Two Weeks Old

Our very cute...

very sweet...

very big...

boy with very wild, untamed hair...

is two weeks old today!

Mustache Tuesday

SJ4 as The Square!

Katie Anne the Square!

Katie Anne thought this mustache looked more like a villain and less like a square, so she added a receiving blanket cape and a mean face to complete the look.

Mustache Monday

Okay, on vacation in July, I found something that I found hilarious at Gigi's toy store.  It was this kit of self-adhesive mustaches with these funny names.  For some reason, as soon as I saw them, I knew I had to buy them for SJ4.  I just thought a baby wearing fake mustaches would be the funniest thing.  So, this little package of fake mustaches has been waiting for SJ4's arrival!  I thought this week was the perfect time to bust them out.  So, there will be one fabulous, funny mustache featured each day this week!

The boy seems a little nervous about this idea:

But once he got the mustache on, he felt awesome!  

Here he is... 

SJ4 as The Hero!

Of course, you cannot have something as cool and funny as dress-up mustaches and not expect big sister to try them on, too.  So, here's 

Katie Anne the Hero!

SJ4's First Bath

SJ4's cord stump fell off at just 9 days old, which was a big surprise to us since Katie Anne's had taken about 3 weeks to fall off.  Since that happened, he was ready for his first bath last week, but we decided we'd tackle that little project this weekend.  So, he had his first bath last night!

Like his big sister before him - and probably most babies - he wasn't a huge fan of the bath.  He did like the warm washcloth being laid over him like a warm little blanket...

and he tolerated getting his hair washed pretty well...

But he wasn't much of a fan of the rest of the bathing process!

He had two experts bathers to assist him, of course!

Katie Anne was totally excited about helping with the bath, but this was the first time he'd really cried and cried.  Like any sweet big sister, she doesn't like to hear her baby brother cry, so that kind of stressed her out a little bit.  (She's not trying to put her fingers in her ears here... she's trying to push her hair back out of her way with wet hands.) 

She stayed with it and helped me all the way to the end, though.  By the way, Dad served as the official photographer/videographer for this SJ4 first.

Here's the poor boy all wrapped up in a cuddly towel, sucking his thumb and trying to recover.

Mommy with a fresh, clean baby.

After Baby SJ got all dried off, lotioned up, and bundled up in a vintage pair of pajamas that used to be Mommy's, he was still wondering, "What just happened to me!?!?"

Mommy wore these pj's, KA wore these pj's, and now SJ4's wearing them!

Once he was chilling in his vibrating seat while Mommy cleaned up the whole bath extravaganza and Daddy and KA played Barbies, he looked a little like a rapper with Donald Trump's hair.  Now that his hair is clean and fluffy, it cannot be tamed!

Big sis KA stopped playing long enough to run in and make sure that he's okay and calmed down:

I can't believe how quickly all these "firsts" are going with a second baby!

A Day in the Life...

of being parents to two kids!

 Mommy with SJ4, KA, and Peach

Daddy asleep with SJ4

Being a parent of two is tiring work!

Nobody Puts Baby In The Corner.

Nobody.

One Week Old

Happy to be here!

Ohhhh!

What you talkin' bout, Willis?

A Little Fresh Air

My mom took this week off to help me with the kids - which is excellent, because I definitely need the help!  My recovery has been relatively easy, but I'm still pretty tired and have a hard time keeping up with Katie Anne.  Saunders's mom, my dad, and my grandmother have also come by to help with the baby or entertain Katie Anne.  We've stayed inside the first few days we've been home. 

Today, I thought it would be a good idea to go out in the backyard and play a little - to get a little fresh air for everyone and give KA a chance to get some energy out.  I sat outside with SJ4 while Katie Anne jumped on the trampoline, spent time swinging, and played a lot of soccer with Gigi and Mamaw.

She is really good at soccer...

I love that braid whipping around like a scorpion tail while she plays...

I got a new hairstyle courtesy of Katie Anne - with a little help from Mamaw.  When KA was done, she asked me for a tip.  :)

Me with my two kiddos...

It got hot out there quickly, so we headed inside to cool down.  These are two sweaty little people, but we had a great time outside!

Sweetness

Wow- It's Time to Go Home!

When I heard I was going to have to have a c-section with SJ4, I began preparing for a much longer hospital stay than I'd had with Katie Anne.  I spent almost 3 full days in the hospital when I delivered her, and my doctor had warned me that most c-sections require a 3-5 day stay.  So, I packed five days' worth of clothes for Katie Anne, several days' worth of clothes for Saunders, and lots of new pajamas for myself in preparation for a long stay.

I had the c-section on Tuesday morning at 7:30 am, and everything went great.  I was back in recovery by 8:30, and I was ready to move up to my regular room by 10:00.  I stayed in the bed the rest of the day on Tuesday, but I'd heard that the best thing for c-section recovery is to move.  So, I tried to move around in the bed as much as I could ... sitting up, laying down, moving around from side to side.  Then, on Wednesday morning, I got up.  It didn't take any help - the nurse was there, but I was able to get out of bed on my own with relatively little trouble.  I took a shower by myself, got dressed, fixed my hair and put on makeup ... then I spent the afternoon trying to walk as much as possible, even taking a few laps around the maternity floor while Saunders pushed SJ4 in the bassinet.  I was feeling pretty good and thought my recovery was progressing nicely, but I really had nothing with which to compare it.

Imagine my surprise when - on Wednesday night - my OB Dr. Pitcher told me that I'd be going home the next day!  I was floored.  In fact, I asked if she was sure that I was ready to go!  She said that I was doing so well that there was no reason for me to stay any longer, and - as long as SJ4 checked out okay on his jaundice test - we would be going home on Thursday morning!  I was kind of happy to be going home, but kind of nervous, too ... it seemed a bit scary to be going home only two days after having the c-section!  

However, when Dr. Shin - another OB from Dr. Pitcher's office - did her rounds at 8:00 am on Thursday morning, discharge me she did!  So, less than 48 hours after I was all stitched up, I was ready to go home!  We had to wait a little longer for SJ4 to be approved to leave, but he got an outstanding report as well when our pediatrician's nurse practitioner stopped by at 10:00 am.  So, after billing made their pit stop in the room and the discharge nurse stopped by, we rolled out of the hospital at lunchtime!  The only drawback to leaving so early is that SJ4 missed his appointment with the hospital photographer, so he doesn't even have an official newborn picture from the hospital!  I'm kind of sad that he won't have that little milestone picture - even though they're usually terrible pictures - but we've taken tons of him, so I hope one of those will fill in the gap of not having the "real" one!

SJ4 with Daddy:

SJ4 with Mommy:

He looks soooo tiny in his car seat!

All snugged in with a blanket and two special toys from his big sister:

Waiting in the lobby for Daddy to pull up in the Element:

Daddy carrying Baby SJ to the house for the first time!

While we were in the hospital, Katie Anne decorated the porch and mailbox with big blue ribbons (with a little help from Granddad):

Daddy posing with Baby SJ beside her decorations:

And, just like that - in the space of two days - we're home with two kids!  The surgery and hospital stay was easy, breezy, and beautiful ... hopefully SJ4 will continue to be as healthy as a horse and Mommy's recovery will be simple and smooth!