Smitten

It's only been a week and two days since the big event and life in our household has already fallen into a new version of normal. Baby Colton has stolen our hearts. His big sisters are devoted to his care and are clearly in love with their brother. Joe and I are amazed that such a beautiful boy has blessed our family in so many ways in the past week.

Before bringing baby number 3 home, I considered myself more than capable of caring for a newborn; however, there are some things I had forgotten or simply couldn't prepare for:

- Little boys squirt.....With the mysterious exception of Joe, we have all been peed on during a diaper change. Is there a secret code between males?

-Colton is already his mama's boy.  How did that happen so fast?

-Newborns are little and big at the same time. It depends if your are comparing their size to their sisters or to the space he vacated after 39 weeks.

-You don't REALLY need much sleep to function.

As if on cue, the baby is calling his mama. More to come later....

Little Brother

There is no time for a post... sleep when the baby sleeps, right?  But, I thought I would a take a minute to post a few pictures since I know that's all anyone wants to see anyway! At some point I will recount the joyous day that we welcomed Colton into our family. For now, we are taking it one day at a time. We are so blessed!  Thank you for all of your well wishes; I can't wait for you to meet him in person.

Click on the picture to view the Smilebox scrapbook.

P.S. There are some really cute pictures on the hospital website, too. Click the link: Hospital Photo Shoot. You may need the password: LittleBrother

Happy Birthday, Colton!

Announcing the birth of Joseph Colton Reeder. Our precious son was born today, July 18th at 11:01 am. He weighs in at 8 lbs, 1 oz and is 20 1/2 inches long!

Still Waiting

OK, I am formally admitting defeat. I was wrong... no delivery 2 weeks early. Man, I hate being wrong!  Although I continue to feel great and am not actually in any hurry, the excitement of the impending birth is definitely building in our household. Victoria asks me at least ten times a day if I feel OK and if I think it is time to go to the hospital. It is very sweet how concerned she is and how anxious she is to be a big sister again. Actually, I think she is more apt to be mothering the baby; it is in her nature to nurture little ones. Molly is equally excited, but has vocalized her concern that things might not be as much fun with a little brother around. In the next breath she will proclaim that she can't wait to meet him. She will have some adjusting to do... she will be a big sister AND a little sister (middle child is NOT a term I am ready to introduce to Molly).

I promise to post again when there is news to report. Until then, we continue to busy ourselves with little tasks around the house. Today I (re)organized the baby's closet just to be sure I knew what we had. The result: it's official- we are ready to feed, clothe, bathe, swaddle, and love on a baby. So let's get this party started!

Any day now!

I think there is a chance that two people will read this. Hello to you both. We are all anxiously awaiting the arrival of the baby boy. I've been giving thought to how I am going to share pictures and updates of our growing family without the use of Facebook. So,. here I am again... thinking that this blog needs to be a priority. So spread the word you two....

The girls have had a great start to their summer vacation, and we have all enjoyed the time together to prepare for baby and enjoy all things summer. We have been to the pool a lot and are doing our best to beat the July heat.

Officially, the baby is due on July 23rd, but since the girls were 2 weeks early- I am thinking more like July 9th. That is any day now... oh my! We are well on our way to having a decorated nursery and faithfully tell ourselves that we are, indeed, ready to be parents to three.

A neighbor took a few baby bump pictures of me since I skipped that with the girls. Even though I find many flaws (wrinkles, rolls, and all), I am thankful she was persistent; she did a great job. Visit Salty Kisses... great stuff.