Introductions

We are so blessed with SO many family and friends who were eagerly waiting the arrival of Zach! This little boy has so many people who love him already. It was fun to capture many 'first meetings!' Let's start taking a look.

The first person to come to the hospital to meet our new baby boy was Justin's sister, Debbie! She was there when we were going into labor and was up almost all night long praying for us. She was so excited to meet Zach that she came to the hospital when I was still in the delivery room, although I was being transferred to the Mother/Baby room right then! Debbie helped decorate our hospital room with a sweet balloon, a bouquet of spring flowers from herself and a red rose in honor of Zach's grandpa who is with the Lord.

 aunt debbie

Our next visitors were Grandpa and Nana! They came later in the day that Zach was born. About 10 minutes after they arrived, my sister Jessica came and... surprise, my sister Jen! She surprised us by driving up that morning, just to be there on Zach's birthday! They came with fun baby boy balloons, blue hydrangeas (my favorite- I may have also hinted that I wanted those flowers!), presents for the babe, mom and dad and.... PEPSI! I had told people that right after I gave birth the first thing I would want would be a Pepsi and a turkey sub. My mom also made the most adorable sign to hang outside our hospital room. It had Zach's name and his stats!

 nana and grandpa

 aunt jessica

 aunt jen

Gramma Linda came and visited that night. Gramma is a nurse on the NICU, which is the floor above the Mother/Baby floor. She was able to come down on her dinner break and meet Zach. Apparently, she came earlier in the day, but we had a note on the door saying that we were resting and she didn't want to bother us :( But we are excited that she was able to come down and visit with us on her breaks during our hospital stay!

 gramma linda

The day that Zach came home from the hospital, he got to meet his cousin Ya'el and Justin's sister, Amy! It was so special for Amy to meet Zach because she lives out of state and was only in town for that one day. We did not think she would get to meet him for several months, and here she was able to meet him on his first day home!

 aunt amy

Zach's first weekend and home he got to meet Justin's sister, Emmy! She came up to celebrate Jen's birthday and finally got to meet the little boy. Emmy and Nathanael and all their kids wanted to come up and visit us while we were still in the hospital, but since some of them were sick, they thought it was best not to come. They surprised us with a beautiful bouquet of flowers that was sent to our hospital room. Hopefully the rest of the family can meet Zach very soon. He has many excited cousins that are waiting to meet him.

aunt emmy

Zach's next introductions came when we traveled up to Ohio for my brother, Jon's wedding. He got to meet all of my brothers and sisters and his two cousins! It was so nice that my whole family could meet him so soon after he was born!!

 aunt hillary

 aunt stephanie

 aunt jen 

he already met her several times but i wanted to include his cute outfit :)

 uncle ryan

 uncle jon

 uncle chris

 aunt tessa

 cousin emma

uncle david

we didn't get a picture of aunt kim :(

He also got to meet Justin's brother, Michael, and wife, Sarah and his three cousins!

aunt sarah

 uncle michael

And some friends...

 zach meeting zach :)

 

victoria

 

One Month!

Hello world! My name is Zachary Isaac and I have been in the world for 1 whole month! I am really starting to get the hang of this whole "life outside of the womb" thing. I am a pretty happy and content baby. I am very active and alert and have had a VERY busy first month of life. Here are some things that I have been up to in this first month.... 

• I have already celebrated two birthdays- Aunt Amy's and Aunt Jen's!

 happy birthday aunt amy!

 special onsie for aunt jen's birthday!

 happy birfthday aunt jen :)

• Times I have been to the Biltmore Estate: 3 (although I slept through 2 visits). Mommy had to see the tulips and the wisteria!

first visit at 6 days old!

 3 weeks old

• Went to tea at the Biltmore Estate. Thanks Aunt Jen for helping celebrate Mother's Day for my awesome Mom and Nana :) 

• Went on my first road trip to Columbus, Ohio. It was only suppose to take 7 hours to get there but because I eat so often it took 10. Dad was a trooper and woke up and left at 2:50 in the morning and drove through the night, just so that I could sleep longer in the car. I did really well in the car. I really like my car seat. It is so cozy that I sleep a lot in it. If I am awake, I like to look out the window. 

• Attended my first wedding! I was so happy for Uncle Jon and Aunt Lacey that I slept through the entire ceremony! 

• States I've already been in: North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio, South Carolina
• Celebrated my first Mother's Day for Mommy by getting her an Ergo carrier so she can carry me around and get more stuff done. I also got her flowers and some tiramisu!

• Went to my first soccer game to cheer on Aunt Jessica, although I slept the whole time- are you noticing a pattern here?!?
• Went to Greenville, South Carolina to cheer on Uncle Ryan in his lacrosse game.

• Walked around Lake Louise with mom and dad. They said we will be doing this a lot!
• I had my first explosive poop on April 21st. The look on dad's face was priceless! Mom still laughs just thinking about it!
• Mom thought that I would get through one whole month without pooping on her. Well, she was wrong... I have her a nice present two days before I turned 1 month! Just you wait, dad, I'm coming for you next!
• Mom says Shout is her new best friend. She always bring it out after I have had an explosive poop
• The first week, mom and dad were adjusting and learning how to change a boy's diaper. They called me a little squirt because I always started to pee once my diaper was changed. They have finally got the hang of it and I am also now used to my diaper getting changed.... a lot!
• Dad reads to me [almost] every night out of the most expensive Bible. He calls it a family heirloom and likes to think it belongs to him, even though it is mine. He makes me smell it before he starts reading. I think he is doing some psychological conditioning on me so I associate the smell with it. 
• I have already begun to memorize my first Bible verse with dad. It is Genesis 1:1- "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." We practice it many times a day. 
• I have met all my aunts and uncles and cousins on my mom's side. Still have to meet some on dad's side [this will be a separate blog post since I have so many aunts and uncles!]
• The two songs my mom sings to me most often: "You are my Sunshine" and "Touch your Finger to your Nose." 
• I love it when mom sings me this song that she changed the words to, "Hey... hey baby. I want to know oh-oh-oh if you'll be my boy!"
• I can focus on faces. 
• I like to look at lights, fans and the outline of things (mom and dad's headboard, picture frame outlines and the blinds). 
• There have been a couple times while laying on mom's chest that I have held up my head and looked around for several seconds, having complete control.
• Mom loves it when I go cross-eyed and make the "ohhh" face. 

• I have started to smile purposefully- it melts mom and dad's hearts.
• Sometimes I giggle in my sleep.
• I sleep pretty well through the night. After my last nighttime feeding (usually between 8:00-9:00) I will sleep for 4-5 hours and wake up around 1:00 or 2:00. I then wake up usually at 4:00 in the morning and then around 6:30/7:00. 
• I love daddy time. This happens around 7:00 in the morning. Mom stays in bed and sleeps some more. 

• Mom loves when I wrinkle my forehead, my hairy little ears and everything about me. 
• Mom also loves after I'm done feeding and when she pulls me up to burp me, I wrinkle my forehead, pucker my lips and bring my hands together and lie on them. She is trying to capture it in a picture. 

Statistics:
Weight: 11 lbs. 5.5 oz! [85-95 percentile]
Height: 23 1/2 inches! [over the 99 percentile!!]
Nicknames: Zachy-baby, Zachypoo, Jellybean
Likes: My pacifier, laying on my belly on someone else, my hands, faces, lights and fans.
Dislikes: Getting my diaper changed, baths, tummy time. being swaddled
Clothing: I skipped newborn clothing and went straight to 3 months!
Milestones:

• Lost my umbilical cord: 6 days old (4/22/13)
• Rolled over from belly to back: (4/29/13) Mom says that it was random and that it probably wasn't suppose to happen. 
• Smiled: (5/14/13) 

1st Month Pictures: [Aunt Kim is a WAY better photographrer ;) ]

 artwork that mom never made- she decided to use them as props

A Note from Mom

Zach’s first month has been one of the best and most challenging months of my life. It is incredible how you can love someone so much, the first time you lay eyes on them. I have LOVED being a mom. I love Zach’s cuddles, his little noises, and most recently his smiles. I love singing to him and talking to him. There have been a couple times where I have just started to cry because I am filled with so much joy to have this little boy in my life. Have I loved every single minute- not necessarily. Being a mom is hard work and takes lots of patience, but it is so rewarding and worth it! Justin and I are both learning how to become parents and find a balance in our new roles as mom and dad. Justin told me that I am really learning how to pray by being a mom. I am learning to ask the Lord for wisdom and help, for protection, for energy and strength, for trust and for patience. Zach is a complete gift from the Lord and I would not be able to do this without the Lord’s help.

Zachary, I love being your mom. You have brought your dad and I so much joy and happiness [and sleep deprivation] this first month! We are so excited to watch you grow and experience so many new adventures with you! We love you!