Tales from the Land of Canaan

April 2nd, 2010…we’ve been looking forward to that date for the past 40 weeks as the day when our little jellybean would be welcomed into the world.  Little did we know, by the time April 2nd rolled around, labor and delivery would be a distant memory and we’d be settling into a parenting groove, finishing up our second week with Canaan! 

Canaan’s second week of life was almost as busy as his first, and we’ve got just as many pictures to show for it (remember last week I mentioned that the pictures would be getting ridiculous…)  On Monday Canaan stayed home with Mommy while Daddy went back to work.  We had some snuggle time, took a walk, and played on the blanket that Great-Grandma made for him.  Daddy missed being away from Canaan so much that instead of going to the gym after work, he came home to take a walk with Canaan! 

Daddy also worked from home on Tuesday so that he could hang out with us some throughout the day.   Canaan got two visitors Tuesday night – our friend Derrick brought us dinner, and Bebe (Steve’s mom) came down from Winston-Salem to stay and help us out until Friday.  On Wednesday Canaan had another couple of visitors – one of my coworkers, Heather, as well as Fallon from our community group who brought us pasta!   The rest of this beautiful weather week was filled with walks around the lake in the stroller,cookouts on the deck, snuggly naps, and an experiment with a new piece of gear – the BabyBjorn front carrier! 

Steve’s dad (aka PaPa Joe) joined us on Friday, and we spent the morning hiking the Sal’s Branch Trail out at Umstead Park.  Ironically, this was the very same hike that Steve and I were going to do two weekends ago, when Canaan decided he had other plans for us that evening – so it only seemed fitting that we take him for his first hike there, on his due date!  Canaan really liked hanging out in the Bjorn, and he would have made it through the entire hike without a peep, except that Mommy and Daddy wanted to take him out for a photo session towards the end of the hike.  He fussed a bit, but once he got moving again, he quieted down and enjoyed the hike.   

Mommy and Daddy and Canaan took a nice long nap Friday afternoon after Bebe and PaPa Joe left.  Mommy felt so much better after the nap that she was able to watch not one, but TWO TV shows in their entiretywithout falling asleep on the couch!  The three of us also slept in this morning, and Mommy read Canaan two new books in bed while we waited for Daddy to get up – “Monster Count” and “Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do you see?” 

I think the three of us are definitely figuring each other out more by the day, and growing more comfortable with our new routines (or lack thereof…).  It is insane how much he is growing – we can already tell from the pictures that he’s starting to plump up a good bit!  Plus he is staying awake for longer and longer periods of time during the day, holding eye contact with friendly faces, and tracking objects in short range with his eyes. 

So, while the previous expectations about April 2nd came and went without the hubbub we had been expecting, you won’t hear us complaining!  It seems like every day brings its own adventures and newness.  And how amazing is it that instead of spending Easter  in the hospital, we will be celebrating Canaan’s two week birthday – so Happy Due Date C-Squatch!  Thanks for giving us an extra two weeks to spend with you!