A Week of Reflection

Ephraim and I returned from a week in Oregon on Monday. We went down to visit my mom and my sister Colleen who was visiting from Wyoming. I have lots of fun pictures to share in future posts. I spent a lot of time this past week thinking about and talking about my dad. The 7th of May was Ryan's 22nd birthday. So far only my mom and I have had birthdays without my dad here. I hurt for Ryan - as it seems like Dad should still be here and it is hard to be happy when your dad is not there on your birthday. It has been 7 months but I still expect him to call me - and I hear his voice often. My mom, Colleen and I did a lot of talking and crying this week. We talked about how Ephraim looks like some of my dad's baby pictures, what my dad would be doing if he were here right now, etc. We talked about how my dad is still impacting people - he was recently given a meritorious service award from the Jackson Chamber of Commerce. A few weeks ago, my friend Hannah called me and she had been thinking of my dad - so we talked and cried together. My mom, Colleen and I talked about how it is so great to have friends that share the depth of our pain with us and so many months later understand the need for us to talk and cry with them.

There were two very special moments regarding my dad this past week. On Saturday we tried to go shopping at the outlet mall (it didn't work out too well - Ephraim and Sadie had other ideas.) When we got there I went into the restroom to feed Ephraim. I was bored (he's a slow eater) and I was reading old text messages. The oldest text message in my phone is from my dad - back in August I was teaching him how to text and he sent me his first text message. It said "I luv you." It was amazing to see that text and is a sweet reminder of my dad. The other special moment was going to the cemetery with the three grandkids. I got to introduce Ephraim to his "Boppa." Elisa, Sadie and Ephraim were very loved by their grandpa. Even though he never got the chance to meet Sadie or Ephraim - he was SO excited to be having two more grandkids.

One Month

Ephraim turned one month old yesterday. It has been a month of discoveries.
*When he is hungry - he's hungry and will scream and cry loudly until he is fed. This is usually the only time he cries.
*He loves to cuddle. His favorite way to fall asleep is snuggled up on mom or dad's chest.
*Wallis barking does not faze him. Wallis licking his head does not bother him either.
*He loves tummy time.
*He likes his swing - most of the time, it really depends on his mood.
*He does not like his bouncer yet.
*He has been to the doctor's office 7 times in a month.
*His mom is a milk making machine and has 60+ bags of milk in the freezer.
*He has his mother's circulation - his hands are typically cold.
*He has finally figured out eating in the past week and now weighs a whopping 7 pounds 6 ounces. (slightly over the 5th percentile).
*He likes his car seat sometimes.
*He doesn't really like pacifiers - he prefers to suck on our fingers.
*He can get out of any swaddle we put him in - which is why we are going to buy a new swaddle blanket with velcro on the inside and outside.
*When he is sleeping - he will kick and move himself up in his cradle so that his head is right against the railing when I go to pick him up after a nap.

Three Weeks Old

Little Ephraim turned three weeks old on Friday! It is so crazy that he has been in our lives for that long. On Thursday we went back to the doctor's office for a weight check. The poor guy has been to the doctor's a minimum of two times a week since he has been born. He gained three ounces this week - which is less than he is supposed to, but more than he gained last week. I think we are going to throw a small party when he reaches 7 pounds.


He is getting very expressive lately - even though I know he is not smiling at me on purpose - it is still so much fun to see his big grin.






Forrest worked like crazy this past week - two 14 hour days, so I snapped a picture of him and Ephraim getting some quality time.

A visit from the Brownlees

Last weekend we were lucky to be visited by Merrick, Hannah, and Grace. It was fun to spend time with them. One of my favorite things about the Brownlee's is that they are so laid back. Forrest had to work all weekend, and Ephraim and I are still working on him eating - but Merrick and Hannah had no problem just hanging out on our couch, playing with Wallis and getting some quality Super Monkey Ball time. It was crazy to see how big Gracie is, knowing that she started out smaller than Ephraim - it's hard to imagine that he will ever be that big! We are looking forward to getting to spend more time with them this summer as we all hang out on the Willamette River.

A new blog!

I am very excited that my sister Colleen has started a new blog! Click on the Erik and Colleen link on the right. My nieces are way too cute for words, and I am excited to see all of their pictures.

Finally some pictures!

Sorry it has taken us so long to post some more pictures! It has been a little crazy here. Ephraim has just started to get the hang of eating in the last 48 hours. Coming home from the hospital, he didn't really know how to suck, so we have been using a supplemental nursing system (SNS) to help him get some food. We would feed him every three hours (it took two people and took an hour) and then I would pump for 1/2 an hour after that. Needless to say, we have been a little tired. Thankfully Ephraim has begun to not need the SNS as much and our feeding times have been cut down. I will post more pictures later!

He's SO little!

His "I'm hungry" face.

Ephraim and mom.

His pensieve look.

Snuggled up on daddy on our first day home.

First family photo.

More baby pics

What, no new baby pics? Nope not yet!

Sure, its 1:23 in the morning and even in my partial state of stupor I might be able to reach into the camera bag, pull out the memory card, walk next door to the office load the photos onto our computer, log into this site and post a new blog similar to this one only with pics added using the handy "Add image" button. But nah, I'm going to sit here in the nursery on my laptop typing this, for lack of a thesaurus, useless post, while Amy feeds Ephraim then I'll stumble back to bed hoping to not trip over the dog on my way.

Oh and he just peed all over the changing pad, his blanket, the changing table, and the wall. Kids' got skillz! Good thing Grandpa was smart and put plenty of coats of finish on the changing table he made.