Grayson is 6 Months (A bit late)

Dear Grayson,

 

I know I say this every month, but seriously—how are you 6 months old already? I fondly remember the tiny little thing that I brought home from the hospital so long ago.  I often miss how you would curl up onto my chest all day long for your daily cat naps.  Although I miss the newborn stage, I wouldn't change a thing because the Grayson that we have now is just SO much fun. 

 

You are so alert. You are so interactive and you smile at daddy and I like we are the funniest/best/most entertaining things that you have EVER seen.  Every day when I pick you up from daycare you are looking at the door just waiting for me.  When we lock eyes your smile is infectious.  You really recognize us now.  There's no doubt that you recognize your own name as well.  When we start saying G-R-A-Y, your head immediately turns and scans the room until you can find the source.  

 

You seriously light up my life.  I often wonder how I lived before you?

 

This month you've battled croup (again) and you've grown a bit more.  You currently weigh 16 lbs, 7oz (30^th percentile), you are 26.5 inches long (50^th percentile), and your head is in the 75^th percentile.  You continue to wear size 2 and 3 diapers and you can still fit in your 3 month Carters onesies.  You also wear sizes 3-6, 6, and some 9 month things.  You still only have the same two teeth that came in shortly after your four month mark.  You now eat solids—2 meals a day (we added the second meal at 5 months, 3 weeks).  You get a fruit and cereal at daycare and then I feed you a veggie every night.  You are a huge fan. So far you've had peas, green beans, applesauce, squash, sweet potatoes, carrots, bananas, pears, peaches, and mangos.  You do not discriminate and love them all equally.  You still nurse as well and that continues to go really well.  I'm pumping two times a day at work and so far so good!

 

You are sleeping a bit better, but you still nurse at least once at night, usually between 1:30-4am.  Although you've been rolling for awhile, you now roll like a maniac.  You roll the second we try to change your diaper and/or dress you.  You are one SQUIRMY worm.  You've learned how to roll in the pack n play as well, which makes for some restless and sleepless nights.  Despite knowing how to roll, you aren't in love with sleeping on your stomach.  That does NOT stop you from flipping over onto it every single time I lay you on your back.

 

Not only do you roll, but you're also learning to scoot.  You start by getting yourself into a downward dog position and then moving yourself forwards. I am SO not ready for this.  You are way too little to be acting this big.  The downward dog thing is hysterical.  You've also started to try sitting on your own for a few seconds at a time.  In fact, you started doing this more consistently on mothers day—2 days after you turned six months. 

 

We introduced you to grass and the swings this month, with a picnic at the park.  You love being outside.  You LOVE the animals.  One look at Polly, O'Snap or Sage puts an immediate smile on your face.  You love reaching out the grab their fur and they generally tolerate you.   

 

You love the song the Itsy Bitsy Spider, you love reading books, and you love to squeal.  For some strange reason, you REALLY love when we smell your feet and say "pee-yew, Graby. You stink."  Language wise, you stick to mamammama or shrieking.  You also love your exersaucer and will play in there long enough for us to eat dinner.  You still love to eat your toes, and you love any toy that you can get your hands on.

 

You still have a million nicknames--  Gray, Gray Gray, Graby, Boo, Boo Bear, Bug, Buggy. I call you Grayson on occasion.  You are still gorgeous too! Your eyes are still piercingly blue and your lips are totally kissable.  Too kissable! Although now when I say, "Grayson, can I have a kiss?" you know to lean in for one (well, at least half the time when you aren't distracted).

 

The coolest thing about you is just how happy you are.  Your personality is really coming out and I love watching you grow and change every single day.  I didn't think it would be possible to love you any more than I did the second I met you, but I do.  There's nothing like it.  Nothing can top you sweet boy.  You're still the best thing I've ever done!

 

Love,

Ashley

Grayson-- 5 Months

Dearest Grayson,

How in the world is my darling son already 5 months old? Everyone told me that it would fly by, but I brushed them off. It really, seriously has. Five months already?!? My baby is certainly not the tiny little thing that I brought home from the hospital almost 22 weeks ago. You are certainly not helpless either, anymore. If the fight you had with the doctor is any indication, you’re going to be a star football quarterback someday.

In the last five months, my love for you has only continued to grow. It’s totally cheesy, but my heart literally sings and skips a beat when I see you every single morning. Who would have thought that one tiny little baby boy could make my entire life so much more important and so much more joyful?



You have grown a bit more this month. You now weigh 15lbs, 7oz and are 26 ½ inches tall. You wear size 2 and 3 diapers and your clothing is all 0-3, 3-6, and 6 month sizes. This past month has been full of firsts. Mommy had to go back to work this past month and you started daycare. The adjustment wasn’t fun for either of us. I missed you so much and cried every day for a few weeks after I dropped you off each morning. You had a tough time accepting a bottle and went on a three day hunger strike while daddy and grandma were watching you. You have since adjusted and you will take a bottle at daycare and continue to nurse every evening, night and morning before baby school. Along with daycare came croup and your first cold. The doctor was amazed by your sheer willfulness and strength as he tried to hold you down on the table to check out your ears. The cold broke my heart. I hate to see you suffer in any way.


Although the doctor said that it was incredibly uncommon, you had TWO teeth come in before you turned five months old (18 weeks). Your sleeping patterns also went down the tubes. You were no longer sleeping 9 ½ hour stretches. I think we’re lucky to get 6 in a row nowadays. You haven’t used a swaddle in several weeks, so you wake yourself up kicking your legs and moving about. You still sleep in our room in the pack n play but we’re considering moving you out in the next month or two.



After you turned four months old you also accomplished rolling both forwards and backwards, you grab anything and everything, and your fine motor skills are really amazing considering the fact that you’re so young and a boy. You can take your pacifier out of your mouth and manipulate it in your hands. You totally recognize your own name and scan the room when you hear it. You FINALLY laughed at us, after months of trying to make you laugh. There is no sound sweeter, my dear baby boy.

You’ve also started reaching out at everything and you put everything in your mouth. I can’t even take a sip of a drink without you grabbing for it. We tried giving you both rice cereal, oatmeal and applesauce but you weren’t a huge fan. It’s back on the agenda now that you are five months old.


You currently LOVE bath time, now tolerate longer car rides without crying and love being carried around the house. You’ve found your feet and learned how to put your toes in your mouth. It is the cutest thing in the world.

Your favorite toys are Sophie the giraffe, your teething blanket, your o-ball football, your Lamaze inchworm and any miscellaneous items that you can put into your mouth. You’ve noticed Polly (the dog) a lot more frequently now and love to watch her move about the room. When she comes near you, you reach out to pet her and she tolerates it really well.

I am so blessed to be your mama and I just love watching you grow and learn new things. You make my whole world dear boy. I love you to the moon and back.

Back to Work

I've been back to work for a week and a day now. 

 

I'm happy to report that although I was absolutely certain that I would die from the pain of leaving my child, I'm alive and kicking and it's actually not as terrible as I was anticipating. 

 

I smile at least 50 times per work day and it's actually kind of nice to utilize that section of my brain that laid pretty dormant (if i'm being honest) for 18 weeks.  That being said, I still cry every single morning when I leave him and I do miss him like crazy.  I'm currently straddling a fine line in my life right now---  One where I feel so proud of myself that I'm managing it all okay and when I feel really good about how things are going and one where I just want to throw in the towel, actually consider scourging the internet trying to find out how I can qualify for food stamps and pick my baby up from daycare.

 

I have a feeling that I'll feel this way for the rest of time. I guess it's just part of being a mom. 

 

Grayson: 4 Months

Dearest Grayson,

.... and just like that, I have a four month old!



If feels like we've known you forever, and like you just arrived yesterday. It's funny how time works. If I had a choice, I'd slow things down. Way down. I already miss my tiny, squishy little newborn. That being said, the baby boy that has replaced that teeny newborn, seriously makes my whole world.

The jump between 3 months and 4 months is OUT OF THIS WORLD. It seems as though everyday you learn something new and daddy and I just marvel in your brilliance.



You love slow dancing in my arms, listening to music, and dancing on our laps. When we enter the room you beam at us from ear to ear (that seriously makes my whole life) and coo. Your eyes sparkle and your entire face lights up. Your joy is infectious. Your face is so expressive and you have the bluest eyes and the most amazing eye brows. Your expressions speak loudly, even when you can't yet. You love saying mamamamamamamama over and over again. You are the most gorgeous baby that I've ever seen and it brings me so much happiness to see the look of determination on your face as you learn something new.

This month you've found your voice, you've found your toes, you've rolled over, you've attempted to sit up, and as of tonight, you've tried rice cereal (it didn't go well.. we'll probably wait until you are five months to try again). You've also grown.. 2 inches to be exact! You know weigh 14 lbs, 8 ounces and you are 25 inches long. You are still wearing most of your 0-3 clothing, but you also wear 3-6 month clothing as well.




You are so fun, Grayson. You hold your head up well now so it's so much easier to go out and about with you. You are a hit everywhere we go. I've been blessed to stay home with you for all four months so our days consist of lots of walks, books, play time and cuddling. I go back to work this month and I'm so sad about leaving you. I have never been happier in my entire life than I am cuddled up with you in my arms. Leaving you is going to be a huge adjustment. For one, you haven't left my side for more than an hour in 13 months (if you count when I was growing you). For 13 months, your entire being has survived on me and me alone (Grayson is breast fed exclusively) I worry that going back to work will effect my milk supply. I'm not anti formula, but for me, breast feeding is probably one of the most rewarding things that I've done in my entire life. It's totally cheesy, but I get such joy out of knowing that I am responsible for you growing 2 inches this month. I know that I'll pump at work, but I will so miss nursing my baby boy each and everyday. I hope this goes better than I'm picturing it in my head and I hope that you'll actually take a bottle at daycare. We've only practiced like twice. Oops.

You love playing with your toys now and you can reach out and grasp each one. You love Sophie, your rattles, and your baby Einstein ball. You hate riding in the car and scream almost every time.. that part is NOT fun.

We still swaddle you at night, but we are slowly weaning you from that with the one arm method. Your sleep habits have changed a bit and you continue to get up at least once a night to nurse. You aren't sleeping 9.5 hours in a row like you were when you were three months old, but I've heard that it's common for 4 month olds to regress. You generally fall asleep around 8:30 and sleep until 7am with 1-2 nursing sessions in between. You still sleep in our room and I have no desire to move you out until you are 10. Okay, not really, but I'm definitely not moving you until you can roll forwards and backwards consistently. We did graduate you from the rock n play to the pack n play, though. That was a big night for me, but you didn't even notice the difference.

This picture is titled, Mommy is too busy to learn her camera settings and I move too quickly. Anyone have a camera for dummies recommendation for me?

Your nicknames continue to evolve and the favorites this month were, Gray Gray, G, Graby, Bubba, Boo Bear and Boo Boo. Regardless of what we call you, our entire world revolves around you and we wouldn't want it ANY other way. It amazes me that I ever lived before you. Life after your sweet face is better than anything that I EVER could have dreamed of.

The best part about having a four month old is the fact that you now recognize me and it becomes more evident each and every day that you love us too.

We love you Grayson Patrick,

Mommy


Sidenote: I support ANY WAY that a woman chooses to feed her child. However, if anyone ever wants to talk/needs support with breastfeeding, please reach out. I've been to all the support groups, read all of the books and have taken 3 breastfeeding classes at my local hospital/la leche league. I am/was super lucky to have had an easy breastfeeding experience with Grayson, but I'm happy to share any support and resources with anyone that wants them, as I've become a mini expert on the topic.

Working Mama

I haven't been great about keeping up with my blog, but I will be back soon.

I've spent the last 17 weeks soaking up every last bit of my baby boy. Truth be told, I probably haven't turned on or sat at my computer more than 15 times since November 10th (I have used my iPhone- I'm not Amish people). I'm not going to lie, it was kinda nice.

I go back to work next week and I'm anxious, devastated, hurting, and scared about it. Everyone told me that I'd be so ready to go back-- but I'm not.

Unfortunately, money talks and the choice isn't mine.

Devastated is the understatement of the century. I cannot picture myself walking in there next Wednesday and quite honestly, the only thing I can picture is myself collapsing over the weight of it all.

I know most of my bloggy friends are stay at home moms. If any of you working mamas have any advice I'd love to hear it.

It's going to take every ounce of strength left in me to say goodbye to my little doll each day, but it won't kill me, will it?

Happy Valentines Day

Grayson is Three Months Old!!

My Dear Sweet, Beautiful Grayson,

You continue to light up my life and my love for you continues to knock me off of my feet. I'm not sure how anyone has more than one child because I can't even imagine that my heart could grow any bigger than it is right now. You turned three months old on February 10, 2012. Because your mother is anal, I decided to take you to the doctor for a weight check (thank you, maternity leave) just to see how you are doing. You currently weigh 13lbs, 0oz (40th percentile) and are 23 1/4 inches (20th percentile) long. You are still wearing all of your 0-3 month clothing and we haven't tried to put you in any 3-6 or 6 month clothing yet. You are in size 2 diapers and thanks to very generous grandparents, your father and I just bought diapers for the first time last week.



You are such an adorable little man. I stare at you in awe of your beauty. I know that all mothers think that their babies are perfect, but you REALLY are. I love your sweet button nose. Your piercingly blue eyes. Your full, kissable lips. I thank my lucky stars that I will be able to stay on maternity leave until you are about four months because I love nothing more than spending every moment with you (don't even get me started on going back to work. It's a dagger and a heavy weight that I feel in my heart, every single day). Even when dad gets home I've never once handed you over to him and requested a break. In fact, if dad is holding you, I'm probably jealous. You are that awesome. Somehow, I was blessed with an easy going baby (funny, because I am not that easy going) and I really, really, really hope you stay this way.




Obviously, you are a baby, so you have your moments.. but even your cries are so darn cute. Your three month growth spurt was no fun. You spent three days nursing non stop and fussing quite a bit, but we made it through with smiles on our faces.

Your personality evolves and shines more and more every single day. You laugh (still without sound. I can't wait for the sound), you smile so big and you've started purposefully batting at your toys a little bit. Within the last week or two, you just want to move SO bad. If I lay you on your boppy, you will strain your little self in an attempt to sit up. You want to be sitting up and only tolerate the cradle hold when you're very sleepy now a days. My favorite moments are when you wake up from a nap or in the morning. You look around the room and as soon as you spot me, your face lights up in a giant smile. That is something that I NEVER want to forget.



Speaking of sleep. You continue to evolve and excel in that area. Your longest stretch to date (without waking to nurse) is 9 1/2 hours, but that hasn't happened very frequently yet. You generally sleep from 8:30-5:30, nurse, and then go back down until 7:30ish. We still swaddle you and you still sleep right next to our bed in the rock n play. You may still be sleeping there when you are five at this rate, because if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Although you sleep well at night, you aren't a great napper. You'll sleep and nap amazingly well during the day if I hold you in my arms (luckily, I oblige quite frequently). However, if I move you to the boppy or your swing, your eyes pop open immediately. I can tell when you need a nap because you get quite cranky, but getting you to sleep during the day takes some careful maneuvering.



You HATE driving in the car without someone sitting next to you, so I try to strategically plan my trips out alone with you by making sure you're topped off with food and a tiny bit drowsy. You don't mind short trips, but you basically scream your face off after 15+ minutes (if you don't fall asleep first). You LOVE playing on your play mat, kicking your legs, smiling, being naked, sitting in your vibrating seat, watching TV (yes, we let let you watch a little tv with us if we're watching something), listening to music (LMFAO tends to be your favorite), dancing, and taking walks. This winter has been incredibly mild- seriously, 50-60 degrees, so we've taken a lot of walks and you love looking around at the sights. You LOVE when we sing to you have we have several incredibly tragic songs about our "graby" baby and how we love you. Yes, the Graby nickname is back. Along with Nugget, Gray-Gray, G, Lil G, and Boo-Boo.

I feel so blessed that I get to watch you grow and I have to pinch myself because if all seems so surreal sometimes. In 3 short months you've morphed a million times. It's incredible (and a little TINY bit sad) how fast you have grown.



You are the best thing that I've ever done, Grayson Patrick.

I love you with every square inch of me,

Mama

Grayson Month 2

Dear Sweet, Beautiful Grayson,

As of January 10, 2012, you are 2 months old. Hold me now. When did that happen?

You had your two month well baby appointment and you’re weighing in at 11 pounds, 9.5 ounces (30th percentile), you are 22 ¼ inches long (20th percentile) and your head is off the charts at 16 inches (98th percentile). This last part is obviously the result of your ridiculously large and brilliant brain.



The last month is tied with your first month for the best month of my life. You really blossomed this month. Gone is my tiny helpless newborn and in its place is a gorgeous infant who makes me ridiculously happy. I have to pinch myself all the time because I wonder how I got so lucky to have you as my son?

This month we celebrated your first Christmas and your first new year. It was incredible. Christmas as an adult was always okay, but now that I have a child it is so much more exciting. You were showered with gifts and everyone loved you.



This month your personality has totally blossomed. You are now smiling and cooing. When we put you flat on your back you move your arms and legs a mile a minute just testing them out. You’re starting to realize that you can control your own arms and legs and you’ve having a ball trying them out. Your smile melts our hearts. When you were a newborn, you smiled in your sleep all of the time, but now you are showing us purposeful smiles. The best part of my day is when you smile back at me in the mornings, right after you nurse and before we get out of bed to start our day.



You totally recognize me (this started at around 7 weeks) and you’ll track me and my voice around the room. During your first month of life, you were quite fussy in the evenings, but even that changed during month two. You still fuss sometimes, but we will either change arm position, give you a binky or try another trick and you usually stop fussing immediately.

You continue to be weary about bath time. You never cry during your bath, but you just stare at us with a furrowed brow and give us a look that can only read, “seriously, what is this?” Instead, you prefer to sit in your bouncer, play on your activity mat and being carried around the house looking at all the shiny objects.



Your favorite toy is definitely the mirror attached to your activity mat. You could stare at yourself for a long, long time. Who could blame you though? You are seriously adorable.

Sleep wise, at around week 5, life changed drastically. We didn’t really do anything different but you just started sleeping longer. You now sleep (knock on wood) from about 9:30pm until sometime between 3-5am. You get up and nurse, and then you usually fall back asleep until 7:30. You still sleep in our room in the rock n play, and I’m not sure that I’ll ever be able to move you out (ha).



My dear sweet Grayson, my heart swelled when you were born- so much so -that I thought it might burst. Instead, my love for you continues to knock me off of my feet and continues to grow each and every day. It’s funny because people always told me, just wait until you have a kid. The love will change your life. I just listened to them and thought yeah, yeah, I’ve loved before. I’m so grateful for the experience of having a child. It has forever changed me and opened my heart.



Thank you, Grayson, for teaching me about this love.

I love you sweet boy!

Mama

Happy Holidays

Sorry I've been missing, but I've been having an amazing time celebrating the holiday season with my brand new son!

In the meantime, ooh and ahh over my super handsome son and our birth announcement.



2011 was an incredible year. My family grew and my heart swelled. I can't wait to watch my son grow in 2012. I'll be back soon with more posts!

The Truth about Life Post Delivery

I cannot believe that I'm going to write this.

This is TMI to the max.

If you are a guy, you should probably skip this post.

However, I'm going to share about this because NO ONE warned me about what happens AFTER delivery.

People warn you about the epidural, the contractions, the love you will immediately feel for your child, but no one prepares you for what is to come during the first few weeks at home.

For example-- remember how RAD it was that you didn't have your period for 10 months? Well, after you have a baby you have the equivalent of 10 periods in one day and this bloody mess can last for up to 6 weeks. I was warned to buy pads, but I didn't think I'd have to live in them for 4+ weeks. Seriously, do you know how appealing it is to use your sons diaper rash cream after you've lived in a pad for 28 days (that is a joke- I didn't actually use it)? TMI, I know. But I really wish that someone had warned me for just how bloody things would be following birth and delivery. Consider yourself warned soon to be mamas and invest in puppy pee pads (they seriously make you lay on them in the hospital the entire time you are there), depends and/or huge pads. Steal the mesh underwear and ask for more before you leave.

Another warning- Don't look down for a long time. A deflated baby bump is depressing and ugly. Your stomach will look and move like a jello jiggler. I didn't expect to look hot in the stomach area immediately following birth, but I was not expecting the sheer magnitude of the jiggliness.

Also, the baby blues. I heard about them, but that shit is no joke. I'm not a crier. Having a baby turned me into a crier. I cried fifty times a day for the first few weeks. I cried because John looked at me, I cried because John didn't look at me, I cried because I put on my seatbelt, I cried because I was eating cookies. I cried because I loved my son so incredibly much. I honestly thought I was on the fast track to crazy town. I am here to tell you that it does go away, and that I can get through a day without crying (WAHOO), but don't be surprised if you are an emotional mess after birth.

Child birth is no joke. If you weren't emotional about it it would be weird. Thankfully, childbirth amnesia is a real thing (and probably why no one warns you about the blood, ugly stomach and tears- they forgot about it). Nowadays, I tell my birth story with a huge goofy grin on my face and I'd do it again tomorrow!

Thank god for pregnancy amnesia.

One Month Update

{I'm going to write a monthly update -- and I hope to one day print them out and bound them in a book for my baby}

Dearest Grayson,

You are one month old as of December 10, 2011. My little baby is growing up and this was quite honestly the fastest month of my entire life.



Grayson, you are the light of our lives. I was so nervous about your birth and taking care of a little one, but the moment we set eyes on you all of our fears just melted away. I wake up everyday and thank my lucky stars for the opportunity to be your mother. I feel like the luckiest person in the world to have you as my son.

When you were born, you weighed 8lbs, 9oz and were a total chunkster. When we left the hospital you weighed 7lbs, 11oz (just like me when I was born). Two and a half weeks later you were back up to 8lbs, 10oz. I bet you are closing on 10lbs now, but we won't know for sure until the 13th of December! You eat like a champ and breastfeeding is going very well. When you turned 3.5 weeks old we let daddy give you a bottle of breast milk and I was able to have 5 straight hours of sleep. That rejuvenated me for an entire week!



You grew out of newborn diapers at 2.5 weeks old, but you still wear most of your newborn clothing. You are starting to grow into your 0-3 month clothing and it has opened so many doors for you in the fashion department. =)

Your sleeping habits improve every day. The first 3 weeks were pretty rough and you thought that 11pm-2am was party time! You still only sleep in stretches of 2-3 hours, but you are starting to go down easier after each feeding in the middle of the night.



You are absolutely adorable and have eyes that are as blue as the ocean. They may still change, but daddy and I both have blue eyes, so it's likely that you will too. Surprisingly, your hair is brown. Both daddy and I were platinum blondes when we were little. The nurse at the hospital suspected that your hair would fall out and turn blonde, but it's still brown here at 4 weeks.

Your favorite toy is your wubanub pacifier and your activity mat. Over the past week, you have blossomed and have started batting the toys on your play mat and I think you even smiled at me on Monday. On Thursday, you cooed for the first time and it melted my heart.



Our favorite thing to do is to kiss you right before you eat. Even though you're just rooting, daddy and I like to pretend that you're kissing us back. You are the most kissable baby and I just can't keep my hands off of you! My favorite thing to do with you is to lay with you on my chest. There is no better feeling than a tiny infant laying on your chest.

You have many nicknames- G, Lil G, Lil Boo, Gray, Gray-Gray, Graybee (I need to stop this- it's Grayson + Baby all in one), bear, nugget and peanut.

Sweet G, please make time slow down. I don't want to blink and have a five year old. I cherish every moment I spend with you now!

I love you sweet baby!

Mommy

Newborn Survival Guide

I used to love when bloggers would recommend their favorite baby products so I am going to do the same each month.

I could not have gotten through the newborn stage without these items (okay fine, I could have survived without all of them, but these were my favorites).

1) Wubbanub Pacifier. These things are hard to find, but I'm glad I finally got my hands on one of them. Newborns need to suck to calm down, but they can't keep a pacifier in their mouths for more than 3 seconds. The wubbanub weighs the pacifier down so it stays in the mouth longer and G can hold on to the dog to help keep it in place. I need like three more of these. STAT.


2. The Cloud B Sleep Sheep: This is a great white noise machine and it helps G fall back asleep each and every night. When this doesn't work and he's really fussy, I'm in love with the IPhone application titled: White Noise. It works wonders.


3. The Fisher Price Rock n Play. We assumed that we'd just have G sleep in a pack n play in our room, but he actually sleeps in this now. The Rock n Play takes up 1/3 of the space, is compact, and it rocks like a cradle. The incline makes it great for any reflux issues and the sides make them feel more enclosed like they were in the womb. We even take this on trips with us when we sleep away for the night because it folds up so compactly.
4. This was a bit of a splurge but I love this JJCole diaper caddy. I made my own makeshift diaper caddy for the bedroom out of a plastic bin, but this one is more visually appealing and matches our living room decor. There is no way I'm walking upstairs every time this boy blows out a diaper. This makes it so much easier to change him downstairs and it keeps everything organized in one place (I'm anal).


5. The boppy pillow. I'm obsessed. He's currently sleeping on it right next to me on the couch. It's especially perfect for breast feeding. Get one!

My Son

First.. play this song:



It's our song.

Then, cry with me and look at pictures of my beautiful baby boy.....


These were all taken during his first two weeks of life (holy crap he'll ALREADY be one month old on 12/10)




Would you believe that I'm one of those crazy people that actually misses being pregnant? I'm so happy to have him and to hold him, but I really loved those 9 months that I had to grow him.

Once they come out, you have to share them. When they are inside of you they are warm, protected and all yours. I'm glad that I cherished my pregnancy and that I can look back on it and relive all of those amazing moments.



Despite all the issues during labor, I often replay that moment when we rushed into the hospital and I think fondly of it every time. I'd do it all again, everyday if I could because it was a special day. It was the experience of a lifetime



Isn't he just the cutest? It's so cliche, but time really does fly by once the baby arrives. I'm not sure how my tiny little helpless birdie turned into a chubby little baby that can now move his head easier, stay awake longer, and who already wears size one pampers in what seemed like a blink of an eye. I feel like he arrived yesterday and a lifetime ago all in one moment.

Now if we could only get this sweet little G to sleep more than 3 hours stretches and we'd be golden.

Happy Holidays

With a new baby at home, I haven't had much time to get into the holiday spirit quite yet-- but I have started thinking about our Christmas cards!

This year I want to do a Christmas card/birth announcement combination and Tiny Prints has THE CUTEST selection. They are all so colorful and fun!

I love coming home every day in December to see Christmas cards hanging up around my walls. We tape them to the archways throughout the house so that we can enjoy them all for the entire month. How do you display your Christmas cards?

Recovery

Well.. in case you were wondering-- It is highly unlikely that I ever had any sort of uterine infection. While I was in the hospital I was so doped up on IV antibiotics and fluids that by my fifth day there my white blood cell count was normal, my fever went way down, and I appeared to be on the mend. That being said, my symptoms matched the uterine infection symptoms to a T so I don't blame anyone for the mistake.

After I was released from the hospital, I continued to have fevers every night at home. I had hot/cold sweats and my OBGYN urged me to go get an ultrasound of the lymphnode in my armpit. Two days after being released from the hospital I did and immediately afterwards, I was rushed to surgery to drain the lymphnode (it was the size of a golf ball). I'm not normally so dismissive of golf ball size lymphnodes, but I had other crap going on that was distracting me.

Seriously, the week after my delivery was a shit show. I had fevers, I had an ultrasound, I was rushed to surgery. On our way to surgery we were rear ended. The day after, John woke up with gout and couldn't move his leg.

Thankfully, now that we are 3 weeks out we are on the mend and order has been restored in our house.

I find it quite hysterical that the easiest part of this entire saga was my c-section.

I hope that others find peace in the fact that my c-section was finished on November 10th at around 1am. By 9:30am, I got myself out of bed, walked to a wheel chair and headed down to the NICU to feed my baby. Within 24 hours I was fully mobile. It didn't feel awesome, but it wasn't terrible and I never needed anything more than motrin to kill the pain (not even in the hospital).