Busy weekend

Carter and Charlie meeting for the first time

The 3 of us at the baby shower

Getting ready to leave for the weekend

What a busy weekend we had! On Saturday, Charlie and I had our baby shower in Mankato, hosted by my aunts. We received so many nice gifts! Thanks to all who were there and to my aunts for such a nice shower! Charlie and my nephew Carter (almost 2 now) met for the first time. It was so cute watching them! I took so many good pictures. On Sunday we visited our friends Tim and Angie and their little boy Lincoln who was born a week before Charlie. It was good to talk to Angie who has had very similar experiences along the way! We also visited our friends Joe and Krystal, so it was a busy day! It was nice to get out of the house for the weekend and spend time with family and friends.

Since we recently sold my car, we also bought a new vehicle on Saturday! It's a 2007 black Ford Edge (mid-size SUV). I LOVE it!

New pictures

Visit to the doc

Brian left Thursday night for his annual ice fishing trip with the guys, so my mom came to help me with Charlie for the weekend. I've been a little concerned about Charlie's grunting recently. It's not just a little grunting here and there, it's all the time, even in his sleep. He's also been extremely fussy. Since we've never done this before, we just assumed that all babies were this way. But it's gotten much worse and while my mom was here, she pointed out how hard his tummy was too, and encouraged me to get him in to get checked. So yesterday we took him to the doctor. Charlie had an x-ray of his tummy and sure enough, his belly is completely full of gas. The doctor told us to switch to a more gentle formula, so we're going to give it a few days and hopefully it improves. Charlie was weighed again at the doctor....he now weighs 11 pounds! I was shocked that he gained almost 2 pounds in 11 days. He is a growing boy!

It's been so nice to have my mom here all weekend. She has been such a huge help. Brian is having a good time, but misses his little guy! We look forward to having daddy home again on Monday afternoon.

First night out

I've been going a little stir crazy in the house over the past week and REALLY needed a night out, so Brian and I dropped off little Charlie at Grandma and Grandpa Simon's last night so the two of us could go out to dinner. It was wonderful!! It felt so good to get out of the house and get a sense of normalcy back. I didn't have to think about changing, feeding, burping, or pumping for 2 whole hours, and besides, I don't think Grandpa and Grandma minded too much. :) Charlie was a good little boy while we were gone, and even got a sponge bath from Grandma. Thanks Jill for the advice, you were right!

2 week appointment

Charlie had his 2 week follow-up appointment yesterday. Our boy sure is growing! When we left the hospital, he weighed 7 lbs, 3 oz, and yesterday (2 weeks later), he's weighing in at a whopping 9 lbs, 2 oz!! His cheeks are really starting to fill out now and he changes a little each day. I find myself wondering what he will look like in 2 months. Charlie takes after his dad for height, he's now almost 22 inches long (80th percentile). We feel so lucky that he received a clean bill of health, as we learned that at birth, his Apgar score was a 2 (most babies get a 6 or 8).

I know I should be enjoying this stage, but I am constantly wishing he was older, mostly because the nights are SO long. Since Brian is working, I try to do most of the night routine by myself. People told me it would be hard, but I didn't realize it would be THIS hard! I've learned that nothing can prepare you for the sleepless nights and endless routines. I will be much happier when Charlie is sleeping through the night (or at least 5-6 hours at a time). It's fun to listen to all his crazy noises and sounds. Brian and I have many animal nicknames for him already.

Thanks for reading!

Bad blogger

Sorry I haven't updated the blog in a while- life is busy when you're a new mom! This is my first time on the internet since Monday! Charlie is definitely his father's son....he eats constantly...up to 4 ounces per feeding already. He's continues to change a little more each day. Brian went back to work this week, so it's been a little more difficult for me around here. I count down the hours until Brian gets home! I don't know what I'd do without his help in the evenings and weekends. My incision from the c-section is healing nicely, but I still have to remind myself to take it easy and rest when I can.

Charlie has his 2-week appointment on Tuesday, so I'll try to post with an update on how he's doing next week.

Feeling better

After 6 days of being home, I'm feeling much better. Charlie is doing great and I enjoy each minute with him. I can't believe he's over a week old already. Brian has been an amazing help. He's such a great dad! We share in the responsibilities equally, so that's been nice.

Thanks to all of the visitors who have brought food and gifts! It's nice not to have to think about cooking for a while.

Although being a mom is challenging, it is also SO rewarding! I can't imagine life without Charlie. He's such a blessing to us. I look forward to watching him grow.