Clean As A Whistle

Hunter is finally starting to enjoy his bath time. He doesn't cry or fuss anymore at all, and he even allows us to dip the back of his head underwater to wet his hair. Pretty soon, I'm sure he will be splashing around and giggling when he's in the water.

I couldn't resist posting these few pictures of him freshly bathed...he just looks too cute!

Hunter Meets More Relatives

Pop-pop and JoAnn (a.k.a. Grannie J) hosted a cookout so Hunter could finally meet his Great Grand Aunt Faye and Uncle Jerry, Grand Aunt Becky and Uncle Calvin, and Grand Aunt Kathy and Uncle LeRoy. His Mom-Mom also made the trip from Ocean City, as she didn't want to miss spending extra time with him. We had a wonderful visit with everyone and Hunter didn't mind being passed from arm to arm one bit.

Hunter seemed especially fascinated by my Uncle Lee, and even gave him one of his precious smiles. Perhaps Hunter thought he was looking at a larger version of himself; same amount of hair and the maturity level is about the same, too!

One Month Old!

We can hardly believe our baby boy is already one month old! The time seems to have flown by, and yet Hunter has done so much growing and changing these past 4 weeks. He is very engaging, wide-eyed, and vocal now. He loves to lock eyes on his mommy and daddy, and even tracks them from across a room.

Here are a few more things he does that makes us laugh and melts our hearts:

-imitates us sticking out our tongues

-gives us a toothless grin or one-sided smirk

-squeezes our fingers in his tiny fists

-snores (which sounds like a goose lightly honking)

-gets wild and excited when he knows he's about to eat

-constantly kicks off his socks

-holds onto our shirts when we try to put him down (like he doesn't want us to let him go)

-squirms when tickled (he is extremely ticklish)

-moans or hums like he is trying to tell you something

-lifts his head up to look around when he's against your shoulder

-has massive explosions that put both mommy's and daddy's toots to shame

-is most comfortable snuggled up against one of our chests

Ocean City, Here We Come!!

I had a few appointments in Ocean City this past week, so Ryan and I took Hunter down for his first trip away from home and, consequently, his first visit to the beach! We quickly learned that you have to pack a ton of extra stuff when you have a little one in tow! I was a little worried that everything would not fit in my car, but we worked it out! Hunter was a trooper on the 2.5 hr drive. He slept most of the way and we only had to stop once for a feeding and diaper change. Upon our arrival, Mom-Mom immediately began to spoil all of us, and Hunter really seemed to enjoy his time in her arms. Unfortunately, the weather was mostly cloudy with on and off showers while we were there. Good for our walks, but not necessarily great beach weather. It finally cleared up during our last evening. We took the opportunity to show Hunter the beach at sunset, and even put his toes in the sand. He seemed fascinated with the texture. Well, maybe fascinated is too strong a word, but it certainly woke him up!

Visitors Galore!

Since Hunter's birth, we have received so many calls, cards, emails, gifts; all congratulating and wishing us well. Our family and friends have been truly wonderful and supportive as we adjust to parenthood. Several have even had an opportunity to stop over and meet the new addition to our family in person!

Ummm...should you be doing that??

At 18 days old, Hunter was having a little tummy time when all of the sudden he rolled over onto his back. I thought it was a fluke, so I put him back onto his tummy. He did it again. Then, I grabbed my camera and once again put him on his tummy. He was quite worked up at this point because he was clearly done with tummy time, but he rolled himself over for a third time and I caught it on video!

Of course, I was a bit freaked out. Don't think he should be able to roll over so early. We'll have to see if he continues to do so or not.

MILK COMA!

I often find myself looking down at this image after Hunter has finished eating...

2 Weeks Old Already

Ever since arriving home with Hunter, we have been taking a ton of photos. Everyday he grows, changes, and develops. He is very good at tracking things with his eyes, especially mom and dad. He also likes to orient towards them when he hears their voice in a crowd. Hunter is already enjoying tummy time and raises his head, turning it from side to side. Occasionally, he will even mimic mommy and daddy sticking out their tongues. He is amazing! Ryan and I are in awe of him every single day and still can't believe that "WE MADE THAT"!!

Here are some of our favorite photos from our first 2 weeks home and some video clips of Hunter's tummy time successes!

Hunter's First Bedroom

We had a lot of fun shopping for and decorating Hunter's nursery. Lucky for us, he seems to dig it, as well!

Oh, And How We Grew!

From October to August, we did a lot of growing! Finally on August 2, 2009, (12 days after his due date) Hunter Ryan Vandrey made his grand debut! It was a long labor, consisting of 3.5 days of early and false labor for mom and 2 hours of pushing, but we consider it well worth the wait