Lots of Updates

The last few days have been full of fun things. First we had a good 2 week doctor visit. Cole is already back up to his birthweight and well passed it! He weighed 8 lbs 12 oz! Can we say oink, oink?!?!

Next we had a fun visit from my grandparents who had yet to meet Cole yet. We had a great time watching them ooo and aaaa over him!

We also were busy this weekend trying to fix up our yard. Well, Murray was... He mulched and set out the stones to line our flower beds. Next on our list is to add some flowers, but it already looks so much better. He's great!

I may not have been hauling bags of dirt and mulch, but I wasn't totally lazy. I was busy in the kitchen making bread. My mom got me started while she was staying with us. It was a little more involved and messy than I thought, but every time I eat a bite of the bread I know it was worth it. Haha.

Proof that it really was messy.

Also Sunday was a big day because it was Cole's first trip to church. He was such a good boy! Here is a picture of him Sunday morning. Murray calls him Pastor Butler in this picture. Haha. I couldn't resist.

New furniture!

Thanks to a great babysitting job in Chicago, I was able to set aside some money for new living and dining room furniture. It finally came a week or so ago, but I think it goes without saying why I haven't posted pictures yet. =) I am really excited about it though so thanks Jason, Jen, & Sydney for letting me babysit!

Still want to hang some shelves on the walls beside the TV to set pictures & knickknacks on.

Need curtains, something for the left corner, and table decorations.

In addition to our new furniture, we had to buy some new appliances too. Our house didn't have a dishwasher (very sad!), and we needed a microwave over the stove to save counterspace. My sweet dad spent so much time the weekends he was here to see Cole to install it all for us. He's amazing, and we are so excited about our kitchen now!

He installed the cabinets around the stove and microwave too, & Kelsey stained them to match our others perfectly!

Here are a few extra cabinets he added for storage space. Next on our list is to change out the counter tops. Almost done!

One more first...

Here is Cole's first dance- with the help of Daddy of course. Momma lacks the rhythm to do this. Haha. Make sure you have the sound on... and ignore my giggling.

Sorry this one is sideways... can't figure out how to turn it.

Firsts...

The first week of Cole being home with us has brought many firsts into Murray's and my life. The first doctor's visit, the first time Cole peed all over us, the first bath, the first sweet smile, the first time he shot poop everywhere, the first walk, the first time we tried tummy time, etc. Here are a few pictures of his first week.

The first time Murray emptied the diaper can.

Cole's first experience playing XBOX with Daddy.

Murray's attempt at the baby wrap... with Duke.

Our first walk as a new family.

Liking the walk!

Flowers from my sweet husband to celebrate Cole's one week birthday!

Our first date since Cole... a molten chocolate cake date at Chili's!

Tummy time!!!

Daddy getting some tummy time too!

Funny Quotes of the Weekend!

So of course when there are kids around, funny things are said. Considering the situation, there were some really funny things said this past weekend. Here are the ones I consider the top 2:

1~ Neesha when she saw me feeding Cole... "Haha- Erin is like a cow!"

2~ Easton when looking at my post pregnant stomach... "Hey Erin, I don't have a baby in my tummy." Me- "I don't either anymore Easton. See Baby Cole over there came out already." Easton- "Um... I think there's another one in there."

However... I do have to add some really sweet Neesha comments too. First- my mom told me that Neesha has been praying every night for Cole to be healthy and for labor not to hurt me too badly. =) And, apparently out of the blue the other day, Neesha just said "I am just so happy for Erin." Isn't she the sweetest little sister ever!

Beautiful Baby!

So I have been slacking in posting pictures of Cole! Not for lack of wanting to, but things have been a little busy! Cole is doing great. He is starting to sleep better in his bed, and he is eating awesome! We had our first doctor appointment today, and he is already gaining his weight back and looks perfect. We couldn't be more in love. So... sorry they are late, but here are pictures from the last few days!

Prayers of a righteous man...

So for those of you wanting details... Thursday night Murray took me out for dinner and a movie to try to distract me from the waiting game. I have been going a little crazy sitting at home with nothing to do really. The house was clean, clothes were washed, Cole's room was ready, and errands were all finished. I was actually wishing to work so you know it was bad. Haha.

Anyway, during the date, I was fine because Murray is always hilarious, and the movie (The Proposal) was really good too. After we got home though, my hormones kicked in, and Murray ended up having to convince me that we would get to meet Cole soon and my body would do it on its own and everything would be great. He did a great job and said the sweetest prayer for us when we went to bed that labor would come naturally, quickly, and go smoothly. Still, I didn't think that anything would happen that soon.

Right at 3am, I woke up and thought- Was that a contraction? I, of course, then had to use the bathroom so I decided to just get up and see if anything would happen. Shocker- my water broke! I couldn't believe it! So, I decided to make sure before I woke Murray up. Sure enough I had a contraction at 3:12 so I went to wake up Murray and found out again that yep, my water had broken.

So we hurried to get showers, pack the last few things, and headed to the hospital. Which let me tell you that by this point (about 4am), my contractions were already 2-3 minutes apart at most! When we got checked into triage, I was 3cm dilated, but my contractions were coming about every minute or two and were really strong. My nurse asked me my pain level with 10 being burning in a fire so I said 4-5. I didn't want to be a baby. She said my contractions didn't look like a 4 or 5 so that made me feel better.

About an hour later, I was at 5cm. Another hour and they finally gave me some Staydol. Hit me like a ton of bricks- haha. I needed it though because I was already at 9cm with BAD contractions! I must say I have the utmost respect for girls who have natural births. You are crazy, but I respect you! Very tough! They hurried me to labor and delivery where I got a quick epidural and then waited for the doctor to come in. Cole was still a little high in the birth canal so we waited another hour or so and then it was time to push.

Like the whole rest of the process, the ending went quick. I really just pushed for about 30-40min and out came our baby boy at 9:54am! Murray cut the cord, and I got to dry him off. He was so big! The doctor had told us that morning that she estimated he would weigh about 6 1/2 lbs. Boy was she wrong! 8lbs 5oz and 20in long!

Since then, we have been blessed to have SO much of our family here to meet him and visit with us. It has been a busy, busy time so sorry to those of you who have called and gotten our voicemails. We really appreciate all the thoughts and well wishes! We can't wait for him to meet all of you too!

I am sure that all moms think this, but he really is the sweetest thing! He has been so good. He is eating great, sleeping great, and looking too cute. It's amazing how much you can love someone so quickly. Murray has been telling him all about life... family, Cardinal baseball, friends, work, UT football, etc. He is such a good daddy. Even changed ALL the dirty diapers so far- and no gagging! I love being a mommy with him!

So, all that to say, if you want something to happen... talk to Murray. Apparently he has a direct connection or at least did Thursday night!

Duke is ready for Cole...

Nobody can say I'm not trying to have this baby! Here is a picture of Duke after one of our marathon walks. Hahaha.

Making new friends...

Murray and I have been really blessed to find a church family here that has been so kind and welcoming. We have been visiting Okolona Church of Christ and have already found some really nice people. Liz & Walker are a couple that we actually knew from Freed Hardeman. We were invited to their small group who was so thoughtful that they threw us a shower! Isn't it so amazing that God can bring people into your life and give you that instant connection!