A New Blog

Greg and I have made a big decision. Since Burke was born, it has been very clear in our minds what we were going to do, but we have made it official. I am going to tell you all about it and if you decide you don't want to follow our blog anymore, we certainly understand. The announcement of the new blog, by the way, is not our big decision.

For the past three years we have prayed very hard that God would bless us with a baby. We didn't pray, "please bring us our baby from China", we just said "please let us have a baby by whatever means you bless us with." When we found out I was pregnant last June I knew in my heart we would not be adopting from China. I felt maybe I should wait though before pulling our dossier and going public with our decision. When I held Burke I knew without a doubt I would not be adopting. I just wanted to wait a little longer before telling our agency. So, it is official we are no longer adopting from China. We are a very blessed family of three. We will be even more blessed if I should become pregnant again, but we will not be traveling to China to bring home a baby. Thank you all for following our journey to parenthood! I have made some great friends out in the cyber world and I am thankful for you all.

You can now follow our new blog at www.3jayhawksandabulldog.blogspot.com

Burkie is 4 Months Old!

Can y'all believe my baby boy is 4 months?! Time is just flying by. We saw Burke's Pediatrician today. The Doctor said Burke is doing fabulous! Burke weighed 14 pounds 4 ounces and was 25 inches long. He is in the 50% for weight and height. He is just perfect. So what has Burke been up to lately?

The biggest news is that Burke rolled over about three weeks ago! He has done it three times. Burke likes Tummy time now too. He prefers it over being on his back in fact. He also sleeps on his tummy now. With his Plagiocephaly we had to do something to get him off his head. It was so frustrating because when he was on his back it didn't matter how much we propped him when we would check on him he would be looking at the prop. Which wasn't helping his Plagiocephaly. We bought the Angel Care monitor which is basically a monitor that can tell Burke is moving and thus means he is breathing. Burke does not quite sleep through the night though. He goes to bed around 9:00 and wakes up around 4 or 5:00 in the morning. Also around 1:00 I hear him and get up and put his paci in. I am not tough. I can't let him cry. He is just too sweet to do that too! These first months go so quick. I just remind myself that someday I will miss holding him at 4:00 in the morning!

Burke LOVES his Bumbo! He loves to look around at everyone. Burke sits outside while I water the plants in it, he sits in when I cook, clean, wash bottles, he just loves it!

Burke enjoys watching Baby Einstein DVD's and he is just adorable when he watches that show. I never would have believed a baby can enjoy a video but they can! It will hold his attention for the whole 25 minutes. He only gets to watch it one time per day as I am kind of freaky about TV for my baby. Watching the DVD allows me sometime to get on the computer! ha!

Burke is smiling big time. He is talking a lot more too. He is still quite serious when he takes a bath, but I am getting more smiles. And a few splashes too!

My poor baby has allergies. They have been pretty bad. Mainly itchy eyes, sneezing, and congestion. He takes Benadryl about every other day until he is old enough then we will start Zyrtec. Poor little guy.

Burke had his pictures taken this week. The amazing Sarah Kealing, took them. I will try to share them with you if I can get permission. I've seen four of them, and well, they are adorable!

Tomorrow we are going to buy Burke's high chair. I had found the high chair I wanted when I bought the dream stroller. Well, Greg gave me the ok to get the dream high chair. I'll take pictures tomorrow! The reason we are buying a high chair is that Burke gets to start cereal! We just found out today by his Pediatrician. How exciting! I can't wait to see him try cereal!

Burke is a drooling maniac! He is drooling all the time. He also chews on his hand as often as possible. Along with my should, arms, blankets, etc. Anything that can go in his mouth he is trying to suck/chew on. The Pediatrician said he is probably starting to cut teeth, but it could be months before they appear.

I had a wonderful first Mother's Day. It was just the best. I thought a lot about last year and how I was so incredibly sad. How I had no idea that just a year later I would have my very own baby boy!

We had Burke's Dedication at the church on Saturday. Our good friends and neighbors came to the Dedication and then we went out for supper. It was a very special evening. On Sunday, we just stayed home. Burke got me a picture frame that I LOVE! Greg, thank you so much. You impress me more and more by how much you pay attention to my likes and wants. And then Burke and Greg got me an iphone! I have to say the iphone is amazing and there truly is an application for everything! Greg just pampered me all day. He got me donuts for breakfast and fixed me a yummy steak for supper.

We are going round and round with our insurance to get Burke's helmet approved. The helmet is NOT cheap and we really don't want to have to pay out of pocket. We have been denied two times. Each time they have wanted more information and they have now asked again. It really is ridiculous. I got very upset the other day. I can't take it personally, but I do. I am hoping third times a charm! Burke's PT continues to go well. He still prefers to look to his left. But his muscle in his neck is not as tight..which is a good thing. And he does turn his head more and more.

Is there anything else to tell you? Humm...Well a little about me. I've been asked about how my RA is doing. Well, about six weeks ago it came back. Darn it! And unfortunately it still hasn't calmed down. I am back to taking Remicade. But it hasn't started working yet. My RA is mainly in my hips right now. That is where it was when I first was diagnosed and when I had some discomfort in my pregnancy. I am fighting through it. I try not to think about it. I am a mom and Burke is my first concern. These old joints will eventually get better. They always have...

Oh and I had two of my friends come see Burke and I! We had a great time and it was wonderful to see them both!

My sister and her family will be here for Memorial Day weekend. We are having friends over for a BBQ so it should be a fun time!

I hope you all are doing well. Thanks for stopping by!

Love,

Alicia

Guess who is 3 Months?!

Hello friends! I'm sorry it has been a while since I last updated. Blogging just isn't the same now that I have my little man. I would rather spend my time hanging out with him rather than typing on the computer. I hope you all understand! I am going to start updating once a month or so for now on. Of course, if there is something oh so cute that Burke has done or a fun picture I will post, but for now I will post only once a month.

Happy 3 Months Burkie! It is hard to believe you are already three months! You are so much fun and such a cutie pie. Here is what you are up to lately!

- You love your bath or so we think. When you get in the bath tub you become completely serious. I mean no smiles all business. You don't cry or fuss you just don't smile. It is so funny.

- You love to hang out in you room. In the evening if you are getting fussy I will take you to your room and lay you in your crib. You will smile and coo and just kick your legs. Very cute!

- You are smiling more and more and it is the cutest smile I ever did see. You really smile for Daddy.

- You are trying hard to giggle and squeal, but you can't do it quite yet. You have your mouth open and your smile on, but nothing comes out, but a little coo. Also super cute!

- You decided you don't like your Miracle Blanket anymore. You started kicking and struggling when we put you in it, so no more swaddling.

- You are still a little peanut. You wear size 1 diapers and you are just starting to outgrow your 0-3 month clothing. You weigh 12 pounds!

- You don't like to take naps in your crib. You would rather sleep on me. I love to have you sleep on me, but I don't get anything done!

- You are turning your head to the right more and more each day. You don't really like doing your Physical Therapy, but if you have your paci you will tolerate it.

-You are holding your head up very well. You like to be held and show off your neck muscles!

-You like to look over my shoulder. That is your favorite position

-Running water soothes you. I find myself running the water a little longer than I should, just because you like it.

-Your eyes are big and blue and gorgeous...we are pretty sure they are going to stay blue.

-You HATE tummy time! I mean you HATE it. You get so upset and I can't stand to see you this upset.

-You found your fist this week. You really like your fist to suck on, but it also frustrates you when you can't keep it in there.

-You love your Paci.

-You look just like Daddy. In fact, Grandpa Pete says, you don't look a thing like Mommy. Grandma says you have my nose though!

-You went and saw the Neurosurgeon last week. The doctor thinks you need to wear a helmet to help your head shape. Mommy is very sad about this, but it is only temporary and we wouldn't want you to go though life with a misshapen head!

-You like to sit outside! Yeah!

-You have NO schedule. This week Mommy is going to try to get you on a schedule. Please pray for me friends!

-You like to go on lunch dates with the girls. You are such a good date!

-You like car rides as long as we aren't in stop and go traffic. Which we are a lot of times in Houston.

-You had your first road trip to San Antonio for Easter weekend. You were a great little traveler. You slept the whole way! That is four hours for those not familiar with Texas.

-You went back to San Antonio this weekend.

-You don't sleep well at all at night. You used to, but just recently decided you don't want to.

-You never cry if Mommy can help it. People tell Mommy that you need to spend some time crying and I laugh and say "I waited 14 years for him and I'll do all I can to keep him from crying". I think that is why you aren't on a schedule, you don't sleep well in your crib, and you like to sleep on me! Oh well....

I am having a great time with Burke. I am so blessed to be a stay at home Mom. I wouldn't trade these days for anything! I love my little man so very much!

I hope you all have a great month! Enjoy the pictures!

Love,

Alicia

10 weeks tomorrow!

Burke's Hippo Chair



Aunt Jinny and Burke



9 Weeks!


Momma and Burkie in the Blue Bonnets

As you can see this whole blogging thing is last on my priority list. I'm sorry to my loyal readers. Burke is just keeping me busy and to be honest I don't spend much time not holding Burke. I'm not good at typing and holding!

Burke's Aunt Jinny came to see him last week. Jinny and Greg have been friends since grade school and her and I have been friends since high school when I met Greg. Jinny lives in Denver and came to see us for four days! We were thrilled to have her and for her to meet our son.

The week before Jinny arrived Burke had his two month check up! As we suspected our little peanut is still quite small. He was in the 25% for weight and height! He weighed 10 pounds 12 ounces and was 22 inches long! We also found out Burke has torticollis. Torticollis is a big word, for a kink in the neck that started in my uterus. I am a short person and it is believed he didn't have much room in my uterus to move his head around. I started noticing Burke always turned to the left. So, we have started Physical Therapy. We also will see a few more doctors. It was awesome to have Jinny here because she is a Pediatrician doing her fellowship to be a Neonatologist. So, she came with us to PT and did a thorough examination on Burkie. She also had a heart to heart with me and reassured me it was nothing I did wrong. I have raked myself over the coals about this. Burke and I do lots of stretching through out the day and LOTS of tummy time! At first Burke didn't like tummy time but he is doing better.

While Jinny was here Burke decided he didn't really want to sleep at night. He fought his binki all night. If it fell out he would wake up screaming. He wouldn't go to bed until after midnight and wake up around 5:00. I was so tired. Burke wasn't because he would just sleep all day! So, on Saturday Greg said he wanted to put Burke to bed his way. Normally we do bath, then bottle, burp, and then he lays/sleeps on my chest until I am ready to go to bed. Greg put a stop to that. We started bath, bottle, burp, and then straight to bed. This routine made me sad, but I wasn't sad one bit when I slept from 10 p.m. until 5:30 a.m.!!! We catch up on cuddle time through out the day though! Tonight will be four nights and hopefully daddy's system continues to work!

Burke is almost giggling! In fact I think he does just real softly! It is precious to hear him coo! So sweet!

I know I have said this before but Burke loves bath time. He now likes to float (I support his head and tushy)he just lays back and enjoys himself thoroughly. So cute!

Tomorrow my friend Lori will be here to meet Burke! We are looking forward to seeing her! Burke is quite a popular guy!

I hope this all finds you doing well!

Love,

Alicia and Burke

Burke is smiling!

I do not know how people keep up with their blogs. This blogging is getting harder by the week. I have this cute little boy who takes up my time and I don't like to do anything other than tend to him! Actually sometimes I enjoy getting on the computer but I find myself looking for baby clothes, burp clothes, pacifier clips, etc!

Burke is smiling!! Talk about melting my heart! It is an adorable smile and the pictures don't do it justice! He usually smiles after his bottle and when he is getting his diaper changed in our bedroom. He is so stinking cute!

Burke is now sleeping in his crib! No longer is he in his bassinet! This is HUGE for me as his bedroom is upstairs and ours is downstairs. Thank God for baby monitors. And for the fact that I am not a deep sleeper. I hear him more now that he is upstairs than I ever did right next to our room. He wakes up about once a night around 3:00 or so and then around 6:00. He is quite dependant upon his paci though and when it falls out he is not so happy!










And I had to include this picture. As I told you, Burke doesn't like blankets. He wants his "piggie's free", as my friend Wendy said. This afgan that his Great Aunt Barbara made him is just perfect for keeping his piggies free!

I have Poker tonight at my house so I must go, to get groceries bought and the house cleaned! Enjoy the pictures of my little sweety!

Love,

Alicia

Mugshot Monday

Burke is 5 weeks already! He has been keeping me very busy, but I am enjoying every minute! The gas got worse last week and it broke my heart. I called our Pediatrician here and they suggested Mylicon and then Gripe Water. Neither worked. So on Saturday Mommy had it and made a call to our own private Pediatrician. Greg and I have a dear friend, Jinny, who is a big shot doctor, a Pediatrician, who is becoming a Neonatologist. She is simply amazing and has done so much! So Saturday I called Jinny and said "help". We made the decision to switch Burke's formula to a gentler one on his tummy. She told us it may not do a thing, but that it was worth a try. Although, I caution to say it is helping...we do think it is. Thank you Jinny!! We can't wait to see you this month!

Burke kind of has his nights and days mixed up again. We are not sure how this has happened, probably the gas. As the nights seem worse on his tummy. Hopefully we will get back on track.

Greg did his feedings on Saturday night and I slept horrible. I missed my little guy. So I think I will be doing his feedings for the most part. Greg is great help and does a great job with Burke, but I missed seeing Burke and couldn't wait for my feeding at 5:00. Crazy huh?!

We still don't take Burke out much. We took him to Chuy's last week and all the staff loved him! We ate at Chuy's the night I found out I was pregnant so it is a special place for us!

Burke is starting to have facial expressions when we talk to him. He is almost smiling! He had his first bath tub bath in his sling and he likes it. He is still a little fussy, but I know I am not a happy camper when my stomach hurts. Enjoy the pictures! Isn't he adorable?!

Mugshot Monday

I can't stand video games, but this is too cute!



Burke and his play mat...he loves to look at the fish and grab at them



Mommy loves Burkie



My cutie pie!



My poor baby is battling gas and constipation. He has had a rough 48 hours. I called the Pediatrician today and they told us to start some gas relief medication. It is over the counter and I can't remember what it is called. But poor Burke has been getting all red and kicking his legs up and just not being his usual happy self. Please pray that we get this solved as I can't stand to see him hurt or get upset. Especially over GAS!!! Here are a few of my favorite pictures from this week. Enjoy!

Burke is One Month!

My baby boy is one month old today! I can't believe that one month ago I met him. My life has changed so much. I love my little guy so much. My eyes are full of tears as I type this. I never dreamed I would finally get to be a Mommy. And now here I am a month into being Burke's Mommy! He is a gift from God that I am so thankful to have recieved. My days are filled with love and they fly by. I no longer have a lunch date everyday. I have a date everyday with the cutest baby boy that I've ever laid eyes on. A lot of times we don't go anywhere except our walks, but we have the best dates! We snuggle, we rock in the rocking chair, we play on the floor, and we take pictures...lots of pictures! When I look at Burke I am reminded that miracles still happen. He is my miracle. And I love him so much! God is so good!

Happy One Month Burkie! Mommy loves you so much!

Monday Mugshot

Thank you all for commenting about my leak problem. I am happy to say "problem solved". I think it is a combined effort of "tucking" and getting the diaper up high enough in the back. We have not had a leak since late Friday evening! Burke wore the same outfit all day Saturday and Sunday! Yeah!!

I forgot to mention last week that Burke is weighing in at 7 pounds 7 ounces. Burke and I made a quick trip to the Pediatrician's office on Tuesday as he had a sucking blister on his lip. I'm glad we went even if it was something that is no big deal as we were able to get a weight check. I was so happy that Burke is up to almost 7 and a half pounds!

A few things about Burke. He hates socks. I mean really doesn't like them. He doesn't like blankets either except his Miracle Blanket, which Burke loves and we love! If you haven't heard of it go check it out here. He will kick off his blanket unless it is the Miracle Blanket. His poor little skin is like mine. Very sensitive and dry. Poor guy. He loves to go on walks. Yeah! We are up to walking about a mile a day. Hopefully this week we will start 1.5 miles. I just worry as it is spring in Houston which means rain. I don't want to get him to far from home and then it start to rain. He is much too sweet and will melt! And he could care less about Riley. I'm sure that will change, but right now he doesn't seem to realize he is different from his Mom and Dad!

On to the pictures!

Help! Advice Needed!

Burke is doing wonderful! He s simply the best baby I have ever known! He is not fussy, he is one cool cucumber...just like his Daddy, which is good because as I've told you I'm uptight! He got his days and nights figured out which is great! He loves going for walks with Mommy. He does tummy time and doesn't get too upset. He loves his swing, his bouncy and of course, he loves to be held and look at Mommy and Daddy. He makes me smile from ear to ear. My heart has never been fuller. Oh and he is ADORABLE!!! But we have one problem and I need help! We cannot figure out the diapers. We have leaks every day. I can change him every hour or ever three hours, but we are going to have a leak. It is always on his right side. Yesterday, we went through four outfits in 12 hours! Now, remember we come from a family of girls. They never had leaks. Maybe a poopy blow out every now and then but never a urine leak. We started out using Pampers. Everyone said use Pampers. Last night I bought Huggies. Last night we had our first night leak, so no to the Huggies. Does anyone have any advice? What are we doing wrong? We make the diaper tight, we pull it up high, we keep it down low, but we have leaks! I'm asking all three of you who read my blog to give me some advice! I need it! And I need advice from mothers of boys!

Thanks in advance!

The Best Birthday Ever!

Today is my 34th Birthday! I can't believe I am 34! I really can't believe I am finally a Mommy! Every year I would cry and feel sorry for myself that I still didn't have a baby. I was another year older and still no baby. This year is just so wonderful! I do have my little baby, I am a mommy, my life is complete! We don't have a thing planned other than watch the KU basketball game at 2:00. Greg is bringing home Lupe Tortilla (my favorite) for me for supper. He offered to cook and do clean up, but I know his clean up doesn't fit my definition and I don't want to do anything today other than love on Burke and spend time with him and Greg and take a nap!! Greg got me the cutest card from Burke. I loved it and it made me feel so good to get a card on it that said "mommy". Have I mentioned how much I love being Burke's Mommy?!

Greg went back to work on Thursday. Burke and I had a good three days. Burke has his days and nights mixed up though and it is hard on me. I am so tired! I have never known tired like this! It is worth it though and I know it can't last forever...right?! Burke and I have enjoyed taking walks in the afternoon. I love to take him in his stroller! The weather has been beautiful here and Burke enjoys getting outside as much as I do. Our Pediatrician put the fear of God in us about Burke getting sick. So we are not going anywhere with Burke. And we are limiting visitors. For the most part Burke gets to go to the doctor's office and then back home until he is at least one month. I think I am being a bit freaky about it, but our Pediatrician said if he gets a fever he will be put in the hospital. We so don't want that! So going for walks has been great!

Burke is getting bigger! I put him in his coming home outfit and it fits so much better. He is still our little peanut, but he seems to be filling out a little. He eats about 3 ounces of formula every 3-4 hours. And even though I have felt bad about the formula I just couldn't give him enough breast milk to get him gaining weight. I already have that mother's guilt, but it has been a good decision for us. As soon as Burke started formula he started to gain weight.

So, today on my 34th Birthday I am just enjoying that I am finally a Mommy to the most adorable little boy that you ever did see! I hope you all have a great weekend.

Love,

Alicia

Mugshot Monday

A friend of mine does this on her blog. I will post my favorite pictures of Burke for the previous week. I can't say I won't post other photos through the week, but on Monday I will post my favorites. I am so excited to actually have a blog with a baby as the main attraction. Burke is so stinking cute! I know I am his mother, but he is ADORABLE!! I am so in love with my little guy! Today we had our first outing. We went to Target and Toys R Us. We were back at home for Burke's 3:00 p.m. feeding. Burke has had more awake time today and it is fun to watch him look around. He has a new friend, his pacifier! Some people don't like paci's but I do. I like how babies look with them. After Burke had blood work done he came back sucking a mile a minute on the pacifier. It was so cute. At first, we didn't want him to use one, but I caved yesterday and gave in. He is even more adorable when he is sucking away on that thing! Enjoy the pictures!

Love,

Alicia and Burkie

Wow!

My title of this post says it all! Wow, am I in love! Wow, has my life changed! Wow is my baby boy a pure joy! Wow, am I tired! Burke is one week and four days! Greg and I have had a full week. With lots of help from my mom...who has been an absolute God send. We are so thankful she was able to come stay with us for nine days! She taught us a lot of things, made many suggestions that actually worked, and insisted that I take naps (which I so desperately need)! Greg has been an awesome daddy as I always knew he would be. He is super calm with Burke and doesn't crack under pressure. I am doing well. It has been an adjustment for me physically, as I am not used to going without sleep. I am tired and maybe a tad emotional, but other than that we are all doing well. I am quite nervous when Greg goes back to work on Thursday, but I know Burke and I will do just fine. I just have to remind myself of that!

Burke met his cousins today! They were disappointed that all he did was sleep. I never mentioned that my sister was awesome when I was in the hospital! She was my own private nurse (both her and my mom are RN's). Heather and my mom have offered so much help, pointers, advice, etc. I am so thankful for them. Wow, life sure has changed! Keep in mind I used to be such a know it all! Uhm...not on babies! Enjoy the pictures of our little peanut. He is so little. I forgot to mention he got down to 5 pounds 11 ounces. That was majorly scary and stressful. Luckily, we started formula and he is putting on some weight. He gained 10 ounces and we were so thankful and happy! Enjoy the pictures!