8 Weeks Already!

It is truly amazing to think that Keith and I have been parents for 8 weeks already! It seems like it has been a lifetime as well as a blink of an eye. Time is truly a funny concept when you really sit and think about it. So if you don't have too much time right now, you may not finish reading this long posting :)

Before rambling on about how cute and wonderful Axel is we want to give a big congrats and shout out to the new addition to the family. My cousins, Kristi and Kris, welcomed Sophie Grace into the world yesterday. We do have to say that we are a little jealous of how "short" Kristi's labor and delivery sounded, but glad that someone in the family had a better experience! Yeah for the McFarren's!!!!

This past week we were blessed with another visit from Grandma Susan. Gamma arrived early on Thursday and we had a great time playing and going for a walk. We also enjoyed a lovely walk on Friday and a well needed trip to Babies R Us. Gamma couldn't believe all of the new "cool things" that have been invented since she had Auntie Shannon and I. We bought Axel a fun new chair that he can use as a booster chair for restaurants and to practice sitting in at home. He is still a little young for it, but Gamma and I couldn't resist trying it out and seeing how Axel looked in it. As you can see from the picture he doesn't quite have the head control he needs to sit unattended, but we know he will get there soon enough.

Gamma enjoyed seeing how much Axel has grown and how much more interactive he has become. Gamma also loved playing with Axel in his play gym. Mommy was almost a little worried that Axel forgot who mommy was after spending over 4 hours alone with Gamma. He absolutely lights up when Gamma plays with him and kisses his feet. He actually slept on Gamma for almost 2 hours while we all watched a movie on Friday night. It is so wonderful to see how close Gamma and Axel have already become. Keith and I feel so blessed to have one set of Grandparents relatively close by.

Gamma left Saturday afternoon and Keith and I got Axel ready for his first birthday party. Keith's close college friend Mike was having a birthday celebration and was looking forward to meeting little Axel in person. His wife, Vanessa, and him picked out a couple of special "party" onesies that you may or may not like depending on your sense of humor. I wasn't thrilled about what the onesie said, but I do have to say that Axel looked super cute and was the center of attention as everyone thought he was the cutest thing ever!!! Unfortunately, we had to head home early as the music got too loud for mommy to handle, although Axel didn't seem to mind much at all :)

I will keep this short since daddy wanted to write up the rest of the weekend. Mommy is glad daddy finally participated in the blog, but wants to apologize for those of you who are not local or who are not into racing bikes. It is a little hard to follow if you are not familiar with the area or bike racing, but still enjoyable to see daddy's excitement on the past few days events!

from daddy:

Daddy enjoyed his time with Axel on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings after work when Mommy got out to get some riding done. The pair had fun watering the small vegetable garden, throwing the Frisbee for the dogs, eating, burping, and doing some yelling and screaming. Axel likes to use Daddy's (and mommy's) finger as a chew-toy for his pre-teething gums. Axel has fun in his swing in the kitchen when I'm cooking the food that Mommy pre-prepared and singing to the radio.

Gamma's (Grandma Burgess) visit made it easier for me to get food prepared, do laundry, work on the bikes, and take the dogs for walks while Mommy was able to get out for another evening ride, rest, or do other things briefly in the evening before dinner. The special visit also allowed Brianne and I to get out for our 'big' weekend ride to Half Moon Bay together. Unfortunately, after climbing King's Mountain, we encountered treacherous winter-like weather on Skyline on the way north to 92. We were unprepared for the wet weather with 20mph sideways wind and dropping 45 degree temps on the descent. By the time we got to 92, we both agreed to go right and head back to this side of the mountains and skip our 92 adventure. I had planned to introduce Brianne to the Purissima Trail climb on the dirt - 2000+ feet of climbing on the dirt path with sections of 20%. However, the coastal fog and blistering conditions rerouted our plans. I didn't even have gloves on so I probably complained more than Brianne. Finally halfway back on Canada Road, the weather turned sunny and less cold (60ish). We still got coffee (in Woodside however) and listened to stories of other riders' adventures on Skyline that day. I don't know if anybody else did the Kings - 92 section of Skyline that morning, but I feel bad for them if they did.

We adventured around sunny Los Altos Hills instead and salvaged a 3hr 30min. ride out of the morning that wouldn't have been possible without Gamma watching Axel. Axel was very happy when we got home and he had a great time with his grandmother. I realized that he wasn't screaming with Gamma much at all like he does when I hold him, so it is either a phase where he's screaming when held by somebody other than a woman or Daddy just has to spend a little more time with him. Brianne showed me some more comfortable ways to hold him so that he may be less fussy and I am going to start to work on those. He likes it when I put Dave Matthews Band on the CD player and sing to him, but that might get a little old.

On Monday, we headed to Memorial Day Crit in Morgan Hill so that we could both race consecutive races and swap-off care for Axel. We had the plan for Brianne to ride the trainer as I cared for Axel. Then I could watch him and ride the trainer while she raced. After she was done, I was going to race and she would take care of Axel. Basically, that is how it went, but we learned several things. First, its difficult to take port-a-potty trips while caring for Axel. The port-a-potties at Memorial Day Crit are unfortunately really, really far away. They are good for getting to on your bike, but the walk there can take a really long time. Second, it really helps to have a friend or somebody else not racing help out. Tracey showed up with her little girl to watch her friends on another women's team race. She was a real angel and helped watch and hold Axel (when he got a little fussy) while I was able to change, move the camp closer to the race course, get stuff out of the car, and make my last port-o-potty run right before my race. I actually thought that I would get a trainer ride in for a warm up before my race, but I didn't relax enough while Brianne was racing to want to put Axel down and get on the trainer. He ate out of a bottle that was pre-prepared from him and bounced around on Daddy's lap and Tracey's shoulder while we yelled for Brianne out on the course. Brianne, in less than 8 weeks back from giving birth had a good race and finished strong. We actually saw her start to make her move to the front at the end of the race after staying out of harm's way for most of the race and getting her race legs back. She looked awesome out there and really impressed everybody that was cheering for her. Lots of girls got popped off the back and didn't finish the race but she stuck in there. A small crash that she had to avoid in the beginning of the race scared her from helping her teammates out at the front, but she settled in for a solid finish in the pack where she knew she would stay upright. It was a very successful return to crit racing for her.

Daddy's 1 minute warm up to swap front wheels with Mommy before his race was enough to get loosened up. I felt good and open during the race, maybe it was the nice weather, lack of allergies, or just sheer pride that Brianne and Axel were there watching. Although I didn't finish in the top 15 (out of the prizes) I tried my best to get in a few moves and make Brianne proud. Nothing was successful. I helped pull back one of the big moves of the race with a good effort at the front so that my teammate could make a good shot at a strong finish and he finished 6th.

We packed up, headed home, fed the doggies, cooked, cleaned, and went to bed with another great week in the record books. Plans for this week include a shortened work week, a pediatrician appointment for Axel's 2 month checkup, some riding, maybe some racing on the weekend, and some time with friends. There's almost too much to do - we just need a little more time in each and every day!

I finished the workweek with one of my best circuit ideas so far and spent Friday trying to simulate it at work. It was an odd occurrence to want to get more done at work as the day was ending on Friday. During the weekend, I couldn't wait to get back to work on Tuesday after the holiday to get the new idea simulated, built, tested, and shown proudly to management. High power factor LED AC lighting without 120Hz or 100Hz of LED flicker with a new LED current feedback technique. Don't worry if you don't know what that means, it just means that I shouldn't be laid off anytime soon.

Thanks for reading! Hope you all have a great week. We can't wait to learn how big Axel is at our Dr.'s appt. coming up this Friday. Please keep little Axel in your prayers as he gets his first round of shots. Mommy and daddy our quite nervous about the whole thing, but know everything will work out.

Happy Birthday Gamma Susan, Kendra, Great Grandma Burgess and Great Grandma Goldstein!!!!!!!!!!!

Axel is 7 weeks!

I am excited to say that "project crib" is completed. Axel has been consistently sleeping in his crib until 5-6 a.m. every day. He is doing a great job of sleeping 4-5 hours and then after waking around 2-3 a.m., he is then able to sleep another 2-3 hours more before I have to bring him into our bed. I know I shouldn't but lying there for an extra hour even if I am half awake is soooo nice. Who wants to get up at 5 a.m. anyways?! I was just telling Keith this morning if I could only get uninterrupted sleep during the time Axel is sleeping I would be much better off. I am not sure why I am having so much trouble, but I am the one waking 4-6 times a night. I wake to use the restroom 1-3 times, then for Axel, and last for Keith's early morning snack! Oh, the blessings of being a light sleeper, argh!

Now, I am constantly being reminded that I am going to be getting a new baby every couple of weeks. This can be a good or a bad thing when it comes to the sleeping situation. I rather not be teased with a child that sleeps well initially and then has major issues as time progresses. The reason why I am rambling on about this is because I noticed gum changes on Sunday as Axel was yawning. I told Keith at the 4 week mark that Axel had started drooling. From the books I read babies start to drool more and more as the teething process progresses. Being a first time mom I had no idea how long the drooling can precede the teething. I was hoping it would be months, but I don't think we are going to be this lucky based on our experience last night and yet again this morning.

I thought I had figured out all of Axel's cries and complaints. We were in a great routine and loving life....until last night. Axel had just ate, burped, spit up and had his wet, poopy diaper changed. I was holding him, rocking him, shhhhh'ing him and he was still crying. I had tried putting him down, reading to him, playing with him, so finally I decided to pick him up and put my finger in his mouth to see if I could help what my motherly instincts were telling me. Unfortunately, I was right. Axel quieted down immediately as he gently chewed on my finger for the next 10 minutes. This calmed him down enough so that I could finally swaddled him and rock him to sleep. I think he was in enough discomfort he didn't want to eat. It was the first time in a couple of weeks that he refused to nurse before going to bed. Typically, nursing him is what helps him get ready for bed and to fall asleep. I was shocked and praying that he would be able to sleep his usual 4-5 hours. I felt incredibly lucky that he still managed to sleep until 2:30 a.m. considering the last time that he ate was around 8pm. Now I am really looking forward to his next Dr.'s appt. on the 29th. I just want some confirmation that she agrees he is teething. I tried to snap a photo of his gums. If you look closely you can see his teeth buds through the gums. He has 6 on top and two on the bottom. In this photo you can only see two on the left upper front and one on the right.

Another funny thing Axel just started in the past few days is winking. I know that he is not intentionally doing this, but it is the cutest thing. He can do it on both sides. He does it three or 4 times in a row when he is smiling and laughing. I have also come to the conclusion that despite the fact that I believe I am making Axel smile and laugh I still think it is spontaneous and without my stimulation. I would like to think his happiness is in response to me, but I know he still smiles right before he poops. This "reflex", I will call it, is quite funny. How come we stop smiling when we have bowel movements as older children and adults? Maybe we would be happier people if we learned to smile in response to our bodily functions :) (This photo is for GandG Sonia and Bruce. I just wanted to show off another onesie they purchased for Axel)

Physically, Axel is also making leaps and bounds of progress. He can almost lift his head to 90 degrees on his stomach. He has been bearing weight through his legs for 3 weeks now and he is able to stand for longer and longer periods of time (when being supported, of course). He is also using his hands more and more. He has a great time reaching for his jungle friends in his animal play gym. He continues to surprise himself when he actually makes contact with the giraffe and monkey that dangle above him. My favorite new ability of Axel's is his ability to track objects in front of him, i.e. me. For example, I put Axel in the center of our king size bed and dump our clean laundry around him. I then watch him watch me go from side to side folding our clothes and placing the folded clothes in "daddy" and "mommy" piles. I hate to admit it but he smiles and laughs much more when I say "daddy's shirt" or something of the sort. Maybe he is getting use to me always saying mommy...... and daddy sounds more exciting :)

Well, the little angel is sleeping soundly in his play gym. We are looking forward to Grandma Susan visiting again. She is arriving Thursday afternoon and is staying until Saturday afternoon. Keith and I are excited to get to ride together again. I even went out and bought a manual hand breast pump so that we can go for a 4+ hour ride. I can't wait to enjoy my coffee in the bathroom as I pump at our usual half way pit stop! I will be sure to take more photos of Axel with Grandma and post them next week. Hopefully Axel will have a new second cousin by next week! Good luck Kristi and Kris!!!!!

I wanted to show off Keith's new haircut in this picture. We went to a BBQ this past Friday and one of our friends actually said, "Hopefully Axel will get Keith's hair." If you don't know Keith has 3 colicks and very thick, wavy hair. It is a complete nightmare. At any rate, we were really excited that he actually received such a HUGE compliment!

I wanted to show how much Axel has grown. This outfit was huge on him when we took his first photos in it. I had a hard time pulling it above his shoulders because he is almost too long for it!

Axel is 6 weeks old!

We have had an exciting week since we wrote last. I had my postpartum check up on Wed. I was a little nervous since I didn't exactly listen to the Dr's orders by getting on my bike around the 2 week mark instead of waiting until 4-6 weeks to "heal." I was excited to know that I passed with flying colors and didn't "hurt" my stitches or anything. I was a little offended though, when she called Axel a cute, bald baby. He has hair, I thought to myself, just not a lot of it. Oh well, I guess I am going to be a defensive mother. I will have to start working on that :)Grandma and Grandpa Burgess arrived on Thursday and we have been non stop ever since.

Grandma and Grandpa Burgess

We were all pretty hungry when they arrived so the 4 of us went out to eat at my favorite Mexican place....Fiesta Del Mar! We were bummed that Keith couldn't join us, but Axel and I enjoyed our first dinner out on the town, however brief it was. We amazingly were gone for exactly 1 hour.That included the car ride there and back. Great food at lightening speed!

Friday our big trip was to the bike shop so that Grandpa and Grandma could check out touring bikes at my favorite bike shop, The Bicycle Outfitter. We all learned lots about comfort/touring bikes and Dad and Sonia now have a good idea of what they are looking for. Axel was a complete angel and slept the entire 3 hours. Actually it seemed like he slept most of the day, which made for a rough night, but we will talk more about that later. For dinner, Grandpa grilled up some yummy burgers and sweet potato fries and we all enjoyed a nice relaxing evening.

Saturday we headed out to Sacramento so Axel could meet great grandma and pa Burgess, and his second cousins Michaela, Dustin and their son Landon as well as his great Aunt Ginny.

Great Grandpa Burgess looking young and mighty handsome

Great Grandma Burgess striking her pose

Michaela and Landon with Mommy and me

Great Aunt Ginny the baby pro and grandma of twins :)

I was a bit nervous about the long trip, but Axel slept the entire drive to and from Sacramento without a single cry or complaint. He actually slept most of the day, so we all enjoyed a nice quite, relaxing day. I guess traveling and socializing tires us all out!

Sunday I rode out to Half Moon Bay to meet Keith, Axel and the grandparents at our favorite coffee shop/cafe. It was a beautiful day. We all enjoyed a delicious lunch and then went to the beach. It was a bit cold so we didn't stay long before heading back to the house. So I drove back with the parents and Axel while Keith hopped on his bike and headed for the hills.

Daddy and me in Half Moon Bay

Grandpa petting the iguana we saw in HMB. oops, did I forget to mention that earlier?!

Grandpa striking a pose at the beach

Along with Dad and Sonia visiting our big project this week I deemed, "Project Crib". It was my goal after doing more reading, to start working on Axel's sleeping and to start to getting him comfortable sleeping in his own crib. Phase 1 of Project Crib consisted of me re-swaddling him. One of my friends was given the advice to try and swaddle her daughter again despite her not liking it initially. This was great advice because Axel did so much better this time around and seems to like it and find comfort in it. So after 2 days of swaddling him in our bed I decided to go ahead and try out the crib. The first day he lasted 5 hours. he did a 3 hour and 2 hour stint and then fussed for an hour so I gave in and brought him into our bed. This happened again the second night as well. However, the third night was Friday night which did not go nearly as well. He didn't want to go to sleep and then he would wake every time I put him down so by midnight I decided forget the crib and have him sleep with us. Axel pretty much fussed the entire night, but we somehow made it through.

Luckily the past three days he seems to be in the same routine where he easily does the 3 hour and 2 hour stint back to back. It is the final 2-3 hour stint that starts between 4 and 5 am that is difficult. He has to poop so much that he fusses and fusses, but when I pick him up and bring him in the bed with us he settles down and is able to fall asleep. I am not sure why lying on me on his stomach is better for the poop situation than being swaddled on his back in his crib, but for now those couple of hours of extra sleep is worth him sleeping in our bed. I hope to report him making a full 7-8 hours in his crib by next week so please keep us in your prayers :)Here are a few other favorite pictures of the week.

tummy time at great grandma's house

Daddy being silly as usual

Mommy and I finally have a good picture together!

One Month and Counting!

This note may initially seem like it is all about me, but I have to write about my morning because it reminded me how we as a human race are fundamentally good. SO........................I had been wondering if I was still hormonal, or should I say "if my hormones were still settling in to normalcy." Lets just say what happened this morning confirmed this.


As I headed out on my ride I saw a runner or two running along Foothill. Within a few minutes I realized that this was " the relay" from Calistoga to Santa Cruz. I have seen this race/run many times over the years. For some reason I tend to go up highway 9 the same day they do the race nearly every year. At any rate, this is a grueling race on foot, up and down rollers and mountains. I have so much respect for the man who has the "leg" down the backside of highway 9. Can you imagine 6-10 miles of downhill running! In cycling the downhill is a blessing, but in running, from what I remember, is an absolute thigh/quad buster. Now, what does this have to do with my hormones? Well......I was brought to tears, mind you as I was getting an endorphine rush (these two things typically don't go hand in hand), when I saw a gentleman struggling to complete his 6 mile leg and his teammates were cheering him on. "Only .9 miles to go". This fellow barely had enough energy to drink water that his teammate was giving him. It was absolutely inspirational. I had the joy of cheering on over 50 + runners throughout my 2 hour ride. I felt it was one of the moments/events when God was telling me not to take anything for granted. On top of this I ran into an old friend on highway 9 and had the pleasure of riding with her for a couple of miles before I had to turn off and head home. I was especially glad that I didn't turn down my opportunity to ride today, having had time to really think about others and how people every day make sacrifices for others. The moral of the story is every small act can add up to one large act of kindness that can make a huge difference in someone's life!!


Now, back to Axel. Since I wrote last, Axel has officially completed his 1st month of life. This was very exciting. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to take photos of him on his 1 month birthday because we went to see the dermatologist. In the end I wish we would have skipped the dermatologist because it ended up being somewhat of a waste of time. However, the good thing is that I know what I am "supposed" to do to take care of Axel's dry skin. So we learned that he is not supposed to use any soap or lotion at all. He should use soapless cleansors and petroleum jelly for anything that needs to be moisturized. Funny that soap and lotion can be "bad" for someone's skin :)


Yesterday we went to go watch Keith race one of my favorite races, Cat's Hill. It was so much fun to see everyone. I just wish that we had more time to visit. We were there for 4 hours, but the day still seemed rushed because I spent over an hour trying to feed Axel during Keith's race so we missed out on visiting more of our friends. I am still learning that in a baby's world you have to eat, burp and poop when you need to eat, burp and poop....no questions or time lines allowed.


This afternoon I was able to take lots of photos of Axel because I really want to make sure I have a nice photo of him for every month of his life for his scrap book. I absolutely hate doing stuff like scrap booking, but it is amazing what those cute little eyes, cheeks and feet will make you do for them :) I really want Axel to have an idea of what his first years of life were like, since I know that I don't have many memories before the age of 6 or 7.

The big news for next week is Grandma and Grandpa Burgess (Dad and Sonia) are coming for a long weekend. We are very excited and can't wait to spend time with them. We are also going to make a day trip to Sacramento so Axel can meet his great grandparents (also on the Burgess side). This will be Axel's first "big" day trip with a 2+ hour ride each way. I would have never thought to attempt this alone, but with Dad and Sonia here to help I think that Axel will be able to make the 2 hour drive....or so I pray he will. I will be sure to post lots of pictures of next weeks' adventures, since it is going to be a busy one!

Until next time.......happy sleeping, for those of you who get to sleep :)















one of my new pj's I almost grew out of before wearing :)














That's going on over there?















Don't mess with me!



















I don't want to go to the Dermatologist!



















My new trick. I put my thumb inside my binkie....how smart am I?!














What? Is this not the pose you were going for mommy?














How about this one?














ok, this?














I give up...was this what you were looking for?














Tummy time!














Look at me.














Do I have to take a naked 1 month photo?















Sumo wrestler?mommy trying out the next diaper size!














see the difference in diaper size....no wonder why I can't put my legs together

Axel's 4 week birthday!

Well, the past week has been a busy and fussy one. Axel has had longer periods of fussiness trying to get out all of his gas which has made some days go by without much rest or relaxation on either Axel's or my part. Yesterday was by far the worst day where Axel cried or fussed from 8:30 in the morning until 6pm at night with only 2 hours of napping the entire day. Boy, was I glad to see Keith when he got home from work. The funny thing was Axel was an absolute angel the rest of the night. He ate at 8pm, 10pm, 1am, 5am and then 6:30 am. I think it is really funny how unpredictable the days are.


Speaking of unpredictable....I have been doing more and more reading, which if you know me is not necessarily a good thing. I tend to over analyze EVERYTHING. Well, it is quite confusing and maybe you mom's out there can give me some insight. When the books talk about routines and feeding schedules and sleeping patterns are they referring to children 3 months and up or are they also including newborns? I have done everything exactly the opposite of what I thought I was going to do. For example, I gave Axel a bottle right away, within 1 week, because it was easier on me to pump for a couple of days in order to heal. Before he was born I told Keith we have to wait atleast 3 weeks before starting a bottle to avoid nipple confusion. We also have Axel sleep with us because it is easier for us all to sleep, where I was really opposed to this before Axel was born. We want to do what is best for him, so it is hard to know if we should start him on a more strict eating and sleeping schedule now, or wait until he is 2-3 months old before trying to get him to sleep in his own crib and to try to sleep for longer periods of time during the night. I know every child is different, but it is good to get some input and advice from real mothers and not just a few books who make generalizations.


Now onto the fun stuff. This week grammy Goodrow sent us the swing that we had wanted. So far I think Axel enjoys it, but he tends to fall asleep or get bored within 10 min or so, but then again we haven't actually put batteries in it so we are pushing it manually. We will have to see how he likes it once he gets the full effect with the music and constant swinging.

this is cool!

I am feeling sleepy!

what's over there on that big screen?

Axel and I also went to a rummage sale of used children items. Are two big finds were a starter kit of cloth diapers and diaper covers for $25 and What to expect, The first Year for $2. We were excited to finally have enough infant diapers to start using cloth diapers......now we just have to actually start using them and see how it goes :) Here are two pictures of me getting ready and waiting for mommy to get ready.

all set with my running shoes and bib to whip the sweat off...I hear shopping can be a workout

what are you doing in there mom? can we go now or what?

Our last cool new adventure was to our first bike race this past Sunday. Mommy and daddy brought almost the entire house to go for a 60 min bike race that was 45 min away! Good thing we brought everything because we used both infant carriers and the stroller. We also needed all of the extra clothes mommy brought because it went from cool to warm to cool again and of course mommy freaks out about me being too warm or too cold. Daddy had a great race and was glad to race with his teammates again.

Axel in the "feed zone", daddy's favorite picture of the week

Here are a couple of pictures of daddy time. Daddy and I seem to be hitting it off quite well and we really enjoy our time together. Too bad he has to leave for work all day every day! We will have to work on trying to have him work less. Maybe I can get a part time job or something!!! i have thought about auditioning for Gerber, but mom said no! Oh, well, I can't help but try!Ok, we love you all and hope to write more frequently. This one took mommy all day, so hopefully as I get older mom will have more time and these will start to make more sense. The 10 min here and there makes for a choppy note, but a choppy note is better than no note :)

Just a few more daddy. I feel it coming....don't tire out on me just yet. you only have been burping me for 10 min :)

all better......hey, it looks like daddy found my Easter shirt. how cute I would have been with the matching shirt....oh well, someone else will have to look cute wearing it next year

Axel's first Adventures

Axel and I have had an exciting past few days venturing out of the house on our own. On Sunday we met one of my girlfriends for tea. It was a funny sight with the two of us feeding our babies and changing poopy diapers infront of Peet's Coffee. Luckily, no one was offended and we only received warm smiles from those who past by.Monday was luckily a catch up on sleep and clean the house day so we laid low in the 94 degree weather and tried not to move too much. Our fans did a good enough job to keep the house from going above 85 degrees, but the sun beaming in through our very thin, huge windows didn't help keep us any cooler.Tuesday was the big day Keith and I have been waiting for. It was Axel's first Dr. appt. We couldn't wait to see how he was doing. We both thought it looked like he was growing by leeps and bounds and boy were we right. Axel grew an astounding 1 and 3/4 inches and 2 lbs!!! Axel was 20 and 3/4 inches and 8 and a half pounds!Here are a few pictures from his Dr. appt.

do I have to go?

all dressed and ready to go







showing off my 1 pack for the Dr.

Yeah!! I passed!!! Lets go eat mom!

Finally home...what a trip :)

Yesterday the big adventure was going to El Camino Hospital for low flow nipples and to the Bicycle Outfitter to pick up some parts that Keith had ordered before Axel's debut into this world. As usual Axel was a complete angel. He appears to have the same grand idea as our two pugs, showing off how good he is infront of others and saving his precious fussiness strictly for mommy and daddy. thank goodness for this. I wouldn't want it any other way :)This past week burping has definitely become easier, but eating seems to become more and more challenging. We often have to stop every 1-3 min to burp or pass gas. This equates to long feedings whether nursing or on the bottle. we are hoping to master this over the next week or so. All I have to say is I would not have survived and Axel wouldn't have gained so much weight if it wasn't for our breast bump. We are both very thankful for it, but are hoping to become less dependent on it :)

Below are a few more pictures from the past few days...

touchdown!

I know, I know the answer....even in my sleep

my big feet

mommy trying to figure out what was wrong before going for a walk with daddy and the boys (Louis and Touis)

Finally, mommy figured out I needed to burp :)

Until next time....Axel, Keith and I would like to request prayers for my grandfather who had a heart attack two days ago. We love and miss you Grandpa Burgess