Month one

Buddy Boy, as I am writing this a few months late, it's hard to recall all the nitty gritty details of the first month and I totally regret not doing this sooner. Month one was such a month of firsts for you!

first flowers (from Daddy's boss)



first KU game/March Madness!



first sponge bath! so relaxed...

first trip to the pediatrician

first tummy time (Hank loves you so much!)

first stroller walk to Aunt Kyle's with Mom and Dad

first Bluebonnet photo shoot (for your birth announcement)

first family Bluebonnet shot

You are and have been such a calm yet alert baby from day one. You are so observant and mellow and we are so blessed with your great disposition. Those first few weeks at home were not without struggles, though, as I am sure is the norm. I was pretty hormonal and weepy and very sleep deprived (to be expected) and Daddy was a bit taken aback by my bipolar-ness, but overall we functioned quite well as a team. Daddy took off a week and a half from work and you and I loved having him around. Grammie Debbie was also still in town and once Daddy went back to work she came over each day to let me try to take a nap. In the beginning, you would take super long naps while being held or laying on someone's warm chest and would wake right up if put down, and Grammie was very content to snuggle you while surfing the internet for a few hours. I learned that having a perfectly clean, picked up house is not a priority anymore and focused solely on you, my sweet babe. You were a marathon nurser that first month or two and would easily nurse for an hour or more (usually just on one side, but milk would still be flowing!), making it hard to get much else done. I did start pumping once a day around 3 weeks to build up a freezer stash and let Daddy feed you an occasional bottle, which you took very easily. We had a few huge spit-ups here and there but fortunately this was not much of an issue at all. You slept in our room in a mini Arm's Reach co-sleeper and would not cry but rather grunt upon waking and wanting to eat (every 2-3 hours). Getting you back to sleep was not easy at first and you required lots of rocking, swaying, shushing, etc. You didn't like to be swaddled very much and you would spend so much time and energy trying to wiggle out of it that I think it was keeping you awake more than helping you sleep. From the start you have been SUPER gassy (the noise of your toots rivals that of any grown man), grunty, and overall a very noisy baby, despite the fact that you rarely ever cry. You love to make a noise that sounds like a bleating goat!

We met your pediatrician, Dr. Kimberly Albert, for the first time at your 5 day visit, since you only saw the neonatalogist in the hospital. We LOVE her! She is also your cousin Sophie's pediatrician and she is very practical, easy to talk to, and down to earth. She was so impressed with you at your first visit. You were wide awake and just looked around, taking it all in. Dr. Albert commented that you behaved more like a one month old than a 5 day old and told us to start doing tummy time. We were happy to learn that you were back up to your birth weight of 8 lb 11 ounces at that first visit! Breastfeeding clearly has gone extremely well from the very start.

You went back to see Dr. Albert again when you were two weeks old and by that time you weighed 9 pounds, 6 ounces and were growing like a weed. They stuck your heel for your second newborn screen that day and unfortunately we had to go back to have it done a third time a few days later because that second sample wasn't good enough. You took it like a champ both times, though and barely made a peep.

Your umbilical cord stump stayed put for a solid three weeks and was hanging on by a thread for days until it finally got stuck to your onesie one day and fell off. It was pretty funky, yet Daddy suggested that we keep it. I vetoed that idea. We did sponge baths those first three weeks of course and you loved them! You would be so calm and relaxed and especially loved it when Daddy held you over the sink all swaddled up to have your hair washed. Finally once your cord fell off we could start tub baths and you loved those, too.

blurry from the steamy bathroom (Mommy made it steamy to keep you warm)

Also when you were 3 weeks old, Daddy came down with a bad cold. He didn't hold you for two whole days when he was feeling bad to keep from getting you sick, and that was really hard for him to do! He missed snuggling with you so much. Unfortunately, I caught the cold and then you caught it from me, anyway. You were very congested and your nose sounded so rattly but you tolerated it very well. Mommy secretly enjoyed seeing how much snot I could suction out of your nose and surprisingly, you seemed to enjoy it, too!

Physically, you were definitely at the top of the growth charts still but not at all chunky yet. Your hair was spikey and dirty blonde and your eyes were dark blue. You fit in newborn sized clothes for a few short weeks.

We managed to get you out and about a few times this month. At just 11 days old, we took you to Easter brunch at the UT Club where you and Sophie met the Easter bunny! You slept while the grown-ups pigged out.

 Exactly on your three week birthday, Mommy and Daddy had our first anniversary! We celebrated a very eventful first year of marriage by (reluctantly) leaving you at our house in the good hands of your Grandma Debbie, Aunt Kyle, and cousin Sophie while went out to dinner at a wine bar. We sat outside on the patio and had some wine, cheese, and yummy food, and mostly talked about you and how thankful we are for you and how great you are! Mommy's wine tasted soooo good but I refrained from having more than one glass for you, bud : ) By the time we got home, you were just about ready to nurse again after you had worked up a big appetite by playing with your cousin Sophie on the floor. Mostly she rolled around and tried to grab you while you laid there and looked around, I think.

not the most flattering photo of either of you kids...

A few days later, we took you to a park for the first time for Sophie's "book party". You LOVED being outside and were so content to look around and feel the breeze on your face, and to sleep of course!

passed out at the park

The very next day, Grandma Debbie left to drive back to NY state. This was pretty hard for Mommy. Being so far away from our family on the east coast is terribly difficult, and having you has made it feel even worse as I want you to know them well and for them to know you. Fortunately, Aunt Kyle and her family live a half a mile away right now and we get to see them all the time!

 You will get to meet everyone else in New York this summer and will see Grammie Debbie and Grandpa Ben a lot when they come with us to Jamaica in November to babysit you a bit while Mommy and Daddy go to a wedding. I am sure Grammie Debbie will be making as many trips to Texas as she can to see you and Sophie-Pea!



On your four week birthday, Uncle Robby arrived in town for a visit on his way to play baseball in Colorado for the summer. At this point, you were pretty much still just eating, sleeping, pooping, and peeing, so you weren't terribly interactive with him. He did hold you a bit and thought you were pretty cute. He also babysat both you and Sophie one morning while Mommy went to the dentist. I showed him how to change a diaper before leaving because he had never changed one before. He didn't have to change you because you just slept in the swing the whole time, but he did have to change Sophie's blow-out! Uncle Robby can't wait to get you your first baseball glove and to play catch with you.

What a first month we had with you little man! Our hearts have never been as full as they have been since meeting you and we love you so, so much.