Henry-4 weeks old

Henry's now 4 weeks old, wow that went by fast :). We've loved having our little guy and watching him grow and change every single day.

We certainly aren't in any sort of schedule yet as Henry rules the roost around here (he wakes every 1.5-4 hours to eat) but there are some things that we try to accomplish every day like tummy time/playing on the play mat and reading stories. He loves to be swaddled or ride in the baby bjorn and makes lots of funny faces when he's tired. Some days we live by the 5 S's from Happiest Baby On the Block (swaddle, suck, side/stomach, swing and shush) but overall he's a great baby. He's becoming more vocal and alert when he's playing or we are holding him. He's also very noisy when eating,lots of loud gulps! Thankfully, Henry doesn't cry when Max and Lila bark and usually sleeps through it.

Chris gave him his first bottle yesterday and he took it down no problem (5.5 oz). My lactation consultant suggested leaving the house for the first bottle (as it can be very emotional for Mom) but Chris wanted me around in case there were any issues. All I was needed for was taking a photo :)

Henry's Newborn Photo Shoot

When Henry was 12 days old, he had his second photo shoot (he was one day old in his first one) with the photographer (and C's cousin's wife) that will be taking images of his first year.  Stephanie took photos of C and I when Chris "retired" from the Army in 2010.  We are so grateful that Stephanie was able to squeeze us in-she drove 1.5 hours early on a Sunday morning to photograph him at our home!  You can check out more of Stephanie's work here at her website and blog.  There are so, so many great photos-I'm having a hard time deciding my favorites but here are a few from the day.  We tried to use props from our house in the images.  The brown basket is Henry's toy basket and was a Christmas gift from C's parents and the red cedar crate is very special to us, it was made by C's grandpa (Henry's great-grandpa) out of cedar that was cut from their property.  We love having the crate as part of our home!

Not sure how I'm going to pick which ones to get printed :)

Quinoa Coconut Granola

While Henry was sleeping, I whipped up this granola and it was a winner! It is grain free so will be another breakfast/snack option for both Chris and I. I'm planning on topping some fruit and yogurt with this yummy mix. I usually have cooked quinoa in the fridge for fast breakfast and lunch options so it was easy to throw this together.

Preheat oven to 300.

In a large bowl, mix the following ingredients:

3 cups cooked, cooled quinoa
1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/4 coconut oil, melted
1/2 cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons ground flax
2 tablespoons chia seeds
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla

Spread out on a baking sheet and bake for 45 min-1 1/2 hours, depending on desired crunchiness. Stir every 20-30 minutes. Store in an air-tight container.

Meal planning

Here we go! Not as much sleep as last week but C and I put together a few ideas for the week:

Sunday-we we've out for a late lunch with my brothers so we are snacking for dinner
Monday-crock pot pork with tomatillo sauce and new potatoes
Tuesday-burgers on the grill ( it's supposed to be nice here...like in the 40's :)) and cauliflower
Wednesday-something from the freezer
Thursday-left overs
Friday-shrimp and spaghetti squash

I'm also going to attempt to whip up some primal fudge and some breakfast cookies.

Henry-3 weeks

Henry celebrated being 3 weeks old with a trip to the pediatrician in the morning and meeting some of his great grandparents and great aunt and uncle (Sandy and Jeff) in the afternoon-what a big day!

Henry has had lots of other visitors this week- Aunt Alicia, Grandpa and Grandma, Aunt Brittany and Dustin, Aunt Danielle, Oma, great aunt Donna abs cousin Deon! We've enjoyed all the family time.

Henry now weighs 6lbs 12 oz (31st percentile). He's 20.5 inches long (5th percentile). So he's getting (a bit) bigger! Our next visit is in 5 weeks for the 2 month check up (and the dreaded vaccinations).

Henry is still eating every 3 or so hours and spends some time in the mornings and the afternoons on his play mat and using his high contrast art cards. He also enjoys time in his swing. We've started something new this week-tummy time!

Meal Planning

Wow-things really get away from me now that I'm busy with baby Henry 24/7!  Our little one is enjoying some time on his play mat focusing on his high-contrast art cards (thanks Cait!) and I got four straight hours of sleep last night (yep, it was amazing) so I have a few minutes and mental capacity to come up with some ideas:

Sunday-C's family was here so his mom did a crock pot roast with sweet potatoes, onions, carrots, mushrooms and this really yummy homemade bbq sauce that my Dad gave us
Monday-Bacon wrapped chicken breast and roasted cauliflower
Tuesday-Crust-less quiche and salad
Wednesday-Meatloaf (from the freezer) and sauteed green beans
Thursday-Chicken and black bean quesadillas
Friday-Pesto kale pizza
Saturday-???

Max and nurse Lila

We've had lots of inquires of how Max and Lila are adapting to having a baby in the house and so far, it's going great! We introduced them to Henry's scent by having them sniff his hospital hat. At the beginning, Max wasn't very interested in Henry but he's coming around. As long as someone is still tossing the ball, Max is happy.

Lila, on the other hand, immediately went to the baby and is very interested in every move and sound Henry makes. She inspects his nursery and patrols the perimeter when we are in there. She sits with us when he is nursing and tries to lick him every chance she gets. If Max gets too close to Henry, she growls at him. We joke that Henry is her baby :).

Overall, I'd say they they are adjusting just fine.

Henry-2 weeks

Some photos of Henry on his 2 week birthday! I gave him a bath, minimal crying but he did pee in the tub and we hung out at home, playing and reading stories.

Nursery-Final Product

I meant to post this before the baby came but things happen (like going into labor a week early).  Luckily, we finished the nursery the previous weekend but it took me a while to get photos of our completed work.  We attempted to keep things very neutral because we didn't know that Henry was a "he" until he arrived!

I posted a sneak peek a few weeks ago with some of the finish details, you can check it out here.

I attempted to stick on a budget with the project and receiving the crib as a gift certainly helped.  We also refinished a dresser from my childhood (repainted and new hardware), bought our glider on Craigslist, used paint we had from the previous house, re-purposed curtains from the living room, bought the rug at a furniture outlet and the bookshelf was a floor model so we got 20% off.  Still, preparing for baby is not cheap :).  We were so blessed to have a few baby showers to get us set up.

Henry is sleeping in a Pack N Play bassinet in our room right for the foreseeable future but we've got his crib ready to go:

View of the crib and rug

We use this changing station at night.  Love having the diapers stacked on the wall for easy access.  During the day when we are downstairs, we use our other Pack N Play for changing and naps.  Yes, we have two and it is so nice with a two story house-I definitely recommend!

Between the crib and the closet, we have the glider and bookshelf-which doubles as a stand for the lamp and gives me a place to put things during nursing sessions.

Close up!  I love the embroidered lampshade but it think this lamp may be a bit too bright for night time feedings.  I'm considering getting a smaller lamp or nightlight as an alternative.

That's it so far!  Now that Henry is here, I would like to make some artwork for above his crib.  Something a bit more "boy" :).

Mom or Dad?

I found one of Chris and my baby photos to compare with Henry...so do you think he looks more like Mom or Dad?

Chris-4 Weeks Old

Sonya-4 Weeks Old

Henry, 1 Day Old

I think he's got C's mouth and eyes and my nose and hair :)

Meal planning-back at it!

After taking some time off for baby Henry, it's time to get back to meal planning! Last night, will pulled a freezer meal out, cheesy chicken quinoa with broccoli, and popped in the the oven for an hour-so easy and delicious. I broke my own rule yesterday and went grocery shopping without a meal plan so I do have some fresh fruits and veggies (brussels sprouts, kale, spinach, apples and bananas) to work with this week so I'll be planning around those.

Sunday-spinach salads (topped with dried cranberries, toasted almonds, cheese and balsamic vinegarette) and shepherds pie (from the freezer)
Monday- Herbs de Provence Pork Loin (loosely based on this recipe) and rosemary roasted parsnips
Tuesday-homemade pizza
Wednesday (Ash Wednesday)-Tilapia and roasted Brussels sprouts
Thursday (Valentines Day)- leftover pork served with sauce over quinoa and paleo chocolate pudding for the holiday :)
Friday-out to dinner
Saturday-left-overs???

What are you having this week?

Henry, 1 Day Old

Our hospital provided the opportunity to have Henry photographed at 1 day old and I'm so glad we did!  (Thanks Facebook friends for letting me know about this-of course the little blanket/hat I planned for him to wear was in the diaper bag in the car...but still we got some great images).  We had our camera at the hospital but weren't really focused on snapping photos, we were too busy lovin' on our little guy!

Baby Burrito!

Just chilling with my pacifier while being swaddled...life is good :)  Henry isn't a fussy baby but he does like to suck so we've resorted to the pacifier after talking with the lactation consultant (he was having hour long marathon feeding sessions).  

Waffle Recipe (Double Batch)

One of my favorite weekend breakfasts is waffles.  I love making a big batch and putting them in the freezer for easy weekday meal options.  I made this double recipe a few weeks ago and stocked up our freezer before Henry was born.  These are a hearty, satisfying waffle that I top with nut butter/yogurt and fruit.

Ingredients:
4 eggs, beaten
2 teaspoons coconut oil, melted
2 Tablespoons honey
6 teaspoons baking powder
2 shredded apples (I used granny smith)
1 cup milk
pinch of salt
1 Tablespoon vanilla
1 Tablespoon cinnamon
2 Tablespoons flax meal
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

Directions:
Mix wet ingredients together (eggs, coconut oil, honey, milk, vanilla)
Add dry ingredients (baking powder, cinnamon, flax meal whole wheat flour)
Fold in shredded apples
Bake according to waffle maker directions
Enjoy!

Henry- 1 week old

A few notes about Henry's first week:

Back to birth weight
Sleeps well (3-4 hours at a time) and breast feeds well (obviously since back to birth weight)
Started on pacifier-likes to suck
First outing-nursing moms group (latch issues)
Visitors- lots! Grandparents, aunts and uncles, neighbors and friends
Toys-black and white whale hanging in bassinet
First story-"Guess How Much I Love You"

Packing for the hospital

Kind of after-the-fact but here's what I packed for the hospital and what we actually used. I reached out to friends on Facebook about what to pack, so helpful, and this was our final list:

-Toiletries-a must! Over our stay, I took 4 showers at the hospital (one after we checked in, one after birth and then one each remaining day we were there). So nice to have my own soap/shampoos.
-Makeup/skin care
-Flip flops for shower
-Toothbrush (for me and C) and toothpaste
-Slippers-wore these a lot while we were there
-Front button PJs-took 2 pairs and didn't wear either. The hospital gown was easiest for breast feeding during our stay.
-Long sleeved wrap top for when guests visit. Nice to have when my brothers came to see Henry. A robe would have worked also.
-My own pillow-so, so nice to have! Used during labor and at night. I wish we would have brought an extra cover.
-Water bottle for dad and snacks for dad (and mom-I loved the peanut butter pretzels we packed).
-iPad, iPhone, camera and chargers
-My work bag and computer (used before labor when we had time to kill)
-Pjs and slippers for dad (it was snowy so C would leave his shoes inside the door and wear slippers instead so the floor would stay dry)
-Breast feeding pillow
-Going home outfit for mom-yoga pants, nursing tank and button down top.
-Baby bag loaded with blankets, going home outfit, hat
-Car seat with cover (forgot the neck support piece- would have been nice )

We didn't pack gum or mints but wish we would have. I also didn't pack a hair dryer but I could see what it would be nice.

Week 39-welcome to the world Henry Christopher!

We'd like to introduce you to the newest member of our family, Henry. He was born on January 31, 2013 at 6:24. He's got a full head of brown hair and blue eyes (so far). We are so in love. More photos to come...