Happy Father's Day!

I am very excited to be able to celebrate Father's day today.  Father's day always ended up right next to my birthday as well as the last day of school growing up.  I always have loved my birthday (you know this if you know me) and I was always a little sad to have these two "exciting" days so close.  A little selfish, I know.  I also think I just never really had the chance to celebrate.

Now that I get to live and witness a daddy doing his magic everyday, I am more than thrilled to celebrate.

Rick is a pretty great dad, and here is why:

• He changed all but maybe 1 diaper the entire time we were in the hospital and for a good while at homes afterwords.  He had to teach me a few things.
• He make Ariy smile all-the-time.  Ariy loves to look and play with his daddy.  Sometimes more than me but I am ok with it.
• He plays rough with Ariy.  I know it worries some of us sometimes but I love the daddy affection in the rough play.
• He likes his son to look good.  I often will go for the mismatched clothing and random outfits but Rick will choose the best and cutest.  
• He cares for Ariy now and for his future.  I know he will always be in his life and model what a good father is to him.

We both love him a lot!  For a Father's day treat, we bought one of his favorite meals, bow ties and pasta sauce.  I have never made this for him so I hope he enjoyed it.

Daddy Dinner

Daddy-son nap time

Turning 6 weeks is a big deal.

Ariy is 6 weeks old this week and he has grown soooo much! I had to rearrange our dresser to fill a drawer with clothes that fit him and removing all the clothes that are way too small. He has officially graduated to 0-3 month and 3 month cloth sizes. He hasn't been weighed since his 2.5 week appointment but we are pretty sure he has far surpassed the 10 pound mark. As soon as we find a scale, we are going to weigh him and see where he's at.

For any new mom, I would say the first 6 weeks can be tough. For us, week 3-5 were probably the toughest. And now looking back, it was only 3 weeks but it felt like forever. This was when the little sleep starting catching up on us, Ariy was diagnosed and started on medicine for relux, he seemed to be fussy all the time to the point we were apologetic to others for his crying. There were lots of awesome moments but I would say so far these were the hardest weeks.

I really enjoy reading books on parenting and baby development as well as talking with friends about their little ones. It seems as though the consensus from all sources is that things start changing around 6 weeks. I would have to strongly agree. Here are a few highlights:

• Ariy has started sleeping in regular increments of 3-5 hours (mostly 4-5 hr blocks) at night.  This is a shift from anywhere from 1-3 hours.  HUGE difference and makes for a much more rested mommy and daddy.
• He has started taking regular naps in his bassinet.  For a while we were only using the swing because he was so fussy and the swing was the only thing that soothed him.  Our goal has been to move away from the swing and really just use it when we need it, not as a regular "sleep aid."
• In terms of his reflux, he is doing much better and doesn't seem to be in anymore pain.  His crying now usually is around when he is tired.
• He has taken fairly consistent morning and afternoon naps.  Over the last 5 days, he has started to take a long morning nap pretty consistently.  It has lasted anywhere from 1.5 hrs to 2.5 hrs.
• He is becoming much more alert and social.  Last Thursday, I had some friends over for lunch and when I got him up from his nap and brought him out, he was all smiles for all the ladies.  Very cute.  He also loves looking around, especially when he gets up in the morning - so curious.
• His bed time seems to be becoming more consistent.  The last couple days he has gone to bed between 7:30 and 8:30 and we are thinking this is probably going to become more regular.  Usually around 7:30 at night he is very fussy and is obviously pooped and just wants to go to bed.
• His awake time limits are becoming more clear.  I really didn't understand just how much sleep a newborn needed.  I was afraid that if we made him sleep too much during the day he wouldn't sleep good at night.  The opposite has been true.  We have tried putting him down for naps earlier than we use to and we have gradually seen success in doing this (both in napping and nighttime sleep).  He really only can last for 40-50 minutes of awake time before he is ready for a nap.  Our fast growing little man needs a LOT of rest. 

I know a lot of this is only interesting to me being Ariy's mom and all but I also like documenting it so I can go back and see the milestones.  We love Ariy so much and are loving seeing him grow up, although it does happen way too fast.  Check out Rick's blog to see.

First pair of jeans.  Looking good.

I love this picture.  This hat was a gift from an parenting organization that connects with you in the hospital.

Airy and I took a walk on Long beach in WA.  He slept the whole time in the Moby.

Peaking out of the Moby.

Being a newborn is tough.

I was having "tummy time" with Ariy last week and I apparently worked him a little hard.  I couldn't believe it.

Motherhood one month in.

Thankful to have Ariy in our life
This has been quite the month.  I started writing a long blog to document the entire birth extravaganza but I think Rick did a better job documenting it in our very first family documentary (I am sure we will have more to come).  To see the baby documentary head over to rickloveschristine(+1). It was a long a rather stressful few weeks at the end of my pregnancy.  I think we are all happy and fairly relieved that phase is done and that we finally get to hang out and get to know Ariy.

Mother's Day
I am very grateful to have been able to celebrate Mother's day so soon after becoming one.  I was invited to sit on a panel at church in which I was playing the role as "newest mom."  I have to say I was a bit overwhelmed.  Although I was happy to celebrate and try and communicate that I have enjoyed this transition, I also feel as though I am very much in the transition phase.  I think I have much to learn and much more I will grow to love but the past few weeks have brought on all kinds of emotions.  The pendulum has definitely swung the other way in terms of emotions.  It was kind of a joke that when I was pregnant, I lost all sensitivity - very different from the usual me.  Well since baby has come out, I have gained it all back and some.  I cried or weeped most days the first couple weeks after he was born.  There has been various reasons for this.  I have cried because I look at Ariy and can't believe he's mine and how much I love him.  I have cried because I have looked at him and have felt so helpless - so baffled at how unequipped I feel.  I absolutely love being a mom and I am so thankful to celebrate this new adventure.  I think what has come unexpectedly is that fact that not everything falls into place immediately including your emotions.  In one short month I have already felt feelings of fear and confidence, of insecurity and joy, of guilt and excitement, of anger and thankfulness.

Daddys are the best
In this emotion filled month, I have thought a lot about my own Mom.  Thinking about her role as a single parent...I just can't imagine.  Although Rick and I are unsure of what our future will hold, I am so thankful for this unique time that we both get to be home.  We have enjoyed the time together as we have been transitioning to a family of 3.  I love the way we work together and the patience he has with me when I am tired and feeling insecure.  I can't imagine being alone in this situation...I am pretty blessed with an amazing husband who loves me and our little boy so much.

Happy 1 Month Ariy!  
Ariy has been with us for 1 whole month!  I can't believe it.  He has grown a lot already.  We took a really nice long walk around Newberg today.  He is continue to grow more alert every day.  We have had some issues with reflux but we are working it out.  He is a happier more content baby every day.  He also finished out the month by rolling over twice.  I think the only reason was because he tenses so much when he is on his belly.  He also is extremely close to smiling (Rick already thinks he smiles at him).

Happy 1 month!

We love our Ariy!

Baby finally made his appearance!

If you haven't already seen Rick's posts since baby, check them out at rickloveschristine.blogspot.com.  He already made a pretty great movie trailer.

A few photos so far...

39.5 Weeks...the final leg

We have made it to the week of the due date.  I am well aware this week could come and go with no baby making any kind of appearance but my hope is that we will meet him this week or soon after.  My most recent hope was that we wouldn't make it to our next appointment.  The appointment is on Wednesday.  It looks like we will make it.  The fun thing about this is to talk about all the progress I am doing but in the end we still wait on baby. 

We have been actively telling him we are ready yet he just is having a great time gaining weight and playing.  If I were to tell him everything we are thinking I think I would say:

Hey baby, first off...I can't wait to name you.  As soon as you come out I can name you and call you something other then hey baby, although maybe you like that.  I am really excited to see your feet as I often feel them coming out my side.  I am assuming you are enjoying your time in my womb.  Glad to hear it.  I don't know what its like in there but I really think you will enjoy the world out here too.  We have the essentials you will need so don't worry about anything.  We are excited to see what you look like and share you with others.  If you would like to make your appearance before Wednesday at 10:30am, that would be awesome.  If not, we will still love you but just give it some serious thought.  We have enjoyed this time together but we (your dad and I) are now just anxiously awaiting your arrival.  See you soon!  With lots of love and anticipation.

We will see if my little letter does the trick.   

side 1

side 2

Waiting, waiting, waiting...

We are definitely smack in the middle of this huge waiting game.  I didn't realize it would be so hard.  After a week to rest and get things organized, my emotions switched.  I hadn't really given myself much time to get excited with anticipation to have this little guy on the outside.  I think I hit that point last weekend, and since I just have a hard time not hoping each day that things will get started.  In the mean time, I thought it would be good to reflect and document the things I have enjoyed about pregnancy as this period is coming to an end soon.

What I have loved out being pregnant:

• Growing a human - seriously pretty amazing.  It is crazy every night when I lay on my side and can really feel where he is at and which way he is laying.  This little baby is just chillin out and growing inside me.  Crazy.
• The times when Rick was able to feel and bond with him some.  I know it must be different for the dads during this stage but I loved what bonding they did do.  
• Drinking milk.  I never really liked milk but for a good few months I craved and drank a lot of it.  
• The ways Rick has supported me and been "protective" of me and the baby.  He has put so much energy into us being safe during pregnancy and me be emotionally supported.  This has been a huge blessing to me and I have enjoyed the ways we have grown closer.
• The first time (and one of the only times) the baby kicked me in the ribs.  It was shockingly strong.
• Bonding with other moms.  A handful of my friends back east and out here have entered into mommyhood in the past few years.  It has been fun to bond and journey with them during this time.
• Gaining weight and not feeling bad about it; realizing that it is inevitable.
• Limited clothing options.  I actually think I loved this.  I feel like I have put a lot less thought and care into what I am wearing and it has been a nice break.  Not that I am a fashonista or anything but I have collected a lot of clothing over the years and the simplicity during pregnancy has been refreshing.
• Being supported and loved so generously by our friends and family.  It has been pretty amazing for me to realize that we are really cared for out here.  Sometimes I really miss my community and family back east and wish we could experience everything with everyone.  This time has made me so thankful for the unending support by friends and family back east and the constantly growing and generous support of our friends and family out here.  

Ok...tomorrow marks 1 week until our due date.  Soon, baby, soon.