Mark's umbilical cord stump fell off today, so he was ready for his first bath! He wasn't too happy with it, though. Too new and scary...

Last Thursday night, Mom and Dad came over and babysat Mark while Joanna and I were able to attentd the Lion King production here in town. I think everyone had a good time that evening.



Aurora has been wanting some more attention sometimes! She's gotten pretty snuggly lately.





Also last week, Nicole, Kylie, and Bill (Nicole's fiancée) came up from Austin for a couple of days. They enjoyed seeing the baby, too.







Aunt Jan and Uncle Bob came over for a visit, too.



Hangin' out with Mike and Joanna...

More weight gain! He went back today for a follow-up weighing. He's up to 8 lbs, 11 oz now, so he has surpassed his birth weight. The pediatrician took him off extra supplementation. That's great news!

Yea! Gaining weight!

Today, we went back to the pediatrician, and little Mark has gained a half-pound, up to 8 lbs, 1 oz now. He's almost back to his birth weight. She said that everything else seems fine. He's starting to lose his umbilical cord (within the next day or two), so soon he should be able to enjoy a "real" bath!

All last week, Mary came down to help us get started with Mark. She cooked meals for us, and even ran the vacuum! It was a really nice way of helping us get adjusted to our new life. I think she really enjoyed herself holding Mark, too!

Today, Mark went back to the pediatrician to be re-weighed. They wanted to make sure he was regaining his birth weight. He weighted 7 lbs 9 oz, which is up one ounce from last time. That's good news, but the nurse said they like to see them gaining about an ounce a day, and he's a couple of ounces behind schedule. So they decided to supplement him with a little formula. Joanna was a bit disappointed about that, but we'll do what the doctor says. They just want to supplement him until he regains his birth weight.

Oh, the humanity!

I think this little guy is going to be a very serious baby, just like his daddy was...

Hey, he can open his eyes!

Here's the little "Jellybean"...

Relaxin' outside...

He likes to keep those eyes closed most of the time, except 3 AM until dawn, when he's wide awake!

The cats approve of this new addition!

Here's Mom's first grandbaby!

Here's another closeup of the little guy. Seems pretty content for only being 1 day old!

And someone's a new mommy, too.

Someone's a new daddy!

Happy Birthday! Little Mark was born on Wednesday, May 10, 2006 at 8:10 PM. He was 8 lbs, 4 oz, and 20.5" long.

This was taken a few days before the baby was born, but it was just too cute to not post.