Hello baby: Two Months

Age: 

Two Months  

Stats:

11 lbs 6 oz and 23.5 inches long.

Some of the 0-3 month clothes are getting too short... 

Favorites: 

• He loves going outside these days. Usually around 7:30pm he gets fussy and if we just go sit outside or go walk around outside he loves it. He just listens to all the noises. 
• He went on his first road trip this past month, on April 10, for Spring break. We went to St George with the Sorensen's and friends. He did awesome in the car! We actually never stopped for him exactly, just for other things we wanted to do/ needed to do along the way. He was also an amazing baby the whole trip. He slept pretty well (definitely still had his off nights but who doesn't) He actually slept for 6 hours straight one night for the first time! He had fun getting lots of love from Grandma, Grandpa, and everyone else there.  
• He loves moving. Always on the go or wanting a new position. He has to be able to look around. Loves looking at the light coming through the blinds. 
• Loves when mom or dad talks with him. He gets so smiley. 

Least Favorites:

• If you don't burp him you can almost guarantee he will spit up. Burp him and your fine. 
• Hates 7:30pm. He always gets fussy around this time. I try to wait to put him to bed at 8-8:30pm but sometimes I just have to put him down early. This is the time we have started taking him outside, when it's nice, and he really loves it.  
• Not being able to look around. He is always changing where he looks. 

Sleeping: 

• Most nights he goes down between 8-8:30 and sleeps for four hours then wakes up to eat. Then it's back to sleep for three hours, wake up, eat, then back to sleep for three hours. He is usually up with the sun, unless he has had a rough night and then he will eat and go back to sleep. Sometimes we snuggle and both go back to sleep for an hour or so. He has slept for 6 hours straight twice. Once when we were in St George and the other time was the night of April 20 (his two month Birthday) But both times after sleeping for the 6 hours he was awake for 2. Not fussy, nothing wrong. Just awake. looking around, wanting to play. Now the night of April 21 he slept for 7 hours! AH I freaked out when I woke up and saw the clock. Then I proceeded to plead with him to go back to sleep after he ate. And he DID! He slept for another 3 hours and then was up for the day at 7 (with the sun). Lets just hope that happens again and it isn't just a one time thing. 
• Most days he takes at least one good three hour nap. Then usually another one later that can be anywhere from 1.5-3 hours. then he usually needs a little cat nap around 6 or 7 so that we can make it to bed time. The schedule is a work in progress. Especially when we have places to go during the day. 
• He still sleeps great in his car seat. Especially if it is moving. Makes going anywhere, like grocery shopping not too intimidating.

Eating:

• Loving breastfeeding and that is fine by me! So convenient and beautiful. 

Playing: 

• Loves being in his swing. He will now sleep in his bassinet so the swing has been more of a play time thing and sometimes a nap time thing. Again, he loves the movement and being able to look around. 
• Loves making faces with mom. It is so fun! He is reacting to me making noises and talking to him. He usually gets this great big smile on his face and starts making noises too. I LOVE it!

While we were in St George Andrew was able to bless our little man. (In our church you give a baby a name and a blessing within the first few months of being born) It was beautiful and perfect. We were able to do it at the house which was perfect because then we were able to have my family on speaker and other family members on facetime. It was amazing having family and friends there to support us and especially to support Crew. I feel so blessed to have so many wonderful people in our lives that love us and already love Crew so much. He is one loved, blessed, beautiful, happy little man.

 I love you little guy.
love, alex

Flashback: Maternity Pictures

A week before Crew was born we took maternity pictures, so on February 13. My sister Justina took them and I am so pleased with how they turned out. It was fun getting Andrew in some pictures and I'm glad we have these photos to look back on that time and see how big I was just before he was born. It is crazy to think he was in my belly and then a week later he came out. It's amazing how he fit in there.

It's crazy how low he is in this photo!!
He must have gotten tired from all the picture taking. 

Looking back I realize I really enjoyed pregnancy. I had my aches and pains but it really wasn't that bad of an experience. I enjoyed that time Crew and I had to bond. It was like our own little secret, feeling him move and grow. Pregnancy is an amazing wonderful experience. God is amazing. The human body is incredible. It is still amazing to me that we are able to create human life within ourselves. What a miracle. Every human, every baby, is a miracle. and I am so blessed and happy to have my own little miracle in my life :) 

love,alex

Hello Baby: One Month + Newborn Pics

Age: 

One Month  

Stats:

9lbs 12 ounces and 22 inches long. 

Starting to fill in 0-3 month clothes nicely. 

Favorites: 

Bath time, being held and cuddled, looking around (especially at bright lights and dark objects), swinging, eating, being with mom or dad, being swaddled, being in his car seat. 

Least Favorites:

Being cold (like being taken out of the bath), being hungry, going to sleep, having air bubbles stuck inside, being swaddled (he loves it but he hates it). 

Sleeping: 

Usually sleeps for 3 hours.

Eating:

Loves breastfeeding and not too fond of a bottle/formula. 

Playing: 

Loves laying on play mat and looking around. Holds his head up really well. 

All those pictures were taken when Crew was 11 days old. 

Now this last one was taken when he was exactly 1 month old. 

I love this little guy so much. He is the cutest thing ever and I love watching him change and develop. Today I was having a little chat with him and he was looking right in my eyes and he got the biggest smile on his face. It only lasted for a second and I have no idea if he was actually smiling at me or if it was gas but it was adorable and completely made my day. I love him so and I am so happy he is apart of our little family. 

love, Alex 

Hello Baby: Crew's Birth

Our little guy was due on Thursday, February 19th 2015. We had the week completely planned and we were just waiting to see if it would work out that way or if he would have other plans in mind. My mom got into town on Tuesday night and on Wednesday night her and my sister threw me a baby shower. We were all nervous he would try to come before Wednesday night but we got really lucky! Andrew and I had even been walking a lot at the park and I felt like it was making baby lower and lower and even causing either real contractions or Braxton Hicks.
The shower was amazing. My mom and sister did such an amazing job. They had every last detail covered. I will have to do another post on that with lost of pictures. On Thursday we were ready for baby to come whenever he was ready. So that morning we woke up and took Zoii to the park. This had become my normal routine. Andrew and I had started walking the fields trying to get labor going and this day we really pushed it. I knew that if I didn't go into labor by Friday morning I was going to be induced so I was determined to walk as much as possible to get things moving. Walking felt really good and it caused a lot more pressure and some pains even. Afterwords we went to Wendy's with my mom, Justina, and her kids. Then off to Walmart to get some last minute things for baby. (More Walking!)
By the end of being at Walmart I was really done walking or standing.. or really moving at all so I made it a point that I needed to go home and take a nap. So that is exactly what we did. My mom went and hung out with the grandbabies and Andrew and I were able to take a nice nap (Little did we know, it was a good thing we did take a nap because all sleeping was about to cease to exist!). I woke up around 6:30-7pm and just felt lazy and laid in bed but I got this big crampy feeling. I kept thinking hm I wonder if that is what a contraction feels like. At 7:30pm I had felt the crampy feeling a few more times and decided I would start timing them because maybe these were contractions. Sure enough they were about 12-14 minutes apart! I told Andrew that I thought I might be having contractions. His eyes got big and we both got excited and freaked out! However the pain wasn't that bad and they were still far enough apart that I knew it could take a while for anything to really happen, So we figured out something for dinner (leftovers, which I had nachos) and watched the BYU basketball play San Diego. The contractions continued and were pretty all over the place, anywhere from 7 minutes to 14 minutes. The doctor had told us to contact him when I was around 10 minutes. He told us to wait it out until they were more consistent and closer together. I also did not want to get to the hospital too early only to find out I wasn't far enough along.
Around 10pm I decided to take a shower and try to relax a little. However the shower only made me have contractions even closer together. They were any where from 2.5 - 5 minutes apart. My mom and Andrew started getting pretty nervous and started rushing me to get dressed so we could go to the hospital. I was still a little nervous it was too soon. But off we went because the contractions were not slowing down. However, once we got in the car I didn't have one contraction until we got to the hospital. (Granted the hospital is 5 minutes or less from my house)
We got there and checked in, got asked a million questions, and found out I was dilated to a FOUR! AH! I was so happy! I was afraid they would tell me I was a 1 and still had a long ways to go. but nope I was a four. I then got hooked up to the IV which I was never afraid/nervous about but the first time she stuck me she went digging (I literally felt her digging into my arm..sorry tmi? ha). She kept saying sorry I just can't get it and then finally decided to try for a new spot. My arm was so swollen and bruised.. It is actually still bruised and sensitive three weeks later!
Once that was done we got to go to the delivery room and get all hooked up and get the epidural. I was pretty nervous about getting that. However the worst part was the numbing stuff she put on my back. It stung really bad. But once the epidural was in it was great! I actually didn't have too many horrible contractions but the epidural sure did help me to calm down and relax. However I did shake a lot during and after labor. I wasn't cold or anything but my body shook like I was. It was actually reallllly annoying, but I had no control over it.

Waiting for our little guy!

After getting the epidural I got checked again, about an hour later, and I was at a 6. YAY progress.
Then it was just a waiting game. I was surprised I could still feel my legs and feet, Andrew kept asking what I could and couldn't feel. It was mostly my torso I couldn't feel the pain or any pokes. I mostly just laid there trying to relax. I closed my eyes a little but I really couldn't sleep at all. We talked a little, made guesses on when he would be born, (We all thought around 3:30am) guessed how big he would be, (we all thought around higher 7 lbs) and just played on our phones. At about 2-2:30am I was at an 8 and then around 3:30am I was at a 9. Baby was still high though and my water hadn't broken. The nurse called the doctor and once he got there he broke my water and the pushing began. Pushing was exhausting. I'm really glad they had oxygen there for me because I felt so out of breath trying to control my breathing. Most of the time I had my eyes closed and just tried to focus.
I pushed for about thirty minutes and then at 4:28am Crew Ray Sorensen was born. He was perfect. 8lbs 7oz and 20 inches long! He had short dark brown hair and came out with his arms crossed against his chest. I was shocked that I had just given birth, excited that he was finally here, and just mind blown that I had a baby and he was perfect!

We spent the day enjoying our little man and trying to get as much sleep as possible. Crew had low blood sugar and so we spent most of the time in the hospital trying to get it up. This included lots of feeding and lots of foot pricking which was the saddest thing. He hated it and they had to spend so much time trying to get enough blood out to test it. His heels were bruised by the end. I kept wanting to tell them to stop, his poor little feet can't take that much. The nurses kept saying he would have to go to the NICU if we couldn't get it up but luckily enough after he ate a good amount his blood sugar levels became more consistently high. The nurses were actually really annoying because they kept contradicting the doctor and the doctor was always right! But lets not get into that..

On Saturday afternoon we were able to go home. It was so nice being back in my home but a little nerve wreaking to have such a tiny little baby to take care of. Andrew kept asking if I was sure I wanted to leave the hospital then. Having my mom at home sure did make me feel better.
That first week I just focused on feeding Crew, trying to recover, and sleeping whenever possible. I kept getting annoyed that my life was revolving around sleep even when I was getting so little. But I just had to keep telling myself that it wouldn't last for forever. Even now I have to remind myself that the hard times won't last forever. The good times are definitely starting to out weigh the hard times. Crew is growing, is healthy, and is the cutest thing I have ever seen. I love him more and more with every passing day. I love that he is now here and apart of our family. I love watching him grow and seeing his features develop. I still can't see myself in him but I do see a little of Andrew. We aren't really sure who he looks like so I am excited to see as he gets older.

My heart is full. I am so blessed to have this little family of mine. And have all of our extended family. It was so nice to have my mom here with us for two weeks. She helped SO much! I was able to take care of Crew while she took care of the other things like what was for dinner and keeping the house clean. I felt guilty she was doing so much. She is the best! Andrew's mom was also up here for a few weeks and it was fun to be able to hang out with her. Crew is lucky to have such great grandparents! 

Here's to our new family of three, four including zoii ;) 

love,Alex 

Hello Baby: Week 39

How far along: 39 weeks! wow that was quick. 

Gender: BOY!!

Weight gain: 25+ 

Maternity clothes: Yes! I wear a lot of t-shirts but I'm realizing that some of them are a little too short which I hate! I really don't like the idea that my belly could or is just popping right out, so I am trying to wear longer shirts. 

Stretch marks: Yup!

Belly button in or out: It's still in between right now. A nice flat mark on my belly.
Sleep: It has been changing a little this past week. My HANDS are waking me up these days.. I never thought that would be something that bugged me during pregnancy but surprise! I guess swelling can cause carpal tunnel syndrome and I have it. Especially at night. I woke up one night rubbing my hand. My hands will also fall asleep while I'm sleeping so I wake up to them tingling. Still waking up with achy legs and having to pee a lot! like every 2 hours... I think it is preparing me for what is to come! Every time my body wants to roll over I wake up and have to brace myself to roll because of achyness and just the belly. 

Best moment this week: We took maternity pictures on Friday. It was fun to get some cute and cheesy pictures of the both of us and the belly. I have loved having the weekly belly shots to look at but it was nice to get some with Andrew. I actually liked more of them with the both of us than just me... mostly cause I feel awkward just having me in the picture. We also went to dinner and a movie this week which is always fun with just the two of us. I was in the bathroom at the movies and actually got sad looking in the mirror and thinking about not being pregnant anymore. Pregnancy hasn't been too bad for me and it is such a special experience I am actually sad it is ending soon. Although I am probably more excited to finally see this little guy and get to hold him. Another really great moment was on Valentines day we made the most amazing meal at home. Steak, shrimp, pasta, Alfredo sauce, and asparagus. I was in HEAVEN. It was a great way to spend Valentines together. 

Miss anything: Walking normally. I try really hard not to waddle or have pregnancy affect the way I walk but it has started hurting. Lots of pressure from the little guy pushing down. So I definitely walk funny when I am at home and try to suck it up when I am out and about. 

Movement: He is out of room to move too much. Now its just lots of pressure and making my belly lopsided. I can see him move a lot more now. I feel like he is covering every inch in there.. pushing, kicking, poking, everything! 

Cravings: Nothing new this week. Still wanting chocolate a lot. I feel like a lot more things sound horrible this week. 

Queasy or sick: Uncomfortable, lots of pressure, and peeing a lot. No sickness. 

Looking forward to: My mom will be here Tuesday, baby shower on Wednesday and then hopefully baby comes soon after! I can't believe we will be meeting him soon. I am freaking out and yet am so excited at the same time! 

Here are a few of our maternity pictures. I will have to share more later. But for now its just a cute little teaser :) 

39 Week Bump! 

Well here's to hopefully, maybe, possibly meeting baby this week :) 
love,alex 

Hello Baby: Week 38

How far along: 38 weeks! 

Gender: BOY!!

Weight gain: 20+ 

Maternity clothes: Is it weird that dresses and skirts are actually much more comfortable these days? I think the most annoying thing is having to wear pants. Shirts haven't been too bad, they are just getting shorter and I really don't like the idea of my belly sticking out. 

Stretch marks: Yup!

Belly button in or out: It's still in between right now.
Sleep: Same old stuff. Still really achy. I will wake up really sweaty.. even with the window open, which is just weird! Lots of tossing and turning and some not being able to fall asleep. 

Best moment this week: Our friends Logan and Alex came up for the weekend. It was fun changing up the routine and doing something different. We had fun eating good food, chatting (Andrew and Logan could talk for forever!) playing games, and showing them some of Rexburg. It kinda just took us away from reality for a couple days. Once they left it all hit us again and was kind of overwhelming. But it was fun to have some good friends up here that we could chat with and do random stuff with! 

Miss anything: Being able to bend over.. or getting on and off the floor easily. Sewing can be difficult when it's not easy to go from the floor to the table to the machine. It can be really exhausting actually. I can't do as much anymore or get as much done and it's weird and hard to face. I don't like not feeling accomplished or like I didn't do anything productive that day. It's one of those things I really need to work on. 

Movement: Lots of movement. Lots more hiccups. which is so weird. I never felt him having hiccups until 36 weeks and now I am feeling it so much more frequently. It is a really cool feeling and I love it... unless I am trying to fall asleep.. which has happened a few times. Also, last night I woke up in the middle of the night and rolled over and he started moving a ton. It was really cool to just feel him moving so much and lay there enjoying it at 3 in the morning. haha I know in a few weeks it will be almost the same except he will be laying on me, not inside of me.. wow! 

Cravings: Marshmallows. I love to put a bunch in a bowel and warm them up so they get big and toasted. It's the best. I did it when I was a teenager and I have been craving it a lot lately. Yummy sugar! I feel like I am always wanting chocolate too. Luckily I still am loving greens too. I just need to create more of a balance between the two. 

Queasy or sick: Uncomfortable, lots of pressure, and peeing a lot. No sickness. 

Looking forward to: Getting really excited to meet baby, obviously. Excited for Valentines day, although we have nothing planned so it might just be another normal day but I like being able to celebrate our love even if it is in just a simple way. 

This is her new favorite spot to be while I sew. I think it's adorable. 

She has to army crawl to even get under there. 

38 week bump! How many more of these will we be able to do??? 

Here is to another week full of projects and video making, a little more organizing, and lots of anticipation. 

love,alex

Hello Baby: Week 37

How far along: 37 weeks! We are full term, ahhh. 

Gender: BOY!!

Weight gain: 20+ 

Maternity clothes: Yes. Me and pants just aren't working out anymore. Leggings/ stretchy pants are the beeeeest. Luckily I don't have to go many places, and if I do it isn't for very long so the jeans come off right when I get home. Bras are also a nuisance. haha it's like normal clothes are no longer allowed and I have a feeling I won't want to wear them for a while. 

Stretch marks: Yup!

Belly button in or out: It's in between right now. It's pretty flat. No in, no out.
Sleep: Restless legs, weird dreams, achy achy pelvis/hips, waking up more to pee, tossing and turning a lot, you know the normal...ha. Considering the circumstances I feel like I am doing pretty good. I cleaned out some cabinets for a couple hours one day and was exhausted before I was even done. I had to finish quick and go lay down for a while afterwords. It is crazy how much my body has changed and how some normal activity affects it completely differently than before. 

Best moment this week: We got the baby's room (or atleast the corner that is his) all put together. We put the crib together. That was really fun to get done and it made it so exciting. Obviously I know this is really happening but I still don't feel that it is really really happening. Doing all of these little things are making it more real everyday. So we got the crib up and the other night we got a dresser and put it together for all of his clothes and little things. We then got some pictures hung up around the room. We have a TON of sports memorabilia that we have accumulated over the years so of course we thought it would be perfect to use for baby's room. and it is PERFECT! It turned out so cute. We have some BYU, some Dodgers, some Clippers, and some KU. Next I just need to make my sewing area look organized and presentable... although I'm sure baby isn't going to mind my mess and not many other people will go in that room. So we shall see. I'm trying to use my time before baby comes, wisely. I have to make sure I am getting the most important stuff done first. Cleaning and organizing I feel that I have been doing good.. project making, not so much. I have really been focusing on the getting his quilt done. I got the top done on Friday and plan on quilting it all together soon... like Monday! It needs to get done before baby comes or it will never get done. 

Miss anything: Normal sleep. I'm tossing and turning, peeing, getting hot, and plain old not being able to fall back asleep. But I don't think I will ever get "normal" sleep again! 

Movement: He is all over the place. Low, high, left, right, ribs, hips. Its crazy! I can't believe he is big enough to hit everything! Some times he gets my ribs a little too roughly or he sits too high making me really uncomfortable. 

Cravings: I really wanted Chinese food, a cheeseburger, chocolate, and sweet pork salad this week. We also had broccoli one night and I wanted to eat every last bite of it. I wanted a lot more and I might already have it on my grocery list to buy a few more bags. Something about those greens! 

Queasy or sick: No sickness just getting very uncomfortable most of the time. Still lots of acid reflux.  

Looking forward to: Some days I am really excited and can't wait for baby to come. Other days I am freaking out and can't imagine having a baby. But I am excited for baby to come. I am really excited to be a mom and to see Andrew being a dad. I can't wait to cuddle with him and show him all of the things this world has to offer. 

Baby's little corner. We have all our favorite sports covered! ;)
(He still needs sheets..we will get around to that) 

She never sleeps like this and then one day I caught her doing it and thought it was hilarious! 

She was cuddling with me and then went into this weird
position and just stayed there for a while. weirdo. haha

Week 37 Bump!

Hello February, the month baby is due! Ah so crazy. I feel like it has gone quickly but I definitely am getting to the point where I am ready to be done being pregnant. I think my body is getting more achy and sore by the minute! However, if I'm being honest labor still freaks me out when I think about it. At least most of the time.. I have to calm myself by realizing how many people do this on a regular basis and then there is the wonderful epidural. I'm sure it will go great, my anxiety just likes to keep me on my toes. Along with resting, this week I have some more cleaning, organizing and of course more projects. I am getting that quilt done and then working on all the little projects that will be quick, well hopefully. I love getting these things made for him and knowing they are for my little guy! Can't wait to meet him and cuddle him! 

love,alex