Willow Kate 2 Months

You are two months old today. It's gone by soooo fast, yet it seems like so long ago that your daddy walked you over to me in the OR. You've grown soooo much these past couple of weeks...

-We think you weigh about 10 pounds or close to it. You're finally filling out and getting little rolls on your legs. :)

-You are still so good and content. You only cry when you're hungry.

-Your baths and your morning massages from mommy are your favorite times of the day.

-You love tummy time :)

-You sat in a bumbo the other night and you hold yourself up so good. You are so strong!

-You still eat 4 ounces about every 3 hours during the day. At night you go to bed before 8 and then wake up at about 12 or 1 to eat and then again at 6:30 or 7:30. Daddy and I take turns getting up with you.

-We went to a retirement home yesterday and the senior adults looooooooved you!! Several said that they wished a baby would come in sometime. You're already doing your part!

-In the mornings after you eat, momma and daddy work out and you love to watch us. You must think we're pretty silly.

-You are wearing size 1 diapers and 0-3 month clothes. You're getting too long for your newborn dresses but the onesies still fit.

-You started "talking" a couple of weeks ago and we can tell you're curious about where that little voice is coming from.

-You are starting to know who you are in the mirror.

-You don't smile much but we know you can because you've done it a few times. I think you just like to take it all in. You are so happy though, especially in the morning when you wake up.

-We watch you on the video monitor and daddy and I just stare at you and as soon as you open an eye, we race in to get you!! We love you sooo much!!

-We had our first "date" since you were born and nana babysat you. You did you good and slept great that night! We went to a movie but thought about you the whole time.

-You army crawl during belly time and it's soo cute. I know you'll be moving soon.

-You and mommy had a BIG ADVENTURE when we FLEW to see aunt kristi, uncle steven and your cousins, Jonathan and Tyler in Ft. Myers. You were soooo good and slept most of the plane ride! Your cousins love you so much and helped to hold and feed you and give you your passy. Aunt Kristi even stayed up with you at night! :)

-You had your first shots. Oh my goodness, Willow, it was sooo hard for mommy and daddy. Our tummies were in knots and you were so happy showing Dr. Rey how you can roll over and plank and you had no idea what was coming. We got to hold onto you and as soon as it was over we wrapped you up in our arms and held you so tight. You calmed down quickly but we were still shaky. I saved your banaids :)

-You love being read to! You look up at us and it's so cute. We read our Bible every day, I want you to be familiar with all the names and stories and I pray for the day that you'll ask Jesus to come into your heart like daddy and mommy did. :)

-You also love hymns...especially Jesus is the Sweetest Name I Know and There's Just Something About that Name.

-"Hollywood" is filming a movie right now on the street that we lived in when you were in my tummy. Very exciting ;)

You're such a sweet blessing to us and so many people and I am so so so very thankful for you. I tell daddy all the time that if I had known it was you in my belly, I never would have been so scared when we found out we were expecting. You are such a gift and we are so thankful for you!



NewBorn



6 Weeks



2 Months

this is jonathan

i got in a bear fight and a tiger fight a lion fight cheetah fight panther fight leopard fight and they all fought me together but i got all the people in the world every person i could get to help me and i won that's how i got that fracture. the end

i'm a really happy boy i like to climb i like to run that's all

my family is very nice they love me they care for me and i love them very much

i wish to be in the army

um i want to have grilled cheese the end

i know a lot about Jesus

the end

jonathan anderson

Willow Kate One Month Old

This is almost a month late but here is Willow Kates One Month Highlights :)


You eat so good. Every 2-3 hours. You still wake up in the night to eat

I feed you breast milk but we started you on formula also because I couldn't keep up with you. You like them both but I feel better when you nurse :)

You've been lifting your head since you were born and you've just gotten even stronger. The doctor was even amazed by your strength. During tummy time you love to scoot and try to roll over.

You weigh a little over 7 pounds now and we can tell you're growing. You still wear newborn diapers and 0-3 month clothes are so big on you so you mostly wear onsies.

You are focusing on us now but don't smile on purpose yet. We can't wait for that!

You love when we give you clay baths. It is so relaxing for you.

You are so content. You only cry when it's time to eat or when we change your diaper. You had a really bad diaper rash and I think I cried more than you!!

You've already been to the beach! We visited your uncle Kevin in Pensacola and you loved the warmth and the sound of the ocean. You liked the sand on your feet but not too crazy about the cold water.

You got in the hot tub with me last week (not too hot of course) and you loved it so much. You were so relaxed with your arms and legs all stretched out.

Mommy and daddy love music and you love to be in between us when we slowdance :)

We've been going to the village (our clinic in highland village) more and you do so good even though it gets a little cold sometimes and we have to go outside and warm up. As soon we step out, you fall asleep. It's so funny. You LOVE being outside just like mommy and daddy.

When we run errands, you like to be in your sling with me and daddy carries you in a tummy back.

You get so much attention when we go out and you deserve every bit of it :)

We can't believe how much you've changed. We love you so much and are enjoying every minute of getting to know you!


New Born







One Month

so many things

kristi from fort myers here ......

i don't even remember what i blogged about last, guess i should have looked!
in no particular i will post 9 things that come to mind....

jonathan had a pretty big deal head injury last month. long story short he fractured his head between his eyes kind of slanted down between his eye and nose.


he plays soccer. his coaches are tough but this is good. in this pic he's the one on the left.


we started school last week (homeschool) and it is going well. he's a smart kid and loves to learn so it makes my part easier.


tyler loves to do "school" to and we do letters and colors and have fun with things that 3 year olds enjoy.



jonathan does PE 2 times a week at the church. he enjoys it and it's so good for him to exersize and play with other kids. we are only doing it for the month of September. ($)
tyler and i either run errands or come home so he can nap and i can get some housework done.

tyler is a lot of fun and loves to do whatever jonathan does. he has a great personality but likes to be grumpy too. he makes a very serious face and can win the staring contest.

my friend emily is in italy on a mission trip for 3 months. check out her blog emilyitaly.wordpress.com



jonathan said some interesting things today as he does most days.

"i want to be buried next to jonathan when i die. since he was dad's friend he's my friend too. he seems like he was a really nice guy. his mom miss dottie showed me pictures and he looks really nice too. so yeah i want to be buried next to him in mississippi."

earlier i heard him tell tyler "you know tyler just because mom can't see you doesn't mean you can do that. God sees you all the time."

"mom i really want to see a mustard seed because you know that if you have faith the size of a mustard seed you can move a mountain."

tyler likes to say things he hears on tv and pretend to be different characters. he likes for steven, jonathan, and i to pretend too.
pretty cute to see a 3 year olds mind come to life. he loves to have books read to him. i think we could read all day and he wouldn't get bored. after we read to him he likes to "read" it back to us. precious!

my sister and willow came for a visit last weekend. willow was 6 weeks old and absolutely precious! so so so glad they came so i could see her before she got too big. we had lots of fun. my friend emily took pics of willow. here are two of the pics she took below. check her out at http://www.dippitydotphotography.com



i think that was 9!
i have one hour to get my house spotless.......
goodbye!

kristi <3

it's pretty hard typing with one hand so the blogging has been pushed aside for now. BUT i do wanna be able to look back and read things so i'm gonna try. and my sister better too :)

i have my "one month" post that i need to put up and it's almost time for the next one! wow!

we are really adjusting to having this little one in our family and i can hardly remember what it was like without her. it is so incredible to TRULY love someone unconditionally. she can never ever do anything that could make me love her any less...such an overwhelming feeling to know that thats how MY parents feel about me. what a gift parents get to experience. so so thankful.

willow and i took our first trip together this past weekend. my little jet setter has been to 6 states in the first 6 weeks of her life. she was soo good on the flight! people were pretty rude to me though when i first got on b/c i'm sure they thought "o great, a screaming baby" but towards the end they started commenting on how good and sweet she was. duh, its MY baby, lol.

she had her first shots the DAY we left. w and i had knots in our stomach and she loves her dr so she was showing off how she could flip over and do planks and was sooo happy so when it came time to do shots, we felt even worse. the first one she didn't cry and then all of a sudden she realized it hurt and poor little thing cried so hard. as soon as it was over, i grabbed her and cuddled her and w wrapped his arms around both of us and she calmed down pretty quick. the nurses said they didn't even hear her outside the door though. it breaks my heart to see TEARS though. agh!! i kept up with her tylenol the rest of the day and she didn't react at all. so blessed.

tummy time before shots

after shots :(

we had sooo much fun in ft myers while w had a blast dove hunting with his dad. special times for both of us even though we missed each other like crazy. it was so neat to see jonathan and tyler with willow. they were so good to her. and it was soooo nice to spend that time with my sister and brother in law. kristi even got up with willow so i could sleep!!! they're coming here in october and i am SOOOO excited!!!


my seester

sweet boys

hope everyone is happy and healthy
xo

Mommy must-haves...and have-nots

I researched as much as I could on what things were really NECESSARY and for me personally, this is what I've discovered.

Must haves...

-Medela breast pump. The electric one. I prefer to only do one at a time so the double isn't necessary but that's what I have. It was worth every penny. Trust me.

-Baby bathtub. This is scrazy but as I'm typing shes laying in her bathtub (no water) on her sleeping wedge and blanket. When I need to do laundry I just pick her up and take it with me. :)

-The sleeping wedge. No that's not the name of it but it keeps them on their back and from rolling over and is sort of a tiny ramp to help prevent gas, spit up, etc. It's so co forging knowing she's sleeping on this.

-Noise machine. It's so great and has a "womb" setting which whe loves. I got ours at babies r us.

-Boudreaux Barrier Spray. This was a life saver for this diaper rash. You can spray it every change and it keeps Anything from coming in conta t with skin.

-Pampers swaddles are great bc they have a line that turns green when she's wet. Also the Huggies Organics are good too ESP until their umbilical cord comes off...they dip down in the front.

-Baby swing and Boppy LOUNGER (not Boppy)

-socks, socks, socks, socks. And socks.

-nursing pads. I got the knees that stick and I love them.

-keep your house stocked with one handed foods. Grapes, kasha bars, etc. Also if your like me, I've not had an appetite and so m'lis nutrition shakes have been a lifesaver.

-tons of receiving blankets. The ones that are 36" or larger work best for swaddling. Swell for Target makes them

Have-Nots...(or can waits)

-Boppy. A pillow works just as well.

-I woukd wait on overstocking on wipes bc your baby may be sensitive to one. We think that's what bothered willow.

-hand help breast pump. I got one and it took 30 minutes to get what the medela will get in 30 seconds.

-this may be different if you bottle feed but I've not yet used one bib. Willow doesn't spit up so I am only using burp cloths for random things but glad I have them.


*side note...

This is a personal decision but after a very interesting conversation with my bff Emily, who is I believe a phsycology major, ive learned that letting your child watch TV before they're 2 increases their risk of ADD and several other things by 50% because their brains aren't designed for that yet. That's why baby toys are made the way they are. The colors, the high pitched sounds. Now I know many SMART children who have watched TV and kids movies since they could focus but personally, I wont be putting her in front of the baby Einstein DVDs I got at a garage sale. But I'll interact with her in different ways. Again, this is a personal decision and not right or wrong just what we've decided.

Welcome Willow Kate

Well I'm typing on the iPad and I don't know how to add pics but you've seen this little girl on Facebook :)

I can't believe it's been 2 weeks since she was born and shes not even "due" for 8 more days!! You preggo girls have ALL my sympathy!!

Well she came early b/c after a routine checkup then a stop at a fetal ultrasound specialist, it was determined that there was an unsafe amount of amniotic fluid to keep her in any longer. So we scheduled the c-section for the next day.

We were soo excited and I was soo nervous all of a sudden but we had THE MOST incredible team of dr's and nurses worming wih us. The c-section itself was a breeze and we all kept each other laughing. In minutes, she was born and we heard the most beautiful sound...her CRY!! Dr Wooley had prepared us nit to hear her cry and for her to be taken to the NICU if there were any questions since she's a peemie but she was perfect!! She was born at 13:13 and weighed 6 pounds even and is a little 18.5 inches. W got to bring her out to see the family and I finally got to hold her in my arms in recovery. It was instant love. I got to feed her and she is a natural. God is so incredible in His plan and design in all things.

We had a great stay in the hospital. The recovery was a little more intense thatk expected but just part of it.

We went home 3 days later and have really adjusted well. W took off the week and is slowly working back to his schedule this week. Willow is such a good eater, every 2-3 hours and is the MOST content baby vie ever seen. She o ky cries when she's hungry. She is getting over a terrible diaper rash and I think vie cried mire than her. I wish so bad I coukd take it from her.

She had her 2 week "well baby" checkup yesterday and they were so pleased. We LOVE her pediatrician! She's back up to her birthweight but my poor little runt is in the 5-10% on her height, weight and head. Shes gonna be a tiny thing.

It's almost feeding time so I better run! Thanks for any and all prayers!
Xo