you mobiles, you spend lots of time watching them move :)
• You are very intrigued by your sister, you look all around for her when you hear her voice
• Are wearing a lot of 3 mo. onesies, but are probably really a 0-3mo size.
• Still eat well every 3 hours
• Are unpredictable with naps. Sometimes you'll put yourself to sleep perfectly in your bassinette, will need to be rocked to sleep and then put on your tummy, or will cry and cry and cry and refuse to give into sleep!
• Your eating schedule on average: 7:30a, 10:30a, 1:30p, 4:30p, 7:30p, 10:30 (and then go to bed), and finally 3:30ish in the middle of the night!
• You take about 5 naps if all goes perfectly.
• You still have quite the hard time in the evening, you will fight sleep and will not be soothed!
• Just today you have been sucking on your left hand quite a bit when you are tired. You got your thumb in there on time. Do we have another thumb sucker in our midst? Maybe!
• LOVE TO BE HELD! It's very clear that you love to be in someone's arms :) (except for those rough evening hours when even our arms don't help!)
• Will sit in Mommy's lap and look at books while she reads them to you.
• Have much smoother skin. Your first month was plagued with baby acne, but it is no more!
• Had lost some hair on top, like a balding man, but are know growing it back
• Still have blue eyes and dark brown hair
• LOVE TO STAND! You get a eager, determined look on your face when we hold on to you and stand you up. You are so strong!
• Are the most precious little guy and Mommy doesn't want you to grow any faster!  

One Month Old

At One Month You....

• Starting to make eye contact with people and objects
• Have gone from starting blankly ahead to now looking up and watching the mobile on your swing
• Are coo-ing, which I think is the most precious sound ever
• Are not overly fond of your bouncy seat or your swing like your sister was
• Have lots of trouble with gas in your tummy, which makes many of your awake hours quite unenjoyble for you :(
• Will very rarely soothe yourself to sleep, instead you fight sleeping with all ya got!
• Recently discovered you like napping on your tummy on the couch
• Are lovely by many and get tons of kisses from your big sister
• Eat every 2.5 to 3 hours
• Eat at around 10:30pm and then sleep until about 3am, eat and go back to sleep until about 6a.
• Sleep in a bassinette at night in Mommy and Daddy's room.
• Wear size Newborn or 0-3month clothes.
• Mommy weighed you at home and you were about 11.5 lbs!
• Have quite the set of blue eyes! They appear to be sticking around! With 2 brown eyed parents, I guess you're dipping into the recessive gene pool.
• Have brown hair that is falling out on top
• Have your own look, but at the same time remind us of your sister's looks when she was your age.
• Are the most beautiful, precious, special baby boy that is an amazing blessing from God!

One Month Old!

40 Weeks and 3 Days

For anyone who wants to know....my appointment today revealed that I am 3cm dilated and 80% effaced. I have never been 'checked' before, so it's interesting to know these facts I guess. I feel like labor will be fast if I'm already this far?! I have an appointment next Monday to make sure there's enough fluid in there for the baby and that it's safe for him to stay in. If all looks well, they'll let me go until June 22nd. So, I guess I'll be induced on the 22nd unless the test on Monday doesn't look good or hopefully, I just have the baby before all of this!

Due Date!

Audrey Joanne was four days early! My water broke (only 8-10% of full term babies start this way) after a 12hr shift, at a restaurant :/ I think it's amusing that this more dramatic enterance matches Audrey's personality.

It would be interesting to see if this baby boy turns out to be more laid-back and calm, being that it's my due date and he's still just hanging out. I'm sure how they are born has little to do with their personalities, but it's fun to wonder.

With Audrey, I just assumed I'd be late, so when I was early, I was shocked! With this little boy, I had it in my head that I would be early again, so now that I'm on time or late, I spend a lot more time wondering and wondering when he'll come! I try to enjoy the moment now and soak in our simple family of three, the fact that I don't get woken up every 2-3 hours, and the independence we've gained with Audrey. I know once he's here, he's here to stay and things will forever change! A good change though, we're excited!

So, unless he's born in the next 2.5 hours (and I hightly doubt that), he will be born past his due date. It's fun to have two completely different birth stories, but I do hope and pray that all will be well with this birth like it was with Audrey!

I'm working some random shifts at work until the baby is born. I could go on maternity leave now if I want, but I figure I'll work as long as I can and save my leave for when he's born. So, here I am on my due date, at work. I was supposed to work two 12 hr overnight shifts this weekend, but am instead working Friday-Monday evening 3p-11p shifts, which is 4 days in-a-row, but better than any 12 hr shift in my opinion!

Tonight has been beyond dull and I'm in denial that I still have 1.5 hours left of dullness. More like annoyance, being that I'm watching a fidgety patient all night, making sure they don't pull things out or jump out of bed, enough to drive a person nuts!

This morning was a lot of fun. My cousin Kellie is getting married 2 weeks from today and her lovely sister/maid-of-honor, Jill, threw her a little brunch party this morning, followed by tubing down the river in Lansboro. I had to skip the tubing part for obvious reasons, but the brunch was great :) I have the honor of being in the wedding party (hopefully I'll get to be there on the big day!). Several of us got to eat Jill's yummy breakfast recipees and then watch Kellie open presents. Wedding stuff is so much fun. I'm excited for Jill's wedding too, which is next June!

Well, I suppose that's all I have to say. Maybe this will be my last blog before baby boy :)

My little strawberry picker!

Surprise Flowers

My wonderful Grandma Mary brough me some flowers today from her garden. I love seeing the bright pop of color on my counter! Thanks Grandma, you are so very thoughtful!

My Summer Girl

 

Not Sure How I Feel About Blogging

I feel like I have zero interest in my blog anymore. It just sits here, un-used. I thought I'd try typing a little in it, just to see how it feels. Most everyone who knows me sees my daily happenings on facebook, so I feel like I have nothing orignal to say on my blog. However, I really enjoy reading other people's blogs, even if I already know everything about them! I'm not a very creative blogger though....like my mom, for instance.

Well, tomorrow I'll be 39 weeks pregnant! It's rather surreal to think we'll have a baby boy very very soon. It's almost more surreal that when we were about to have Audrey. I hardly even take time to imagine what it will be like because it seems so strange to imagine!

My first emotion is excitement! I am thrilled to be having a son! I'm excited to be a mommy to a boy and to see Chris with a son. I love seeing Chris with a daughter though....but I'm positive he'll be great with a little boy too! For some reason it means so much to me that he will have a son. Probably because he never knew his dad and has no close male-blood relatives. I'm excited to see Audrey with a sibling and excited to see how he brings even more cheer and enjoyement to the family and our extended family as a whole. It's been a blast to share Audrey with our parents, grandparents, siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles, etc., so it's fun to have another to share!

My next emotion is a bit of fear! We have a tight space here and originally thought we'd have a hosue by the time a second baby was coming. The whole sleeping arrangement thing makes me a bit nervous/apprehensive, but if there's anything I've learned thus far about life/parenting is that there's really no use in making a big deal out of anything. Every stage will pass and in looking back at any stage, it never seems that bad and if anything, you just miss them being so little. My personality is pretty much the opposite of taking things lightly and having a 'whatever' kind of demeanor, but it's much easier on the mind to try to go-with-the-flow and not worry about things, it will be ok! I think I'm trying to convince myself it WILL be ok! I wonder if Audrey will ease up on her neediness once the baby is born? Maybe she'll occupy herself with playing with the baby and stop demanding so much from me. I can hope right?

I also feel a weird sense of sadness. Kind of like the last day of school. I certainly don't want things to stay the same and I certainly want this baby boy more than anything, but it's strange to change up the family. It's been the three of us for three years! I think silly things like, 'Poor Audrey, she'll have to share us!' However, I think one of the best things we can do for her life is give her a sibling! I can't imagine not having my brothers, so I'm trying not to waste time dwelling on change being 'sad', because it's really not. I just hope we can make sure Audrey knows she is loved just the same :)

My water broke with Audrey, so I'm super curious to see how this time around goes! It's such anticipation. My water could break in 2 mintues or I could be induced in 3 weeks, who knows! I am very much hoping baby boy comes before or at his due date (June 9th) so we can all be ready for Kellie and Michael's wedding the the 23rd of June! Audrey and I have been honored to be asked to be in the wedding and we'd both like to be there! Eeek! Luckily I have a beautifully even-tempered and laided-back cousin, who is the opposite of bridezilla. She says we'll just go with the flow :)

Well, Chris should be back from hitting softballs any minute, supper is in the oven, Audrey is going on a rare 2-hr nap, and baby Addison (my niece) is coming over in an hour to play with us so her parents can have a date! So.....how's that at a blog attempt?

Family of three, but not for long!

A Little Post for Mom

Happy Mother's Day to my wonderful mother!!! I don't know what I'd do without her, she is the absolute best! Love you Mom!!!!!!!

A Cliche Thanksgiving Post

A list of things I'm thankful for...

1. Jesus Christ
2. Christopher Lewis
3. Audrey Joanne
4. My parents (Rick and Jackie)
5. My grandparents (Mary, Gale, Joanne, Wayne)
6. My entire family and friends
7. A family blessed with safety and health
8. A roof over my head
9. A job for me and a job for Chris
10. America
11. My church body and MOPs
12. The assurance of Christ and his promises and therefore hope and the absolute truth.
13. PHCA
14. Movie theaters and their popcorn
15. Gilmore Girls
16. Our couch, it's so comfy
17. Lakes and sunshine
18. The gigantic bank of amazing memories stored in my brain from my whole life :)
19. Raspberries
20. Jonny Lang and David Crowder
21. The blessed, undeserved life that I've been given by Christ crucified (stolen from J.Riddle)
22. All the people that help me
23. Freedom!
24. 2 working cars (please keep working!)
25. Apple orchards and pumpkin carvning
26. My parent's house.
27. Target and Walmart
28. Two arms and two legs, as well as functioning organs. Being a nurse makes me appreciate these things. 
29. Toilet paper, hey, imagine if we didn't have it
30. The mall playland.

Happy Thanksgiving Month! Oh yeh, I'm thankful for Grandma's turkey, I can't wait...oh yum!!!

Just Some Pictures

Some pictures as of late for those who don't have facebook! This is a lame update, but at least it's something right?

My Sweet 2yr Old

"Audrey do it!"

Playing with my "Mapletown" set that I had as a little girl!

Duluth indoor waterpark!

Seeing her 1st great lake

The slide was a hit!

A Wonderful Day!

 Today I was woken up by the roofers. There's probably a more official term than roofers, but it's what I keep calling them. They've been around for a week now, replacing the singles on our whole town home community here at Steven's Court. Thankfully, they're done being on top of our home and they're onto the next section, but they're still nice and loud. Audrey slept in a little longer than me, which was nice. We went to Walmart, headed straight for Audrey's free kid's cookie, and then got our groceries. I wanted to get home to go straight outside, but Audrey was asking me repeatedly to paint. So, we painted a little first and then headed outside.

After just a few minutes I realized it was extremely hot, like get your swimming suit on hot. So, I filled up Audrey's baby pool and set up her new water table. We put on her new suit and off she went to the water. She happily played for over an hour before I decided we should have a picnic outside, which she thought was fun too.

Soon it was time to get dry and take a nap. Today she slept for 2.5 hrs, which is great. I bummed out on the couch most of that time, but it was lovely. My darling husband played with Audrey while I got to have a belated Mother's Day supper with my mom at Applebees. She drove me back home, we took a walk with  Chris and Audrey and soon it was time for her to go to bed! And that was our quick and very wonderful day :)

Here's a few pictures of Audrey's fun day:

 

And now I'm off to our air conditioned room to go to bed. It's so humid in here! Our place just sucks in the outdoor temp and it's hard to get rid of it with just wall air conditioning! Good night!

I Love My Mom!

 Happy Mother's Day to my beautiful Mom!

I love you so very much, thanks for all you have done and continue to do for me!

You are the best! I don't know what I'd do without you!

XOXOXO