Grammy and Poppy's visit!

Philip and I are both so fortunate to have so many great friends in Austin. But, we do miss being close to our families--especially now that Connor is here. However, Connor's birth has ensured we will be seeing our families a little bit more, which makes us all very happy!

My parents were just here for two whole weeks, which was amazing. The two of them are tireless, and got our house in top shape. They orchestrated projects that have been on my "list" since we moved in July of '08, and filled our refrigerator and freezer to the BRIM with food. We are both so appreciative, and it gave us some time to relax, and I really have been lucky to not feel totally exhausted with all of the help I have already received from my wonderful husband, Lon and Mary (Philip's dad and stepmom) and my own parents. As we have said so many times, we are so very lucky to have such great families.

In the last two weeks, my parents (and Philip and I) watched Connor change SO much! We had a little trouble with feeding at first, but seem to have the hang of it now, and Connor is filling out quite nicely (and sometimes looks like he has a little bit of a double chin--SO cute!) At our last doctor's appt., Connor was back up to 7 lbs. 10 oz. (babies lose weight in the first week usually), and was up to 21 1/2 inches. He is in the 25th percentile for weight for boys his age, and 75th (!) percentile for his height. The nurse told us that basically, Connor is "tall and skinny!" Connor is awake more and more, and has these big, beautiful eyes that I could stare at forever. He makes adorable noises, lots of cooing and content sounds, and is very rarely fussy--unless he is hungry or wet, which it seems like he is a LOT of the time :)! He sleeps amazingly well for a 2 1/2 week old--sometimes 5-6 hours stretches at night. I hope this isn't just a phase, and that he is like both of his parents and will remain a good sleeper (Philip and I both LOVE our sleep!) Connor also randomly smiles mostly while he is asleep. He gets these huge smiles on his face, and I cannot figure out WHAT he is smiling about--I mean, what do babies dream about at this stage?!

Oliver loves his little brother. He is very curious, and also protective. Anytime Connor is fussy, Oliver goes over to see what is wrong. Oliver is still trying to figure it all out, but he has been so sweet with our little one.

Here are a few pictures of Connor with his grandparents, and with us, and also a picture of Oliver "protecting" Connor in his cradle. I cannot believe how wonderful motherhood is, and feel so blessed every time I look at my beautiful son. I am already hating how quickly time passes, as I don't want to miss anything with him! I can only imagine what our parents feel like when they look at us and see us with a child--it must be a little bit surreal to see their "babies" with a baby :)! But I digress . . . here are some pics!

Connor and his Mommo


The whole family


Oliver protecting his brother


Connor and his grammy


Connor and his poppy


Making a funny face for Daddy

And Baby FINALLY makes three!

On Friday, Philip and I were incredibly blessed when we finally welcomed our perfect, adorable son, Connor Vaughan Lehr. When I say he is perfect, I feel that is actually an understatement. I am incredibly awed by this child, and SO in love. Labor definitely wasn't easy, but worth every ache and pain! When they handed me this beautiful boy, I cannot even describe what a profound moment it was. How lucky both Philip and I feel to have this little miracle with us.

Connor's name is something we are also very proud to share. I often tell Philip how much his Grandmommy, Virginia, reminds me of my grandmother, Dorothy. Unfortunately, Philip never did get to meet my grandmother, because she died within a month of us meeting. She was a wonderful person--completely selfless, generous, loved her family and friends, and loved life. She was independent, and intelligent, spiritual and optimistic. I could go on for a long time about what a wonderful woman she was. Virginia (Philip's grandmother) is every bit as impressive, and embodies all of the above qualities, and many more. How lucky Philip and I are to have these two women as a part of our lives. We named Connor after both women. Connor is my grandmother's maiden name (Dorothy Connor) and Connor's middle name is Vaughan, named after Philip's grandmother (Virginia Vaughan). We can only hope that Connor will have the inspiration of his great-grandmother and become a great man! (I'm sure he will!)

Connor has already proven his stubbornness, and took his time on the way out--about 18 hours in fact! His stubbornness has not subsided (not surprised by this because both Philip and I are both stubborn), but he is the SWEETEST baby I have ever met. I cannot stop starting at him. I LOVE being a mother. I don't even mind the lack of sleep. He is just so perfect, I don't want to miss out on a minute of his life. And Philip is such an amazing dad. I love the way he looks at Connor. He is so proud. And he has gotten to be a PRO at changing diapers. I think I've changed two since Connor was born!

Connor weighed in at 7lbs. 13 ozs., and was 21 inches long. He was a 10 on the Apgar scale(!), and as I have mentioned a few times before, absolutely perfect. I promise to be more regular about posting pictures, etc. on here! Here are a few from our first few days!