Fist Sucking.

This is Sanders' most common and most successful form of self soothing right now. The sound of him sucking is what wakes me every morning. Sanders usually can't quite get the fingers he desires in his mouth and his plug gets lost in his crib, so he just sucks on what he can find: his entire fist. :)
For some strange, unknown reason Sanders woke up shortly after 3:00a this morning. He hasn't woken up to eat during the night for more than a month so something about it was actually kind of fun. I know, I know, strange. (You know you're well rested when seeing 3am is "fun" and "cute.") He proceeded patiently to suck his fist without so much as one cry until 3:30 when I retrieved him from his crib to feed him.

I've hated every alarm clock in my life, but that was before this one came along. Waking up to Sanders' sucking sounds is the sweetest thing! It's funny what will warm a mama's heart...

Reason to Rejoice. 2 months old.

Disclaimer: This is my first attempt to blog from my iPhone. In an effort to keep up blogging, despite life being busier than it was pre-Sanders, I plan to post updates from my phone whenever life allows a moment or two in which to do so. Hopefully having a capable phone will keep me from falling too far behind. ...We'll see. :)

Anywho, today we went to the Dr, a new Dr. It was out with the old and in with a new, improved, more professional, and seemingly more capable Dr. for our little man. Shots were sad but we conquered them nevertheless.

The stats are as follows: At 2 months old Sanders is in the 95th % for weight and length and 50th % for head circumference. He weighs 13 lbs 9 oz and is 25 in long, meaning he has gained 4 lbs and grown 3 inches since birth. He loves to eat, therefore he loves to grow. :) The Dr. has deemed him a very healthy, big boy.

Today was a big day in our world. It's good to have found a Dr that we like. It's also good to have our first round of vaccinations received, not to mention behind us. What's *great* though, is the news we received today regarding Sanders' heart. When visited by the pediatrician in the hospital, Sanders was determined to have a heart murmur. He was given an EKG which is a test that checks for problems with the heart. We were told that heart murmurs like Sanders' are very common among newborns and most commonly disappear as a baby grows. Still, he needed to be tested and the test needed to be sent to Children's in Seattle to be read by specialists. It was determined that his murmur was caused by a small hole in his heart. Brian and I were assured that it wasn't cause for concern considering that it didn't seem to affect him in any way and we were reminded that, most likely, he would simply grow out of the problem. It is due to this that we chose to tell only a handful of close family members. We decided that unless the murmur failed to go away and surgery became necessary, there was no point in sharing and potentially worrying anyone. Today it was determined that the hole in Sanders' heart has been filled and his murmur has vanished! Again, God has been gracious to us and we give Him the glory for a beautiful day and a healthy baby boy.

2012 - It Isn't Every Year

Hop on over to Tessa's blog to read a great post about the gift of our sisterhood, our babies, and a uniquely memorable year.

2012 - It Isn't Every Year

Church Baby Shower. 8 weeks old.

My friend Laura was kind enough to host a church shower in her home for Sanders and myself. We requested diapers and books and we were flooded with just that and more.

Blurry cell phone photos are better than no photos at all. :)

L to R: Me & Sanders, [mama]Laura & [baby]Winter, 

[mama]Kristen & [baby]Agnes, and [mama]Jude and [baby]Adriana.

Sanders' bookshelf and toy crate are full and his closet is super stocked with diapers. We're grateful for things, but even more so for the blessing of a church that preaches the gospel faithfully and has so warmly embraced us as their own.

First [post babe] Date. 6 weeks old.

Brian took me out on our first date since Sanders' arrival when Sanders was 6 weeks old. Sanders came along because our closest go-to babysitters were still two hours away. Realistically, I wouldn't have wanted to go without our mini man anyway.

We went to Match to enjoy live country music and dessert.

Sanders' 1st Christmas

Little tootsies. Who doesn't love 'em?! I could photograph them for hours.

 I adore him.

Skarlett has earned the nickname The Starlett because she loves to throw one arm up in the arm and hold her hand just so, like a little diva, as if she's on stage performing in front of thousands. She even does this in her sleep. The photo doesn't do it justice, it's hilarious, not to mention so sassy in person. According to my Mr., when she was brand new her hair resembled Rihanna. Hence we call her The Starlett and we add an extra 't,' just like her name. :)

Us girls...and Sanders. :)

It totally stunk doing Christmas (and Christmas Eve and New Year's) without Brian. It's not what I would have chosen for Sanders' 1st Christmas but spending it at my parent's house was really fun. Mom made food for us all day long, which is pretty much the coolest thing that can be done for a nursing mama experiencing constant hunger that can't seem to be quenched. Our Brians were missed but we enjoyed the coziest of days.

Thanks, Dad/Papa and Mom/Nana, for hosting our sleepover and feeding us (over and over again!)