Six Weeks Postpartum

Today was my 6 week follow up visit at the Obstetrician's office. I was glad to see Dr. Polender again! It may sound silly, but over these past 9 months, Colt and I feel like we've become friends with her. When she came in the room, she hugged me, and presented us with the cutest t-shirt for Cash. It says "Delivered With Care by Dr. Polender". Love it! Cash was a well behaved little gentleman during our visit. In fact, he's been sleeping most of the day today. I think he might be getting a little bit of a cold. He was congested last week, but after having the humidifier in the room, and a few "sessions" of sitting in a steamy bathroom, it seemed to be going away. When I brought him to see my mother at work the other day for her birthday, he was sounding congested again. I kept him home from church tonight as its been really cold and rainy all day. I'm hoping all of this sleeping is helping him to fight off a cold. I'll probably check his temperature when he wakes up again, just to be sure. I love how I'm basically talking to myself, but typing it out for the world to see my thought processes. :) On to the happenings this week in "Babyland".

Cash is 6 weeks old today! I know I say this in pretty much every post, but time is really flying by. He is continuing to grow out of more and more outfits. Those onesies that were just a little bit long on him a few weeks ago are now becoming a little bit tight and the snaps are starting to strain. His little sweatpants that we stocked up on in the first few weeks are quickly becoming to tight for his growing belly. Last night, he wore some 3 month pajamas. I can't wait to debut one of his 3 month outfits on Sunday at church. I tried it on him last night and just started laughing because he looked so adorable. We've started to use a lot of our "baby stuff" this week that had previously been sitting in the closet, awaiting Cash's arrival. We got a play mat for "tummy time" and we let him try that out one night. He seemed to be indifferent about the playmat, but showed a profound dislike for tummy time. He tried the Bumbo seat last night and loved it. He's still a little bit to young to sit up by himself, but did well holding himself up for about 30-60 seconds at a time. Moe loved that Cash was on his level. Another baby related item that I've gotten some good use out of is my sling. My mom bought it for me at TJ Maxx or Marshalls or one of those types of stores. I think I've seen them at Ross as well. Its black and white, and its by Infantino. At first, I wasn't sure how much I'd really use it, but I really wanted one. I have to say, its been awesome! I made dinner last night, and put Cash in his swing so I'd have both hands free. It seemed like every two minutes, he'd drop his pacifier and I'd have to trek back over to the swing and put it back in his mouth. After a while, this became very frustrating. I remembered my sling that was sitting in the closet, and decided I'd give it a whirl. I put it on and laid him down in it, and after about 5 minutes, he had fallen right to sleep. I had used the swing one time previously in a similar situation when I was trying to wash bottles, and he had the same reaction. The sling holds him up close to my body in a position that cradles him, so he feels secure, but I have free use of both hands! I'm still in love with our swing. Its one of the best purchases we've made. I don't know if I've mentioned its "special feature" before, but my favorite thing about it is the seat part comes off, and it allows you to snap his carseat/carrier on to the base. Its great for when you're coming in from the car, and you don't want to wake the baby, you can just stick his carrier on the swing base, and start it up! Its also got a built in sound machine of nature sounds, fast music, slow music, and a heartbeat noise, as well as a jack to plug your I-POD into for a more personalized playlist. The only downside is that the motor tends to be a little bit loud, but not so loud that it wakes the baby, or annoys us. The first motor that came with it was very loud, and after complaining to Babies-R-Us, they gave us another one free of charge. The swing is a little bit pricey, but we saved up our gift cards for it, and its been worth every cent. Speaking of things that a pricey, DIAPERS AND WIPES! I underestimated the amount of diapers we go through in a day. Maybe its a new mother thing, but I'm always paranoid about leaving him with a wet diaper even if its not super soaked. We still buy the "expensive" diapers (Pampers Swaddlers), but we've switched from the Pampers wipes to the Target brand. The Pampers wipes were soft, and did the job, but I really didn't like the packaging. Every time I tried to get a wipe out, I'd end up pulling 3 or 4 out, and having to put them back in the box after I was finished. I tried the Target wipes, which are much cheaper and I feel like they do a better job! They've got a little bit of a "ply" (I don't know how else to describe it--but looks somewhat like a paper towel). They're still pretty soft, and the best part is that the containers have a smaller opening, so its easier to pull out one at at time. For a box of like 700 or 800 wipes, its $11! I also bought several of the smaller packages of about 80 wipes which are only $2. I got one for the diaper bag, and one for the pack-n-play changing table which is still in our bedroom. I can't believe I've dedicated this many words to Target wipes...anyway, they're awesome. Cash's sleep schedule has improved significantly over these last few days. I sincerely hope I'm not jinxing myself. Colt and I have been going to be earlier which could be the cause of Cash's better bedtime schedule. He's been waking up about 2 to 3 times per night, and going right back to sleep after I feed and change him. Its been wonderful!

Cash is still continuing to smile more and more everyday. He has been chuckling in his sleep from time to time, but still hasn't laughed in his waking hours. He loves being talked to. I love watching his eyes get really wide when I talk to him and give him kisses. He has been getting really close to Colt in these past few weeks also. I'm so thankful that Colt is home with me, because it really gives Cash some great bonding time with his Daddy! Cash just stares up at him when Colt holds him. Colt has even developed some of his own little tricks! He was watching me nurse the other day, and asked me what I was doing when I had to move Cash around to wake him up to finish eating. I explained what I was doing, and Colt said, "When I feed him his breastmilk bottles, I twist the bottle around in his mouth to wake him up." So cute! I love that he has his own "style". He is a great father. I met my friends Jozi and Kristin at International Plaza last week with Cash in tow. It was the first time I brought my travel system stroller out, and the first time I went out with him by myself (other than to my parent's house). The travel system stroller doesn't fit in my car, so I had to take Colt's Jeep. Cash was sweet as usual, and made the outing really easy. When we were leaving the mall, and walking back to the car, he started fussing. I knew he was getting hungry, but I didn't have time to nurse him in the car, as Colt needed the Jeep back for a gig. He started crying pretty hard by the time I got him in the car. He calmed down a little bit when I started to drive, but started back up after a few minutes. I tried the radio, which didn't work. I tried talking to him, which worked somewhat, but not completely because he wanted me to hold him. Finally I started singing..."Jesus Loves Me" to be exact. He was completely silent! Its his new favorite song! By the fifth or sixth time through, my mom called, and I thought he was sleeping, so I answered it. As soon I started talking to her, he started fussing again, although not as bad. He LOVES to be sung to, especially that song. Its cliche, but I can't think of a word to describe watching him grow and change other than amazing. Its amazing.

I've been thinking a lot this past week about the changes having a baby has made in my life. This week has felt a little bit like the calm after the storm. I've really started to feel like I'm coming into my own with this whole motherhood thing. I'm becoming more confident with taking him different places, and even taking him out by myself. When people say that motherhood changes your whole outlook on life, and the way you've viewed things in the past, they aren't kidding! Colt and I were watching an episode of my guilty pleasure..."16 and Pregnant" last night. In case you've never seen it, its pretty self explanatory. Its a show about teenagers who are pregnant, and how it affects their lives. On last night's episode, the father of the baby was a horrible little brat of a boy who was very disrespectful to his girlfriend's mother. While in the delivery room, he picked a fight with his girlfriend's mother over his ridiculous behavior. He made his girlfriend scoot over in the hospital bed because he wanted to lay down, he told her that men must have a higher pain tolerance than women when she was suffering through a contraction. He asked for an "estimate of how long this was going to take", and finally told the mother that he was number one in the girl's life, and she was number two. Nice guy! Anyway, this kid's behavior had no real effect on his girlfriend, and she didn't defend her mother at all. After the baby's birth, the mother agreed to sit down with her daughter and her daughter's boyfriend (the father of the baby) to try and sort things out for the sake of her grandson. The boy was completely disrespectful again, telling the mother that he was number one in her daughter's life, and that she would never be as important as him in her eyes. She got up from the table and went to the bathroom and just cried. The daughter followed her in there, and half-heartedly asked what was wrong. The mother said the boy was completely disrespectful and she didn't think they should be together anymore. The girl said that it wasn't her mother's decision to make and that she couldn't protect her from everything in life. The mother looked defeated and said, "Unfortunately, I know that's true." I sat there thinking, "Of course she knows that's true! Don't you think if she could have "protected" you from getting pregnant and having a baby at 16, she would have?!?" Before you have a baby, you see yourself as your own person. Maybe its because I'm still so early into parenthood, but its hard for me to look at Cash as his own person. He's my baby. I know that God created him, but I'd like to think I had a pretty important part in facilitating his development. He came from my body. It must be so hard when your child grows up and is disrespectful or is making decisions that you don't agree with. Do you still view them as your baby, or by that time do you see them as their own person? It makes me cringe when I think about times growing up, that I may have given my parents grief about "making my own decisions", or made decisions that they didn't agree with. That must've been so frustrating for them! I love the fact that having Cash has really opened my mind up to different ways of thinking. I have always been very close to my parents, but I've felt even closer to them now that I understand what having a child feels like. Its the craziest love.

On a lighter note, Colt and I have been talking lately about having more children. Not anytime soon mind you, but we've had the conversation. When I was in the hospital, I remember telling my mom that I don't know how people do that (give birth) so many times. It was exhausting! She said, just wait...in a few weeks you'll have forgotten all about the pain and stress, and you'll want another one. Its true! I have already forgotten about the pain! Although, I still want Cash to have time to be my baby, before we open our home to another baby. I was sharing these feelings with my Obstetrician, after she asked me when were going to have more children. She shared the same sentiment, saying, "Its amazing how quickly God allows those memories of the pain to dissolve, or else women would never have more children!" So true! That being said...don't get excited, Cash is only 6 weeks old!!!

Well I suppose I better go try and get something done around the house before bedtime...where to start? Haha! Thanks for reading!

These Days...

Hello again everyone! Its been a few weeks, and so much has happened. Everyone says that your children grow so fast, but I never thought it would be THIS fast! It seems like he changes a little bit everyday, and we find another reason to love him. I'll catch you up...

Remember that squeaky warning cry that I wrote about in my first blog. Well he still has it, and its the cutest thing ever! I love it because its something that makes him unique to other babies. Even if I were blindfolded, I could definitely pick him out of a crowd of a million crying babies. I'm going to try to record it, and if I can figure out how, I'll try to post a video at some point. In the past week, in addition to smiling in his sleep, he has started smiling at us when he's awake. We'll make some silly face, or funny noise, and he'll look up and grin. Its crazy to see a personality developing in him. Colt and I were talking about how weird it is that a few months ago, he was just a couple of cells, which developed into something resembling a shrimp, to a miniature baby, to a "real" baby, and then watching him be born, and now developing a personality with likes and dislikes. We love watching him follow us with his eyes, and listening to him start to "coo" at us when we talk to him. He loves to be talked to. He doesn't like to change his clothes, but if I say "Push push push, push push push" when I'm pushing his little arms through the sleeves, he gets quiet and watches me.

As for sleeping...he's all over the board. The night before last he slept 5 hours straight. Last night he woke up every hour and a half to two hours. Sometimes its difficult to remember when we woke up, and how many hours of sleep we've gotten. I can't complain at all though because Colt and I are both at home, and able to sleep whenever we need to. He's still a newborn, so he takes good naps throughout the day, and we sleep when he does. Since I wake up with him a lot during the night, many mornings, Colt will take him for an hour or two so I can catch up on my lost sleep. Sometimes, I'll lay him down on a pillow next to me in bed, and he'll fall asleep in the crook of my arm. Its one of my favorite times, because he falls asleep with his face facing mine, so I can smell his sweet breath and occasionally he'll put his hand on or near my face. He loves to cuddle. On average, he sleeps about two to three hours at a time but sometimes more, sometimes less. I can usually count on him being up at 7am. The boy loves The Today Show. Haha! He's not really on any kind of a schedule unfortunately. I know eventually we'll have to develop some kind of a pattern, but if this kid needs to be strictly scheduled, he got the wrong parents. Our life is very different from most people's lives in many ways. Colt's job as a musician allows him to be home with me most of the time. He plays about 3 to 4 nights a week, so he's home with me all day, and of course we're together the nights he has off. I don't know if its because we don't have to wake up early or because some of his gigs end late, but we don't go to bed until very late. I don't think we've gone to bed before 2am since we've been married. Bad, I know. At this point, it doesn't really matter when we go to bed because Cash is still so young that he sleeps on and off all day (and night), but I know the time is fast approaching that we'll need to get on some kind of a schedule for his sake. On the plus side, he's always sleepy in the evenings, which makes Wednesday and Sunday night church easy and going out to dinner a cinch.


We've been so lucky to have a easy going baby. He takes a pacifier, and has since he was born. Sometimes he has trouble keeping it in his mouth when he's sleeping, and wakes up when he drops it, but I think that's to be expected. He's a really good eater also. I've been breastfeeding, pumping, and supplementing with one formula bottle per day. I was really hoping he'd take a bottle, just in case we were going someplace that I couldn't nurse him, or if Colt and I wanted to go on a date, and he was staying with our parents and couldn't nurse. He is a great breastfeeder. It was a little bit difficult the first week because my milk still hadn't come in yet, so he was mainly getting just the colostrum. Also, no one tells you that breastfeeding is a little bit painful in the beginning! The Lansinoh cream was my "breast friend" (sorry, that was too easy). My mom was really helpful in making sure I understood what I was doing. It was frustrating when I would nurse him for 20 to 30 minutes, and he wouldn't get full because I didn't have any milk. A half hour later he'd be hungry again. Finally, my milk came in and Cash and I got the hang of it. Now, I predominantly breastfeed. I pump once a day to freeze for an emergency supply. Pumping is kind of a tricky business. If I feed Cash, and then wait 30 minutes to pump, I don't pump a full bottle, which means I'd have to pump more than once a day. If I wait an hour or two hours after I feed Cash to pump, I get a full bottle, but I don't have enough to breastfeed him at his next feeding. He usually eats every 2 to 3 hours. I've been pumping before we go to bed, and make his last feeding of the night a 5 oz. formula bottle, so he'll be full before bedtime. If I pumped and then fed him, he'd be a hungry boy about an hour later. Anyway, it seems to be working for us. The boy hates to burp though. Sometimes I'll have to try several different burping positions to get anything out of him. A couple of nights ago, I had been burping him for several minutes, and I had him sitting up with my hand under his chin, patting his back. Colt was up near his face talking to him when Cash belched right in his face! Colt is really sensitive to smells, and gagged. HILARIOUS!

One of the best parts of parenting thus far is how he seems to "know" us already. If someone else is holding him and he gets a little bit fussy, a quick hand off to his Mama will do the trick. He loves to be held and cuddled. He's a BIG fan of cuddling. I don't know if its the sound of my voice, my scent, or my touch that he finds so familiar. Its probably a mixture of many things. Its such a special feeling because it just reaffirms the fact that he feels about me, like I feel about my mother. No one can comfort a person like their mother. This week (week 4), Cash has started to grab my hair, especially when I put him in the bathtub or try to lay him down. Its like he's saying, "Please don't put me down!" Of course, when he does this, it makes it impossible to put him down, and I'm "forced" to cuddle and kiss him for a few more minutes. :) I have a feeling disciplining him may be a challenge for me. Haha! He also loves to hear us sing to him, and enjoys the song "Frarajaca". Weird.

On February 10th, Cash and I met Tara, Lauren, and their babies over at my Granny's house. It was the first time she had seen Cash. He is her fifth great-grandchild! We had a great time talking, and listening to stories of when she was raising her five children. This visit also marked the first time that Cash had a "blow out" in his diaper. The "mess" went up the back of his diaper, and got on his onesie. Thankfully, it was a cold day, so I had doubled up on the onesies (a long sleeve underneath and a short sleeve on top). I took the long sleeved one off, and the short sleeved one was fine. Mark that down towards experience. :) Its definitely true what they say about little boys, at least in our case. He has pee-peed (spelling?) on us, and in turn his pajamas, and changing pad cover during diaper changes several times. I won't even mention a specific bath time incident that I'll never forget. I suppose it could be worse, as I've heard of these occasions resulting in urine on the Mama's face, or, dare I say it...in her mouth. DISGUSTING! Thankfully it hasn't come to that yet.

This past week (week 4) it seems that Cash is awake a lot more. When he's awake, he's very alert. Like I said, he's started to smile and coo, and his funny faces are endlessly entertaining. I've heard that one day, out of the blue, it seems like your newborn just "wakes up". That seemed to have happened last Wednesday (after Granny's house). He was awake all through church, and was quiet as a mouse. What a good boy.

I have to say, these past weeks have been amazing. Of course, they've had their ups and downs. I've been learning so many new things, and at times I've been nervous that I'm not doing the right thing the right way, but then there are the moments when you know you've done the right thing for your baby, and it makes all of that uncertainty and anxiety worth it. Colt and I were talking the other night, and I told him, I really can't think of anything else in life that I want. I'm completely content. That's a good feeling to have. Of course, I would love to have more children one day, and there are things I want for my family. I want my children to grow up and become good Christians. I want my family and children to be healthy and successful and all of the other things that make for a happy life. What I meant when I was talking to Colt was more along the lines of major things that I've wanted in life. I wanted to be baptized, I wanted to finish high school and college, find a wonderful husband who was my best friend, and have children with him. Along with all of those blessings, as I said, Colt and I are able to stay home with each other all day, which has made these first few weeks of parenthood much easier. Sometimes, its easy to forget all of our blessings, but I truly think about these things daily. In the past I've taken so many of my blessings for granted. I was born in a free and prosperous country, to a loving Christian family who brought me to church and taught me the gospel. That in itself is such a blessing. I grew up knowing the truth. Then I met Colt, who was everything I had ever prayed for. Literally, everything. Then, after about two and a half years of a happy marriage, we had a healthy baby boy. Again, this is not to toot my own horn or boast in any way, but to remind myself, when I read this in years to come how happy I was at this time in my life.

So you could say these last few weeks have been the happiest learning experience of my life. Cash is one cool cat. I look forward to every new milestone. I will leave you with a list of his likes and dislikes in his first month of life. Thanks for reading everyone!


Cash's Likes:
1. Getting his hair washed
2. The car
3. Pacifier
4. Sleeping next to me or Colt
5. Cuddling
6. His Grandparents and Aunts/Uncles
7. Going to the bathroom in his diaper right after I change him (sometimes while he's still on the changing table)
8. Having the top of his hand rubbed
9. Being warm
10. Moe
11. Being talked to and sang to
12. Grabbing my hair
13. Laying on Colt's chest

Dislikes:
1. Being cold
2. Getting out of the bath
3. Changing clothes (because he gets cold)
4. Getting his diaper changed (he throws his hands out like he's falling because he's not being cradled)
5. Burping (it takes forever for him to burp)
6. Being swaddled (he likes to sleep with his hands near his face or above his head)

Cash's First Few Weeks

What a blur these last few weeks have been! I've started this post several times, but never finished it. I've been trying to collect my thoughts so I can accurately describe the important happenings in the last few weeks. There are so many things to report!

I suppose I will start with us leaving the hospital. I'm not sure what I was expecting when I brought the baby home, but I definitely didn't expect to be so sleep deprived. I think I would have been ok if I had gotten some sleep on Monday and Tuesday night before the induction, but seeing as how I couldn't have gotten more than 4 hours of sleep combine both of those nights, I was EXHAUSTED! When we were pulling out of the hospital parking lot, I was so disoriented, I wasn't exactly sure where we were. I knew we were at the hospital, but I wasn't sure what road we were on. When we finally got home, we introduced Cash to Moe. He did so well with him. Moe was very gentle, and sniffed the baby, and the carrier, but never tried to jump or anything! Moe is very protective of him, and if he ever cries when he's in his swing, Moe runs over and sniffs him, then licks his hand, and stays until he stops crying, or Colt and I get him. Anyway, when we got home, I remember feeling like, "Now what?" I wasn't quite sure what I should be doing. I never expected to feel unprepared at all, especially because I had been a nanny for so long. I had changed a million diapers, fed a million bottles, and changed a million outfits, but because it was my own baby, I felt a little bit unsure. We came home on a Friday, and Colt had to play that night, so my parents came over and made me dinner. They watched the baby while I slept for an hour or so. When I woke up, Colt was home, and they had just walked out the door. I was upset that I didn't get to say goodbye and thank you. I think that was the event that started my upcoming "nervous breakdown" as Colt likes to call it. Just to preface this next part, I could have chosen to leave this out and pretend like it never happened, but I feel the need to be completely honest and lay it all out. This blog would be pointless, and helpful to no one, if I'm not "real" with you. I'm not a crier at all, nor have I ever really been someone that cries a lot but the first few days home from the hospital, I was weepy. It wasn't all the time but I think I may have had three "episodes". I'm not really sure what caused it, but I'm told sleep deprivation, mixed with labor hormones, and the fact that you're life has completely changed in a matter of days will do that to a girl. I was SO happy to have Cash, and excited about being a mother, but I was also a little bit unsure of how to handle all of the changes. You might think that nine months should be enough time to mentally prepare for a new lifestyle, but thinking about it, and actually experiencing the changes are two completely different things. I was used to staying up late with Colt every night, watching our favorite TV shows and hanging out. Colt and I were both so exhausted those first few days at home, that he was falling asleep pretty early compared to what time we had been going to bed. That left me sitting up by myself when I was nursing, although Colt did wake up every time the baby woke up and asked if I needed anything or any help. It was so strange to me to be staying up with the baby alone since Colt had always been my playmate of sorts. I began to worry that all those days of hanging out with Colt, and spending so much time together were long gone, which made me miss my husband, even though he was sleeping right next to me. Looking back, it was such a strange emotion to have, especially since Colt's work schedule allows us to spend way more time together than most couples. I was also feeling homesick in a way. Not homesick in the sense that I wanted to go home to my parents, but feeling like my childhood was completely finished. Almost like, my time as someone's baby was gone because I had a baby. Colt rolled over one night while I was sitting up nursing in bed, and there I was, all teary eyed watching the morning news. "What's wrong, baby?" "Nothing, I'm ok," I said. He obviously knew I wasn't ok, because I never cry. I tried to explain that I was so happy to have Cash, that he was literally a dream come true, but that I never expected to feel sad about one chapter of my life closing. I can remember being a little girl, and crying, being so worked up about something or other and how soothing the sound of my mother's voice was as she would rub my back and tell me I was going to be ok. That scene kept playing through my mind, as I imagined myself doing the same for my son. This was one of those times that I needed to have my back rubbed and be told that everything was going to be ok. Colt did a great job comforting me. We talked and he reassured me that things would calm down in a few days when I got some sleep and my hormones calmed down. We talked for a long while that night. He told me how proud he was of me, and how excited he was about watching me be a mother to our son. I went to bed feeling much better and more confident. It was definitely one of those times that makes you grow as a married couple, and his patience and thoughtfulness is something I'll always remember.

My family was also a huge help over those first few days. My parents were at the hospital everyday that we were there, helping us in whatever way we needed it. Like I said, the day we came home, they came over and made me dinner and let me sleep for a little while. My mother received countless phone calls from me over that first week, asking her a million questions. I asked her if she was weepy the first week post-partum and she said, "Aubree, everyone is weepy the first week post-partum. If they say they're not, they're lying." We laughed about how no one tells you about all of the "glamour" of the first week home from the hospital. Not only are you dealing with CRAZY emotions, but you're dealing with all of the the physical repercussions of childbirth. Not pretty! She was such a comfort to me. If you ever reach the age where you think you're an adult, and don't need to be "mothered" anymore, have a baby. I don't know if I've ever needed my mother more.

Things definitely calmed down over the next few days, although I did have a few more weepy fits. My milk still hadn't come in, and I was supplementing with some formula. The nurses at the hospital were the first to suggest that I supplement with the formula until my milk came in, but they also scared me into thinking that he might get "nipple confusion" and not want to nurse after seeing how much easier it was to eat from a bottle. One of my weepy fits was feeding related, wishing my milk would come in, as he was still surviving mainly on colostrum and his formula supplement. It turns out, everyone was right, and by the end of our first week home, with a little rest, I was feeling on top of my game. At that point, Colt and I could laugh about my crying spells in the week previous, and started affectionately calling them my "nervous breakdowns". We started to fall into somewhat of a schedule. My milk had come in, so he wasn't cluster feeding anymore, and I was getting about 2 to 3 hours in between feedings, which was good. I was even getting pretty quick with changing diapers in the dark, although we did get peed on a few times.

After being confined to our house for two weeks before Cash's delivery, and then having to stay in the first week, I was ready to get out of the house as soon as possible. Cash's first outing was to Grandaddy and Mammy's house (my parents). He went to church for the first time on Sunday night (the 24th) at a week and a half old, although we didn't allow anyone to hold him just yet.

At our first Pediatrician appointment, we discovered that Cash's bilirubin levels were elevated, which means he was slightly jaundiced. He had a level of 9 in the hospital, and the nurse assured me that anything under 12 was ok. At the doctor's office, the number jumped to 15. They asked us to come back in two days, and at that time, it was 16. Dr. Hughes, Cash's Pediatrician, said she thought it had peaked but she wanted us to get him tested at Quest Diagnostics the following day. We did, and his level had dropped to 13. He hasn't had a problem with it since. At his 3 week appointment, he had grown to 8lbs. 13 oz. (minus a few ounces for his clothes). Dr. Hughes said he was doing great, and called him a "sweet boy". Music to a new mother's ears!

Cash has already began to change, even over these short few weeks. When he was born, everyone said he looked just like Colt. He still resembles Colt a great deal, but he's starting to look a lot like me now as well. I was looking at some of my baby pictures the other day, and couldn't believe the resemblance in some of the photos. His hair, which was pretty dark when he was born, is starting to turn lighter. His eyes, which were dark blue at birth are now turning brown (Colt and I both have dark brown eyes). It seems like he changes a little bit every day. He loves to smile in his sleep, and he makes the funniest faces. Watching my parents and Colt's parents with Cash is such a joy for Colt and I. We love to see how happy he makes everyone.

Now, three weeks after Cash's birth, Colt and I are old pros. Just kidding. We're definitely not pros by any means, but we are getting more comfortable and confident with this whole parenting thing. We love taking him on "outings" and trying new things. He's a very good little boy, and loves to sleep...during the day. :) He's getting better about sleeping during the night, although I think it would help if Colt and I went to bed at a sensible hour. All in all, we are loving parenthood, and couldn't be happier with our little boy.

Sorry this post is forever long! A lot has happened in the last few weeks! I will leave you with a little timeline of milestones I've remembered to write down. Thanks for reading!

1/18/2010: First bath
1/19/2010: Belly Button fell off
1/24/2010: First time at church (Sunday night)
1/26/2010: First restaurant trip (Outback Steakhouse)
1/28/2010: First walk around the neighborhood
1/28/2010: First time I took Cash out alone (to my parents house)