1 Month!

Here we are, a month later and it feels like merely seconds have passed.  It's amazing how much faster the time flies when you have other children to chase after!

Carsten has been a GREAT baby!  Yes, there are times where he wants to be held, or times that he has trouble sleeping.... but comparing him to Caden, he has been a MUCH better baby.  Recently he has been giving us 4 hour stretches at night.  On most nights my sleep only gets disturbed twice, which is AMAZING!!!  Other than sleeping, eating and repeating, Carsten isn't up to too much.  He likes to lay on his back and kick and stretch.  He will grab for and hit a few items that are hanging from his tummy time mat.  I think he is still trying to find his hand to pacify himself, but will take a pacifier on occasion.  We're in the middle of an intense paci-breaking session with Caden, therefore I am not to eager to get Carsten addicted to this habit too.

Caden did great the first couple of weeks as a big brother, but has just recently started to rebel against the baby some.  Carsten was not allowed at the breakfast table the other morning, and there are times when Caden doesn't want me to sit down and feed the baby.  Caden and I try to read magazines or look at search and find books while I am feeding Carsten, to make the time go a little faster.  I try to tell Caden how much fun it will be having a brother to play with for years to come, but I know that doesn't make a lot of sense to him now.  I keep telling myself that HE WILL be very thankful for the lifelong friend we have gifted him with.... someday.

Here are a few pics of Carsten at 1 month!
11 lbs
22 inches
(Our new pediatrician does things a little differently, so I don't have the percentages right now, but he was in the 80's)

He's Here!!!

Carsten Brock Hopkins

Born 2/24/2014

1:41 pm

9 lbs 1 oz

19" long

Much like his older brother, Caden Maxwell, there was a lot of thought that went into this little guy's name.  We stuck with the C theme, and actually ending up using a name that wasn't a "leftover" from when we were naming Caden.  Brad went on a business trip to Switzerland/Germany and came back with the name Carsten (actually spelled Karsten there).  I liked the sound of it, and after researching it, appreciated it even more!  Carsten is the German word for Christian.  Done deal!  Now for the middle name.... how to tie some of my heritage to the baby???

Andrew Lee Brock is my grandpa's great-grandpa (my great, great, great grandpa).  He was a wonderful pioneer for the city of Lockhart.  He was responsible for building several of the buildings still standing on the town square.  There is a log cabin that he built for his family in 1850.  It is still standing (and currently being restored) in a park in Lockhart.  He was also into farming and raising livestock.  In 1897 he was granted a US patent for new and useful improvements to disk cultivators.  What an interesting and accomplished man!!!  Here's to Carsten having loving relationships and personal accomplishments much like his great-great-great-great-grandpa!

Here are some pics from our time in the hospital.

What a chunk of a newborn!!!  9lbs surprised everyone, especially the doctor!

So alert and chunky for a 1 day old, I think I birthed a 1 month old!

Getting as much "sun-therapy" as possible, to fight the jaundice.

And yes, that woolly man is my husband!  ;)

Here are some pics from our time at home.

I know the quality of this pic is horrible due to the lighting, but the way that Caden was "holding" the baby was so hysterical, I had to take a few pics anyways!  The first of many head-locks that Carsten will be in...

I didn't approve of the first way that Caden was "holding" Carsten, but this wasn't much better.  I propped him up on a pillow, but Caden insisted on resting his arm on Carsten's head like an arm-rest.  Oy Ve!

OK, Finally!  I do approve of this hold!

"Say CHEESE!"

Despite our efforts at staying ahead of the jaundice, we succumbed to the biliblanket, once again...

My poor babies don't like my blood type!

First bath!  And he isn't screaming!!!

And I have to finish this post with a few baby bump pics.
I was pretty miserable towards the end of this pregnancy, now that I know he was 9 lbs, it all makes sense!!!

We took this pic on Feb 3.  The bump grew quite a bit in the next 3 weeks.

My mom took this pic on Feb 18th.  I walked around like that all winter!!!  :0  It wasn't until I saw this picture, 2 weeks later!, that I realized how RIDICULOUS I looked!

No wonder Caden started walking with his tummy puffed out!  He was mimicking me!!!