Graham is 10 weeks old!

Gosh I certainly am trying to enjoy every moment with this little guy but time is flying by!

I have to admit life is crazy with two kids.  Just trying to get Reece up and out of the house in the morning was hard ( he loves to lie around in the morning and not move to quickly, I wonder where he got that?!?)  Graham has become really laid back and just goes with it.  He wakes up usually sometime between 6:30 am and 7:30 am, after he eats he plays on the floor or on his mat which he is really starting to enjoy.  After about an hour he is ready for a nap so I usually put him in the swing to take his nap.  It is easiest because I always have to wake the little guy to take Reece to school.  Since we have gotten his schedule down he rarely fusses and just goes with it.  I can only hope he will stay so laid-back.

We had our two month check up which also meant he was scheduled to get his immunizations , 4 of them.  I decided I wanted to split the shots up as I certainly couldn't handle watching to poor guy go through 4 shots, needless to say how they made him feel. So we did two and then will go back at three months for the other two.  I will follow that schedule for the remainder of his immunizations.  While he cried when he got the shots I feel so lucky that he had no reaction.  We didn't even have to give him tylenol.  At the appointment I noticed that he in the 25% for his height and weight but the 90% for his head circumference.  To make a long story short the pediatrician isn't worried about it but she did say that the percentage has jumped two points so when we go back at three months she will recheck him.  If the percentage jumps again she is going to do an ultrasound on him.  While I really do hope that a big head just means a really smart boy, which of course is hereditary (so the pediatrician says, not the smart boy part!) I do have to admit I have been waking up a few nights thinking about it concerned.  So maybe an ultrasound will ease my worry.  Otherwise Graham got a clean bill of health!

G is smiling a ton and can I just say he certainly knows how to make all of our days.  There is nothing better than interacting with him to have him just light up.  He has become a really happy and content boy!

Overall he is still sleeping great although the past few nights he has been waking up around 3:45 am for a feeding.  So I think this weekend when we aren't working or at school I am going to have Gregg go into his room and try to just console him without feeding him.  He has shown that he can make it through the night without nursing so hopefully this is just a little bump in the road.  My Bible - BabyWise - says that this is common for babies to go through so I am remaining optimistic at this point.

Graham is still sporting 0 to 3 month clothes and size 1 diapers, although we have had a few blowouts lately so we may need to consider moving up to size 2 soon:(!

10 weeks old and Life is Good!!!

Weekend Recap

Fall in Michigan is as good as it comes!!  We certainly had a busy weekend getting in the spirit of the season and trying to get caught up on life ( Living on the lake we don't accomplish much project-wise during the summer, but we certainly do enjoy ourselves.)  So Saturday we headed out to the orchard.  There are no apples in this part of the state this year because of the earlier warming then frost so we opted for raspberry picking instead.  Reece decided it would be best to come back to pick our pumpkins as they may rot if we get them this early - we agreed!  We also managed to play, do some wine tasting, and even find some friends to play a little football.  

Sunday fun day was spent working around the house and watching some football while enjoying some cold beer.  We had a garage sale a few weeks ago and found this great old chest my mom was selling.  I snagged it up with great plans for it after a little touch up.  It was a quick easy project which I decided would be great to tackle today. I added a few coats of paint, then once the paint dried sanded all along the edges to make sure it still had the weathered look.  I love the finished product!!

Hope everyone had a great weekend!!  We are so excited fall is here!

2 Months!!!

It's hard to believe two months ago Graham came into our lives.  While we have had some trying times, getting to know this little guy and love him have been nothing short of amazing.  It only continues to get better.  

We are not quite sure on Graham's weight yet but we are guessing he is around 11 pounds

 (He has his 2 month checkup later today so I'll be sure to update his actual weight on here later).  He is sporting 0 to 3 month clothes but we can still squeeze him into newborn onesies.  The temperature here has really cooled off so we are working on ways to make sure he stays warm enough in his gowns at night, we may have to switch to footed pjs.

Graham is smiling so much.  It makes my day when I am talking to him, or when Graham sees Reece in the morning, or when Daddy gets home after work and he lights up with a huge smile.  He has become such a happy and content boy.  He will lay on the floor and play in the morning while I run around like a chicken with my head cut off getting Reece ready for school.  He loves to just look around at his toys or just his surroundings.

I am beyond excited but also hope I don't jinx it, Graham slept through the night last night!!!  I really am a firm believer that we teach our boys how to be good sleepers.  We have been working really hard on getting him on a schedule and putting himself to sleep in his crib for his naps during the day.  It really is what we do during the day that affects his nighttime sleep.  So last night was enough to encourage me to keep at it because it is clearly working.  

Daddy has big plans for you!!

All in all Graham is doing amazing.  Everyday with him gets better and better.  To be able to see him now able to express his contentment and happiness melts my heart.  Feeling like I am one blessed and happy Mommy!!!!

A few of my favorite baby things this month:

I am now running three or so days a week so the jogger (a Baby Trend jogging system) is a must have.  I clip his car seat right into the system and off we go.  Graham loves being outside and does great on our runs. 

My new best friend has become my Ameda Purely Yours breast pump.  I had the Medela Pump in Style with Reece and I have to say I prefer the Ameda.  The system is a much smaller size which makes it easy to carry around.  Also there are only two adjustments one for suction and one for speed, super easy!! 

One of Graham's favorite things has been a soft book called Baby Love.  It is a book but also stretches out and we lay it on the floor when G has belly time.  He really enjoys looking at the pictures which are nice and large.

A sweet tooth

So my girlfriend sent me a text the other night about a diet plan that her and her husband follow which is dairy free, called the Paleo Diet.  I have been consumed lately with finding recipes I can eat which will one satisfy my hunger ( seems my appetite has never ending with nursing ) and two that taste good.  One of the things I have missed the most is dessert so sure enough it was one of the first recipes I made.  They were delicious!!!

Coconut Squares

Serves 4

Ingredients

3 eggs
1 cup coconut milk

1/3 cup coconut oil
1/3 cup raw honey
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup almond flour
1 tbsp coconut flour
1 1/2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut
1/4 tsp sea salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
 I was not able to find almond or coconut flour so I simply used whole wheat flour.  First mix the eggs, oil, honey, and vanilla extract.  Then slowly add the flours followed by the shredded coconut until there are no lumps remaining.  Pour the mixture into an 8x8 pan and cook for 30 minutes or until golden brown on top.  Let the squares completely cool.
ENJOY!!

8 weeks

Schedule, Schedule Schedule....

Diet - breast milk. It has been quite a week getting two kids ready to drop Reece off to school in the morning and back home to go to class myself.  It takes a lot of preparation on the part of feeding Graham.  I am also trying to pump once a day or right before I leave for class because there are days when I am away from him for 5 or so hours.  Needless to say I don't want to explode or reduce my milk supply.  With a little planning so far I have managed to keep Graham of a 3 to 3.5 hour feeding schedule.  When I am in class he gets a bottle which also takes some work.  I am bound and determine that Graham will take a bottle but he is already showing signs of struggle.  So we will just keep working with him in hopes that it is only a little bump in the road.

Graham's hair is really starting to grow back in, although it is hard to see in this picture!

Sleep - So my BabyWise book came in the mail and since I was able to quickly read through most of it G's sleep has improved dramatically.  He is only waking once a night now, HALLELUJAH !!! 
(Although hopefully I didn't just jinx it) I swear by this book and although we were slightly following it before I forgot about establishing a morning wake up routine.  So now Graham wakes up between 6 and 7 am.  I feed him and then he is awake for about 45 minutes.  We have found if he stays awake too long it is still very hard to get him settled down and back to sleep which in turn can set off his schedule for the rest of the day.  Yet the key is feeding G then keeping him awake following a feeding even if for only 10 mins.  The idea is to teach him how to go to sleep on his own.  While he isn't always falling asleep eat bedtime without some tears or holding him, he is doing so much better AND sleeping most of the night.  It is a continuous work in progress but BabyWise says most babies with colic who follow their techniques will be sleeping through the night around 12 weeks.  I certainly can hope, right!?!

Likes - Graham is become more alert everyday.  He loves looking all around, especially in new locations.  Yet one of his favorite places  is still right on his changing table looking at his gallery wall.

Just missed a smile...loving bath time!

Milestones - Well Graham and I both survived his first day at Ms. Kathy's.  He did great and even went to sleep on his own.  Day two was today and when I picked him up she said has never heard him cry, I guess he got it all out on me this morning!  But I am so relived and happy that he is so far a star student! 

Post Partum - I had my final check up.  Everything went well except for the fact that my blood pressure was high.  I tend to think it had something to do with my lack of sleep the night before and the fact that Graham screamed through the whole appointment ( He won't be coming with me next time!) So she wants me back in a month just to make sure that was all it was.  Maybe it is because I am their favorite patient and would miss me too much to not be seeing me at least every month:)! I am also back to running three days a week.  My last run I increased by a half of mile and overall felt pretty good.   Maybe the year I had taken off from running was exactly what I needed because I am back to looking forward to my running days and really enjoying it, hopefully those feeling last!!  Finally I have to be honest now that I am busy and back to school my diet restrictions are really tough.  I have come to realize that I basically just cannot eat anything out and have to find a way to make the time to prepare snacks and food I can eat while out.  This is probably one of my biggest challenges right now because I am hungry much more often with nursing but have a hard time getting myself something to eat before I leave the house, and as a result struggle thru the day.  When I have a few extra minutes during the day I  have been looking up recipes for dairy free easy foods, I am hoping to find a little bit of extra time make them and share what I like.  

We will never forgot 9/11 but hope that our boys never know of such evil

So in honor of Patriot's Day we say God Bless America!!

7 weeks

Whew it has been a busy week and time is definitely not slowing down.  Today is a day I have definitely been dreading since I was pregnant, leaving Graham for the first time at daycare.  I am hoping my class flies by!!

Health - I am so happy to say that Graham seems like a different baby this week.  When he is awake he is generally happy and content.  While Graham still struggles falling asleep we seemed to have made a major turn with his colic ( see diet ).  I am not exactly sure on his weight but we are guessing he is now 10 pounds.  I am also happy to say that his baby acne as well as his coloring from his jaundice have really cleared up.  The whites of his eyes are now white!  

Diet - Nursing.  The combination of no caffeine and no dairy seem have done the trick.  While he had a few tough days a few days ago and I quickly realized that I cannot even eat chocolate but overall happy baby = happy Momma!! Graham is now eating every three or so hours during the day.  I am trying to stretch out his feedings even if it is only by 15 minutes which in turn is helping him sleep longer stretches at night.

Sleep - Graham is also sleeping better.  I try my best to feed him late around 10 or 11 pm which gets us about 4 straight hours and then he has one more early morning feeding sometime between 5 and 6 am.   Generally Graham wakes up in the morning for about an hour and then goes back to sleep.  He still is sleeping most of the day but is then awake through the evening until we put him to bed.  

 Enjoying the boat

Likes - Graham is really starting to track things with his eyes, which means I brought out some toys for him!!  It is so fun to watch him lay on his mat or the floor and look all around even reaching for things. He continues to love his bath and massage time every night.  We have officially decided that Graham loves the outdoors.  We spent the weekend on the boat and he did amazing!!  If he is having a fussy moment we take him outside and he quickly calms down.  The weather has been beautiful so we try to have him outside as much as we can!!

Play time

Milestones - Graham is beginning to smile socially.  While he doesn't do it all the time yet when Gregg, Reece, or I come up to him he gives us a smile which just makes me melt.  Graham also took his Big Brother to school for the first time!!  It was great to introduce him to the Lakewood family.  Today will be Graham's first day of "school"/ daycare.  I have to say I thought I was ready and after going yesterday to fill out the paperwork I am now terrified.  I cannot believe I have to leave my little guy.  It feels so different than leaving him with my mom.  While I know I am leaving him in great hands I am still scared and hope he is an angel.  Luckily it is just for three or so hours every Thursday.  I am hoping to drop him off today with no tears, from me of course!!

XOXO

Post Partum - I am feel more and more back to myself everyday.  It is amazing how I have learned in seven weeks to function off of little sleep although I am loving the few additional hours each night.  I am still doing the rock and stroll class and have also been out for  couple of runs.  I quickly learned that I have to double up on my sports bras, gosh I never thought there would be a day in my life I would be saying that!  Otherwise it feels incredible to be back to really working out, not just walks!  Since we are all back to school this week I am also trying to figure out a pumping schedule so I don't lose any of my milk supply.  This is definitely a work in progress!

Becoming a 1'st Grader

Reece - 
Holy Cow where has the summer gone??
First grade , I can't believe it !!!
I have so much I want to say but lets start with our amazing summer, we played a lot of putt putt, we went to a few water parks and the zoo, you perfected the art of doing cannon balls off the back of the boat, you learned how to ride your bike on two wheels, we played soccer and baseball and tennis and golf and volleyball and even became a swimmer!!  You became a BIG BROTHER!  Gosh we even found ways to practice your soccer and baseball skills in any available hospital courtyard.  We went to Nascar, a Tigers game, and even squeezed in a Lions game.
In May I was worried as to how I would a manage being pregnant and keeping up with a 6 year old all day, tonight I am wondering how I am going to adjust to my days without you while you are at school. It definitely doesn't get any easier watching you grow up and become more independent.  I have loved everyday we have spent together this summer and will miss you like crazy.
While I know you are a little nervous for tomorrow because you aren't sure if you "are ready for first grade" Daddy and I know you will do incredible.  We hope that you are kind and respectful, that you learn to challenge yourself to try new things, that you run faster than you knew you could, and most importantly we know you will be a great kid!!!  Reece we think this is going to be your year to shine - you hope you make new friends, we look forward to you coming home quizzing us with your new math skills and that you will become an even better reader, not to mention all the new soccer moves you will have.  
So while we are sad the summer is winding down we cannot wait to watch you grow even more.  Look out Lakewood 1'st grade, Reece is ready!!

We love you sooo much,
Mom and Daddy

A few highlights to remember :

Your height - 49 inches

Your weight - 48 pounds

Your favorite color - blue

Your favorite cartoon - Phineas and Ferb

Your favorite food - cheeseburger

Your favorite thing to do - go out on the boat

What you want to become when you get bigger - a soccer player