Finn 11 and 1/2 weeks old

As Im writing this blog I have bitter sweet feelings about Finn being 11.5 weeks old. Hes getting cuter and bigger every day but with every day Im a bit closer to having to return to work and send him to day care =( We just spent Thanksgiving with my side of the family in NC--an 11 hour drive each way!!! Finn was such a champ. He ate, played, coo'ed and soiled his diaper-just like any normal baby-and we still made the drive in record time! When we arrived in NC, my parents had the house pimped out with a pack-n-play and a bouncy chair (courtesy of great grandmother barbara)!! Finn went nuts for the chair and slept in his pack-n-play maybe two nights.....mostly he slept with us. He met TONS of family and friends--my mom's friend Dulce and her family, aunt sally and uncle william, both sets of great-grandparents, uncle eddie, aunt ashley, God-parents Katie and Will, Lillian and her mother, Carolyn and Mike, Beth, Stephanie, the people of Stanhope Church.....I was so proud of him for being so friendly and sociable. He let everyone hold him and charmed them all with his million dollar smile ;) Now we are back in Mississippi and cherishing our last few days together before I go to work and send him to day care with bottled breast milk =( Tonight we get to put up the Christmas tree!!! So many memories to make and hes growing up way to fast!

San Diego! 8 weeks old

Finn and I got to spend 5 days with Jake out in San Diego while he was there for work! We arrived Saturday night around 6pm after a pretty uneventful flight considering I was traveling with an 8 week old baby! (AMAZING the amount of luggage a 12 pound infant needs to go on vacation for 5 days!) We had an amazing time! We went to the San Diego zoo, the Balboa park and museums, Sea World and the beach! On the way home the flight attendant gave Finn Delta wings! Finn is learning to become a very content little traveler; especially since I've become comfortable using my hooter hider in public and nursing him while walking.

Houston we have our first smile!!!

This week was a tough week for little Finn. He had been extra fussy over the past few days so at his 6 week check up I told the pediatrician and she was concerned so she ran some tests. I thought i was going to lose it in there--the nurse put a plastic catheter down his penis to draw out urine then another nurse drew blood from his tiny arm. His eyes got so big and he was screaming so loud he couldn't catch his breath. I was so upset. But the good news is that they found out he was just hungry and dehydrated--my milk supply had gone down since I had been pumping more than directly feeding him. So I took him home with specific orders to feed him feed him feed him then bring him back tomorrow. The next day he had gained 3 oz! Then he was able to get his shots which made him really mad--but I was able to comfort him quickly.
The past 3 nights i've been able to put him to bed around 9pm and he sleeps til about 2 or 3am then he will go back to bed around 4 after I feed him and sleep til about 7. Its been great for Jake and me because we can finally get some rest. He slept last night from about 10pm til 430am which is really a record--and when he was finished eating, he flashed me his first big baby smile!!!! It was the cutest smile I've ever seen. Hopefully he will start doing it more often so I can snap a picture of it!
News on the mommy front--my weight is down to 163 from my top preggo weight 193--still have about 20 pounds to go but making progress!!! I will post pictures the next time I update.

Almost 6 weeks old!!!

The past two weeks have been a blur and a blast with Jake's parents and sister Jacque in town. With all the extra help I've been able to run or walk everyday, attend the navy ball with jake, and do a few things for myself. Finn is developing such a cute personality. He has definitely gotten used to being held and rocked all the time. He likes LOTS of attention. Last night Jacque and I took him out to the LSO shack to watch the planes land. We arrived a bit early so we got to watch jake brief his guys at the squadron. Jacque and I had Finn dressed in his "Daddy's little wingman" shirt and bomber jacket (presents from our friends Damon & Diana and Nana and Papa) which Finn soiled about ten minutes after we arrived. I had snuck out to the ladies room to nurse him so he would stop squawking and mid-feeding I felt the bubbly squirts flow out--then I flipped him over and saw that he had soiled his new outfit. Standard ;) Of course I didn't think to bring an extra outfit because he was looking so cute! So Jacque and i wiped him up as good as we could and headed out to the LSO shack. Finn LOVED the noisy planes--he went right to sleep. It wasn't until we returned home and tried to put him to bed in his crib that he started screaming his head off. We are SO very grateful for our rocking chairs--almost the only way to calm him enough to get him to sleep!

Meet Nana and Papa

Finn was so excited to return home from our Chattanooga trip and meet his Nana and Papa! They've been here for 4 days now and Finn cannot get enough of them! Its been blessing for us too because we can actually sleep, shower and leave the house for more than a 1 hour stretch of time.

Chattanooga or Bust!!

After ALOT of discussion and debate Jake and I decided to take our 4 week old baby on a road trip (4 hours) to Chattanooga, TN. He was such a trooper! We only had to stop once on the way there and on the way back to feed him--otherwise he slept the entire way there and back. We stayed at a cozy bed and breakfast overlooking the mountains and a pond. The establishment didn't keep cribs on hand so we put Finn in dresser drawer which worked out nicely. During the weekend we took the little guy hiking, strolling around down town and out to dinner. Its a whole different ball game with a baby--we had to time everything around his feeding schedule which wasn't a big deal since we came prepared with a breastpump and a travel changer.

Finn's Update

Hi My name is Finn Jacob Mattheisen and my Mom told me I could update the blog today! Last night I didn't want to go to bed early with Mom & Dad so I put up a fight until they let me drink my milk in their bed. Mommy snuggled with me until I fell asleep and the next thing I knew, it was 2:30am and I was lying in my bouncy seat and STARVING!!! I screamed to Mommy to give me more milk so she rocked me back in my room while I ate. Then in the morning, Dad gave me a bottle of milk before he left for work. I didn't want him to leave--I like for him to hold me. But it was ok because I got to go see him after he played golf at work. It was so much fun because I got to meet all of his friends while they all held me and passed me around. After golf, mom, dad and I went to the commissary for groceries. Dad carried me in the papoose while mom pushed the cart. I didn't really want to go because I was sooooooo hungry. But we left pretty quickly and came back home so I could have dinner and a nap. I really like milk--its my favorite. Anyway, hopefully mom and dad will take me to chattanooga tomorrow so I can see the fall leaves and go for a hike in the papoose. Goodnight everyone!