Caleigh really is such a great helper with baby Andrew - besides alerting me when he is crying (as if I didn't already know) - she loves to get diapers, throw away diapers, take out wipes, give him is pacy (often ramming it roughly into his eye b/c she is not very accurate - we are working on this), giving him kisses, and putting away his clothes. What a great big sister!
On Thursday we also gave Andrew his first (sponge)bath which he hated. To show his displeasure he treated us to our first urine shower which squirted halfway across the kitchen - it was hilarious and we were pretty impressed with his distance.
Today we took our little man back to the doctor again for a weight check - at 8 days old he weighs 7 lb 11 oz - that is 7 oz more than his birthweight! The doctor said they usually like to see babies gain 0.5 to 1 oz per day in the beginning and Andrew has been gaining 3 ounces a day - he is a growing machine. We have loved spending time with our little guy and with sweet Cals. I think both of us were a little nervous about not being able to love both equally - Adam was nervous that we would love and spend so much time caring for A that we would neglect Caleigh and I was more concerned that I would spend so much time loving, taking care of, feeding, disciplining Caleigh that I wouldn't be able to bond with Andrew. We have seen that God has increased our love for both of our children and given us the capacity to love them both - in different ways.
He has been great since we have been home - he does pretty well at night - although he eats like clockwork every 3 hours. Unlike Caleigh, he hates to be swaddled - he gets really mad and fights it to get it undone. Here's to hoping he will be a thumbsucker like his big sister...
Caleigh sharing her prized possession - her silky - with Andrew (and then promptly snatching it back)...
and Caleigh (from Nov. 27, 2007) -
And the comparison game: they look a little bit alike - Andrew's hat is covering his hair but it is blonde - I think even blonder than Caleigh's. Even in this baby picture you can see that she is going to have some big sweet cheeks - looks like Andrew probably won't. Caleigh's mouth is smaller but I think they have pretty much the same nose. They definitely have the same chin and crease below the mouth (like Adam). Caleigh's eyes are bigger, but both of them have blue eyes. Overall I think they will look like they are related but I think that Andrew probably looks more like Adam and as we all know, Caleigh is the spitting image of me.
And husbands and some children (sans Dave - we missed you!)...
Adam's brother Jon and his girlfriend, Kayla, on Monday night...
The proud grandparents and Aunt Karen with Caleigh and Andrew on Sunday night...
Grandpa and Gammy...
Gigi (who came to my rescue and kept me company in the hospital on Monday while Adam left to take Caleigh to the pediatrician for her sinus infection and double ear infection - despite tubes)...
Aunt Karen, Poppop, and Gigi just after I gave birth to Andrew...
And again with Caleigh on Sunday evening...
Thanks!!! (We missed you Uncle David!)
What a sweet baby boy...
Ohhh, that was a good nap...
Caleigh loving on her little kitty cat that Andrew got her to celebrate his arrival... She is sick with a 103 fever so we don't have any shots of Caleigh with her little brother yet.
Proud parents of a little baby boy... (yes I have already changed out of my hospital gown - but it is still a day 1 picture)...
His face is also really bruised from his traumatic trip through the birthing canal. He didn't want to come all the way through the birth canal on his own and so I pushed him down, squeezing his sweet little head all the way.
He is such a cutie! I will post more of the birthing story when I get a chance - but praise the Lord, Andrew is here and healthy!
This picture is so much cuter! You can see the band in the background - it was such a fun evening out - we felt like the oldest life stage there - we were eating ice cream while everyone else was drinking beer. We really had a great time.
This little outing is also vital to my birthing story of baby Andrew...
I have had so much fun nesting in this little corner! The cradle is a gorgeous solid cherry rocking cradle that we found on craigslist. We bought a mattress, a mattress pad, a sheet, and the beautiful bumper was made by one of my mom's friends, Peggy. The little hanging outfit is the one Andrew will come home from the hospital in.
The little monkey in the cradle (for our little monkey) is the 'gift' that Caleigh will give Andrew when she meets him for the first time. Everything is ready for you little guy - come here soon!
Her hair was getting pretty long so we got it cut on Tuesday - I need to get a better picture of the whole thing but you get the gist. It is now a really short bob. I didn't envision it being this short but it will be so much cooler for her and I won't have to get it cut again - hopefully not until the end of the summer or later. She loved getting it cut! She sat so still while they cut it and then she even let them blow dry it! She likes being groomed in general as long as it doesn't interrupt her agenda. Another new thing she is saying a lot recently is 'no.' When she really means no she will say nnnnnooooooooo in a long low syllable and shake her head and hands back and forth for emphasis. I have to try not to laugh because it is so cute - but I can see how it will make discipline a little trickier now that she can verbally defy us as opposed to just doing it in her actions. We love our sweet little 1 and a half year old peanut and can't wait for her to be a big sister!
I am being very brave to capture myself in a maternity swimsuit at 36 weeks...
Caleigh really loved the pool but kept wanting to walk down the steps with no floatie on - but when you would take her in the deeper water she would get frustrated that she couldn't do it herself.
On Saturday morning we packed up (a lot!) of stuff and headed to the beach (we weren't staying on the beach). Caleigh's favorite part of our trip was putting on sunscreen - she loved getting it sprayed on her and then 'helping' rub it in. Often she would walk around and pick up the sunscreen and then try to put it on herself and us and then pretend to rub it in. It was very cute - and if you haven't made the switch to spray sunscreen you have to do it - Adam and I have been using it since our honeymoon in 2004 and it is fabulous (and so easy with kids!). I did use the stick sunscreen on her face so it would run into her eyes. Guess I got these pigtails a little lopsided....
Once at the beach Caleigh wasn't so sure what to think. She hadn't had a fever since Friday afternoon but still wasn't her normal self. When we took off her sandals and her feet touched the sand she immediately freaked out and kept holding up her feet for us to brush the sand off of them. She was quite the priss.
After much convincing (and some whining on her part) we were able to get her to play in the sand for about 10 minutes.
The water was even less enjoyable for her - she really hated the way her feet would sink in the sand.
We finally resorted to Adam sitting with her on the towel trying to convince her to play and me sitting in a chair reading a book (I think I read maybe 1 page). She was pretty interested in the birds that were on the beach but not enough to actually walk on the sand. We ended up leaving after maybe an hour and a half.
After Caleigh's nap on Saturday we took her to do one of our favorite beach activities - play putt-putt! She was mostly into trying to pick up all of our balls and go put them in the hole. But Daddy is convinced we are going to have a little golfer...
Are we related or what...
Unfortunately Adam beat me by 3 strokes so that was a little sad - but we did each get a hole in one!
See the next post for part 2 of our adventure...
'Swimming' with mama...
A quick break for a snack...
We packed up to leave on Monday afternoon but not before a stop at the rides at Broadway at the Beach. I promise Caleigh LOVED the carousel - too much actually - so much that she started crying when it stopped (hence the sad face).
This time we got smart and took the picture before the ride started.
It would be a trip with Grandpa and Gammy if Caleigh wasn't doing something Nascar related.
Overall we had such a great time at the beach - it was a great time for our little of family of 3 to get some closure before we welcome Andrew into the world.
