Date night and Making pizza with the kiddos

Isaac and I went on our first "date" since Mark was born. It was triangle restaurant week in Raleigh, and so we took advantage of the $20 3 course meal offered at many restaurants in Raleigh. My sister Carolyn took care of Mark while we were gone. I'm so lucky to have someone locally that I can swap babysitting services with!

We had a delicious meal! Isaac had she crab soup, grilled meatloaf, and creme brulee. And I had heirloom tomatoes and goat cheese, shrimp pasta, and creme brulee. YUMMY. It was really nice to have a little time together. We have both talked about our desire to commit to regular date nights. We love our little Mark, but we don't want to lose "us" in the mix.

On Saturday night, we babysat for Carolyn. The kiddos requested that we make pizza (since we did that a few months ago the last time we babysat). So, we loaded up all the stuff, and headed to Carolyn's. We even made the pizza dough this time. It was super easy (email me to comment if you'd like the recipe). We got the kids involved in the mixing and kneading process. Here are a couple pictures of Alex and Maia in action:


Here is a picture with the three of us. Not the best picture of me, but good for memories nonetheless!

And here is the finished product. The kiddos decided to make their mini-pizzas in a heart shape. It turned out great, and the pizza was so tasty. Alex exclaimed that it was the best pizza he had ever eaten! He ate his whole pizza and had a slice of the big pizza we made.


We had such a good time together and feel so blessed to live so close to family. Mark is one lucky little guy to live so close to his cousins. They love him so much and enjoy holding him and playing with him. Truly, truly thankful for these blessings... Nothing is more important to me than friends and family.

Hope you all are having a good week. Off to DC later this week to spend some time with Kathleen and her family. Can't wait!

And last but not least, here's a picture of Mark. Can't publish a post without that! : ) Mark is getting so good at batting his play mat toys. So, so sweet!

Publish Post

Stuff I don't want to forget

Hi all. I'm going to use this blog as a way to document major milestones so I don't forget! I want to remember all these special times and memories!

Mark's nicknames so far:

• Baby Bird
• Sweet Little Baby
• Itty Bitty
• Bugaboo
  
• Fuss Bucket, or "Bucket" for short

First smile:

• A couple days before 6 weeks (week of August 15)

Can kick and hit the toys on his play mat:

• 6 weeks week of August 22... he loves to look at the lights and kick the elephant.

Focuses and follows me when I move:

• 6 weeks--he is so amazing with this! I love it that he knows when I've moved and changes his gaze to find me!

Mark is growing and getting so much stronger. I happen to think he is the cutest baby ever! I'll try to capture a picture of him with a smile soon. In the meantime, I'm totally in love with this little one. Thank you God!

Mark's First BeachTrip!

Isaac, Mark, and I went to Ocean Isle Beach this past weekend. My dad and step mom have a house there, and we had not been ALL year. Guess we've been a little busy! We had a great time but it was HOT. Because Mark is so little, we waited till late, late afternoon to go out. Babies can't wear sunscreen and we needed to keep him out of the sun as much as possible. We used a jog stroller that had a sunshade on it, so he was well protected.

Here is a great picture of us on the beach. Mark is growing so much and getting stronger. He is so much more alert. And he blessed us with a smile this past week! How awesome was that!?
Isaac ventured into the water with Mark first. It's so, so neat to experience all these "firsts" with my family. I expected Mark to cry, but he seemed to enjoy the warm water. (He's not so into his baths these days. That will change!)


And I ventured into the water with Mark the second day at the beach. I can't believe he may be walking and standing on his own!

It was so nice to be with our family. Dad and Carol were such good hosts, and we enjoyed hanging out, talking, playing Rummikub, and just being together. We're looking forward to many more family beach trips together!

Here's a family photo taken by someone on the beach. It was pretty windy... so it isn't the best photo of me. But it is nice to have pictures of the 3 of us together.

Mark and Isaac's First Fishing Trip

We traveled to Deer Lodge, TN last weekend to visit with Isaac's family. Isaac's brother and family were in from Wisconsin, and his sister came over too. Isaac's grandmother has terminal colon cancer and has been declining a bit. So it was important for us to go visit and spend some time with everyone.

Traveling in the car with a 4 week old for 9 hours wasn't easy. The trip to Deer Lodge was the toughest since I kept asking myself, "Why are we doing this?" But, we made it, (after a break down in the car by me, about 45 minutes from our destination). I was so blessed that Isaac and his family totally took over Mark's care when I got there so I could sleep. The only thing I did was pump and I think I slept 10 hours that night. It was glorious and I seriously felt like a new woman the next morning.

The last evening we were there, we all went to the pond on the farm to go fishing. Isaac's family loves fishing--including his brother and 4 year old nephew Caleb. Isaac loaded Mark in the Baby Bjorn, and off we went. When we got there, Isaac looked for some grasshoppers to use as bait.

It wasn't long before Isaac's brother and sister caught some fish. Meanwhile, Isaac and Mark were fishing and patiently waiting for the right one. Soon enough, they reeled in a large mouth bass! It was a really big fish and we all cheered the fact that Mark's fish was such a big one.
We always do catch and release. And the tradition is to kiss the fish before you throw it back in the lake. Here is a picture of Nathan (Isaac's brother) bringing the fish close so Mark could kiss it.
And here is a family picture of the three of us before we headed back to the house.
What great memories we have already made as a family. Isaac was so excited to take Mark on the first of many fishing trips together. What a lucky woman I am to have two such fantastic guys!

1 Month Check Up

Mark had his 1 month check up on Monday. I can't believe he's one month old. And even more, I can't believe he's gained 3 lbs since he was born. He now weighs 10 lbs 12 ozs and is 22 1/4 inches long--that a growth of an inch and a quarter in a month. He's in the 85th percentile for height and 70th percentile for weight. Perfect--obviously he's going to be tall with a 6'7" daddy.

Mark had to get his second Hepatitis B shot. Of course we hated this. Mark did really well, but hearing him wail after the shot was a bit traumatic. Sweet Isaac promised him ice cream, but of course, he can't have that right now. I thought the sentiment was really sweet. Not looking forward to the 2 month visit when he gets a lot more.

Mark is now sleeping for a 4 hour stretch at night. This has been VERY nice. Then he usually will go back down for another 3 hour stretch, but getting him back down after that is pretty hard. Seems like he enjoys the 4:30-5:30 hour! : ) He should stretch this out a little more in a few weeks, so we're fine with this. Actually, in some ways I'll miss this time because it means he's a lot bigger! Breast fed babies wake a little more frequently, but it's worth it for the benefits that he's getting.

On the Mom and Dad front...

Isaac is training for the Marine Corps Marathon on October 31. He is up to 16 miles for a long run (his longest ever!). And will do an 18 miler this Saturday. I am so proud of Isaac for doing this while working a pretty busy job and raising a newborn.

My 34th birthday is Saturday. We are having some people over for cake and ice cream and my best friends from Winston are coming to visit. Can't wait! I won't be with my twin sister Kathleen this year. But we'll celebrate together hopefully during Labor Day weekend.

I need to write another post on our trip to TN this past weekend. Driving 9 hours each way with a newborn was no picnic, but we had a wonderful trip with family. Stay tuned!

And finally a picture of Mark with his animal friends. How cute is this?!

Loving this Baby

Seriously, I had no idea I could love something so much. Baby Mark is one of the most amazing things that has ever happened to me. I'm watching him sleep right now, and I am filled with so much love I can barely stand it. I know not all mom's feel this way so quickly, but I'm grateful that I do.

Mark is doing really well. We've slowly been increasing the volume of breast milk he's getting at each feeding. We figured out he was hungry on Saturday night after we'd just fed him an hour prior. Isaac suggested he might be hungry, and so we fed him again and went to bed. 3 hours later I woke up panicking because the baby was still sleeping! That's the longest continuous stretch of sleep we've gotten since before we was born. It was glorious. We even got him to take some naps in his crib. We may try to transition him to his crib soon. I'd hate to have to transition from the bouncy seat to the pack 'n play, and then to the crib! But we're also lucky, Mark's room is about 30 feet from ours. Please pray for me. I already have separation anxiety just thinking about him being in the next room!

My brother came to visit on Sunday. He just graduated with another Master's degree from Naval Post Graduate in Monterrey, CA (he's in the Army--but all branches plus civilians go there). He has been in Petersburg, VA for the last month doing a leadership course. It was a treat to spend time with him b/c he'll be moving to Hawaii in September, and then heading to Afghanistan for a year in November. This is going to be so hard on his family. I wish I could pull CA closer to us. (My SIL is going to stay in CA till next year some time since they are already established there... esp. since Chris will be gone anyway.) I love this family so much. I just wish I could do more.

My mom was here on Saturday and Sunday. It was such a big help! My car died on Friday. Isaac jump started it, got the battery replaced, and then figured out the alternator was dead too. Along with an oil change and new rotors (another problem I was having), we're now $750 poorer. Oh well, I know that's just life! : ) Mom helped us get back and forth to the car repair shop, and held Mark almost all day. It was a sweet sight to see.

Our condo is immaculate too. We cleaned and packed like crazy over the past week, and it's really paid off. The realtor will be here shortly to take pictures and officially list the house. I'm hoping it will sell quickly. We've priced it fairly competitively to see if we can get a quicker sale. Only time will tell.

So, that's the news for now. Have a great week everyone.

A verse I'm meditating on today:

"Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God."

(Colossians 3: 15-16)

Updates

Hi all! It's been a busy week since I last posted. Mark has had quite a few firsts, including his first ever trip to Ben and Jerry's ice cream shop! Here is a picture of us hanging out on the patio after we enjoyed our ice cream (I had chocolate peanut butter--very rich and yummy! One of the benefits of breast feeding--ice cream whenever I want!) Look at how tiny he is, and check out the cute monkey on his onesie!

Our condo is going on the market on Monday. We have been furiously packing up extraneous items in an attempt to make the condo look bigger and less cluttered (although there isn't a lot of clutter to begin with). My mom is going to come this weekend and pick up some of the boxes for us to store till we sell the condo and move. We met with the realtor last night and signed the contracts needed. She is coming back Monday to take the pictures that will be posted on the internet and Multiple Listing Service (MLS). We are excited this is going so well, and hope our condo sells quickly. It would be awesome to have this done by the time I go back to work in Oct. Please pray for us.

Here is a sweet picture of Mark passed out on his daddy's lap. They are so precious together. I could seriously eat them both up!

Isaac has been traveling this week to Williamston, NC and Henderson, NC to conduct some energy audits. He has been working in this miserable heat, and it is definitely taking a lot out of him. I am really proud of the amount of work he has accomplished, even with a newborn in the house!

Well, time for Mark's next feeding... so I'll sign off for now. Hope you all are having a great week!