Valentine's

Craig and I went on our first date without Gage on Friday, Valentine's Eve! My sister took time off work to come and spend some time with Gage so Craig and I could go out. I couldn't have asked for a better babysitter! Craig took me to Aunt Maude's, where we thought we'd be able to get right in due to the wintry weather happening at the time, but everyone must have felt that way because we had a 45 minute wait! We had a nice dinner, but we couldn't help feeling anxious to get home to see Gage and go to sleep - we were exhausted!

The next night, on Valentine's, I would say was the better date... We went to church where we put Gage in the nursery for the first time. I have to admit I had a few tears! Of course Craig thought I was silly, and I did too, but other moms understood! 8-) After the service it was a lot of fun showing Gage off to many people who hadn't seen him yet. We decided to go to Hickory Park for cheeseballs and ice cream but the lobby was so crowded we couldn't even get to the host stand very easily. So we thought we'd spend some time at Border's and go back when it would be less of a wait. At Border's we bought an iced tea and sat in some comfy chairs where Craig fed Gage and I asked Craig "Date Questions" from a book that was nearby. Gage was so good - even flirting with the ladies - and I found some things out about Craig that I never knew before! It was so much fun! Then we went to Hickory Park and had our cheeseballs and ice cream, along with great conversation, and Gage slept the whole time. We love that we can have a fun date with Gage along! (I wonder how long that will last...) When we got home I was undoing Gage from his car seat and when I opened his car seat cover there was a card from my sweetheart! I thought that was pretty sneaky and clever! (My card for him was still in my dresser drawer, so he beat me in the romantic department this time!) I love something he said in my Valentine..."It all started with just you and me..."

A Month Gone By...

"Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from him." Psalm 127:3

My baby is already a month old - 5 weeks actually! How time flies! It is amazing how days spent mostly feeding, burping, holding and napping can go by so quickly. I had always heard new mothers talk about not having much time for anything else with a new baby at home and I just couldn't believe it! Don't newborns sleep a lot?! Well I have learned that it is so true: there is little time for anything but caring for your baby! These are some of our events from the past month:

I was an emotional wreck for the first week! As much as you are warned to prepare for exhaustion and hormones-gone-wild, there is no preparing for exhaustion and hormones-gone-wild!! You just have to find out for yourself as you live it out. At one point I told Craig, "I promise I will get through a day without crying soon!" And thankfully I did.

Figuring out Gage's most comfortable sleeping position has been a full time job! And we are still working at it! He started out only sleeping in his car seat for the first few weeks. We propped it up in his bassinet and tucked him in all swaddled and cozy. We continued to try to put him in the bassinet, swaddled and in between two "sleep positioner wedges", and found that he liked to sleep on his side like that. About two weeks ago we were thrilled to realize we had "broken" him of the car seat and he was in the bassinet completely, sleeping 3-4 hour intervals! Now we are working on his naps... So far he is a cat-napper who will not sleep in his bassinet during the day!


Gage loves to be held! As most babies do. But I have found that Gage really loves to be held! He will last for about 10-15 minutes at a time (if that) in the bouncy seat, swing, car seat, boppy pillow, etc. until he gets fussy. Besides our arms, it does seem as if the ottoman, where he can move and kick to his heart's content, is his favorite stationary place where he can last the longest! Don't get me wrong, I love holding my baby, but I do have to use the restroom and do some laundry now and then! 8-) (So we bought a Baby Bjorn last weekend and I am hoping it works...)

We have gotten out and about quite a bit! I am so happy that the weather has been cooperative and has allowed us to get out of the house. Gage and I have visited friends, gone shopping, walked at the mall, run errands, been to ISU basketball games and visited Daddy at work in the past month! Gage is such a good little shopper - as long as he's not hungry he sleeps the whole time! (We have had to take a bottle break in Wal-Mart twice now, so maybe that means Mommy spends a little too long there.?!)

That about sums it up! Overall it has been difficult but wonderful! I can't believe it's possible, but I find myself loving Gage more everyday! I feel so privileged to be able to stay at home with him and watch him grow and change daily. He is truly our reward from God!

Grandpa's Beard

Grandpa and Grandma Engelbrecht came to visit us last Sunday through Tuesday. They loved spending time with Gage and we loved having them! Yes, we are learning that we have slipped down a notch in the rankings and Gage is at the top now - but we wouldn't want it any other way. :-)

Gage was on his best behavior, enjoying lots of hugs and kisses and loving arms. We watched the Super Bowl, went out to eat and went shopping with Grandma, and just enjoyed hanging out at home together. Gage was fascinated by Grandpa's beard! All Grandpa had to do was wink and cluck at him and he was all smiles.

Aunt Holly and Cousin Will

When my nephew, Will, was born I truly felt that I came as close as I could to feeling the love for a child that a new parent feels. Now my sister is able to experience the love of an aunt for a nephew, and I know she has a lot of it! We were blessed to have a visit from Aunt Holly and Cousin Will on Saturday. (Unfortunately Uncle Craig couldn't come and we missed him.) Gage was loved on a lot! Aunt Holly had such a calming affect on Gage. He was so content in her arms. Will was excited to be able to hold Gage for the first time (and not have to just see him through a window!). If Gage got a little fussy Will would say, "Cousin, it's okay Cousin, don't cry..." When asked what he's looking forward to teach his little cousin he said, "To crawl."

First Milestone!

We found out the first night home from the hospital that Gage does not like to sleep on his back! So we have found that his car seat carrier has been a good friend! We put the carrier in the bassinet and it helped Gage sleep for a few hours at a time. Eventually we found that if we swaddled him and put him in the sleep wedge on his side in the bassinet he would sleep okay too. Well, last Saturday he had fallen asleep on Craig's chest on the couch. Craig decided to put him down on the ottoman on his back and he actually stayed asleep for over an hour that way! We were so excited - maybe this is the beginning of something good?!

Gage's First ISU Basketball Game

We took Gage to his first ISU game last Saturday! And unfortunately we didn't even have an appropriate outfit for him for the occasion. We looked all over for one and couldn't find a size 0-3 mos so we ended up accidentally dressing him in Kansas colors - oops! I was concerned about taking him out in the cold but we bundled him up and he slept through the walk to and from, as well as the entire game. He's excused for now, but someday I am sure he will be cheering as loud as his dad!

Getting to Know Gage (and his little quirks!)

It has been so fun to get to know our little boy these past 3 weeks! He is so entertaining, we could watch him all day. I know as he grows and changes there will be so much more to add, but these are our observations so far:

1. He is a squeaker! A few days after coming home from the hospital Gage found his voice. He started making squeaking noises in his sleep and while eating. He soon progressed into making lots of different sounds including gasps for air. It worried his mommy so he got to meet his doctor's office before his routine 2 week check up! We learned that he is perfectly healthy, just a little noise-maker. We are used to them now and poor guy, we laugh at him a lot!

2. He is a hiccuper! When I told my OB that I felt my baby hiccupping on a regular basis in the womb, she said that usually if a baby hiccups a lot in the womb it will most likely hiccup a lot outside the womb too! She was right! Gage gets the hiccups at least twice a day. Thankfully they don't seem to bother him. They bother me more I am sure because I feel so sorry for him!

3. He loves to be stroked! When we stroke his cheeks and hands and fingers he will smile and open his mouth and close his eyes. It is so soothing to him, it will help put him to sleep. His skin is so soft I will never get tired of holding and kissing him! I dread the day when he will get tired of it!

4. He makes funny faces! I never knew one baby could look so differently from moment to moment. One of my favorites is what he does during a "burping"...he lifts his head up with his eyes closed and he'll raise his eyebrows and purse his lips. It makes me laugh every time! I'll have to try and catch that one on camera one of these days!

5. He loves to be held! He would much rather be held than sleep on his own. We found that out the first night home. That was one long night! Since then we have used the sleeping wedge, car seat carrier, and our arms, usually alternating between the three in one night! He was eventually sleeping for 3 hour intervals through the night in his car seat but lately is waking up every 2 hours like clockwork. Mommy can't wait to have more than 2 hours of sleep at a time! In the early morning hours he usually ends up beside me in bed or on the couch, where he would sleep for hours if he could.

6. He loves to be sung to! Daddy is so good at making up funny songs that make him laugh!

Little Hands

I have always heard you can tell a lot about a person by their hands. If that is true, I can already tell a lot about Gage by his hands! First of all, he has very loooong fingers so I am anticipating he is going to be tall like his daddy!
While he is eating he likes to have his hands by his face. We have to move them away every time to get the bottle to his mouth. He will sometimes put his hands up to help hold his bottle. It is so cute! Already such a helper...
In my arms he often puts his hand on my hand or holds a finger. He also loves it when we stroke his hands and fingers. It will even bring on a smile! What a sweet little boy we have!

Sleeping Gage

We love watching Gage sleep! And many times it's me watching Gage and Daddy sleeping... :-) During one of my last pre-natal visits my doctor told me she felt a little hand next to the head when she checked me. I wonder if he looked something like this in the womb? I am sure he is much more comfortable next to Daddy!

Meeting Family

Gage's cousin, Dalton, is almost exactly one month older than him! Dalton's dad, Kevin, is Craig's older brother. They came with Grandma and Grandpa Engelbrecht to meet Gage on his 1 week birthday. Gage slept through the whole thing!