Quick Hits

Another work week is in the books...everybody stop what you're doing and just enjoy that for a second! :)

Today's post is going to be broken down into two parts. The first part includes some random thoughts/comments that Michaela and I have and wanted to share, and the second part is a compilation of some tips/notes/or whatever you want to call it about parenting that we've had over the first 5 or so weeks of actually being parents. We are at the age where it seems like more of our friends (Congratulations Ramsey and Blaine!) and family are either going to have a baby soon or are starting to think about having a baby. Well, since our "newborn" experiences are fresh in our minds, we thought we'd chronicle some of them for fun (and informational value). Obviously every baby experience is different, but some of the stuff we listed was really helpful to us over the first 5 weeks.

On to the show...

Quick Hits

-Landon was weighed yesterday and is tipping the scales (or maybe I should say "breaking the scales") at 10 lbs, 3 oz!!! As you can see from the pictures, he's a chubs! We have actually been a little worried about him because he spits up an awful lot of food for something so small, but his weight gain has been steady and the "people in the know" say that he's doing excellent....so we sighed our relief, then got back to feeding and burping him...as that's pretty much all he does.

-Michaela is basically back to her pre-pregnancy weight, and she just got ok'd to start doing some exercises, so she's a woman on a mission! It's amazing to me how awesome she looks, AND SHE HASN'T EVEN STARTED WORKING OUT YET!!! Needless to say, breastfeeding is a calorie-burner and it never hurts to have great genes!! ;) She and the baby have also been attending "Mommy and Me" classes each week. Apparently she is meeting new mothers and babies and is having a great time.....she's also beginning to appreciate how lucky we are to have such a wonderful baby!!!

-For those of you who are curious (as we have received some questions), we're still trying to nail down a daycare for Landon. Michaela heads back to work in a month and a half, so we do have some time...but those places are madhouses....not to mention, VERY pricey... But we're confident we'll have a nice, sanitary, trustworthy place picked out soon.

-As for the weekend, we're heading over to my parent's house on Saturday to watch the NFL Draft, grill ribs, and play some games....should be a nice time! Sunday we're thinking about taking the dogs over to my aunt Karen's house to swim (as they so miss it), and we'll try to snap some good pictures if we do. I think we'd also like to go see Baby's Mama in the theaters...if there's time between feedings/changings/burpings and naps....doubtful, but you never know.

And for part #2, if you're not planning to be a new parent anytime soon (or ever), feel free to skip over, but there will be a picture or two to scroll through...

Parenting Tips for Newborns

-Don't load up on too many newborn outfits. Your best bet is to get 5-10 onesies (both short and long sleeves), and just do a load of laundry every few days. Landon grew out of the newborn stuff in like 2-3 weeks, so there really is a limited amount of time you get out of them. We have quite a few outfits that he outgrew without having worn once....so it's best to have bigger sizes where you can roll up the sleeves...just not too big.

-Get your reading in beforehand! I read 4 or 5 baby books (ie. what to expect, etc.) before the baby came. We then had another book referred to us (Babywise) which I picked up when Landon was a few weeks old and it literally took me like 3 weeks to finish (a record for me). It is next to impossible to get more than a few minutes of reading done at a stretch, so load up on as much information as you can before the little one arrives.

-Baby Bjorns are very helpful. They support the baby's head and you can basically carry them around all day in one and have full use of your hands...they just need to be 8 lbs before you can put them in there. Also make sure that you have a vibrating bouncer....this is key if you ever need to put the baby down but don't want to hear the screams.

-Have a source of music in the nursery. We put an iPod docking station in there, which is nice because we can change the music pretty quickly without having to leave the rocking chair. Landon loves to sit in his crib or with someone in the rocking chair and listen to music...it also helps to soothe him when he's fussy....and he LOVES to dance (just like his Daddy)!!

-Black and White designs are the best! Apparently babies like to look at black and white objects more than any other because the stark contrast is the easiest for their newly developed eyes to see...and they are very fond of circle designs, so a black and white bullseye will afford you hours of free time while the little one's eyes "bug out" looking at it....

Ok...I guess this post is long enough...look out for more this weekend....probably no more parenting advice for a while though... :)