Caleb's 1st Month ...

This little baby sleeping beside me is already over a MONTH old. Unbelievable how fast its gone by and how much he has already grown. He's definitely going to be a bruiser like his big brothers ...

For a FAST recap ...

Week 1 - TIM WAS HOME!!! Woo hoo! He was able to take off the most time with any of our kids to date and it was awesome. We both were in awe of having a new little babe to hold and care for. With Jared, we had the new parent fear/high stress going on and with Will, it was a total blur because we basically had two babies as they were so close together. With Caleb - instead of being on straight survival mode, its was peaceful and just HEAVENLY to get to hold and cuddle a little newborn. I'm pretty sure Caleb actually preferred his dad these first few weeks as Tim held him so much. Tim was a huge help with the boys and I was able to totally REST. We are in LOVE!

At his one week appointment, was gaining about 2 oz per day (double what they aim for) - he was a good little eater, despite being tongue tied. We love all the little noises he makes ... Tim calls him "Squeaker." He was IMPOSSIBLE to wake up.

"milk drunk"

Week 2 - Tim went back to work a week and a half after Caleb was born. I was home with the big boys and managed just fine. It was a short 4 day week thanks to some obscure banker's holiday, so that helped. At his two week appointment, Dr. Padrez couldn't believe he was already up over a full pound from his birthweight. Wowza. At this appointment, we decided to go ahead and get his little tongue clipped as it was really, really tight and I booked the appointment with the ENT for a week or so later.

Can you see the little bump on his head? He developed a cephalatoma on his head from his position in the birth canal. We hardly noticed at the hospital - probably because he always had a hat on. Once home, though, it was HUGE! We affectionately referred to it as his "horn".

Weeks 3 & 4 - Started to get a little tired here, but still taking it super slow. I must say that with this baby, I really made an effort to slow it down. I still managed to get Jared to school on Tuesday and Thursday mornings and pick him up most days (often a little late or with the help of Lisa Riccio), but other than that we laid super low. No errands, no stress, no cleaning.

The big boys loved having the baby and were so sweet and helpful. Although, I think all the "free play" time was starting to wear on them a little bit by then ... but, gosh! Isn't Caleb so cute??

Wow... what a difference a few weeks makes. Such a chunky monkey compared to the picture at the end of this post ...

This was baby Caleb's preferred spot for at least the first month of his life. He LOVED resting on Daddy's chest while Daddy patted (or pounded) his back. Tim did this so much, he actually developed a pretty serious, stiff back pain in the process! ;-)

By week 5, I had to fulfill my commitment to return to my one work day/week which was TOUGH. Man, it felt good to hold that baby when I got home. He is still sleeping a lot - I think I forgot just how sleepy they are at first. Timing little brother/big brother naps is still a little bit of a challenge if I want to try to catch a few zzz's too, as there is the feeding/burping/awake issue to contend with - but most days it still works out. At night, he is doing about as well as we could hope for ... he wakes every 3-4 hours to eat and then falls right back to sleep. What a good baby!

I have to give a HUGE thanks to all the friends and family that helped out this first month - the meals was amazing. We are so blessed by how the Lord used all of you to provide for our needs. Not having to cook was a huge stress reliever as we have settled into life with a newborn and his two active big brothers!! I just now sent out most of my thank-you notes - 26!!!

We are surrounded by amazing family, friends, and church and are so very loved.