Ford Visits Kentucky

Ford made his first trip to Kentucky last week. This was the first time he got to meet his Aunt Jennifer, Uncle Justin, and oldest cousins. Jackson and Cooper couldn't get enough of their little cousin! They wanted to hold him and touch him constantly. It was the cutest thing. If Ford was eating, one of them wanted to hold his bottle for him. If my dad was holding him, Cooper would climb up in his lap and just watch Ford and touch his little hands and feet. If Ford was in the floor, they were both down there right beside him. Such good big cousins! Ford has a lot to look forward to. :)

We had a GREAT first trip to Kentucky. Neither one of us really wanted to leave. I think this sums up our feelings pretty well:

Grandparents Come to Town

Maternity leave certainly has its benefits. One of the best advantages of not working is being available for family visits. Whereas we normally have to keep visits to weekends, me being home with Ford right now has allowed more frequent visits for the grandparents. Both of our families came to Indy recently to visit with us.

First, my parents came up for a few days during the week. While they were here, Lindsay and Corwin stopped by for play time. I don't know who had more fun -- the kids or my dad! :)  Corwin doesn't see my parents often, but he really took to them. During the few hours he spent with them, he learned how to say "rut roh" and make gurgling sounds. ha!

The day my parents left, Dave and Connie came down to celebrate David's birthday (the big 3-0!) for the weekend. Their time here went by way too fast, but Ford got in some good snuggle time with everyone.

Proud grandpa and his boy

Dinner time with Aunt Laura.

Grandpa Dave gets back into changing diapers for the first time in many, many years. :)

Happy boy!

So sleepy after hanging out with his grandparents.

First Photo Shoot

Ford's first photo shoot at six days old was so fun! We were thrilled that our wedding photographer (Barry, owner of bpl Images) was willing and available to do his newborn pictures (and will be doing all of Ford's pictures during his first year). He came out to our house for Ford's first photo session. Surprisingly, he stayed awake through the whole thing and did excellent; there were only a few crying episodes because we kept taking his clothes off. Here are some of my favorites. You can view (and order) all the pictures on our Shutterfly site at http://stelsel.shutterfly.com/. Enjoy! :)

1 Month Old

I can't believe my baby boy is 1 month old already! It doesn't seem possible. He's growing like a weed (mostly because he loves to eat!). :)

I'm enjoying my time at home with Ford, especially now that we've settled into a routine. Although I do miss adult interaction and am getting tired of watching movies all the time (never thought I'd say that!), I wouldn't trade this time with him for anything. He's beginning to pay more attention to his surroundings and staying awake a little bit longer during the day, so that's been really fun. He has also started smiling and cooing, which just puts the biggest smile on my face. I can't get enough!

Ford's Likes at 1 Month Old:

• His swing. He's always happy in his swing, and it usually lulls him to sleep.
• Snuggling with people. His favorite position is lying on his belly on someone's chest.
• Meals. He stops crying as soon as we get that bib under his chin and will often start making sucking sounds before the bottle even touches his lips.

Ford's Dislikes at 1 Month Old:

• Being naked. No surprise there, I guess, but it makes diaper changes, baths, and changing clothes a little less pleasant.
• Waking up. He takes after his momma and has a hard time waking up. He's usually fussy until he's good and awake.
• Bed time. He has no trouble going to sleep.....until it's time to go to bed for the night. He can be sound asleep and as soon as I lay him down in his bed, he's awake again. Ugh. It takes 30 minutes to an hour for him to go to sleep in his bed at night.

New Discoveries:

• Finding his voice. See the cute videos in my "Baby Talk" post.

1 Month Pictures:

Meeting Grandma and Grandpa Stelsel

Ford finally got to meet his other grandparents a few weeks ago. Dave and Connie, along with Connie's sister Sharon, came down to Indy for the weekend. Then Connie stayed an extra three days to help me out. David and I are getting spoiled with all the home cooking we've been getting with these visits from our moms! And Ford has had no lack of attention and snuggle time with his family. :)

 

(Of course Ford wasn't the only one to get some snuggle time with his grandparents. ha)