one month

Wow, the last month has just flown by.  Ethan turned a month old last friday, the same day as the opening ceremonies for the London Olympics!  Just a couple of days before that, he started giving us his first smiles.  What a treat!  It's so fun to get to interact with him and watch his facial expressions in response to our antics.  I can't believe we didn't even meet him until a month ago - I can't imagine life without him.  Such a sweet boy.

We took some one month photos and it's hard just to pick a few. :)

four weeks old...

... look what I can do!

the first three weeks

We are so in love with our sweet baby Ethan and can't believe he's over three weeks old!  I thought I should write a post about this early newborn stage before I write a post about being a month old (which we're not going to think about right now).  Time has certainly flown by!  We had some significant nursing issues the first couple of weeks, but we're doing sooo much better now, praise God!

Matt was home during Ethan's first week, which was so nice.  Many tears were shed when he went back to work, but now we're adjusting.  It was hard to go through the very sweetest (and the hardest) several days of my life, and then not have the most important person in my life around to share in each special moment with Ethan. I just thought it was so unfair to Matt. We're adjusting to normal life again though, and we LOVE weekends.

My parents were here Ethan's second week, which was so helpful.  This was probably our most difficult week, with figuring out our nursing issues, so I'm sure it wasn't the most enjoyable time for my parents...  But my mom took care of everything I couldn't do, which I am still so thankful for.  Then, Matt's parents were here for some of Ethan's third week, which was also fun.  Matt's mom did a ton of cooking for us and they were very helpful to have around.

So, some things about our little boy...
He LOVES to be held, either in our arms or lying on our chests, which we love, too.  He really likes to sleep in a swaddle, but also wants to have his hands in his face constantly.  This can present a challenge.  We're quickly becoming experts at knowing which swaddles actually hold his hands down.  Matt is a champion swaddler and knows how to do special swaddles so Ethan can have his hands up - this works for daytime naps, but not as well at night.  He also loves to be carried around in the Moby wrap.

He's sleeping pretty well at night, especially the last 4-5 nights. ;)  Most of the time he'll sleep in the pack-n-play by our bed after being rocked to sleep, but occasionally we'll have to put him in the swing.  The swing is like a magic sleep machine - it's amazing how quickly it lulls him to sleep.  We're trying to use it as sparingly as we can. ;)

Ethan LOVES to eat!  He is gaining tons of weight, which is great, especially considering our rough start at eating.  The other day he actually took his first bottle from Matt without even hesitating!

It's amazing how much older he seems now compared to when we first brought him home.  He's spending more time with his eyes wide open and seems to be more intentional about what he's looking at.  He's already a tummy-time champ, too!

Overall, Ethan is a very content baby.  He brings us so much joy and we can't imagine life without him.

Here are some of my favorite photos from the first three weeks!

 about to go home from the hospital!

Pops, Henry, Sarah, Ethan & Mommy, Grandma

first walk!

first sleepy smile captured on camera

outside time

my new swaddle pod from grandma

front porch time

family snuggle time

first tummy time - already a pro

first bottle - such a champ!

what's with all the yawning?

                                                                       

first walk in the park

 zero months :)  but not for long!

baby boy is here!

Ethan George Whinery made his appearance on June 27th, 2012.  He is happy and healthy, weighing in at 8 pounds, 6.5 ounces, and measuring 20 inches long.  

I was scheduled for an induction but was admitted to the hospital the night before and happened to go into labor on my own.  Ethan's heart rate dropped while I was in labor, so we were so thankful that I was already in the hospital being monitored.  As my labor progressed, his heart rate dropped again, and when none of the standard interventions were successful at bringing it back up, the doctors made the decision to get Ethan out with a stat c-section.  It was a really scary experience, but Ethan and I were in good hands.  They were able to get him out within about 5 minutes after they made the decision to do the c-section.  When he came out, his cord was around his neck, which is why his heart rate had been dropping.  Thankfully I had just gotten an epidural, so a few minutes were spared since they didn't have to do anesthesia.  Matt was by my side almost the whole time, which I was so thankful for.  We are so grateful to God that Ethan and I are okay.  Having to have an emergency c-section was my biggest fear about delivery, but the Lord protected us!

Our little guy is now two weeks old and we love him sooo much.  He is precious.  Nursing has not been my best friend, so we're working through that and seem to have made some progress (hopefully!).