More Pictures

Aunt Mimi has good taste in clothes!

Hayden cheering on daddy for his interview.

All dressed up for my first visit with Miss Tricia, from Parent as Teachers.

Handsome little man.

Great Grandparents

We took Hayden over to O'Fallon IL to meet my grandparents last Saturday. They really enjoyed getting to see him and it was a wonderful visit.

Field Trips

My family has a tradition of enjoying the many wonderful things STL has to offer each summer as a group. Hayden and I have been lucky enough to join in the fun this summer. So far we have been to see the latest art exhibit at the Botanical Gardens and took our first trip to Grant's Farm. Hayden slept through it all, of course, but it was nice to get out and enjoy. Hopefully daddy will be able to make some of the trips.

He doesn't know what he is missing out on!

Luke, Katie, Nina and Sam checking out the Guinea Pigs.

That's a big turtle...

My First Real Bath

We gave Hayden his first tub bath last Friday night. He really likes being in the water, which is great since he HATED the sponge bath.

I like to have the water poored over me, that's nice!

Little Mer-Hayden...

I took this photo a few weeks ago. Who do you think Hayden looks like??? Mommy, right???

Four weeks old

It is hard to believe that Hayden is already 4 weeks old, but it is true. It has been a big day, he finally fit into some of his newborn outfits AND he lost his umbilical cord. Diaper changing has become so much easier, right???

Wrong..

He has switched from the sleep, eat, little poop, repeat cycle to the sleep, eat, sleep, eat, sleep, eat, GIANT poop, scream until you change me cycle. All of this of course equates to more laundry for mommy. Good thing he is so darn cute!

I like my pacifier while my bottle is being warmed up, but only if I can hold it.

Newborn outfit finally fits!

Hanging out in my bed, checking out my cool turtle mobile.

Sleeping just like my daddy...one leg out of the covers. If he had an electric blanket and a down comforter doubled over him in June, he would truly be daddy's "mini me"(Yes, he really does that).

Jason's Family Visits

Jason's mom arrived on Thur afternoon. Her boyfriend, David, was kind enough to bring her here so that she had a few extra days of baby time. Jason's sister and her husband(Stefanie & Ryan) drove up here Saturday morning with their daughter Madison. They all had to head back home after a very nice Father's Day brunch at First Watch.

Hayden decided on Thursday that he wanted to take full feedings about every 1.5 hours, I guess that 3 week growth spurt applies to preemies too?

Madison really liked to watch him, and just did not know what to think about him. Hopefully, Hayden can do some serious growing by Christmas or she might just beat up on him ;-) It was a really great visit, and we are so glad they were able to make it.

Grammy with her boyfriend David.

Hayden and Madison, too cute.

Check out cousin Madison, she is becoming such a big girl!

Some more photos

Mr. pouty face!

Guinness is still a baby too!

Check me out playing on Daddy's blanky my Great Great Grandmother Paschall made in 1977.

The Dr. visit went well, he weighed 5 lb 9 oz. She said that he looks great and the only part of him that shows any sign of preemie is his spotty skin. We don't have to go back until he is 6 weeks old!

Still gaining weight

The nurse came again Thur to check in on Hayden and he is still doing great. He gained 4.5 oz since her visit on Mon, he now weighs 4 lbs 5.5 oz. We took a quick trip to Target to get some more bottles yesterday while daddy was at work, and Hayden made all kinds of noises throughout the store. Just what I wanted him to do, draw attention to himself so that people and their germs want to gush over him. Luckily no one tried to touch him!

Well, it is off to Hayden's first Dr. visit on Friday....updates to follow.

Check out his photos from the hospital here.

Back to Birth Weight

Hayden's nurse came on Mon and checked him out. He had gained another ounce, so he is officially back to his birth weight. All of his vital signs were good, and the nurse thought he was super cute. She will be back on Thur to check up on him again, let's hope the progress continues.

Meanwhile, mommy has made at least 3 trips to the store to find the right bottle/nipple combination for Mr. particular. He is eating more than the bottles will hold that we were sent home with from the special care nursery, so finding the right bottle is imperative. We think that we have finally settled on the Avent bottles with the size 2 nipple. In typical Hayden style, the newborn nipple was just not fast enough for him because he clearly does not know his own age.

Home Sweet Home!!!

We brought Hayden home on Saturday afternoon, and so far everything has been going well. He has continued to eat like a champ and really has not been that fussy. We have been able to take turns feeding him through the night, which has made it easy for us to keep up with our sleep. I am feeling quite well considering all that my body has been through in the past week and half.

Hayden has a nurse coming to check on him at noon today, and I will be interested to see how much he weighed. He was up to 5 lbs when we brought him home on Saturday, so hopefully it is more than that now. He will get to go for his first Dr. visit this week, so that will be an adventure I am sure.

We will try to get some better pics up in the next few days!