Nursery And BedTime

Hayden and I went for a walk with Vanessa and Cookie this morning and then spent this afternoon at their house. It was a nice, relaxing day.

Shane and Boone spent the day in the woods with Shane's co-workers and their dogs. They were looking for signs of goshawks...they did not find any; but, Boone had a great day anyway as he got to play with six other dogs!!

The pictures show how we have decorated the nursery...or what will become the nursery when all our visitors have left us. Shane built the bookcase, his dad sanded it and his mum painted it!! It turned out great.

Hayden has been put in his bed/hammock for the night...he will wake up in a couple of hours to be fed again - and then every two hours after that! Ahhhhhhhhhh, the nights of uninterrupted sleep, where have they gone? !! :)

A Day Of Tree Work

We spent today at Amanda and Larry's so that Shane could work on (i.e. cut down) a few of the trees on their property. Hayden had the important role of supervisor...a role he takes very seriously. I spent the day primarily with Hayden and ended up taking a 1.5 hour nap on Amanda and Larry's couch with Hayden!!...I did not want Hayden to get lonely - Don't let it be said that I am not helpful!

Boone spent the day playing with Osa. They played a very complex game of keeping one bone away from the other.

When we got home, Shane gave the baby a bath. Hayden once again smells and looks great.

Eye Contact Has Been Made

Hayden now makes eye contact when he looks at you - it's awesome!! He looks straight into our eyes and holds our gaze...
He is also more content to lay on his back in his "gym" and entertain himself for longer periods of time...this is nice in order to get things accomplished around the house.
He is growing and changing so much everyday...

Weigh In

I took Hayden to get weighed at the doctors today...the kid has put on another lb. He now weighs 10lb 6oz!!

I Don't Want To Brag Or Anything...

...but our son is amazingly, and somewhat freakishly, strong! He has been able to lift his head when laying on our chests since he was about 5 days old - but today, he really showed his strength when playing on his belly. He really took a good look around every time he lifted his head - it is awesome to watch!
Last night's sleep was great! Shane (bless his wonderful cotton socks!) took over the night watch from 11pm (after Hayden had eaten) until 5am this morning. It means that I was able to get some great sleep and sleep off the headache I had developed. I had managed to pump enough milk for Shane to feed to Hayden and Hayden is willing & receptive to the bottle. We are becoming quite the team, I tell you what. I don't think Shane will ever understand how grateful I am to him for being willing to take the night duty on a work night.
Today has been a busy day for Hayden and I. We left the house this morning around 10:15 and went and visited our friends at Clearwater Lodge. Then we went onto the Farm Supply and spent three hours there! It was so nice to see all my co-workers/friends and spend time socializing. Hayden was very well behaved (of course) and slept through most of the visiting. It has been a good day - most enjoyable.

What A Difference 24 Days Makes

Believe it or not, both these pictures are of Hayden! The top one was taken shortly after getting home with Hayden, the bottom one was just taken today. He still sleeps the same way...arms up protesting his innocence (!) and his head turned to the right...but, he is much, much bigger! I can hardly believe this is the same child!

For the observant among you, you may notice two things:

1. The top picture is where the birth announcement photo came from

2. Hayden has had a change of clothes today since his bath. Let's just say that Mumma got sprayed by a magic fountain...yeah.

Just Had A Bath

Hayden has just had a bath and change of clothes...he now smells fantastic and looks a lot fresher!!

Shane came home on his lunch break today. We all gathered in the truck (yes, of course, dog as well!) and went to Burney creek for a quick picnic lunch. While we ate and Hayden slept, Boone ran around and swam. Then all four of us took a little stroll through the woods. It was so nice to get out of the house and stretch my legs. I would say it was nice to smell the fresh air...but it is still so smokey.

The sun is really orange at sunrise and sunset because of the smoke...it looks pretty, but it such a shame that there is so much smoke from all the fires. From what I've heard, a majority of the fires are now contained...let's hope so.

It's A Good Morning

Shane spoiled me last night...after I had fed Hayden at 11pm, Shane took him and was able to take care of the 1am feeding with the milk that I had pumped earlier in the day - this means that I had uninterrupted sleep from 11pm to 3am!! - Woo-hoo!! Then Hayden spoiled me by sleeping to 6am after his 3am feeding!! - Nice night of sleep for me; however, I think Shane is suffering a little this morning.
Hayden has been bright eyed and bushy tailed this morning. He has been happy to play and exercise on the bed rather than demanding to be held all morning. His stomach/gas pains have definitely not been bothering him this morning! Which is lovely - I hate to see him hurt.

As for the fires...one of my favorite walks got burned up last night. I love to walk this one area where Hat Creek and the Pit River meet at Lake Britton. Between the two rivers is a great meadow which Boone loves because of all the birds and open space. My friend Vanessa and I are going to go walk around it in a couple of weeks (once the smoldering has stopped) to survey the damage.
The town of Burney is very smoky this morning. Even with all the doors and windows closed, I can smell the smoke. There is ash on the vehicles...it is all very strange. We are supposed to get more thunder storms sometime this week - of course, this is a Catch-22...hopefully there is rain to help put out the fires; however, there might also be lightning which means the possibility of more fires...let's hope not.
I'll keep you posted.

Fires All Around

Well, we appear to have quite a few fires around us. All of them were started by the thunder and lightning from the other day. So far, Burney is safe and sound; however, the nearby lake, Lassen National Forest, Hatchet Mountain and other local areas are struggling with fire management. The two plumes of smoke you can just about see in this picture are from a fire in Shingletown (about 50 minutes away) that caused a trailer park to be evacuated.

As a result of all the smoke in the air, Hayden and I spent most of the day inside the house with the windows and doors closed. Shane spent the morning in the woods (don't worry, he was in a safe area - away from the fires!) and the afternoon in the office. Hayden and I went and hung out with him at his office for an hour or so late this afternoon.

I'll keep you posted about the fires...but don't worry - we are safe!!!

A Much Better Day

Well, we had a much better night last night...he only woke up twice!! Much better!

Shane and I took Hayden on his tree job! Shane had a pruning job in the nearby town of Cassel. Hayden and I visited with our friends (the homeowners) while Shane worked. Hayden enjoyed the hugs and lovings he received from Ahlo while we were there.

There was a pretty good thunder/lightening storm yesterday. The sky this evening is rather orange from the fires around us that started as a result...I'll keep you posted!!

Boone

I don't want to get accused of playing favorites with my children!! - So, I thought I had better get a picture of the other kid on here...

Boone is being very good with Hayden. Whenever he comes into the house (from the backyard or from a whole day at work), he goes around the whole house until he has found his baby. He has to know where his baby is at all times and gets easily upset if he cannot find him.

One day I went to take Hayden for a walk without taking Boone. Boone went crazy...barking, whining and pacing around the house. Needless to say, I ended up coming back to the house and taking Boone on the walk!

Had A Rough 24 Hours

Don't let this picture fool you...Hayden has had a rough 24 hours - and, as a result, Shane and I have had a rough 24 hours!!

I think he has been struggling with gas pains and stomach aches - it is horrible not being able to help your child when he hurts.

Let's hope for a good night tonight!

Yay...The Swing Arrived!!

Shane's parents asked me what I wanted for my birthday...I suggested a baby swing - so that's what I got!! This is one cool swing...it is a swing and bouncy seat all in one. It has six speeds of swing, ten different sounds and the bouncy seat vibrates!...All of which are perfect for a fussy baby that needs some entertainment.

We ordered the swing about a week ago and I have been impatiently waiting for it to get here. It arrived today!! I pounced on Shane to get it put together the minute he walked in the door from work - I wanted Hayden to try it out before he fell asleep...as you can tell, he fell asleep as soon as he was put into rocking motion!

I am so tickled and excited that it is here....yay!!

Hayden on June 20th

I took Hayden into the doctor's office today to get him weighed....he is now 9lbs 6oz!! He has put on 2lbs 3oz since being born on June 1st!! There really is something special about a mother's milk!!

Hayden on June 7th....not quite a week after he was born and before he started gaining all his cute baby fat!!

Hayden's Kissie Face

Hayden is an affectionate soul. He loves to be hugged, cuddled and loved on. Turns out that he loves to try and kiss you back!!!!

We Are On The World Wide Web!!

Here's a scary thought...I am now blogging! I am hoping that I can keep this up so that you can all see what we get up to as a family and, most importantly, see Hayden as he grows. He has already changed so much in the 19 days since he was born - it is sad that no-one can see him change...