Danny's Latest

Giving the newborn napper in my pack-n-play a try...

Snoozing on Nana's porch...

We finally like our moby wrap. Makes me look and feel pregnant again in a really sweet way...

Steve Urkel baby...

Listening to a live Johnny Cash cover at the Tiki Bar...

C is for Croup

Sadly little Danny has come down with a mild case of croup. And because of his age, we had to be admitted to the hospital yesterday for precautionary measures. Lucky for us, he's such a bruiser and, despite for the characteristic "barking" cough when he cried, his symptoms really were mild. No fever or respiratory distress. Though staying overnight in the hospital was exhausting for us all, we're thankful for the precautions taken by our pediatrician and we're happy to say that he's on the mend!

Mommy was going a little stir crazy, so I must have taken 20 pictures of our stay. This one makes me so sad. For one, a baby in the hospital is always heartbreaking. Second of all, he looks more like a little boy than my 5 week old baby.

Impromptu Visit

Danny and I spent an impromptu afternoon and evening in Chapel Hill on Saturday with Gpa, Beth, Mac and Aunt Ali. It was a short visit, but so nice to see one another. It's a 6 hour roundtrip and Danny only cried a combined 20 minutes. Success!

Reunited with my daddy...

Mom & Dad

Post bath kisses with Mommy

Daddy "willing" the crying to stop

Snoozing on Mommy

Tiding Danny over between feedings

Danny at 1 Month

Still wearing his wet diaper to keep him happy (see below)

I can't believe it's been a month! It feels like May 20th was yesterday. Words can not express how much Jimmy and I love our little guy. We're in complete awe of him. He's such an amazing baby - much easier than a lot of other newborns (from what we've heard and read). At one month, he's starting to get super animated, looking around and making faces. He's been super alert since birth, but increasingly so every day. Below are some other tidbits about Danny at one month...

Weight: 8.4 lbs (Mine and Danny's weight minus my weight on our crappy scale at home)


Likes: Rocking in the rocking chair on the porch with anyone who will hold him, walks (in his stroller and in arms), his swing with music or crickets on, the kangaroo hold on daddy, tummy-to-tummy hold with mommy, (most of) Nana's singing, BATHS!, his adoring family.

Dislikes: Diaper changes, getting dressed (especially putting on pants), car rides, getting out of the bath.

The only paci he'll take (though begrudingly at first)...

Sleeping: Can't complain a bit. As a newborn, he obviously sleeps a lot, getting in little naps all day. Mommy takes at least one nap most days as well. At night he sleeps for 3 to 5 1/2 hour stretches. A typical night goes something like this - put him in his crib at 10, sleep until 3 am, go back down at 3:45 and sleep until around 6am. One of the cutest things Danny does is squeaks and smiles when he first falls asleep like someone just told him a joke in his dreams.

Eating: I'm very happy to say that nursing is going well. I'm confident he is getting what he needs and I'm enjoying the bond. He eats every two to four hours depending. All is well on the feeding front!

Just hanging (with the hiccups) in my Nap Nanny content as can be...

Practicing our photo shoot. Sorry Danny!

Mommy and Daddy love you so much Danny!

Danny's Digs

I was such a go-getter prego lady that I killed my seamstress, aka my mom or Nana, to finish Danny's nursery before his arrival and here it is 4 weeks after his birth and I'm just now posting pics! Not that any of our readers want this level of detail, but since when have I cared :)

Crib: Davinci Emily from Target
Crib skirt: Homemade by my mom
"Danny" Yarn Letters: Tutorial here
Curtains: JCPenney's plain white curtains (here) + yellow pom poms from Joanns sewn on by my mom
Rug: Urban Outfitters (here) + heavy duty rug pad
Wall paint: Benjamin Moore "Gray Horse"

Dresser: Bought on Craigslist for $60. Bottom was painted aqua and top was refinished with a dark stain
Changing Station: Pad cover from Etsy (here), sailboat storage from Pottery Barn Kids (here), basket from Target, lamp from Home Goods
Rocker: Family heirloom
Ottoman: Bought at a consignment store and reupholstered in navy/white houndstooth by me and my my mom.
Wall Art: Jack Johnson lyric hand painted on a canvas from Michaels by me and Stef
Quilt: Handmade by my Aunt Cherie

Shelf: 6 cube unit from Lowes and baskets from Target
Surf Art: Local Carolina Beach artist (Daddy's contribution to the nursery decoration)

Blueberry Festival

Saturday me, my mom and Stefanie took Danny to the Blueberry Festival in Burgaw, NC, about an hour away from Carolina Beach. While the outing was fun, we were so disappointed in the variety of blueberry foods. Blueberry tea and blueberry ice cream was the extent of it. No blueberry pastries - craziness! So we bought a flat of blueberries and made our own cobbler on Sunday. It was delicious!

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 1 cup white sugar, or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 6 tablespoons white sugar
• 5 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup milk
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 pinch ground cinnamon

Directions

1. Lightly grease an 8 inch square baking dish. Place the blueberries into the baking dish, and mix with vanilla and lemon juice. Sprinkle with 1 cup of sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of flour, then stir in the tablespoon of melted butter. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, stir together 1 3/4 cups of flour, baking powder, and 6 tablespoons sugar. Rub in the 5 tablespoons butter using your fingers, or cut in with a pastry blender until it is in small pieces. Make a well in the center, and quickly stir in the milk. Mix just until moistened. You should have a very thick batter, or very wet dough. You may need to add a splash more milk. Cover, and let batter rest for 10 minutes.
3. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Spoon the batter over the blueberries, leaving only a few small holes for the berries to peek through. Mix together the cinnamon and 2 teaspoons sugar; sprinkle over the top.
4. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the top is golden brown. A knife inserted into the topping should come out clean - of course there will be blueberry syrup on the knife. Let cool until just warm before serving. This can store in the refrigerator for 2 days.

Relaxing in the shade

Being serenaded by Nana

Happy Father's Day

To Jimmy: Happy 1st Father's Day! Danny is beyond blessed to have you for a daddy and I couldn't be luckier to have you as my partner in the wonderful adventure of parenthood. We love you so much!!

To Dad & Dan: Happy Father's (and Grandfather's) Day! Thank you so much for being such amazing fathers. I just can't wait to see you as grandpas to our children. Lots of love and fun to be had by all!!

 Missing you Grandpa Heintzelman. You would have loved our Danny boy...

Danny these days...

Chips and salsa at El Cazador in CB. I kid.

Swimming in a hand-me-down from Amie...

Fail. And rather traumatic for both parties. I'll try again soon.

At doctor's appointment to confirm weight gain is on track.

Mommy's fattening reward for fattening up her little man. Nursing is a no joke calorie burner.

Tummy Time & Faces

Lifting his head so much that we're practicing tummy time for a few minutes each day...

Hamming it up with mommy...

Looking so angelic. I love how he holds his hands when he sleeps...

May or may not be doing a number in his drawers...

First Bath...

...And he loved it.

Getting out of the warm water and being dried off was another story...

Poor guy. His little alligator towel is super cute though. Thanks Grandma Martha!

Beaching it

Chilling under the awesome sunshade from Gpa

Waves and the ocean breeze do wonders

Lazy Days

Catching flies with Nana...

Coordinating outfits with Auntie Stef...

Having a little convo with Mommy...

Practicing putting on my moby wrap with the stuffed penguin Chris Atkinson got Danny. I've since worn the thing twice without inserting Danny. I'm scared. Amie - I need you to magically appear here from Cali to help me :)

Danny got his first package in the mail - an adorable, customized book from Amie, Ben, Lucy and Wyatt.  I can't wait to read it to Danny!

Namesake & 2 Week Birthday

Danny got to meet his namesake this past weekend, Granddad Dan O'Connor, and Grandma Marisol! For the most part, the ladies took it pretty easy just hanging around the house and taking turns holding the little guy. The men, on the other hand, went all out and fished both Saturday and Sunday. See below for the fruits of their labor and the main course of our dinner on Saturday night. But first, Danny meets Granddad and Grandma!

"Singing" Grandma Marisol a very pretty song

Danny thinking Granddad is pretty awesome

Granddad's slot Red Drum

Uncle Kevin's keeper Flounder 

On Sunday, Danny turned 2 weeks old! We celebrated by having lunch out at Havanas, which Danny thought was pretty cool, and then - very exciting - met the beach for the first time. It was, naturally, love at first sight, smell and touch. 

Momma looking stoned (but just tired) and her birthday boy

Chilling at Havanas

Big happy family post lunch

Nana letting Danny get a few minutes of vitamin D

And last but not least, to commemorate his 2 week birthday, Danny decided it was time to lose his babyish cord in lieu of a much cuter belly button.