First Beach Trip and New Toys

We went to Sandestin, FL with MiMi and PaPa at the end of June...

We had a lot of fun at Xander's first beach trip =) (he cut his third tooth while we were there). Thanks for taking us MiMi and PaPa... We know it wasn't easy to spend a week in a hotel with a baby (or his mommy ;) ).

Before we left for the beach... YaYa and Pops got a REALLY cool toy in the mail. =)

Thank you SO much YaYa and Pops =) Xander loves his car!

Look what I can do!

A year ago Xander was just a tiny ball of cells, now he weighs in at 14 1/2 pounds and is 25 inches long. A year ago I just thought I had a bad stomach bug, now I'm a mom.

Trust me, I couldn't be happier. But this has been a long and hard journey. I definatly didn't have much hope that things would turn out this well. I made a mistake that has turned into a wonderful blessing, and not just for me. "In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps." (Proverbs 16:9)

Yesterday Xander decided he knew how to roll over, from his tummy to his back. He did it for me MANY times, because I was just SO excited! =)

Weekend with Noah

This past weekend, Noah came to visit. Noah is really warming up to Xander. He likes to tickle Xander, tell Xander hello, check on Xander when he wakes up, and share his racecars... just not MiMi or food. If Xander makes noises, Noah makes noises. If Xander goes for a walk, Noah goes for a walk.

MiMi and I took Xander and Noah for a walk on the Lakeshore path...

Then the next day we went to "PaPa's Park" (the Homewood park, in case you were wondering).

We rounded out the weekend going shopping with Carrie and Noah. Our first sisters and sons outing. =)

Xander First Trip to the Zoo

I'm sorry to all those whom I have dissapointed by not posting for many months. I have a terrible sense of time and time managment; I've been really busy trying to keep up with Xander and taking a daily shower!

Instead of trying to bring you up to date, I'm going to do my best in documenting the Adventures of Xander...

Today, MiMi took us to the Zoo! Xander really enjoyed seeing the monkeys, the barnyard animals, and all the kids. Here are some clips of today's adventure!

More Firsts

Weeks Two-Three

These two are from MiMi's Week 2 photo shoot...

...and these two are from part of MiMi's Week 3 photo collection.

Daddy bought a travel system! He hates being still in the car seat, but once it starts moving he is asleep!


Everyone wanted to take him on a spin around "the circle".

First trip to YaYa and Pops's house...

...it was a surprise!

And first big boy bath!

And today, Jan. 13, 2010... Xander ate, played, and slept ALL DAY, in that order!! YEY! =)

Week One

Week 1: Beginning the "First"s

• First car ride
• First day home
• First at home visitors...

...First bath at home...

Griffin was a little nervous... but he got more relaxed. Both boys love bath time now.

I think Xander felt a little betrayed at first...

...and he wasn't quite sure what was going on, of course.

Once Daddy held him he seemed to feel a lot better, even though it was cold.

Baby frog legs.

...First time in the bouncer...

He is OBSESSED. He loves his bouncer. He won't complain if he has a dirty diaper, and he will even tense up his muscles if you try and take him out! When he gets his feelings hurt, or is just a little fussy... to the bouncer he goes!

...First cat sniff...

Ali was my first baby. I love this cat, have since I was 7 years old. While I was pregnant she rested on my belly like it was her pillow, even wrapped her arm around it sometimes. She came up to sniff Xan while he was in the bouncer, when he squeaked she jumped and leaned closer to check on him. =)

...First night in his crib...

Xander's fussy time was between 4 am to 6 am, but two nights ago I put him down in his crib to sleep. Now that fussy time is gone! Yey!!

...First time playing on his gym...

The Jones (my sister Carrie's in-laws) bought his awesome gym. He loves all the colors... and staring at himself in the mirror.

Week 37

Week 37: The unexpected

Well... I started inconsistant contractions Sunday night but there was no change when I was examined at my appointment Monday morning...

Tuesday I finished packing my hospital bag (it was on my to-do-list for week 37) and realized I hadn't painted his door canvas. So, I painted his "X marks the spot" sign and started up another round of contractions. While I was painting I remember thinking, OK. I think I am ready as soon as I finish this sign. And I prayed about some things and had an amazing sense of peace. I got in the tub for my nightly bath, but soon had overwhelming senese that I REALLY needed to take a nap, right then. I slept until around 9:30 and woke up with a lot stronger contractions. My parents had just returned from a concert and were getting ready for bed when I came downstairs. Mom took one look at my face and asked what was going on... Once I told her she thought it would be a good idea to start timing my contractions. Dad acted like we were being silly, and he went to bed.

At 10:15 pm we started recording my contractions, noting when they started, when they stopped, how long they lasted, and how far apart they were. By 11 pm they were 8-10 minutes apart and lasting two minutes. Griffin called around midnight to tell me he had just gotten into town, when I told him what we were doing (I'm not sure he really understood what was going on at that point...) he said to call him back and let him know what was going on if I needed to. Mom and I then talked about calling my doctor's office because by that time they were every 3-4 minutes and lasting two minutes. Once I got in touch with the on-call nurse I was convinced to go ahead and come in to be monitered, at least. We got to the hospital at 1:20 am.

When I first got to the hospital I was almost 1 cm dialated and close to 80% aface. I stayed on the moniter, had some blood work done, and wasn't checked again for another 2 hours. By then I was 1 1/2 cms dialated and more aface... My contractions started to slow (or drop off completely), so I was convinced I would soon be sent home. But by the next time I was checked (about another two hours) I was a little over 2 cms and I was 90% aface. They decided to go ahead and keep me... I was going to have a baby.

They broke my water at 7 am, I got my epideral by 8:30, and began pushing a little before 1 pm...

aleXANDER Cole was born December 16th, 2009 at 1:55 pm. He weighed 7 lbs 12 oz and measured at 20 inches long.