Aunt Jen and Aunt Veronica to the Rescue!

Just as Daddy was getting ready to leave I came down with a terrible infection.  Thankfully, Aunt Jen and Aunt Veronica were headed our way to stay for a few days.  They weren't expecting to have to play nurse but they did a great job!  When they weren't at home taking care of Colin and I, they spent their time relaxing on the beach.

Aunt Veronica meeting Colin for the first time:

 Aunt Jen giving Lilly some much needed attention:

Bathtime! Aunt Jen had the task of holding Colin's head up while Aunt Veronica took pictures:

Cuddletime with Aunt Jen after his bath:

Aunt Jen is the queen of tummy-time! 

 

Before they headed out of town we took a trip to Menchies (best frozen yogurt ever!):

 Colin taking in the sights:

It was so great to have Aunt Jen and Aunt Veronica visit us!

Meeting Baby Henry

We were delighted to find out that we were pregnant just two weeks after Tim returned home from deployment last November.  We were even more delighted to find out that our good friends Kaela and Jon were also expecting! Turns out they were going to have themselves a “deployment baby” as well.  Kaela and I had the same due date and enjoyed lots of time together discussing the joys and well the…annoyances of pregnant life. 

If anything, I would have said Kaela would have had her baby before me since this was her second child and she was dealing with contractions long before I had my first signs. As it turned out, once my body started the process it went fast!  I was so fortunate to have Kaela’s support the whole time.
After Colin was born, we were all anxiously waiting for the arrival of Kaela’s baby boy.  We ended up having to wait three weeks!  Both boys were due on August 3^rd.  Colin was born on July 16 and baby Henry on August 5.  The difference in birthdate didn’t seem to have too much of an effect on their similarities though.  Both boys were almost the same weight and height a week after Henry was born. It makes sense since they are technically the same age.

The proud mommies with our boys:

The two munchkins together for the first time outside the womb:

I so wish these boys could grow up together, but with our Air Force lifestyle it just doesn’t work like that.  We will have to say goodbye to Henry and his sweet momma in February.  Hopefully we will be able to get the boys together a few times as they grow up.

Bye Bye Daddy

Well we knew the time would eventually come that Daddy would have to leave on a trip.  We've known for months that he was going to have to leave for an exercise on August 7th.  With Colin's due date on August 3rd we were worried how it would all work  out.  Since Colin was completely healthy it turned out to be a blessing that he came so early because this allowed Daddy to have lots of cuddle time before he had to leave.

It was hard for him to do it but Daddy had to kiss Colin goodbye for a few weeks.

 

It's been over a week now since Daddy left and Colin sure does miss him!

At least we have Skype! :)

The Trifecta

We have to admit...Colin is a really good baby.  Hopefully I haven't jinxed us but so far he has had the sweetest demeanor.  He only cries when he is hungry or occasionally when he wants to be held.  From day one he has been the best little communicator.  Usually you can always figure out what he needs and he responds well.  He enjoys the 5 s's (swaddling, side/stomach position, shushing sounds, swinging, and sucking) and the almost always work like a charm.  One of our favorite tools to help us do this is our swing.  I create what I like to call "the Trifecta."  I turn the shushing sound on, set the swing to 2, turn the vibrator on low, and voila:

I wish we could add sucking to the trifecta, but Colin pretty much refuses a pacifier. The only thing he seems to want to suck is mom's boobs!

Beach Walk

What better way to spend a Saturday night then to take a stroll on the beach!  Here in Charleston you basically have no choice with a baby then to spend time outside in the evenings, it is just too hot during the day.  It seems we can't even go outside for two seconds without fear that little Colin will get a sunburn. Fortunately, we had no worries about a sunburn on this outing. It was very humid and foggy, as you can see from our first "family beach photo."  (Lilly, of course, is more interested in passerbys)

Our sweet baby slept the whole time. I guess he won't remember his first trip to the beach.

Another reason we decided to head to the beach besides introducing it to Colin was so Lilly could get some attention.  She has been driving us nuts!  No matter how much we play with her and hold her it is never enough since the new addition to our family arrived.  She recently began having accidents in the house and any time you are holding the baby she rings her bell to go outside even though she doesn't need to go.  We are lucky that we have a dog friendly beach because Lilly sure did get a lot of attention.  Since most people who were out walking were fellow dog lovers, it seemed they were more interested in Lilly than Colin.  We were perfectly ok with that, the more attention for Lilly the better.  Anything to stop her jealousy!

Lilly enjoying some hiney smelling:

Daddy can't wait till Colin gets older and can swim in the waves with him!

For now, he is perfectly content cuddled in Mommy's arms.

Happy Anniversary!

We were very surprised that we were able to share our 2nd anniversary with Colin. We had no idea that he would be here as early as July 24th since he wasn't even due until August 3rd.

Most of the day was spent lounging around the house and feeding Colin. For dinner, Daddy picked up an Italian feast from one of our favorite restaurants here in Mt. Pleasant. 

We used our fine china to spice things up:

Colin even took part in the meal:

 

"Happy Anniversary Mom & Dad!" Love, Colin

Hand Poses

So one of the first things we noticed about Colin after he was born was how much he loves his hands!  He especially loves to have them against his face or touching each other.  We had a lot of ultrasounds while he was in the womb and his hands were always in his face then too!


During one of his naps, Mommy was able to capture all of the following hand/arm poses:

Even when he is swaddled he prefers to have his arms positioned so that his hands can get out:

A few more poses we have captured over the past few weeks:

 

 And Mommy's all time favorite:

Colin's First Outing

A week after Colin came home he had his first official outing.  During his first week home we had to go to the pediatrician five days in a row for his bilirubin to be tested for jaundice.  Poor little baby had to have his foot pricked for blood all those times!  These trips were not considered real outings as they were always direct shots to the doctors and then directly home.  That's about all we could handle at that point!

Our first stop on our outing was to the Lactation Support Group at the hospital.  Colin enjoyed being surrounded by so many babies and boobies.  Don't worry, I'll spare you photos of this part!

Next stop on our outing was to mommy's allergy shot appointment.  Mommy was so excited to capture this shot while in the waiting room.  He's so beautiful with his eyes wide open!

For the last leg of our trip, we met up with Daddy at one of our favorite restaurants, King Street Grill.  Colin was a champ during his first sports bar experience (I'm sure it will be the first of many!)  Mommy and Daddy were glad to do one of our favorite activities, going out to eat, with our new bundle of joy!

Colin's First Walk

Once Mommy finally felt somewhat human again, she was up for a walk with Daddy and baby Colin.  We had to wait till after 8pm to beat the Charleston heat and our walk didn't last too long before Mommy complained of discomfort!  The best part, Colin enjoyed every minute in blissful sleep.

Posing with Mommy before the big ride:

Daddy looks good with the stroller!

Ready to go...and ready for a fight if necessary (check out those arms- his favorite position!):

Little Lilly is also ready, cozied up in her very own spot. 

And we're off!

Bathtime

To say Colin doesn't like bathtime is an understatement!  We are hoping when he gets a little older he likes it a little more.  While Mimi and Pappy were still in town we did Colin's first bath.  Sleep deprived Mommy was a little overwhelmed with how to do it all.  Thankfully Mimi came to the rescue and took over halfway through!

A few days later after the grandparents left we tried the bath thing again!  Mommy looked up bathtime in her Baby 411 book and realized we were doing a few things wrong the first time.  Apparently one of the keys to bathing an infant is to have an extra towel that they lay in and that you can cover all the parts that you are not washing.  Poor little Colin got really cold during that first bath!

Cozy and all ready for his second bath:

 Daddy doing a great job:

 Love those baby feet:

 Got to love a warm swaddle after a bath:

Coming Home

After 3 days in the hospital it was time to go home.  (I don't know how people leave after a day - I certainly needed the time to recover and get help from the wonderful nursery staff!)  Remember those special outfits from Nana and Grandpa that use to be Daddy's?  We decided to dress Colin up in one of them for his homecoming.

While Mommy was getting ready to go home, Daddy decided to do a photoshoot with Colin.  I will spare you the 50 photos and share my favorite:

All set for the drive home:

Mommy can't believe how tiny he is and that we are finally bringing him home!

Mimi drove all over Mt. Pleasant looking for a sign to put outside in order to announce the arrival of our sweet baby boy.  Our neighbors later told us how excited they were when they saw the sign!

Our first complete family photo (for the record, yes Lilly is wearing a special outfit and yes it does say "Big Sister"):

 Daddy enjoying his babies:

Checking out the swing for the first time:

Sleeping in his bassinet for the first time...see you in a hour when your ready to eat again!