Michael is 3 weeks old

I can't believe he is already 3 weeks old! I took some pictures today of him with his Mickey Mouse.

Here he is at 1 week old with Mickey

And here he is at 3 weeks old with Mickey. He has grown so much over the past two weeks.

These are some pictures I took this week with my iPhone. They aren't the best quality, but I wanted to make sure I documented this. While I was changing his diaper one morning, he was in a good mood, so we did a little tummy time.

He pushed up like this for several minutes

He is so strong. We go to the Doctor on Friday for his 1 month check up. I can't wait to see how much he weighs and if he has gotten any taller.

What a Week!

This has been a crazy week. I have wanted to post an update several different times, but I just never found the time. Here is a brief overview of our week:
Michael received a beautiful flower arrangement from his Great Aunt Marjie and Uncle Barry.
On Sunday, we tried out the swing for the first time, and he really liked it. We have since put him in it a couple more times, and each time, he really enjoys it.

On Monday, our friend Lindsay and her son Ethan came to visit. They are moving to NY, and I hate that our boys aren't going to be able to grow up together.

Also on Monday, Mommy went back to work. But Michael got to come too, and he is a wonderful assistant. I work for a company that is closing down, and I thought I would be done, by the time Michael got here, but it turns out they still need my help. So we go in every day at 1 and work till 5. Michael is so great while we are there. He mostly just sleeps, but when he is awake, he keeps all of the men there entertained.

Here Michael is with Jonathan at work. Friday was his last day, and we are going to miss him so much.

On Wednesday, we went over to my parents house and Sarah's family was there. That was the first time for Henry and Zoe to see Michael. They both loved holding him, and Henry even gave him a little kiss.

Andrew, Michael and I with Grandma Cox.

Four Generations - Great Grandma Cox, Papa Cox, Me and Michael

Every morning, Michael has about an hour and a half of good awake time. He is so happy, and just loves to look around.
I got out this toy for him to play with, and he just loves to look at it and smile.

It has been a great week, but a busy week.

Friends and Family

This past weekend was full of visits from friends and family. Michael has so many people that love him, and that wanted to meet him. On Friday afternoon, Michael met his cousin Lindy. She is such a proud big cousin.

Friday night, Jessica, Chris and Lydia came for a visit. They brought us dinner, and we had a wonderful night of just visiting.

I can't believe how much bigger Lydia is than Michael. She is only 5 months older than him.

Saturday morning, Andrew's family came over. Michael was able to meet his Great Granny. She was so excited to meet him.

Michael and PaPa got in some snuggle time too.

Saturday afternoon, Julie, Steve and Coleman came for a visit. I haven't seen them since Coleman was newborn, so it was so good to see all of them. Here is Michael and Coleman, I think they are going to be best buddies.

Saturday evening, Andrew and I took Michael to my parents house to meet another Great Grandma! My Grandma Cox is visiting from California this week, and I'm so excited that Michael will have met her.Two Great Grandmas in one day! What a blesses little boy.

It was a full weekend of meeting lots of people. On Sunday, we went to church with my parents. That is where I go to Bible Study, so I knew the ladies there were so excited to see him! They have been praying for us to have a baby for a long time, and to see Michael, is just confirmation that God does hear us and that He has a plan. His plan is always way better than any plan we would ever come up with.

We were also able to take some nice long naps this weekend. I just love falling asleep with Andrew beside me in the bed, and my baby boy asleep in the cradle beside the bed.

This week we are going to try to get into a routine, and help to put him on more of a consistent schedule. I know he is still so little, but I think it would be good for all of us to find some routine.

Newborn Photo Shoot

On Wednesday night, my sister Sarah came over and did Michael's Newborn photo shoot. All I can say is AMAZING! She did such a wonderful job. She was here for 2 hours, and was so wonderful to work with. and I am not just saying that because she is my sister. I would highly recommend her. Here are just a few proofs that she posted on facebook. Our little family

Sweet teddy bear (yes, I made this hat)

Our little special delivery - notice his sweet smile

What a blessing

Could he be any cuter?

Thank you so much Sarah! You have captured something that is so special.

Go check out my sister's website, and if you need a photographer, please give her a call.

First Bath at home

On Wednesday night we gave Michael his first bath in the baby tub.

While we were in Alabama, we attempted to give him a bathe in the sink, and it was a disaster. He screamed the entire time, and then when we got him out, he pooped in his cute ducky towel. We Put him back in the bath and washed off the poop, took him out, put him in a new clean towel, and he pooped in that one too. So, we have been waiting to give him another bath until the moment was right. Well, Wednesday was the night. We had him laying on the floor, airing off his butt and he pooped! I had a towel down, and a diaper, so we contained the mess pretty well. So as we were cleaning up that mess, he poops again!! I took that as a good sign that it was time for a bath. I went and got his little tub and put it in the kitchen sink and filled it with nice warm water.

When we put him in, we were expecting him to scream, but instead be smiled and really enjoyed it!

The best part was that when we took him out and put him in his ducky towel, he didn't poop!

He was happy as can be. There is nothing better then the sweet smell of a clean baby.

Wonderful

That is how I would describe the past few days. We just fall more and more in love with this little baby everyday.
Warning: This is a super long post...

Lunch on Tuesday with the birth mother went really well. We were both so grateful for each other. She kept saying how happy she was with her decision and that she knows that this was the best for him. That we could give him a life that she couldn't. She is such a brave woman to be able to do this. I am so thankful that she chose us to raise her child. We took pictures of her holding him and of us together, but for security I won't be posting any of them on here. We didn't end up leaving until after 1:00 pm so that would have put us home around 8:00, but we had to make some stops along he way. Right outside Birmingham, is the Boy Scouts of America AL headquarters. It was such a nice facility and Andrew really enjoyed stopping. While he looked around, I took he time to feed Michael one last time before really hitting he road. Well, this stop put us an hour behind, so we knew it was going to be late by the time we got home. Michael was such a good traveler! He slept almost the entire time. We did get stuck in bad traffic in Atlanta, so that put us another hour behind. By the time we got to Greenville it was 9:00 so we stopped in really quickly to see Andrew's family. We were there long enough for everyone to hold him and get some kisses in, and change his diaper. We left around 10:00 and pulled into our driveway at 10:45 pm. My parents were anxious to see him, so they came over as soon as we got home. Our house was decorated with balloons everywhere and a giant flower arrangement. My mom also cooked us a lasagna, so we got it out and ate while mom and dad held Michael. That is why I didn't get any pictures of them holding him on Tuesday. They stayed for about an hour and then they left and we got Michael to bed. He did pretty good in his little cradle, but ended up in our bed anyway. Wednesday we slept in and took advantage of Michael wanting to sleep late. He has horrible diaper rash, so I called he Dr to see what they would recommend. They said to get lotrimin and mix it with Vaseline and put it on him at every diaper change. They also suggested that we let his bottom dry completely before putting it on. So we have had a lot of naked butt time. We also took Michael for his first chiropractor visit. We just love our Chiropractor, Dr. Sisk. Michael did wonderful, and didn't need to be adjusted at all. After the Chiropractor we came home and Andrew went off looking for a Rocker/Recliner for us. Even though Michael is doing wonderful at night, it would still be nice to have a place to rock him. He didn't find one that was priced reasonably, and comfortable enough, so we will keep looking. While he was gone, Kelly and Clara came over to visit. After they left Sarah came over to do Michael's newborn photos. She is awesome and did awesome! I will post the pictures in another post. They are so good, they deserve their own post. After she left, Grandma came over to visit, and go over names/addresses for the baby shower her and my sisters are hosting for me in a couple weeks. I am so excited about the baby shower. I just want to show him off to everyone! Last night was such a better night for all of us. Michael went 3 - 31/2 hours between feedings, and between me doing the first two, and Andrew doing the last one, we both got an extended amount of sleep.
Today, I went to work to pick up my paycheck, and Michael came along with me. All the men just ooohed and aaahed over him. It's funny how a baby can make a grown man do some silly things. After that we went to see Grandma and Papa at work. Papa is so proud and carried him all over the shop floor to show him off.

Then we went to my friend Missy's house for a quick visit. She is so dear to me, and am blessed to have her as a friend.

After that we went to the bank and Michael got to see all the ladies that have been asking about him. Then it was time to go home. He was hungry and ready for some more naked butt time.

While Andrew took care of the baby, I went to pick up the dogs from the kennel. We were a little nervous about how the dogs would react, but they did great. They act like they don't even know there is a baby around. I'm so thankful that the dogs are being so good. After Michael had a full tummy and a dry bottom, we were off again to go visit some more very special people, Greg and Chris Patterson. They are wonderful people and we were excited to bring Michael to see them. Then we went to buy a recliner. We went to Big Lots, and found one. It is super comfortable, was very reasonably priced, and is black leather, and that is what we were looking for. We wanted leather because of the dogs, and the baby. Leather is super easy to clean. After buying the chair, we went home, and we had some more visitors. My neighbor Abby came over to visit, and she also brought us some dinner, which was so nice. While Abby was still there, Becky and Leilani came over. Leilani did so great with the baby. She thinks Becky needs to have another baby. I think I agree with Leilani.

Andrew went back to work today and Michael has his 2 week check up at the Dr. I have a ton of questions to ask the Dr. and hopefully I will remember everything I want to ask him. Also, we have so many visitors coming this weekend, and I am so excited for them to meet Michael. Hopefully I will post another blog sooner, so I won't have to do these super long posts. I just want to remember everything about this experience, and if I don't write it down, I will forget it.