Halloween Recap

Our day started with Wade & Clayton (okay, so it was mostly just Wade - Clayton couldn't hang for the 3 hour ordeal) carving a pumpkin. It turned out really neat.

Drew just hung out in his swing lookin' cute...

This posing stuff is hard work.

Then the boys got their costumes on for some pictures and trick or treating around the block.

Drew totally enjoyed his first trick or treating experience. :)

Clayton had a blast. A lot of our neighbors went all out - we're talking fog machines, strobe lights, etc. It was pretty impressive. "Bill" the skeleton was Clayton's very favorite. Apparently, one of our neighbors had a skeleton set up in their yard. They were standing behind their door with a microphone talking as if they were "Bill" the skeleton. Clayton LOVED it. He went back to that house several times to continue his conversation with "Bill." He even invited him over to our house. What a nut!

Here's a little background on the Captain America costume:

One day in early October, Clayton and I were looking at costumes online. He spotted the Captain America costume and shield. Well, that was all it took - the shield totally sold him on that costume. He wouldn't budge off of being Captain America (which he pronounces "Captain Camerica"). Hence, his Halloween costume.

Clayton has never seen Captain America on TV or in a book. He knows nothing about him (except that he has a cool shield!). So... he made up his own superpowers for Captain America. Here's a video of the story that he told us the other day.

So, there you have it. Captain America's superpower is getting back the Word of God from the bad guys. :)

Costume Parade & Drew is 1 week old!

I feel like I need to apologize for the massive amounts of pictures and numerous posts that I have made lately. I just don't want to forget a minute of these precious days with my sweet boys. I also want to make sure that all of our family and friends feel like they are a part of our boys' lives. So.... here goes another LONG post. (Sorry!) :)

Today was Costume Parade day at Clayton's preschool. It was mass chaos and super fun all rolled into one! God bless those sweet preschool teachers - I don't know how they have the energy to keep up with all those kiddos!


We think that the eye holes-on-the-forehead is a good look for Captain America.

Clayton came home with this super cute art project. If you look closely, you can see that they made the pumpkin out of footprints. Seriously - attempting footprints with 12 3-year-olds?!?! These teachers are saints!

Now I'll turn the spotlight over to my sweet Baby Drew... Drew is 1 week old today!!! I can hardly believe that his first week of life is over. I could just cry thinking about it. My saving grace is knowing that it just gets even better with time.

Drew continues to be a wonderful baby. He LOVES his swing and is so alert after feedings. He is a sound sleeper and manages to snooze right through his big brother's loud talking and playing. We took him back today for a repeat bilirubin level and it was normal - praise the Lord! We get to stop supplementing him with formula and back off on the "sunbathing." Yipee! We had a little fall photo shoot in the front yard to celebrate Drew's 1 week birthday...

Isn't he precious in his pumpkin hat & onesie?!?!

An attempt at a picture with both boys - even more difficult than I had imagined it would be.

Our sweet friend, Leah, brought Clayton a Big Brother goody bag tonight. He couldn't wait to bust out the silly string. It was a BIG hit!

Fall Festival, Introductions, and Brotherly Bonding Over A Bottle

What a busy night! Our church had their fall festival tonight. I REALLY wanted to go, but I didn't want to expose Drew to a whole bunch of germs. So, Daddy and Grammie took Clayton to the festival. He had a blast (from what I hear). :)

Bowling - check out that follow through

This one is for Papaw - maybe Clayton will be a pitcher, too. :)

Clayton with is pal Zack

Wade's cousin, Taylor, and his wife, Julie, brought their kiddos over tonight to meet Baby Drew. It was so fun to see them! They wanted to see the nursery, so we took them up. We realized that Drew had not yet seen his own room! Even though I feel great, I haven't really felt like bounding up and down the stairs. So... Drew and I have pretty much been hanging out downstairs. We decided that it was about time for him to see his nursery, though.

Drew's first trip to his jungle. He was totally impressed with his father's artwork. :)

Kaylee was lovin' on her new second cousin

Since Drew's bilirubin level was high on Tuesday, the nurse practitioner wanted us to supplement him with one bottle of formula each day. Wade had given him two bottles, so tonight we decided to give Clayton a turn. Big Brother Clayton did a great job! We go tomorrow to recheck Drew's bili level. Hopefully, it will be back down and this will be Drew's last bottle for awhile.

What a great big bro!

He was concentrating so hard - look at his furrowed brow.

Footprints, First Bath, and First Doctor's Appointment

Last night we decided to attempt handprints and footprints for Baby Drew's baby book as well as his first bath. What a mess! By the time that all was said and done, Drew and I were both covered in black ink and I had poop on my shirt. Fun times... :) Poor Drew screamed bloody murder throughout the whole process. Who can blame the poor little guy? He goes from being snugly warm and swaddled in a blanket to completely naked in a tub of water on the coldest night we've had this fall. Hopefully, more pleasant bathtimes are in our future.

We still can't get the stinkin' ink off of Drew's hands and feet. Does anyone have any tips?

Grammie and Batman cheered us on as we bathed our little guy.

Please notice the black hands and feet, the strategic placement of the washcloth, and the very mad newborn.

His little lip just quivered in between crying fits - it was pitiful.

We did a weight check once Drew had calmed down a little - 8 1/2 pounds. (To my nurse friends: yes I did zero the scale with the towel and a diaper on it. I am nothing if not precise.) :)

As if the poor little guy hadn't been through enough, he had to go to the pediatrician today. The NICU doctors wanted him to been seen within 3-5 days of discharge. When asked if I had any concerns, I mentioned to the nurse practitioner that he looked a little jaundice to me. She agreed and they had to poke Drew's little heel to check his bilirubin level. They called this afternoon and his level is elevated. So... we have to go back to the office on Thursday for a recheck. :( We are going to supplement him with formula for one feeding a day and put him in indirect sunlight to try to get his level down. Please pray that it does come down - our poor little baby has been through enough in his first 5 days of life!

They also weighed Drew today. He weighed 8 lbs. 8 oz. when we came home on Sunday. He is now up to 8 lbs. 9.5 oz. So, that is good. Hopefully, he will continue to pack on the pounds.

Before the blood draw...

Showing off his war wound.

Aside from all of the torture that Drew has gone through over the past 5 days, he is a REALLY good baby. (Knock on wood!!!) He pretty much just eats, sleeps, and looks cute. We have had to wake him up for every single feeding! We have let him go for up to 5 hours before waking him at night, although I am sure that he would have been perfectly content sleeping for a few more hours. He is just precious and the perfect addition to our family. We are treasuring every moment of him being a newborn. We know how quickly time passes... Better go now - I'm getting teary eyed. :)

Here's some pics of our home phototherapy session.

More Pictures from the Hospital

Two posts in one day - how good am I?!?!? Actually, I have figured out how to hold Drew, prop up my swollen feet, and blog all at the same time. Maybe this mother-of-two thing is improving my ability to multi-task. :)

Here are some more pictures from Saturday and Sunday. We have taken over 200 pictures since Drew was born on Thursday, so it was hard to narrow them down (hence the two posts in one day!). Enjoy!

Our first picture as a family of four!

Mama and her boys

Daddy and his boys

Big Brother and Little Brother

Daddy and Drew

Mommy and Drew

What is it about newborn feet that just makes you say, "Awww..."?

Drew in all his glory

Our precious baby's face...

The photo shoot continues...

Drew snuggling with the monkey that his brother gave him

Leaving the hospital

First Car Ride

Taking Drew home for the first time

Look at that sweet grin

When we put Drew in his swing for the first time, he immediately crossed his arms and pulled his legs in. We're pretty sure this is the position that he has spent the last few months in. :)

Lots of Love to Give

There's nothing like having a baby to make you feel loved! We really enjoyed all of our sweet family and friends that took time out of their busy schedules to come and love on us in the hospital. It was like a party every day! We tried to get pictures of all of our visitors holding Drew. Mamaw, Shelley, Kelli, Ashley, and Jay visited while Drew was in the NICU. We don't have pictures yet of them holding Baby Drew. :( We somehow missed getting a picture of Lady Gail holding Drew, too - not sure how that happened! Thanks to everyone who visited/called/texted/emailed/prayed for us while we were in the hospital. We are so incredibly blessed and grateful for each and every one of you!