3 months

August 31, 2013

Dear Burke,

Oh, we love you so much! You make us giggle and melt all at the same time! You are the sweetest baby boy and the best little person anyone could ask for. You are mild mannered and calm. You hardly ever cry, which sounds familiar to your sister when she was your age. You laugh at us and it makes us feel good. You are changing everyday and growing way too fast!

This month you have begun:

-Blowing raspberries, a milestone.

-Yelling and doing so very loudly. Your little voice is raspy, which is so adorable!

-You are laughing at us all the time, which has become on of our favorite things.

-You love your sister. She entertains you all the time, and adores you more than anything.

-You have begun to grasp and hold things but are still trying to get them into your mouth.

-You LOVE your fingers and they are definitely the best teether you have.

-You found your hands and continually are starting at them and putting them in your mouth.

Stats- 

Weight:  Over 16lbs!!!

We learned this month that you constantly have a achy tummy and that gas builds up. You were very scouly in your early days and you had that period of colic, which we have now learned it is because you suck in too much air when you eat. Being 3 months old, it is nearly impossible to change your latch while breastfeeding or eating from the bottle. We have begun to try to change it, but it will be a long process. Now that we have figured this out, you are much happier!

We love you buddy! You are the light in our lives. You and your sister are best friends and she cannot wait for the day that you can get up, walk and play with her. Little does she know that you will be tacking her and throwing her toys before no time! We cannot get enough of you and love to watch you grow and learn. 

Love always,

Mommy

Sammy's 30th Birthday

Turning 30! Crazy to believe that Sam turned 30 this year.. I am a little frightened for the big 3-0 but Sam handled it in stride. We had a wonderful day celebrating him and enjoyed the time with our little family. I took Sam out to Raleigh to eat at his favorite type of restaurant, Brazza, a brazilian grille. The meat was abundant and the servings unlimited. Yikes! Basically a self-induced meat coma. He loved it, of course, and wants to go back soon! We then came home and enjoyed a homemade chocolate cake, crafted by yours truly, and ice-cream (my favorite part!). It was a great day and we have a lot to be grateful for.

Oh, Summer!

Now it is finally summer around this house, and it feels great!! I have graduated from my first year of the program at ECU and I am so HAPPY!! Now begins the tough part.. studying for the NCLEX-RN exam to officially become an RN! My life consists of watching the kiddos every day and trying to fit in practice questions and studying. Note the picture below of Bristol combing my hair, Burke in the moby and me on the iPad doing practice questions.. the life! I love my life and wouldn't change it. This time is precious to me and I know I will look back fondly and remember all the wonderful times we had.

We have been able to go to a couple of the festivals, there is probably one every weekend, and enjoy the culture of NC. It has been a lot of fun experiencing what there is to offer here. Bristol started soccer this month and has had a lot of fun practicing outside. We have enjoyed watching her learn a new skill. She also has loved being around her brother and taking good care of him. I love to watch her interact with him when she doesn't see us.

All in all, this summer is off to a great start. I am starting to apply for jobs, but will not start until October 21st, if hired at the local hospital. That is probably where I will get my first job as an RN because they are most likely to hire new grads. I am going to thoroughly enjoy this long break with the kids before I have to jump back into work!

Burke is growing like crazy. Loving his tummy time and sleeping, a lot! He is defiantly growing up too fast and we are soaking it all in. He is so smiley now days. It is fun to see him grow and change. We love our blue eyed boy!!

2 months, already!

July 31, 2013

Dear Burke,

You are now 2 months old! My, how the time flies. You are getting so big and your little spirit is starting to shine through. We love this time we have had with you thus far. Your blue eyes still shine like they did the day you were born. Your hair is still dark brown, but getting a little lighter.

-Your laugh is lighting up our life.
-You are cooing all the time. It is fun to hear your sweet voice.
-You get excited when you see us, which melts our heart.
-You got your first cold, which is always tough on mommy and daddy, but we got you through it.
-You are starting to chunk up, which is the best! We love our chunky babies.
-You love to eat! Breastfeeding is going so well!
-You still live in the moby and love being held. We love it, too!

Stats-
Weight- 12.38 lbs
Height- 15.35in

You are a sweet little boy who knows how to light up a room. You bring us so much joy everyday and we are so thrilled to have you here with us.

Love always,

Mommy

Nana to Visit NC

Nana came from Oregon to visit us and to meet Burke! It was wonderful having my mom here to help us out and to enjoy what NC has to offer. We were able to make it out to the beach for a quick trip to Wilmington. We rode on the ferry and Bristol was elated with the boat ride. It was beautiful weather, a little hot, but wonderful. It always takes those who are not from here some time to get used to the humidity and heat. It can be pretty brutal in the summer and in July is when it really starts to heat up.

Nonetheless, we had a great time enjoying each others company. I had was still in my last clinical rotation, so Nana was able to spend some quality time with the kids while Sam and I worked. It was great having her here and we cannot wait until she comes again! We love you, Nana.

Gracy and Papa to visit NC!

We had a wonderful time with Gracy and Papa when they came to visit NC for the first time. Burke was just over a month old, they actually arrived on Papa's birthday. We went to a wonderful Carolina BBQ restaruarnt the eventing they arrived called the Pitt. It was very yummy! It was nice having them here to help out, Sam took some time off and I was in full swing of my capstone clinical rotation, which made it perfect for them to be here to be with the kiddos. Gracy always enjoys the newborn stage and loves holding the babes! She was enamored with Burke, just as she was with Bris when she was a babe. 

We took the opportunity to explore the Outer Banks. It was Sam's first visit as well. It was a beautiful 80 degree day that was just perfect. It happened to be my birthday, as well. No better way than to spend the whole day at the beach with family! It was nice to swim and for Bris to play in the sand. It has to be one of her favorite things to do

We also blessed Burke while they were here. He was just over a month old, but it worked out perfectly to have them here for that. Sam gave a beautiful blessing that spoke of Burke serving a mission and marrying in the temple. He spoke of his ability to be a leader to those around him and to help spread and teach the gospel. He blessed him with the strength and courage to stand up for what is right. What a beautiful day it was. We are so grateful to be members of this church and to know of its truthfulness. I am very blessed to be a mother and to have these two beautiful children that were sent from our Heavenly Father and put into our trusting hands.

And, last but not least. A trip to NC is not complete without a stop at the Dean Dome. I was a work that day, but the rest of the troops headed out that way to look around a purchase some Carolina gear. They had a great time touring the campus and the dome.

All in all, it was a wonderful trip for them to come out this way and see us and help us at this time. We had so much fun entertaining them and enjoying this time. I hope we can see them again soon and get back to the West coast as soon as possible! We surly miss home, and our family makes it that much more bitter sweet! Love you guys!

Burke is a month old!

June 30, 2013

Dear Burke,

   You are our sweet blue-eyed baby boy, still! We are so in love with you. You brighten our day and keep us awake at night, but we wouldn't have it any other way. This past month has been a whirl-wind of emotions. You have been a little colicky in your first week of life, then you were admitted to the hospital your third week of life all the while mommy has been finishing up her last semester of nursing school and working 3-12 hours shifts. I am counting down the days till I get a few months off with you, and they are coming soon!

   On your second night home, you decided that your tummy hurt too bad and you cried straight from 9pm till 1am. I was trying everything to comfort you, but it would only last for about 10 minutes, then you were back to crying! It broke my heart. I researched and researched until I fell upon a few reasons. They included dairy in my diet, gas from sucking in too much air while eating and acid reflux. So, like the person I am, I made every possible modification that I could to alleviate your pain. This past month it seemed to have been a little better, at least you didn't cry like that again. However, you then decided that you were going to spit-up, projectile vomit and have LOTS of gas instead. I still knew something was wrong, but felt a little clueless because it was a little better. You just grinned and bared it!




 By your first week you were holding your head up so strong, many were impressed. We gave you a paci in the hospital because you were fussy at 2am. The nurses strongly advised against it, but we did it anyway. :) Bristol is all over you saying “Look at me baby brother, I’m your big sister!” She wants to care for him by helping a lot!! You are very lucky to have such a wonderful big sister.

By two weeks old you were giving me 5 hour stretches of sleep at night. Ahh.. they were amazing. You would cluster feed at night and eat between 8-10 ounces of milk between 7pm and 11pm. Those were the nights you would sleep the longest! You also love to be held. Since I had the moby because of your sis, you have lived in that thing. You love being close to my heart and snuggled up to my chest. I love it, too! Your gas and fussiness has subsided with the elimination of dairy, yay! Bristol is still all over you, but now making the comment “Mommy, Burke needs you a lot, huh?” She is so sweet, but I can tell she is figuring out this adjustment and realizes how much time you take. But, she still loves you and kisses you non stop!




When you were three weeks, you visited the hospital. It was the scariest moment of your mommy and daddy's life! But, you were okay and we were so relieved. After being pumped full of all of the antibiotics they gave you, we discovered you bacterial flora in your tummy was exacerbating your already upset tummy. I decided to start taking probiotics that would then transmit through my breastmilk and they seemed to help a lot. You are so smiley. You sleep a lot at night and during the day. It is wonderful!

   You are growing so much and we are so happy about that. At your 1 month appointment you weighed just over 10 lbs. You love to eat and you are eating a lot. Just at the end of this month you can focus your eyes and you are starting to follow us when we move in front of you. It is fun to see you develop.

   Burke, we love you dearly. You are such a wonderful baby boy. You have already taught us so much in your short time here, and I am sure you have much more to teach us. We cannot wait to spend more time with you and to watch you grown and learn.

Love always,
Mommy

Burke @ 1 month