ONE MONTH STUFF!



I absolutely cannot believe Drew is one month old! I have no idea where the time went and I'm sure it will keep flying by. All the more reason to enjoy every minute with him...

One Month Stats 'n' Stuff:

Weight: 7 lbs 14 oz (he was 7 lbs 4 oz at birth and the doctor says his weight gain is good - nothing to be concerned about  - YAY!)

Height: Well.. debatable. He was measured at 20 inches at birth, then 22 at his first appointment and 21 1/2 at his one month appointment. I think somewhere along the way there was a mismeasurement - so not really sure WHAT his true height is!

Eyes: Still blue!

Hair: Blonde, but thinning out. It is so fuzzy - it cracks me up!

Sleeping habits: 
 - Daytime he takes little catnaps between feedings. Likes to snooze in his little chair and in his car seat after stroller rides.
 - Nightime he sleeps about 3 hours, then up to eat and back down for about 2. Not bad!

Favorite things to do:
- Sitting in his little chair in the morning and listening to the birds chirp.
- He also loves stroller rides around the neighborhood and trips to Target!
 - Watching Sport Center and the Dan Patrick Show with daddy

Things he does NOT like to do:
 - Diaper changes ... NOT a fan!
 - Bath -- the only way he doesn't scream the entire time is to just keep pouring water on him.  It's sorta like patting your head and rubbing your belly at the same time to do this... I'm trying to pour the water on him, refill the pitcher and wash him with the other hand at the same time.  Hopefully this kid is getting clean!  :-)

Things he has learned
 - He is taking tummy time to a new level! He is such a strong little wiggle worm, he picks up his head, moves it side to side, then squirms around in a circle on his belly and if he gets his arms down by his sides he will plop over to his back. He has lots of energy and is very active!
 -How to follow objects side to side
- The only time he has REALLY smiled was when the VERY PRETTY pediatrician gave him some googly eyes...he smiled and coo-ed... I think we might be in trouble!

Things mommy has learned:

This really has been quite the whirlwind of a month. Bringing another person into the world is nothing you can truly be prepared for! He has brought nothing but joy to Ronnie and my lives. Learning his cries, just staring at him and getting to know every little feature, snuggling with him after he eats and just holding him tight when he cries have resulted in moments of love I could have never imagined.

I have also learned....

 1.  Breastfeeding is not as 'easy and natural' as some say.  I think at this point I could be a certified lactation consultant.  Pretty much everything that could go wrong - went wrong!  I was severely engorged the first 2 1/2 days home, then got mastitis a week and a half later followed by some pretty sever damage to my nips.  My poor tatas have been through the ringer and back!  But we are now on the up and up and cruising right along!  Just took a little time :)

 2.  How to eat very fast.

 3. How to shower very fast.

 4.  To forget a schedule

 - To vave lots of cold food, snacks and stuff you can eat with one hand around the house or you might starve.

 5.  How to do pretty must everything with one hand.

 6.  That the Halo Sleep Sack is a lifesaver.

 7. That after 3 weeks I wasn't ready to be away from him for more than a couple hours.. and I learned this the hard way!  About 3 weeks in I had to take Sammy to the groomers, which are located down by my office.  They said if I dropped him off at 7:30 he would be done by 1pm.  "Perfect!" - I thought!  Ronnie could stay with Drew, I could drop Sammy off and work from the office for a few hours until he was ready to be picked up.  NOT. SO. FAST.  That morning I had breakdown.  Cried all the way to the doggie groomers...then dropped off Sam, turned around and came back home! I wasn't ready to be away from our little peanut yet! 


Here are some fun pics from the month...

Watching their first Rays game on TV together

Sitting in his little chair and watching Sports Center with daddy - life is good!

Drew's favorite little chair - I call it his 'old man chair'.  It reminds me of a recliner that an old man would sit in everyday.

The bath is OVER... now I'm happy!

Look at those chicken legs - boy can they KICK!  That little foot kicked me in the side from December to March and it's still a kickin'!

 

Love my play mat -- this is where my crazy tummy time happens!


Drew Robert - you are a true blessing in our lives, we love you so much!

 

The Happy Hoppy (and late) Easter 2013 Post!

Drew's first Easter was a very happy and 'hoppy' one!  We celebrated the day by heading to 8:30 church...we felt so accomplished!  We got there on time and Drew was a little angel!  Slept the entire service...gotta love the car seat.

Well...we didn't get there THAT early...we did have to park in the grass!

Quite the Easter Basket!

Some shots after church - it was a BEAUTIFUL day here!

After church we went over to Ron and Cathy's for the day.  Drew loves spending time with Grandma and Grandpa, aunt Steph and great-grandma Merrill! 

I just love these little pics of him in his Easter wear... many thanks to Aunt Wendy for sending this adorable outfit for Drew! 

Christ Has Risen - Alleluia!  Happy Belated Easter, everyone!

The Grandparent Parade!

Just want to start this post of by saying how blessed we are to have such awesome parents.  We have had so much help and support from both our sets of parents in the last few weeks and it is truly inspiring as we start our parenthood journey.  

The start of the 'Grandparent Parade began with Ronnie's parents....

From day 1 home from the hospital, Grandma and Grandpa Merrill have been incredibly helpful!  Cathy came by with food in the first few days (and I'm sure to also sneak in some cuddles from Drew) and they have been great about coming over to let me get some rest during the day.

Grandma Merrill also LOOOOVES her camera so we have lots of great pics to share :-)

A week after we were home, Drew got to meet 'Papa' Butcher for the first time (we've decided to keep Ethan's tradition alive and call him Papa :) ! 

 

Dad and Connie arrived on Saturday night and I was so excited to see them I could hardly stand it! 

We had lots of fun with Papa!  One of the highlights was Sunday night when they announced the seed and spot that the Cyclones would have in the NCAA Tourney - in fact we even have a video of all of us when they made the big announcement! 

Drew with papa in his sleep sack.. papa referred to it as his sleeping bag. 

 March Madness has taken on a new meaning for us - it will always be the season that reminds us when baby Drew was born!  We listened to LOTS of bracketology and got ready for all the games to come!    Drew had a great time hanging with papa to help him make his picks!

Drew and papa had lots of chats.. talking about ISU basketball, I'm sure!

Dad and Connie left on Wednesday March 20th - it was sad to see them go.  They were great help and we had lots of fun together!

Next on the Grandparent Parade was Grandma Lori!  We picked her up at the airport the same day we dropped dad off.  So no time for mommy to get sad that her family was gone!

Nothing could have prepared me for how much help Grandma Lori (Wendy refers to her as the baby know-it-all) was going to be!  She knows everything about babies and just had a way calming both Drew AND me down at times! 

Drew loved sleeping in Grandma's arms...

We had a great time with her - went on stroller rides and watched LOTS of basketball games, including ISU vs. Notre Dame and ISU vs. OSU..  Drew has officially seen Grandma Lori at her finest! 

Seeing mom go was not easy...I wasn't sure how I was going to do it without her!  She helped with the laundry, made us lots of yummy food and was my 24/7 nurse and baby expert.  Even though she held Drew all the time - I was the one that was spoiled! 

  While she was here we also did our own little newborn photoshoot.  I sent her into Ronnie's office on a hunt for some baseball "props" for the pictures and she did a great job of finding a few!  Love these fun pics! 

Needless to say - I have a great MOM...she sure is a wonderful role model to have as I enter motherhood!

Next on the Grandparent Parade is GREAT-GRANDMA Merrill!  Ronnie's grandma arrived earlier this month and has been over to spend time with Drew several times.  She sure knows how to rock him to sleep! 

Well that ends the Grandparent Parade...there are still a few more great-grandparents that need to be seen, but we will get to see them during our "Iowa Tour" in May!

Many many thanks to Drew's wonderful grandparents - we are so thankful for everything you do for us and all the love you give!

Home Sweet Home

On March 11th, little Mr. Drew was introduced to his home, Sammy and the neighborhood. 

We were discharged from the hospital around noon and  I don't think I had been outside for 3 days - felt so good to get out! 

Considering my labor started in the middle of the night - and I didn't get much sleep at all in the hospital,  I was already running on fumes...but nothing that adrenaline a Starbucks on the way home couldn't fix!

  This pic is from the hospital.  Not sure how excited DREW was to go home ;-)

Daddy driving '10 and 2' - CAPTAIN SAFETY!

Now we're happy!  Snoozin' in the car and holding mommy's hand

"Can someone let me in, please?"

My new crib...and as usual, bustin' out of my swaddle.

 He loved his little chair right from the start. It has a slight little bounce and he loves the sound of the chirping birdies!



Sammy checking out Drew for the first time.  We still aren't really sure how Sam feels about the new addition...

This picture was  taken as the sun was rising on the morning of one or our first days home.  Not a lot of sleep was had those nights (and let's be honest... it still isn't!) Pretty sure this was daddy bringing Drew to me saying "I think he's hungry."  (Daddy's favorite words).

Lastly, bringing Drew home wasn't the only exciting thing that happened that week.  On Wednesday the 13th, I was talking on the phone with Wendy when all of a sudden she says "Kate - gotta go.  My water just broke!"   We hung up and the excitement began!  3 hours later Drew's newest cousin Luke Bradley was born! 

It was such an exciting week and one that we will never forget.  Lots of prayers were answered!