Colt, my dear, you are 2 months old today! Happy day!

Colt developments: Sweet love, you are changing so much – growing from a beautiful baby to an even more beautiful, tiny little boy. Let’s be honest, you’re still in the little baby stage, but it feels like you’re so much more of a defined person now. All of your features – your eyes, your nose, your eyebrows and eyelashes… – they all just seem stronger.

Personality-wise you continue to be your super chill, laid back, awesome self. You generally only cry if you’re particularly upset about something (time to eat or you’re ready to sleep) and you’re still very easy to soothe and quiet – especially with your paci – you love that thing! You are very portable and we enjoy taking you with us wherever we go.

You also started smiling this month, Culhane! You smile every day but each one is still a treasure, and when you give one out you’d think your mom and dad were being told that we won the lottery – we get so excited every time! The best part of your smile though baby, is your eyes. Your eyes squint up a little bit and just look so happy. What a blessing and a joy it is for us to be a part of that pure happiness.

You are really following people and objects. Sometimes you bat at the toys hanging above you but I think it’s just coincidence at this point. You do tummy-time every day and usually you seem to like it at first – holding your head up and turning it from side to side, doing pseudo push-ups of sorts. Then eventually you either want to fall asleep there or you get feisty and start kicking. If I put my hand behind your feet then you’ll push off and scoot around, but it’s more out of frustration than anything. When you sneeze, you typically give 3 in a row and your arms fly up in the air. We have also decided that you definitely yawn more than the average baby. We are pretty certain you are a little South Paw, and we think that this bodes well for your future baseball career. One of my favorite times with you is when you are first waking up – you’re SO cute I think I might explode with love for you.

Oh, and you’re officially a bad-ass dual citizen with both US and Brazilian passports. I’m so jealous!

Health: My goodness little one, have you put on some weight! At the pediatrician’s office yesterday you weighed in at 12 lbs 2 oz and I hate to say it love, but you are just roll after roll. Your chubby little legs are unbelievable and I’m pretty sure you even have mini rolls on your fingers and toes. You moved from Newborn to Size 1 diapers at about Week 5 and you are starting to outgrow some of your outfits. We are certainly not starving you little one.

I’m happy to tell you that your little face acne cleared up a few weeks ago (it probably only lasted 2 weeks) but about a week ago you developed a light heat rash of sorts on the top of your chest, shoulders, and a little bit on the top of your back. It seems like mama is keeping you a little too warmly wrapped all the time, so we are getting a cream to put on it. I’m glad that in the meantime, you don’t seem to notice.

Eating: You are such a great little eater baby! You always make it known when you’re hungry and you’ve gotten pretty efficient with the whole process – usually spending about 7 minutes on each side. You make me laugh every time we feed though, with your little faces and noises – I love it. Due to life and logistics, sometimes I have to pump and have someone else feed you a bottle, and while I am happy to share the joy of feeding you with others because it is so special, part of me is always a little sad when that happens because I feel like it’s our sacred time together.

I’m amazed when I look at the beautiful, chunky little man that you are and realize that from the moment of conception, God has given me everything that you need to develop, grow and thrive. What a blessing!

Sleep: Praise the Lord you are a great little sleeper. You are getting about 6.5 hours of sleep at night (7-8 hour feeding cycle start-start) and you nap all throughout the day. You always sleep in your crib at night, all swaddled up, but during the day the naps are all over the place. Your favorite place to nap is in your stroller or in the car – those get you to sleep immediately every time! I swear that you look like a tiny angel from heaven when you sleep and I love to just stare at you and snuggle with you.

Schedule: Although I totally would have thought that I’d have us on a set schedule by now, I have come to realize that a loose routine with predictable patterns is better for us than a rigid plan at this point. A couple weeks ago I tried to put you on a more legit schedule and it was just a mess. I would get stressed out whenever activities got in the way and often you just wouldn’t stick to it and I wouldn’t know what to do. The worst part, however, was that it messed with your night-sleeping abilities and, although it definitely wasn’t part of the plan, we were waking up a lot more at night for feedings.

Anyway, right now our pattern focuses on trying to feed you around 10:45pm and get you to bed somewhere between 11:30pm and midnight. You usually sleep until 6 or 6:30am when you wake up to eat. After your morning feed, we change your diaper and then you get some snuggle-time or play-time with Daddy, either before or after he goes to the gym. Some mornings when you’re especially, irresistibly cute he skips the gym to play with you longer or take you for a walk in the park. Who can blame him though?! After that we just operate on 3-4.5 hour cycles of feeding, changing, playing and napping, but it just depends on what we have going on for the day and your mood. Every day I try to play with you a lot, sing to you, do tummy-time and back time with you, read to you, dance with you and get you out of the house a little. I try to keep you awake the entire time between the last two feedings to help you go to sleep for the night a little easier, so usually those last two are only a couple of hours apart. It works out well though because it means that you’re awake and able to play with Dad the whole evening!

I like our routine little one, and I appreciate that it gives us some flexibility from day to day. And as time goes on, I think you’ll naturally sleep for longer stretches at night, but for now I know I’m getting more sleep than lots of moms of 2 month olds, so I can’t complain.

Mom: Physically I’m feeling great, fully recovered, and back to my old self! I’ve had a few tough days (following nights of very little sleep) but I think we’re finding our rhythm and I’ve realized that I just need to take naps during the day sometimes. Now that we no longer have any visitors, we are settling into normal, real life as a little family of three and I love it.

Thoughts: My littlest love! What a blessing it is to be your mom! You are so much fun and bring so much happiness to this family every day.

I love watching you change and grow – so much happens so quickly right now. It is pure joy to witness, but I also find it a little painful. I love you so much it hurts, and I think that the hurt comes in realizing that in this life, nothing is permanent. You are so tiny and cute and cuddly and I just want to freeze time, but I can’t. Each developmental milestone brings new joy and new heartbreak at the same time. I know this may not make much sense to you right now little one, but I know that the day will come when you will know this feeling – this joy that only comes all tangled up with this heartache. It is a beautiful reminder that ultimately, we were not made for this temporary world. We have eternity built into our hearts and our souls, and one day the joy shall win over the heartache, and we will have the wholeness without the bondage of time.

But, for now we live in this world and I pray that I am making the most of each moment with you and living out a godly example of love, joy, grace and justice. I pray that you will grow up to be a man who loves the Lord with all your heart, and that you will be used by Him in mighty ways, to bring Him glory and honor in this life and the next.

Today is Colt’s 1 month birthday! Happy 1 month my love!

I think our weekly updates are going to transition into monthly ones, so here is my summary of the first month.

Colt Developments: Sweet boy, you have changed and grown so much this first month!

When we first met you, you still needed a little help learning how to breathe and you would hardly open your eyes. Now you are spending lots of time each day alert and awake, following people and objects. You aren’t QUITE smiling just yet, but you give lots of little smiles and smirks that melt your mom and dad’s hearts just the same.

You have definitely grown, but I’m not sure by how much. You were born at 6lbs 12 oz and got down to 6lbs 2 oz. I think you’re around 9lbs 5 oz but we’ll get an official weigh-in on Friday with the pediatrician. You developed a little baby acne last week – it looks better this week but it’s still going strong. It’s totally normal though and just means that your pores are opening up!

You are still so sweet and laid back. You don’t cry much and when you do, it’s generally pretty easy to comfort you. You enjoy walks in the park, rides in the car, being held, baths, eating and sleeping. You also really like being sung to and bounced.

You smell like heaven and are so soft to snuggle and kiss. I just want to breathe you in.

Eating: You are a great little eater! Right now you are eating 5-6 times per day — every 3-4 hours during the day and every 4-7 hours at night (from the start of one feed to the start of the next). You’re great both with me and the bottle. Your only issue is that you are getting a little feisty in the evenings and making feedings a little tricky, but we get through it! I love how God created me to take care of you and make food for you, and feeding you is such precious, sacred time for me to share with you.

Sleep: Your are an all-star sleeper! You have been great at sleeping in your crib from day 1, which is great because in our little apartment we don’t really have any other options! You sleep longer stretches at night and takes naps throughout the day in between feedings.

This was the first week that we didn’t have someone (your dad or Gigi) sleeping in your room on “night-duty” to bring you to me for night feedings and to do night diaper changes, etc. The first night I slept less than 3 hours because I was up with you and constantly watching you on the monitor, running into your room every so often. Last night was better (I got 5 1/2 hours of sleep) but I think I might need to start napping when you nap during the day!

Schedule: We aren’t on an official schedule yet, although we have been pretty consistent with our routine of feed & change – awake time – sleep time – repeat. The cycle is usually 4 hours but fluctuates a bit from day-to-day. Your dad likes to try to maximize his time with you though, so we are starting to try for a more consistent wake-up time so that he can spend some time with you each morning before he heads off to work.

Mom: It’s amazing how much your body can change in a month! During the first week I felt like I was experiencing a very slow recovery, but by this point I basically feel back to normal. I am still following orders not to lift heavy objects and I haven’t exercised (other than going for walks), but in a couple of weeks I should be able to do that too.

Motherhood has been the most amazing experience of my life. I don’t want to say that it hasn’t been difficult, because of course it has been, but I would say that I don’t think it’s been any harder than I would have thought. And mostly it’s just incredible!

One of the most fun parts of being a mom has been seeing your dad be a dad! Colt, your dad is so crazy about you. I have heard him slip (more than once) and say that you’re the love of his life! (Although don’t get any ideas – that position belongs to me!) During those first 10 days before my mom arrived and when I was having a really hard time doing anything, your dad took care of you in every way possible with the exception of feeding you. He slept beside your bed, dressed you, changed all of your diapers, burped you, snuggled with you and loved on you like crazy. I think he really bonded with you during that time, and ever since he returned to work he just soaks up every possible second he can get with you when he’s home. I send him pictures and videos of you all day, and he even insisted we get a camera that will allow him to check on you during the day from his office (or wherever). You look a lot like your dad and I hope that your character and heart take after him too. He is a once-in-a-lifetime kind of guy, and you and I are so lucky to have him in our lives.

Little love, I am so madly in love with you. All day I can’t stop staring at you, marveling at the miracle you are. It feels like a weighty obligation to have a boy – to raise a man – and I pray that you will grow to be brave and kind with a heart that beats for the Lord. I pray that God would draw you to Himself quickly and fiercely, and that you would love others as an outpouring of your relationship with Christ. I pray that your life is long, full and fulfilling, filled with love, adventure and laughter. I pray that you have big dreams that come true. You have made mine come true.

Week 4: July 29 – August 4

41 Weeks! (Colt at 4 weeks old — Aug. 4, 2013)

Colt Medical: Sweet boy is still happy, healthy and doing great, praise the Lord!

This week however, he did develop some baby acne on his face – poor little guy! He also had a super stuffy nose the other day so we used our awesome snot sucker (thanks Sara!!) and it cleared everything out! I’m excited to visit the pediatrician on Friday to weigh him again, but he seems to be growing really well. Colt is becoming more alert with longer awake-times, and this past week we started doing some tummy-time which he loves! He’s lifting and turning his head and loves looking at his surroundings.

Feeding: Colt is still a great feeder, eating every 3-4 hours during the day and every 4-7 hours at night. Feeding continues to be some of my favorite time with him – he makes such funny little sounds and faces that just melt my heart!

I pumped for the first time on Wednesday because I was curious to test it out and I wanted to introduce the bottle so that we would know we could have that as an option. Pumping felt really funny but it was super easy and worked great (thanks to Lori for my amazing pump!!), and Colt took the bottle very easily.

I was glad that I had figured it out because on Friday Colt seemed to have a smaller appetite and I ended up in a lot of pain, but pumping (+ hot compresses) was really helpful. Thankfully everything seemed better by Saturday, but Saturday night I pumped so that Michael could feed Colt for the first time too!

Sleep: This week I started feeding on-demand during the night to let Colt sleep for longer stretches, and I think we have all been enjoying the extra rest. At night he will usually sleep somewhere between 4-7 hours at a time which has meant that I’ve only had to wake up once or twice to feed at night, and getting those longer stretches of sleep has been key. Colt continues to be a great sleeper and really hasn’t had any fussiness this week. We generally lay him in his crib while he is still awake and let him fall asleep on his own. It’s so funny to watch him on the monitor because he will just lay there in the dark, totally silent with his eyes wide open until he gets sleepy.

Colt’s Personality: Colt continues to be super chill and incredibly awesome. The “witching hour” / fussiness that we were seeing glimpses of in week 3 never really seemed to come to fruition (so far!). He will definitely let out a yelp or cry if he’s upset, but he’s quick and easy to comfort which keeps our life pretty easy. He is SO precious and we just can’t get enough of him!!

Mama Updates: I’m still feeling great and absolutely loving being a mom. It is so much fun and so fulfilling – I never could have imagined how amazing it would be.

Activities: Colt had lots of fun this week! He loves bathing, strolling through the park, the mall and our neighborhood, but here are some highlights from the week:

Colt, my mom and I visited Parque Ibirapuera and walked around with Brett and Jana. Although the walk through the park was a total success, getting there proved to be quite the scene — first I set off my car’s alarm and we spent 15 minutes trying to figure out how to fold our stroller, then we drove around the park forever trying to find a good place to park. After finally parking, we spent 5 minutes trying to unfold the stroller and then another 15 trying to get the carseat out of the car! Thankfully I have patient friends.

We also visited Michael at his office this week! It was so great introducing Colt to all of Michael’s coworkers as they have been so sweet and excited for us during this time.

Stand up desk and a baby. Nbd.Michael’s office building:After our visit, we went across the street for lunch, and then my mom and I strolled around the mall (Shopping Iguatemi) for a bit, and stopped by Sharon Harper’s favorite store – Gloria Coelho.

Friday night we went out to dinner in our neighborhood at Rouge.

After grits and eggs on Saturday morning, we all walked down the block to our weekly feira (or street market) to pick up some fresh fruits and veggies for the week.

And I wore our baby carrier for the first time!

Later that afternoon, for a little change of scenery, we drove about an hour to a little artisan town, Embu das Artes. We strolled around looking at lots of crafts and wood furniture, and stopped to enjoy some ice cold chopps, yummy Brazilian appetizers and great feijoada.

Then yesterday we celebrated Colt’s 4 week birthday with a trip to our park – Parque do Povo – with the Hudson fam!

Visitors: During week 4 Colt visited with my mama (Gigi!), Uncle Joe Harper, Brett Coppens, Jana Pearl, Trent, Paige & Mailey Jane Hudson, Michael’s whole office and Ana Paula Pinho.

Thoughts: It has been so incredibly special and fun having my mom here over the past 2 1/2 weeks, and I am SO sad that she had to leave today. I have loved sharing this special time in my life with her, I have loved watching her get to know and fall head over heels for our precious boy, and I have been SO thankful for all of her help. She has cared so well for my family and me and I honestly can’t imagine having done it without her! My sweet mama has made us so many delicious meals, kept our apartment looking great, stayed up late each night with Colt and gotten up in the middle of the night to bring him to me for feedings, she has changed a million diapers and generally taken care of all of us. And more than anything, she has helped give me the confidence to know that I can do it as a new mom — after all, I have the best possible example.

Gigi – thank you for this amazing visit and for all you’ve done for us! We miss you already and can’t wait to have you back (with Dad) in November!!