Christmas 2010

I've been delinquent in posting again.  Archer has celebrated his first Christmas!  We woke up on Christmas morning and assisted him with opening his gifts which outnumbered everyone else's ten to one.  He didn't seem phased.  The Hoffman family assisted us and him with opening his plethora of booty, as Boppi and Poppi Hoffman and Aunt Courtney flew out for the holiday.

He made out like a bandit, getting everything from a turtle that shines the night sky on the ceiling at bedtime to a travel high chair for future trips over the next several months.  And yes, he did get books for Christmas! 

We had a good time hanging out around the house and making some excursions to downtown Stillwater so that the Hoffman's could check out the local second hand stores.  Unfortunately, they still have yet to get to Elite Repeat.  We'll tackle that next time.

Archer also had several outings leading up to Christmas.  He had lunch out at Sultan's with mom, Tammy and Brid, attended the CASA holiday party and started attending services at the Stillwater Unitarian Universalist Church.

Archie also began flashing social smiles instead of the gassy ones, but we have yet to get one on film.  He also recently successfully grasped a toy for the first time.

Yesterday, we did a trial run of visiting his daycare which he will start attending in the near future.  It's a sad week for mom, as she only has five more days before she has to start working again.  So many first's we are going to miss, but I guess we can think of all Archer's firsts, as the first time we've seen him accomplish them.

Looking forward to a great 2011!

Ice Skating with Friends

Today Andy, Archer and I went to Stillwater on Ice and met up with the Mendez and Mix/Hartman families.  Archie took the opportunity to sleep through an entire afternoon of skating and lunch afterwards.  It hasn't gotten that cold yet, but the wind was definitely blowing.

Archie had his stylish hat to keep his head warm and bunting from the Farr family that kept him snug as a bug in a rug.

Afterwards, Archie spent the day playing with his play mats and enjoying his new travel swing.  He's getting so big.  He's almost 12 lbs and measuring slightly over 23 inches.

 

Thanksgiving and more

It's been several days since I've posted last.  Thanksgiving has come and gone.  We had a full house for the holiday, with Archie's grandparents from Hawaii visiting, Ede and Terry, as well as his aunt Emily, uncle Dave and Dave's girlfriend Myranda.  We also had a four legged visitor, Dave's golden retriever, Penny.

Our first holiday with an infant was interesting.  Andy and I took turns eating in order to take care of Archer.  We had wonderful food made by multiple contributers and had a long lazy day.  Cimmi, Nelson and Lafawnduh all enjoyed some table scraps.

While his grandparents were visiting, Archer experimented with taking his first bottle.  Since I thought it would take awhile for him to figure it out, I decided to leave the house, while his grandmother gave it to him.  However, Archie took right to it, and drained all four ounces in 15 minutes.  Not bad for the first time.

We're sad to see his grandparents return to Hawaii. They were a huge help while visiting, and they left our house a little more modern with the gift of a new television.  Archie has been very into his new Baby Einstein dvds that came with it.

On December 1st, we celebrated Archie turning 1 month old.  Hard to believe that he's already been here for so long.  He's becoming more alert to his surroundings, can pay attention in longer intervals, and is now starting to try and "stand" by straighting his legs when we hold him up over a large surface.  He's growing up so fast.

Archie's First Bath

Last night, Andy and I gave Archer his first tub bath.  Archie is a pretty calm baby, so he took to his whale bathtub just like he does everything else, with a laid back attitude.  He was very well behaved as he received a gentle scrubbing and shampoo.  It certainly helped that one of his favorite toys, a mirror, was there to entertain him. Enjoy the pics!

Two Weeks Old

Today Archer is two weeks old.  Archie had his first check-up today, and weighted in at 9lbs. 1 oz.  He has already surpassed his birth weight and got good marks at the doctor's office.  Hopefully the next appointment in January will go as well, even though his immunizations will begin then.

He also received his first official piece of mail today from the Social Security Administration.  A day of firsts!

Archie Bear

Today Archie tried on his bear onesie his uncle Alex and Nicole gave him. Just like on Goldie Locks, it fit just right. However Archer didn't feel like a long photo shoot. We did get a few good pictures though, before uncle David arrived for a brief visit.

Changes

Today marked two big changes for us. First, Kirsten's parents started their return journey home to Connecticut after spending the last two weeks with us. In addition to spending time with their grandson, Kris and Mark kept the house running by doing the cooking, cleaning and helping with household repairs. They were a huge help and will be missed. We look forward to having them back at Christmas time along with Kirsten's sister, Courtney.

In the meantime, we'll have more help with visits from Andy's brother David, his mother, Ede and her husband Terry.

It's wonderful to have two very supportive families assisting us.

The other event that happened today was that Archer's umbilical cord fell off. Well, hopefully fell off. We're not quite sure if it came off completely on it's own, or if Kirsten accidentally helped it a little by brushing it with her hand during a diaper change. Hopefully it was ready to come off! It looks pretty good so we think it was.

Until next time...

Archie is one week old

Today Archie turned one week old.  He is becoming more alert between feedings and working on gaining control of his neck muscles.  He has made small steps at being able to lift his head off our shoulders during burping sessions.

We celebrated his first week in the universe with a night out to dinner with Kirsten's parents who remain in town until the end of the week and a champagne toast.  Happy one week, baby boy!

Archer John is here.

Archer John is finally here!  Archie was born at 11:21p.m. on November 1, 2010.  He weighed 8lbs 5oz. at birth and measured 21 inches long.  Archie had a long day, as Kirsten was scheduled to be induced at 7a.m. that morning.  However, after thirteen hours of labor, things were not progressing as they should have been, and we were faced with either proceeding with several more hours of labor and the possibility of still needing a c-section if he did not descend, or proceeding with the c-section immediately.  Since an immediate c-section would reduce stress on the baby, we decided to use this method.  Once deciding on the c-section option, Archie arrived in less than one hour.

We are both thrilled that he is here.  Kirsten and Archie were released from the hospital on November 4, and have been doing well at home.  Archie lost very little weight after birth, and has already regained three ounces since going home.

Mom and Dad have had a steep learning curve, but are getting better at feedings and changing his diapers.  We can't wait to share more with you as he thrives and grows.