Look at ME now- 7 weeks old !!!!

Can you believe it's been 7 weeks already.... I know I'm just amazed everyday with Hunter and the adventures of parenthood. I've learned how to unload the dish washer with one hand, put clothes from the washer to the dryer while holding him , and I even vacuumed downstairs with Hunter in my arms. A HOT meal, what's that???? Hunter has learned that meal time for us, is time for him to turn into a cranky boy. And more than a 5 minute shower is now a luxury.

We watched the video from the hospital the other night, and OH MY how Hunter has changed. He had a ton of hair in the front of his head when he was born, now it's all on the back of his head. His cry has gone from the newborn cry to a much bigger cry. I guess when you see him all day everyday you take for granted the little changes in life. We also learned that we need to change out the "extra" outfit in the diaper bag from time to time, because the day you NEED that outfit and it doesn't fit..... Yes, we had that experience. Grandma Rose and I took Hunter to meet Greg for lunch one day, and on the way there we had a major diaper blow-out. "No problem I said", striped him down in the back of my car, changed the diaper, pulled out the extra outfit and realized I either needed to have Hunter suck in his tummy or skip a few buttons to make it fit... It was a rather funny moment. The sad thing was, I had Hunter dressed so cute for his Daddy and he didn't even get to see the outfit. Maybe next time !!!

We've had a busy couple of weeks. Grandma Rose from Chicago came to visit and spent 2 weeks with us. She loved spending time with her grandson and was a big help with him while she was here. While she was here we had Hunter dedicated at our church in Houston, spent an afternoon down at the River Walk, took a road trip to Fredericksburg,TX and got a little time outside to do so much needed yard work.

Here are some "Unofficial Stats" of the little guy. We go next week for his 2 month check-up. So these are just our "At home" Stats.

Weight: 12 pounds, Length: 22 inches

Along with our little guy getting bigger by the day. Here are a few of his "new" tricks and developments:

~ Loves to go for car rides- only if the car NEVER stops moving

~Loves stroller rides-only if the stroller NEVER stops moving. This goes with shopping carts as well. I learned the other day that you have to set your eyes on what you need down the aisle and make a run for it, by grabbing what you can without stopping to look. I guess, this could be a money saving tip?????

~ Hunter is starting to smile back at you- especially in the morning. He seems to be the happiest in the morning.

~ He's starting to coo and making noises

~He loves to just stretch out on the floor and look around

~He's sleeping anywhere from 6- 7 1/2 hours a night. Yea for me !!!

~He's holding his head up for longer periods of time, especially when he's on his tummy

Above is Hunter's birth announcement. I promise these will be in the mail by weeks end. Thanks Brittany for doing such a great job. Hunter is wearing his Daddy's Christening Outfit.

Grandma Rose, Hunter and Daddy. Doesn't Hunter look adorable !!!!

Grandma Rose and Hunter

On our road trip to Fredericksburg we also ventured out to see the Enchanted Rock State Park. The Rock is 425 feet above ground, and is one of the largest underground formations that was uncovered by erosion. Since we had the little guy, we just stopped and took a few pictures, no rock climbing this trip for us.

Grandma Rose took Hunter on a couple of walks while she was here. Thanks Grandma !!!!

Here's Daddy walking with Hunter. As stated above, Hunter loves the stroller only if it does not stop. Hence the fact that we couldn't stop and pose for a picture.

This is the River Walk. San Antonio is right in the middle of what they call Fiesta. Which is basically a Spanish version of Mardi-Gras. Downtown was crazy, but the River Walk was actually really nice that afternoon.

We took Hunter to Sea Island Seafood Restaurant when he was 4 days old with my parents and again with Grandma Rose. Luckily he slept through both dinners. :) First "HOT" meal in a couple of weeks.- :) YUMMY !!!

Hunter- 6 weeks old

Ready for bed !!!!!

Snuggling with Grandma Rose- she had the magic touch with Hunter

Daddy and Hunter- We've gotten pretty good and feeding, burping and diaper changing in the backseat of the truck !!!!

Hunter ready for his Dedication at Church-

Showing off his Daddy's Christening Outfit-

Here we are at the Dedication- we didn't realize that there would be 2 other families dedicating their little ones the same day. ( What a crazy zoo it was) If you look at the big screen in the background, you can see Hunter. Pastor Mike- baptised both Greg and myself, married us and Dedicated Hunter. Thanks Mike, and Joe,Gary and Jen for taking pictures for us.

What a great moment !!!!

Looks like half the church is up on the stage with us. It was still a great day for us. Thanks to all our Gateway friends for being there to share in our moment with Hunter.

Random Pictures

Just a few random pictures- below is our "feeble" attempt at a garden this year. We've got about 5 different kinds of peppers and some tomato plants ( not seen in this picture). So far they seem to be growing pretty well. Greg is going to hang this box on the fence, so that our wonderful dogs don't get to them before us..... maybe by the end of the summer we'll have figured out where to put a "real" garden for next year.

Greg is moving up the ladder with his brand new work truck !!!!! It finally arrived on Tuesday, although it's huge, and barely fits in the drive and is REALLY hard for me to climb in and out of, it's a nice looking truck. I'm sure I will find lots of things to fill up the back with !!!! watch out honey.........

One Month and Counting

One month ago today, Hunter made his grand entrance into the world and forever blessed us..... Below are a few of our favorite shots taken when he was just 2 weeks old. Amazing how fast they grow. I put him on the scale with me this morning and he's already at 10.8 pounds and probably right around 21-22 inches long. He's still swimming in most of his new born outfits (length wise that is)

After my last post of bragging about our routine, we experienced one of the longest nights and days so far with him. ( so NO more bragging from me) Yesterday, being the long day and not being able to get him to lay down without screaming- Hunter and I ventured off to the grocery store together ( alone) he did great right up to the check-out line. Then started in screaming !!!!! We managed to get out of the store and the cart loaded into the car, then came the fun part- screaming child and frozen groceries in the car- how do you handle that when you're all alone????? The solution that worked - hold Hunter in one arm and grab a bag of groceries and run into the house and continue this process until the car is unloaded. It was nice to get out, but I think we will be saving the grocery shopping for a weekend "family" adventure for now.

Enjoy the pictures- we'll be sending them out soon !!!!

Hugs and loves,

Greg's favorite picture- Can you guess who picked out this outfit.... Yep, daddy did- he loves his trains. Choo Chooooooooooooo

Making his fish lips- this is for you Grandpa Steffen

This is my favorite picture. I just love his little feet.....

Where has the Time Gone....

Seriously Where did the time go??? It's a amazing to think that Hunter is almost a month old already. These past 4 weeks have flown by in record time, I now know why everyone says to enjoy the time while they are little, cuz it doesn't last long. When we took Hunter in for his 2 week check-up- he tipped the scale at 9 pounds 1 ounce, still at 21 inches long, but getting stronger by the day. He's holding his head up really well, and likes to push off of who ever is holding him.

We had his newborn pictures taken at 2 weeks old- the girl who took them was a little unsure of how to handle such a little one, but we did manage to get a few good shots. We just need to get them printed and put in the mail for everyone.

We've settled into family life pretty well, this past week Hunter and I have gotten the hang of a "schedule" so to speak. He will go down for the night around mid-night, and sleep until about 5:30-6:00 am, he'll eat and get a fresh diaper and go back down for another 3 hours. From this point he is awake or taking very short "cat-naps" until about 3:00 pm where he will go down for what I like to call "big boy" naps about 3 hours, and then "cat-nap" here and there until mid-night. So it's nice to know that I have that 3 hour window of time in the afternoon to get dinner going, update the blog, and finish any laundry or cleaning that I didn't get done during the morning "cat-naps"

This past weekend we made our first trip back to Houston, and what a little trooper we had. Hunter did really well in the car and had no problems with all the loves he received from friends in Houston. Thanks everyone for welcoming us back and hanging out with us !!!! Below are some pictures to catch everyone up on Hunter over the past few weeks, hope you enjoy them.

Hunter- sporting his green hat on St. Patricks Day !!!! (9 days old)
Took a trip to see Daddy at work, and had to have a diaper change right on Daddy's desk

Sleeping on Daddy's chest- one of their favorite things to do together.....

Hunter's first bath at home- ( 10 days old)

Grandpa and Grandma Steffen- thanks for being here for Hunter's birth. We couldn't have done it without you. The help with meals, weeds and laundry was greatly appreciated !!!!

The proud Grandparents- ( 11 days old)

Let's go bowling....... we taught Grandpa and Grandma how to bowl with the Wii

Greg's hoping that Hunter will bring him some good luck to his game...... Or will he use the excuse of holding him to defend his low score??????

Grandma's got the hang of this game

That's got to be a strike with that great form.....

Hunter hanging out in the hotel room in Houston. Does it get any cutier than this??? ( out of order slightly- 3 1/2 weeks old)

Hunter's first nap in his crib- This one didn't last long, but it was a precious moment to capture
( 2 1/2 weeks old)

Hunter- 3 weeks old

Showing off my Easter outfit ( 3 1/2 weeks old)

Opening day for the Houston Astros- although we didn't get to go the game, we still had to show our team spirit today ( 4 weeks old)

It's a good thing Mommy dresses me in the morning- Daddy would have put me in the Chicago Cub's outfit......

Lot's of love and slobbery kisses from Hunter !!!!