4 weeks!

I can't believe my baby is already 4 weeks old!  More so, I am so proud that I have accomplished a whole month of breast feeding.  I read a lot about nursing before he was born, and I knew it would be a challenge.  But, I imagined it would be challenging in a different way.  Baby and I caught on to feeding very quickly.  He was eating well, and I was producing enough to satisfy him.  What I did not think about was how much TIME nursing takes.  I feel like by the time I feed him, change his diaper, and finally sit down it is time to feed him again.  He has to eat every 2-3 hours- and that is around the clock, which means I can not go too far.  The 3am feeding is the hardest, but I do it knowing that it is the best thing for him, and I am happy that I am able to provide him the love and nourishment that he needs.  It is a special bonding time for us, and I love sharing these moments with him knowing that they will be short lived.

I love this little guy more than I could ever explain.  It is hard caring for a newborn, but it is also so rewarding.  I am so glad that God picked me to be his mommy, and I promise I will do my best to always be the best mommy I can be.

 Here he is at 4 weeks old- look how much he's grown!

 First time "playing" in his bouncer

 My good friends and sorority sisters from college came to visit, Cady Nell and Samantha.

 Brady met his Great Grandmother on Paul's side for the first time and his cousins, Walt and Emmie.

 Visiting at Waldo's house!

 Mommy's little pumpkin :)

3 weeks old!

...and so stinkin' cute!

Riley, meet Brady

Riley has been a great big brother to Brady.  I have to admit I had a lot of anxiety about bringing him home to meet him.  I just couldn't imagine trying to deal with his barking, keep him from jumping on me (since I was healing from surgery), and keep him a good distance from the baby.  He did much better than I expected.  He was definitely VERY curious about this little thing that makes some strange noises, but he quickly realized that he was not to be messed with.  He likes to try to sniff him, but he knows his place.  He has learned to share his mommy, and I have tried to make sure that I still pay him attention.  But, there is no doubt that he has been demoted.

 This is still his favorite spot, but he has learned to share.

Brady had his first real bath this past week.  He was not too thrilled about it...

All clean and sleeping like a baby....(until I get hungry in a couple hours :)