A very merry Christmas

Our first Christmas with Cullen was amazing! He is definitely the best Christmas gift ever!

We had a little fun with mustaches (:

Does this get easier?!

As much as I love being a mom, this is hard work! The nursing is definitely wearing me out. Cullen eats every 2-3 hours, and each feeding takes an hour or so. Then he gets fussy for a while. By the time he is changed and happy, I only have an hour or so before it's time to start all over again! And he usually wants to be held for that hour. So I am learning to do everything with one hand. And the laundry! Cullen spits up all the time, so I am constantly changing his clothes, sheets, etc. I do at least 2 loads every other day. I'm not sure how I'm going to pull off cooking for Christmas, but I am determined to do it! Hopefully I will get better at all of this!

Our tiny man

We met the goal of getting Cullen back to his birth weight by 2 weeks old, but we still have a long way to go. He weighed in at 7 lbs, 7 oz, which puts him in the 17th percentile. His height is 20.25 in, which is in the 34th percentile. We were hoping he would have gained more weight, but we are moving forward and focusing on making sure he gets enough food and making sure he stays healthy (though limiting visitors is so hard for me because I want to show him off!).

We are falling more and more in love with him every day. It is amazing to think that not too long ago we thought we would never have the chance to hold our own child, and now we have this amazing baby. Words cannot describe the joy...

Week two and lots of firsts

I can't believe our little guy is 2 weeks old! Week 2 brought lots of firsts for Cullen... some enjoyed and some... not so much.

First sponge bath at home. We tried to keep him as comfortable as possible--only removing the hat and diaper when absolutely necessary. His objections to the whole process were only mild.

First hoodie. He enjoyed this toasty experience.

First ride in the sling and first trip to the pediatrician. The former he LOVED. The latter he hated. But who would like being placed on a cold scale while naked? And then being told you really need to fatten up a bit? Weighing in at 6 lbs., 11 oz. at one week old, he definitely needs to put on some weight. The goal is to get back up to his birth weight by two weeks.

First time being held by Granna. He definitely loved this one. And so did mom. Granna cooked, cleaned, and cuddled while she was here. What a huge help!

First time greeting dad as he was coming home from work. I think dad liked this even more than Cullen!

First time hanging out on the couch with mom and the puppies. We have been so relieved that Chloe is handling the new situation well. We were worried because she usually doesn't like kids, but she has been following Cullen everywhere he goes and seems very protective of him.

First Christmas jamies. He definitely liked this one.

First ride in the Bob. Who knows... he slept the whole time! He couldn't even keep the pacifier in his mouth!

First full bath. He definitely hated this one. I am really hoping he comes to love bath time.

First penguin outfit. OK, I just loved this picture so I couldn't resist.

First time he could only be consoled by cuddling with Mom. Pure bliss for Mom.

Fist time being held by Pa. After Granna left, Pa took over baby duty. He also helped clean and cook. Cullen loved his cuddle time with Pa.

First time he discovered the freedom of not being swaddled. Turns out Cullen loves his freedom! He stretches out and seems perfectly content... at least for a few fleeting moments.

First time being read to by Dad. He definitely enjoyed this one. But I should complete the story by revealing that I caught David singing David Allen Coe's You Never Even Call Me By My Name before he read the book. Although I wasn't crazy about the song choice, it was cute. At least Cullen will know all about prison, momma, and getting drunk by the time he is two weeks old. Hmmm...

Newborn photos

I justs have to brag a little about Cullen's newborn photos! Is he cute, or what?! Sorry, I can't help but be a proud mama! Thanks again, Wendi! Great job!

Cullen makes his big debut!

I thought this day would never come! Our sweet baby boy is finally here! We couldn't be happier! Things started off perfectly. On Dec. 2, I had the c-section, and Cullen was here. He was adorable from the start!

Here are our first family photos.

Happy momma.

Proud daddy.

Cullen's grandparents get their first look.

David was just a little happy.

Things didn't go as planned after that. After the c-section, Cullen was taken to the nursery for evaluation. I was told he would be brought to me in about 4 hours. At just about the time I was expecting him, I got a call that he was being placed in NICU because he was breathing too fast. Because I was recovering from surgery, I wasn't able to see him for several hours, so his dad, grandparents, and aunt Lindsay were his first visitors.

Later that night I was finally allowed to visit the NICU. I was dying to see my little one!

On Friday night, he was finally released from NICU and got to come stay with us in the room. I am clearly biased, but I think he is the cutest thing ever!

Dad thinks so too.

We were supposed to be released on Sunday, but that day I was in a lot of pain and had a lot of swelling, so we stayed until Monday. We finally got to head home around 7:00 p.m. on Monday. We were so excited!

Cullen looked so handsome in his going home outfit.

Janny was such a help and had a blast holding her first grandchild.

Cullen looked tiny in his car seat!

The moment we got home was a bit surreal. I couldn't believe that we were finally home.

Cullen spent most of his first day home sleeping. He fell asleep while dad was changing his diaper, so we had to get a few pictures. We are so excited to have him home!

Tomorrow he has his first appointment with the pediatrician. We are hoping everything goes well. Now for another long but wonderful night...