Fall is here!

The leaves are starting to fall in Denver. There is a chill in the air and the scent of burning fire places is starting to fill the night! I love the fall! Football, Halloween, and Thanksgiving! All of which our little Alex will experience for the first time. It's been a while since we've posted and for good reason. Mike's family met our little guy for the first time last week. They drove in from Phoenix and spent a whole week with us. There were a lot of oohs and ahhs but most of all there was a lot of love. Alex definitely captured their hearts. He now recognizes our face and smiles! It melts our hearts when he gives us his toothless grin. Such a sweetheart!

Aunt Monica and Alex

Aunt Melinda, Mike, and Aunt Monica--the hands and feet is Alex!

Grandpa, Nana, Mike, Aunt Melinda and Aunt Monica

Aunt Melinda and Alex

You're funny Grandpa!

Our growing little boy

Alex after dinner!

Mommy and Alex

Sleeping away

Ready for bed!

Mommy is sick :(

This is just a quick post since we haven't updated the blog in a few days. Unfortunately, I just came down with a cold today. It's not fun trying to take care of a two week old baby while I am sniffling and sneezing away! Thank goodness my mom is here to save the day! She takes care of Alex while I rest and just brings him in when it's time to feed. Honestly, I could not have imagined the last few weeks without my mom. She has helped me immensely and I am dreading the day that she leaves! Ahh! I wish she could stay here forever but she has been here for a month and I am sure my dad is anxiously waiting her arrival!
As for our little munchkin, he is doing great! He had his 10 day check up last week and he is a whopping 8lbs 12 oz! He has regained the weight he lost and even grew 3/4"! He is a big boy and it is such a joy to look into his eyes everyday. Mike is doing wonderful as a new dad. He literally runs to his son as soon as he gets home and even forgets about food! We have to force him to give us Alex so he can eat his dinner! Here's a few pictures taken from my mom's camera. We have probably taken close to 1000 pictures of Alex. What did people do before digital cameras?

Peek-a-boo!

Hmm...I don't like this outfit!

Property of Mom!

Big eyes!

I love bathtime!

Alex's First Week

It's been over a week and one day since we bought our little munchkin home and believe me it's been a wild ride! Our first night was exhausting with our little Alex waking up almost every hour and taking his time to fall asleep. Mike and I were pretty much wiped out. However, as the days progressed Mr. Alex seems to be falling into a pattern already. He wakes up at around 12:30 am for a feeding and a diaper change. It takes about 30-45 minutes until he is ready for sleep again. The amazing part is he does not wake up till 6:30 am or so! That's almost 5 hours of sleep! Yay! I really hope I am not jinxing myself as I type this. It is a big change to get by with little or interrupted sleep but I am glad to be at home and be able to take catnaps here and there. Alex never ceases to amaze us. He is so alert and seems to be taking everything in. He stares at us wide-eyed almost as if to say "What the heck did I get myself into?!" He has already gone to church last Sunday and was blessed by the parish priest. We took a very interesting trip to the mall for the first time as well. He slept through most of it and only became fussy towards the end. Mike and I had our first experience using the "Family Restroom"! Oh the joys of getting initiated into parenthood. We are having a blast so far!

Alex Extravaganza!

We just can't get enough of our new baby so we have been snapping pictures left and right! I'm sure it'll taper off but as for now...here's more of Baby Alex!

More pics of the little guy :)

All ready to go to Alex's first doctor's check-up

At the doctor's

Party at my crib!

The proud Grandma!
Just after his first bath
Whatcha lookin' at?

In his bouncer

The sweet angel in his crib

A more detailed update

Hi everybody! So here's the details on this new baby! As Genevieve mentioned in the previous post, his name is Alex.

Full Name: Alexander Thomas McLean
Birthday: 11:53pm Saturday August 19th, 2006
Birth Weight: 8lbs 3oz
Birth Length: 20 1/4"
Favorite Drink: Milk
Favorite Food: Milk
Favorite Thing To Do: Drink Milk

Alex is already an impressionist! So far, he has sounded like the following animals:

-Mouse (squeeking)
-Bird (ca ca ca-ing)
-Pig (snorting)
-Teradactyl (screeching)

Genevieve did awesome during the delivery! Her labor was about 12 hours total and very intense. Labor seems to be probably the most terrifying and rewarding experience on the face of this earth. Thankfully, she did not have to have a C section. She is recovering slowly and has lots of family here to help her. Check out these additional pictures. We'll be posting more and more!

Baby Alex is here!

Just a sittin' and a waitin'

Hello everyone...yes, it's now August 16th. 5 days past my due date (based on U/S) and 2 days past based on my ovulation based due date (August 13th). So, as you can imagine I have been getting pretty antsy and impatient the last few days. I really got my hopes up last night when I was having contractions for about 4 hours. They were pretty irregular but noticeable enough for me to start getting excited. But I woke up early this morning with baby still nice and comfy inside me. Sigh. It seems like I will never get to meet this baby!! But there is hope. Mike and I have a scheduled induction this weeekend if baby does not make an appearance soon. I will check into the hospital Friday night and get started on Cervadil (to ripen the cervix). The actual induction will start Saturday morning so hopefully I will have the baby by Saturday afternoon! Yes! There is a light at the end of the tunnel! Thank you everyone for checking in on us. The anticipation is really killing us! We will keep you posted for any other "significant" events as they happen! Send us labor dust!

Oh baby where art thou?

Friday is the day! I really thought I would go earlier than this but I think baby is feeling extra snuggly. I have not posted recently because I have been suffering from a severe case of pregnancy rash---called PUPPPS. It has been nothing but insane itching the last week or so. I cannot lie that I have not broken down a couple of times crying my eyes out, begging for the baby to come out. Apparently, this rash has an "unknown" cause. Some women experience it late into their pregnancy and the only cure is delivery! You can only imagine me talking and coaxing the baby out. It has improved a little the past couple days but I still have to take ice-cold showers a couple of times a day to relieve some of the itching. My mom, aunt, and grandma have been a God-send, helping around the house, cooking, and cleaning. Mike has been extremely helpful, making sure I don't pass out in the shower at 3:00 in the morning when I am going so crazy with the itch. I keep thinking that it will be all worth it in the end. So, let's see what the next couple of days will bring us!

It's August!

Woo-hoo! It is official, this month is the month we will meet our little bundle of joy! It's definitely crunch time---10 days till my due date. Although this pregnancy seems like it is has lasted FOREVER, it is still unbelievable that I will be having a kid in just a few short days! Ahhh! I am so excited and nervous at the same time. Mike and I have been preparing for the arrival of my relatives which include my mom, my Auntie Abet, and Grandma. As soon as baby gets here, my dad, my brother, Uncle Bob, and Auntie Josie will follow. Angeline and Brian will also be visiting from Phoenix the weekend of the 18th (crossing my fingers the baby will be here by then!)So, it will be a packed house but I seriously would not have it any other way. I love having my family and friends around because I know that the love and support they give will help us immensely. This is by far the biggest event of our lives and it would not be complete if our family was not there! Mike's family will be visiting us either on Labor Day weekend or in October (when the girls have their semester break). I am so excited! The baby will have 5 aunts and 1 uncle (my poor brother!)
I am feeling great other than the fact my stomach has been itching nonstop for about 5 days! My skin has been stretched to its limit. I have tried to keep myself from scratching because it leaves nasty red marks but I find myself waking up at night scratching the tar out of my stomach! Mike has even seen me in action! So, baby please get here early---Mommy is going crazy!

3 more weeks!

The summer heat must be getting to me because I am literally counting down the days, hours, and minutes until our baby gets here! I've reached the point where there really is no hope of ever getting comfortable again. I waddle like a duck and it takes all my energy to hoist myself off a couch or off the floor! I am amazed at how much my body has changed this past nine months, I know the end-product of all these changes is a beautiful baby but I cannot tell you how excited I am to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight. I long to go back into regular clothing stores and trying on cute tops and pants again. Sigh...only a few more months (I've accepted it will take a while to lose the baby weight). I am now seeing my doctor weekly and so far, so good. According to my last appointment, I am 50% effaced (cervix is thinning out). That's progress right? I won't get my hopes up because I know it may still take a while for things to really start going. We also had another U/S to check the baby's kidneys. The doctor had seen some fluid on the last U/S and wanted to double-check that it had not increased. Thankfully, it had not and the fluid seen can be easily treated post-birth.
Mike and I still have one more Childbirth class to go. We've learned some pain management techniques (breathing and massage) which will hopefully alleviate some of the pain I experience. I will see how far I can go without medication but believe me I will be screaming for an epi as soon as I am ready!! We are attending Baby CPR and Baby Care this weekend. Hey, you can never be too prepared right? That's it for now. Only 3 short weeks till my due date, I'm hoping to meet my little baby a little sooner :)

The countdown begins!

So yesterday was officially one month till my due date. Should I start freaking out now? Nah, I am so anxious to have this baby that these days cannot get any slower! But I need to be patient because he/she is still cookin' in the oven. We started our the first of three child birth classes last night. It was very informative, so informative that when we left all Mike could utter was "What did we get ourselves into?" about 10x. We watched a video of a live birth which wasn't bad until they showed the placenta being delivered. That was pretty gross. I know that we can never be 100% prepared for this birth but if I can absorb all the information and all the different scenarios I may encounter, my mind will be a little be more at ease during the delivery.
On another note, Mike's family visited us over the weekend! It was the first time for them to visit us and we were excited to show them our humble abode. The weather was dreadful, it rained all weekend, but we all enjoyed each other's company. Mike was extremely excited to show them our green grass and of course, his pride and joy, the XBOX 360. His sisters loved it. They also bought us some miscellaneous items to complete the nursery. This kid is already spoiled rotten.

The McLean Clan

Monica and Melinda

Noodles and his servants

Dad and Melinda enjoying the Xbox 360

My own little Superman

We watched Superman Returns this weekend and remembered that Mike was a little Superman at one time too. What a cutie!

Nursery Complete!

Yes! The nursery is complete! We have assembled the dresser and the glider and we are ready for take off! :) We just need to add some finishing touches such as more artwork and a mirror on the wall. It is by far my most favorite room in the house! Here are some pics of the finished product and Mike goofing around with the Baby Bjorn! Can he be more excited?

The view from the doorway

The dresser and glider

Added some shelves to the closet

The proud father-to-be!

Hotter than Brad Pitt!