Where is Aunt Lauren??

Zach's Aunt Lauren visited us this weekend and we had a wonderful time! She took a ton of pictures of Zach, held him so I could shower, and just held him so he would not cry (really just and excuse to hold him) and generally loved all over him. By Sunday he was turning his head toward her voice and was mesmerized by the giant flash on her camera. We are missing her today, but I am trying to remember that she will come back soon - hopefully, and we will just have to go visit! Both Zach and I were exhausted after the fun weekend, he slept all day yesterday (and still slept for two 4 hour stretches last night!) and I went to bed at 7:30. Alex skipped his movie so he could hang out with us and let me sleep. Such a good Dad.

4 Weeks and Counting

Zach turned a month old this week! Each day he is doing more and more, his eyes are more alert and follow the sound of my voice, he is grabbing everything that he touches and still kicks his little legs all about. We joined Alex at lunch at a cajun resturant where Zach fell fast asleep to some very loud cajun music and took a few long walks with Norman.

Loving on Mommy

Watching his sheep mobile that was his mommy's in his outfit that looks like he should be retiring to Florida right about now.

Our little swaddled taco and his daddy -
before he peed through his diaper, clothes and swaddle onto the comforter.

3rd Playdate, 1st New Friend

The past three Mondays Zach and I have gone to a newborn playdate with some girls from my neighborhood and their babies. One of the girls is my friend Tracy and her son Wyatt, who was born on my birthday. He and Zach are fast friends, as you can see from the pictures below. Alex says they look like two little old men sleeping. At today's playdate Wyatt was awake and chatty, but Zach was sleeping basically the entire time. Luckily right now the playdates are more for the moms than the babies.

We have entered a new phase of Zach being awake more during the day, as he turns a month old tomorrow. He still eats every 3 hours, but now is awake for 2 hours and only naps for 30 minutes in between feedings. While I do enjoy this "active awake" time...I do not enjoy the piercing screaming that sometimes accompanies it. He likes to be on the move (which is why I need his always on the go dad around) and to go outside. Sometimes he likes the swing and sometimes the bounce chair, but sometimes he is just happy to be held and only to be held. I am trying to enjoy this time with his eyes open and him being so alert, but am ready for more sleeping time at night - to balance out the awake time during the day.

All by myself...again

Well Grandma Liv just left and while I did not stand at the window sobbing like when Granny Marsh left...I still feel left all alone with this tiny baby to keep alive and quiet (if possible). We had a great visit, went to the Dodge dealership, visited with Aunt Vickie & Cousin Stephanie, and did some extensive tummy time. He did flip himself over when Alex was watching him, and though I think it might have been a fluke, it will obviously be going into the baby book. We are watching him extra hard now to see if he will do it again. He is VERY advanced, I don't care what anyone says!

3 weeks ago today

Our little man joined the family! He is growing every day, I think his head literally grew overnight. He weighs 7 lbs 10 oz and is 22 inches long, as of last week.

Mommy's favorite time, when Zach passes out after nursing. Alex says he looks like an insect (a darling insect, obviously) attached to me.

PS are those my mother's hands?

Brrrr! It is finally cold here in Houston, so Zach can wear his teddy bear hoodie. Granted it is not THAT cold, so he is just wearing a onesie underneath.

Worst Bath Ever

So today was Zach's day for a bath (every other day we are required to clean him). Usually we get prepared - we turn the heat up, get all the bath stuff out and get ourselves prepared for the screaming that comes when you remove any article of Zach's clothing. However today was different. Alex was changing a very dirty diaper in the back room when Zach peed on him - and the window. So Alex decides we should wash him, now, like this second. I run to get the bath tub, the washcloths, start warming the water, etc. About that time he runs into the kitchen with my half naked child (screaming) and plops him in the tub. As I start to try to wash my child he poops into his tub. Awesome.

Alex is horrified and insists we switch him to the wash pod. For those not familiar with the wash pod, it is a half cylinder that the baby is supposed to sit in, as compared to the oblong tub. The key is that the baby is supposed to be able to sit up, or at least hold up his head. This makes no difference to Zach's dad.Alex grabs the wash pod and I am dangling screaming Zach over the pod as we walk into the bathroom.

Once we get some water in the pod and lower him in (with me still holding him), he seemed a tad less dissapointed that we were his parents. Below are some pictures from the first bath, where we did not traumatize Zachary.

Poem from Grandma Marsh

Babies Don't Keep by Ruth Hulbert Hamilton

Mother, O Mother, come shake out your cloth,
Empty the dustpan, poison the moth,
Hang out the washing, make up the bed,
Sew on a button and butter the bread.

Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
She's up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.

Oh, I've grown as shiftless as Little Boy Blue,
Lullabye, rockabye, lullabye loo.
Dishes are waiting and bills are past due
Pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo

The shopping's not done and there's nothing for stew
And out in the yard there's a hullabaloo
But I'm playing Kanga and this is my Roo
Look! Aren't his eyes the most wonderful hue?
Lullabye, rockaby lullabye loo.

The cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow
But children grow up as I've learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down cobwebs; Dust go to sleep!
I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep.

Okay, I don't even have a baby and this made me tear up a little. Sometimes, we just stand around and cry (joyfully) about how sweet and beautiful that little Zach is.

New Pictures

I'm going to assume that Kinsey probably hasn't checked the blog lately, so for those of you anxious for updates, here are a few pictures she's shared. Looks like that precious boy is getting more and more precious (leaving out those midnight feedings of course).
Who doesn't love car rides?
He really is a little longhorn. I'm pretty sure he's making the hook 'em sign with those long fingers in celebration of the Fiesta Bowl.