This year we celebrated Thanksgiving on Friday so Matt could enjoy the entire day of food and fun. Carla/Honey worked hard to make sure we had PLENTY of snacks and food to eat. The day was super relaxing. Matt and I got out in the afternoon to run a few errands. Honey and Pops were happy to stay behind and baby sit. It was nice to get out with my sweetie and have some quality time, even if it was to Target and Babies R Us!
Our Thanksgiving feast was delicious! Dean was a trooper and slept through the meal so we could enjoy a leisurely time of eating and talking. My favorite part of our feast was the oh so yummy sweet potatoes. I don’t even want to know what Carla put in them but they were great! Matt enjoyed the broccoli rice casserole, his holiday staple. Shortly after the meal I hit the hay – a few sips of wine did me in for a great few hours sleep before Dean ate his Thanksgiving feast.
On Saturday Matt and I had our first date night since Dean came along. We did a little Christmas shopping and then enjoyed an amazing sushi dinner at Lava Grill. I love sushi but was not able to eat it while pregnant, this date was a long time coming. The Lava Grill did not disappoint, we enjoyed every bite of our rolls and even managed to have conversations that did not focus on our little man. Thanks for babysitting Honey and Pops – we know it was a stretch for you!
Thanksgiving had a special place in our hearts this year with so much to be thankful for. It’s amazing how one little 9 pound baby can make such an impact on your life. We are looking forward to the Christmas holidays and can’t wait to share our experiences with you. Until then!
Since Matt had to work on Thanksgiving Day we decided to defer our celebration until Friday. Thursday was deemed “Game Day”, everyone sported their Aggie gear, we ate yummy snacks and taught Dean how to root for the Ags, even when they run out of time or get out scored! Dean will be a proud member of the Fightin’ Texas Aggie Class of 2030! Whoop!
In efforts to make our Thanksgiving week posts more manageable I’m breaking them down into small bits. Here are pictures from Monday – Wednesday. Dean’s Honey and Pops came to visit us this week and we all have loved getting spoiled by them! Carla has worked to fill our fridge with wonderful snacks and delicious food in preparation for our feast AND has spent plenty of time cuddling with Mr. Dean. Dean’s Pops also drove in after an important meeting at work. We are looking forward to a wonderful rest of the week, the A&M vs t.u. game, and a terrific Thanksgiving feast! We will post the rest of our Thanksgiving experience soon. Until Then!
I have officially been off work since October 30 (including my bed rest time) and have made a seamless transition into a lady of leisure (well one with a 2 week old that is). I enjoy watching all 4 hours of the today show and the 2 talk shows that follow it. I’ve also been taking in my fair share of “The Real Housewives of OC.” On the off chance we strike it rich, I’ll know how to act!
The main drawback to my leisurely days is that I’ve had Beyonce’s “Put a Ring on it” song in my head for a week now! Every time I get it out a new talk show has her on to perform it. It’s a great song but come on, how many days can I sing it? Poor Dean thinks it’s a new lullaby. Do you think this is a sign of too much TV? Maybe I should try a book!
Matt and I have survived our first two weeks of parenting and I must say I feel like we’ve been pretty successful! Dean has had all his basic needs met; he has been changed, fed, clothed, and cuddled for 14 day now! Pats on the back all the way around, we can do this job! Ok, so I know it’ll get harder and easier as time passes, but I am pretty proud of us. Oh and I guess we should note that we’ve had more than our fair share of help in Grandmas and visitors, with more still to come!
In the past week Dean has started to stay awake more, he turns his head to follow my voice (that melts a mama’s heart), and loves staring at his black and white toys! The only time we hear our little guy cry is when we change his diaper – he HATES it! Overall Dean is a pretty content fella – such an answer to our prayers.
Today I had my 2 week follow up and Dean had his second PKU test. Our trip to the doctors went well. I was cleared to start driving again and am so excited! Dean and I already made our maiden voyage out to CVS to pick up a prescription, oh and one important bag of twizzlers for Daddy! I don’t plan to take on the world tomorrow but it is nice to know we can run around the corner if we need to. We are looking forward to celebrating Dean’s first Thanksgiving with his Honey and Pops this week. What a great season to start a new life! Until then.
This weekend Matt’s brother, Adam, and his wife, Genie came to visit Dean for the first time. Let’s just say they are quite smitten with our little guy. Adam & Genie arrived late Friday night and stayed with us until Sunday afternoon. Matt and I enjoyed the company and I know Dean loved all the holding and cuddling. He’s quite spoiled now!
On Saturday Uncle Adam and Aunt Genie gave a wonderful gift to Dean – an ENTIRE wardrobe. Aunt Genie is ever the fashionista and answered her calling to make sure her nephew Dean was equally stylish. Thanks Aunt Geine – keep the threads coming! Uncle Adam helped Matt put together several of Dean’s toys, the stroller, and the high chair – those boys got started and assembled it all! We are set for the next 6 months! It was such a nice relaxing weekend, I even managed to get 2 naps in on Saturday thanks to all the cuddling Genie and Adam provided Dean. We are already looking forward to the next time we see Uncle Adam and Aunt Genie. Until then!
I have learned that when you have a newborn you make certain sacrifices along the way (some petty, others not so much). For example, when Matt and I left for the pediatrician this morning the bed wasn’t made, we hadn’t eaten breakfast, my shoes were brown and my purse was black, my hair was dirty and our house was a bit of a wreck!
In my Pre-Dean life, barring some disaster, these things would have never happened. But today, for some reason, I was just thankful to get out the door on time for our doctors appointment, and never even gave any of the above a second thought. Until it was time to blog that is…
Today we took Dean for his first visit with the pediatrician since the hospital. Dean passed his eval with flying colors. He now weighs 8.6 pounds. They were thrilled with his weight gain and told us to keep doing more of the same. Matt and I are so happy with Dean’s progress and pray that he continues to do so well.
Dean has officially captured our hearts for one week now. It’s crazy to think that last week at this time we were in the hospital patiently waiting for him to make his appearance. After a long day of labor and a c-section we were blessed with a little boy. I was totally shocked that she was a he – I would have bet money it was a girl but now I am so in love I can’t imagine it any other way. In one week Matt and I have learned a TON about caring for Dean and the value of life. Here are a few things we have learned in one week:
1. Never think you have it all planned out – right when you think you do it changes
2. 2 hours of sleep in a stretch is a lot of sleep and be thankful for it!
3. There are only infomercials on at 3:00 AM – even food network is off the air!
4. Having you mom in town to cook and clean is the BEST! Thanks for working so hard Mom.
5. My favorite part of the day is feeding Dean – such sweet mommy and son time
6. Never, Never, NEVER blow on a baby’s bottom to “dry” it or be prepared for the spray
7. In one week your life can totally change and you’ll realize you’ve never been happier!
We are certainly adjusting to this new routine and are incredibly thankful for all the prayers. We have more fun planned in the days to come so keep checking back for enormous amounts of pictures! You know you like em! Until then!
On Saturday my sweet family drove from Houston to visit with Dean for the day. We enjoyed the company and Dean loved getting to meet his Great Grandparents, Uncle Layne and Aunt Lesley. It was so nice to see each of them and to get to show them our son. I can’t wait for Christmas when we get to take Dean home and meet the rest of his cousins. I know he will have so much fun with Logan, Emma and Morgan.