I'm a big boy now

Mr. man had his 1 month weigh in on Monday and he measured in at 10 lb. 8 oz... a whopping 2 lb gain in 2 weeks!

I'm a supermodel

One of Jessie's friends is getting a photography business going and offered to take some newborn shots of Colter for us. They turned out beautiful! Here are some of our favs:

1 month old!

We have just finished the shortest, yet longest month of our lives. Our little man is growing up in a blink of an eye and by God's grace we are making it through each new day of challenges. We live by the motto that every day is a new day and it really helps to start fresh. We're starting to get out a little more and had several play dates last week that Colter pretty much slept through. Even though being at home has definitely been an adjustment for me, it is a huge blessing to be able to meet up with friends and be home to watch Mr. man grow up.

Here are some pics from the last couple of weeks:

In his "going home" outfit one last time..

tummy time/discovering the joy of sucking on his hands

meeting up with our men downtown for lunch

Does this swaddle make my cheeks look big?

I don't care if this is gas, it is dang cute

1 month old!

So thankful for this woman

I knew my mom would be helpful, but I had no idea what a blessing she would be to our family this past week. This morning was my first morning alone with Colter after 3 weeks, and I got teary at my 7 am feeding when my mom didn't open the door with a piece of pumpkin bread and my water bottle filled with ice water. My mom did an amazing job anticipating every need, and helping without being asked. She made countless meals, washed endless loads of laundry, changed just about every diaper during the day, helped with baths, rocked the little man during his afternoon feeding fest to give me a break, offered words of encouragement when I felt clueless as to what to do, and loved on our little man like only nanas can do.

We miss you Nana.

I want to be just like dad

Nana and I ventured downtown with the little man for an appointment to talk about our will, but of course, we stopped in to visit dad at his office. Colter had some great awake time taking in how dad brings home the bacon.

Here is his St. Patty's day outfit.. his first 0-3 month outfit! Say it aint so!

week 2

sigh, i'm pooped. This parenting gig is quite the handful! It seems I get caught up with blogging and then another week has gone by! Our little man is starting to get more and more alert during the day which keeps mommy & daddy on our toes to figure out how much awake time he needs before he decides he doesn't want to nap. We are continuing to adjust and grasping on to each little moment as it seems every time we go to sleep, our little man decides to grow up. He's starting to barely fit in several of our favorite newborn outfits and we have used up all our newborn diapers. His face is definitely starting to fill out even more!

Nana is in town, which is a huge help because daddy is back to work today. Too bad we couldn't play house together forever, it was absolutely wonderful spending the time

together. It has been amazing watching Ben become a dad. A man who used

to be so nervous about holding a swaddled newborn is now the master at awake/tummy time, swaddling, and changing some seriously poopy diapers.

Ok, now what you've all been waiting for.. the pictures :)

Generous

I don't think we fully realized how much love and support we have in our community up here until we brought Colter home. We have been completely covered in love, prayers, and support from day 1, I honestly don't think we could have made this transition without the love and care from those around us.

The food. Simply amazing. This was a basket our friend Jill brought us. Not pictured is twice baked potatoes, salmon and an amazing salad.

We had a few special visitors at the hospital who have supported us tremendously throughout the entire pregnancy. Adelle fed my craving by bringing thin mints and also brought us the cutest little bear hat for Colter:

My sister and her family went above and beyond to serve us during the hospital time, and continue to do so. My sister stayed the whole time at the hospital and didn't make a big deal of me throwing up during labor or when the blood from the umbilical cord shot across the room (if you know my sister, she tends to pass out at the site of blood). She has helped us endlessly with picking up groceries, making an adorable sign for Colter at the hospital, and even bringing magazines with quizzes to pass the time at the hospital. She was also the recipient of my desperate midnight phone call during our first night when we couldn't calm Colter down. She has checked in with us daily since coming home to see how we are doing and was one of our biggest encouragers when we were going through breastfeeding/weight loss issues. Mark made Colter a birthday cake and helped out with the kiddos so Jess could be with us.

And then there are our neighbors whom we have only known for a year. The day we got home we had homemade scones, tulips and this incredible card that different people had left. I can't even type this without crying because it was so special. The box opens up to a card and my friend Karissa had all of our neighbor friends sign it and give us encouragement. She was also the recipient of a 1 am wake up call the first night home to ask for a pacifier. She has gone above and beyond in serving us in simple ways like getting us some groceries and making us some baklava.

First week at home

It's hard to believe it's been a week since we became parents. This week has flown

and crept by at the same time. There is so much to figure out in the first few days and I'm sure this will continue for the rest of Colter's life. It's amazing how quickly the days fly by when you have one activity like a pediatrician appointment.

Here's what we've been up to:

lots of lovin:

lots of feedin: (not pictured, but pretty much 50% of our day)

lots of snoozin:

Our first outing (besides dr. appointments)- Lunch at Chipotle:

First bath:

A visit from the cousins:

Watch me grow (1 week)