Happy One Week, Clay!

We are trying to soak up every second with this sweet baby.  It is hard to believe he has already been here a week!  It has been quite a whirlwind with Christmas and a little extra time in the NICU.  He seems to be doing great now and we are so thankful for a healthy baby boy.

At his one week well check he weighed 8 lbs 8 oz

and was 21 1/4 in long.

I love looking back at monthly pictures of the boys so I am determined to do the same with Clay.

Right now he still sleeps the majority of the day/night.  He is so quiet and hardly ever makes a peep.

If you look really closely at his heels in this picture you can see how beat up they are from all the needle pricks.  The nurses said he had great blood clotting mechanisms, but for drawing blood over and over it can make it a challenge.  We are so thankful that is done for now!

I have a feeling this will be a common sight during our monthly photo shoots.  Carson waited patiently right beside me until I told him it was his turn to hold Clay.  He is crazy about him!

Clay you are the perfect addition to our family!

Under the Lights

The day after Clay was born test results showed that his bilirubin levels were slightly raised.  The doctors believed this was due to our differing blood types.  They brought in the photo therapy lights for him to use in our room.  After half a day under the lights his levels were back down to where they needed to be. 

The hospital pediatrician had us come back up on Friday morning to test his levels again.  They were higher than when we left, but not quite in the high risk range.  They sent us home and told us to come back again on Saturday morning for another blood draw.

The nurses also encouraged us to put him in the sunlight as much as we could.  It was a cold cloudy day so we didn't have much opportunity.

We cranked up the heat and put him near a window with only a diaper, but Clay was not a big fan of this set up.

Laying on his tummy seemed like a better idea to him. :)

Saturday morning we took him back for another test which revealed his levels once again went up and he needed to be admitted to the NICU for more photo therapy.

For the first six hours he wasn't able to leave the lights even for feeding.  I was thrilled when they finally let us hold him for a bottle!

The nurses and doctors were so kind and gave us a room right across from him where Cole and I spent the night.  Clay stayed in the NICU for a little over 24 hours before we received the good news that he was free to go home.  

During this second hospital stay we were so thankful to have Nana and Poppa watch the big boys for us.  It was so nice for Cole and I both to be at the hospital with Clay and know our boys were having a wonderful time at home with their grandparents.

Christmas 2014

We were all up bright and early Christmas morning.

Santa knew just what these two Wild Kratt fans wanted!

We had a few special treats for breakfast and sang Happy Birthday to Jesus.

After breakfast the boys opened their gift from Cole and I.  We got Connor an Ipad mini and Carson got a Kindle Fire.  I think you can tell by the smiles that they were thrilled!

During his morning nap, Clay posed for a few pictures for us. :)  Love this sweet Christmas baby!

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Eve 2014

We were thrilled to all be together at home for Clay's first Christmas.  It was a big night at our house... Christmas, Santa, and our first night at home as a family of 5!  Before we headed to bed the boys decided to write Santa a note.

They left their notes next to his cookies and milk.

Then we finished the night with Connor reading us the Christmas story of Jesus' birth.  Carson helped act out the story with our nativity and then we were off to bed! 

Christma Eve at Mimi's

After an afternoon of settling in at home with Clay we headed down the street to Mimi's house for some chili.  We love being so close!

 

 The boys had a great time seeing everyone.

 We were sad that this year sickness kept us from seeing Kevin, Rachel, Owen, and Emma, but we knew it was best to keep Clay (and the rest of us) away from germs.  Not quite the Christmas plans we had hoped for, but we made the best of a not so great situation.

 Since we didn't know how long everyone would be sick the boys went ahead and opened their presents from Momma Lou and Papaw in case we didn't get to see them again.  

 The boys were thrilled to play with their new toys.

 After we enjoyed a delicious dinner we headed home to get ready for Santa.

Going Home

On Christmas Eve morning we were finally able to be discharged.  We quickly loaded up and headed home.  I love Clay's going home outfit from Mimi.  Perfect for my winter baby! 

Mimi and the big boys were waiting anxiously at home for their new brother to arrive.

They took Clay on a tour of his new house and even had him try out his new crib. :)

It was the perfect Christmas gift to be home with all 4 of my boys!