five weeks

daddy's birthday

Daddy had a birthday this week!  That's something to smile about!

Fuzzy, but the first smile caught on camera.

One of Matt's birthday gifts was the afternoon off at the movies!  He's a rare breed who actually enjoys going to movies alone.  And with me, but he doesn't mind going alone at all.  I gave him some movie packs of Reeses Pieces and Skittles and he was one happy guy.  

And when he came home, he saw THIS happy guy wearing his well-wishes! 

another little smile!

Even Moosey got some love . . . 

Also my friend Erin had her baby boy Haddon Abraham on Matt's birthday, doubling my love for May 18th.  It was a smiley day.  I made homemade lemonade and a killer blackberry cobbler.

And I discovered intsagram.

Ushering in the summertime.  

one month old!

My friend Kerry made Bo little onesies to celebrate turning a month older.  I was excited to put on his one month outfit today!  He got to wear it to his doctor's appointment, where he received a glowing report.  He's weighing 9 lb 13 oz and has grown to be 23.5 inches long, putting him in the 50th percentile for weight and 95th for height!  Which is kind of funny, because lately I've been thinking he was short . . . I don't know why I got that in my head, but I did.  It appears that right now he's kind of long and lean.  Hopefully he inherited his dad's metabolism. :)  I'm relieved to see he's gained some weight because he really doesn't eat all that often.  Last night he went almost 6 hours between feedings.  That was pretty nice for mommy!!  I'm not under any impression that tonight will be the same, but I feel nice and rested today. 

4 weeks

Yesterday, buddy turned four weeks old!  

I think he's getting bigger - I've started putting him in 0-3 onesies because the newborn size seems a bit small.  One of his newborn onesies was SUPER tight . . . he either gained a bunch of weight or I shrank that thing in the dryer.  We'll find out tomorrow at his doctor appointment.

Today I snapped some pictures of our slippery lovie in the bathtub.  He likes bathtime, it reminds him of being in Mommy's womb.

a little different

Being at home more has some serious advantages.  Last week I spent several afternoons lounging in the sun on our porch with a cold drink in one hand and the baby monitor by my side.  I got in some good reading time.  For the past nine months my reading material has looked something like this:

Baby, baby, baby.  Those are just the ones we have in the house at the moment!  I enjoyed reading most of those and gleaned a lot of knowledge about what to do with a baby . . . but reading a REAL book again was life changing.

I think it's because this book was SO GOOD.

My dad brought this book along when he came to visit, and was emphatic about how much he enjoyed it and how we needed to read it as well.  After he left, I picked it up, not knowing a thing about what it was about.  I was hooked after the first paragraph.  I couldn't stop marveling over the fact that this was a TRUE story!  I really don't want to tell you anything about it, I was so intrigued by the many unexpected turns in the plot.  In a sentence, it's about an American serving in the Pacific during WWII . . . but it's really so much more.  The author spent seven years researching and writing the account of this soldier's experiences, and it's obvious in her writing that she is well informed in every detail.  It's often horrific, but more often inspiring.  I just can't believe it's all true!  

So I read it in a week and couldn't wait for Matt to read it, either.  He spent hours at a time reading, and agrees that is a book worth recommending.  So, two thumbs up from Yezerski and Yezerski.  Get it on your Kindle today.  

hanging around

My life is kind of funny, lately.  We spend a LOT of time at home.  It's nice.  Sometimes I feel a little bored, but mostly I don't really get a chance to be bored.  The smallest tasks become a big deal.  A trip to the post office becomes the outing of the day.  A trip to Lowes is a major activity that the entire day has to be planned around.  This isn't a bad thing, it's just different.  I've been so blessed to have Matt around more this month.  In June he starts a new rotation working 13 hour days and I will be hurting then!  We are thankful for these days together.

And Bo . . . we love him a lot.  He is a funny little guy.  Observe:

Sitting in his chair.  We LOVE this chair and he spends a lot of time there.  It bounces on its own and he fixates on his soccer ball rattle so we hang it from one of the animals and he zones in on it.

I was surprised last week to get the OK from my doctor to resume life as normal.  I guess this means I have no more excuses to put off exercise . . . and that day we went for a "run."  I felt like my guts were dropping out of my body, but I'm sure a good part of that was the fact I haven't run for the better part of a year.  I lasted a grand eleven minutes of an awkward shuffle-jog, staring at Matt's back up ahead and counting down the minutes on my watch.  The next time we went, I lasted fifteen minutes.  It isn't pretty, but it's a start.  I really enjoy our jogging stroller.  Bo looks like he's going on a roller coaster once he's all strapped in. 

We've enjoyed some nice spring walks, too.  Bo enjoys sporting his summer accessories.  

We're having some really cloudy and rainy days, so he's had to bundle up a bit to stay warm . . . 

I was so glad Bo got a chance to wear this little outfit from my friend Lori.  He looked so cute in it all day.  The little knotted hood . . . so adorable.

Reading some classic literature with daddy.

He surprised us with a big smile today, which had us totally enamored for the 30 seconds of his little grins.  Can't wait for him to do it again!  

three weeks

Three weeks old yesterday!  

Bo ends up wearing this little hoodie from his cousin Connor quite often as our spring days still have a bit of a chill to them.  And . . . he looks pretty awesome in it.  

Little Buddy is having longer wake times and is more alert during those times.  He loves a couple of his high-contrast toys especially and will focus on those for a while.  He's started making little noises and smiles in his sleep . . . but most of his other expressions look worried or perplexed.  He has SUCH a furrowed brow!  

all creatures great and small

So, the Moose has adjusted pretty well to his little brother.  This could be because we're both around a lot more so he gets more of his favorite type of quality time - sleeping next to someone.  He's had more walks, too, but he finds those rather exhausting.

Moose gets really excited when we're on the floor with the baby and loves being right in the middle of it.   As in, on the blanket, next to Bo.  Somebody loves to be the center of attention!

Umm, can I have tummy time, too? 

sniffing . . . 

nose to nose . . . 

going in for the lick.

Notice my hand trying to fend off the beast.  Poor Bo.  Having to share the spotlight with such stinky breath.  

eventful weekend

Bo was born at the perfect time of year for a Long Island baby.  By the time he was a week old, Spring had finally burst forth around us, about a month after our Southern friends.  It's been a dramatic and welcome change after our long and terrible winter!  We've been outside more and this weekend was no exception.  We had TWO special days to celebrate. . .

Saturday was the Kentucky Derby, and my Kentucky-born husband does not let the day go uncelebrated, even if we have no one to celebrate with.  We get our annual KFC bucket of chicken, and this year we took it to a little park and enjoyed the view.     

Last year I made Matt hot browns AND a Derby Pie . . . this year we settled for just the Derby Pie.  This is a tradition I'm willing to keep up!  

For my first Mother's Day, my boys treated me well.  If you follow Bo on Twitter (that's right, he was born with a Twitter account - kids these days . . .), you already know that he pledged not to cry all day as his Mother's Day present to me.  My darling husband took over diaper duty for the day.  And Moose, he took a bath.  The men in my life know what makes me happy!  

As far as something tangible, Matt gave me my Mother's Day gift a little early - when Bo was born.  And I love it and have hardly taken it off since.  Our little nest has grown!

Bo and Mommy headed to church:

Later that evening we went to my favorite frozen yogurt place and ate it by the water.  I'm excited for more of these evenings . . . it seemed like every weekend last summer found us down by the water.

And to round out the post, some wide-awake pictures of our little man:

His hilarious hairline really stands out in pictures!  In real life it's mostly just fuzz in the front but he's getting some real volume in the back.  I guess we're not surprised he's a little blondie.  

on our own

My mom left yesterday, boo hoo!  

It's been such a wonderful blessing to have my mom here for two weeks!!  She really kept things going around here.  Bo's not the only one who's spoiled!  I haven't had to worry about laundry, food, or basically anything while she was here.  My mom is quite the doer, she doesn't sit still, so now we've got flowers planted in all our planters, in our abandoned flower beds, and several pots of flowers and herbs.  Actually, I really need to get my gardening on . . . the Yezerskis bought some herbs and soil, my mom planted all those flowers, and Matt dug a new spot for our vegetable garden and planted our tomatoes.  I've done nothing except talk about how much I wanted some flowers and veggies.  I'll get out there soon. 

Besides getting our landscaping started, my mom also volunteered to get up with the baby at night.  It was so nice to have her change his diaper and come get me to feed him.  After one night of waking up to every sneeze on the baby monitor, I slept so much better knowing she was listening for him.  

Now we're on our own . . . and I guess it's time!  We'll be ok, but I miss her already!

Bo is 2 weeks old today.  It was rainy and dark today so my pictures aren't too good, but they do accurately represent Bo and his little faces.