3 weeks

Okay, so Jonathan is officially 3 weeks old today. I took him in for his weight check... and guess what! He's 11 lbs. 10 oz.! Can you believe it? He's huge! In 3 weeks he has gained about 2 1/2 lbs. He's 22 1/2 inches long. What a big boy.

Halloween costumes...

So we have two options this year for Leesi's Halloween costume. Both of them are super cute, and Leesi really likes wearing both of them. We might just wear both, one for outside (the Siloam stores "downtown" have a trick or treating event one afternoon) and one for inside (going door to door in the dorms).

Elisa and the Baby Habit

So lately Elisa has started saying longer words and putting two words together. It's really funny to watch her practice. She repeats new words and combinations over and over again. Some of her favorites today were: Baby Boy, Quesadilla, and Tiger Piano.

One of her first two word combos was "Baby Habit" which is the name of a little store in town. I sew burp cloths for them and so Leesi often goes with me when I drop off orders. She likes going there and playing with their fun wooden toys. Anyway, the other day in the car my mom took this video of Elisa practicing "Baby Habit." Enjoy.

Cute Little Guy

A walk in the park...

...Natural Falls State Park that is. After a week of overcast days, we had beautiful sunny weather today. It was a perfect fall day: sunny, but cool enough for a jacket. The leaves are just starting to change. It's beautiful. So we went to a State Park that's only a few miles away for a short hike. We had a great time.

Jonathan in his car seat getting ready for the big outing.

Leesi and Gramma having fun together

First family picture outside of the hospital

Things are going better for me. I've been getting a little more sleep... and trying to take opportunities to nap. I haven't had any more crying spells (A little sleep makes all the difference). My mom leaves tomorrow and Greg goes back to a full work schedule on Wednesday... so we will see how it goes when I lose all my help... and when Leesi loses her constant playmates. I'm so thankful for all the help that my mom and Greg's mom have been to us during this time. I know the next couple of months are going to be more about surviving than thriving... but right now I feel encouraged. Thanks for all of your prayers and comments!

This is harder than I remember...

So, Jonathan will be a week old tomorrow. He is a pretty mellow guy most of the time. He HATES getting his diaper and clothes changed, but other than that he's pretty content.

One problem is that he seems to have his days and nights mixed up. He sleeps great during the day, but at night he wants to be awake and be held and fed constantly. I've had a few tearful nights... around 3am I just break down and cry and beg God to help Jonathan go to sleep. I have mostly been sleeping in one hour increments, and getting about 3 (or 4 if I'm lucky) hours of sleep a night. Last night was a little better, he actually slept from 3:30 until 6:45... so I got a 3 hour stretch of sleep... it felt great! I would really appreciate your prayers - that I will be able to sleep and that I won't get the baby blues too badly (or even better, not at all). I feel somewhat emotionally fragile right now.

Anyway, Elisa seems to really like the baby so far... but I can tell that the newness is starting to wear off. I think she's realizing that this little guy takes a lot of Mom's attention... and she's not too thrilled with that. The other day I went outside to play with her and left the baby with my mom. Then Greg came out and played with us and Elisa was just ecstatic. She loved having all of mom's and dad's attention. It's sad; I miss her. Jonathan takes a long time to nurse... so quite a bit of my time is taken up with him. I miss just being able to sit on the floor and play with Leesi. But I just have to keep reminding myself that this is just a phase. It won't always be like this.

So now, what you've all been waiting for... pictures...

Elisa and Grandma playing with bubbles

A proud Grandma holding Jonathan

"Elisa smile for the camera"

Sometimes I just can't get over how cute she is.

The first official walk with the double stroller... Greg's comment on switching from the Bob jogging stroller to our double stroller: "it's like we traded in the Subaru for a mini-van"

Sleeping burrito babies are just the cutest

On dad's shoulder

Look at that little face

Jonathan Gregory

Jonathan Gregory Brock was born on October 7 at 2:59pm. He weighed 9lbs 4oz and was 20 inches long. Labor and delivery went very smoothly. I feel very well... though I could use some sleep. We are back home from the hospital. Big sister Elisa is very interested in the baby. More news to follow. For now, here are some pictures.