Thoughts on his first Xmas

Wow. There is nothing like a family to make being a mom easier and more enjoyable. Today, Chester woke up at 7:30 or so and, guess what- I woke up at 9! My mom took him for a little bit while I got to catch up on sleep. And then I got a 2 hour nap with the little guy this afternoon. This is the meaning of Bliss.

Meanwhile, the rest of the extended family is falling in love with the little guy. Even though we are far away, it's so great for him to see the people who love him and for him to know that he has a huge fan-base.

We are getting ready to head up to JP in a few days, which is both great and mildly overwhelming. There are SO many people I want to see. But, I have to really be mindful of my and Chester's level of energy. Matt and I are both missing the comforts of city life- Thai food on every corner, friends that you don't have to drive a half hour to see and the joys of walking to the coffee shop. City life might be in our future one day, but for now, little Monroe it is. Everything has its time and place and its own unique beauty.

I save other thoughts for another day...

Chester with people we love.

Cutie Pie Chester Bunny

These are just a few we have uploaded so far. Many many holiday pictures to come! Happy holidays and lots of love to all our family and friends.

Milestones and more.

Ok, so I swear that Chester gave me a real smile yesterday. I was holding him on my lap and nothing else was going on. He was staring at me as I made little faces at him and talked to him about how great he is and then, BAM- the smile.

I have seen him smile before in reaction to gas or a dream or something. But, this one was different. It looked different and it seemed to be in response to nothing other than my stimulation. After seeing it, I decided to dedicate my life to making him smile, that's how great it was.

Matt's almost done for the semester. One more project and two finals to go. Plus, Liz gets here on Tuesday night. This is going to be a really, really good week :)

Ok, and, as promised, a pic of the cradle Isaac and Chris made for Chester. Forgive the not-so-great pic, but it's the only one I have on my computer right now. k, that's all.

What a great weekend we had with Noni and Grandpa Tom. They are so incredibly smitten with the little guy and I am smitten with having two extra pairs of hands around to help. Chester falls asleep almost instantly when my mom holds him and my house hasn't looked cleaner in ages. Gotta love grandparents. So, as promised, new pics with Noni Leslie and Grandpa Tom are here.

Uncle Chris Canney came to visit this weekend too. He brought an amazing gift that him and Uncle Isaac made for baby Chester. It's a beautiful "crib." I put crib in quotes because it's not the traditional kind most people think of when you say crib. It's low to the ground and on a rocker. It's absolutely beautiful and we will post some pics as soon as we get them (they are on my parent's camera). I finally feel good about putting Chester down for short periods of time because it's so beautiful and made with such love. Otherwise, I can't bear to put him down:) Thanks Canneys. We love you!

This week is Matt's last week of school before finals week and it's hectic and stressful for him. But we keep the end in sight and remind ourselves that soon it will be the holiday break. I am looking forward to having him in the house full time and having some grown-up company. I love my little man, but the two of us can get a little strung out when we are alone so much. Good to switch it up a bit!

On another note, I got the ergo carrier (Thanks to my Noni Jen for a wonderful Xmas present). I am wearing Chester in it today and it's super comfortable. I also have a ring sling- good for quick ease, but bad for the posture- and a Maya wrap- awesome and comfortable, but takes forever to wrap and get set up. The ergo is a good combo of the two- easy and comfortable. Highly recommended for any baby carriers.

New Stats

Chester had his first visit to the doctor yesterday at exactly one month old! I can't believe it's already been a whole month. We go to a family practice in Belfast- his doc is an osteopath (we love osteopaths for their holistic p.o.v). Anyway, Chester is super healthy and growing well. Here are the new stats:

For comparison, here are birth stats first:
weight: 8lbs 6 oz
height: 19.5"
head circ: 13.75"

At one month old:
weight: 9lbs 10 oz
height 22.5"
head circ: 14"

Well, I am off, awaiting my parents who are visiting this weekend (yay!). I am sure we will have some new pics to post soon of Chester with Noni Leslie and Grandpa Tom.

Feeling Normal

Yay! I feel like a normal person again. Trust me, I am still tired, but normal tired, not sick tired. Chester and I are chilling alone today while Matt is at school and we are doing great. With him in the sling, my two hands are free and he loves just being with me, doing whatever it is I am doing and/or sleeping :)

We had a big day out to the co-op yesterday and then to our neighbor Vicky and Kenny's for a second thanksgiving dinner. Chester was dressed in a gorgeous sweater that my Aunt Sue knit him! Above are some cutely pictures of our sleepy baby to satisfy our family and friends.

I keep wanting to call folks to say hi, but my days escape me as hours of staring and nursing my baby boy pass. I feel like I want to call everyone I know, especially all the mothers that I have known or worked with, to just share my love for this world and for all the women that give birth and mother their children. It is an incredible thing beyond words. Motherhood has already made me really appreciate things in a different way. It feels like my love for Chester has opened me up to loving everything and everyone more deeply. Looking out the window of my bedroom, just seeing the hills in the distance, I feel so much love for nature, for mother earth and the beauty and intensity that is life. Music touches me in new ways. I look at grown men and think about how they are the son of a mother.

Well, off to go nap with my sleeping guy.

Happy Thanksgiving

Here are some pictures of Chester's first Thanksgiving. We went to Matt's Uncle Lincoln's house in Belfast, which is only about 25 minutes from here. The whole Ferrel crew was there and Chester got to meet a lot of family.

Picture 1 is Grandma Lisa with Chester. Pictures 2 and 3 are Uncle Ian with Chester Bunny, where one of them are making a funny face in each picture. And Picture 4 is Chester wearing his hat that Matt's Aunt Susan made for him from a variety of wools, including Buffalo hair. Chester wasn't so sure about wearing any hat at all, but he still looks pretty good in it!

It was a wonderful day full of thanks. Some things I am thankful for:
My healthy, beautiful baby boy.
My loving family- Matt, my parents and sister, Matt's family...
All the love and support from our beautiful friends near and far.
The fact that for the first time in 3 weeks I feel like a normal person and my breasts don't hurt like crazy!

Morning bliss.

I mean, how cute, right? Nothing better than a sleeping baby snuggled with dad! This means I get some good snooze time myself :)

Chester's First Snow and my musings...

It's snowing up here today...It's the first snow fall of the season and Chester's first, though we are no where near ready to go outside in this weather. My only urge is to stay snuggled inside with my little man!

We are having a nice day. Matt is home and that makes life a whole lot easier for me because being alone with a two week old pretty much sucks. I am totally confident that I can take care of my Chester, but that means all my needs get put on back burner until someone else is here to make sure I get fed and taken care of, too. Word to the wise: if you are expecting now or in the future, plan for a lot of postpartum support. Even if you end up not needing it, it's way better to have the support in place than to be left without it.

Besides Matt being awesome and doing his best to be in school full time and be a stellar dad and partner, I have been supported by a myriad of friends and family. My parents doted on the three of us the first week postpartum and then Matt's mom came to spend the week after that. Plus, my midwife Chris and her daughter Lucretia have done a lot for me. Lucretia is my age and has a one year old son named Ming who is super adorable. It makes for a really nice set up to have a mom-friend 2 miles down the road and one who's ideals are so closely aligned with mine. And, Chris is just awesome, too. Yesterday Chris and Lucretia brought me tons of food to eat while Matt was at school and then kept me company for a few hours. Today, my doula Lisa came by bringing with her my favorite carrot ginger soup. She visited and helped clean up a bit around the house. The help is very very appreciated!

Breastfeeding is going better, but not perfect. It's like this process that is both completely natural and in my experience so far, so NOT easy. It's just not easy! It takes time and patience to be able to learn the body rhythms of another being and to sync them with yours. It works, though, and it's really amazing to see Chester's double chin growing already. He's filling out. It's pretty cool that something completely free and renewable from my body is able to nourish my son. I just can't wait until it's a little easier.

And now Chester is asleep in his sling and I am just taking this time to write and to rest. I can't even begin to tell all of you how crazy this parenthood thing is. Awesome and crazy. I can't imagine a time without Chester being here (ok, well I can...) but life changes so much that it feels like it's been this way forever. It is the most amazing thing ever to be able to hold and touch and love this little being who, in my opinion, is just the most incredible person ever to exist.

He's squirming and I am off to watch him squirm.

Pictures of our guy.

Welcome Chester Thomas!

Wow! What a wonderful, crazy, intense 2 weeks it has been. Chester Thomas Forbes-Ferrel was born on Thursday, November 6th at 10:45 PM. He was 8lbs, 6 ozs and it was the most incredible birth experience. I labored for 6-7 hours total. It was a fast birth and I look back on it so fondly. I can say now that it was actually fun--hard, no doubt, but awesome in and of itself. I was very much looking forward to giving birth and it was such a sweet experience to have. I was able to catch Chester myself as he was born in the water in our living room. Matt was in the tub with me and our midwives and doula were there supporting me (though they only arrived an hour before he was born). It was a great way to welcome our baby love. I am working on writing my birth story for anyone who wants more details. There are so many wonderful moments to share about Chester's birth...

And, there are so many wonderful moments to share about his life. We have had many challenges already in the first two weeks. Matt had strep throat the first week. I got a really bad case of mastitis with a 103 degree fever, which made breastfeeding really painful. Our family was mostly bed-ridden for the first while. But, Chester is incredibly healthy, growing and changing each day. He is this amazing spirit who has arrived at the perfect time and place in this life. I feel like we know each other's souls deeply and I can't wait for you all to be able to share in his joyful, calm, deep, and wise energy.

I am calling this blog "Chester Thomas Knows" because each day that my mom was here (my parents stayed with us for the first week), she sang Chester a song that goes "Chester Thomas knows we love him. Chester knows, Chester knows..." It's become his little theme song and there are so many things this little guy knows! We want to share his life and development with our family and friends and so I figured this was a good way to do it! Plus, we can post pictures here for your viewing pleasure.

More to come. Stay tuned!