Dear Graham, Week 4

Dear Graham,
I already feel like a broken record, but time is going by so quickly. Today you turn 4 weeks old, and yet it seems like yesterday we were on our way to the hospital. One day runs into the next and I'm afraid before I know it you'll be asking me for the keys to the car.











You are growing each day and learning new sounds and expressions that delight your mom and dad. That's true for all of your noises except perhaps your grunting noises. Because you're our little Houdini and can escape out of a normal swaddle, we ordered a swaddle called a Miracle Blanket that's received rave reviews from friends and the Internet alike. With high expectations, we first bundled you on Tuesday night. The good news is you can't get your hands out. The bad news is you try to do so all. night. long. Despite being sound asleep, you grunt as you work to get your hands out. And you continue to grunt over and over again. We're giving you another night or two to see if you finally give up or if we finally give up, tired of hearing your noises while we're trying to grab a few minutes of precious sleep. I'm afraid you may be stubborn determined.

Your mom and dad are getting a bit more adventurous as each day passes. This week we went on "real" walks at Terry Hershey Park and also took you out to mommy's office. It was so much fun to introduce you to my colleagues. We even ate lunch out afterward...and you slept through most of it. (Although we sure did finish eating quickly when you woke up and realized you were hungry too!) We're enjoying viewing every day experiences in a whole new way with you.

Love,
Mommy

Dear Graham, Week 3

Happy 21 days, Graham! This week you continued to mark more milestones in your short life, including your first bottle that was given to you by your dad (which meant mom’s first pumping experience), your first nights of sleep (or lack thereof) in your crib after being in our room for the first two weeks, and outgrowing your first diaper size. Your face continues to change as you grow more into a “baby” and show less signs of being a “newborn.” You’ve also learned to make a new sound, which mommy and daddy affectionately call your billy goat noises. You make this noise when you’re content after eating or almost asleep, and we have no idea how something so small can make a sound that’s so rustic. But it makes us smile every time.

So, with all of this progress that you’re making, I think you’re old enough for me to let you in on something about your mom and dad.

First, your daddy and I are the type of people who truly believe knowledge is power. We like to read, research, and learn before making major decisions. (Okay, so minor decisions too.) So you can imagine in preparation for your arrival, to say that we read quite a bit would be an understatement. (In fact, I think your daddy knows more about breastfeeding than I do, as he read all of the information too just so he could support your mommy during this process.)

However, much to our dismay, you don’t exactly match any of the descriptions in any of our books, no matter how many times we read them. And yes, we have been known to pull out a book or two at 1:00 a.m. when nothing seems to calm you down.

So, yesterday, we made a strategic decision that goes against pretty much every fiber of the Akin household: WE ARE TAKING A BREAK FROM THE BOOKS. There, I said it. Even writing it now gives your mom a bit of hesitation, but we learned we were stressing ourselves more by trying to fit your patterns into some predetermined mold instead of just learning your unique ways as we go.

Now, we’re not going too crazy here and throwing everything we’ve learned out the window, but we are learning to trust our own instincts and rely more on your cues.

While we’ll see how this new mindset goes over the next week, I can tell you this: you already make your daddy and me so proud, and this comes when your greatest accomplishments are eating, pooping and sleeping. I love being a family of three.

Love,

Mommy

Hiccups

While there's not much that is consistent in the life of an almost 3-week old, there is one constant in our day: Graham's hiccups. He normally gets bouts of the hiccups at least twice a day. The good news is he doesn't seem phased by their presence...he just looks around while his entire little body shakes through the process.

Here's a video that we took of one of Graham's hiccup sessions.

Dear Graham, Week 2

Dear Graham,
Today you turn two weeks old on what was also to be your due date. Although I can't promise you a new letter every week, while you're changing day-by-day I don't want to miss documenting your journey.



You continue to amaze me and your daddy just by being present. The traces of your personality are starting to make themselves known and we spend our time deciphering what each expression, noise or action means. You celebrated a lot of "firsts" this week, including your first back porch BBQ time, your first swing time and your first bath.



(Back porch BBQ...listening to the Zac Brown Band put him to sleep.)



(First swing time)

We have already created all kinds of nicknames for you that I'm certain you will find mortifying when you're old enough to understand them. A few of our favorites are Grahambino, Graham-I-Am, and Little Man, although after your 10-day check up this week you're outgrowing that nickname by the day.

When we brought you home from the hospital you were down to 6 lbs, 15 oz, but by your 10-day appointment you were back up to 7 lbs, 5 oz. We had to have you tested for jaundice as you were showing signs of yellow skin and eyes, and I think having your blood drawn was more painful for mommy than labor and delivery. Fortunately, your levels came back normal so we won't have to have you tested again.

This week you've learned to be more tolerant of diaper and clothing changes, and you even enjoyed your first "real" bath that we were able to give you after your umbilical cord fell off. Of course, you had to poop in the bathtub during your first bath, which made the experience twice as long (and a little daunting for mommy and daddy). Luckily we're keeping our sense of humor throughout this process and we enjoyed a good laugh together.



We continue to love you more and more each day, and many times your daddy and I will just stare at you in pure awe. You are such a blessing.

Love,
Mommy

Dear Graham, Week 1

Dear Graham,
Today you turn one week old! In what was the fastest week of our lives, here are a few of my favorite pictures from the last seven days:








While mommy would love to claim writing letters to you as an original idea, I have to admit that I am borrowing the idea from another blog I follow. I'm certain when you're old enough to read this, a blog to you will be like an Atari, 8-track or typewriter is to me and your daddy, but hey, it's what we have now and one more way to document our journey together.

Over the last week I've learned that you love to be swaddled to sleep. You enjoy your nightly massages with Johnson and Johnson lotion from daddy. You're learning how to nurse better with each day that passes. You like to listen to the CD with Coldplay songs as lullabies. (Or maybe your mom and dad like to listen to the CD.)

I've also learned that you hate to have your diaper changed. Or to be bathed. Or have your clothes changed. Perhaps you're the typical boy as pretty much anything that involves having to be cleaned you don't enjoy.

Over this last week your daddy and I have learned a lot about ourselves too. We've developed a new, instantaneous love that overflows for you. We've learned that not sleeping is hard, but even 4 a.m. isn't bad when you look up at us with your alert eyes. We've learned that it's possible to have our entire worlds turned upside down and not even care. Ultimately, we've learned that you're running this show now and we couldn't be happier about it.

Love,
Mommy

Graham Mason Akin is Here!

Graham decided to make his debut into the world two weeks early and was born on Friday, July 30. After going to my weekly doctor's appointment, they discovered in my ultrasound that my amniotic fluid was at low levels and because I was already considered full term, they decided to start the induction that afternoon.

We started with a full Pitocin drip around 3:00 on Thursday and then the doctor decided to let my body try to progress naturally for a few hours. (For which I was thankful, because it meant I got to eat something, even though it was only liquids.) At midnight they restarted the Pitocin drip at at 4:00 a.m. I was only 2 cm dilated. Because they weren't exactly sure of when the amniotic fluid began to leak, there was concern of an increased risk of infection and Taylor and I talked about the option of a c-section in case it came to that. I really wanted to deliver normally and we agreed we'd try to stick to that plan as long as the baby wasn't at risk.

Around 8:30 on Friday morning Taylor took a shower and while doing so said a prayer for God to progress the labor and for a quick but safe delivery. Apparently Taylor's request went straight to God's ears as the doctor came by when Taylor was getting out of the shower to check on my progress. He said I was 10 cm dilated and we'd be ready to begin pushing in the next 20 minutes.

With an amazing labor and delivery nurse and doctor, Graham was born at 10:04 and our worlds changed forever.

The last 72 hours have been truly indescribable. All of our friends and family told us of the immediate bond you feel, but I wasn't prepared for the overwhelming sense of love, awe and joy I feel every time I hold him, see him or smell him. I just want to be in Graham's presence all of the time.

Here's a few pictures of Graham's first few days. More to come after some rest...