Being a Mama

Busy. Beautiful. And that's about all I have time to write. ;)

But seriously, how do these mom bloggers go about writing blog posts every day? On top of laundry, dinner, cleaning, and the constant nursing? Currently I am wearing Mark in a wrap, bouncing up and down, and listening to Baby Einstein on youtube in an attempt to get this kid to sleep.

Mark's Baptism

Fun Facts:
Mark's Nickname: The Bug or little Monkey or anything that pops into our heads.
Current Age: 13 Weeks
Current Weight: 17 pounds (not a typo!)
Current Length: 25 inches (neither is that!)
Clothing Size: We are just about to put him into 6-9 month clothes as the 3-6 month are getting tight.
Cutest Feature: Besides his adorable smile, his CHUBBY cheeks. They are so kissable!
His Favorite Things: Being held and Mama's boobs (yep, it's true)
Latest Discovery: His hands. He just loves to stare at them and move them around. He also loves to suck his thumb.
Mama and Daddy's Opinion: We are enamored by this little one. We are a little biased, but we think he's pretty much the cutest thing that ever existed on the face of this planet. This is confirmed when we are in public and people melt before us at his chubby cheeks. You just can't resist them!

Mark is officially three months old as of a few days ago! Where is the time going? Wasn't it just yesterday that we brought him home in his tiny little newborn outfit? Wasn't it just yesterday that we oohed and ahhed over every little coo he made? Time, it seems to me, is every mother's burdensome companion, reminding her that these days will be over before she can ever truly experience them... Yet with each day comes more smiles, more awareness, more love. And I suppose time is a blessing too.

If I could sum up the first three months, I would definitely have to say it was more difficult than I was anticipating but it has also been the most wonderful, meaningful time of my life. Some days I look down at our little boy and he looks straight into my eyes with the biggest grin, his eyes bright and blue, and I just can't believe that he is ours. That this is the little baby that grew inside of me for nine months, and he is looking back at me with pure joy. I think it is the best feeling a mother can feel. And the opposite, hearing him cry, one of the worst. We dealt with colic and acid reflux... there was lots and lots of crying. And I knew that he wasn't just uncomfortable but in pain. For about the first two months of his life, I really couldn't even put him down. All of his sleeping happened in my arms or in a baby carrier. It was difficult, but we survived. Once we got him on medication and discovered that he was content in the swing at about eight weeks, life became a bit easier, and I began to feel more like myself.

I would still describe Mark as a needy baby even after the medication. He needs to feel mama, needs to be held by someone. I am learning to be content with a home that is always a little bit too messy. It's a new normal. The brief amount of time Mark is content by himself each day is spent prepping dinner, hurriedly doing household chores, and cuddling with my *first* love. Which, by the way, marriage is hard after having a baby! Didn't someone tell me that? I ignored that, didn't I? Although I knew that Jack and I would have less time together, I didn't fully understand it. Someone HAS to be holding this baby pretty much at all times of the day or he WILL be crying. Thankfully we have found a rhythm and are learning how to make time for each other with a needy baby. We are resolute about making our marriage the number one priority, because we know that happy parents lead to happy children.

Family Hiking Trip

On the plus side, I have friends! I was so worried that I would be lonely here, but I became very involved after everything started up this fall...and I am so happy to announce that I am in fact NOT lonely but am actually the opposite. Granted, at this point I haven't made any lifelong friends, but I have people's numbers and I can arrange things and that is most definitely a start.

Trip to Savannah. Mark saw the beach for the first time!

Jack is doing well in his course and will be graduating this December. We are staying here until May because he got selected for a special program. He will be going overseas for a couple months next spring while the Bug and I stay here. Despite our initial lack of excitement about being stationed here, we are making the best out of it and discovering that there are some neat things to see and do in the area. The weather this fall has been wonderful (despite the massive spiders that have been sneaking into our house...) and I'm told it will stay pretty warm through December!

Our lollipop munchkin for Halloween

World Series win for the Royals!

Date Night!

Jack and I are so amazed at how miraculous it is that this little boy is here with us. The above pictures are Mark at 8 weeks, 16 weeks, 30 weeks, and finally 38 weeks gestation. It feels like he has been with us for so long...and he truly has been. 

Baby Boy!

My goal was to update the blog with pictures of our completed house before Mark was born, but he came 10 days early so I never got the chance!

Maybe eventually I will, but I doubt our house will ever be as clean as I'd like with this precious little boy in our home now. :)

So instead I will inundate you with a ton of pictures of our little boy.

But first, ^ the last bump picture. This was taken on our anniversary at one day shy of 38 weeks, five days before he was born.

Mark's first picture. I love this one. Jack is cutting the umbilical cord. I love how you can see our rings framing Mark's little body. The ring I am wearing is actually not my wedding ring (that didn't fit thanks to the Georgia heat!) It's a present from my mom after my dad passed away- his October birthstone. I think that makes this picture of Mark even more special.

Mark was born at 11:01 pm. 6lbs 12 oz, 19 inches. A healthy baby boy.

My first picture with Mark. Jack loves this picture. You can hardly tell that I had just gone through 21 hours of a natural labor!

Our first family photo. This was taken shortly after we made it back to the mom baby room. I didn't sleep a wink that night. 

Daddy and son. Be still my heart!

Nana and her grandbaby. My mom booked a flight when I went into labor and made it to the hospital just in time to see Mark in the minutes after he was born. 

You might be able to tell we are a little tired.

But so in love with each other and our baby boy.

A hospital birth photographer took adorable photos of Mark. My mom snuck some in on her phone.

My sweet boy!

His little cloth diaper! <3

Cuddling with daddy

One thing we forgot to pack were mittens. So socks kept him from scratching his face!

His first time being worn in a wrap. 

Daddy and son selfie

Just being cute

Getting ready to take him home!

About to leave the hospital

Mark's little going home outfit

Getting him in the carseat!

Mark's first night at home. It's been 4 weeks so he looks SO tiny to me!

My tiny babe

Mark's first sponge bath

Nana and Mark. Mark had to be under the "lights" (although really he was attached to a blanket light) for the first week. It made the first week a little tiresome because we were driving up north (a 30 minute drive) for his appointments every morning at 8am.

Love his little fluffy tush

Pictures after Mark's first mass

<3

Family selfie

Another bath

Yawning

Mama and baby spending time together all day

Goofy faces

Love this monkey

Sleeping in mama's arms

Pretty much all we do all day is cuddle and nurse

Caught him smiling

Sleeping with daddy

Cutie

Reading our first book

Munchkin

Starting to get a little chunky

But not as big as the kitty

I could just eat this little face up!

Cuddle bug

Well, that's the first 3.5 weeks. I will update soon with pictures from his baptism and meeting his family! And I'll tell a little bit more about his birth. But right now all I want to say is how much Jack and I LOVE this little boy. We love being parents. It's hard and exhausting but we can't imagine life without Mark in it. It's funny how strangers come up to us and tell us how cute he is and then offer unsolicited advice about how life is going to get so much harder as he gets older (as strangers tend to do). But you know, people said similar things when I was pregnant ("Sleep now because you won't get any when he's born!") and I don't mind that I don't sleep as much or that things are harder now because every moment with him is precious. It's all worth it. Jack and I have talked about how being parents had helped us to grow; we can't be as selfish because we have a little person to take care of. We are blessed BY this little one. So yes, being a mommy is hard so far but I wouldn't have it any other way. He's everything I could have dreamed of and more!