Graham is getting bigger and bigger. In fact, he is 14 1/2 pounds. That is huge compared to the 6 pound baby we brought home. We love all of his leg and arm rolls. Graham has also started to show his personality. He is a happy baby in general and we feel pretty lucky. He is so interested in the world around him and somedays he struggles to take a nap because he is wanting to take in everything around him. He is quite curious.
This month we had his church blessing. He looked adorable in his blessing outfit. We used Trent's blessing outfit and it was wonderful to have that connection between father and son. Trent did not want to use the bonnet but I snuck it in for some pictures.
One of the best gifts we recieved for Graham was the lullaby that his uncle Troy made for him. He sent it to us while we were in the hospital. Trent played it for Graham and I ask "my goodness that is a sweet song, where did you find it?" He explained that Troy made the song and sent it for Graham to listen to at bed time. We love the song and we play it to him often. I made a quick video that includes the song.
Graham turned two months old on 2/12/12. He was greeted on this occasion with two shots. He handled the shots pretty well. He cried for a bit but was easily comforted.
Stats
As of 2/12/12, Graham weighed a hefty 11 pounds 5 ounces. Trent and I had a bet as to see who would be the closest. I won with a guess of 10 pounds 7 ounces. He is now 22 2/3 inches... he seems to grow outward easier than upward.
Tummy Time Update
So this is still not his favorite time of day but he tolerates it. He is just starting to push up on his arms and is easily able to move his head back and forth when looking for that darn sofie giraffe that keeps moving on him.
Toys
Tummy time is not loved but back time with his toys is adored. He will kick and hit constantly when put upright to look at his toys. He coos and screaches at his toy friends. He has started to be able to grab at them but it is a little harder to let go and then he gets frustrated. He is also doing more slow, purposeful bats at the toys.
Church
Graham had his first days at church. He was dressed appropriately in a white shirt with a tie. Graham seems to get a little overstimulated when he is in such a busy place. He does not want to sleep and just wants to take it all in. I have started to use a wrap with him so he can block out some of that stimulation. The wrap also helps me to be hands free when I am working in the library at our church.
Development
One day Graham was sitting on my lap and we were having a little talk. All of a sudden his eyes got wide and turned his head side to side over and over again. It was as if his perception had just changed and he was taking in more of his world.
Sleep
Still not getting enough. That is to be expected I guess. However, the little guy will now fall asleep on his own when in the crib and when he is in his swing! He will still sleep in my arms at times but needs to burrow himself into my arm in order to feel comfortable.
Look at that bald spot growing!
Special Visits
We were so lucky to have both Grandma Jensen and Meemaw Bowen come and visit Graham. They were life savers as they allowed us to get some sleep and the helped with all his daily needs. Thank you!
Gummy
Graham is starting now to show us his personality. He gives the biggest gummy smiles I have ever seen. His mouth goes wide open and his little lips go side to side as if he is trying to figure out the whole smile thing. It is the best thing my eyes have ever seen. This has earned him a new nickname...gummy bear.
It is amazing that Graham is now 1 month old. It seems like it went by so fast but at the same time every day seems like an eternity due to the erratic sleep/eat habits of a new baby. We have really enjoyed getting to know Graham. We went in for our one month appointment on 1/11/13 and found out that our little guy is now 8.5 pounds and 21 1/2 inches long. This means that he gained 2 whole pounds in just two weeks. After so many feeding issues, this has been great reassurance. So here are a few of our favorite things about Graham and some of the things he is enjoying.
Family Naps
Trent and Graham love to take family naps. This seems to be a constant scene in our home - one that bring my heart great joy. Trent will often cuddle with him and they will both go into a deep sleep. In fact, for the first two weeks this is the only way that Graham would sleep. We always said that we hoped for a cuddly baby. Next time we will beware of what we ask for. As you can see in the picture, Graham loves to have his hands by his face. We call this the touchdown sleep position. He also has a "high counsel" sleep position with his hands down on his lap with one folded over the other.
First Bath
Graham does not really enjoy his baths yet but he does enjoy when we wash his hair. He will relax whenever we wash or brush his hair.
Weighing In
Graham lost quite a bit of weight in the first few days of life - like 11 %. This caused us to go to the doctors office for many weigh ins. After two weeks he was back to his birth weight so we stopped going to the doctors office. We wanted to make sure he was still gaining weight so we took our kitchen scale and put him in a baking dish. He no longer fits so this past time has stopped.
Picture Taking, Noises, and Nicknames
We love to take pictures of our little man and try to capture all the funny faces that he makes. Some of our favorite faces is when he sleep grins and sleep giggles. Those just melt our hearts. Graham is quite the expressive guy. Luckily he is not much of a crier but has found other ways to express his needs. He has some plain funny sounds that includes grunts, whimpers, a chewbacka sound, and he often sounds like a horse. When he eats, he sounds like a crazed animal. Hilarious!
Trent and I have many nicknames for each other so it is not surprising that Graham has a great deal of names. Some of our favorites have been: Graham Bam, Teddy Graham, Miligraham, Grahambot, Fussbot, Horseybot (we love robots maybe?), and Good Sir Mr. Wigglebottom.
Spitting Up
We have a spitter ladies and gentlemen. I was trying to capture some grunt sounds when we got this little bit of footage.
Floor Time
Graham has been practicing lifting his head. He does a great job of moving from side to side but does not always enjoy the process. When he does floor time, he will move his knees up to his chest and try to scoot. Slow down, little Bucko, we are not there yet.
The last month before the little man came was full of surprises. I had gone to a routine doctors appointment and he said that the baby was in position and all seemed well. The next hour I had an appointment with our perinatal specialist where I was told that the Graham was still breech....and we had low fluid. I was admitted to the hospital that night to see if it would go up with an IV and to see if he needed to be delivered a month early. Luckily, the fluid went up and I was released.
Drink up
I had wanted to do an all natural childbirth so I decided to have a procedure called a version. Imagine a doctor putting all his force on your stomach to try to manually move a 6 lb. baby. The whole experience was quite an event as the doctor whisked into the room and said "Okay, are we ready?" It was then that I realized that Mr. Bean had come to do my version. The doctor looked and spoke just like him. It actually was great entertainment through the painful experience. Alas, it did not work so I prepared for a c-section on the 21st - an apocalypse baby.
The next few weeks I drank and drank and drank so much water. However, just a few weeks later I was back in the hospital for low fluid levels but it was more complicated due to Graham having the umbilical cord wrapped twice around his neck. The doctor was to see me the next day and see if I was going home or not. The fluid levels did not go up and instead went down and the doctor announced "we are having a baby tomorrow." My doctor then came into my room and gave me a high five. Game on.
The next day, 12/12/12, Graham was born at 2:36 PM. He was 6 lbs 8 oz and 20 inches. The mother anxiety came just as quick as he did. It seemed like his first cry took forever to come. He was whisked away to do all the newborn procedures and then given to his dad. I was crying and crying and all I could say is "he is so small."
People had told me to expect a hormone shift but seriously, seriously. What the heck happened to me? For the next week and a half I was a mess. I was sure that Graham would disintegrate due to lack of food and I was not able to sleep due to the anxiety of it all. I remember at one point telling Trent "I can't sleep. There is too much to learn." I had even read all the books beforehand. Plus, I did not like the hospital. Fifty million people come in and out of your room all day and night - how is someone supposed to sleep. Trent was a champion. He seriously is the greatest man in the world. He was supportive without letting me know that I was acting crazy. Luckily, I had some great friends that talked me through it all and I am doing much better. Still sleep deprived but happily sleep deprived.
Three days later we were home. Yay!
We are so happy to have our little guy and I still sometimes freak out about when some new situation comes up. We are doing well and we are happy!
Brace yourself - here comes a blog post dump. I never got around to sharing our maternity or nursery pics but still wanted to do so.
Our good friends, the Empeys, asked if we would take some family pictures of them at the same time when she took maternity pictures of us. We got the greater deal as she is a professional and I am quite the novice. We loved the pictures and are so grateful for good friends.
By the way, I loved being pregnant. I loved that no matter what I ate my pants always fit and my stomach was always hard. Plus, people love pregnant women.
Okay, so I planned the nursery for a long time. Truly before we even knew for sure that he was a boy. My mother flew into town, as a surprise, and we got all the painting and decorating accomplished in a weeks time. Thank you mom!
I made quite a bit of the items in the nursery - otherwise known as our old walk-in closet. The blanket, crib sheets, mobile, bookends, lamp cover, and we even turned the chair into a rocking chair. I loved all of the nursery projects and love how it all came together.
We bought this car for Graham when we were in France
