One Month!

Dear Henry,

Today you are one month old! We are so blessed to have you in our lives and can't believe you've been with us for a month already. Everyone has told us that this newborn stage flies by--it's hard to believe when you are in the midst of it, but it's true. Time is passing too quickly already and you are growing too fast!

Here are some of the things your Dad and I want to remember about you at one month of age:

• You haven't learned to sleep much at night! You are up at least every two hours to eat, which makes for a very tired Mommy. Some nights you won't sleep in your bassinet and sleep on Mommy's chest instead.


• You are a good napper, but you won't nap in your crib or in your pack-n-play--only on Mom's chest or in your bouncy seat. You nap very well in your carseat, but that makes Mom nervous, so we don't do it often.


• Speaking of carseats, you LOVE your carseat and the car. Rides in the car put you right to sleep, as do any trips out on errands--you will sleep for hours.


• You love walks in your stroller. You try to stay awake to take in all the sights, but that doesn't usually last long before sleep takes over. We have been taking lots of walks as a family, including The Luce.


• You love your playmat, any kind of music (which makes you dance), your Dad's voice, lights, your pacifier, nursing, lying in your crib (although not sleeping there) and being outside.


• You have not had many visitors because your Mom is paranoid about illness. Mostly your family so far, but hopefully that will change soon because we can't wait to introduce you to everyone! You haven't been to church yet because your doctor said to wait a while for that, but not much longer.


• You have been out with us on a few errands and your first visit to a restaurant was dinner at Cheeseburger Charlie's!

We are so grateful to have you in our lives, Henry, and we are so looking forward to watching you grow and seeing how you change as the months go by!

All our love,
Mom & Dad

Playtime

Hanging out on the playmat Uncle Scot bought for us!

Thanks, Uncle Scot!

Henry and Mom survived our first night alone, while Barry has on a business trip last night. Henry is NOT a good sleeper, so I was worried, but it was our best night yet, thanks to the help of our trusty carseat. It's his favorite place to sleep!

We are both feeling much better this morning!

Welcome to the world, Henry!

We welcomed Henry Lloyd to our family on August 30. He was born at 9:41pm, weighing 8 lbs, 4 1/2 oz and was 22 inches long. Tall and skinny!

We've made it through the first three weeks, albeit a little sleep deprived. At his 2-week appointment on Friday he weighed in at a healthy 8 lbs, 14 oz--growing like a weed already!

More info and more pictures coming soon when Momma wakes up!

Vacation and the Aftermath

We had a FANTASTIC time in Florida. We spent a few precious days with my Mom, which is something we just don't get the opportunity to do often. It was so great just to spend time doing a whole lotta nothing--we played games, went on a picnic, read for hours...all very relaxing.

Then we headed to Seaside to meet up with friends for the weekend.



We spent a lot of time lying on the beach...



....hanging out with friends...



...enjoying time together...



...and Barry even got in a little practice, with one of our favorite little guys, Calvin...




It was a really great time, and we were all sad when it was time to leave.

Now we're home, and things are CRAZY! I was home about 48 hrs when I realized that we only have about 14 weeks until baby comes (or LESS!), which put me into a panic. Now I'm in full-on nesting mode and getting things ready for Henry's arrival. Walls are being painted, carpet is being replaced, bathrooms are being renovated (hopefully! if we can find a contractor), closets are being cleaned out...it is sheer chaos around Chez Lancaster. But things are really starting to come together, and I love it!

We are beginning to realize just how much life is going to change once the baby is here, and it's scary and exciting all at once. And while we're smart enough to know there's not much we can do to REALLY prepare for all that change, we are trying to get as much settled here at home as we can before it happens.

Stay tuned for a little glimpse of what's happening in our home. Hopefully starting with a nursery!

Going Home

Tomorrow we start a much-needed vacation--nine days in Florida, some with family, some with friends. It's going to be great! This is the first time Barry and I have taken a week off at the same time since our honeymoon, and we are really looking forward to it.

When we get home we'll start the countdown to baby Henry!

IT'S A BOY!

Baby Henry (middle name TBD) is scheduled to arrive sometime around the end of August!

Memphis, Baby!

Barry and I are not traditional Valentine's Day people. The first V-Day we were together he made dinner reservations which turned out to be a disaster which involved us standing in the cold for a while and then getting takeout from Cooker (RIP), of all places.

Since then we've kept it low-key. Usually dinner at home, nothing fantabulous.

This year we decided we'd take the opportunity to do something fun, so this afternoon we're heading the Memphis! That's right, we're going to spend Valentine's Day visiting Graceland and eating BBQ. It's just an excuse to get out of town, really, but it should be fun.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!