Thankful for Family and Friends

From Michelle: Lately I've been thinking about how grateful I am for friends and family. They have really come out to support Patrick and me during this time of transition. Having a newborn is definitely challenging, but it's been made easier by all the visitors who have come bearing gifts of food, conversation and just plain companionship. Sometimes we feel like we are on an island, and it's nice when someone pulls a boat up to the dock and tells us about their lives and what's going on out there in the world. Most days I forget to read the paper or turn the TV on. Mostly I read magazines (thanks Julie!). A part of me will be happy when we join the "regular" world again, but the other part of me will be sad. I am trying to treasure all the moments that Patrick and I will have with Sheldon during my maternity leave. But I'm off on a tangent now. Really what I wanted to say is a big THANK YOU to all the friends and family checking in on us. And a special thank you this week to Heather, Meg, Connie, John and Tina for coming to see us and brightening our day.

Update on Sheldon: It's hard to believe he's the same little peanut we brought home from the hospital. I often refer to him as Jabba the Hut now because that's exactly who he looks like when he's all swaddled up. That double-chin!! So adorable. He must be over 7 lbs now. Still a little guy, but he's looking like a chubby little Jabba the Hut now. We've been working on tummy time, and he can now hold his head straight up. He has so much muscle control in his neck, which seems unsual for a baby not quite 3 weeks old. Oh, but he's a tough, stubborn little guy. Just like his dad. When I burp Sheldon, he will now straighten his legs out and try to support his own weight, too. I have a feeling he's going to be one busy little baby. Can't wait till he starts crawling. :)

Sheldon has turned out to be a gassy little baby, too. He has started grunting and crying in his sleep as he tries to pass gas (I bet he's going to love reading this post when he's older. Ha!). We've been trying to burp him a lot, doing some leg circles with him, and we've even given him gas relief drops. Not much seems to help, though. He has started keeping us up at night with his little cries and struggles with gas. I am thinking of trying to eat more "bland" foods in the future to see if that will help. Or maybe he has reflux? That's the thing -- with a baby you just don't know and it's all trial and error. So, we're trying to help him, though we're not exactly sure if we can. He just might be a gassy baby, too. Only time will tell.

On a final note -- Patrick and I went to the library yesterday with Sheldon. Patrick checked out books on gardening and I checked out books on baking. We're still excited to pursue our interests with Sheldon at our side. A funny thing happened in the library -- Patrick and I went to different sections of the library, and Patrick was pushing Sheldon in his stroller. I was looking through the baking books when I heard Sheldon crying from far off. I followed the noise to the gardening section and there Sheldon was fussing in the stroller. We made a hasty exit because really, who wants a crying baby in the library?? What surprised me is that I instantly knew it was Sheldon crying, though there were lots of other children in the library. It's amazing how intimately you can come to know your babies cries, his sighs, even his little grunts and the way his hair and skin smell. I could put my nose next to his face and breathe him in all day.