Chase Alan - 2 Months

You are now 2 months old!  The time has flown by for me and I have loved learning your behaviors and what makes you tick.  I still don't always know, but we'll get there! :)

You have become a belly sleeper over the past month.  This makes me slightly nervous, but you sleep sound like this.  I also take comfort because you have such strong neck muscles already.  You have also transitioned from my bed to your bassinet now.  I had developed a comfort level with having you close (in my arms), so I'm still getting use to this.

For the most part you are only waking up 1x a night to eat and then again around 8:00 AM or so.  You have a period then where you like to just lay and talk to us while you kick and squirm all around.  You have 4 pretty good naps throughout the day, but at this stage you still mostly nap/eat/nap/eat/nap/eat... you get the picture!

This month we have noticed you are a creature of habit and get a bit out of sorts when your schedule isn't normal.  I guess you have adjusted to just me and you at home most days so a lot of activity or choas around you seems to overwhelm you a bit (or a lot, actually).  I'm sure our new schedule will help some with that and you will adjust soon!

We took our first trip out-of-state this month.  It was just a day trip to Ohio and you did so good!

We have your 2 month doctor's appointment on August 9th so I am excited to see how much you have grown.  I'm guessing you are close to 11 pds now.  You have little rolls on your thighs and arms...and those cheeks get fuller each week! :)  We love chubby babies around here and are having so much fun seeing how much you have changed over the past 2 months.

You are a people watcher like your Momma.  You love to look around and take in your surroundings!  You love your soft blankets and enjoy them around your face when you are real sleepy.  You enjoy eating and gulp it down so quickly you sometimes get choked up!

You are already starting to develop a little attitude...you get SO upset if we don't get your bottles quick enough and you still fight sleep if you get overly tired.  Sometimes you will just scream out when you are upset during these times and we have tried to start using the word "no" so you get use to it and understand we cannot act nasty :)  Bless your heart, I know it is your only way to communicate right now.  I just wish I could read your mind so I would know how to react better!  Again, we're learning!

I'm laying here in bed watching you sleep right now...feeling so thankful that God gave you to us to love and train.  We love you so much baby Chase!

Working Mom

The phrase "working mother" is redundant 
-- Jane Sellman

So today is the day.  I start back to work full-time today.  I can't really even describe the last 8 weeks.  They have been exhausting, exciting, relaxing and fulfilling all at the same time.

I never thought I would be one that would even want to be a stay-at-home mom.  My job was my "baby" before and having my concentration on something else has just been different for me.  My maternity leave was fun in the sense that I was getting paid the whole time I was home and could afford to shop, eat out and really enjoy the time off!  Life wouldn't quite be like that if I was a stay-at-home mom.  I realized I missed adult interaction.  I was antsy for Nathan to get home from work each day so I could have someone to talk to!  I missed my schedule and feeling productive.  I think I knew being at home was temporary so in my head I was ready to get adjusted to how things were going to be long term.  I also missed getting out of the house.  I've never been so excited to run simple errands in all of my adult life! :)  Seriously, I respect the women that choose to stay home full-time.  It's a lot harder than I anticipated!!

I feel like it has taken me until this past week to get Chase to a point where I could lay him down long enough to get anything done.  I like order and organization...chaos makes me stressed.  Because of that, I was a bit shocked the first few weeks at how little I was able to accomplish around my house!  Getting a shower and dressed for the day was an accomplishment, let alone actually getting laundry and dishes done!!  

I'm a fairly independent person and asking for my help isn't normally my style, but there was a few times I did ask for help during my time off.  It was good for me to prioritize what needed to be accomplished and take advantage of free moments as they came up!

I'm blessed that my mom and mother-in-law are watching Chase while I work 4 days a week and that I am going to be able to stay home with him each Friday.  Yet, I'm dealing with the guilty and selfish feelings of having to leave him.  I know I'll be fine once I get use to our new schedule and it's good to know Chase is getting loved on while I am at work 8 hours a day!

I don't normally take a lot of vacation time with my job, so I thoroughly enjoyed having time off to do whatever I wanted.  I loved having an extra 2 weeks to spend with my baby.  Bonding with Chase is something I can't describe - he just melts my heart.  I look forward to experiencing many more mommy moments with my new little family!

Casual Tuesday

One day last week we met Daddy for grocery shopping & lunch.  He said Chase looked like a traffic cone in his neon colors :)

Since I'm the one normally taking pictures, I don't have many of me & Chase, but I thought I'd post this one.

Chase - romper, Target

Me - sandals, Target / bermuda shorts, thrifted / tee, Old Navy

I love watching all of his expressions!  He's really interactive right now and I'm loving this new stage.

Grandparents Are Special!

My grandfather turned 80 this past January.  It's such a blessing to still have living grandparents and appreciate their influence on my life.  He was able to visit this past week and meet Chase for the first time! 

mom, me, chase, grandpa ricker

Chase - 1 Month

I can't believe you are 1 month old already!  This past month has flown by and we have survived, baby! :)

We are still learning one another and are loving this journey of parenthood.  I am already eating my words on several things I didn't think I would do when I had children, but it has been all about survival from day-to-day.

You are starting to smile on purpose and coo when we talk to you.  You want to be held all of the time and enjoy being cuddled.  You are wearing size 1 diapers and are now mostly in 0-3 months clothes.  You do still have a few newborn things that fit you.

You are warm natured like your Daddy, which is still so hard for me to get use to since I am ALWAYS cold.  You sleep in our bed (mostly) and sometimes even in my arms.  I didn't think I would allow this, but...here I am, eating my words!  You have started fighting sleep over the past week.  It breaks my heart!

At your 1 month doctor's appointment, you were 9 1/2 pounds (45% percentile) and 22 1/4 inches long (75% percentile).  The doctor was impressed with how you were growing.  He mentioned you were an active little guy as you were kicking and squirming the whole time you were laying on the exam table!  You had to get a shot at this appointment, but you handled it like a champ...only cried for just a minute.

I am still amazed that I have the privilege of being your Mommy.  This all feels new, yet I can't imagine you not being apart of our family already!  We love you, baby Chase!

Playing Catch-up (again!)

...and I thought I was busy before :)

My weeks are flying by and I can hardly account for what is keeping me so busy, well, besides for the baby that wants held all of the time!  I'll admit, I am taking advantage of my time off work and enjoying running around and doing whatever I want during the work week.  Chase is a pretty good shopper at this point...make sure I have a bottle available and he's a good little companion at least for a couple of hours! :)

We had a busy month with birthdays in our family or circle of friends.  Chase has attended 3 birthday parties this past month.  Not counted for here was also celebrating my Dad's 60th birthday!

Chase was also able to meet both of his paternal Great Grandmas.  He has 4 Great Grandparents total and has met 3 of them so far!

We celebrated the 4th of July with a cookout at my in-laws.  It's been a good month...lots of activity and we enjoy that!