Two Weeks Old!

naptime
Brooks filling his stocking

First family photo

First picture with Santa

Brooks and the Elves

Brooks and Mommy

Brooks loves Memaw and Pops

Worn out after his run!

All decked out for his first run!

Little Wildcat!

Today is Brooks' two week birthday! Hard to believe he is already two weeks already. I feel like we just brought him home yesterday. He is getting so big and becoming more and more alert. Yesterday, he stayed awake from 9am to 5:30pm without a nap! I think he wore himself out though because he has only been awake for a couple hours today and back asleep now.

Since last posting, we have had continuous company. Paul's parents came first and they enjoyed Brooks but I could not wait for my mom and dad to arrive. I needed my mom's help with breastfeeding the first few days but by the time Paul's parents left, Brooks was getting the hang of it and it was no longer stressful. So by the time my parents arrived, we were doing well.

On Brooks' one week birthday, I received a phone call at 6am from Paul. Paul was in the ER and was not working but a patient. He has been on ob/gyn this month and a code was called in Labor and Delivery and he was in ER so he took off running as we all do when a code happens but his run came to an abrupt stop. The floors in the ER had just been cleaned and Paul busted his head open to the bone. He had many sutures and CT scans of head, face, and neck. Thank goodness all was well--he just had a few screws knocked loose. Today, he has healed and no longer has swollen bruised eyes. Brooks and I are just so glad our daddy is ok and that my parents were here to keep Brooks while in ED.

I received an early birthday present from Paul and I love it! I got a Bob running stroller and we have tried it out a few times and Brooks seems to like it as much as I do. Our goal is to run a marathon together in the spring so we have to start training but training with a jogging stroller is going to be a different much slower experience!

We also went to the hospital to meet Santa and got to pull Paul from ED for family photo. Brooks took to Santa quite quickly--he did his normal, sleep through it and never know where he has been:)

Next week, we will be heading to KY to stay with my family 4 nights and go to Lexington and stay one night with Paul's family. Then, my parents will babysit while we go to Music City Bowl to see KY play. Then back to NC. I am so excited to see my family and get to be at home for Christmas!

Hope everyone has heard Becky and her dad's song and remember why we have Christmas and remember to cherish our families at this time. Love you all!

Baby Brooks Arrived!

snug as a bug!
6lb 4 oz and 18 inches

roses and balloons from two favorite men in my life.

I am so in love with our little guy!

So much has happened this week and Paul and I feel so blessed by God. At 37 1/2 weeks, I had an ultrasound because I was measuring a little small and it appeared that Brooks weighed about 5 1/2lbs at most so my induction was planned for 39 weeks, December 1st.

Paul and I prayed for a healthy baby and I ate lots of turkey and stuffing as well as hamburgers and pizzas the week and a half before the induction. I think it must have worked because Brooks arrived 12/1/2009 at 12:18pm and weighed a healthy 6lb 40z and a very short 18 inches--definitely has the Neely genes as far as height.

On 12/1/2009, I started getting a low dose of pitocin at about 8 or 8:30am and was only 2cm at 10am so I asked for pitocin to be slightly turned up and my doctor decided to break my water at noon; however, as soon as she left the room, my water broke on its own and things progressed very quickly. I went from 2 to 10cm in 1-2 hours and Brooks arrived after a very short labor! Thank goodness!

He is so perfect and we love him more than you could think possible.

We brought him home at 8pm last night and he adapted very well to his new home and slept from 3:30am to 8am without waking up. Today, we went to the pediatrician for a weight check and first visit. He is doing well. He has lost some weight as is typical for newborns especially for breastfed babies--yes you all did read correctly. I am trying to breastfeed--reasons for this are mainly because I became paranoid that I did something to make him small (really he had membranous insert of umbilical cord into placenta so he did well knowing that) and felt I needed to do everything to make him healthy and my friends with experience talked me into at least trying. We are doing well and will return to pediatrician tomorrow for weight check and to make sure he is not more jaundiced and in need of light therapy.

Paul's parents are coming in a few hours. Mom and dad are coming Monday after Paul's parents leave on Sunday. I cannot wait to see my parents!

We have already been blessed with the best Christmas gift ever! Love you all!