Grayson Brooks | Six Weeks



I'm not going to set myself up for the terrific failure of trying to do monthly baby updates. I'll do them as often as I can and call it good. Good?

 

 

We've survived tue first month! 6 weeks actually. It's been a whirlwind of a month and it has been so wonderful. I am absolutely loving every minute of my time home with G. It is starting to feel a little bit like the movie Groundhog Day though. Truth be told, I wouldn't mind these days lasting forever. 

He now weighs 10 lbs 4 oz and is 23 inches long. The doctor said he's exceeding his expectations for growth and I'm so proud! He's starting to chunk up and is getting adorable rolls on his arms and legs. 

 He has officially grown out of his newborn clothes and diapers. We've moved on to the 0-3 month section of his closet and he's in size 1 diapers.

We were shocked to see how light his hair actually is. I really thought he would have a big head of thick black hair like his Dad. I was pretty blond as a baby so I'm interested to see what it turns into. I'm still guessing dark. We still can't quite see his eye color. There a really pretty steel gray right now but they're starting to look brown. Nick thinks they might be hazel. 

 

My mom brought my baby book down with her when she came to visit. I couldn't believe my eyes, but Grayson is my tiny clone. My baby pictures could be pictures of him. That was so fun to see! Although he's really a perfect mix of the two of us and sometimes looks exactly like Nick.

 

He got to meet his Grandpa {my Dad} and his Auntie and cousin when they all came to visit. Nayeli was obsessed with him and just wanted to pat him and grab his hair. We made Valentine salt dough foot prints for the grandparents and Daddies.

All Nayeli wanted to do was touch G. Even if it meant resting her feet on him.

 

We've taken a couple weekend trips and Grayson has been so great every time. We went to Napa one weekend and to the family cabin for Valentine's Day.We have been having some really beautiful weather and ventured out to do some wine tasting and went out to dinner both weekends. He slept like a little angel in his car seat at the wineries and at dinner. 
 

Snuggling with his Auntie at the cabin

 

He has started noticing his mobile in his crib and turns his head to watch it when I wind it up and likes to look at his Taggies animal on his car seat. He is making eye contact with us and tracking is with his eyes if we get up and walk away from him. He likes looking at the little sheep that hang from the bar on his bouncer that he sits in while I'm in the kitchen and he's obsessed with looking at all of the lights in the house. I've caught him watching the TV a few times too. I'm going to have to start being careful about that!

 

He is trying so hard to smile for us and it is the sweetest thing I've ever seen. He opens his mouth up wide and curls his lip on one side and kicks his feet really fast when he gets excited. He's doing it the most right when he wakes up. It makes me so happy that his happiest time is when he sees our faces. He's got a tiny dimple in his left cheek and I can't stand the cuteness.

 

 

He had his 6 week shots on Friday and it broke my heart into a million pieces. I knew it was going to be upsetting to see but I was so not prepared for it. I've never seen his scream in pain that way ever and I cried like a little baby the whole way through. The poor nurse.

 

We are loving our stroller and I've been trying to get out for some kind of outing either a walk, trip to Target or grocery shopping every day. I've been using the rock n play in the morning to put him down to sleep while I shower and make breakfast and he sleeps in his swing at the end of the day during his long afternoon nap while I prep dinner or clean up around the house. I call it the 5 o'clock shuffle. The last few minutes before Nick comes home from work that I run around doing everything I haven't done all day.

 

I've been wearing him in the Moby wrap to the grocery store, on walks, and around the house. He absolutely loves it and just conks out as soon as I put him in. I'm thinking that this will be the best way to bring him to church when we take him for his first mass in a couple weeks.

His head smells like vanilla popcorn and his breath smells like berries. Sometimes I lay in bed in the morning with my nose in his hair so I can soak in his smell while we wake up. I told Nick the other day that I want to bottle up his smell so I can spray it on him when he's 15. His eyelashes are about 6 inches long and he's got the tightest little cowlick right at his hairline in his forehead. 

He makes the sweetest little noises when he's nursing. He mews like a little kitten and grunts and grumbles in his sleep. He is so noisy at night. He never cries but will let out a few random wails in his sleep. He's been sleeping in bed with us and it has been one of my absolute favorite things. 

 

Part of me still can't believe he's ours. Watching him change and grow has been the best blessing of my life. The amount of love that I have for this small person is paralyzing and terrifying and beautiful and wonderful. 

 

Happy one month sweet baby Gray. We love you to the moon and back. Thank you for choosing us.

Day in the Life | With a Newborn

It's been a while since I've done a day in the life post. I love these and I think it's fun to do one for each new phase of life. My last one {here} was when it was just the two of us. Now we're three and I'm on maternity leave.

 This particular day was a Friday, and we had a doctors appointment so our day had a little more activity than usual. Some days all Grayson wants to do is nurse and sleep on me and I'm definitely not going to turn down those snuggles. Also, I'm still healing from his birth so I'm trying to take it easy.  Days like that we stay in our jams all day and park it on the couch. 

I'm including the first couple diaper changes but will mostly leave them out. Assume there are on average, 478 diaper changes per day. Also, he's eating just about every hour at this point. Sometimes we get a longer stretch of 3 hours if he's really conked out... and he's nursing for about an hour or so at a time. 

So, did you just do that little math problem in your head? Every hour... For about an hour... Yes, this boy is attached to my boob pretty much constantly. So there you have it. There's our day! 

Just kidding. 

2:30 am Grayson starts wiggling around and making noises that sound like a grumbly old man. I wake up to feed him and do a quick diaper change.  Back to bed for nursing again and warm snuggles. 

5:40 Nicks alarm goes off. He showers and takes G to the nursery to change his diaper. He leaves for work after quick kisses for mama and baby. We nurse again and fall back asleep. 

8:30 We wake up for good and do another diaper change. I pour my coffee and get back in bed to listen to an episode of Serial and... You guessed it! Nurse. 

9:15 G is sleeping so I put him down in the rock n play and drag it out to the kitchen. I quickly make breakfast and scarf it down before we wakes up. 

 

 

10:00 He's still sleeping so I drag the rock n play back into the bathroom and take the worlds fastest shower.

10:30 I rush around getting dressed, smear on some makeup,  and feed the dogs while G swings in his swing. Then I get him changed and dressed and pack the diaper bag. 

 

 

11:00 I hear a giant poo and change G again. Finally I get him in the carrier, load the car, and head to  his two week well baby check up. 

11:35 We are running a few minutes late for his appointment with the Pediatrician. We get checked in and  Grayson screams through his entire appointment. He's still a little below his birth weight. He's in the 13th percentile for weight and small for his height too in the 34th percentile. He's just an itty bitty. The doctor says everything is good even though he's a little small. 

 

 

12:15 After our appointment I wrestle the stroller in the parking lot. I cannot for the life of me figure out how to fold it up. I call Nick at work... as if he could do anything about it. I can't decide if I want to laugh or cry. I seriously consider leaving the damn thing behind before I finally discover the secret button and boom, we're out of there. 

12:30 To celebrate my being smarter than my stroller we go to Target for Starbucks, long sleeve onesies, mascara, and makeup remover wipes. We'll just pretend that's all I actually bought. #yeahright 

 

 

1:30 I lug the carrier into Bagel Street Cafe to grab a bagel and cream cheese. G is getting ready to start screaming and I'm starving. I know I won't have time to make anything to eat once we get home before Grayson  starts to count it down to freak out town.  

2:00 We get home and sit down to nurse while I eat and watch real housewives of Beverly Hills. I might or might not have squeezed in a Vanderpump Rules. #guiltypleasure 

3:30 Grayson has an explosion and we head back to the changing table. After a peepee fountain that narrowly misses my face, I change his clothes for the third time.  Clean and dry, we sit in the nursery in the rocker and listen to another episode of Serial. 

 

4:30 I throw in load of baby laundry and we get on the floor for tummy time. We look at some books and sing some songs... Or I sing some songs and Grayson stares at the wall. 

 

Is it just me or does he look so grown up here? Also, looking so much like his daddy.

 

5:00 Nick gets home and snuggles our boy while I fold and put away his laundry.  I pack an his overnight and diaper bag for our first overnight to Napa tomorrow.

 

 

6:30 I sit on the couch, nurse, pump, and watch the news while nick cooks Fish tacos for dinner. 

 

 

8:30 After dinner we all snuggle on the couch. All of our shows are over FOREVER or are on a break so we start Mad Men on Netflix. Somebody please tell me how we are just now jumping on this bus? 

11:00 I throw a bag of my clothes together for Napa and we get in bed and pass out immediately. We have a couple of hours until the tiny dictator wakes us up for more fun. 

This really is the best time of our lives. I am enjoying every single day so much and I love being home with our boy. We thought we were blessed before, but this time really is something special.