3 Months and a nickname has surfaced!

This past Thursday the little man turned 3 months old! He is  SO big. What a  big month it has been. During the last month he has changed a lot and is doing so much more now. He is weighing in at around 16lbs now! He has discovered his hands and they are now almost perpetually in his mouth. The drool is flowing like crazy and the hands in the mouth doesn't help any!

As of the last few days he has been staring at his feet as if he is trying to figure out how to get them too - so we may be discovering our feet in the coming month. He smiles ALL the time now and even has a little giggle :) He began to notice toys this month too. At first only light up toys or mobiles - but now he notices and enjoys most toys (as long as someone is holding it up for him). He will sometime giggle at the toys hanging from his car seat. No grabbing toys yet though! He is just starting to rub his eyes with his fists when he is tired - suuuuuper cute! He loves to stand up all the time now too.

We took him to the park for the first time this month. Yeah - he is too little to enjoy the park - but Mommy and Daddy had a good time!

 Landon's biggest and best accomplishment of the month, however, has been sleeping through (or almost through) the night! Bed time has gotten pretty consistent around 9:00pm and he will sleep until somewhere between 6:00 and 7:00 with an occasional feed around 4:00am and will rarely wake during the night (a quick pacifier replacement usually gets him right back to sleep). I credit the HALO swaddle sleep sack and the Sleep Sheep with this sleep accomplishment!

Also this month it seems that Mommy and Daddy have finally landed  on a nick name for Landon! Before he was born it bothered me that I couldn't think of a nickname I liked for Landon - everyone said "Lando" but for some reason I didn't like that. My family lovingly calls him "Landy" and I have all kinds of crazy nicknames for him (booger, booger butt, baby bear, peanut, bug...the list could go on forever) - but  nothing was consistent until one day Daddy called him "Lan Man". It stuck. "Lan Man" is now Landon's special name that Mommy and Daddy both call him :)

Time continues to fly by! I am shocked when I compare his newborn photos with current pictures of him. Babies are seriously amazing. It is so much fun watching him grow and learn - it seems to get more and more fun as time goes by too! I love my little man!

An Emotional Week

What an emotional week this one has been! Getting ready to go back to work next week and I am so NOT ready! Every day feels like a "last" to me (today is my last Thursday at home with him) and it is so hard not to dwell on that fact constantly. I'm trying so hard to enjoy each day that I have left, but it is hard! Nobody can prepare you for how hard it is to face leaving your baby... I am expecting to be puffy eyed and red faced on my first day of work - I hope I don't look hung over since it will be my first day of a brand new job.

I am so lucky that I found a new job before leave was over. Up until two weeks ago I was looking at returning to a job that had a 1 hour commute (each way) and an extremely exhausting, stressful 8 hour day. I had a lot of responsibilities at that job and usually came home completely worn thin. Now I am looking at a 15 min commute, 6.0-6.5 hour work days, and I am in charge of NOTHING. It is a much better scenario to return to - however it isn't making me feel any better...

Today was my last day of my beloved mommy and me group. I had a great time hanging out with the ladies I have been fortunate enough to bond with during the first three months of being a mommy. The support and camaraderie I experienced in this group has meant so much to me. I cannot imagine how things would be without this group. I have built friendships and have a network of support to lean on in all the crazy aspects of mommy-hood. I cannot say enough thanks for that group! Any new moms or soon to be moms out there - I highly recommend looking for a mommy and me group near you - you will not regret it! Thursdays have been the highlight of my week throughout maternity leave and I am so sad that I will no longer be able to attend. This has been the saddest of "lasts" so far.

Well -  I have four full days left of loving on my little boy before I have to become a working mommy. Here's hoping I survive....

Here's a cute pic from after our mommy and me group today - all worn out!

Two Months!

Little man is two months old! Didn't I just write a post about one month old?!?! He is growing like crazy - now weighing 13lbs 1oz and 23in long. His little twig arms and legs are now all roly poly and his cheeks are all chubby and adorable! 

So much has changed since he was born - it is quite incredible to watch him develop! He now holds his head up quite well, makes eye contact, and has started to visually track people. The most fun and exciting change this month, however, has been the smile! He now smiles in response to us with relative regularity. The first time my little guy looked right in my eyes and smiled up at me - it felt like my heart literally skipped a beat. That must be one of the greatest feelings in the world. 

Here he is smiling at Daddy...

Another fun first during Landon's second month was his first swim at Grandma and Grandpa's house. Although he did not like it initially - once he adjusted to the temperature, he LOVED it!

I can't wait to do swim lessons with him when he is a little bigger!! For now we are enjoying being able to play in Grandma and Grandpa's pool!!

We had a fun second month and are looking forward to another month of fun!

Peanut turns ONE MONTH OLD!

On Friday my little peanut turned one month old! Already! Everyone always says "they grow so fast" or "they don't stay that little for long" - I didn't realize just how true that really is! Every time I catch myself thinking "I can't wait for ______", I make sure to stop myself because I CAN wait. I want to enjoy every moment of his tiny-ness. I feel like my baby is getting so big already. He is currently weighing in at 10lbs 4oz (weight gain on 2lbs 4oz in one month!). He has grown out of newborn clothes (I nearly cried when I first put him in 3 months clothes and realized how much better they fit) and out of newborn diapers. Just look at how much he has grown in the past month...

 Being a parent has been quite an adventure so far. We are learning new things every day. We have learned that with baby boys, it is a good idea to "point" them in the right direction when putting on a diaper. I have learned how to clip teeny tiny fingernails. I have learned that babies are loud - even in their sleep sometimes! I have learned that babies have tons of little creases and folds in their skin that are difficult to clean! I have learned that t-shirts for babies are stupid (it's all about onesies and other one piece outfits!). I have learned that babies create a lot of laundry. A LOT. I have learned what it feels like to be so tired that my body feels like it will just shut off. I have learned what an inconvenience eating, drinking, using the bathroom, showering, and other tasks required to care for yourself can be! But most of all I am learning more about love!

Being mommy is still amazing! I just adore his little yawns, sneezes, and stretches...they are the BEST!

I LOVE bathtime!

Some more of my "favorite things"

Fisher Price Rock 'N' Play Sleeper. This is by far our favorite baby item. Landon loves being in it, I can rock him in it, it is  higher off the ground than a bouncer (out of "dog zone" too), I can put him in this next to the bed and see him while laying in bed (calming my new mommy anxiety) , and less spit up since he is not laying flat on his back!

Boppy pillow = arm saver!

Puj Tub. No slipping around during bath time

And pacifiers! Enough said!
 (Specifically though MAM  "start" pacifiers. They are smaller and the only ones Landon can keep in his mouth.)

Well, here's to surviving the first month! I know the coming months will be just as full of excitement as the first :) Happy One Month birthday to my precious boy!

2 weeks already!

Wow, I cannot believe that two weeks have already gone by with my little man! Part of me feels like it was only yesterday that we went to the hospital and another part of me feels like he has always been here. It's weird how fast such a huge life change becomes normal. We can't imagine our lives without Landon now...it's as if he has always been a part of our family, like something was missing before and he came along to fill that void.


"A mother's love for her child is like nothing else in the world. It knows no law, no pity, it dares all things and crushes down remorselessly all that stands in its path."
-- Agatha Christie


At Landon's two week appointment we learned that he is already 11oz over his birth weight! "Gaining weight  like a champ" as the doctor put it. I guess I can stop wondering if he is getting enough to eat since almost all feedings are initiated by me and not him.

So far he is a super easy going baby. He rarely wakes me up at night, and now that I know I am allowed to let him sleep for up to five hours at night I'll be getting more sleep :) We'll see if this lasts! He definitely takes after his Momma's sleep patterns though in that he likes to be wide awake for quite a while around the 10pm-12am time frame and then not again until 9 or 10am...


Funny stories for Landon's first two weeks:


1. Within an hour of birth, Landon peed and pooped all over Mommy... he wanted to initiate me right away!
2. First diaper change home from the hospital AND Daddy's first diaper change ever - Landon peed all over with his diaper off. I guess he wanted to initiate us both right away.
3. During newborn pictures, Daddy was holding Landon (naked) and he peed ALL over Daddy's stomach. Hahaha....that was fantastic.
4. During another diaper change with Daddy - Landon peed with the diaper off again, only this time he managed to aim directly for his own mouth. YUCK!


I am learning from this that all of the funny stories involve pee or poop and that Landon likes to save these moments for Daddy quite often! 


Fun firsts and momentous occasions during the first two weeks:


1. June 6th - Birth and meeting most of the family
2. June 7th - home from the hospital!
3. June 8th - first doctor visit, first trip to the store.
4. June 9th - Met Aunt Kayla
5. June 14th - First time going out just Mommy and Landon.
6. June 15th - umbillical cord stump fell off and met Uncle Zach.
7. June 17th - First Father's Day, first long car ride, first trip to a restaurant.
8. June 20th - First binky AND first real bath (Landon seemed to enjoy both!) 

What a busy couple of weeks it has been! We are loving this experience and are excited to see what the coming weeks will bring! We are so in LOVE.


Also, Landon is looking forward to meeting some more special people this weekend and in the coming weeks!!

And baby makes three....

Family. The Webster dictionary defines the word as the basic unit in society traditionally consisting of two parents rearing their children; also : any of various social units differing from but regarded as equivalent to the traditional family <a single-parent family>. I guess that makes us officially a "family" now.

Our beautiful baby boy arrived in this world on June 6th, 2012 at 3:55pm weighing 8lbs measuring 21in long and absolutely perfect. It was the moment that our lives changed forever. After 21 hours of labor - our little miracle was placed on my chest and so began our lives a parents. The emotions in that moment were so overpowering that the entire world seemed to slow down and become a blur. I hardly remember anything that happened in the moments after he was born. The love that coursed through me as I looked at his face and heard his beautiful cry for the first time was the most intense moment I have ever experienced. I was crying. Matt was crying. I was trying to comprehend the emotions I was feeling and allow myself to realize that this was real! After 9 long months, he was finally here in my arms!

Going though labor and giving birth was by far the most difficult and most painful experience of my life. I've had nightmares that I had to do it over again. Then I look at my son's handsome face and I forget about it all. There is no greater gift in the world. This mommy could not have asked for a better birthday present than having her son home for her birthday! (I told Landon while he was in my belly that I wanted him to be here for my birthday - I guess he wanted to make sure to give me that gift!). This face is worth everything I went through to get him here.

Pregnancy and becoming a mommy is the best thing that has ever happened to me. That last month of pregnancy was so hard - I couldn't wait for it to be over! Now that my precious son is here, I kind of miss it. I never thought I would say that. I miss feeling him move inside me. I miss touching my belly and feeling his little body. I miss the feeling that my body was growing this little miracle. But being a mommy is so much better. The feel of his soft skin against mine. The adorable little baby sounds he makes. When he stares into my eyes. Even changing poopy diapers! I love every single second. I have a whole new appreciation for my parents. They love me this much?!?! I'm not sure I fully understood love before becoming a mom. The love I feel for my baby is so fierce and so strong it sometimes feels as if it could rip my heart open. I am in awe of it all. Total awe. 


This still feels a little like a dream. As if I will wake up and discover none of it ever really happened. I know that will change as having a baby in house becomes "normal", but for now we are just enjoying our time getting to know our baby boy - Landon Matthew Meo.


And baby makes three...