Gus from birth to 9 weeks

Nine weeks ago today our lives changed forever when Gus arrived. George Samuel Boling was born at 2:50 PM on Tuesday, November 24, 2009, weighing 7 lbs 10.5 oz and measuring 20.5 inches long. He was much smaller then we had anticipated (which I was very thankful for). I was also thankful for a short active labor and a good epidural. BJ mocks me for once upon a time thinking I wanted to experience natural childbirth to now being the epidural cheerleader!

We spent three nights total in the hospital and received wonderful care and attention from all the nurses and doctors, and then we came home on Thanksgiving Day, truly a blessing. Both sets of grandparents were there for the homecoming and a Thanksgiving feast had been prepared - yum! I quickly surmised that it was a wise decision to have a baby around the holidays, because you get pampered and excused from all the holiday fuss and stress, I'm thinking this may be a repeat in a few years.The first few weeks were a mix of wonderful joy, confusion, doubt, love and exhaustion. Once we got into a good feeding pattern and the little man started to grow everything seemed to get a bit easier. We spent time getting to know each other and truly becoming a family.

Christmas was spent with BJ's family in Greenville and New Year's with my parents in Columbia, Gus was spoiled rotten and mommy and daddy were thankful for many helping hands.


3 weeks ago Gus's personality started to come out, smiles, cooing, talking (or as BJ calls them the Oy Oys), and cuddling. Though I must admit he is a pretty independent child at such a young age, if you hold him too long he will fuss and fight you until you put him down. He likes to be part of the action though, and will play on his playmat or in the newly set-up pack and play for a long time. He likes to watch me cook from his bouncy seat and loves to look at lights and the ceiling fan. Mommy likes to think that the ceiling fan is like a giant mobile and also a "shower time" activity for Gus. He is a very happy baby - he even mocks me, laughing and smiling while I change his diaper, I think he finds the whole process funny (newsflash, mommy does not find it funny!)

BJ is busy on the campaign trail and I'm still weighing all my work options. On a personal note, the decision to return to work or stay home has been a very difficult one for me. I've prayed about it, fretted about it, and discussed it with so many people. I think God is now pointing me in the right direction and has truly blessed me with some great opportunities that will allow me to spend more time with Gus during his first year (and maybe beyond) while also remaining in the working world. I will keep you posted as things are finalized in the coming weeks.

We are all starting to sleep more, so the blog will become more consistent (sleep = functionality = thinking beyond a nap!)

Thanks for reading!