watch out, ladies...

Garrett already loves the Village of Hope!

Our dear friend Becky had one of the house moms sew this amazing outfit for Garrett!

We can't wait to take him to Ghana someday.

We may have to change his name to Simba.

milestones

Guess who has been sleeping in his room upstairs for the past few days...

And guess who will OCCASIONALLY give us a smile or two when he wakes up...

First Road Trip!

I was a little concerned about how long it would take us to get to Kerrville. Usually, we stop to eat dinner IN a restaurant, and our whole trip is about 6 hours.

With a one-month-old, we had to stop a lot more. We have some dear friends that live at the half-way point that we were able to eat dinner with.

Sweet Shelby and Garrett were matching - a match made in heaven! :)

Zach and Melissa were so gracious to feed us on our journey. Their home is just beautiful, and it overlooks the hill country.

Melissa's parents joined us, and her awesome mother took care of Garrett so we could eat our dinner in peace. :)

Then, it was back in the car for us. Garrett only fussed while he was trying to get to sleep, but once he was happy or sleeping, he was such a good traveler! 

I wasn't sure whether one of us would want to ride in the back with him or not. We like to have a consistent routine of feeding time, wake time, and sleeping time, so Eric did sit in the back with him to entertain him on one of the legs of our journey while I drove. 

He pulled out all the stops - toys, music, singing to him, etc. Garrett enjoyed it a little, but then got really fussy. Sometimes I think that Garrett just wants to be left alone to soak it all in. He seems to get over-stimulated easily. 

We FINALLY arrived around 11pm (a 9 hour trip...), and everyone rallied to see us Garrett.

Garrett finally met his Great Grandmother Jo (aka Yo Granny).

She told him all sorts of secrets and did such a great job holding him, feeding him, and loving on him.

Mamo had our room all stocked with learning tools like interactive puppet books. Garrett loved it! I think Mamo did, too. :)

Jenny and Mike joined the party on Friday night...really late... Garrett was almost asleep...

But he had to see his Aunt Poopie Jenny!

Jenny and Mike got him good and awake and handed him back to us once he started screaming. Ha!

Garrett knew the Rangers were playing some important games this weekend, so here he is showing his support.

Oh, and this outfit is pretty appropriate for my parents' house... (Dad has caught MANY raccoons that like to live in our attic. With his bare hands...and maybe a live trap. I know not to click on attachments he sends for fear they will show another raccoon he has caught.)

Okay, back to Yo Granny:

And Mamo and Aunt Poopie:

Mike claims he's not good at holding babies, but he did a great job! 

I did get to also hold my son... for about five minutes. 

Four generations!

I love this picture:

We didn't really "do" much this weekend but spend time together. I loved it. Settlers of Catan was a favorite game, as was Canasta with Yo Granny (with her rules, too).

Poor Pops was sick this weekend. :(

It's close-up time! 

When Garrett was especially fussy, he just chilled on Mamo's lap. So precious.

Finally, FINALLY, Garrett got to meet his Uncle Ben. ...the Baby Whisperer.

Pool time!

Garrett is happiest and most alert in the mornings. That's when we do tummy time. He coos and gurgles, and it's just the best! 

We took Garrett to church on Sunday. Dad rallied and held Garrett and showed him off. He even took him to the front to say the Shepherd's Prayer with Garrett in his arms. Gotta start the leadership skills early, I guess!

No idea what I'm doing here.

Preacher Greg had an impromptu baby blessing for us. So sweet!

Then, of course, we went to Mamacita's for lunch to introduce him to everyone there.

After lunch, my home church family threw us a money tree shower. Yo Granny held a tight grip on Garrett, getting in every minute of loving she could. I am so glad she came all the way from California to be with us this weekend.

The food spread. Mmmm.

My sweet sweet girl, Allison, who just had her wisdom teeth out two days prior, made us this amazing, multi-textured Cubs quilt! She is so talented!

This is the back... and a matching Cubs boppy pillow.

Twin picture! Oh, and the day before (so, Saturday), we came out of our rooms, ready for the day, wearing the EXACT SAME THING. Again. This has happened before.

We're identical.

Family photo!

Our first road trip with Garrett was a huge success! On the way back, we timed things just right to only stop twice. Somehow, we made it back in 6 1/2 hours! What?! Totally do-able.

Here's to a lifetime of road trips, little one.

One Month???

Well, technically, Garrett is 4 weeks old today, but since we're going out of town for the weekend (over the 7th), I took his one month picture early. Eric and I can't decide if we'll do weekly pictures or now switch to monthly pictures... so I'm doing both and we'll decide later. :)

Here is how he's grown! First, for a little perspective of the chair:

Now, week 1 (onesie courtesy of my good friend Brooke):

Week 2 shows perhaps some dimples in his cute squishy cheeks?

Week 3 just makes me laugh. I totally just happened to catch this little guy smiling! I'm pretty sure this time it was gas, but I love the picture! It looks like he's telling one of his daddy's jokes. :)

Week 4 (today), it was a bit chilly outside, and Garrett was not in the best of moods. Also, he looks like an old man with his pants pulled up so high. We switched to using cloth diapers, so his booty is a bit larger than normal. :)

This next picture just makes me smile.

And now, for the one month picture......... Peace, yo. Here's Lil' G throwin down the gang signs: