Deep thoughts...

Recently, there has been a lot of news coverage and Facebook posts about genetic birth defects and babies who pass away soon after birth.  Having just had a baby myself, these stories absolutely break my heart.  Tears pour down my face each time I read the stories or watch a video and I cannot imagine the heartbreak that those parents go through. I usually end up cuddling with Grant after reading the sad stories and just kissing his sweet face.

Early in my pregnancy, around week 7, I started bleeding and called my husband crying convinced I was having a miscarriage.  I remember sitting in the bathroom crying my eyes out, alone and devastated.  Thankfully the bleeding stopped after a few days and a follow up appointment showed that the baby was fine, although there was no explanation for the bleeding.  At each follow up ultrasound my husband and I waited to hear the reassuring words, "everything looks great" just to put all of our fears to rest.  I have felt the intense fear that I was losing my baby, but I was lucky that it was a false alarm and things turned out okay.  I carried my baby to term and he is now a happy and healthy 4 month old.

I cannot imagine what these parents go through knowing they will deliver their baby only to have a few hours or days with them.  I know that it must involve a lot of prayer and strength from God, family, and friends to make it through such a sad situation.

Babies are truly a special gift from God and I thank Him every day for giving us Grant.  He answered our prayers for a child and blessed us with Grant and his sweet spirit.  My heart goes out to all of the parents struggling with difficult pregnancies and sick children.  It reminds me that life is precious and it shouldn't be taken for granted.

So today I am praying for all of those out there dealing with these heart breaking situations and thanking God for Grant and his health.

Grant - 4 Months!

Our big boy is 4 months old! He's drooling like crazy all of the time and soaking bibs and onesies all day.  We thought it might be early teething, but after talking to friends and reading online, drooling at 3/4 months is apparently just a normal occurrence.

He loves to stick out his tongue when he's smiling at us. So many of my 4 month pictures have his tongue sticking out! Of course I am always sticking out my tongue at him trying to get him to laugh so he could just be mimicking me too :)

He still HATES being on his tummy, even though he can push up on his arms now.  You can tell in the 4 month picture collage that he is just on the verge of being very angry at his mom for putting him on his tummy lol.

Age: 4 months

Weight:   15 lbs 9 oz

Eye Color: Dark Grey/Brown

Clothes: PJs: 6/9 months, Onesies: Can still squeeze into 3M, but 6M are roomier.

Diapers:  Size 2

Milestones:  *Can follow an object with his eyes
*Lifts head while on his stomach
*On 9/21/14 he rolled over for the first time (front to back)! It was so funny watching his face after he flipped over.  He didn't know what just happened!
 *Purposely grabs toys and puts them in his mouth
*Bears his weight on his legs (he loves to stand up!)
*Turns at the sound of my voice and looks for me in a room
*Started daycare on 9/29/14

Best Moment(s) This Month: He spent his first night away from us and did great! He actually stayed with my parents for 5 days while we went to Cancun for our anniversary.  My mom said he slept great at night and had lots of smiles for everyone :)

It was so amazing watching him roll over for the first time.  I had no idea how proud I would feel!

Loves: *When you stroke his face
*Standing up (with help of course!)
*Chewing on his hands
*Pat-a-Cake song (he loves when you clap his hands together!)
*Taylor Swift's song, Shake it Off - he smiles and smiles when I sing it to him

Hates: *Tummy time (still not a fan, even though he can push himself up now)
*Bumbo
*Being left to play by himself for too long (he lets you know when he's ready for you to play with him!)

Food:  He is still getting 100% breast milk. 

Looking Forward To: Hearing his first laugh.  Thought it was close, but we are still waiting! Can't wait to introduce him to solid foods too :)

His face looks like he is laughing, but no sounds come out! He just smiles really big :)

Sweet boy started daycare this week and he did great! He was all smiles when I picked him up and actually wasn't exhausted or grumpy when we got home.  I'm hoping day 2 of daycare goes just as smoothly.

Nighttime sleep hasn't been going so well.  We were waking up 1-2 times a night and then he hit 3 months and it's been 3+ times a night.  Sometimes he isn't hungry, but just wants me to pick him up and then he immediately falls back asleep.  It's exhausting though.  I'm hoping he goes back to 2 night feeds soon so we can all get a little more rest.

Nothing more peaceful than a sleeping baby.  Even in his sleep he looks like my husband!

And of course I had to throw in a video to show how much he's grown!

3 Year Anniversary - Cancun

David and I celebrated our 3 year anniversary last week.  Can you believe it's been 3 years?  Here's a link to a post on our wedding if you are interested.  I'll start this post with a collage of pictures from our wedding day :)

We started the tradition (if you can call 2 years in a row a tradition lol) of going on a vacation every year for our anniversary.  We've gone to Dallas, back to Maui, and this year decided to go to Cancun.  We weren't sure how we'd feel about leaving the baby, so we booked it at the last minute and only stayed 4 nights.  We stayed at the Hyatt Zilara in an Oceanfront Deluxe King Suite.  We loved it! It had a wrap around balcony, jacuzzi tub, awesome shower and the bed was so comfy!

One thing that I loved about this resort was all of the cabanas on the beach.  Our suite came with a reserved cabana so we didn't have to go out and save one each morning.

The infinity pool was gorgeous!

We were planning on just being lazy at the resort, but we ended up booking a deep sea fishing trip.

My husband caught a huge red snapper and I caught some small fish they used as bait haha

Turtles were coming to lay their eggs during our trip and we got to see baby turtles hatch and make their way out of their nests! We even got to release some into the ocean at night.  It was such a cool experience.

  We really enjoyed ourselves and caught all caught up on sleep.  I FaceTimed twice a day with Grant and we were so happy to come home and see him.  He's been all smiles since he's been home, so I think he may have missed us a little bit :) 

We had a great time and are already planning our trip for our 4 year anniversary!

Grant - 3 Months!

Grant is already 3 months old! He's growing like a weed and changing so much.  He smiles so easily now and I feel like we are so close to hearing his sweet laugh.  He's squealed a few times, so I think laughing is right around the corner.

He's getting too long for all of my favorite outfits, which means this mom needs to start shopping for size 6/9 month clothes soon!  He's finally filling out the 3 month onesies in the middle, but I have to really stretch them to get them buttoned.  He's got a long torso like me, so shopping is going to be difficult for him!

Grant has been going to work with me since he was 5 weeks old, but we are starting to think about transitioning him to day care at some point.  I'm so thankful that I was able to bring him to work with me for this long.  Some days are challenging, but it's been so nice to hear him coo and play while I work on payroll.   :)

Grant loves going for walks in our neighborhood!

Age: 3 months

Weight:  14 lbs (big boy!)

Eye Color: Dark Blue/Grey

Clothes: We are squeezing into 3 month pajamas at this point.  6/9 month fits much better length wise.  Grant is just so long! 6 month onesies are baggy on him, but 3 month onesies barely button.  I'm stretching them at this point to make them fit.  I can already tell that he's going to be hard to buy clothes for.

Diapers:  Still in size 1, but I think size 2 is right around the corner.

Milestones: It's so easy to make him smile now.  Just smile at him and he grins right back.  It melts my heart.  He has discovered his hands and loves to put them in his mouth and suck on his fingers.

Best Moment This Month: He finally likes the swing! When he's tired and fussy, but is refusing to fall asleep, I just pop him in his swing and he falls asleep in about 5 minutes.  I'm so glad he finally likes the swing.  It frees up so much more of my time so I can clean or get ready for work in the morning.

Loves: His pacifier, bath time, going for walks, his mobile, the Momaroo.

Hates: Tummy time

Food:  He is getting 100% breast milk.  In the first few weeks we supplemented with formula a handful of times, but now we only give him BM.  I pump 5 times a day and bottle feed him.

Looking Forward To: Hearing his first laugh.  We've had some squeals, but no laugh yet.

He is fascinated by his crib mobile.  It is the Fisher-Price 2-In-1 Precious Planet Projection Mobile.

He loves to stare at the toy balls on the mamaRoo swing.  It's like he's in a trance!

And here's a video of Grant "talking" :)

 

Baby Must Haves - Newborns

Before I had my son, I had no clue what to buy for a baby shower.  I actually avoided most of them because I was completely clueless about babies!  Once I found out I was pregnant, I scoured the internet trying to figure out what all I needed once he was born.  He is now almost 3 months old, so I have compiled a list of my "must have" items that got me through these first months.

1.  Diapers.  Buy. A. Lot.  Let me rephrase that: STOCKPILE!  I think we started buying diapers when I was 6-7 months along and we'd buy a package whenever we went grocery shopping.  One tip I have though is to not buy too many newborn diapers.  Buy maybe 2 boxes to get you through a couple of weeks, but don't count on your baby staying that small for long.  Grant was 6lbs 4oz when he was born and was actually too small for N, but by 1.5 months he was in size 1. Oh and from my experience so far, I prefer the Pampers Baby Dry diapers.  Huggies have leaked every time I've tried them and Pampers Swaddlers stick to the skin and it just looks uncomfortable!

2. Wipes.  Same scenario as above: buy a TON! I bought so many wipes that I still have a closetful 3 months in.  It's so nice to just go grab a package from your closet instead of having to load up a baby and run to the store.

3. Changing Table.  I read a lot of conflicting opinions on whether or not a changing table was necessary.  I actually wasn't going to buy one, but happened across one on clearance at Target for $30 and thought, "Why not?".  I love that thing.  It makes changing diapers a breeze.  No bending over or getting poop on your bed/couch.

4. Munchkin Diaper Duty Organizer. I found this at Target and it's been so helpful to have all of my diaper changing supplies handy and organized.  I keep diapers, wipes, lotion, and diaper rash ointment organized in this. 

5. Gripe Water. This is a MUST.  I had never heard of this before and once someone told me about it, it saved my sanity.  There will be times your baby is crying and you cannot figure out why.  Just a tiny bit of this in their mouth and they immediately calm down.  It's sweet and I'm pretty sure the taste distracts them from whatever they were upset about.  It also really helps with gas and tummy troubles.

6. Bottle Warmer. If you have tap water that heats up quickly and gets pretty hot, then you probably don't need this.  Our tankless hot water heater doesn't get the water super hot (and it takes forever to even get hot) so it's nice to be able to warm bottles of breast milk up in this. 

7. Bouncer. Love. This. Thing.  I have the exact one pictured and my son LOVES it! It is the only thing he would sleep in when we brought him home from the hospital. We tried everything else first and he ended up loving the bouncer.  He sleeps in his crib now, but he will sit and play in this thing for 30+ minutes.  He's a big fan of the orange monkey :) 

8. Halo SleepSack.  My husband can swaddle with blankets, but I never could get it tight enough and he kept breaking free.  This sleep sack works perfect!  He's started getting strong enough to break out of it though, so I think our swaddling days are winding down.

9. Footie Pajamas.  My son's hands and feet are always freezing, so footie pajamas are great for sleeping and just playing at home.  I love the Issac Mizrahi pjs pictured!

 

10. Bottle Cleaning Supplies.  I said I'd be using the dishwasher to clean my bottles when I was pregnant.  I quickly realized that is not feasible and it's much quicker to just wash them by hand and let them air dry. I love this bottle brush (it has a spongey part on the end) because it fits in the Medela breast pump bottles.

Grant - 2 Months!

Grant is 2 months old today! He's grown so much from the day we brought him home from the hospital.  He started out so long and skinny and he is finally starting to plump up :)  At his 2 month check up, he weighed 11 lbs and 9 oz! His chubby little cheeks are absolutely adorable and I love to attack them with kisses!

He smiles so much now, especially in the morning.  He wakes up and stretches and then just smiles at me while I change his diaper.  It totally makes my morning.

He is also getting much better at holding his head up.  When he's sitting in your lap or you hold him over your shoulder he has great neck control.  He hasn't quite mastered lifting it when he is on his tummy though, since he HATES tummy time!

Age: 2 months

Weight: 11 lbs 9 oz

Eye Color: Dark Blue/Grey

Clothes: 3M

Diapers: 1

Milestones: Talking more, Holds head up much better!

Best Moment This Month: All of the SMILING! I love his precious smile!

Loves: His pacifier, bath time, eye contact, looking outside, "Stay Awake" from Mary Poppins (falls asleep quick!), sitting in my lap, hanging out with Daddy

Hates: Burping, tummy time, hiccups, changing clothes, traveling

Looking Forward To: Him being able to hold his head up by himself and sit by himself.
 

He has started to "talk" more and is making new sounds.  I love listening to him coo!

Grant - 1 Month & What I've Learned

 

Grant is already 1 month old! Where did the time go?  I couldn't believe it was already time to start the "monthly pictures" process.

Things to note about Grant:

LOVES:

Being Swaddled (loves, loves, LOVES!)

Going outside

Putting on his PJs

Rocking

Looking at Mommy and Daddy

HATES:

Taking a bath (he's warming up to this now)

Being naked

Changing clothes/diaper

Getting the hiccups

The carseat

 He's weighing in at almost 10 lbs based on my weighing with and without him on the scale at home.

Can we take a second to just appreciate how adorable sleep smiles are?  They are so hard to catch on camera, but I managed to get this one! I can't wait for his social smiles to start, but I love seeing this little smirk when he's sleeping.

Now here is my rundown of what I've learned in the first month and my advice to new/expectant parents.

1. Buy gas drops and Gripe Water before you go into labor to have ready when you come home.  I wish I had it at the hospital! Grant had major gas pain at the hospital and when we came home.  I didn't find out about these two products until we were a week in.  They will save your life! Trust me on this.  I just bought 3 bottles so I could have one in the diaper bag, one in the nursery, and a spare.

2. SWADDLE! I cannot stress this one enough. It calms him down and will double his sleep time.  Grant is a wiggle worm and always has his arms flapping around.  The swaddle keeps him from waking himself up.

3.  Wear your baby! Grant loves it! I thought it looked ridiculous, but it makes him happy and it leaves my hands free. 

4. Schedule and Track! I downloaded an app that helps you track feedings, diapers, naps, etc.  I'm so tired that I can't remember when I fed him last and it helps me know when he is crying out of hunger.

5.  Get ready to do laundry.  I do laundry at least once a day.  It's smaller loads, but you can't make it through a day with clean clothes (mom or baby).

6.  If your baby won't stop crying, walk outside.  This has calmed Grant down every time.

7.  Breastfeeding is hard.  I BF for about 3 weeks before I broke down and started pumping and using bottles.  I could never get Grant to get a deep latch and I was in so much pain that it hurt to carry him against my chest.  Don't feel bad if you have to bottle feed.  It actually speeds up feed times and gives you more time to play with the baby or it's quicker to put them back to sleep at night. 

8.  Try to keep the baby on a schedule.  I read Baby Wise and used it as a basis to plan our day.  The book says to feed every 3 hours, but Grant eats every 2 so I just modified it to fit our needs.  I feed Grant (15 mins), have a little bit of awake time to talk and "play" (about 30 minutes), and then put him down to sleep (his naps range from 45 mins-1.5 hrs). This repeats all day except at night (after 8pm) there is no awake time and he goes right back to bed after eating.

9.  Another tip I found online is to skip diaper changes at night.  This has drastically improved my sleep situation.  Grant hates having his diaper changed and would completely wake up and scream during this process.  By skipping it at night, he stays drowsy and falls right back to sleep (most of the time anyway!) I always change his diaper first thing in the morning though, even before feeding him.  

10. Enjoy your baby! The time goes by so fast. It seems like I just had him yesterday, but he's already a month old.  Cherish all the snuggles and sleep with him on your chest.  Don't worry about spoiling your baby, just give him lots of love and affection and soak in every second.