Fenn's First Snow

Fenn got to see his very first snow this morning. It was the first "stick" we've had all winter. Because Knoxville is in a valley, we actually don't get a lot of snow. But you can drive 15 minutes in almost any direction and see snow several times each year. Since we weren't sure of how long it would last, we took a picture of Fenn with Daddy around 7:00 a.m. before Daddy went to his Wednesday morning meeting. Then Mommy got Fenn all bundled up in his cute hat and sweater and asked our carpenter, Larry, to take a picture. (Larry was working downstairs tiling our hallway and bath.) When we walked outside, Fenn turned his face up toward the sky with his eyes closed... it seemed like he was enjoying feeling the snow hit his little face. I wish I had gotten a picture of that! (If you look closely, he's actually looking up in the picture with Mommy.) Not satisfied, I took Fenn back outside and sat him in his Bumbo seat in the snow. He's a little scrunched up sitting there, but it's still cute. At least we got a picture of him in the snow.

Fenn at Two Months Old

This is Fenn at Two Months. This is the second installment in the "12-month onesie" series. He is definitely starting to fill it out more. Look at how much "plumper" his arms and legs are. He went to the pediatrician on February 12th for his two-month checkup. They started his immunization shots at this visit. He did so good. They had to stick him 3 times, and he only cried briefly. He weighed in at a whopping 13 pounds! And he was 23" long.

By the time he was 2 months old, he was starting to sleep through some nights ~ not every night, but we'll take that. The first time was Friday, February 1st and then he did it again on Wednesday, February 6th... we put him down around 11:00 p.m. I heard him "talking" around 4:00 a.m. and went in to check on him. He had kicked off his blanket and was partially awake. I gave him his pacifier and then went to the kitchen to start his bottle. When I came back into the room, he was asleep. So I put the bottle back up, re-swaddled him, and went back to bed. The next thing I knew, it was 6:00 a.m.! So that's what it feels like to sleep through (most) of the night! We hope that's the beginning of a trend.

Fenn meets his cousins, Piper & Sydney

In January, Fenn got to meet his cousins, Piper & Sydney. Of course, Uncle Mark and Aunt Debbie came, too! The girls were really excited and anxious to hold Fenn. Sydney got to be the very first person to hold him! I think Fenn was a little worried at first because they brought all of this "girlie" dress up stuff. He was afraid they were going to try and dress him up! But they didn't try.... at least not this time. Give them time. We're bound to have some embarrassing pictures of Fenn dressed up in some of their "girlie" stuff!

It was a fun few days... Uncle Mark and Aunt Debbie babysat so Mommy and Daddy could go out to a movie. We were really tired and not sure if we even wanted to go, but it probably did us good to get out. Thanks, Mark & Debbie!

He Smiled at Us!

These are some of Fenn's first smiles... talk about making your heart melt. The first time I knew it was a real smile (and not gas or a signal that he was about to spit up) was on Thursday, January 24, 2008. He was 6 1/2 weeks old. I'm so glad he did it before starting daycare. I worried that his first smile would be to someone other than Mommy or Daddy. I dropped Fenn off at daycare a couple of times for a few hours the week before he started full-time. That was mostly so Mommy could get used to the idea of someone else keeping him. His first full day is Monday, February 4th. Fenn seemed to really like Ms. Taphne when he met her. She's really cute and bubbly.... and she talks really loud (which kids love!). All the kids seem to respond well to her. She keeps Fenn and 3 other boys ~ Jackson (almost 4), Braden (2), and Andrew (1).

Fenn at One Month Old

This is Fenn at One Month. For those of you who don't know, I'm taking a photo of him each month in this "12-month" onesie ~ always on this blanket and always on the 10th of the month. It will be interesting to see how he changes and how he "fills out" the onesie throughout his first year.

It was an interesting and exhausting first month for Mommy and Daddy. We got off to a shaky start. I was trying to breastfeed exclusively for the first 3 months, but for some reason Fenn wasn't getting enough to eat. He seemed to be a really slow eater. And we had trouble keeping him awake. Because he wasn't eating enough, he wasn't gaining weight fast enough. We kept having to make trips to the pediatrician to have his weight checked. Before he was even two weeks old, we had to start supplementing with formula using a syringe. Then when he still wasn't gaining weight quickly enough, we had to start supplementing with a bottle. He got the best of both worlds because I mixed breastmilk with his formula up until he was 3 1/2 months old. The bottle supplements really worked ~ he gained 6 ounces in 2 days! Hooray! No more trips to the pediatrician until his 2-month checkup on February 12th.

Now, back to the "pure exhaustion" I mentioned in an earlier post. Oh....my....gosh!!! I had no idea what it felt like to be that tired. And no one can really explain to you what it feels like. They tell you it's really hard to get through those first 4 or 5 weeks, but you really don't understand until you experience it. We are so happy to finally be parents. But I have to admit there were times in those first few weeks where I wondered "What have I done??? How am I going to get through this?" We laughed, we cried (well, I cried)... and somehow we made it through. To me, giving birth was much easier than taking care of a newborn the first month or so. Anyway, it has been hard, but it is totally worth every sleepless night. I think it is natural to mourn your former life... and for Dan and me, we've had a lot of years to get attached to that former life... picking up and going somewhere whenever you want, sleeping in on a Saturday morning, meeting friends for drinks, quickly running errands without a baby in tow, etc. But now that I'm a mom, I wouldn't want to go back to that former life. I have the best life now!

So, to sum up that first month.... we made it through the sleepless nights, the pains of breastfeeding, being peed on while changing a diaper or during baths, having pee run down the wall behind the changing table, having poop on your hands, washing numerous loads of clothes (now that you're washing baby stuff), learning to plan WAY ahead before you can take the baby out, trying to NOT be late for appointments, learning to take a baby's temperature (rectally),... the list goes on. I think I'm going to like this motherhood thing!

More "Month One" Photos of Fenn

Just a few more pictures I wanted to include here. These were all taken during Fenn's first month. Enjoy!

What a Big Boy You Are!

He's only a month old in these pictures, but look how strong he is. He holds his head up pretty good and even turns to look up at Daddy. Amazing! I am in complete awe of this child.

Fenn's First Trip to Chick-fil-A

If you know how much Dan and I like Chick-fil-A (about as much as Uncle "G" loves Milo's in Birmingham), then you know why I'm posting this photo. This is Fenn's first trip to Chick-fil-A. We do try not to eat a lot of fast food, but we have to admit that we love CFA and go an average of once per week. In this photo, Fenn seems completely unaffected by the aroma of chicken cooking.... but give him time!

Fenn's 1st Christmas ~ Best Present Under the Tree!

Fenn's first Christmas was really nice. It was just the three of us for the first time. We made a sweet potato souffle' to go with our food from Honey Baked Ham, and we had Red Velvet Cake from Ham 'n Goody's. Yummo! We opened presents on Christmas morning and then spent the day hanging out at home. It was quiet... as quiet as it can be with a newborn in the house. These are just a few of the pictures we made at Christmas. OK, Fenn looks terrified in one of them...like he's hanging on for dear life. But he really does like that gift ~ it was his big gift from Santa. He is supposed to lie on it and spin around to see the different play areas on the mat. It helps to strengthen his neck and learn to hold up his head. We don't know how he did it, but the first time we put him on it he managed to use his foot and do a complete 360!

Christmas Eve... and Fenn's First Outing

We took Fenn out for his first outing (other than going to the pediatrician's office) on Christmas Eve... to Pelancho's Mexican Restaurant (one of our favorite mexican restaurants here in Knoxville). Dan's family has a tradition of going out for mexican on the night before Christmas, so Dan and I have tried to continue that tradition. For some reason, it's hard to do here in Knoxville; we have a hard time finding a mexican restaurant that stays open later than 5:00 p.m. on Christmas Eve. What's up with that??? I think El Rio Grande in Lanett has always stayed open on Christmas Eve. (We sure do miss El Rio... Eddie and William.) Luckily, Pelancho's is open. At this point, the outings with Fenn are really easy. He just sleeps while we eat. We're dreading the days when he starts screaming in the middle of a restaurant.... just as soon as our food arrives. So for now, we're enjoying it while we can.

To Grandmother's House We Go...

Well, we're not going.... Grandma is going home to her house. She stayed with us for 3 weeks and was an enormous help. She got to see Fenn come into the world.... I think that was better than any Christmas present she could have received. Fenn enjoyed getting to know his Grandma and looks forward to seeing her again. Thanks again, Grandma! We love you and miss you!

Christmas with Grandma

Fenn celebrated Christmas with Grandma a little early. She was heading home to Alabama on Sunday, December 23rd, so we exchanged gifts with her on Saturday night. Grandma gave Fenn an adorable hoodie sweater from Baby Gap and a Baby Bjorn carrier (that benefits all 3 of us!). Merry Christmas, Grandma! We're glad you were here.

Fenn on his Playmat

Just wanted to post this picture of Fenn playing on his Gymini playmat. I like the photo because it is so colorful. Fenn liked his playmat from the start. Even at a week or so old, we could put him on it and he would move his legs and make the windchimes move.

Christmas Photos with Grammy & Poppy

Even though Fenn didn't get to spend Christmas with Grammy & Poppy, he did get to see them a couple of weeks before Christmas (on the day he came home from the hospital) and then again shortly after Christmas. Those were short visits, but they got to come again a few weeks later to stay a little longer. Fenn really liked that. These are some of the photos we made at the house by the Christmas tree and fireplace. Grammy is a busy lady.... we always have a hard time getting her to look AT the camera when we're taking her picture. I think she's always thinking about what she's going to do next! Merry Christmas, Grammy & Poppy!

Fenn's First Bath

Our 2nd night home, we decided it was time for Fenn's first bath (well, at least his first bath from us). OK, that's a nerve wracking experience for new parents! He was so small and we were so afraid we were going to drop him. It went well.... except for when he peed on us! Something about that warm water being poured over him... Hmmmm....... must remember to keep him covered when bathing him! Anyway, he seems to like his bath for the most part. He likes having his hair washed and feeling the warm water on his head. When they bathed him at the hospital right after he was born, he was screaming at first, but then stopped crying immediately when they started washing his hair. He did the same thing the first time he heard his Daddy's voice. He was screaming while they were cleaning him up and evaluating him, and as soon as Dan said something he stopped crying and calmed down. He definitely recognized his Daddy's voice.

I love wrapping him up in a towel after his bath and cuddling with him. He's so sweet and calm, and he seems so appreciative to be wrapped up and held tight. Notice the left hand to the mouth. I think he might be a "leftie" because it seems to always be his left hand that he puts up to his mouth... sometimes it's the thumb, sometimes it's his index finger, and sometimes it's as many as he can fit in there.