Cute Kyle :)

Splish, Splash, Taking a Bath!

Kyle enjoyed his very first bath on Sunday, June 24th, two weeks to the date after his birth. He was such a big boy ... no cries ... a few smiles ... lots of curiosity stirring up beneath those deep baby blues :)

Tum Tum Tummy Time!

Kyle and I have carpet parties every morning. We basically practice a little tummy time, read a little book, sing a few little rhymes, roll a little ball around ... It's pretty much the peak of our day!

Nice to Meet You (Part 2)

Kyle has had so many visitors over the past two weeks! He has loved meeting each and every one of you :) Stop by again soon ...

Great Grandma Alp

Auntie Jan

Uncle Mike

Rob and Rose

Cousin Rachel

Jim and Sylvia

Kara

Mike and Joe

Heidi

Rob and Jen

Auntie LoLo

Uncle Kevin and Auntie LoLo

Cousin Maggie

Auntie Kathy

Uncle Robert

Great Grandma Peterson

Cousins Sean and Kelly

Cousin Sarah

Happy Father's Day!

Sunday, June 17th was Chris' first Father's Day! The Saturday beforehand, I got all ready. Put my shoes on. Placed my purse by the side of my chair. And the very second I finished nursing Kyle, I passed him on to dad and sped off to Old Orchard. I was on a two hour mission to pick up some outfits for our first family photo shoot on Monday, as well as for some Father's Day gifts for Chris. By the end of that two hour window, I was completely spent. Every muscle and non-muscle in my body ached from trying to move as frantically as I could, darting all the perfume ladies at Macy's and all the smiley salesmen at Gap. I ended up getting Chris a few new summer work shirts from Gap, and even resisted the urge to get him the awesome one with the sweeps of purple in it for fear that it would end up being yet another one of my failed attempts to try something new. There are quite a few of my try something new projects lying at the bottom of our closet with the tags still on. After nearly 7 years together, I've learned that blue plaid is pretty much the only style that fits Chris's personality. Maybe the occasional greens or solids, but nothing crazy. Chris' dad visited Kyle Friday, and my dad stopped by Saturday night, so we all got a little fatherly bonding time.

We hope everyone had a terrific Father's Day!

First Summer Stroll ...

It's been 10 days since my last post, so I thought I best get back on here before I give up forever! I really want to keep up with the blog so that Kyle has something to look back on as he grows up and develops questions about his early years, but it sure is difficult to find time to upload photos and come up with clever things to say when you have the cutest little newborn at home to play with. He's definitely my number one priority these days. Just as he should be.

When Kyle was less than a week old, Chris and I took him on his first stroll around our condo complex. It was sunny, but on the cooler side for once, so we walked up and down the sidewalks and around the parking lot for a good half hour. It felt great to be up and walking around, and I think Kyle enjoyed it as well. He got to spend some quality time with mom and dad in the great outdoors, and even made time for a little cat nap. Oh the life of a one week year old :)

Doctor, Doctor, Give Me the News

Kyle's first doctor's appointment was yesterday, June 15th at Park Ridge Pediatrics. At birth he weighed 8 lbs 2 oz, and we were relieved to hear that, five days later, our little Ky Ky man was already back up to 8 lbs 1.5 oz (he had gone down to somewhere in the 7 lb range by the time we had left the hospital on Tuesday. Perfectly normal for newborns). Kyle's heartbeat and reflexes were also great. In fact, he was a model citizen for the doctor. Didn't cry once. Showoff :) Like his daddy, Kyle also has A positive blood. This is the second most popular blood type among Caucasian (at least according to Wikipedia haha) and is often associated with jaundice (the yellow skin coloring many newborns get). Kyle had been tested twice at the hospital for bilirubin, and both times his counts (2.3 and 3.something) were well below the accepted level. The hospital does not take action unless the count is above 15. On Friday, the doctor confirmed that Kyle's skin still looked beautiful, remarking on what a handsome little boy we have. Chris and I also asked the doctor a million questions: Kyle's hiccups, Kyle's latching, Kyle's ___, Kyle's ___, Kyle's ___. We had a lactation coach come in and give us some more tips and answer more of our questions. She said that despite the pain and newness all first time moms experience with nursing, we should find relief in the fact that Kyle is definitely eating since he is gaining weight and leaving us thoughtful presents in his diapers. All in all, our first trip to the doctor was a success. Kyle's one month appointment is scheduled for July 11th and his two month appointment will take place when we return from our first family vaycay on August 15th. He will receive shots at both appointments. Yikes.

Homeward Bound

After spending Saturday, Sunday, and Monday night in the hospital, we were finally discharged late Tuesday afternoon around 4:30 p.m. This is it. A son we have. Parents we are. Home we go.

Adios Room

Adios View

Baby Blue Flowers for Baby Boy Alp

Good Swaddle Daddy.

Let's Hit It!

Seriously Now.

We're Home!

Thanks for the Welcome :)