Week ONE

First sponge bath...not sure what to think
But he did enjoy having his hair scrubbed

Feeling much better now that he's a little warmer

All sweet and clean

Awake time!
{not much of that this week, but we love it when those eyes are open}

Makayla wants to hold him constantly
She is such a sweet BIG sister and is having so much fun with Baby Harvey
{we are noticing she is a little whiny...she was the baby for so long, I think she's a little shell shocked!}

Oh what a sweet baby boy!

Abbey is a great help. She holds him really well, and can hold him while I eat breakfast or even shower. It's been so nice.

Daddy catching some snuggles
{He's been so busy at work, I feel like he hasn't had much time to do this}

He has LOVED being swaddled
{Thanks Robyn!}
He sleeps in his bed much better at night since we've been swaddling

Our little Harvey burrito

He wore his first outfit today {in honor of being a week old, and venturing out to grandma's for dinner} RJ said he looked like a clown and asked
"WHO bought him THAT?!"

Haha! I did! I thought it was cute.
{And a perfect outfit for a Halloween baby!}

LOVE that sweet profile
{Those are good "nibblin" cheeks

He has gotten LOTS of love from these two big sisters. He doesn't get a lot of personal space, but so far, he doesn't seem to mind one bit. They fight over who gets to be closest to him.
{in this picture Abbey was mad that Makayla got to be on that side, because that's the way he was facing!!}
HONESTLY :)

If I could describe this first week with my sweet baby Harvey, in just a word or two, it would be JOY...pure JOY! I have enjoyed him so much!
RJ wasn't able to take much time off {busy at work, this is a blessing...right?} and I was worried I would feel overwhelmed. But each of my wonderful sister-in-laws came and took Makayla every afternoon this week, while Abbey was in school. I was able to nap {which is the key to my joy, I think} and have a few hours alone with my baby. It was a wonderful blessing and an amazing experience to have that time, just us. We nursed, snuggled, and snoozed. It was great!
Our first night at home was rough. Harvey wouldn't nurse at all! I got him to eat on one side {after an hour of trying and praying} and he didn't eat again the rest of the night. He would fuss and cry and when I'd put him down to nurse he would SCREAM. He'd take his binki and sleep okay as long as he had that and was in our arms! My milk had come in and he had such a hard time getting going. Finally, the next morning at about 8:30 {after a good 30 minutes of trying} He was eating away.
The first few days we were home, Harvey was still SUPER sleepy. He was eating about every 6 hours, with some gentle coaxing from me... He was so sweet and so content. He'd have a few minutes a day of "awake" time, and he'd just stare around so calmly. We weren't getting a lot of sleep, but I just enjoyed him, even at 2:00 AM! He could sleep ALL DAY in his bassinet, but at night, he just wants to be held. I started swaddling him {thanks to Robyn} and that has helped. Now he spends a few hours in his bed at night, and we are working on more and more!
He had his first sponge bath on Tuesday. He wasn't too fond of the cold or the wet, but he seemed to enjoy having his hair washed. AND ooh, he smelled sooo sweet when he was done.
By Wednesday he was eating about every four hours, and Thursday he started waking, on his own, to eat every 3 hours. It was good to see his appetite pick up. He hasn't slowed down since!
Thursday I had to take him in to the doctor to have his circumcision checked. He was down to 6 lbs 12 oz. Dr. Kaddu was slightly concerned that he had lost so much weight. At this point, his appetite was increasing, and Dr. Kaddu wants me to come in next week and have him weighed again, just for good measure. Everything else checked out great. I told Dr. Kaddu I was a little worried that he hadn't peed all over yet. {everyone kept telling me the horror stories of little boys spraying pee all over} He told me that it was probably because he hadn't been eating very well. At that moment {he was checking his circumcision} He peed ALL OVER! It was great. This made Dr. K feel better, because that meant he was probably eating better. YAY for Harv :)
Friday, my friend Robyn came and took newborn pictures of Harvey. I wish this had been around when the girls were little {I'm sure it was around, just not as common} They were so fun, and I cannot wait to see them!
We're getting the hang of things and Harvey is the sweetest thing around. We are enjoying every minute, and he is very patient with his ever-loving big sisters. They LOVE to hug, snuggle, kiss, and talk to him. They are so sweet and they have been a big help to me, grabbing me water, diapers, wipes, binkis...whatever I need. We just need to work on them getting along with each other!
We love you baby Harvey. What a fun week we have had with you!

Week ONE highlights
**When he's done nursing and he pulls away and has milk all over his face. He looks so satisfied
**When he arches his back and puckers his lip
**Sleepy snuggles {the best and they never last long enough}
**When he grabs my finger with his sweet little hands
** Spontaneous smiles

Hopefully I won't go with this much gusto every week! They just change so fast in these first few weeks, I want to be sure and document him and how much we are ENJOYING every minute with him!