Thanksgiving

We have so much to be thankful for this year. We are so thankful for our precious little boy, and even more thankful for the work that God has done in us this past year. During the past calendar year, we have walked through disappointment, hope, and pure joy. And during each step of our journey, God had been with us every step of the way. We've learned how to depend on Him, and how to truly rejoice in Him, and how to trust in His plan for our family.

Below are some pictures from a very special Thanksgiving ~ Barrett's first!

Let the Christmas season begin!

One Month!

We made it to his 1 month birthday! I don't have his one month picture because I still have to download it off my camera. (Ok ~ he's actually 5 weeks, but I've been a little busy!)

This week has been a big week for us! We've been really busy ~ Bible studies, hockey games, and I even snuck away to go to the movies! In preparation for Thanksgiving, I keep seeing and hearing friends talk about (or post!) what they are thankful for this month. Obviously, we are thankful for our little boy that God blessed us with. I am also thankful for my husband who is naturally a hands on dad. He's encouraged me to leave the house by myself to do things that allow me to take care of me and gives me a "mommy break." These are the kinds of pictures I get on my phone while I'm gone. They make me smile and make me want to rush home to my boys:

Barrett's also hit some milestones this week! He's started sucking his hand when he gets hungry. And he started smiling at us! Well sometimes. Sometimes he smiles at the fan. But it's still cute - I'll take it. And sometimes he sticks with his grumpy old man face :o) Sweet baby is so serious ... all the time! I was actually able to capture a smile this morning!

Part of me is really ready for him to be able to respond and interact with us all the time. And the other part of me knows that in order to do that he has to grow up. (That same part of me is sad that he is outgrowing some of his newborn clothes!)

The Many Faces of Barrett

We wish we knew what this little brain was thinking, but his faces tell us he must be having a good time! (Minus the times he's screaming in the middle of the night.) These are just a few of the faces we see everyday ...

Introducing Barrett

He's here! Barrett was born on October 14th at 11:21 a.m. He weighed 8 pounds 3 ounces. We had to do a c-section because his cord was twisted. Every time I had a contraction, it would tighten and affect his blood pressure and heart beat.

As soon as he was born, we couldn't see him, but we could hear him crying. The doctors told Matt to go take pictures while they were washing him off. One of the doctors pulled the blue sheet slightly to the side so I could see my baby's sweet face as they were cleaning him. The first thing that both of us thought was "Look at all that hair!" That was definitely unexpected. Especially since Matt and I were both bald and then blonde. Barrett has thick, dark hair.

I love that Barrett already knows who I am. There are times that the only thing he needs to calm down is just to be held near me. It's hard to not get emotional when you feel needed like that. We're not really sure who he looks like (besides his Aunt Mary!), but he definitely has our blue eyes and Matt's feet. We love looking at his face while he's sleeping because he has the cutest expressions. And when he opens his eyes and looks around, our hearts melt. Needless to say, this little one has stolen our hearts.

These past few days at home have been incredible. We're adjusting to being new parents. And we've had lots of family helping out ... especially my mom. She went home yesterday, and I really can't wait for her and my dad to come back today! She's been an amazing help to me, and we would not have been able to get through the past few days without her help. Especially when she's helping me keep my emotions in check! ;) (Just had to give you a little shout out Mom!) We are really lucky that both of our families are so ready to help us with anything we need!

We even survived our first pediatrician appointment. He's in the 25th percentile in weight and the 85th percentile in height. Our little one is long and lean. And most importantly, he's healthy :o)

The Nursery!

My mom is a SAINT! She came up just for the day to help me hang the finishing touches in Barrett's room. (And by "help," I really mean that she did it all while I sat in the glider and watched her.) We couldn't do a whole lot in the room because Matt and I are planning on putting the house on the market sometime in the near future. But I think it turned out pretty cute! I finally feel ready to meet this little guy!

Baby Showers

Oh my goodness! Baby showers are so much fun! Especially when YOU are the one that's pregnant ... you can eat whatever you want! :o)

We feel so blessed to have so many people celebrating with us as we get ready to meet our little man. All of the presents have been washed, folded, hung up in the closet, and set up in the nursery. Which makes waiting for him to come seem like an eternity! But I have a feeling he is going to be worth the wait ... only one more month to go!

Below are a few of my favorite pictures from all of the showers. Thank you again for making us feel so loved and so blessed.

Barrett's First Aggie Game

This weekend we went to Barrett's first Aggie Game! It will probably be his only game of the season, so I'm glad we made it to one! I spent most of the game laughing at how huge my feet were! The walking (although I had to take the elevator up to the second deck!) and the humidity made my feet so huge! Mom and I couldn't stop laughing.

I can't wait for next football season when I get to dress Barrett up in baby Aggie gear! (Which we now own thanks to my mom's sweet friends who threw us a shower this weekend.)
This weekend was also a milestone for Matt ... his first SMU game! :o)