Merry Christmas Eve

We are spending our first Christmas eve together as a family at our home in Dallas. I wanted to start the tradition of spending Christmas eve and Christmas morning here together so that Frank can always expect Santa to come to our house. Then tomorrow morning we will drive to Houston to spend the rest of Christmas and all of next week with my family. Even though baby Frank does not understand Christmas, or Santa, or presents yet, I am so excited to share my absolute favorite holiday with him, and I know that it will only get more fun as he gets older. I hope everyone has a fantastic Christmas!

I love my auntie!

so determined during tummy time!

I love my auntie!

hello blue eyes!

mama's boy

Katy brought Frank the ball! So cute.

I see that smile!

My little boy is getting big!

This morning I took Frank in for another weight check at the pediatrician's office, and I am pleased to report that he now weighs 9 lbs 5 ounces, and the doctor was very happy with this weight gain. He is finally back on track and is in the 44th percentile for weight. They did not measure him again this visit, but he seems to be getting taller to me as well. I think he will be tall and skinny like his Daddy!

Happy One Month Birthday!

Yesterday was my baby boy's one month birthday! It is amazing to me that he is already a month old. In most ways, the time has completely flown by. But then again, in some ways it is hard to remember what life was like before he arrived. He has completely stolen my heart, and I cannot wait to continue to watch him grow! He has just started learning how to really smile, and it absolutely melts my heart every time he does it. Last night Aunt Allison came over and baby Frank fell asleep in my arms while we watched a movie. It was one of the most precious things I have ever seen. Happy one-month birthday Frankie!!

my little monkey

after our visit with Santa

i love Aunt Allison!

birthday photo shoot with Mommy

tired of all the pictures already!

Santa baby

Today we took little Frankie to the Galleria to go see Santa. It was amazing--we must have got there at just the right time, because we did not even have to wait in line and got to see Santa right away. We dressed baby Frank up in one of his many adorable Christmas outfits, and, like usual, he slept the entire time we were out. Frank and I are feeling much better and have fully recovered from our stomach bugs. Thankfully, baby Frank has not gotten sick and we are all doing well!

Sick

The Bernardo household has caught some sort of stomach bug! Sunday night Frank was finishing up his accounting homework and I was sleeping on the couch and taking care of the baby. He woke me up to proofread his assignment, and I felt extremely nauseous and feverish. I finished editing his paper, and then I tried to drink some water, thinking I may just be dehydrated. Unfortunately, I could not even keep water down and proceeded to throw up all night long. Frank was supposed to go to Kansas for work on Monday, but he didn't want me to risk getting Baby Frank sick, so he called in sick to work and stayed home. I spent all day yesterday in bed, and Frank took care of the baby. By about 6:00 last night, Frank started to feel sick himself. Since I was feeling better, I took the night shift so that Frank could get some rest. I think that we are both on the upswing, and I am feeling much better today for sure. We are now just crossing our fingers and praying that Baby Frank does not get sick!! I called my doctor yesterday, and he told me that continuing to feed Baby Frank my breastmilk would help protect him from the stomach bug, because the milk contains the antibodies my body created to help fight off the virus. So hopefully all of my hard work with the breastfeeding and pumping will pay off!

Week with Nana

Baby Frank and I spent this week with Nana, and it was quite the adventure! Frank left on Monday to go out of town for work, and my Mom came up to help me out. She was a huge help! We had a lot of firsts this week, and a few unexpected complications which I could not have handled without her. On Tuesday, I developed an infection that forced me to stop breastfeeding, get medicine for myself, get medicine for Frank, and go buy, and start using, a pump. Between the pump and supplementing with formula, I feel like we are washing and sterilizing bottles non-stop! I am only able to get approximately 1-2 ounces of milk every time I pump, so it is no wonder that Frank was not gaining weight when I was exclusively breastfeeding. I do not have enough milk to keep him satisfied! And especially this last week, since he has been eating like crazy. I think he is definitely going through a growth spurt. He no longer fits into his newborn size clothes and is now wearing the next size up. I am so happy that my baby boy is growing!

My mom was a HUGE help with everything while she was here, from cleaning, cooking, doing laundry, and cleaning bottles to playing with Katy and helping take care of the baby. He had a couple of nights that he did not sleep well, and she started calling him "Cranky Frankie." But for the most part, he was a good boy! We took him out on a couple of walks around the neighborhood, which he loves, and we took him to the Galleria one day so that we could get some Christmas shopping done and to Olive Garden to meet Allison for lunch one day. On both of our outings, he slept the entire time. It was great to make those first trips with my Mom so that I could figure out how to work the car seat and stroller with backup in case I needed it.

This weekend my Dad came in town to visit, and my parents took care of the baby at night so that Frank and I could have a break and get some much-needed rest. I slept for almost 7 hours straight on Friday night and for 8 hours total on Saturday. It was great! Nana and Grandpa also watched Baby Frank on Saturday night so that Frank and I could have a date and get out of the house for a little bit. We went to Mi Cocina and I had fajitas and margaritas. It was wonderful! I missed Frank a lot when he was gone last week, and it was so nice to have a few hours by ourselves. Thank you so much Grandpa & Nana--we really appreciate it!!

Frank leaves again tomorrow to go to Kansas for work, and I will be on my own this week. I am a little nervous, but I think I am ready! It is nice to know that my Mom is on standby in Houston in case I need her.

Here are some pictures from this week:

first trip to the Galleria

cuddle buddy

visit from Miss Ashlee

visit from Miss Kristin

cute little monkey in my monkey outfit from Miss Diana

Grandpa hates my mittens

mama's little monkey

Grandpa and my big boy

chillin in my boppy

First weekend on my own & first week without Daddy

Today Frank left to go out of town for work for the first time since Baby Frank was born. We sure do miss him already! Thankfully my Mom came into town to help me out while he is gone. We took Baby Frank to the doctor this morning to check on his weight gain, and the doctor said that he is doing much better. We are going to stick with the breastfeeding and continue to supplement with formula when he needs it. It was a huge relief to get this good news! The picture above is from this morning. It was really cold here, so I dressed Frank up in this cute cuddly bear jacket.

This weekend Frank did his military reserve training and left me alone to take care of Baby Frank. He was such a good boy this weekend--it made my job pretty easy! He has been sleeping so much better at night lately. The last two nights, he slept for a 4-hour stretch followed by two 3-hour stretches. He would probably have slept longer too if I had not woken him up to eat twice. He has been much happier and more content since we have been giving him formula after we nurse, which makes me a lot happier too!

On Saturday, my good friends Lindsey & Diana came up to Dallas from Houston with their boyfriends to meet Baby Frank. It was so good to see them! Lindsey brought me Starbucks and a cupcake, and Diana and Enrique brought Baby Frank his first Christmas presents! It was so good to see everyone and catch up. Baby Frank was a very good boy for his visitors. Here are some pictures from the weekend:

Frank, baby Frank, and Miss Katy Didd

proud papa

posing with Daddy

me, Diana, and Baby Frank

Lindsey and Baby Frank

The most wonderful time of the year!

I absolutely adore Christmas, and the entire month of December. I have always been the person in my family who wanted to decorate as early as possible. I love the traditions associated with Christmas, and I love how Christmas time evokes the spirit of thoughtfulness, warmth, and family. When my family was in town for Thanksgiving, they begrudgingly helped me decorate my house for Christmas. I love that I will get to enjoy all the decorations for an entire month!

stockings

kitchen table centerpiece

entry table

dining room centerpiece

This year we are going to celebrate Christmas with my family in Houston. I can't wait to celebrate our first Christmas with our baby boy!

Newborn pictures!!

Yesterday we had a professional photographer, Leslie Lane, come out to the house to take Frank's newborn pictures. It was a very interesting experience, that is for sure!! We had to keep Frank asleep and naked for most of the pictures, which was quite the task. He showed his displeasure with the whole situation by peeing on me three times!! Thank goodness he managed not to pee or poop on any of our nice furniture. Leslie posted a bunch of the pictures on Facebook, and I absolutely adore them.

Without further adieu, Baby Frank's photo debut: