thoughts on a Sunday

So this has happened.

In just two months, he has changed so much.

Graeme had his two month well-visit with his pediatrician on Friday. He didn't know what was coming of course, but we were dreading the shots he would need to get.

His appointment went well. Somehow Aaron and I and our average heights have created a very long baby. He is 24.9 inches at two months. The printout we received has his height at ">99%." We are quite perplexed with his tallness. Maybe he will even out eventually and be "average" like us. Maybe he will be very tall and ironically play sports. We love him all the same.

The three shots were quick and painful. Graeme screamed. I cried. But, when they were over, it only took him a few minutes to calm down, and he even gave us a smile at home. We all feel better knowing he is protected against some awful illnesses too. I was semi-excited that he would have a sleepy day since that's what everyone has said happened to their babies. I figured I could get a lot done. Alas, he had a normal day of naps. We did have extra snuggles though. I love holding him while he sleeps.

In great news, he finally broke his new habit of waking up twice every night. Friday night and last night, he only woke up once! I am praying that the same is true of tonight. And that maybe we have officially made the once-a-night feeding our new nightly routine. Until we sleep through the night entirely. Because that would be even more wonderful, you know.

Proof and memories for the baby book.

Aaron and I did something semi-spontaneous this past week. It's only semi-spontaneous because we've been planning to do it at some time. It just so happened that "some time" was last week. We are beyond excited because....

WE BOOKED OUR FIRST TRIP TO DISNEY WITH GRAEME!

We wanted to take him this year, and we wanted to try to go when they offered free dining. In order to make sure we got in on that deal, we had to nail down a reservation. So, we put down our deposit, and we are headed to the happiest place on earth in November. Graeme is still free to go to Disney until he turns three. So that's nice. We realize he will not remember this at all. This trip is not really for him. It's for us. We will have a blast showing him Disney and seeing it through his eight-month-old eyes.

Even Graeme gets a MagicBand.

I finally ordered some pictures of Graeme, plus some newer pictures of Aaron and myself, for our house. I figure it's about time Graeme graces some of our frames and walls with his adorable face. Now I have to try to be patient and wait for them to arrive.

I'm especially excited to get this one.

We still get a lot of confused looks about the spelling of Graeme's name. I'm used to it at this point. But, today, someone made my whole day. When they asked his name, and I said it, they said, "The British version? It sounds like that's how you're saying it."

I refrained from giving them a huge hug and jumping up and down. They knew the spelling just by hearing the way I said it. They win.

I am not sure how normal this is, so maybe it's not a big deal, but I feel like Graeme is pretty darn strong for a two-month-old. If he is propped against his Boppy or a pillow, he tries to sit up. All by himself. He lifts his head and concentrates very hard on pulling himself up. If we help him just a little, he sits up and balances while we hold his hands. And, he is so intent on pushing himself to a stand whenever we give him the chance. Then he will hold the stand for a pretty long time. Again, maybe this is normal for his age, but to us, it seems like he's trying to be a big boy too fast!

Balancing. Also, any shirt with a cape on the back is a shirt for Graeme.

Happy Memorial Day, everyone, as we remember those who served to protect our wonderful country.

about two-month-old Graeme

Our sweet Graeme will be two months old on Friday. Our baby is growing fast, but on the plus side, every day is more fun than the last!

At two months old, Graeme is...

1. Smiling, "talking," and making an adorable laugh/squeal sound. He loves to be talked to when he's awake, and he will just smile and smile at you. He has so much he wants to say back, but for now he makes his sweet baby talking noises.
2. Loving baths. Remember how a month ago he still wasn't so sure about them? Well, those days are gone. He seems to be quite the water baby, which I am thrilled about. I love the pool and and ocean and all the water things. I hope Graeme does too.
3. Sleeping well. He has reverted back to waking up twice at night to eat, but we are figuring it's just a phase for now. We can't complain because he only interrupts our sleep for like 20 minutes each time. He eats, gets changed, and falls back to sleep right away.
4. Getting stronger. He holds his head up really well, and he's dying to be able to sit and stand already! He loves for us to hold his hands to help him balance while he sits up. And he loves to push himself into a standing position while we hold him under his arms. His face cracks us up because it looks like a mixture of intense concentration and him being really proud of himself.
5. Figuring out his play gym. We bought him his gym a couple weeks ago, and within the past week he is really getting the hang of it. I've taken about 20 videos of him in it because it's so cute. He hits one of his animals, acts really surprised and happy, and then concentrates really hard to figure out how he can do it again.
6. Flirting with himself in mirrors. If he sees himself in a mirror, he usually gets a huge grin on this face and starts cooing at his reflection.
7. Growing hair. He's had quite a bit of hair since he was born, but for awhile, his head was growing faster than his hair. It's playing catch up now, and he has some adorable fuzz all over the front of his head.
8. Sitting in his stroller front-facing. A couple weeks ago I decided to try Graeme in his stroller without the infant carrier. He was pretty fascinated looking forward I think! He loves walks, which Penny is especially glad for.
9. Tracking Mommy and Daddy and turning towards our voices. Well, that obviously melts us. We love this boy.

Graeme Grayson is an absolute joy in our life. We say to each other every day what a wonderful baby he is. He has a sweet disposition, a smile that will make any day better, and he's just so snuggly.

We love you, Graeme!

about being a mom

A whole week slipped away from me, didn't it?

There were several nights that I wanted to sit down and write after Graeme was in bed, but doing something with Aaron always sounded better when it came down to it. Tonight our something is "computer time," so here I am.

Let's see then.



I have a seven-week-old now. I was looking back at some of my pregnancy update posts. I remember feeling like Graeme was taking for-ev-er to get here. Now he is here. And seven weeks have gone by. Seven weeks of pregnancy sure felt like they went by slower.

Graeme on his seven week birthday.

Graeme turned seven weeks on my first Mother's Day. I had a great weekend celebrating. My boys spoiled me with a new watch and sweet cards. 

I don't think I will ever be sad about a new watch.

Being a mother is...well, so many things really...I don't where to start. I guess in seven weeks, here are some things that I have started to figure out...

1. It's true that the love you immediately have for your child is like no other. I think it's almost impossible to understand unless you have experienced it.
2. While we love Graeme immensely and unconditionally, I am glad he is not the center of our world. Our life might have paused for a couple weeks when he arrived, but now he is integrated into our family and our life that we had before he came along (with some tweaks here and there of course!). We don't think he is too young to already begin to see what it means to be selfless. Daddy can come home from work a little early so Mommy can go to the gym before bedtime. Graeme can sit in his swing so Mommy can help Daddy get out of the door for work. Penny can cut back on how many times she goes outside because Whitney just can't take her as much with Graeme here. Mommy can skip breakfast because after getting everyone else fed and ready for the day, it's time for lunch anyway. You get the idea.
3. I know some people are against Babywise, but we read it before Graeme was born, and I feel like it just makes sense for the most part. We are not doing everything the book suggests, but we are following the basics. I think it is good for all of us. I don't believe we are just lucky to have a kid that sleeps so well at night. I believe we are training him to do so. I also know that Babywise is not for everyone. But it's working for us so far.
4. We are crazy thankful to have our parents and siblings in town. I CANNOT imagine having a baby without some sort of family around. We have had the privilege of going on several dates already and have a one-night getaway booked for our anniversary next month. I miss Graeme when we leave him, and I know I'll miss him when we leave him overnight, but it's oh-so-worth it to have time with just Aaron. If you aren't near family, you could find some friends that have kids so you can trade off babysitting to have date nights. I think it's so important.
5. I love having a routine and my days and tasks planned out. But I also love that I am learning to be okay with letting the laundry sit on the futon for three days, the blog going untouched for a week, and the bed left unmade for a day or two. Because loving on my son and my husband is way more fun than doing any of those things.
6. Every time I start to get frustrated about something that's not getting done, a nap that's not being taken as planned, or anything else that's worrisome, I stop. And I think about how one day I will have time to do what I want because Graeme will be at school or grown up and gone, and how much I will miss him. Or I think about how he won't want to snuggle with Mommy for naps anymore one day, and I'll want him to so much. Then, the frustrating thing isn't very frustrating at all.
7. God has given me everything I need to be the mom that Graeme needs. So if I ever feel like I'm not cut out for this, I know that I actually am.

There's so much more, but we'll stop for now. Plus, seven is my favorite number.

This boy was made for me, and I was made for him.

about three firsts

Graeme turned six weeks old on Sunday, and for some reason or another, it has become a week of firsts.

• The 1st first:

I don't know what prompted me, because I had never really set a date in my mind of when I would check Graeme in to Journey Kids, but for some reason, this past Sunday seemed like the right time. Graeme and I arrived towards the end of our second service, and at the beginning of third service, I checked him in to our Cuddlebug room. I wasn't worried at all. I guess a children's pastor's wife perk is knowing the volunteers pretty well. I knew the lovely ladies that would be caring for him, and I knew he was in excellent hands. The funny thing is, Aaron walked him back with me and filled out his Care Card. Then, he was the one who had trouble walking away! Graeme did great, and I had fun hanging with our preschoolers.

• The 2nd first:

I had my follow-up appointment with my OB last week and got the go-ahead to resume all activity as I deemed fit. However, with our trip to Atlanta last week, this week marked my return to the gym. I had missed the Planet Fitness and had fun showing Graeme's picture to some of the employees that I have gotten to know. It was also a nice, quick getaway from being at home. I rolled the windows down and blared music on the way there (can't quite do that with Graeme in the car all the time). And then I read a book while I worked out, which I hadn't done in a very long time. 

• The 3rd first:

I have done a few work things since Graeme was born, but he had come with me to all of them. I didn't feel like I had "officially" started back until this past Monday. My mom met me at Journey to pick him up, and I worked for four hours. I know he was having a blast with his MiMi and Grandy, and I had fun back in the copy room prepping curriculum. I worked a longer day on Wednesday, and I'm pretty sure that will be my new schedule. Mondays and Wednesdays. I love my job, and I very thankful for its flexibility. Plus, I still have five whole days with Graeme.

So, with those things, I feel like I am officially back to my previous life with a few obvious adjustments. Now, there is just a sweet baby that tags along with me! He sure is a fun companion.

about Graeme at six weeks old

Graeme is six weeks old today!

We are biased of course, but we think he's the greatest baby ever.

Six weeks into this thing, we are still having a great time. And yes, we are sleeping.

Graeme sleeps great at night. He goes to bed between 7-8pm. We wake him up to feed him one more time before we go to bed between 10-11pm. Then we let him sleep until he wakes up, which is usually close to 3am. After that feeding, he sleeps until between 6:30-7am. It's a new day at that point...I've given up on my dream of him sleeping past 7am I think. We'll see if he ever does.

Naps are usually good. The first two naps are generally longer than the last two. His last nap of the day is hit or miss. Sometimes it's only 30 minutes, but he is pretty happy to be awake (unless he joins the other babies in the universal fussy time). We put him right to bed after he eats the next time anyway.

He loves to eat, but I suppose that's a requirement of a baby. He is not a fan of burping, but we try to tell him that it's for his own good. He eats every three hours, unless he seems hungry before then. And at night he goes longer than three hours, which is wonderful.

He went on his first road trip this past week to Atlanta. He did AWESOME. On the way there, it was during the day. He napped in the car the whole way. We stopped twice for about an hour each time to feed him and let him be awake for awhile. It was amazing. While we were there, I kept him on his feeding/sleeping routine for the most part, but he obviously had to sleep and eat at different places. It didn't phase him at all. He still had great nights of sleep and was so good at the conference. On the way home, it was night, so he slept the entire trip minus one stop to feed him. I hope he remains a good traveller.

We went to the Orange Conference, so he had to wear his new orange shoes, of course.

Catching a quick nap at the conference.

Graeme is still a big fan of ceiling fans and lights. He is getting stronger and loves to "stand" by pushing his legs straight while you're holding him upright. He holds his head up well, and is especially getting better at holding it up during tummy time. Our favorite new thing he does is smiling. His smile will never get old! He smiles a lot, especially in the morning. And he makes cute little coos and noises. I love when he turns to the sound of my voice too. It's the greatest thing ever.

Happy six weeks, Graeme Grayson!