My Obsession with Babies

Three beautiful babies were born this week to three of my fantastic friends. And hearing the news that each baby had made their appearance into the world got me so excited because it meant those friends of mine had officially become mommies and daddies.

Over the past several months, quite a few of my friends have welcomed babies into their families. Each one has seems to have made me progressively thrilled for my friends... which has me thinking...

I'm obsessed with babies. I should probably start going to BA meetings... "Hi, my name is K and I'm addicted to babies!!" {Have you ever thought about the irony that the A in these meetings stands for anonymous and yet the most common thing we all associate with these meetings is introducing yourself... not so anonymous... but hey, that's a different topic for a different day.}

Babies. Babies. Babies.

People were so excited for us when we first found out that I was pregnant. And I logically interpreted their excitement as simply regarding the fact babies are cute and these people were going to be grandparents or aunts and uncles or have a new friend for their own baby's playgroup. It made sense and I appreciated the enthusiasm and support.

As my pregnancy progressed and I felt Baby A starting to wiggle and kick, I started to realize that maybe people were excited for us, not just because babies are cute, but also because they understood how I would start to fall in love with my little guy. It made sense because that was exactly what was happening.

Finally, the day came that he was born. And it was then that I truly began to understand why people had been so excited for us. That day, M and I met our baby and officially became his mom and dad. Words can't even describe that experience. Especially watching the man I married become a daddy, complete with cooing and cuddling the new and amazing addition to our family. And it began to make even more sense why everyone had been excited for us - they understood how this baby would strengthen our little family.

But it didn't stop there. The love I felt for M and Baby A that day was mind blowing. I didn't know it was possible to feel that much overwhelming love all at once. And it's continued to grow. I love my boys even more now than I did that day in the hospital delivery room.

Being a mom and wife is the greatest {even though it is also sometimes the hardest} thing I have ever done. That is why I get excited for my friends - the same way that others had been so excited for us. I am finally beginning to understand the awesomeness of parenthood even though my understanding of the depth of the love I feel for my boys is only beginning to scratch the surface.

And that is why I am obsessed with babies.

Baby A's Blessing Weekend

This weekend was Baby A's blessing at our church. It turned out to be such a lovely day!

M gave Baby A his blessing and it was absolutely perfect. I am so grateful to be married to a man who is worthy and takes his priesthood responsibilities seriously. He set aside time this weekend to ponder and focus to be prepared to give the blessing. He is such a good example to me and to our son!

We were able to share the day with both of our families as well as extended family members, some of which travelled for hours just to be with us for the weekend.

In preparation for having the masses over to our house last Sunday, I started working on some of the projects I've been wanting to do ever since we moved in to the house.

Baby A at 2 Months

I love Baby A! He is more and more fun every day.

We had his two-month pediatrician appointment today. These are his stats right now:

• Weight: 10.4 lbs.
• Height: 22 inches
• Diaper Size: Newborn diapers are still working for him but we will be switching to Size 1 probably next week {as soon as we finish off our last newborn package}.
• Clothing Size: Newborn but they are starting to be a bit snug even though 0-3 Months is still baggy on him.
• Likes: Eating, bathtime, smiling at mommy and daddy, music, and having people hold him.
• Dislikes: Having to take naps, not being held, and loud noises.

He got 4 vaccines as an awful way to celebrate his two-month birthday. Even though the nurse did it as quickly as she could, it is heartbreaking to watch your baby get needles stabbed in his cute, chunky thighs! I've never heard him cry like that. And he keeps crying that sad, in-pain cry now that we are home and he has a fever.

His personality continues to develop and there are some really cute things that he is starting to do. One of these things is that, as he's getting tired, he lays there and raises his right first in the air and stares at it until he falls asleep.

And my very favorite - I am convinced that he is starting to attempt laughing. There have been a few times while he has been smiley that he suddenly starts making a noise that sounds like a throaty giggle. It's absolutely adorable!

A Tale of Two Friends

We were the best of friends; we were the worst of friends. He was the age of fussiness; he was the age of smiles...

That pretty much sums up our lives lately {and the reason I haven't blogged for a bit!}

For the first six weeks, Baby A was a perfect angel. And then it was suddenly like someone flipped a switch for a couple of weeks. That famed sixth week growth spurt was a doozy for him! The poor little guy seemed irritated by everything and spent a good portion of his wakeful time just being grumpy. {Oh how I began to look forward to his naptimes to regroup my sanity!} Luckily for my sanity, he knows how to smile. And he has the cutest smile I've ever seen!! Between fussy fits, he would flash that big, gummy grin and all my frustrations would melt!

Finally, this past week, he has mellowed out again and his sweet personality has begun to resurface. And that means we have a lot more fun together each day. For example, we met some friends for lunch today and then ran a few errands. Even though we were out for longer than he's used to {and he had every right to be annoyed that his mom was dragging him around from store to store}, he was all smiles and talking to me as we cruised up and down aisles.

I love this little guy! I'm the luckiest girl in the world to get the two best friends in the whole world - Baby A and his cute dad!

Happy Birthday Brandon!

Happy birthday to this happy uncle!

Happy Love Day!

On this beautifully romantic day... we've had a rough morning. Little boy was bright eyed and totally awake several hours earlier than normal. Which resulted in him being overly tired and off his regular routine. So, to make up the difference, he decided to scream-cry it out. Full volume. Until he passed out asleep. Hearing him so upset always makes me want to cry too! Now it's 9 am and he's dead to the world.

But he's cute! Here are his Valentines I mailed out to family earlier this week:

The Cutest Smile

Baby A has started smiling! I absolutely love it.

We've seen his smile for weeks now... but before, it was typically the warning before a major rumbling in his diaper... {poop = just one of the many joys of having a newborn!}

Now he is smiling in response to us! Proof: this past week, when M comes home after work and says hi to him, his face bursts into a huge smile! It's adorable how much he loves his daddy!

Baby A at 1 Month

I can't believe this cute little guy is already a month old! We love him so much! He's doing so well with his milestones in these first few weeks plus he has been completely successful in stealing his parents' hearts.

These are his stats right now:

• Weight: 8.4 lbs.
• Height: 21.5 inches
• Diaper Size: He's still wearing newborn diapers and probably can for a couple more weeks because they fit well around his scrawny little legs.
• Clothing Size: Newborn. And they are finally fitting perfectly!
• Likes: Sleeping, eating, taking baths, still staring at lights, looking at mommy and daddy when they talk or play with him, being sung to, his car seat, having people hold him.
• Dislikes: Having gas bubbles in his tummy, cold diaper wipes, hiccups, not being held, and not having food in his mouth the instant he wakes up.

And for a little fun, we tried to catch his birthday to the minute...

Maybe I'm just an overprotective momma but it's a bit alarming how fast he's growing! I'd be okay if he slowed down just a little bit...

Daddy's Day Off

In our married life, M's days off from work have been saved for when we've gone on a trip. But today, for the first time, M had a whole day in the middle of the week to just enjoy the day with Baby A and me! It was so much fun!

Baby A's 2-Week Checkup

Today, Baby A had his 2-week appointment. His pediatrician is amazing and I love taking him to see her! To get him ready, we bathed him and clipped his fingernails for the first time and got him all dressed up. I put him in the same outfit we attempted to have him wear home from the hospital two weeks ago and it's finally looking like it sorta fits! I tried to get a picture of him but he was so tired that this is the result:

Some things about him:

• Weight: He is up to 7 pounds on the dot! At 5-days old, he was only weighing in at 5 lbs. 14 oz. In just under 2 weeks, he's gained more than a pound! He's such a good eater and it's great to see he's gaining weight so well.
• Height: He is 20" tall. He's grown two inches in two weeks!
• Diaper Size: Newborn. And they are finally fitting well enough that he's not leaking through them constantly!
• Clothing Size: Newborn. He's always been too tall for premie clothes, but newborn clothes seemed to drown him. He always curls his legs up but he's finally getting tall enough that when he stretches his legs out, they are fitting all the way to the bottom of his jammies!
• Likes: Eating, sleeping, staring at lights, eating more, constantly dirtying diapers, going for rides in the car, being held, sleeping more, and eating again.
• Dislikes: Having his diaper changed, being set in his crib, and having his boogers sucked out.