Luke - 1 Month Old

It's been an awesome adventure so far being a parent and this first month has flown by.

Luke, these are the things we loved most about you during this first month. 

Your fuzzy head and your skin is so soft, I love to hold you close to my face and rub my cheek on yours. 

Your grunts and squeaks are the best noises. 

When your waking up slowly you give us these big smiles that show off your dimples and make us forget how tired we are.  It makes me happy to know your happy! 

How peaceful you look when you sleep. 

How you feel when you fall asleep in my arms, fully trusting your whole body on mine. 

How big and bright your eyes are and how you are already trying to hold up your head. 

5:00am feedings. Dad has been working nights but when you wake up at 5, dad comes home shortly after and we all get to hang out for a bit and go back to bed together when you fall asleep.  Your dad is so excited to see you when he gets home from work. 

Thr angry face and noise you make, when I take the bottle out of your mouth half way through feeding to burp you. 

I love that you like eating, the first two weeks of breastfeeding were challenging but now that we have feeding figured out, you are so content most of the time. I hope you always have a healthy appetite and I can't wait to cook for you when you are bigger. 

Luke, you officially made your dad and I a family and we feel so blessed to have you!  We can't wait to see what next month holds. 

You Can Never Have Too Many Friends

I am so blessed to have some of the best friends!  My girlfriends mean something special to me and each relationship is unique.  The older I get the more value I find in these relationships and the more I understand that friendships require work similar to a marriage.  They require time and effort from both people involved and as we grow up and go in various directions, we need to learn to still find common ground. 

Common ground can't just be our past either, it needs to be in the present as well, I don't believe a friendship can sustain time just because we were friends when we were kids.

I believe my friendships are important not only because they bring me happiness but also because each one makes me better for the other relationships in my life, whether that be with my husband, as a mom, as an employee or co-worker, they enhance me. I learn different things from each friendship and hopefully they each feel like I bring something unique to the table as well.

I don't think you can ever have too many friends.  One thing I would like to work on as a friend myself, is being more fearless when it comes to building new friendships and strengthening my current relationships.  Friendships take work and are a two way street, what would you like to improve about being a good friend?

I have loved all the visitors I have had since we brought Luke home and am especially grateful right now for the company and support of all our friends.

 

Our First Week With Luke

Luke is one week old today, and wow, has our worlds changed in such a short period of time, in the coolest way possible.  I wanted to share the last week on my blog because I have really enjoyed chatting with some of my mom friends about their experiences of becoming parents, sharing with others and listening to their stories makes me feel like I have a greater connection with them.  I also wanted to get my thoughts down so I would have a record of our first week as a family of four (I am including Charlie), I know things are going to move quickly and I want to be sure to capture as much as possible.  So while Luke sleeps, I thought I would jot down some thoughts from our first week as a family.  (And yes, I know I am suppose to sleep while he sleeps, I just woke up from a nap and he is still sleeping, so bonus for me.)

My birth experience was intense, after about 12 hours of labour we decided to do a cesarean section because I suddenly got a fever and Luke's heart rate started to rise.  Even though labour didn't go like we had planned, we know things went the way they were supposed to because now Luke is here, happy and healthy.

Recovery was overwhelming because I had no idea what to expect from the surgery.  Just a week after, I am beginning to feel more like myself each day, my staples have been removed and almost all of my swelling from the IV has gone down.

Because Luke was delivered by cesarean section, we were required to stay in the hospital for 4 days.  I am grateful for that time in the tiny hospital room with Tyler, Luke and the nurses, for those four days the world outside really did stop and all Tyler and I cared about was figuring out this little man we had been blessed with.  We spent so much time talking, being excited about what the future would hold for us as a family and asking lots of questions.  Our nurses took amazing care of us, answering our questions, ensuring we were getting rest and helping us figure out how to breastfeed.  I was so excited to get out of the hospital but I have to say, I will always have a special place in my heart for room 089 on the maternity floor because thats were this whole adventure started.

When we came home with Luke, I was overwhelmed with emotion and still am.  I can honestly say I have never cried so much in one week.  They are tears of joy of course, I feel like my whole being is overflowing with love and gratitude for my husband, the healthy boy we have been blessed with and the love and support of our family and friends as we adjust to our new role as parents.  I think it is safe to say, I am going to be one of those moms that cries about everything.

I love my son to the moon and back.  Waking up in the middle of the night is hard for me because I love my sleep but I am enjoying his snuggles, his big blue eyes staring at me, his little smiles and faces and simply being with him.  Most of all though, I am blown away by the big new love I have for Tyler, he continues to impress me daily with his daddy skills, pride for his son and how he has been taking care of me.

Its been one of the craziest, happiest, emotional weeks of my life.  I am so excited that this new chapter has started and I can't wait to see what else parenthood has in store for Tyler and I.

Here are some photos from our first week, Tyler and I have also never been so snap happy.  Tyler ran out of storage on his phone already so we had to do a big download.  Here are some of our favourites.

Just a few minutes old.

Meeting aunt Ashley and cousin Blaine. 

The next generation of Lapier boys, everyone better watch out. 

Father son snuggles. 

Bringing Luke home for the first time. 

Nap buddies. 

Our first family walk. 

Big smiles. 

A little rest in his crib.

Luke's first car ride, he didn't love it. 

Charlie and Luke meet for the first time. 

Me and Luke during our first family photo shoot. 

Father sone bonding time. 

Smiles!