Big night

Tonight we had the first night of the big "S" since before Isaac was born. And I've gotta tell you, it was even better than I remembered.

Mouth-watering. Earth-shaking. And totally satisfying. I mean it was GOOD. The best we've had in a long time.

That's right, for the first time in many MANY months ... we ate sushi.

It was a big night though. It was the first time we left Isaac at grandma and grandpa's and had a little date night. We met up with a couple of our friends (who have two little girls of their own) and went out for dinner. And while it felt weird not having our son with us for a short while, it wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be. I think the incredible food and good friends helped a bit.

I'm already trying to figure out the next time we can do it again.

Typical guy ... give me a little taste and I only want more.

Best. Christmas. EVER.

The holidays are officially over. Everyone has gone home. I'm actually working a full work week. And life has returned to normal. (Well, as normal as it can be when you're sharing a room with a very short guy who poops a lot and cries when he's hungry.) And I'm finally able to post a quick update.

A belated-Merry Christmas to everyone. We hope your holidays were joyous and memorable. Ours certainly were. I hadn't looked forward to Christmas with that much excitement since the year I asked Santa for an official Red Ryder carbine action two-hundred shot range model air rifle. Wait ... that wasn't me.

Isaac got to meet his cousin Hailey (they've already bonded), Aunt Jamie and Uncle Cory for the first time. And his Grandma and Grandpa Neil. And his Uncle Nick. And his Great-Aunt Barbara. He charmed them all, of course. It was SO great to be able to spend some time all together like that.

Isaac and Hailey were both dedicated at my dad's church. That was a beautiful day for all of us.

We've also turned a very important corner. Isaac has been sleeping through the night the last several nights! Those of you with kids know how huge that is. One night he actually slept for 9 1/2 hours. Even Fletcher has been thankful to be able to sleep through the night again.

Our next goal: saying "daddy."

Isaac's first photo shoot

W e took Isaac to get our first real family photos taken today. Man, he's already a pro!

The first few photos we had a tough time keeping him awake. But once he got going, he was terrific! He went through several wardrobe changes, didn't complain about the heat and (with the help of his trusty paci) didn't get fussy at all.

He was so relaxed, he even started pulling pranks behind the scenes between shots. The best was when he nonchalantly peed all over daddy while on a quick break during the naked butt shots. That one had everyone laughing. (Except daddy.)

The photographer asked us to sign a release for this one, so she could display it on the wall in the studio.

Why?

Because he's just so freakin' cute.

Late thoughts on Thanksgiving

W
ell we certainly have a lot to be thankful for this year.

We're thankful for the love and support from our family and friends, especially over these past few weeks. We don't know what we'd do without you.

We're thankful for car insurance.

We're thankful for having family so close to us.

We're thankful for our niece Hailey and we can't wait to see her at Christmas!

We're thankful for all the free no-hassle food! You guys are awesome! (You know who you are.)

We're thankful--so very thankful--for our beautiful son. Isaac, you have reminded us of what's really important.

But most of all, we're thankful for sleep. Any time and any where we can get it.

Returning to work

I can't sleep. I should have been asleep well before now. But I could only lie there in bed, staring at the ceiling. You see, I go back to work tomorrow.

And I'm really not looking forward to it.

I mean, I usually enjoy my job. And I miss my friends at work. I'm just not looking forward to leaving my family all day. I've gotten used to being at home with my wife and son. And I've REALLY enjoyed it.

Not to mention, I'm going to have about two weeks of e-mails to go through. Not fun.

But at least it will be a short week with the Thanksgiving holiday.

I just hope my son doesn't learn to walk while I'm at work tomorrow.

Home sweet home

I saac is now one week old. We've been home since Thursday and it's been nothing but a learning experience for mommy and daddy.

The horror stories you hear about the first night home with a newborn are true. It was pretty rough. We could get Isaac to sleep easily in just a few minutes. But every time we put him down to bed, he'd wake up and start crying. We didn't get much sleep at all that first night. Thank God my mom and Alyshia's Aunt Candace were staying with us. They held Isaac so we could get at least a couple of hours of sleep. (And they've both helped with things around the house so we can focus our full attention on Isaac and on getting some rest when we need it. Their love and support has been overwhelming and we are very grateful.)

In retrospect, Isaac was probably just hungry. Nights have gone really well since that first one. Sometimes the hardest part has been to wake him every three hours for his next feeding. But we've learned a few tricks that help with that too.

Isaac keeps us entertained all day (and night) long. He's a very sweet baby and not fussy at all. We're just very proud and excited to be able to spend this time with him.

And, of course, we've got more pics! (Click the image to view additional pictures.)

Isaac Arthur Zimmerman



Click here to see more photos of our beautiful baby boy!