It’s been a month…. really, it’s been 6 weeks, but who’s counting? It’s more fast paced around our house than ever before. Two kids who are both young and needy and completely dependent on us makes for busy days. However, I’m trying to realize each day that we will look back and miss the oversized chunky cheeks and mis-spoken words in toddler-gibberish. One day we’ll be running big kids to practices and activities and we’ll miss all of the tiny-person questions coming from the back seat… and the feeling of being so needed and loved, when nursing my baby makes everything right again in their world. I’m trying to cherish it all, even the hard parts.
So what are the hard parts with Baby Graham? Well, he’s a great sleeper…. I have no complaints in that area!! We are SO grateful! Just last night he slept from 10pm to 6:30am and then we both went back to bed from 7am to 8am! What a dream, right?! Honestly, the hardest part was at four weeks. He went through a week-long phase of not knowing how to be content and happy while he was awake but not nursing. I worried he was going to be categorized as “colicky”, but around week five that started to change. We figured out what he liked and what made him happy. Dada would walk him down the driveway, he LOVES baths, he learned to love the lights above the kitchen island, and he loves laying on his changing table… just out in the middle of the kitchen.
Graham’s hair is so similar to Evy’s and his vocal chords are similar to Evy’s. He can SCREAM! But he’s also extremely snuggly and it’s so sweet. He’s really strong and it can make getting his onesies on quite a challenge. He loves to be swaddled even though he acts like he hates it at first. He’s not a smiler yet…. only in his sleep or when he’s nursing… but we know the real smiles are coming and I can’t wait!!
We love this little boy so much. I still feel weird saying “Michael, who’s going to watch the KIDS that day?” or “What are the KIDS doing right now?”. We have KID(S)…. plural! I love seeing Michael walking around the house holding a little baby again. It’s a sweet season for us. Everywhere you look in our house, you can see reminders of Baby James and when you see those images while you’re holding Baby Graham, it makes you hold him a little tighter. We celebrated Baby James’ first Birthday when Graham was just a week old. I worried about whether or not it would be hard for me to love another baby boy after losing one the way we did with James but that isn’t a concern at all. If anything, James’ life makes me love and cherish Graham MORE and I’m so grateful for that.
When Baby Graham was three weeks old, we started our wedding season! Whew! What a whirlwind. We have photographed three weddings in a row and while it has been hard to leave such a tiny baby at home every weekend, it has been good for me to do what I love and get out of the house!!!
This first month with Baby Graham has been wonderful and redemptive. I never want to forget how grateful I am for this baby boy and this new season of our life. Here are some moments and memories I don’t want to forget:
One Month Memories:
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We thought Graham didn’t know how to spit up. He would eat like a champ and burp big but nothing would come up! That has since changed! ha! I think everyone has been slimed a time or two.
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Nursing was hard the first two weeks for me, not baby Graham. He’s a pro at it. It was painful because he has an abnormally strong latch but it’s all good now. So thankful!
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Emy and I have to pump on wedding days…. which a lot of times means doing it the back of our minivan! We recently got the Willow Pump and tried to use it right before a wedding… for the FIRST TIME, that was a HUGE and hilarious mistake! Don’t cry over spilled milk? Oh, we were almost in meltdown mode!
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He’s peed on everything.
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He poops non-stop…. like every diaper change.
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We realized around 4 weeks that he liked pacifiers for 16 month olds!
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Evy thinks that baby Graham is drinking “smoothies” when he’s nursing and has offered to feed him herself!
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Graham LOVES riding on the boat…. when it’s moving!
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He’s not great at self-soothing… but it’s getting better as he gets older! PTL.
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He could stay in a bathtub all day.
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We took him to church around two weeks old and he has slept through every service since!
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He will nap for 3+ hours some days… and wakes up STARVING.
- EVERYONE thinks Graham looks like my DAD! Everyone except us! haha
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His night-time sleep is amazing. Thank you Jesus.
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He doesn’t mind getting his clothes changed… Evy would lose her mind when something went over her head.
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Evy loves to give him kisses and shoves the paci in his mouth… sometimes with a little too much force.
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He passed his hearing test and I cried walking out of the appointment because I was so incredibly relieved that everything was ok. What a gift it is to receive good news!
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He isn’t always thrilled to be in the car… bummer. But when he’s asleep in his “bucket” (his car seat…. I don’t know why my family calls them a “bucket” now) then he was sleep for hours in that thing!
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He takes 5oz bottles when I’m not nursing him. Wow.
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He seems very serious right now… which is actually pretty funny when you compare him to Harper because this is the month at she started smiling at EVERYTHING!!!
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It’s HARD to take pictures the way I did with Evy but I desperately want to. I’m learning to accept that it’s different for the second baby and that’s ok. At least I’m taking some!! And at least this post is happening before he’s officially two months old! I’d call that a win!
Oh but she adores him….
Meeting Aunt Momo and Unke Corey!
Harper girl…. her smile is the best thing!
First “head” bath!
Meeting friends!!!
Evy and Alton!
The Tummy Time Challenge with Harper… he was only three days old!
We learned last time with Evy that my momma-post-partum emotions are triggered by not having pictures with my babies when they are BRAND new. So, we took these a day or two after we got home even though I knew Emily Gerald would do an incredibly job two weeks later!
James’ first birthday!
Poor guy slept so much we had to wake him up by stripping him down to his diaper his first week and he didn’t like it!
These two. They are something!
I celebrated Graham being one week old by photographing Sienna Herrinton’s birth!
Her MANY babies. They ALL sleep with her!!!
A rare Bokeh sighting at our house. Grammie, Paw and Aunt Sarah have graciously kept Bokeh Boy for us and are continuing to. He isn’t aggressive… but he also just doesn’t LOVE babies and I don’t LOVE having him sleep on top of me during the brand new newborn phase.
The day Dada took her to see Paw Patrol and it was the best day ever!
Graham’s first trip to Big Spring Farm!
Meeting more friends!!!
Micah’s first self portrait! bahahaha
Bribery.
Cheers!
Baby Graham’s crib!
Emily Gerald gave us dozens and dozens of images that I’m obsessed with! I want to share my favorites in their own blog post!!!
Her bossy face.
Real life… no shower… the shirt I slept in…
I wanted to take “monthly” pictures of them together… but Evy had Hand, Foot and Mouth disease here! This is as close as they got!
Mimi said I should document this ordeal and I didn’t want to but I agree that we will want to be able to look back later and remember how much we overcame. This virus is AWFUL. Beyond awful, actually!
And highly contagious!
But the grandmas didn’t care… they spent all week helping us avoid it and take care of her! Evy was a champ!
Happy One Month Baby Graham!!!
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