How did he do that?

Graham turned 3 weeks old yesterday. He is getting much stronger and can really pick his head up high during tummy time. He is eating A LOT and growing fast! Last night when he started signaling for a bottle I found him scooted down toward the bottom of his bassinet. I thought "Surely I put him in the middle like always. Was I that sleepy when I put him down?" Then I went downstairs to get a bottle and when I came back, I found him like this...totally turned sideways. He's moving around somehow!

Sweet Dreams

Today we went for Graham's 3 week checkup. He weighed 8 lbs 4.5 oz. The doctor said his weight gain in the past ten days is above average, but will probably taper off. The good news is that we no longer have to wake him up at night to feed him. yay! He can just wake up at night on his own schedule. The problem is getting him to go back to sleep at night! He nods right back off in the daytime, but his "witching hour" is from midnight to 3 am and sometimes all the way to 6 am. Graham is also smiling in his sleep. Brian snapped this photo while waiting on the doctor. I'd sure like to know what he is dreaming!

Quack!

Graham is 2 weeks old today and got his belly button!

This is his new favorite way to sleep.

Here he is in one of the cute outfits Grandmother and Granddaddy got him for V-day.

And for all you "How I Met Your Mother" fans out there, despite the 3 a.m. feedings, Graham is definitely a duck. Thanks to Mrs. Yvonne for making him this cute hat and booties.

Our little Valentine

Graham would not wake up for his Valentine photo shoot, but here are some pictures from his first Valentine's Day. We love him so much!


He got lots of Valentines from grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins and even made some himself. (Now my co-workers know how I am spending my time (besides feeding a baby constantly) while on maternity leave.)



I love my big Valentine too. He is a wonderful daddy and has great taste in jewelry. =) This morning I found a little red box in Graham's bassinet with a gorgeous amethyst ring, Graham's birthstone. Our hot date was going to Wal-Mart for me to get some essentials. Brian sat in the truck with the baby.

Graham's first snow

Graham is 10 days old today and got to see his first snow. Don't worry Nana and Grandmother, we only took him out for the pictures and came right back in the house. =)

Graham is one week old

This week has really flown by fast. I can't believe Graham is already a week old! This outfit was picture worthy. =) This is also the first day of no doctor visit. Graham's billirubin count was down enough yesterday that we don't have to go back until time for his normal checkup.

The kitchen unveiled

I mentioned that we bought a house in May and that it has not been updated since it was built in 1982. I refer to the decor as very "Golden Girl." I love that TV show, but am not a fan of the decor for this day and age. Anyway, we loved the house though and it was the only not new house where we could envision the possibilities. The first thing we planned to tackle was the kitchen. What we didn't plan on was Graham! Well, we planned on Graham but we just didn't plan on finding out he was coming the same weekend we moved into the house. We thought we'd have a few months to work on the house before even getting pregnant. Anyway, we started this mad dash to finish our kitchen BTB (before the baby). We had also hoped to paint and get rid of anything peach, but at some point (November) we had to stop and focus on Graham's arrival. So, if you come to see us, no, we do not have horrible taste. We just still have work left to do.

The kitchen before...





The kitchen after...we plan to paint the bench to match the cabinets and get some chairs, barstools and window treatments.

Super Sunday

Graham wore his football outfit for Super Bowl Sunday (and trip 3 to the doctor). He slept in his bassinet and took his first swing ride.

First trip(s) to the doctor

The pediatrician on rotation originally told us to come for our first visit in 3 weeks. I couldn't believe we didn't have to go in during the first week for a weight check. Then a nurse told us we needed to call and make an appointment for the next day. She had noticed Graham had a light case of jaundice and called the pediatrician who wanted to see us after all. While I was prepared to get myself out of the house to the doctor within the first week, I was not prepared to get me and the baby ready and to the doctor by 9:15 a.m. on our first morning at home.

Graham's billirubin count was higher so we had to start supplementing with formula and making sure he ate and he wanted us to come back the next day. So again, day 4, we had to be at the doctor by 9. His billirubin count had stablized and he had gained an ounce but they wanted to see us on day 5 at 9:30. This time his count had dropped and he had gained 2.5 ounces. Yet we still have to go back! Fortunately, our appointment is at 1 pm this time.

Below is a picture of Graham's first visit to the doctor, with his daddy, the baby whisperer. Brian is really good at soothing the baby.

Eggplant is powerful stuff

So you may be wondering what happened between my last doctor visit where we were trying to decide whether or not to induce and Graham's arrival. I was really stressed over what to do and leaning toward waiting it out. I had been craving Joe's Italian so we ate there for dinner on Monday night. We had read in our baby book that eggplant is one food that can help start labor so I decided to try the Eggplant Parmesan. We didn't really think it would work (and it wasn't as good as the Chicken Parmesan). We got strawberry cake to go. We got home, ate half the cake, and started watching our Monday night TV and I wasn't feeling so well. I woke up at 1:45 having a contraction, but I wasn't sure it was a contraction since I had never had one. They kept coming and got to 10 minutes apart, but would not get any closer together. I called my doctor about 7:45 (still not 100% sure this was real labor) and she told me to come on in for her to check me but that I had time to take a shower. At this point I had been in labor for over 5 hours and the contractions were tolerable. I thought I had some time to go from 10 minutes to 5 minutes which is when they tell you to call your doctor. Well, sometime while getting ready, they went from 10 minutes apart to 5 minutes apart and were very painful. We got to the hospital at 9:30 am and I was in a lot of pain. I was at 3 cm and definitely in labor so they admitted me and got my IV started and the epidural.

Praise the Lord for modern medicine. The epidural was wonderful. I could not even tell when I was having a contraction. Since we had been on a 10 minute snooze alarm most of the night, we spent the day napping. We didn't even turn on the tv or surf the net. Graham arrived at 4:28 pm after an hour of pushing. Then it was a 3 ring circus...there was a shift change and all these different nurses showed up at the same time to inspect me and the baby. It was a couple of hours later before we made it to our room, fed the baby, and were ready for everyone who had been waiting got to see Graham. We thought only the 4 grandparents were there, but he had lots of aunts, uncles, and cousins waiting to see him too.

I will say there is no rest for the weary in the hospital. Someone is constantly knocking on your door or there is noise outside of your door. All the doctors come visit early in the morning to tell you important stuff while you are still half asleep. Graham had several visitors the next day and the next day (Thursday), we went home. We had planned to go home around 4:30, but it ended up being around 5:30 pm before we were discharged. We waited on transportion for an hour! Finally, a nurse rolled us out. So we got home after dark in the pouring down rain with our new baby. Below are some pictures of us leaving the hospital. I was glad to be home!

I was sad to discover that half of the strawberry cake had to be thrown away, but so thankful that God took care of everything - Graham arrived without being induced, my doctor did the delivery which did not have complications, and our baby is adorable and healthy.

Graham Woodrow Franks

Graham arrived all on his own on February 2, 2010 at 4:28 pm. He weighed 7 lb 1 oz and was 20.5 inches long. I had planned to do a better job keeping the blog up to date but have been sleeping instead of blogging in my free time. =) I will try to make several posts of our hospital story and Graham's early days. For now, here's some of his first photos. We are so happy and thankful that he arrived on his own, healthy and perfect. Thanks to everyone who visited us in the hospital and those who have brought us goodies and food. We really appreciate it!

Happy Camper

Well, Graham must be a happy camper because there has been no progress since last Wednesday. Since we are so unsure about inducing, the doctor said we could schedule it for Thursday and cancel if we change our mind. I have another doctor appointment on Wednesday. As it stands now, I'd have to go in and spend Wednesday night in the hospital for a procedure to make inducing go a little easier the next day. That doesn't sound fun. If we wait it out and I still don't have the baby, they will induce early next week regardless. Please pray for us. It is a difficult decision and I'd love it if I went into labor and did not have to make it!