a whole month already?

*warning: prepare yourself for photo overload!*

I can't believe it, a whole month has already passed since Titus was born.  It's been a busy 6 weeks with lots of family and visitors and learning and adjusting to being a family of 5.

Titus is a sweet baby and is so loved by his big sister and big brother.  They always want to be near him, kissing him, talking to him and holding him. He loves to smile at them, and we love to see his toothless grin.  Every one of those smiles is gold to me...a sharp contrast from the screaming.  He has been a bit colicky, so evenings are a little rough around here and there isn't much sleep happening at night.  But, hopefully that won't last too long and we'll all begin getting a little more rest soon.

He is definitely growing well...at 6 weeks he weighed 13lb 7oz and was 23.5 in long! He has gained 5 pounds since birth!

Bubbe & Zeyde (Michael's mom and stepdad) stayed for about a week after Titus was born.  They were a huge help with the kids and with meals while I was resting and recovering.  Then Grandpa and Grandma (Michael's dad and his wife) came for a few days.  The kids loved having them here.  They also made it possible for me to make it to church just one week after Titus was born....there was no way I could have made it out of the house with all 3 kids and have been dressed and presentable in public so soon!

Claire, Titus and Bubbe

The 4 Brueseke boys

Claire and Grandpa

Then a few days later, Nana and Poppa (my parents) arrived.  Poppa helped us out with some projects around the house - a new garbage disposal (yay!), some painting, a new bathroom vanity/sink, and started some grass growing in the back yard.  And Nana helped out with the kids and the LAUNDRY...which I had been completely neglecting.   We did have a little fun too - we took Titus on his first trip to the beach.  Although, he didn't quite enjoy it like we had hoped...he pretty much cried the whole time. :(  

After about a week, Poppa had to leave for a business trip, while Nana stayed another week and a half to help me adjust to life with 3 kiddos.  I loved getting to spend this time with my mom and she was a huge help to me.  I think she might have enjoyed spending time with her grandkids too :)  Poppa then came back for a few more days before they made the long roadtrip back to to Nebraska.

It was so great having family here to help us through the first month.  I was able to rest a lot, the kids got the extra attention they needed, and the house didn't fall apart....we are incredibly blessed and so, so thankful.

Nana and Titus

Claire helping Nana play Sudoku

Poppa meeting his newest Grandson

Here's a few more pictures of what we've been up to for the past 6 weeks:

Brothers

swimming

lovin' on babies

multi-tasking

Mama and her boys

hard to believe Claire and Boden were once as little as Titus

my parents brought my old guitar for Boden to play - he LOVES it!

playing at the park

this is how moms lose the baby weight...we don't get to eat! 

Daddy and his babies

Frozen Yogurt Bar

Bathtime

apparently Claire is more interested in texting than in the story book

a little chutes and ladders

Bubbles!

It's still so wild to me that we have 3 kids!  They are such an amazing blessing.  Thank you Lord!

It's A BOY!

Yep, Boden and Claire are going to have a little brother!  And we are all so excited!  This is probably old news to you if you saw my facebook status last week, but I thought I'd share it here too.  I finally found a Dr (well, actually a Midwife) and was able to schedule an ultrasound.  We've been waiting so patiently since we moved right in the time-frame when I would typically have had an ultrasound.  But, our waiting ended last Thursday. 

All 4 of us got to enjoy watching the little guy move around on the screen while the tech measured everything and checked to see that all was well.  He's doing great! Everything measured perfectly on track for our May 17 due date.  It was so amazing to watch him open and close his mouth and swallow, and watch his little heart beat.  Isn't life amazing? God is so cool.


When she moved down towards the legs it was so apparent that this little one was a boy - he wasn't hiding anything! lol.  Both Michael and I knew it right away without her even saying a thing.  I had a feeling this little one was a boy - I'm not sure why, but I've caught myself referring to the baby as "he" rather often. And when discussing names, I couldn't even think of one girl name that I really liked. I had this same feeling when I was pregnant with Boden. With Claire, I didn't have a clue.

Boden got such a big smile on his face and said "I'm going to have a little brother!?!?"  I'm so excited for him.  And I just can't wait to see what Claire thinks about him when he arrives.

I couldn't be happier with our new midwife.  I had originally planned to deliver at a birthing center I had read about online and had made appts there too, but when we toured and spoke to some of the midwives, it was obvious to me that it just wasn't the right place for us.  Thankfully, just before we left Missouri, one of Michael's relatives gave me the contact information for this midwife.  Her sister-in-law actually lives out here and she and several of her friends see her and love her.  Turns out her office is less than 5 min from where we are staying now and the hospital she delivers at is really close too.  And, I went to a playdate this past Monday and found out two of the moms have had babies with her and loved her as well.  Thank you Lord!  I was really discouraged after leaving the birthing center that night, but I knew that we had prayed a lot about where to have our baby and I realize that sometimes God has to shut one door so that we'll walk through the right one.  I'm so thankful for His guidance in everything I do.  And I'm so thankful for this precious new life!