Trimming the Tree

We had a very low-key Thanksgiving with small, intimate gatherings with both sides of the family. Unfortunately, Reid had an extremely fussy day, which made it pretty unenjoyable for me. :( He was having trouble sleeping and got very overtired, which caused him to spend a lot of the day crying. Thankfully, he spent Friday and Saturday sleeping a lot to make up for it.

We spent those days getting most of our Christmas decorations up. Pierce has been *begging* us to set the tree up for weeks and he and Shaun did it while I was away last weekend. We did the decorating this weekend. It's so fun because this is the first Christmas that Pierce is really into all of this stuff. We're also excited to take every opportunity to teach him more about Jesus as the reason we celebrate Christmas, and we lit the first candle on our Advent wreath tonight at dinner.











I was able to get a hold of a matching stocking with an 'R' on it for little Reid -- I just love the stockings, it's one of my favorite things! And I feel beyond thankful to be hanging an additional stocking this year. Only God knew last Christmas that we'd have this precious blessing celebrating the holidays with us this year. We praise Him!!

It's so easy to feel stressed this time of year and I find my mind really going at times with everything to do (and with 2 kids in tow this year!). But, I want it to be peaceful and enjoyable and am just taking one thing at a time and really using Shaun's help a lot (don't know what I'd do without him!).

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and are enjoying the start of the holiday season!

Outtakes

We had a little photo shoot this past weekend to attempt to get a good picture to use on our Christmas card. Thankfully, we did get a really great one! Getting a toddler and newborn baby to cooperate during picture taking is challenging. Here are some of the outtakes...hopefully, they'll put a smile on your face!

I love these two munchkins! (No denying they're brothers, huh?!)












These last two were very close runners-up, but did not make the cut! They are precious, though.

My Favorite Things -- Baby Edition

I've been thinking recently about the things that I feel have been really useful over the past few weeks with a new baby. I think "favorite things" lists are fun, so here is my must-have list for baby:

• Itzbeen Timer -- I read about this on another blog long before Reid was born and decided to give it a try. I LOVE it!!! It takes care of everything from how long it's been since you've changed a diaper and fed the baby to which side you last nursed on. This timer has allowed me to really know how long Reid actually nurses, and you can use it to time things like how long their naps have been or how long they have been crying (if you believe in letting them cry it out). For some people, knowing this stuff is unimportant, but I'm a big believer in putting a baby on a schedule and so I feel like this was made for me! A great example of the use of this is that last night, I pressed the sleep button when I put Reid down and this morning, I knew that he had only woken up ONE time in a 9-hour, 33 minute time-period. Pretty awesome.

• Nursing tanks. This is something that I wasn't really even aware of with Pierce, but again, LOVE them. They are great for layering, especially in these winter months and I don't feel like my belly is hanging out. I've gotten all of mine from Target.
  

• Baby bjorn. We had a front carrier with Pierce, but I rarely used it and I feel like he didn't like it because he wasn't used to it. With only one kiddo, it's much easier to have your hands tied up. A friend is letting me borrow the bjorn and it has been great. Reid doesn't mind it and has slept in it each time he's been in it. Last Saturday, we spent most of the day shopping and it was very helpful! This past Monday, I had him in while we were at the playground. Super! I haven't ventured to a store with both boys, yet, but I envision using the carrier with Reid while Pierce sits in the cart (I'm not quite ready to have Pierce walking with me in a busy store!).
  

• Boppy pillow. When I am home, I use the boppy pillow during every nursing session. It makes it so much easier and comfortable for both of us. It has even become a crutch almost in that I have trouble nursing without it, say when we are out. Sometimes, I bring it with me if I know I'll be nursing in the car...it just makes it go so much smoother! I also like it as a place for the baby to rest with his head propped up.

• Nursing cover: Again, something that I was completely unaware of when I was nursing Pierce. A friend introduced this to me and I knew for sure I would need one for my next baby. I have bought them as gifts for both of my sisters and some other friends. Nursing in public was something I rarely did with Pierce b/c I just couldn't get the hang of the blanket on my shoulder, unsnapping my bra, latching the baby, etc. This cover allows you to have 2 hands and makes nursing in public so much more comfortable for me. I have always been able to find them on ebay for very reasonable prices (and handmade).
  

• The baby swing. Something else that I am borrowing from a friend because my sister has been using mine. Reid loves, loves, loves the swing. It almost always puts him to sleep. And I feel like I have depended on it a bit too much at times to soothe him to sleep. I am trying to get away from letting him sleep in it and putting him in his crib during the day. But, this was definitely very useful when I was in survival mode in the first few weeks. I even came downstairs a few nights and used it when I really needed sleep!

• I treated myself to this Vera Bradley baby bag (got a great deal on it on ebay!) before Reid was born because I really wanted a large bag that could hold both kids' things as well as be a purse for me. This bag is perfect. Plenty of room/pockets for diapers, wipes, sippy cups, cell phone, wallet, diaper cream and on and on. It's sylish and fits everything that I need when I'm out without having to carry mulitple bags.
  

• Sleep sack -- used this a ton with Pierce and Reid sleeps in one every night as well. I only had one that I used with Pierce, but Kirsten has passed on a few that she is done with and they are so great for keeping the baby warm and comfy.
  

I'm sure there are some other things that I haven't thought of, and I definitely have a couple of books that I want to share about (mostly around sleep training), but I'll save that for another post. Reid has been doing great with his nighttime sleep and I am so thankful!

Six weeks

Reid hit the 6-week mark yesterday and I feel like we've turned a corner! A lot of people (and literature) will say that fussiness tends to peak right around six weeks, but I think it's been a magic number with this kiddo. Of course, I could be way off, but his fussiness has decreased significantly recently and he has many pleasant, content awake moments. And we've seen some intentional smiles, which is such a blessing!


There isn't too much to report, but I wanted to document some things for my personal journal. Two nights ago, Reid did a 6+ hour sleep stretch! In general, he is doing 4 hours stretches at night, but goes right back to sleep after he nurses. I can even put him down while he is still awake (but I know he is sleepy) and he'll drift off to sleep. There was one night last week, that he did one wake-up in a 9 hour period. It was glorious!

Over the past several weeks, Reid's biggest fussy period has been between 8 and 10ish in the evening. This has been difficult for me because it's such a treasured time of the day when Pierce is down and I can relax. It is getting better, though and we're hoping to get Reid into the habit of going down at the same time that Pierce does.

Reid is a much faster nurser than Pierce at this age (I compare everything to how Pierce was!). He nurses 10 minutes on each side and we're done in just about 20 minutes. That means at night, I'm up for no longer than 30 minutes and can hop back in bed!



Life is definitely getting back to normal for us and it feels good. We've been back to our Thursday morning Bible study the past two weeks and it's been so great. Pierce just LOVES his little classroom and I so enjoy the fellowship and time studying God's Word. We also did our little gymnastics class on Monday morning for the first time since Reid was born. It was so nice to be back. I feel very accomplished when we're able to get out the door and to these things on time!

I'm feeling more rested these days and it has really helped my patience level and my energy is coming back. It's been a long time!! Pierce and I have been able to spend some nice one on one time while Reid is sleeping and I think it really helps us both feel like we've had a successful day and makes things peaceful in our home.

God's grace has been abundant during these past few weeks and I am so grateful for how He has blessed my little family!

Up a tree

This is how Shaun and Pierce spend a beautiful Saturday morning. Daddy is teaching this overly cautious kiddo not to fear certain things... such as climbing trees. Oh, boy!

Fun Fall Pictures

Reid - 1 Month Old

Reid is 1 month old!!

I'm not going to sugar-coat and say that it's all been wonderful this past month. In some ways, it has gone by very fast and in others, it hasn't. Overall, I'd say it's been a pretty tough month! Just being real, folks. The upside is that Reid seems to be regulating and evening out a bit (aside from the screaming bloody murder for over an hour last night...ugh!). He has cried less and been less fussy this past week than he had been for the 3 weeks prior.

Shaun has been asking me to get all of this down in writing so that we "remember" for the future. It has occurred to me this past week that I would usually tell my new mom friends and family that the first 6 weeks is the hardest. Even though I seemed to have suppressed those memories, I'm sure that was true with Pierce and Reid has not been different. The good news is that we're more than half-way there!!

Pierce is a great big brother and has adjusted really well. He wants to watch me with every diaper change...even gets teary if I do it without telling him. He sweetly doles out hugs and kisses regularly and is not affected by the crying. The hardest thing for me is my patience with Pierce during the day when I'm going on little sleep. He wants my attention and so much of the time I am nursing or holding a fussy baby. I know that Reid will continue to get easier and we will strike a balance. Sleep deprivation has been the hardest thing for me. I can endure intense labor without pain relief, but going days on end with so little sleep has taken its toll on me. Thankfully, I know there is a light at the end of the tunnel!


At Reid's appointment this past Tuesday (4 weeks), he weighed in at 9lbs, 15 oz. He's gained over 2 pounds in a month! He's a great eater and wants to nurse every 2-3 hours. He has suffered from a lot of gas the past few weeks, which I know is a big contributor to his fussiness. I'd say he's an average spitter, about the same as Pierce was.

Right now, we're just going with the flow as far as his sleep goes. Some nights are really good with 3-4 hour stretches of sleep, and others, we're up for 2 hours because he's fussy/gassy after he eats. He's been in his crib at night since our first day home from the hospital (we did this with Pierce as well) and I am trying to get him napping in the crib more during the day (as opposed to the swing, which he loves!). I have also started putting him down drowsy, but awake and he is learning to put himself to sleep. I know this will be key when we really get down to strict sleep training.



I forgot how much there is to teach a new baby, like sleeping on their backs in a big, cold crib. They just don't like it! He'd much rather be sleeping on/next to me or in my arms and will often wake up from a deep sleep as soon as I put him down. And his little body is so new and just trying to get used to everything. We have had some really sweet moments when he's awake and content. Those have been happening more lately and I think he's on the verge of smiling, which I'm really looking forward to!

We are so very thankful for this precious gift from God and rely on Him for grace as we all get used to this new normal!!

Family Weekend

We were in Richmond this past weekend visiting family. It's a whole new adventure packing for another whole person, especially a baby who goes through A LOT of clothes, diapers, wipes, burp cloths, etc., but we really enjoyed our time away.

On Saturday, we were with Shaun's family and had all planned to go to the Frog Level Parade and Fall Festival (a local fundraiser for the volunteer fire dept. of which Shaun was once a part). Unfortunately, the weather was not cooperative and Reid and I had to stay back. Pierce really enjoyed the firetrucks, horses, candy and time with his grandparents and uncle. We only got a couple of pictures.




On Saturday evening, we headed over to my parents' house to spend time with my family. We chose, once again, to forgo dressing Pierce up and doing the trick-or-treating thing. Each year, I am more and more confident about our decision in this regard. Pierce got plenty of treats and Halloween is just not a "holiday" that we want to make a big deal about (I've blogged about this before). We helped pass out candy at Mimi & Papa's house and there were plenty of scary costumes -- one of my very least favorite things about this cultural tradition -- that even had Pierce mostly choosing to be inside.


Aunt Karen and Sierra picked out pumpkins for S & P and he had a blast painting it...very pensive!


On Sunday, my nephew, Jacob, was baptized and then, we spent the rainy afternoon resting, watching football and enjoying Mimi's Sunday spaghetti. We were all pretty beat by the time we got home!

On our own

We were blessed with my grandmother's (Nana) company and help for three weeks following Reid's birth. She headed back home yesterday and were sad to see her go. She was an amazing help while she was with us and we miss her already!!

She was the most helpful with playing with Pierce...reading, doing puzzles and building train tracks inside as well as lots of fun play outside (when the weather allowed). She was also a great help with things around the house such as folding laundry (I've never been so on top of my laundry! :), cooking delicious meals and allowing me to get a shower! I didn't get too many pictures, mostly because I was tending to Reid (usually nursing!) a lot of the time that she was busy playing with Pierce.

Oh, and she definitely has the touch with calming a screaming, uncomfortable baby. Her arms were a GREAT help so that I could do things like bathe Pierce, change diapers, put him down for naps, etc. (Shaun continues to work many hours making for long days away from home).

And she even did some gardening for me! :)

I was a bit anxious about not having the help once she left because I haven't really been on my own since Reid was born. So far, so good, though! Yesterday, we hosted playgroup and had a great day. This morning, I was able to get us all out the door for Reid's 1-month check-up (and a flu shot for Pierce).

I think that Nana was here at the most perfect time because in the last few days, Reid's temperament has gotten better. He's less fussy and has pleasant, contented awake periods (of which we did not see much in his first few weeks ... when he was awake, he was usually crying!!). I really needed her help precisely when she was here and thank God for it. I just wish she didn't live 500 miles away!!

I am still quite sleep deprived (probably got about 5 hours of broken sleep last night...kind of a rough night) and trying to catch a nap in the afternoon if both kiddos are sleeping at the same time. But, I do hope to get to some other blog posts this week and especially a one-month post for Reid in order to share his stats from today. He's doing great!!!