Growth spurt~~!!!

So apparently Mark has gained more than a pound this last week! I had to take him to the doctor last week Monday and then again this Wednesday because his right eye was gooey (just a clogged tear duct, I guess that happens often with babies). Last week, he weighed 10.1lbs, and this week he weighed 11.7lbs! On the same scale! A bunch of his newborn onesies are too short for him now, so I would say he has gone through his first growth spurt! =o)

Hehe, Mark is now loosing his newborn baby hair, too. Right now it makes him look like a little professor with a receding hairline! =o))

I am a month old now!!!

I am growing so quickly! I spend much more time awake, and love watching the world around me attentively. I make lots of faces, and smile at a few people now (lots at my Momma). I like making little sounds when I am happy. I can also cry REALLY LOUDLY if I am unhappy... but my Momma can make the world all better. =o) My Momma and I miss my Dad... and love him very much!

Message from the desert

This is a picture of my dad. He's in Iraq, but he'll be home by the end of the year and I'll get him all to myself! Well, almost. In case you can't read the note, it says "I love you Mark!"...

...this has been Mark's first month!

I am 45 minutes old, and REALLY hungry!
Dad got to hold me until they were done sewing my Momma up after the c-section...
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Hey! Who are you?!
More zzzzzzzzzzzzz
This is cozy!
Dad's hand is bigger than my head!
Dad and me
...yeah, I'm cute, I know...
...have I mentioned that I like to sleep?
Dad's hand and mine...
...my sleepy profile...
...yes, yes, yes, me sleeping again!
Hey! Who woke me up?
I like naked time!
...this couch is comfy...
...yay! More naked time!
...my first bath... I think I like it!
...and getting dried off...
I'm wide awake now!
...and can hold up my head!
...this is the tail end of a smile... you have to be really quick to catch it on camera... but my Momma makes me smile a lot, so you will get a picture of a BIG smile soon!

It's about time!

Mark Benjamin Bradley was born on June 25th 2006, at 5:50 pm. He weighed 9.5 lbs (4330g) and was 21.5 inches (55cm) long... a BIG healthy strapping baby boy!

Hi!
Now that Mark is 4 weeks old, and we are starting to get more of a routine down, I decided that it is about time to start a blog for him! Mostly, this blog is here so friends and family can see the newest pictures and watch him grow. And maybe some of you can be enticed to come visit us and see for yourself just how cute he is!!!!

The birth itself was long and hard... 36 hours of labor without meds, and then a c-section at the end. I can say though that it was ABSOLUTELY WORTH IT!!!! Mark is a cute, handsome, healthy little guy who has brought a whole lot of joy into our lives! He sleeps between 4 and 6 hours at a time at night, nurses well, and doesn't cry much. My Mom jokes that Mark was 9 days "late" because he had to finish reading the "how to be a good baby" books. =o)

Mark's Dad had to go back to Iraq when Mark was just 10 days old... we can hardly wait to have him back with us... Let me take a moment to say "I love you Babe!!! You are my hero!"

What Mark can do so far: hold his head, smile (not just the gassy face, it's a real smile!), and if he gets frustrated about being on his tummy during "tummy time" he sometimes flips over onto his back!

Hope you all enjoy our blog! =o)