Gates - one month

This sweet little boy is one month old!

Actually as I type this he is 5 weeks old.  I am not going to lie - the first 4 weeks were pretty tough adjusting to life with 2 children.  I was not ready for it!  You just forget pretty quickly what newborns are like.  Most of them sleep a lot, but Gates decided he liked to be awake and held and that left me with little time to do anything else!  

He has always slept pretty good at night - sleeping long stretches between feedings, but he would not nap during the day!  He just would not fall asleep in his bouncer, swing, nap nanny or bassinet.  Yes, my house is FULL of seats for this newborn.  I was at my wits end until I bought this miracle worker.  He sleeps in his bassinet at night, but loves to nap in this during the day.  It took him a few days to get used to it, but now he takes GREAT naps in it!  

His digestive system was just so tiny that I think he needed to eat a lot and was also really gassy and burpy.  Every day has gotten better as he has learned to eat better and sleep better.  At first he would do really long stretches at night until 4 or 5am!  But now he does 10:30pm until around 3am and then back up around 6 or 6:30am.  I am really ready to sleep through the night, but I can handle this schedule especially since he is giving me a break during the day.  

Doesn't he look JUST like Robbie?  I call him Robbie's mini-me.

At his one month doctor appt he weighed 10 lbs 10 oz and was 22 inches long.  Big boy!

We shockingly got all dressed up and went to church!  I had to take a picture since I am never in front of the camera.  

 It took 3 weeks for Gates' belly button to fall off, so he finally got his first real bath!  Isn't he a cutie?!

Hawkins - 28 months

The "Big Brother" needs a post of his own!

Hawkins is 28 months and is doing so much I have to write it all down before I forget.  I know all mothers say this, but he is SO smart.  This stage is so much fun and interactive.  I can actually carry on a conversation with him and he knows most of what I am talking about.

Holidays are especially fun because I can teach him the meanings and he understands!


Hawkins, here are some things you are doing:

-You can say your full ABC's with no help.

-You can count to 20.

-You can say the blessing with help.

-He can name Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus in the manger scene.

-He loves Ho Ho and Christmas trees.

-You just started a new class at school and you love it.  We know more of the children and you ask to go to your "new class" every morning!

-You still LOVE Thomas the train, Elmo and Cookie Monster.

-I guess we can't put presents under the tree this year b/c you have opened every one that you have found.  Twice you have been left alone in the room with the tree and you have opened a present each time.  Too funny.



My favorite phrases you are saying right now:

"Mommy, what you doing?"

"What that sound, Mommy?"

"What that mean, Mommy?"

"Where Baby Gates?"

"Mommy, hold him" - this means he wants me to pick him up.

"Want Big Daddy" - he says this ALOT.


You are doing SO great with the transition to being a big brother.  You do want more attention and have had some meltdowns, but that is to be expected :)  You love to kiss Gates, give him his paci or a stuffed animal and you always want to hold him.  We are so proud of you!

More Thankful

It seems I forgot some very important people in my last post to be thankful for!  My parents!  

We are currently living with them...yes, living under one roof with 2 children.  Just call us the Waltons.

 They have been so accommodating and have helped me SO much as I have made this transition from one to two children.  I could not have done it without them.

Thank you Mom and Dad - I am thankful for YOU!

Thankful

People have been posting daily on Facebook in the month of November about what they are thankful for.  This year I can answer that in just a few words.  

These sweet boys are at the top of my list!

I am so thankful that God allowed me to be the Mother of two perfect sons.  I think every day how lucky Robbie and I are to have 2 healthy children.

I am thankful that Gates sleeps long stretches at night 

(even though it takes HOURS to get him to sleep!)

I still sometimes can believe that we are a family of four! wow!

I am SO thankful to have such a loving and supportive husband.  He is the best Daddy to our little boys.  I could not ask for more.

I am thankful that Hawkins has been so sweet to his little brother and only wants to hold him and kiss him.

I am sure this will change as the years go by :)

Week 2

It's hard to blog when all I have to talk about is a newborn's sleep, eating and poop schedule.  Robbie called me at lunch today to check in and I literally had nothing to say.  "Gates took a good nap, but spit up everything he had eaten after one feeding.  I got in a nap too..that's about it."  Nothing exciting to report.  

Hawkins did have a GREAT time in Atlanta last week though!  He went to see Santa at Phipps, ride the Pink Pig, go to the zoo and the park.  It was a serious vacation!

He really really loved "HO HO".  

Especially after HO HO gave him a candy cane.  

Honey, Robbie, Gates and I stayed in Americus and just hung out.  We took naps and got to know each other.  (and Robbie was happy to go back to work!)

Hawkins was glad to see his little brother when he got back!  I love this pic.

Saturday Hawkins went quail hunting with the boys and was not scared in the least to hold this dead quail!  

 Here is Honey and Big Daddy with their 2 boys and Molly of course.

This picture is just hilarious.  Robbie had to wake Hawkins up to go hunting and this is what he found. Hawkins seriously loves his stuffed animals.  He has them each in a headlock.  Can he even breathe?  

He has also insisted that Thomas and Percy sleep with him lately.  Silly boy.

My 2 boys

Doesn't Hawkins look humongous?

Here is my sweet baby boy.

Gates is doing better sleeping at night...if we can get him to go to sleep!  He needs some encouragement to drift to dreamland, but once I get him there he does sleep for long stretches.  Mama is happy for that!

Home sweet home

Maybe...

We got home from the hospital on Friday and man I wish I had stayed one more night.  Note to self: don't come home from the hospital with a new baby at 5:30pm aka witching hour for your toddler.  Hawkins wasn't bad - he is just a 2 year old little boy, which means really loud and really wild.  This Mommy wasn't ready for that.

I also wasn't ready for Gates to keep us up all night for the next 2 nights.  I thought newborns were supposed to sleep a lot?  Poor baby is really gassy, burpy and uncomfortable, but things are getting better each day he is older and bigger.

Hawkins has been really sweet with him.  He wants to hold and kiss him and always asks "Where Baby Gates"?  He does try to squeeze a little too hard sometimes when he holds him :)

So sweet

The 3rd and 4th night were much better and Gates slept and ate better.  Monday we packed up Hawkins, and my Dad and sister took him to Atlanta for a few days.  I hate to see him go, but I need some quiet in this house to recuperate from surgery and learn to take care of a newborn again!  

Having 2 kids is NO joke.

Gates had his first doctor check up on Monday and his weight was back up to 8 lbs.  8oz!  Big boy!  

The doctor said he is doing great.  He thinks he just has his days and nights confused and nothing drastic like colic or reflux, which is great.

Look at those eyes!

Monday afternoon Gates and Shep had their first play date!  

Of course, they slept right through it :)

Aren't they the cutest?

Tuesday was pretty rough b/c Gates slept all morning and then didn't want to sleep all afternoon.  This led to not wanting to go to sleep at night either.  

I should have woken him up to eat, but I selfishly just let him snooze away and he slept for 4 hours! (during the day that is not good)

After his long morning nap I let him play and kick around on a playmat, and I think I let him stay awake too long and he got overstimulated b/c he would not go to sleep all afternoon!  He wanted to nurse round the clock and just be held.  Then he did take a good evening nap, but would not go back to sleep after nursing.  He was awake from 8:30pm until midnight just crying and wanting to eat.  

So...today we are working on a schedule!  He is taking his good morning nap and I am going to wake him up to eat!

Sidenote to nursing mothers:  how do you do it with a toddler?????  I am contemplating solely pumping and giving it to him in bottles b/c it takes FOREVER to nurse and Hawkins just does not understand.  Advice?

Benjamin Gatewood Raybon

Gates arrived on November 7th at 1:41pm!  

8 lbs 7 oz - a big boy!

I will have to tell our whole hospital story in another post, but here are some great first pictures to enjoy for now!

Counting down...

Only 8 more days before baby #2 arrives!!!

On one hand I can't wait another day to meet this precious baby and on the other hand I am scared half to death!  Will I remember how to take care of a newborn??  The diapers are SO tiny and I hope he sleeps well and do I remember how to swaddle?  Will Hawkins smother him or knock over his bassinet?

Clothes are washed, crib is ready, carseat is found and ready to be put in the car, pacis are sterilized, hospital bag is semi-packed....what is there left to do?  Robbie asked me last night what we had left to do and my list has dwindled down to only one or two minor things.  I should be in the business of getting mothers ready to have babies :)

I find myself just staring at my list of things to pack for the hospital and I just keep staring b/c there is nothing left I can pack until we are ready to walk out the door.

We have really been talking up "Baby Gates" and Hawkins is getting suspicious.  I wonder how he will act when he arrives.  I am sure he will want to hold, hug and kiss him, but then the jealously will come.  I am nervous about it.  I am also nervous b/c he wants Mommy all.the.time.  His favorite phrase is "Mommy hold him", which means pick me up right now.

The Lord has definitely given me a peace about it though.  We have been "practicing" Daddy putting Hawkins to bed for a couple of weeks and it is going really well.  I have still put him to bed a few times, but he doesn't cry anymore when I am not there after bath time.  That is huge folks.  Now let's just pray he lets someone else put him down for a nap...that's a whole different story...he might not nap until I am able to do it again after the c-section!  Yikes!

It is *finally* getting colder here in South Georgia.  You would think this would make me less swollen, but no, puffy hands and feet are here to stay.  I can literally only wear flip flops.

I am just SO excited for Gates to get here.  Fall is probably one of my favorite times of the year and having him here with us will only make it that much better.  It is crazy to think that he will spend Thanksgiving and Christmas with us.  Hurry up and get here, Gates!

October

-Baby Raybon's birthday has been set!  He will arrive in 3 weeks - wow, time has flown by.  I am SO excited (and nervous) for his arrival.

-I have "extreme nesting syndrome".  I seriously cannot stop washing baby clothes, packing my hospital bag, organizing baby clothes, finding all of Hawkins old baby stuff, etc etc etc.  I will be about to pass out at night I am so tired, but I can't stop organizing!

-Hawkins has had a rough time at school, so he has stayed home with me most of the last week.  He got bitten for the THIRD time last week and I have not been impressed with the behavior of the other kids in his class...and several illness have been going around.  We have had fun, but he is a handful for a 36 week pregnant woman to take care of.  He went back today and I pray that things go well.  I need somewhere for him to go when this baby comes!

-I love the month of October.  Cooler weather appears (sometimes) and I just love to decorate with pumpkins and all things fall.

-I am really nervous about bringing home a baby to a house with 4 dogs.  So many dogs and so much dog hair - and no where to sit b/c they take every seat in the house!

-I am officially uncomfortable.  This baby has dropped and he might fall out at any second.  Waddling has started and I think I have to go to the bathroom every 15 minutes.  Fun stuff.  I have also stopped sleeping well at night.  I can barely roll myself out of bed for those bathroom visits!

-It was so nice and cool this morning and I loved every second.  I am not nearly as swollen as I was with Hawkins (having him in July).  I am swollen - just not as bad.  

We can't wait to meet you, Baby Gates!

2 year photo session

Back in August we had Hawkins' 2 year photo session.  The same person has photographed Hawkins since he was born and we LOVE Adam with Art of Life Photography!

Here are some of my faves:

Here is the whole slideshow:

http://www.thedecisivemoment.com/artoflife/slideshows/hawkins-raybon/

Gates!

We decided to do a 4-D ultra sound of our sweet baby Gates.  

Isn't he the cutest?  

Ok, this is crazy.  

Here is Gates' profile at 31 weeks

And here was Hawkins' profile at 32 weeks.  

They are twins!

Photos!

I have been really bad about posting lately, so here are some recent pics to show you what we have been up to!

Hawkins is all boy and bumps his head about once a week :(  Poor baby.

He loves to shave with his Daddy!

Hawkins and Lucy on the first day of school

See his black eye?

Hawkins sharing M&Ms with girlfriend, Miller Anne at the Southland football game

We really love ice cream around here!

Go Dawgs!

Sick day.  He wanted me to hold him this WHOLE day.  It was wonderful :)

Rainy day

He was obsessed with Miller Anne's easel.  

Santa may or may not be bringing one this year!