Road Trippin'

December 17, 2011
4 weeks

4 weeks old.  Wow.  Where does the time go?  As I was up nursing him this morning at 2am, I reminisced back to exactly 4 weeks prior when I was starting the first of my pushes to bring the little peanut into this world.  Wild.  And now he has graduated out of newborn diapers and into size 1!  Yes, Colter weighed in at a whoppin' 9.36 pounds yesterday.  He is 21.5 inches long.  I knew he had to be gettin' huge (huge is relative!) because he has outgrown his newborn clothes. 

I suppose I have my breasts to thank for my son's growth.  And boy oh boy are they producing.  I was all excited to get back into my pre-preggie clothes after I gave birth.  Little did I realize that a large portion of my shirts won't fit me for the next year.  Thank you boobies!

Today marks the first day of Colter's first road trip.  Stop 1:  Sedona.  Stop 2:  San Diego.  Stop 3: Orange County.  Stop 4: San Diego.   Stop 5: Home!  It should be an exciting 2 weeks for the one-month old.  Lots of family time (including meeting the entire Malcolm clan), a visit from Santa (I'm pretty sure he hasn't done anything too naughty in the first 30 days of life), and a whole bunch of "firsts".....  We shall see how the little man does! 




Stop 1:  Sedona!


My new favorite thing?  Waking up Colter from his nap.  He makes the cutest what I call the "pterodactyl" noise and brings his hands up under his chin ever so gently.  But the best part?  Holding him against my chest.  As if I don't do it enough, for some reason it brings this incredible joy every time I get to do it again.  I may be feeling exhausted, but the second that boy makes his little high pitched screech and curls up on my chest, I am in heaven.

I'll leave it at that for today.  I can't help but feel incredibly blessed for this glorious gift of life.

4 weeks to the day....

Love

December 12, 2011
3 weeks, 2 days

Colter had his first "big boy" shower with Papa tonight.  He loved it.  My home is filled with water-loving boys.  Which means I am in trouble.  Or, rather, my electric bill is in trouble.  Life could be worse :-)

An intrigued Colter learns to read with Papa

We had our first road trip down to Flagstaff with Colter earlier this week.  The main purpose: his circumcision.  I will spare you all the details.  Let's just say he is healing quite nicely.  We hadn't left "Dodge" aka the Canyon since coming back up after I gave birth to Colter.  We were itchin' to get out of town, for sure.  I must admit I was a tad bit nervous about how the boy would do.  Mainly, I was afraid he would sleep all day long and then be up all night (oh beloved sleep how I miss you!).  I shouldn't have worried.  He is my son after all- he did awesome.  No fussing as we wheeled him around while we did some Christmas shopping and he loved sitting in his carseat staring out the window.  And the best investment ever?  Our poptop.  With a heater.  Which means I could sit in the poptop with the heater running and nurse him while CJ and Owen played ball.  And I didn't have to worry about exposing him to nasty germs.  We were (and are) a happy little family. 

My Happy Little Family

With CJ on paternity leave, we have taken up the routine of walking to the post office daily.   It takes about 40 minutes roundtrip and follows a lovely paved walkway through the trees.  Yesterday we walked through the snowstorm - Colter bundled up and well covered in his carseat hooked into the Bob stroller.  The Bob totally rocks.  It four-wheels through snow like its nothin'.  And it provides balance for me across the ice.  Win win.

Rockin' out with the Bob

It is amazing how fast time goes by.  Colter is a growing machine.  I can't get enough of kissing his adorable head.  And fingers.  And toes.  And cheeks.  Okay, he is just a bundle of cuteness that I cover in kisses regularly.  I figure in about 18 years he will definately NOT be letting me do that.  Nor will I probably want to.  So, for now, I will savor these beautiful moments.

Mama and Colter - 3 weeks

At the end of the day, we have embraced our new role as Papa and Mama (and Owen as Big Brother).  Minutes turn into hours, hours into days, days into weeks.  Yet, somehow, admist lack of sleep and being a human cow, I wouldn't trade one moment of it for anything in this world.  I love this little dude way too much. 

Motherhood

December 2, 2011


Colter's First Thanksgiving

13 days (how time flies!)

I love being a Mama.  I love looking at this beautiful baby boy that grew inside me for 40 weeks and 1 day.  I love making up silly little tunes to sing to him.  I love how he grabs my thumbs.  I love how he watches the world.  I love his "gas" faces.  I love his smell.  I love Colter.

The first two weeks have been a whirlwind- as I am sure they are for all new mothers.  My life now revolves around a 2.5-3 hour schedule of nurse, keep Colter awake (during the day) and naptime (for Colter and occasionally for me!).  I must admit our little family has adapted quite well.  I thought for sure I would be so exhausted I wouldn't be able to function.  Yet, somehow, I manage to keep smiling, laughing and loving every moment. 

A fellow mom and I were talking about our labors and she said, "All I know is that it will be a long time before I want to go through that again!"  And I thought,"That's funny.  The first thing I thought when they placed Colter on my chest was, 'I would do that again in a heartbeat to bring such a beautiful child into this world.'"  Now, perhaps I am jaded because my labor was 5 hours long.  FYI:  it wasn't easy.  And it was incredibly intense.  I'd say 3.5 hours of serious intensity and pain.  They say you get breaks between contractions- I did not.  They just rolled in one after another.  I'm not looking for sympathy.  I am merely saying everyone's labor experience is unique and can never be fully appreciated by anyone else.  I guess that is what makes it so incredible. 

We have been blessed with support from family, friends and the community.  I firmly believe this has made a HUGE difference these first few weeks.  My parents were here over Thanksgiving and the first part of this week - how wonderful to share in the first few moments of their first grandchild.  Oh, and for the record, I have no pride issues in letting my Pops clean my bathrooms.  My church community is bringing over dinners through the weekend while CJ has to work.  A friend dropped off pumpkin bread on my doorstep this morning.  A mom is bringing me herbs for my sitz baths.



Learning to read with Grandma



Colter is a curious little guy.  He very rarely becomes a "Fuss Monster".  When he is awake (and it is often a feat to get him there but the reward is great, I assure you), he spends up to 2 hours with his eyes wide open, exploring the world around him.  He loves the color yellow and is fascinated with lights.  He loves to look over our shoulders and holds up his head quite well for a 2 week old.  He perks up every time he hears CJ's voice (ah, the Malcolm tone) and definately knows where his food comes from.  It is a wonder to watch him take it all in - the little mind a sponge soaking it all up.

Our biggest accomplishment these past few weeks?  The swaddle.  Not just any old swaddle will work for our super strong boy. He broke out of every swaddle we did for the first 5 days.  So we got serious.  We went to YouTube.  We discovered that Australians know how to swaddle.  One blanket does not work: two is key.  One to lock down the arms, and one to secure the babe.  I swear he sleeps much better now that he doesn't startle himself with his arms.  We are sold.

Our swaddled little munchkin