One Month Old and GROWING!!

I've really been slacking on posting and taking pictures of my baby.  I think I need to hire someone to follow us around with a camera.  First of all, I never have the camera where I need it.  Second, I never can get a picture of what I want when it happens.  Third, I'm too busy watching what Bentley is doing to even think about taking pictures.  I promise to be better about this from now on.  Here's a basic update on Bentley in the last month...

Born on Monday, April 11, 2011 at 7:34 pm. 
Weight: 6 pounds 1 ounce
Length: 18 1/2 inches

Here's a picture of Bentley less than 24 hours after birth.

He spent all of his time eating, sleeping, and pooping.  We rarely saw his eyes for the whole first week he was here.  After that, he started having a little more awake time.  At his 4 day check-up, he was down to 5 pounds 10 ounces, and still a little jaundice.  Overall, he was  healthy, though.

At his two week check up, Bentley weighed in at 6 pounds 4 ounces, which surpassed his birth weight.  WooHoo!!  This meant that he was getting plenty to eat, so there was no need for supplementing with anything.  We were lucky...we never had to give him any formula at all.  He took to nursing very well, and so did I for the most part. :)  Not only had he gained 10 ounces in 10 days at this check-up, but he had grown 1 1/2 inches.  My itty bitty baby is growing so fast!!

While at the 2 week check-up, we asked the doctor about a tub bath since Bentley's umbilical cord had recently fallen off, and we also asked about sleeping arrangements.  He had been sleeping in his pack-n-play in our room for the first two weeks, and the doctor said that the earlier the better for transitioning him to his crib.  So, we went home prepared for him to have his first real bath and try out his crib that night.  So, two weeks old was a big day for Bentley!

Bentley took a nap in his crib that afternoon to see how he did in his crib.  As you can see, he's sleeping like a baby! :)

Check out my big boy!  He's sleeping all by himself in his crib! 

Here is Bentley's first bath!  I don't think he loved it, but he certainly didn't hate it.  He did really good, and didn't cry at all.

Rub-a-dub-dub...baby boy in the tub!

Bentley did amazing in his crib that night.  I laid him down really drowsy, and he whined for short time and then cried for about 3 or 4 minutes.  Then, VOILA...he was asleep.  (I should probably tell you that was the longest 3 or 4 minutes of my life while he was crying.)  I felt like a horrible mom, but as soon as he went to sleep, I felt like we had done the right thing.  He slept really well, and only woke up to eat every 3 hours.  After each feeding, he went right back to sleep.  YEAH! 

Two days later, April's Fury took place.  April 27, 2011 will always be known as the horrible day of the tornado outbreaks.  Luckily, no tornadoes came too close to our home, and none of our family was hurt.  We had a couple of family members that to deal with downed trees, but that was the worst of it.  Sadly, though, one of Daniel's coworkers was hit hard.  Five of her family members, including one of her 17 month old twins were killed by a tornado.  My heart still breaks for her each day.  I cannot imaging losing family members to such a disaster, but I especially cannot imagine losing a child.  Her other child is currently in the hospital with injuries, but she's improving each day.  Thank God for that.  Though it seems so cruel, God has a plan, and there is a reason that this happened.  His grace will see their family through this tragedy, and it makes the rest of us cherish what we still have.

Here is one of the storms coming in from a distance.

Here is one of the tornadoes forming.  This was the one that ran through the north side of Huntsville.

 As you may know, there was a massive power outage after the storms.  We lost power Wednesday afternoon, and we didn't get it back until Sunday afternoon.  Luckily, we have some really great friends in Tennessee that offered up their generator to us.  We were able to run the refrigerator, small appliances (coffee makers), the T.V., and phone and computer chargers off of that.  Russ, Cyndel, and Coen stayed with us from Thursday until Monday, and Keith and Raven stayed one night as well.  We cooked on the grill, and boiled water for baths on the grill and in the coffee makers.  That was a long four days, and we are so thankful that the power is back. 

We backtracked a little during that time.  Because we had no power and we didn't want to disturb everyone staying with us, Bentley slept in our room in his pack-n-play again during that time.  Overall, everything went well, but I think all the commotion got him a little out of whack.  He was really fussy for those few days, but he seemed to go back to normal after the power came back on and everything was back to normal. 

Here are Coen and Bentley laying in Bentley's gym.  Aren't they cute?!

My two boys side by side!  Too Cute!!

Today is May 11. 2011.  Bentley was due last Thursday, May 5th, but he's been here for quite some time now.  Bentley is officially one month old, and he's growing so much.  I haven't weighed him or measured him since his two week check-up, but I can tell he's grown a lot.  He seems so long to me now, and he's so much more alert.  He's awake a lot of the time, and he's starting to smile real smiles.  He's always smiled as he's falling asleep, but now he's starting to smile in response to me acting like a  monkey.  Ha ha! :)  He also recognizes faces and stares at us as we hold him.  It is so neat to think that he's mine.  I have a baby...an adorable baby that I love so much!  Here are some pictures I took this morning...ONE MONTH OLD!!



Look how long he is!  My big boy!!

He was looking out the window in his room from the changing table.

Here he is trying to smile.  I was tickling him and talking silly...I think he liked it.  :)

Check out my t-shirt!  "I Love My Daddy"

Napping in the crib...ZZZzzzzzz
We've started using a paci at times, so here he is with a MASSIVE paci in his mouth.

Daddy came home for lunch and got some Baby Time in.  Bentley was lounged out and sleeping good.

As a recap of the first month of Bentley's life...here's what I've learned about him.

Likes:

• To be held up on your shoulder (burping position).
• Bath time, as long as it doesn't interfere with eating time.
• Bouncy seat, especially when it vibrates and sings.
• Swinging.
• Laying by himself...he doesn't always want to be held.
• Windows and light...He loves laying on his changing table with the blinds open.
• Clean diapers...dirty diapers make him really mad.
• The vacuum cleaner and hairdryer...they put him to sleep every time!
• Meal time! 

Dislikes:

• Dark...We have a nightlight in his room because he has a come apart if it's really dark.
• Dirty diapers...and he tends to dirty them at least 6-8 times a day, maybe more.
• Diaper changes, though he does much better with warm wipes.
• Being held like a baby (cradle hold) unless he's REALLY sleepy or eating.

That's all I can think of right now...I guess it's good that the likes outweigh the dislikes.  I think we are finally updated, and I'll try to do a better job of taking pictures and posting more often.  I'm not making any promises. :)

We are so blessed to have our sweet little family!  I love my life!! :)