Four Year Anniversary

Today Drew and I are celebrating our four year anniversary...that is if you go by the day we surprised everyone at the rehearsal and got married. My parents still ask which day we chose to celebrate whether it's 8/31 or 9/1. Technically we were married 8/31 so we'll go with today. :) My sister uses the default method and says Happy Anniversary Day 1 and Day 2. Regardless, Drew and I feel so blessed to be happily married and to have a new addition to our little family. It's truly been an adventure so far and we look forward to all that is to come.
We are getting super excited for my parents to get here on Friday. Can't wait!! Here are a few pictures from this week. If you can't tell my time for blogging is rather short so I try to get as many pictures as I can up here. We can't get over how big he is getting!



Love that no matter how big he gets Drew always makes him look little. Love my big man and my little man.

One Month Old

Today Cole is one month old. He is getting so big! He's actually sound asleep on my chest right now as I am writing this. :) Everyday Drew and I look at him and can't believe how quickly he is growing and changing. This past month has been a whirlwind. I've said it before but time is a crazy thing. In some ways it feels like he has been part of our family forever because we can't imagine life without him, but in other ways it feels like I just had him. This past weekend was great because the weather gave us a bit of a break in the mornings so we could get out and enjoy the world as a family. It has been so darn hot that I was beginning to feel like my whole world was our house! Saturday morning we went down to Forsyth Park which is a beautiful park in downtown Savannah. We worked out with Cole in the stroller then went to a local coffee shop then the farmer's market. We had a great time as a little family. Sunday morning Drew was going to meet up with one of his co-workers Casey to ruck march at a park near our house. Drew suggested we join them so we did. Here's a picture of Cole's first ruck march.

It looks like Hurricane Irene is going to pass us so hopefully this weekend we can get out in the mornings again. Here are a few more pics from this past week.

I love this progression. After his bath he was hungry so he started crying...

Then the food was coming...

Then he ate and was out!

Our newest addition at the dinner table.

Days into Nights and Nights into Days

What day is it? ;) The days seem to blend together when you are up all day and night. Cole is eating every two hours around the clock so sleep is limited but we wouldn't change a thing. I am happy to see him whether he wakes up at 8am or 3am. He seems to be changing constantly and is getting so big. Sometimes Drew and I think he looks like a newborn but other times he looks like a little boy. We could stare at his little facial expressions for hours on end. I'm on maternity leave right now but Drew has had to juggle no sleep and a busy training schedule. I try to let Drew sleep through the night since he has such long work days but Drew is always so sweet to get up and offer to help. I'm lucky to have him but one of my new favorite things is to see Drew get some much deserved sleep. This past weekend I cut the grass and came in to find all four of my boys taking a nap. So cute. And don't worry, I wanted to cut the grass, Drew didn't make me. :)


Here's a picture from Drew's training this week. They went to a range where they are able to shoot targets over a mile away. Crazy. Drew loves when they are busy training even though it is 110 degrees outside!


A couple of more pics from this week:

Two Week Check Up

Yesterday Cole had his first well baby doctor's appointment. He received a healthy report! He is now 8 pounds 10 oz!! After he was born his weight dropped to 7 pounds when he was weighed 7/29 which is normal for newborns to lose weight at first before they start gaining. The doctor wanted him to at least return to his birth weight (7lbs 8oz) by his two week appointment but he well exceeded that! The doctor was pleased and said breastfed babies often gain weight more quickly because they are getting the good stuff. So it looks like Cole is a good eater like his parents. ;) His weight put him in the 43 percentile. He also grew 3/4 of an inch and is now 21 3/4 inches putting him at 81% for length. His head is 38cm which is 68%. It was great to hear he is doing so well. The plan is to keep doing what we are doing. His next appointment will be his two month check up at the end of September. We feel really fortunate because the nurse practitioner Cole sees at the pediatrician's office is actually our friend and neighbor. It's so nice to know if we have any questions she is right in our neighborhood and is happy to help.
Here are a few pics from the last week. Aunt Sarah was thrilled to meet him to say the least! We had a great visit and can't wait for her to come back soon.

Cole James

On Monday, July 25th, 2011 Cole James arrived. I went to bed Sunday night with contractions about 10 minutes apart but didn't think anything of it because I had been having contractions off and on for the past few weeks. Around 1:30am on Monday morning I woke up and knew something was different. My contractions were 3 minutes apart and much stronger. I woke Drew up and finished getting our things together to head to the hospital. The doctor wanted us to go to labor and delivery when our contractions were 2-3 minutes apart for at least 2 hours. We arrived at the hospital at 5am with painful contractions coming every 2 minutes. I was only 3cm when we arrived so the doctor told us to go walk the floors since they would only admit me at 4cm. My doctor said don't go far though because she thought I would be progressing quickly. Well... we made it to the elevator, took it to the first floor, and as soon as I stepped off the elevator I couldn't walk any farther. We saw a nurse from L&D who took one look at me and sent us back upstairs. I was now 4cm so we were admitted. In the short amount of time from me moving across the hall into our room and having the nurses complete my initial assessment, I was now at 7cm. He was coming quickly! I then had an epidural which made a HUGE difference. Before I decided on an epidural I had wanted to feel the contractions and see what I thought. I am sooo glad I got one because it gave me a little break in the pain and laboring department to allow Drew and I a quiet moment together before I started pushing. At 11:47am Cole was born. He was 7lbs 8oz and 21 inches long. Best moment of our lives. We now had our healthy baby boy. :) :) :)I couldn't have done it without Drew who was an amazing support and coach through it all. Love that man.





My parents had been on standby waiting for the call that I was in labor. I had called them around 3am when I knew this was going to happen. They made it to the hospital Monday evening to meet their grandson. Of course the tears were flowing!

We were discharged from the hospital on Wednesday morning and were excited to bring him home. Jeannie had given me the booties that Drew wore home from the hospital so we put Cole in them too. They were a little big but they served the 'sentimental' purpose. :)

It was so nice having my parents in town because after we got him home and settled, they came over and had their first babysitting job while Drew and I took a much needed nap. On Friday afternoon, Drew's parents arrived. It is so fun to introduce our family to our son!

We can't wait for everyone else to see him too. Friday night we had both of the grandparents for dinner which was fun and of course I used it as a photo opportunity.

It was hard to say bye to my parents on Friday night but we are already making plans for the next visit. Jeannie and Bill will head home on Wednesday morning then Sarah will arrive on Thursday. We can't wait!