6 Weeks

This last week has been a very busy one for the Brasher family.  Andy had finals this week which means that I had lots and lots of time alone with Isaac.  Luckily though, we're done with finals now and on to enjoying Christmas break!  Despite finals, we had a pretty awesome week.  Why you might ask?

Well...

1. I had my 6 week check up on Tuesday.  This may not seem like a fun thing, but I had been looking forward to it.  I loved Jen Krebs, the midwife who helped me through the majority of my labor, and she's the one who I scheduled my check up with.  I'm sad that I don't have a good reason to go back to the office and see her anymore... which is saying a lot in my opinion.  Everything was looking good at the check up.  My iron levels are back up to normal (Although the finger prick they did to find this out hurt like heck!  I would much rather do a blood draw than a finger prick!) and my body is well on its way to being completely healed.  The best news though, is that I'm back to my pre-pregnancy weight!  Now I just need to start working out so I can get some muscle back.
2. Don't ask why it took me this long, but this week I realized that Isaac doesn't need to be held the entire time he's awake.  I can put him in his bouncer!  Now I can actually eat on a regular basis and get things cleaned around the apartment.  
3. We started using our cloth diapers this week!  Isaac looks so stinkin' cute in them!  Right now we're only using them during the day, but once we're more comfortable using them we'll start using them at night too.  They really aren't much bulkier than a dirty diaper in my opinion, but they do sit up higher on the waist since they're one-size diapers that will grow with him.
4. Since we made the switch to cloth diapers, Isaac has officially moved up to 3-6 month clothes.  Even if we hadn't put him in cloth diapers he would've been moving up a size soon anyways.  I'm actually really excited because most of our really cute clothes were in that size so now he can wear some of them! 
5. Isaac started laughing this week!  It's so cute!!  I love it.  He's also a babbling machine.  We have lots of little conversations throughout the day. 

Anyways... here's some pictures of him and a video of him last night when he was having a conversation with me.  I think he's pretty cute in it.

Isaac in a cloth diaper.  He's pretty happy about having semi-naked time and being in his favorite place.

Isaac in one of the 3-6 onesies.  They're a little big, but I think they look cute on him.

Babies are Funny People

I know... every post is about Isaac.  But really... nothing else goes on in our lives!  The most I've gone outside since Sunday was to get the mail yesterday.  Other than than Isaac and I have been holed up in our mostly warm apartment (it gets a little chilly sometimes, but then I just whip out our handy dandy space heater and get us nice and toasty warm).  Tonight though... we're breaking out of here and going to dinner with the other officers and their significant others!  I'll probably have to change out of sweats and actually do my hair for that (oh the joys of not leaving the house).

Since Isaac turned a month old on Saturday I've been thinking about how much he's learned in this last month.  Besides the basics (eating, breathing, etc), he's learned how to smile (I have yet to get this on a real camera... just my phone) and he's starting to babble.  I love having little conversations with him about what's going on that day!  Our favorite place to have these conversations?  A wonderful place that I have affectionately named "Our Favorite Spot" (I know... I'm super original)... aka his changing table.  I don't know what it is about his changing table, but it works almost as well for getting him to stop fussing as the hair dryer does.  He can spend 10-15 minutes just laying there and looking around!  He can see his favorite curtains, the book shelves, his crib, everything in his room.  He just loves it!  Ironically though, he doesn't like getting his diaper changed or his clothes changed... he starts fussing as soon as we do either of those things.  As long as I just leave him alone he looks a bit like this:

There's usually a lot of arm waving, leg kicking, and cooing as he stares intently at whatever fabulous object has caught his interest.

Isaac has also grown a ton in this month!  I weighed myself with him the other day and if my scale's correct then he's around 11 pounds now!  And he's getting the most adorable chubby thighs!  And his hands are starting to get a little chubby! And don't even get me started on his double chin and neck rolls!!  *sigh*  Needless to say I spend lots of time kissing this little guy!  He's just so kissable!

Andy and I have also learned a lot this last month.  Andy went from never changing a diaper in his life to becoming a pro at it!  This last week he's also become Isaac's midnight nap partner.  When Isaac wakes up right after I've fed him Andy's the one who will go hold him and get him to sleep (it usually involves the two of them sleeping on the couch for a couple hours). 

For me, the biggest thing I've learned is contentment.  I've spent most of my life thinking "I can't wait until ____________" with the blank being filled with going to college, graduating, getting married, having a baby, etc.  For the first time in my life I'm not wishing for time to speed up.  I'm enjoying every second of being with Isaac just the way he is!  Even days like yesterday where he would not let me put him down for more than 2 minutes I loved just getting to cuddle with him all day.  Sure, there are other stages of his life that I'm excited about (him sitting, him moving, him consistently making eye contact with me), but I'm perfectly happy with where I am right now.  I think it helps that I know that this is the only time I'll have the chance to spend 100% of my time just loving my new baby. 

Thanksgiving and Isaac's Blessing

First off, Isaac is 4 weeks old today!  And he'll be a month old on Saturday!  I can believe how quickly my little guy is growing up!  I seriously cannot believe he's been a part of our family for 4 weeks already.  If time could slow down a little I'd appreciate it (especially if it could slow down during his naps so I could actually have a chance at getting things done during the day).

Thanksgiving was so much fun!  Late Wednesday night my dad and two of my sisters rolled into Provo to join my mom, Andy, and I out here for Thanksgiving.  They immediately wanted to meet Isaac who was more than happy to oblige (even though he was sleeping).  There was lots of cooing and awe-ing, but no pictures since we were all either in pajamas or traveling clothes.

The next day we gave Isaac his first real bath before going up to my Grandma and Grandpa Jensen's in Bountiful for Thanksgiving dinner.  At first he wasn't so sure about the whole sitting it a tub of water thing, but I then he decided it was way better than a sponge bath.  He especially liked the part where we blow dried his hair after he was done and dressed. 

Right after getting in the water.

After he's resigned himself to being cleaned all over.

Once he was clean we headed up to Bountiful.  It was a lot of fun because my Aunt Debbie, Uncle Dave and most of their kids were there and so was my Aunt Sally and Uncle Brian and their kids.  I especially loved getting to see my cousin Kayleen's cute baby!  It was a little scary to see what Isaac might look like in a month though!  We ate lots of good food and played some fun games, but mostly we sat around and visited.  That's what family gatherings are for, right?

My dad and Isaac after his bath

My sister Sarah and Isaac

My dad and Isaac in the cute onesie we got Isaac when we went shopping on Friday.

 That Sunday we were joined by both Andy's and my family to bless Isaac.  He was such a good baby and didn't cry at all even though he was wide awake and staring at Andy the whole time!  After the blessing, we all went up to my Grandma Gale's for lunch.  Isaac got passed around to those who hadn't had the chance to meet him yet and lots more cooing and awe-ing occurred. 

My parents, my dad's parents, Andy, Isaac, and I after the blessing

My sister Allie with Isaac

My Grandma Gale holding a sleeping Isaac.  This is quite possibly one of my favorite pictures!

Isaac in his cute little blessing suit.

Sunday night my parents and sisters headed back to Kansas and Andy, Isaac, and I headed back to Provo.  It's been a lonely week without anyone here to keep me company, but Isaac and I have been keeping each other busy.  Poor little guy must have picked up a bug or something because he's been so congested the last couple days!  I ended up holding him for 2 hours yesterday afternoon so he could get some sleep.  Good thing I have my Nook and I was able to read while I held him!

Oh... and here's one last shot of Isaac on the quilt my sister Allie made him.  Didn't she do an awesome job?

The Last Few Weeks

I'm such a lucky girl!  For just over a week now, my mom's been here to help me with Isaac!  Apparently she couldn't wait until Thanksgiving to see the world's cutest baby.  I can't blame her, I don't think I could wait 3 weeks to see this cuteness.

Seriously... isn't he adorable?

We've been having lots of fun with Grandma Jensen.  She enjoys dancing with Isaac, bouncing Isaac, and all sorts of things that result in him calming down.  A lot of the day looks something like this...

Sometimes though, all Isaac wants to do is curl up with his mommy.  The other night we were having mommy/son nap time (which really needs to happen way more than it does) and he wrapped both arms around my hand to make sure I kept that binky in his mouth.  It was pretty cute.

No, I don't blow dry my hair in the living room.  It turns out hair dryers are magical baby quieting devices.  You turn them on and they stop crying instantly.

Isaac has also been learning some new things the last couple weeks.  He's starting to smile at us (although we have yet to actually capture it on camera) and he makes the cutest faces.  Yesterday we caught him doing this...

Yes, my mom is holding his hands in this picture, but he was doing it on his own for awhile before we were able to get a good picture.

On Friday we took him in for his 2 week check-up (and to get circumcised).  He weighed in at 10 lbs and 3.5 oz and was 22 3/4" long.  At least I don't have to worry that he's not getting enough food even though he usually doesn't nurse for very long!  While we were there Dr. Grandpa Brasher also pulled off Isaac's cord.  We all laughed a little because we've been so careful not to tug on it at all and he just twisted it right off.  It's been such a relief to have it gone though!

Now that his cord is gone we've started having tummy time for a few minutes each day.  Last night when we put him on his stomach he tucked his arms in and held his head up for over a minute (long enough at least for both Andy and my mom to get their cameras and get pictures).  

Now we're just getting excited for tomorrow when my dad and sisters get into town so we can have even more with Isaac!  We're also excited for Sunday when Andy gets to bless our little man.

One Week!!

Not so little Isaac is officially one week old today!  I can't believe that he's been with us for that long, but at the same time I can't believe that he's only been with us for a week (maybe that's what happens when you only sleep 1-2 hours at a time).

We've been so blessed in the week since he was born though!  Our ward has been so generous with meals this last week!  We seriously don't have any space left in our fridge!  Andy and I had to come up with a plan of attack last night to finish off some of the leftovers so we can have a little bit of space again.

I've also been feeling incredibly blessed by my mother-in-law Susie's willingness to give up her days to come help me with Isaac.  It's been so nice to go take a shower and not have to worry about whether or not my baby is screaming outside.  She also forced me to go take naps (I'm not good at sleeping during the day).

Andy and I also got the exciting news on Tuesday that my mom has decided she cannot live 2 more weeks before seeing the cutest baby in the world and instead she's coming out on Tuesday (just 5 more days)!!  She asked if a week and a half was too long for her to be out here with us and Andy and I just looked at each other and said no immediately.  Since I was told not to plan on leaving the apartment before Thanksgiving, it will be such a blessing to have her here to keep me company during that last week.  Otherwise I would be going crazy by the time they got here!

Most of all though, both Isaac and I have been blessed with health.  I'm healing a lot faster than I would have thought possible given how awful I was feeling this time last week (and how worried about me everyone was).  I can get up and move around without pain and without feeling dizzy.

At one week, Isaac is a happy, healthy baby.  He has a pretty busy schedule every day.  He wakes up to eat about every 1 1/2 - 2 hours and if he's not being fed within about 30 seconds of waking up, things are not going to go well!  In between feedings, he doesn't waste calories on being awake.  Instead he goes straight to sleep (except at night when he spends about 30 minutes staring at you after a feeding).  My favorite parts of the day though are when he's deciding whether or not to wake up or stay asleep... he'll go back and forth for 5-10 minutes sometimes and the performance includes amazing arm movements!  Due to the lack of movement on his part, Isaac is developing the cutest chubby cheeks and neck fat rolls!  Andy is terrified that Isaac is going to be a fat baby, but I'm excited.  Hopefully he'll get chubby enough that he won't be able to start moving too soon (my brother didn't roll over until he was almost 6 months old because he was so fat!).

Anyways, now what everyone really cares about... some pictures of Isaac over the last week.

Isaac when he was 3 days old (notice how skinny his face looks)

In his bouncer right after we put him in (when we're smart and remember to strap him in)

In his bouncer about 30 minutes after being put in (when we forget to strap him in).  Don't ask me how on earth that's comfortable to him.

Isaac this morning.  Check out the double chin and neck rolls on that baby!!  They're not always quite so prominent, but he's definitely gotten a lot bigger!

Welcome to the World!

So, now that we finally have something worth blogging about, Andy and I thought we'd finally start a family blog.  On Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 8:51 a.m. (after 29 hours of labor) we welcomed the newest member of our family into the world--Isaac James Brasher.  He weighed in at 9 lbs. 7 oz and was 21 inches long.  Neither of us were expecting a baby who was anywhere close to that big!!  Both Isaac and I are now at home and doing fine.

Below are some pictures of Isaac and us since he was born.

Andy first holding Isaac

Me getting to meet him for the first time

Our first family photo

Isaac giving us what we've now decided is his favorite look.  We just haven't figured out yet what emotion he's conveying.

Going for a thoughtful pose.

Lots of people have asked for details about the labor and delivery... if you want those details, read on.  This is just the short version though, there are a lot of other things that happened, but I'm still wrapping my head around some of them.