Declan - 3 Months Old

Declan,

You are three months old now!  It has been so much fun having you around.  You are constantly smiling and bring so much joy to our family.  We had a great month!

We continued cheering on the Cardinals in the post season.  They DID go to the World Series, but unfortunately they did not win this year.  It was still a really fun season and even though we did not win this time, we are still batting 1000 on having kids and going to the World Series.

We also really enjoyed the end of mom's maternity leave.  One day we went to Purina Farms with your brother and Grandma Gerry.  It was a little bit chilly that day, but you stayed all snugglie in your car seat and in the Moby Wrap right next to mom.  It was a great day watching the dog show and hanging out with Alex while he explored and played.

We also went to the pumpkin patch!  You were such a trooper letting mom put you on all the pumpkins and propping you up for some cute photos.  You are such a good baby!  You only got upset one time.  The rest of the time was just awesome!

Halloween was really fun this year too!  Your brother is really into Curious George, so we dressed him up as the Man in the Yellow Hat and since you were a Monkey, we called you George.  You and your brother looked so cute in your costumes!  Alex just loved showing you off to all his friends and the family.  We started the day at story hour at the library.  Everyone oohed and ahhed over your costumes there.  Then, that evening we went to Will and Harrison's house and then to Grandma Gerry and Paw Paw Rick's house to hang out with Alyssa.  I took Alex out Trick or Treating, but you were the smart one staying inside that night since it was so cold and rainy!

As I mentioned before, your big brother just loves you so much.  He loves showing you off to whoever he can.  He loves to play with you too.  I am so excited for you guys that you have a built in best buddy.  I know you guys are going to love growing up together!

You are such a smiley little guy!  You love to just smile and giggle all the time.  Alex and I love to dance around the house and you just sit there and laugh like crazy!  It's so much fun to have such a happy guy around all the time!

You are such a good sleeper too!  You take great naps and you like to sleep right next to me at night.  It's hard for me to place you in the bassinet, but sometimes I have to so I can get some sleep myself.

You continue to roll over from your tummy to your back all the time.  You are also very strong and like me to pull you from laying on your back to a standing position.  We went to the doctor for your 10 week check up and your stats were as follows:

Weight: 11 lbs 14 oz (40th percentile)

Length: 22" (10th Percentile)

 (we think they messed up last time, you def. grew!)

Head Circumference: 15,2" (14th percentile)

Unfortunately mom had to go back to work at the end of your 3rd month.  It has been a hard adjustment, but we are working though it.  You seem to really like your babysitter, Becky.  I miss you terribly when I am working,but I know this is what is the best for us.  We will be making up for that time on the weekends!

 

Here are your 3 month pictures:

I love you so much my sweet Declan!  

Love,

Mom

Declan - 2 Months Old

Declan,

You are 2 months old now.  We have had so much fun in the past month.  Gram and I took you to your first trip to Adriana's.  We found out that Adriana was correct in her guess that you were a boy!  Mommy and Gram each enjoyed yummy Charlie sandwiches and Big Brother Alex had some pizza.  You enjoyed looking around and got some traces of mommy's Charlie in her milk.  It won't be long till you and Alex will both be eating that pizza though!

We also took your first and second trip to Grant's Farm this month.  The first time you enjoyed yourself in the stroller and on mom and dad's laps for the shows.  The second time you even had your first carousel ride as you sat in the Moby Wrap!

We also took your first trip to the zoo.  We watched the sea lions get fed, went to see all the big cats and of course played at the children's zoo.  You also "played" with Alex at the Discover Center:

Your brother absolutely LOVES you.  It is so much fun to see you two together.  One day you and I went to pick up Alex from Grandma Gerry's house and he pushed me out of the way to give you kisses.  He also said "I love you" to you for the first time.  He just adores you and I can't wait to watch you guys grow up together!

But being the little brother is not always easy.  Alex was given some stickers one day at the Teacher's Store.  He was trying to be a good big brother by giving you a sticker.  You were not exactly thrilled with where he chose to put it:

You have been doing so well with your tummy time lately.  We can't believe that such a small guy like you can do so much.  You are really good at pushing yourself up and you have even started rolling over!  You rolled over from your belly to your back for the first time on October 1st.  Since then we can't seem to stop you from doing it each time we put you on your belly.

You had some more visitors this month too.  Your cousins Brooke and Brady were so excited to meet their new cousin!  And of course your big brother was so proud to show you off.

We have also been having a lot of fun cheering on the Cardinals in the post season.  You have had some fun times just watching the game with the family and also with your friends Braden and Cate.  We won the World Series the year Alex was born, so we are hoping for the same in the year you were born!  I told dad that if we win again this year we have to keep on having kids.  So let's hope for a win so you can have lots of brothers and maybe even some sisters :)

You have also been smiling a lot especially at the sound of mom's voice.  You like to smile and coo and say "Ohhh!"  Alex loves to try to get you to say "Ohh".  Because of the delay in my camera, I can't seem to get a good picture of you smiling, but soon enough I will. Here's the end of a smile:

Here were your stats at your 6 week doctor's visit:

Weight: 10 lbs

Length: 22"

Head Circumference: 14.6"

And here's what you look like at 2 months old:

I love you so much my precious Declan.  I look forward to each day I get to spend with you!

Love,

Mom

Declan - 1 Month Old

Declan,

You are one month old.  Some days it feels like just yesterday that you were born, and yet you fit in so well, it also seems like you have always been part of our family.  After your dramatic entry into this world, things finally settled down a bit.  We stayed in the hospital for a couple days and your dad and I got to just relax and enjoy you.

You also had several visitors.  All your grandparents were there the night you were born, along with Aumt E, Aunt Debbie, Aunt Elizabeth, Rachel and Chris.  Your big brother, Alex, was also there. (Video of Alex meeting Declan the first time - long video, only first two minutes are of them meeting).  Many aunts, uncles and friends came by to meet you in the following days.  All your cousins came too.  Will and Alyssa were especially excited about their new baby cousin!

We brought you home from the hospital on Sunday, August 18th.  You wore a cute little sleeper and hat that Gram bought you.

Gram and Poppy were at the house getting things set for your arrival.  Your big brother, who wasn't so sure about you at first, was so happy to have you at home.  As soon as he saw you in the house he lit up and wanted to hug you, kiss you and feed you.

After a while, Alex decided he wanted to hold you!  He still loves to hold you as often as possible and is so proud to be your big brother.

We gave you your first sponge bath at home a couple days after we got there.  You really liked the feeling of me rubbing the shampoo on your head.  

Once your umbilical cord fell off at 3 weeks, we were able to give you a full bath.  You were not as thrilled about that, but still you didn't seem to mind it much.

Unlike Alex, you very much LOVE your swing and bouncy seat.  We thought we had made a mistake even buying them when we never used them with your brother, but just one month into it, we have already gotten our money's worth out of them!  Of course I'd rather  hold you than put you in a seat, but when I need to use both hands to do something, you are perfectly content to be in either bouncy seat or swing (you are in your swing as I type this :)) 

Since you and Alex are sharing a room and we don't want Alex waking up from your nighttime feedings, dad and I have kept you in our room at night.  Of course big brother doesn't want to miss out on the fun, so many times we find that the whole family is in the same bed.  I spend many mornings sandwiched between you and Alex . . . and it is WONDERFUL!

We have been sending Alex off to Grandma Gerry's and Gram's houses most days so you and I could really get in some good bonding time these first few weeks.  It has been wonderful!  We have been able to get your breast feeding well established and you are just growing like crazy!  We weighed you on Gram's scale the other day and you were almost 9 lbs.  We will get an official weigh in at the doctor for your 6 week check up.  

Once you turned 4 weeks old, the doctor said we could start taking you out more.  So we decided to start doing things outside.  You picked the perfect time to be born.  There is so much to do in the fall!  One thing we did was go to Farm Fridays at Suson Park.  Your brother had a great time doing all the activities that were around.  You enjoyed the nice weather hanging out with Gram and in the Moby Wrap snuggled next to mom.  

We also went to Eckert's Farm to pick some apples.  It was a beautiful day and we had a great time with Gram, Poppy, Will, Harrison, Grandma Gerry, Paw Paw, Aunt Debbie, Alyssa and Aunt Elizabeth.

As you can see it has been a very fun filled month with you in our lives!

So far you are a very content baby and you sleep quite well for your age.  Your dad and I are hoping this keeps up!  We are not used to a baby sleeping so well just days home from the hospital. 

You are also very strong.  You are really good at tummy time keeping your head raised for quite some time already.  And when you are on your back you can lift your torso up off the ground a little bit.  It is so awesome to see you grow and gain strength little by little each day.  What a joy it is to have you in our lives!

Here are your 1 month pictures:

Words cannot even describe how much joy you have brought to our lives.  We are only one month in . . . can't wait to see what the next one brings us!  I love you, Declan!

Love,

Mom