Six Weeks

Graham is six weeks old today! It is hard to believe. He will start daycare in 3 weeks which makes me sad. We went to the doctor yesterday for his reflux and he is now on meds and today already seems like a happier baby. We are hoping it works for him! Here is what he has been up to lately...

This is one of the few times he has hung out in his crib since he sleeps in a bassinet for now. He likes the dog mobile and is only happy while it is playing. Rock-a-bye Baby is a short tune though.

Here he is hanging ten. Mommy is a sucker for baby toys. I saw this in a clothing store and had never seen a "Tummy Time Mat" so I bought it only later to discover that some of the floor mats have tummy pillows too. (We got one without though.) Oh well, you only have a "first baby" once. The tummy pillow does help with "Tummy Time" though.


One big milestone this past week was sleeping for 5 plus hours during the night. Mommy loves this milestone! However, we dearly pay for it because the "Witching Hour" is now the one to two hours prior to the five hours of sleep. Last night, however, Graham would only sleep while being held so I am just praying five hours of straight sleep returns...like as in does not pass Go, does not collect $200, but returns straight to the bassinet immediately. Graham was also pretty fussy all day Sunday (All this fussiness is one reason we took him to the doctor this week. His tummy was really hurting.) and would only sleep on a pillow in Mommy and Daddy's bed (if one of us was not holding him). He also seems to prefer no clothes as you can see here.

He is getting so big that he has started wearing some 3 month clothes. This was the first 3 month outfit he wore. He is a little Snugglesaurus.

And this is him on his new play mat. He finally started smiling and making noises today now that he has medicine for his reflux. This made mommy VERY happy! We've been waiting for a cooing, happy baby. =) He really focused on the purple elephant. (Uncle Jared, could this mean he is a Tide fan even though purple is the wrong color?)


Ok, this was like seven posts in one. Sorry that it is so long. It was a difficult week with a not-so-happy baby, but hopefully we are taking a turn for the better!

First Bath

Today we gave Graham his first bath in the tub. Until now, he's just had sponge baths. He does not like getting a bath (either kind) and seemed traumatized by the whole thing. I did get to use the cute bunny towel set that Mrs. Cortney gave him though. Also, in these pictures you can see how chubby his legs are getting. He moved up a diaper size this past week, but is still fitting in newborn clothes for now.

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.

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!