September 08

It's amazing how much Koen has grown! He's finally in 0-3 month clothes and weighs in at approximately 11 lbs. He's a little squirt - 25th percentile for weight and 50th percentile for heighth - but he's developing a big personality! He loves cooing with anyone who'll talk to him, is the most smiley in the morning, and loves looking at himself in the mirror. I am back to work full time and now Koen's spending two days each week with each grandma and Kenn has him on Friday.

At his 2 month checkup, his pediatrician was concerned about his tendency to always look to one side and sent us to a physical therapist to make sure that he's not going to develop a flat head or torticollis. The PT, Pat, decided that he's got a mild case of torticollis and recommended a few sessions of physical therapy to improve the range of motion in his neck and mouth. He's not a big fan of his exercises, so we keep telling him that it's better than a helmet, but I don't think he cares! :)

Firsts this month: first hike (to Blue Lake in Cascade), first cold, first physical therapy appointment.

August 08

Koen's staying awake longer during the day and enjoys watching his mobile, marveling over the toys on the rainforest bouncer and relaxing in the swing. He's still waking every 2-3 hours at night, but feedings only take 30 min (rather than 1 hour), so we're getting a little more sleep! We've also discovered that Koen's a great traveler and is easy to take out so we haven't felt the cabin fever many new parents complain of.

I had to return to work part time August 19th (when Koen was almost 7 weeks). It's wasn't easy to return to work, but it's a relief knowing that he's being cared for by family. He's watched one day by Grandma Kathy, another by Nana Mary and Kenn gets him on Fridays. He took quickly to the bottle so the transition was seamless. He now is bottle fed during the day and breastfeeds in the evening.

Firsts this month: First night sleeping in crib, first smile, first pool party, first bottle, and first trip to the lake.

July 08

What a life! Koen eats every two hours - day or night. In between feedings, I rest to recover from the C-section and Kenn tries to catch up on sleep. Thank goodness for family coming over to feed us and clean the house! Koen is proving to be a wonderful baby and only cries when hungry. We've been told that we're lucky to have such a happy baby and we agree!

A busy summer

This summer passed in a blur after we welcomed Koen Anthony Hardin on July 3rd at 10:38 pm. Koen weighed in at 6 lbs, 5 ounces and was 18 1/2 inches long. He was born two weeks early via emergency C-section because the doctor didn't like how his heartbeat was responding to Jaime's Braxton-Hicks contractions. Overall, it was an amazing experience and we're thrilled to finally meet the little man!