Saturday, March 28, 2009

Six Weeks Today

Lily and her "freighbors" (neighbor friends)
My little dude


Sleeping beauties



Devin is 6 weeks old today, and I do declare that I am finally exiting the fog. (I think).




It's amazing how quickly my days fly by, but if someone were to ask me exactly what I DID that day? Hmmm....




It would go something like this:




Fed him, burped him, changed him, held him, rocked him, swung him, swayed him, soothed him, AH - he's asleep. (repeat)




Now, it would be lovely if I could catch a quick nap while he slept but there is a sweet 4 year old who needs me. Lily is doing great as a big sister, but she is quick to tell me when I'm not paying enough attention to her. So, while Dev sleeps we keep busy together. Her new favorite thing is Dora Scrabble, and luckily, I find it enjoyable as well. We also spend hours coloring beautiful masterpieces which are hung all over our house. (the fridge is full).




I am now showering AND changing out of my pj's daily. This is big news! I don't have much computer time, and when I do get here I feel like my brain is mush...putting meaningful sentences together takes a lot of energy.




-Devin is doing really, really well. It was a rough start. But the formula we have him on now seems to be working wonders and now he'll cry in 10 minute intervals rather than hours on end. He seems to be much more comfortable in his own skin, and that makes this momma very happy! We've seen him smile several times, and it is the cutest thing ever! SO much cuter than his perma-scowl. I'm guessing he's at least 12 pounds, as he is outgrowing his 0 to 3 month clothing and fits pretty nicely into 3 to 6 month...yeah, biiiiig boy. He loves his swing, and is starting to like his bouncy seat too. We've introduced him to "Baby Mozart" and "Praise Baby" videos, and he'll actually watch those for a bit now too.




-Lily is fabulous. She loves her brother and is a big help to Jay and I. She seems so much older now - it's freaky. When I read to her, she is now pointing out all of the punctuation marks. "Mom, that is a period. It means the sentence is ending. And that's a comma. You need to pause and take a breath. And when the sentence is a mystery, it ends with a question mark. Did you know that, momma?" She still has issues with her speech - certain letters that she has trouble pronouncing. But now she is AWARE of it. She said to me the other day "Mom, I can't say the "Tay" (K) sound unless it is followed by an "L" like in dance C-L-ass. I think that is just so intewesting!"




So, she is growing, learning, and maturing...but is still just a funny, happy-go-lucky little girl. We have enjoyed getting outside on the days when it's been warmer, but are ready for spring weather to get here and STAY so we can spend most of our time outside with friends havin' some real fun.




That's all for now.

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Our family of four

Our journey to Devin was a crazy, whirlwind of a ride. We were still grieving the loss of baby #1 when my social worker told me to get some pictures together for her. The very next week we received a phone call saying that we had been chosen! (this happened ONE DAY before I got the call saying that baby #1 had been born.) SO, Jay and I decided to go forward with this adoption. We knew it was a boy, and we both felt in our hearts that our next child was indeed a boy. (Baby #1 was a girl, by the way). The following week we met the birthparents. To say the meeting was awkward would be such a ridiculous understatement. But, we survived, and it was just the beginning of weeks filled with awkward encounters. I learned to wake up every morning saying "I cannot do this alone, God. You gotta help me big-time"...and He did. This experience stretched Jay and I in ways we never dreamed possible. But, because of it, I got to hear Devin's heartbeat while he was still in the womb. I got to see him just one hour after he was born, and we got to leave the hospital with our son. Having a newborn is challenging, to say the least. Daily showers are no longer a given for this momma. Heck, getting out of my pj's doesn't happen everyday. I sleep in 2 1/2 hour intervals at night (on the good nights, that is). Dev has struggled with gas, or colic, or SOMETHING that has caused him to spend hours wailing at the top of his little lungs. We are on our third formula with him, and we think the third time is the charm cuz things are improving greatly. Hallelujah! All this to say, I feel overwhelmingly blessed to have two beautiful, healthy, perfect little kidlets. God is good!
Dev and his gramma. I LOOOOVE this picture.


Lily's sassy new "do"...she couldn't be any cuter.

Lil entertaining all of us. (Devin looks like he's trying to figure her out, doesn't he!?)



Look at that face!!!!





So cute!





I had to go out and get myself a sassy "do" too. Now Lily says we match...yep, practically twins, the two of us!