Dear Graham, Week 8

Dear Graham,
Can you believe we made it 8 weeks? Each day you are developing more and more, and it's been especially fun to see you progress over these past few days.




(Every time we have "tummy time" now you find your fists to suck...I think you might suck your fingers once you're coordinated enough to consistently find your hand with your mouth.)

More pictures of your visit with the Akin family...

(The Akin boys)


(Your cousins)

While we didn't have a repeat performance of your five and six hour sleep stretches from last week, the Prevacid is definitely helping your demeanor and your overall comfort level. You haven't had long crying bouts where you sound so uncomfortable, which is such a blessing. You did catch a bit of a cold this week, which made several nights a challenge. But we made it through and I think we're both stronger for it.

You continue to love to be outside...nearly every day you and I take walks together. Sometimes it's to calm you down, and sometimes it's so that you'll take a little nap. But even just walking out on the back porch together instantly calms you. Several weeks ago your daddy and I even set your bouncy chair up on our covered porch when it was raining...you loved hearing the rain and feeling the warm air.

You also love the rattle, which we've affectionately named "your friend." Whenever we bring out the rattle, you love to follow it all around with your eyes, going from side to side and up and down. If you're happy or sad, we can bring out the rattle and you instantly calm and focus on it.

This week you have also become more vocal, sharing with us your coos and aahhs and oohs. We try to get you to talk, and I often wonder what that little brain of yours is thinking. It probably has something to do with how ridiculous we look, but your daddy and I will put aside all embarrassment to get you to smile, coo or respond.

Love,
Mommy

Dear Graham, Week 7

Dear Graham,
Your seven week letter is a few days late because we've been enjoying family visiting...while you turned seven weeks old you also met your Grandad, Grand-Gale, Aunt Kristen, Uncle Rush (who you actually met when you were one day old), and your cousins Emelie and Christopher. You are so loved already as everyone has enjoyed meeting you and taking turns passing you around.



(Your cousin Emelie made your 7 week sign this week!)





Your mom has to admit that the last week was down right rough on the both of us. You were upset many days this week, and one night you didn't sleep longer than a one hour stretch. This, of course, coincided with your daddy's first four-day trip, so it was just you and me, kid. Your cries seemed uncomfortable and you were spitting up more than usual, which means there was a whole lot of spit up. So, this past week we made our first unscheduled visit to the pediatrician to check out what was wrong and so that mommy's sanity remained in tact.

The good news is you are already weighing in at 10 lbs 2 oz! The doctor was thrilled with your growth, even though you still appear so long and skinny given your long arms and legs. (In fact, you can still fit in your newborn onesies although I think we are days away from retiring a few that are getting too small.) However, the doctor thought you might have caught a bit of a stomach bug that daddy had several weeks ago. So we went home hoping you'd pass through this phase.

After another night of three-plus hours of straight crying, mommy again called our patient pediatrician, desperate for a solution. We agreed that mommy would cut dairy out of her diet for a week and we'd also test you on a week of Prevacid. Both measures are designed to calm your little stomach and see if it would let you sleep longer, which was also becoming a problem because you were such an overtired baby.

The first night of the Prevacid you slept a 5-hour stretch...which is pretty much a modern day miracle that left your mommy ecstatic. I don't know if it was the medicine or the fact that you were so overtired, but either way everyone in the house was a bit happier as a result of your sleep. The second night of the Prevacid you slept for more than 6 hours, which had your mommy and daddy performing a typical new parent act: we checked to ensure you were still breathing multiple times. We are praying that this is a solution that brings you some relief and continued sleep for us all.

Despite the rough week we experienced, I still cherish your sweet smiles; your wide, alert eyes when you look up at me when nursing; and rubbing the soft, fine hair on your head.

Love,
Mommy

Dear Graham, Week 6

Dear Graham,
Six whole weeks of your life have gone by and I think you might have changed the most during this past week. Your smiles are becoming more regular and you are so alert...always looking around to see what the world has in store for you. Your mommy and daddy think you're the smartest baby on the block, as you're meeting all of your developmental milestones and then some.



This past week you've also discovered your tongue. You don't quite know what to do with it, but you'll stick it out at us and entertain yourself for some time. You have also become more adept at "tummy time" and can move your head back and forth with that strong neck of yours. We read together each day and mommy already has the words of Goodnight Moon memorized.




Also during the last week you got to meet your Papa and Nana as mommy's dad and MJ came into town. You spent your mornings with them so mommy and daddy could grab a few extra hours of sleep. You also celebrated the arrival of college football with us, although you were so excited that you slept through half of the Florida State game. Don't worry, we still taught you how to do the chop when you were awake.





This wouldn't be a weekly letter without some mention of your sleeping patterns. Dude--we have to work on your nighttime sleep before mommy and daddy go crazy. You take good naps during the day but like to wake up multiple times at night. I'm sure you'll be extremely embarrassed that I'm posting about your pooping patterns on the Internet, but for the last three nights you've woken yourself up because you can't poop in your sleep lying down. Now I may be wrong, but I thought this was the one skill babies were born with. This new pattern had me Googling a phrase I never would have thought of prior to having you: "How to change a baby's poop pattern." Unfortunately my descriptive search term didn't turn up the results I was seeking.

Despite your lack of sleep, I am still amazed by you each waking moment.

Love,
Mommy

Dear Graham, Week 5

Dear Graham,
This past week perhaps marked a bigger milestone for your mommy and daddy than for you: your daddy went back to work this week, which meant you and I were alone together for the first time for three days. I'll be honest and admit there were a few tears shed by us all...daddy for having to leave, mommy because you decided to protest naps one day, and you because, well, because you're a baby and it's what you do. But we survived and even managed to get on a bit of a schedule. Which lasted one whole day. :) Overall, it was a good learning experience for us all and one we'll continue to build on as daddy goes back to regular work.

Mommy also shed tears for another reason last week: your first smiles. Daddy walked out to the living room to find mommy crying and you just smiling away. You literally melted my heart, making up for the many wake-up calls you give mommy during the nights.

Speaking of those wake up calls, it seems like this week you did a bit worse overnight, instead of better. The verdict is still out on the swaddling situation: we have tried multiple swaddles this week and it turns out that you don't like any of them. So we attempted a few naps without a swaddle and get this: you don't like that either. So you see, there's only two choices here and it doesn't seem like you like either option. Despite your mommy explaining this to you multiple times now, you still don't seem to understand it. We continue to experiment, and I'll let you know when we find the perfect solution for you.

This week your face continued to evolve...your cheeks are getting fuller and your eyes are getting bigger and more alert. You are also becoming stronger every day, and you love holding your head up to look at the world around you. Your legs are filling out and your kicks are becoming more ferocious...perhaps you'll be a soccer player or a punter?





Love,
Mommy

Chronicling Graham on Facebook

While I use this blog as an outlet to write about Graham, Taylor has been utilizing Facebook to chronicle the every day happenings in our lives since Graham's arrival. Some days his messages are funny, some days they are sweet, but I didn't want for them to get away, which is why I'm capturing them here.

Sept. 3: Well last night we had an accidental epiphany (as new parents often do). So apparently babies, or at least my baby, feels the need to poop at 3am and ensures the whole family is aware of it. So starts the constant grunting and straining around 2am while he works up something special. So we put him in his swing to help him back to sleep and alas....with great force and enthusiasm, he blows out his diaper! It dawns on me laying there at 3:03am....that there exists a direct correlation between gravity, centrifugal force, and productive bowel movements in infants. And now we know! ;)

Aug. 31: Baby thought of the day: Thank God for Skype. Who ever invented it is most definitely a father. A nerdy father, but one none the less ;) On a side note.......I can't sleep in this hotel room. It's too damn quiet. There's no baby boy occasionally crying, grunting, tooting, sneezing, and especially in Graham's case.........hiccuping! Can't wait to get home! ;)

Aug. 30: Today's baby thought: Even going to fly airplanes isn't enough to make today any easier. On Grahams one-month anniversary, it's time for daddy to go back to work. What an amazing time it's been welcoming him into our lives! I miss him and I haven't even left yet. ;)

Aug. 29: Baby Thought: My baby boy doesn't care if I had a few beers at my buddies 30th birthday party and want to get some sleep. When he's hungry, it's time for daddy to get his butt out of bed and deliver our little prince to mommy for a 3am snack and diaper change. I wish I could be carried to the fridge in the middle of the night for that midnight snack! ;) (On a side note, he was awesome during our first family outing)

Aug. 26:Having a baby in the house is one of the funniest things. Little Graham started to wake up at 4am. He then decided to let one rip so loudly that it initiated his little "womb" sounding noise maker which kicks on if jiggled/or if baby cries. I don't know if it was the vibration or the actual noise but regardless, this process soothed him back to sleep. Daddy then laughed so hard he woke himself up for 20 minutes.

Aug. 24: Baby thought of the day: When your baby boy smiles at you, legitimately for the first time, it absolutely erases any doubt in my mind that I'm thrilled to be a daddy.

Aug. 24: Baby thought of the day: "Ponder, a landslide winner of preseason Atlantic Coast Conference offensive player of the year honors in sports media voting, is in the thick of the Heisman Trophy conversation, just like Weinke, who won the award in 2000." I know it's not really baby related but I can say that Graham is pumped!! Go Noles!

Aug. 21: Baby thought of the day: Is it weird that my baby boy likes to look me in the eyes when he pee's on me. ;) He is either trying to intimidate me or he has a great sense of humor. ;)

Aug. 20: Thought of the day: A pacifier, when used sparingly, is GOLD! (I know I'm 30 but it helps me sleep ;)

Aug. 19: So I pretty much spend my day troubleshooting a baby. It's how my brain works. I know he's not an airplane system, but my brain runs constantly between reading books and theorizing with Leigh about the complexities of baby. Today's random thought-"Leigh we don't need sleep, we slept 30 yrs in anticipation of the next 18." Leigh's going to Target to get out of the house for a bit....not sure if she's coming back. ;)

Aug. 18: I wrote Graham a blank check. I told him to write in ANY amount as long as he goes to sleep and stops crying. He looked me in the eyes and without missing a beat, he proceeded to ball up the check, stick it in the back of his diaper and well........had a productive bowel movement on it. And then he smiled at me.............before continuing to cry while shaking his head in disgust. ;)

Aug. 15: Wow last night was a rough one. My little man made it very clear who was running the show. We're not gonna miss that last nap time again this time around. Holy little 8lbs. of terror between 9pm and 3am. ;)

Aug. 13: Graham-bino is settling nicely into a nap/feed/wake routine and daddy is working in the yard again getting the "list" slowly completed. ;)

Aug. 7: Our little Grahambino slept in until 9am. ;) When he woke he literally said "Good morning world, now change my diaper and hand over the boob, I'm hungry" He runs the show now! ;)