Hawkes' First Month

Wow, it has been six weeks already since Hawkes joined our family! None of us has ever been so tired or happy to have this little guy with us.  I forgot how exhausting it is to have a newborn and also how sweet.

Likes: being held, being rocked, baths, riding in the car, stroller rides (after a rocky start, he likes them now), his bouncy seat, SOPHIE, the Ergo carrier, the ABC song sung by Sophie, pretty much anything Sophie does!  The love is mutual - watch this.

Dislikes: the witching hours of about 6pm to 8pm, crib naps (see above - likes behind held!), waiting more than 0.3 seconds to eat when he's hungry, the swing

Personality: loves to gaze at the ones he loves.  Gets excited hearing Sophie's voice and gave her his first real smile.  Loves snuggling.  Makes a true bird call noise just before sneezing.  I have tried for a month to capture this hilarious and endearing bird call on camera and finally got a second of it here. Now that we're on week 6, he's really developing a personality - making funny faces, discovering body parts (hands, feet, tongue, blowing bubbles) and reacting to our funny faces. 

This month has been full of challenges, not just the kind that come with having a new little guy and making lots of adjustments.  Many of you know Jason had back surgery just 9 days ago after suffering tremendous pain from a disc herniation.  We may share more about that another time. What this means for him is that he hasn't gotten to pick up, rock, play with Hawkes like he wants to.  He hasn't gotten to share those middle of the night moments with him that you would think a guy wouldn't miss, but I know he does miss them. We're confident that in a few short weeks, Jason will be able to do all of those things and make up for lost time. He is the best dad and my best friend, and we all look forward to seeing him back in business!  Sophie and Hawkes and some precious moments as a family, despite the challenges, have made this the best month we can remember.

We Get by with a Little Help from Our Friends

It seems like a good time to ask for prayers if you pray or vibes and positive thoughts if that's more your thing. Jason is having back surgery on Tuesday and we are hopeful that it will bring relief in every way for him and our family. Without going into too much detail, he has a disc herniation and some accompanying issues that he's tried to tackle in every other way, but now that those other avenues have been exhausted, it's time for surgery. We're confident in the abilities of the surgeon, Dr. Richard Lebow, and look forward to seeing good results.  This hormonal and tired new mom looks forward to finally seeing him be able to rock our baby and move without pain. 

 

We appreciate every single thought and prayer and will post an update after the surgery!

Hospital Bag Checklist

Having a second baby gave me a slight advantage when I packed a bag for the hospital because I knew what I wished I had the first time around and kind of remembered what I was glad I had.  Here's what we brought, and it seems like a lot but it all fit in one small weekender bag:

For me:
Glamourmom nursing tanks
Gilligan & O'Malley Nursing Sleep bras - Target 
Bravado Silk Seamless Nursing Bra

Robe
2 button-down nightshirts
2 pair leggings, 2 cardigans
Slippers
Comfortable flats
Pillow
Phone/iPad and charger
Camera
Glasses and enough contacts for a few days
Toiletries, including Cetaphil face wipes and heavy-duty lotion (your skin will be DRY from the hospital air and especially if you are breastfeeding)
Toilet paper!!  You do not want the hospital-grade TP.
Forgot to bring a bath towel!  Also might want to pack a blanket for the new dad. Our hospital had plenty of blankets but you never know!

For Hawkes:
2 newborn sleepers
2 three-month sleepers (we weren't sure how big he'd be and low and behold, he was born almost too big for NB clothing!)
Miracle blanket for swaddling (we've moved to Halo Swaddle Sleepsacks and SwaddleMe swaddles now that we're home)
A couple of receiving blankets
Carseat

To pack all these things in my weekender, I used a couple of sets of these eBags packing cubes.  I can't say enough good things about the packing cubes - they're great for keeping things organized and separating my clothes from Hawkes', toiletries from clothing, etc. 

Vanderbilt has a variety of room service food options and snacks available at no cost (outside of the $$$$ we spend to be there!) so I didn't pack any food, but otherwise might have packed granola bars, nuts, etc to have on hand because having a baby for me is like running a race - I am starving and parched for days after!  I also didn't pack diapers and wipes because I knew those would be available. 
 
That's it! Hope this helps someone out there! 

 

The Blocks are in!

This may not seem cheer-worthy, but it is!  After weeks of weather-related delays (too wet to dig the footers, too cold to pour the concrete, etc) all the stars finally aligned long enough to get those footers dug and concrete poured so that the blocks could go in and the framing of the addition can start soon!  As you can see, this photo was taken from the comfort of my car because it was raining like crazy today.  The space closest to the car is the kitchen, with the laundry room in between that and the master suite and hallway on the farthest side. 

We've also selected cabinets for the kitchen so I'll have some photos of the sample gallery to share soon and some details about the type of wood, the company, and some of the features we're including.  For now, though, I'm feeling ecstatic about the progress!