We Love Your Daddy

Dear Parker,

You've been with us for almost six weeks now.  Having you here has been such a blessing!  Over these past weeks I've been able to watch your daddy interact with you and help me.  These are moments that I don't want to ever forget.  I can see how easy it is to take him for granted which is why I wanted to jot these things down so that I can come back to them and remember how great he was with you. 

• When he changes your diaper, I usually hear things like, "Don't fire the cannon!" and "O.M.G."  These things make me giggle and sometimes the expression you give back makes it seems like you are giggling, too.
• When you start to tinkle in the bathtub, he's always the first to notice and block the spray from hitting me.
• He always wakes up with me in the night to feed you.  He changes you and re-swaddles you before I nurse you.
• He always tries to give me a "calm" baby back.  He will do anything to keep you from crying before he hands you over.
• He tries so hard to entertain you.  Sometimes, he has three different toys flailing around in front of your face.  I gently remind him that three is probably too much as its already hard for you to focus on one thing at a time.
• He makes a ton of funny faces at you, all the time.  I can't wait until you start mimicking them back!
• He loves to swing you around and bounce you around the house and you LOVE IT!  Dad can always calm you down.  Pretty soon he'll be throwing you up in the air!
• You can stare up at your daddy for hours.  This melts my heart.
• On the weekends, he does his best to do everything for you.  He burps you and when you wake up from your nap too early, he will just hold and rock you until you fall back asleep.  Then, he will just let you lay in his arms.
• He takes you on a walk every day.  He walks close to three miles with you every day.  He does this for me so that I can have one hour without a baby to write blog posts, clean up, shower, and other activities.  Don't get me wrong, you like your walks, too!
• He never backs down from a diaper change.
• When you were first born and we were struggling through the night and I was in tears because you were in tears, he would just sit with me and rub my feet to help calm me down.
• He gets me fresh water and heats me up breakfast at 5 AM when I'm up with you.

Throughout this pregnancy with you, there was one thing I was certain of:  Your dad would be a GREAT dad.  This statement is still true to this day.  It's clear how much your dad loves both of us.  Everything he does for you, he also does for me.  Your dad is my knight in shining armor.  I hope you can take this as an example of how to treat a lady when you get older and as an example of gentleman-like behavior.

Your dad and I both love you so much! 

Parker's One Month Update

Parker and his daddy.  They complete me.

Dear Parker,

We made it!  Me, you and daddy all survived the first month without any major problems or upsets.  We didn't break you like we thought we might in the beginning.  At the first month you:

• Weigh somewhere around 9lbs
• Are wearing size 1 diapers
• Make crazy faces when you are trying to poop or toot.  It's still really hard for you to poop and when you need to go, you can't focus on anything else.  This sometimes impacts our feeding times because all you do is focus on "pushing" instead of eating.
• Still toot all the time and they are loud! You like to sigh after you toot also.  Mom has started giving you some gas drops to help alleviate all of your built up gas in your tummy.
• Have not smiled at us yet on purpose.  When you are done eating, you will just lay in my arms and these smiles will cross your face.  This is adorable and sometimes I don't want to put you down, but then mom remembers she needs sleep, too!  I think you are close to smiling at me while you are awake.
• Can focus on an object and every once in awhile you will follow it side to side.
• Don't mind tummy time and can lift your head from side to side.
• Eat for about 20-30 minutes every 2-3 hours.  You can sleep 5 hours at night, but this past week you have struggled to sleep more than 4 hours at a time.  We had one night where you slept 6 hours straight, but that has not been repeated.
• Still sleep in your swing at night.  Mom is scared to mess up a good thing!
• LOVE the sound of a hairdryer.  Me and dad have apps that play the sound of a hairdryer and you will instantly quiet and usually fall asleep.  It's amazing!  Sometimes when you go out for a walk with dad, he will come back with you and the hairdryer sound playing.
• Go on a walk with me and dad in the evenings, but dad walks the farthest with you.
• Love taking a bath, but you HATE getting out of the bath and being cold and wet. 
• You will take a bottle of breast milk and when we have done that you eat about 4 oz.
• Definitely more alert at 4 weeks than you were at 2 weeks.
• Have tried putting you in the Ergobaby carrier and the Boba Wrap, but you don't particularly like either of those that much.  I think we just get too hot and will be better when you can hold your head up.
• Your head control is definitely getting better.  You can lift it 45 degrees on your own.
• You don't mind your car seat as long as you are moving or asleep.  Hence the walk in the evenings.
• You don't do well at just laying and being still/quiet.  You aren't content to just "watch the world."  You prefer to be moving if you are going to be awake.  I can play with you on the floor for about 30 minutes each day before your attention span runs out and you want to move.
• Love your dad!  Your dad bounces you, swings you, practically tosses you in the air and you love it.  You and him are my world.  It's the best thing ever to watch you two.  I can only imagine the mischief you two are going to get into once you have head control and move around.

We love you sweet boy.  I can't wait to see what the next month brings!

Some of my favorite photos that we have taken are below.  We have ordered your newborn pictures, but I don't have the digital images to share.

At the hospital in T-Paw's arms.

You and me at the hospital.

You and DD Nana at the hospital.

 

Just hanging out with your great grandma, Nana in Galveston!

Happy Fourth of July! This picture cracks me up.  You kind of remind me of a little of my Pop because you have hair on the sides and not much on the top!

Your first bath.  You can be screaming when you go in, but as soon as you hit the water you calm down.  You love the warm water!

You sleep like your mama, with your mouth open!

 

Meeting your Aunt Jordan for the first time.

Meeting your dad's parents for the first time.

Celebrating mom's birthday.

Celebrating mom's birthday as a family of three!

 

 

 

 

The First Two Weeks

Well, we made it through the first two weeks as a family of three!  It has been filled with many adventures!  My mom was home with us the first week and Robert took a week and a half off as well.  My sister Kate has been able to stay with me during most of the week days as well.  They have all been a huge help!

Mom has kind of struggled with feelings of being completely overwhelmed and struggled with some anxiety.  Mom has had some days where she just cries and has big bouts of anxiety.  But, it does appear to be getting better.  In fact, we made it through our first day together all by ourselves on Tuesday without fault.  This helped mom a lot with her confidence!  I still have to remember to take one day at a time and enjoy every moment so that I don't get completely overwhelmed with anxiety about the future.

Dee Dee Nana is back in town for the fourth of July, so she is helping me to get out of the house with you for short trips.  We've already been to see Aunt Kate's new apartment in Houston! 

Mom has struggled some with breastfeeding.  You lost over a pound when we left the hospital and then went on a complete feeding frenzy when we got home.  There were some days where I feed you more than 14 times a day!  But, we haven't had to resort to formula yet.  I had some cracked and bleeding nipples, but I seem to be heeling and they certainly don't bother you!  But, boy was it painful for momma!  Luckily, no infections have happened.  I've met with a lactation consultant who also helped me.  When we weighed you after you ate, you ate 1.5 ounces in just 15 minutes.  You're quite the eater!  We are slowly getting the breastfeeding thing down and I have started pumping so that we can begin to introduce a bottle to you in the next few days.

That's enough about momma, so here's a quick review of what we have learned about Parker so far!

• You came home in newborn diapers and while we were at the doctor they said that you needed to go up a size!  So, we still have a few newborn diapers we want to get through, but then we will be into size ones!
• Your umbilical cord still hasn't fallen off.  But, it is hanging on by a thread so it should fall off soon.
• You aren't a huge fan of sponge baths.  But, if I can get you to calm down, I think you enjoy the feeling of the warm water.  I can't wait to put you in some water once that umbilical cord falls off.
• At your two week appointment you peed on the nurse and on momma!
• Dee Dee Nana once had to change your diaper three times in a row because you kept pooping.
• You have some explosive toots.  Sometimes I feel like they could rival those of an adult.
• You are developing a little diaper rash because you toot all the time and every time you toot, you poop just a teeny, tiny bit.
• The first week you did not sleep very well.  We can't keep you swaddled because you are like Houdini.  You love your arms and hands.  You sleep with them out by your head or folded across your body.  You sleep very open, which I think is a sign that you will be independent and are comfortable in your own skin.
• Over the past three days, you have extended your sleep time at night to 6 hours!  Mom was very nervous about this because we had to have good weight gain at the doctor or we would have to switch to formula.  But, we got the blessing at the doctor to let you sleep.  Woo hoo!  Barring you changing your sleeping patterns on me, you sleep about 5-6 hours at night and then eat and sleep every 2-3 hours during the day.  We try to keep you awake in the early evening so that you will sleep better at night.
• You sleep in your swing in your nursery at night.  You also like sleeping in the Mamaroo during the day.  But, mom loves it most when you sleep right on her chest. 
• You sleep with your mouth open most times just like your mama.
• You don't have too much awake time right now.. you seem to like your sleep if you aren't eating just like your daddy!  We have a hard time getting you to fall asleep on your own if you haven't eaten.  Once you're alert you pretty much just want to eat!
• You love going on walks with your daddy.  Mom goes too, but she is still healing from surgery and doesn't walk nearly as far as you and daddy.
• You get hiccups all the time.  They don't seem to bother you, but you can't sleep through them.
• You don't spit up too much, but I have started to notice some more spit up recently.
• While you know the smell of me, you also know your daddy.  You do really well with him and enjoy having him bounce you around the house.
• My favorite time with you is in the morning when you have just woken up and are still a little drugged with sleep so you just look at me with those big gray eyes and curl up into me like I'm your favorite person in the whole world.  And of course, because I'm your food source, I am definitely your favorite person.  :-)

We love you so much Parker James!  I hope you keep up these great sleeping hours and I look forward to watching you grow and can't wait until you smile at me on purpose instead of because you pooped!

You love your walks!

Sometimes, we cover our noses when you poop, too.

Nope, bath time is not your favorite thing.