Cupcake Months

Someone told me these are the "cupcake months" with a baby because they are sweet, but don't last long. Sweet may describe Graham, but it's probably not the way we would describe the first two months overall....maybe in hindsight. I think these are more like the "rollercoaster months" because they include the happiest moments of my life, but also the most difficult times. We are doing well though, and every week we're learning how to do things a little better. For example, Drew took this picture of Graham in his pouch when we managed to stop a crying spell. We've learned that the pouch works better than the front-carrier (for now), although he hates the getting-in process with both. The hair dryer puts him to sleep right away, so as long as I've just taken a shower, we're in good shape.

This week Graham officially outgrew a few of his onsies and sleepers, and I had to retire them from his clothing rotation. I was surprisingly sad when I folded up those outfits and realized he wouldn't wear them anymore. We also moved him up to the next size of diapers (from "Newborn" to "1"). The 1's seem awfully bulky under his clothes, but hopefully they'll do the job a little better. Lately, diaper mishaps have made stain-treating his clothes a regular part of my day. Another change is that Graham is sleeping for longer chunks of time at night. On a good night, he only wakes up once during the wee hours of the morning. It's so nice! I am in the habit of eating a "breakfast" every time I wake up with him, so it was a dangerous thing when he woke up so many times! This weekend Graham is making his first trip with us to the beach for Memorial Day. We're really excited! He'll also be meeting my parents' dog, Phoebe, which should be interesting. Wish us luck on the 3-hour drive. I ordered a parenting DVD ("The Happiest Baby on the Block") for the ride to make the most of my time.

Goodbye Stump

Yay! At 7 weeks, Graham's umbilical cord stump fell out. I read they usually fall out after 10-20 days, and our pediatrician said he's seen them stay 6 weeks. Well Graham must have been particularly fond of his because he didn't want to let it go. Now we're cleared to give him a real bath instead of the part-by-part sponge baths that we've been struggling with.

The biggest change this week is that Drew & I can pretty much get a smile on demand if we work hard enough. It's so much fun to see his little open-mouth smile with happy eyes. Graham continues to be a good car-rider, which is great news for us. On weekdays, I like to drive somewhere to pick up lunch, and then when I get home I have a little time to eat while he sleeps in his carseat. It's a pretty good system. He's also been shopping several times, to a baby shower, and out to dinner with us. He usually surprises us by being calm on adventures like that. The difficult times are actually at home, when he gets upset and it takes all our energy to soothe him. One trick I've learned (from the photographer we went to) is to make a triangle with my legs, sit him in the middle, and bounce him with my knee. It gives me a chance to be on the computer...until my leg goes numb...like now.

First Mother's Day

Sunday was Mother's Day and it felt odd that the holiday now includes me. I don't feel like I have enough days in as a mom to qualify yet. Graham got me a cute card and gift certificate for a massage, which I can't wait to use! I can't believe how sore a little 9-pound baby can make my back! On Sunday morning, we participated in the baby dedication service at Trinity. We were worried that Graham was too young to handle such spotlight in front of the church congregation, but he behaved wonderfully! I gave him a pacifier when he was teetering on a cry, but he was very cooperative by letting me take it back before his walk down the aisle with the preacher. Lots of family members traveled to Raleigh to watch the service and have lunch at our place afterward. It was nice to see such love for our little guy, and it was a great 1st Mother's Day.

Graham has really been doing and experiencing lots of new things this week. We have noticed more smiles, sometimes in response to things. For example, one morning he smiled every time the mobile on his crib stopped spinning (the runtime on that thing is a weak 20 seconds!). Drew said he could get Graham to smile by squeezing his little checks together. Graham is now sleeping in his nursery upstairs instead of the pack 'n play bassinet. That transition hasn't really affected him, but it's been nice to have all his stuff in one place. Also this week we tackled a professional picture session, which went pretty well until he had an explosive diaper that leaked all over everything! Luckily, we had already been there almost 2 hours when that happened. Today Graham and I took a 25-minute road trip to Pittsboro to visit with some of my coworkers in Chatham County. He slept most of the time, so I was able to have a pretty relaxing lunch and enjoy catching up with people. He almost didn't realize his lunch was a little late, but when we were about 10 minutes from home he politely reminded me from the backseat. Tomorrow, Graham is going to have some quality time with his Gainey grandparents while Drew and I go see Wicked at the DPAC. It'll be the longest I've been away from him, but I think it'll be good for me, and I know he'll be in good hands.

Doctor Visit

Graham had his one-month doctor's visit yesterday. It was actually his fifth visit - he went several times before to check bilirubin levels and weight. As usual, he slept until they asked us to undress him and lay him on the scale. He now weighs 8 lbs, 7 oz. We're still trying to figure out if/when I can go back to exclusively nursing, but I'm just hoping we'll be able to keep him fed, growing, and happy. Graham also had to have his second Hep B shot yesterday, which was traumatic to watch. He only cried for about a minute, but it was some serious crying. Then Drew and I rewarded him (us) with a trip to McDonalds for breakfast. It's so nice that we can still enjoy fine dining while he peacefully sleeps in his carseat on our table.

First Friend

This is a picture of Graham meeting his first friend, JT. You can always identify Graham by the fro, if you were wondering. We had to force the snuggles and high-fives, but I know they'll eventually have a good time playing together on their own. Graham is now 4 weeks old. He's become much more alert, looking around a lot. It's nice to actually be able to make eye contact with him now. We think we've seen a couple smiles, but from what we understand they are probably just "gas smiles" at this point. The past week has been one of the more difficult ones because we found out the little guy was losing weight. Now we have a complicated feeding routine to supplement nursing with formula until he gets back on track. The process takes about an hour and 15 minutes, so once it's over, I have about an hour and 45 minutes before it repeats again (even through the night). I know lots of people go through the same thing, but it sure feels next to impossible. We're crossing our fingers we can drop this routine soon so we won't feel quite as frenzied all the time. The good news is that Graham likes his doctor, and the car rides back and forth put him to sleep. He also goes to sleep during walks around the neighborhood. Currently, I'm trying to master wearing him in a Zolo pouch. The first time I put him in he was not pleased, so I'm going to wait until he's more relaxed to try again.

Range of Baby Moods

These pictures pretty much show how our life is with a 2 1/2 week old. We spend lots of time trying to figure out the crys, which can get pretty loud and long-lasting! Most of the crys happen even when Graham's diaper is clean and he's just eaten, so then we have to use trial and error to hold him different ways....or just let him swing it out. It's a very sad and frustrating thing to witness. Luckily, there are also peaceful times when we relax and just look at Graham's face in amazement that this little person is ours. His cuteness makes it almost impossible for us to keep our hands off of him when he naps. Chaotic diaper changes have made me laugh until I've peed in my pants, his crys have definitely led to my crys, and his wide-eyed looks at us make it impossible not to smile. It's already been a wonderful rollercoaster ride!

Home Sweet Home

We're home! We left the hospital Thursday afternoon, probably wearing out our welcome there because we wanted to take showers, enjoy a last room service lunch, and pack up leisurely. The weather sure has turned nice and springy since I've been in the hospital! It felt so good to come home. The past few days have been overwelming as we try to learn how to meet Graham's needs and ours. We've had lots of laughs over his cute little expressions and things he does. At first, laughing killed my stomach wounds, but that has already improved a lot. Our first night at home was a challenge because we had to get creative with our sleeping arrangements to avoid having a screaming baby next to the wall we share with our townhouse neighbors. So now I sleep in the den recliner, which is actually the easiest way for me to get up and down anyway. Poor Graham had doctor's appointments on his 4th and 5th days of life to check his bilirubin levels because he has a little jaundice. It was not fun, but the levels are lowering now (yay! hopefully no more heel pricks for him!).

Here are some of the things we've learned about Graham so far: He likes swinging (high) and it puts him into a coma-like state...and also brings about a majorly dirty diaper. He likes sleeping on a pillow-throne next to us on the sofa. He likes riding in his car seat, even though it looks awfully uncomfortable the way his little head frumps down. He likes wearing his Carolina booties. Graham does NOT like having his hair washed. He doesn't like being laid down to sleep in his pack 'n play...actually, he just doesn't like any change of position once he's comfortable. He does not like the state of basketball affairs that we brought him into the world during. We'll keep you posted on our continuing education as new parents. I would also like to say that I have a new appreciation for everything new parents go through, and I am amazed that you've all kept your tiredness and confusion so well-hidden from the outside world (or maybe you didn't struggle as much as us!).