Four!!!!

Today, My dad and I took Noah to The Wachovia Championship golf tournament here in Charlotte. It was a little hot carrying Noah around in the carrier, but it was fun to walk around and see the beautiful course and some of the golfers. We watched a few groups tee off from the first hole and then we walked down through the second and third hole. We decided to sit at the third hole and give Noah a little break from the carrier.

The carrier has a little shade on it, so when we took him out, we were a little concerned he might get too much sun. But no need to worry, Papa let Noah borrow his hat to get some shade!

6 weeks old

Yesterday, Noah was 6 weeks old! He also went for 7 1/2 hours between feedings at night, so hopefully we are turning a corner where mommy and daddy can both get some more sleep at night! We are loving our sweet little boy more and more each day! He is getting more interactive and even giving a few smiles when we talk to him.

Happy Easter!

Today is Easter & Noah is 5 weeks old! Noah experienced his first Resurrection Sunday at church this morning. Noah and Daddy both got dressed up in their ties this morning.

It was great to be back at church. The sermon was awesome - it was about the 2 greatest statements ever uttered - "It is finished" (John 19:30) when Christ completed his saving work on the cross and "He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said" (Matthew 28:6). I feel like the importance of Easter often gets overlooked, but it separates us as Christians from any other faith out there. No other "god" or religion has a god that has defeated death! We hope that you all had a wonderful Easter too! Looking forward to relaxing and spending time with family tonight!

1 Month Old

Noah is 1 month old today! It seems like just yesterday I was barely getting around because I was 9 months pregnant and my sciatic nerve was killing me! We have loved every minute of our sweet little boy being here! Despite a little bit of reflux, Noah is a very content and happy baby. He sleeps pretty well for about 3-4 hour stretches at night. We always laugh because Noah grunts all the time, even when he's sleeping! Although we anticipated keeping Noah in our room at night for a few months, we ended up putting him in his crib after 2 weeks because all that grunting was keeping both Dan and I up all throughout the night. Noah loves his play mat and does great with his tummy time too, but most of all, he loves to be held. We can't wait to see how our "Grunt-opotamus" continues to grow!

All in the Family

We have been quite busy this last week or so. It all started with Aunt Sarah coming in to town to meet Noah last Friday. Needless to say, they took to each other quite well! We were so sad to see her go!

On Saturday, Grandma and Grandpa Swartz came into town. When they came to see Noah in the hospital, they were only able to stay for a day, so they needed some quality Noah time! They were a huge help to Dan and I. Dan's dad helped to tame the weeds in our yard and plant some trees, while Dan's mom helped with cleaning and cooking some freezer meals for us. Even with all their hard work, they still managed to sneak in lots of snuggles with Noah!

Then, this Saturday Aunt Charlene and Uncle Kyle made the trip up from Atlanta to finally meet their nephew! 

It was great seeing everyone and very exciting for us to introduce them to Noah!

Little Helper...LOTS of help!

My niece, Katie, goes to a year round school, so she is off for the next three weeks. She loved baby Noah so much, that I told her when she was on Spring Break she could come hang out with us for a day. So today she came and hung out with Noah and I. It was amazing how much I was able to get done with just an extra set of hands or someone just to entertain Noah while I got some stuff done.

Katie read Noah a few books and he loved it! I hope he loves reading as much as she does!

 

While I fed Noah, Katie drew this picture of him in his monster pj's

I was able to fold some laundry with 2 hands while Katie held Noah (it's the little things!!)

Katie also entertained Noah while I swept and vacuumed the whole downstairs.

I was so thankful just to have someone to watch over him and make sure he was entertained and content while I got some stuff done. Needless to say, I think she enjoyed the day too - she is a big fan of Noah!

Newborn Photo Shoot

A few days later Catie came back to do some newborn shots of just Noah. He was pretty fussy that day, but Catie still managed to get some great shots! I highly recommend Lovelace Productions for any kind of family photos - and not just because Catie is a dear friend. She is excellent with kids and very affordable!

Dan's mom gave Noah this Boyd's bear. I love it because of course it is giraffe print, but also because it reminds me of my grandmother. I still remember going to the Teddy Bear Museum with her in Naples, Florida. Her and my aunt both had lots of different Boyd's bears, so we decided to include this one in a few shots!

Family Photo Session

I am truly grateful that my best friend just happens to be an amazing photographer as well! Catie came over to capture some family photos during our first week of being at home. Here are some of our favorites.

Thank you so much Catie for capturing such a sweet time in the life of our family. We will treasure these pictures forever!

Bella Baby Photos

While we were at the hospital, Bella Baby Photography came around and took some newborn pictures of Noah. He was so quiet and content for the first part, and then he got a little worked up (probably because he was naked!) But here are some of our favorites:

Our new little family

Daddy loves his boy

So much hair - I knew it after all that heartburn during pregnancy!

Say Cheese

Every now and then I get this sweet little smile from Noah that absolutely melts my heart. I've been trying to catch it on camera for the past week or so, and on Monday I finally did!

Go Blue!

On Sunday, March 30, Michigan played Kentucky in the elite 8 of the NCAA basketball tournament. Daddy loved watching the game with the newest addition to the wolverines fan club. Seriously...how cute are my boys?!?

2nd Doctors Appointment

On Thursday, March 27, we headed back to our second doctors appointment. I was smart this time and scheduled it for 2:30 in the afternoon so I could be sure we would be ready and on time! Dan had a meeting at work, so my mom went with us.

Noah was up to 8 pounds 8 ounces! He did so good at the doctor and mommy was glad that he was over his birth weight so we didn't have to keep going back for weight checks! Thankful for one healthy little boy!

Cousins!!

On  Saturday, March 22, my nieces, Katie and Julia finally got to meet Noah! They were so excited! They were both a little tentative at first about holding him, but once they did, they didn't want to stop! I can't wait for these cousins to grow up together. Some of my best childhood memories are at my grandma's house playing with my cousins, and I hope that they can say the same thing one day!

 Katie holding Noah

Julia holding Noah

cousins!!

Splish, Splash, He hates takin' a bath

Noah hates to be naked, so of course he hates bath time. My mom asked if I had taken pictures of his first bath...sadly no - we try to get it over with as fast as possible which isn't easy with a wet, slippery, screaming, thrashing baby. But he sure is cute after he's been wrapped up in his towel!

First visit to the doctor

On Thursday, March 20, Noah had his first visit to the doctor at 9:30 a.m. I started getting ready around 7 knowing that I had to get me and Noah ready, plus eat breakfast, feed him, and pack up the diaper bag. 2 and a half hours is plenty of time right? WRONG! We left the house at 9:30 - sorry Pediatric Partners, we'll do better next time. Needless to say, the stress didn't end when we got there. I had to fill out tons of paperwork and Dan was trying to deal with Noah getting him undressed and then trying to calm him down because he HATES being naked. But the good news is, he is nearly back to his birth weight. He was 7 lb 15 oz when he was born, 7 lb 9 oz when we left the hospital and today was 7 lb 13 oz. Noah has been a great eater since day 1, so hopefully next week he is over his birth weight! I didn't really take any pictures because I was busy filling out all the paperwork, but here is one of Dan teaching Noah Spanish while we waited for the doctor (If you know anything about Dan's Spanish skills, this is actually pretty hilarious!)

Home Sweet Home?!?

The first week at home can be summed up in 1 word: ROUGH! I was very sore and my hormones were going crazy! Thank goodness for the love and support of my amazing family and of course for this precious little face that kept me going!

Going Home

On Tuesday, March 18 we were discharged from the hospital. I had mixed emotions about leaving the hospital. All of the nurses were so helpful and we had gotten into a pretty good routine. Going home meant I'd have to make our meals, clean up after us, and eventually deal with Dan going back to work and doing everything on my own. On the other hand, going home meant being home and getting our own routine down. Here is our little guy all ready to go home:

When we left for the hospital on Friday night it was gorgeous weather, however when we left on Tuesday it was cold and rainy. Dan and I both had flip flops on and no jackets! Next time, we will be more prepared and pack some close-toed shoes in our hospital bag! Here is Noah all bundled up on the car ride home. 

Swartz Party of 3

We are just over the moon in love with this sweet little boy! Our families were shocked to find out how fast Noah arrived, but both of our parents and my sister, Suzi, were able to make it to the hospital to visit on Sunday. Dan has been incredible changing diapers and taking care of Noah so I can take care of myself. Here are a few pictures from our first days as a family in the hospital.

 My boys :)

A little tired after getting about an hour of sleep between Friday and Saturday night

My little giraffe! Absolutely love this hat that my friend Jessica made