Schedule

Henry has been crying since about 3 a.m. this morning. I expected a long night since I let Henry sleep most of the afternoon and evening. However, around 5 a.m. I started to think that maybe I should put Henry on a set schedule. I know there are many different opinions of putting your baby on a schedule. The books that I read while I was pregnant gave reasons for and against schedules for babies. And, while I was pregnant (and, sleeping a lot better than I am now) I thought I wouldn't want to put Henry on a set schedule. Things change quickly when you spend almost 24 hours listening to a crying baby. My house is a mess with baby toys, blankets, swings, play areas, etc. strewn everywhere. Now, its time to try the schedule.

So, its time to develop a schedule for little Henry and see how he does. Wish us luck!

Website

My website is up and running. Check it out...

www.stephens-law.net

Travis and Sommer Wedding

Travis and I are FINALLY going to plan our wedding!
I started a new blog so everyone can keep up with our progress.
(Yes, I am blogging nerd now)

Anyways, check out our wedding plans at
www.travisandsommerwedding.blogspot.com

I wore heels today...

I wore heels today for the first time in about nine months. Leaving the house I was very excited, thinking that I was starting to get back to my pre-pregnancy self. I felt very proud of myself for successfully leaving the house, by myself, with the baby in his car seat, my computer in the computer bag, my purse, the diaper bag and Travis's presents.... all in my heels. Driving to the CCA office (Colorado Citizens for Accountability - the nonprofit Travis is working with) I felt very accomplished.
Then it was time to head to the Capital for the Senate hearing on the CCA bill. At the Capital it was business as usual. There were lobbyists, Senators, Representatives and various other people bustling around. We found the Senate Committee Room where the CCA bill was going to be heard on the third floor of the Capitol and started to make the final arrangements for the testimony.
In the midst of all the commotion Henry started crying and needed to be changed. I understood from a very reliable source that the only bathrooms in the Capitol were on the ground floor - but, there was a "secret" bathroom on the third floor that could only be accessed by the legislators and staff.
So, with Henry in my arms I asked one of the Sargent of Arms where the bathrooms were located. He was nice enough to bring me to the "secret" bathroom on the third floor and Henry and I were set!
I walked into this beautiful bathroom with a pedestal sink and marble floors and thought where in the world am I going to change this baby. The only option was the marble floor.
As I knelled on the floor in my high heels I thought I may be wearing my heels but life is never going to be the same! Its going to be better.

Henry is Smiling and It's Daddy's Birthday Tomorrow

We have been having tons of fun with Henry this week. He smiles and plays with us - its great. At first we thought Henry didn't like us because he only seemed to smile and play when other people were around. And, it seemed like when Travis and I were alone with him all he did was cry - but, today he had a great time with us. I guess he does like his parents after all!

Henry's favorite thing to do this week is practice crawling. When we put him on his tummy he pushes his feet and ties to hold himself up with his arms. He makes small moves with a lot of help but generally he gets pretty frustrated that he can't get anywhere.

Tomorrow is Travis's birthday. Hopefully Henry bought Daddy some good presents!

It's Official

I have decided to open up my own law firm. I am going to focus on small personal injury cases, i.e. automobile collisions, slip and fall, etc. In the future I am hoping to work on larger cases - but, for now I am going to keep it simple.

If you know anyone who needs a lawyer in Colorado have them contact me!

Life is Good

Henry slept until 5 am this morning! He went back to sleep and everyone got up around 7 am. (A much more reasonable hour) Then, Henry and I laid in bed for awhile and played. Henry is learning how to smile - its awesome. You can play with him and all of a sudden he will break out into this huge toothless smile! It's really fun. I know that when Travis and I are out at a store or a restaurant we just stare at Henry and try to get him to smile. We completely forget about everything else around us. I am sure we look quite strange to some people - but, I don't care - we have the cutest baby in the world! He is also holding his head up much more and I think he gets upset when he is laying down and can't look at everything around him.

Travis's mom and stepdad are in town now. They are going to be staying in Denver for awhile - which is great. Henry LOVES all the attention he gets from grandma and grandpa (he misses his other grandparents!!! Hint, Hint). And, it feels like a little vacation for Travis and I. Grandma and Grandpa just arrived last night and this morning Travis and I were already feeling like we hadn't held Henry in forever. That is just a clue as to how much work this is!

Life is great.

This Picture

Amazingly Travis successfully reasoned with the 4 week old and right now both Travis and Henry are sound asleep in bed. Henry is cuddled in Travis's armpit and looks a bit like a peanut. Both are perfectly content and look deceivingly innocent.

After what seems like the longest week of my life, watching Travis and Henry together is just what I need.

Screaming Henry

This is a picture of my perfect, angelic son Henry.

This is an extremely realistic picture of Henry when he is pissed. (I think its the Luther Temper in him).

Henry has been working very hard at learning new things lately. In between the times that he is sleeping and the times that he is testing out those lungs (see above) Henry is learning how to hold his head up on his own and learning what the world around him looks like. I love to watch him while he is wide-eyed and checking out everything around him. Every once in awhile he will burst out into a huge smile. I wonder what he is thinking when he watching everything in the world around him... I am going to have to ask him tomorrow because right now Henry is screaming and Travis is trying to reason with a 4 week old....

I Know Babies Are Smart, But...

Do they have a sixth sense that allows them to know exactly when it is the most challenging time for them to be fussy? I have a feeling that this is one of those lessons I will learn as a new mom.

This morning, as my family and I were headed out the door to go to church, my (soon to be) husband, Travis, threw out his back. Immediately everything came to a screeching halt. Travis tried to find a comfortable position while I put the baby down in a safe place and started to make some food so Travis could take some medicine. Just as Travis found a comfortable position and sat down with a heating pad to wait for the medicine to work- Henry started fussing.

Now, the important thing to understand is that Travis is amazing when it comes to the baby. We have this unspoken system where we alternate responsibilities... feeding, changing, holding, etc. And, although Henry is not a particularly fussy baby, Travis is great at soothing the baby and taking him just as I am about to loose it. (Yes, I am a BRAND new mom but I am not too proud to admit that listening to my son cry relentlessly can make me crazy at times). So, when Travis is incapacitated and needs my attention - and, I am the only one who can take care of the baby - things start to get challenging for me.

When I say Henry started fussing I mean he was crying and fidgeting for about 3 hours - During those three hours I would sit down and give Henry a bottle and then get up to change him. As soon as I sat down again he was crying and fidgeting again. I tried to hold him, swaddle him, rock him... nothing worked - And, 10 minutes later he needed to be changed again. This basically was repeated during the 3 hours until Henry must have just worn himself out and now is sleeping like a little angel. Of course feeding, changing and holding aren't without their own sidetracks - spilling formula on the couch, having to completely change the babies outfit, losing the beloved pacifier... And, all of this while my partner is in pain on the couch and can't move much less even hold the baby.

So, is it Murphy's law that when my husband is sick and needs my attention the baby also requires an extreme amount of attention or is it possible that Henry really knows when things are out of the ordinary in the house and reacts to that by being extremely fussy?

First Post

This is my first post. Sorry it is so short, but I ran out of energy customizing my new blog.