Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Gavin's First Smile (On Video, At Least)
This was last week, at about five weeks old. He has been smiling for a couple weeks now, but this was the first time I'd caught it on video. You'll have to wait 'til the end of the video, but trust me, it's completely worth it! Sorry for the junky film quality, but we all know how much more convenient it is to grab an iPhone than the actual video camera :)
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Big Boy Bath Time!
Gavin's first bath in his big boy bathtub... we got some pretty cute pics!
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| He does NOT like his hair being washed! |
The Tide Turns!
Okay, so now that I can sit back and take a deep breath, I have to admit we're pretty kickass at this whole parenting thing! We're 5 weeks in and I have to say (knock on wood), we've got this thing figured out. Obviously that's all going to change as soon as I go back to work, but... well we're going to celebrate our victories while we can.
Our Little Nugget (one of his many nicknames... see also, "The Dictator" (we are planning to dress him up as Kim Jong Il for Halloween this year - all we need is a khaki jumpsuit and some aviators, he's got the hair all set), "Stinker," "Lil Fatso," "Pouty McGee," "Fartbox," "Nacho Bean the Fart Machine" and many more) went to the doctor this week for his one-month appointment. The doc gave him a clean bill of health and declared he is "growing like a leaf." I'm not really sure how well leaves grow, so this seems like an odd expression. But anyhow, he's in the 95th percentile for both height and weight (and only the 75th for head size, which makes me happy because I get teased OFTEN for my giant head). He's a tank!
He's only waking up once in the night (3 am - 4 am) and is generally pretty content the rest of the time - as long as he gets enough to eat. BUT, if you so much as pull the bottle away from him, the tyrant FREAKS OUT. The only other freakouts occur when he's bored, and honestly I can't blame the kid. Being stuck inside due to 115 degree temperatures and a tiny baby is definitely driving me INSANE, so I can relate. We do our best to keep him occupied with tummy time, Beth's terribly corny songs, dancing, music, rattles and anything else we can think of!
All in all, it's going GREAT! Oh, and last week he learned how to smile... not a "gas" smile, but a real, bonafide, in-response-to-my-smile kind of smile. It came right at the end of a long fussy spell (right when Geoff and I were about to crack) and it was just magical. I even spurted a few tears of happiness :)
Here are some pics from weeks 2-4. We're in love!
Our Little Nugget (one of his many nicknames... see also, "The Dictator" (we are planning to dress him up as Kim Jong Il for Halloween this year - all we need is a khaki jumpsuit and some aviators, he's got the hair all set), "Stinker," "Lil Fatso," "Pouty McGee," "Fartbox," "Nacho Bean the Fart Machine" and many more) went to the doctor this week for his one-month appointment. The doc gave him a clean bill of health and declared he is "growing like a leaf." I'm not really sure how well leaves grow, so this seems like an odd expression. But anyhow, he's in the 95th percentile for both height and weight (and only the 75th for head size, which makes me happy because I get teased OFTEN for my giant head). He's a tank!
He's only waking up once in the night (3 am - 4 am) and is generally pretty content the rest of the time - as long as he gets enough to eat. BUT, if you so much as pull the bottle away from him, the tyrant FREAKS OUT. The only other freakouts occur when he's bored, and honestly I can't blame the kid. Being stuck inside due to 115 degree temperatures and a tiny baby is definitely driving me INSANE, so I can relate. We do our best to keep him occupied with tummy time, Beth's terribly corny songs, dancing, music, rattles and anything else we can think of!
All in all, it's going GREAT! Oh, and last week he learned how to smile... not a "gas" smile, but a real, bonafide, in-response-to-my-smile kind of smile. It came right at the end of a long fussy spell (right when Geoff and I were about to crack) and it was just magical. I even spurted a few tears of happiness :)
Here are some pics from weeks 2-4. We're in love!
Gavin's Newborn Photos
We had the luck and pleasure of having Johanna do our newborn photos. She did an INCREDIBLE job, and we are so grateful! She even came to our house, for gosh sakes! If you're interested in hiring an amazing photographer for family shots, weddings, and more, here's Johanna's website: http://asophisticatedview.com/?load=flash
Here are some of our faves...
Our Little Nugget at 8 days old. He's a keeper!
Here are some of our faves...
Our Little Nugget at 8 days old. He's a keeper!
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Gavin's First Two Weeks
So, Gavin is almost 5 weeks old, but we're playing some blog catch-up... I'm not sure if I can find the words to describe the first two weeks, especially being three weeks out, but I will try (if only so we have documentation when we want to make Jewish mother statements when he turns 16).
So... at first Geoff and I found ourselves constantly wondering why NO ONE told us how crazy awful those first two weeks are! Seriously, NO ONE. C'mon guys, we were counting on you! The trend stops here - for all of you expecting parents, the first few weeks of parenthood are (truth be told) an ungodly mix of sheer terror and misery...
Sure. At the hospital, it's a cake walk. Everything is taken care of -- there's a "cottage" where babies sleep at night, the baby does actually sleep at night (!), there is an endless stream of good company, and heck - room service three times a day really can't be beat. Then you drive five minutes away to your once-cozy home and everything you think you know about parenting goes out the proverbial window. We got released at 10:45 pm and by 2 am I was reduced to tears, convinced I just wasn't cut out for motherhood and wondering how the heck we would ever survive.
Sure, it was awesome being a new parent and we found ourselves staring at our *sleeping* baby in absolute awe of nature and ourselves [high fives for procreating!].. but when he awoke, it was generally another story. We did our best to figure out what our little dictator liked and didn't like (usually with little success, though we found out our fatso LOVES food), tried to get sleep in 20-minute doses where we could, tried to remember who we even were as people (it's incredible how easy it is to forget), much less as as a couple, and even dropped the baby off at Joan and Warren's once to go grocery shopping for some much-needed "excitement".
Beth
So Beth pretty much covered the first weeks as best as we can remember. But I have a couple of things to add. It's funny how a few months ago, I could not comprehend why we needed SO MUCH CRAP to help raise a baby. We seriously loaded up the Durango and the Fusion to the brim with things from the baby shower. I felt like I was in some stupid comedy unloading all of it as Beth showed the Kingman girls the nursery. Well now I know what all that stuff is for, and could not be any more thankful for all the nice things we received.
You see, in the first few weeks of being a first time parent, you basically spend every waking moment of your baby's day troubleshooting how to make him happy. 1) You check the diaper (I would like to recommend Chris Casson's blog (http://thosecassons.blogspot.com/2011/03/liam-3-liams-dad0.html) regarding how this exchange typically happens between father and son.) 2) You discard the four dirty diapers produced from one change into the magical diaper genie. [The Vaseline that you have to line the diaper with (due to circumcision, a whole 'nother story) makes a diaper essentially useless - anything he pees out leaks out. Which in turn makes the 8,000 onesies vital. Additionally, I am 99% sure we hold the Guinness book record for longest continual diaper genie snake ever held in one unit prior to removal.] 3) You continue around the room lighting up the turtle planetarium, putting him in his swing, rocking him in the armchair, turning on the "ocean sounds" lamb, and placing him in his bouncer, building up frustration until you're ready to burst. AND THEN he lets an epic fart go and immediately passes out. Instantaneously, you completely forget and release the frustration that had built in the previous 45 minutes. You proceed to lay down on the couch with the newborn on your chest, and marvel at how wonderful being a parent is.
Geoff
We will post a more current blog soon. Spoiler alert: It gets easier. Oh, and he learns how to smile.
So... at first Geoff and I found ourselves constantly wondering why NO ONE told us how crazy awful those first two weeks are! Seriously, NO ONE. C'mon guys, we were counting on you! The trend stops here - for all of you expecting parents, the first few weeks of parenthood are (truth be told) an ungodly mix of sheer terror and misery...
Sure. At the hospital, it's a cake walk. Everything is taken care of -- there's a "cottage" where babies sleep at night, the baby does actually sleep at night (!), there is an endless stream of good company, and heck - room service three times a day really can't be beat. Then you drive five minutes away to your once-cozy home and everything you think you know about parenting goes out the proverbial window. We got released at 10:45 pm and by 2 am I was reduced to tears, convinced I just wasn't cut out for motherhood and wondering how the heck we would ever survive.
Sure, it was awesome being a new parent and we found ourselves staring at our *sleeping* baby in absolute awe of nature and ourselves [high fives for procreating!].. but when he awoke, it was generally another story. We did our best to figure out what our little dictator liked and didn't like (usually with little success, though we found out our fatso LOVES food), tried to get sleep in 20-minute doses where we could, tried to remember who we even were as people (it's incredible how easy it is to forget), much less as as a couple, and even dropped the baby off at Joan and Warren's once to go grocery shopping for some much-needed "excitement".
Beth
So Beth pretty much covered the first weeks as best as we can remember. But I have a couple of things to add. It's funny how a few months ago, I could not comprehend why we needed SO MUCH CRAP to help raise a baby. We seriously loaded up the Durango and the Fusion to the brim with things from the baby shower. I felt like I was in some stupid comedy unloading all of it as Beth showed the Kingman girls the nursery. Well now I know what all that stuff is for, and could not be any more thankful for all the nice things we received.
You see, in the first few weeks of being a first time parent, you basically spend every waking moment of your baby's day troubleshooting how to make him happy. 1) You check the diaper (I would like to recommend Chris Casson's blog (http://thosecassons.blogspot.com/2011/03/liam-3-liams-dad0.html) regarding how this exchange typically happens between father and son.) 2) You discard the four dirty diapers produced from one change into the magical diaper genie. [The Vaseline that you have to line the diaper with (due to circumcision, a whole 'nother story) makes a diaper essentially useless - anything he pees out leaks out. Which in turn makes the 8,000 onesies vital. Additionally, I am 99% sure we hold the Guinness book record for longest continual diaper genie snake ever held in one unit prior to removal.] 3) You continue around the room lighting up the turtle planetarium, putting him in his swing, rocking him in the armchair, turning on the "ocean sounds" lamb, and placing him in his bouncer, building up frustration until you're ready to burst. AND THEN he lets an epic fart go and immediately passes out. Instantaneously, you completely forget and release the frustration that had built in the previous 45 minutes. You proceed to lay down on the couch with the newborn on your chest, and marvel at how wonderful being a parent is.
Geoff
We will post a more current blog soon. Spoiler alert: It gets easier. Oh, and he learns how to smile.
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| First day home from the hospital... Beth is a zombie |
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| With Gamma Joanie, declaring him perfect |
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| First of many couch snuggles with the Papa Bear |
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| Our first adventure! Walking with Gigi to visit our new neighbors - Great Grandpa Larry and Great Grandma Barbara... it was quite a hike, let me tell you! |
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| Grandma Barbara holding Gavin... and giving him the Tom Selleck treatment because it's beastly hot outside |
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| Great Grandma Gigi |
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| Grandpa Larry |
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| Gavin's first bath at home - he is a SQUIRMY little guy! |
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| But cute as a button! |
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| Naptime! |
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| Meeting his Auntie Deblet -- him loves her! |
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| And she loves him! |
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| The best feeling in the WORLD! |
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| I give him a borderline creepy number of kisses a day... but his lips are so darn kissable |
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| Admiring his lovely cousin Megan :) |
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| All is right with the world in Auntie Deb's arms |
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| In the usual position... Nugget in sleep mode, Daddy in Xbox mode |
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| Our handsome boy... with the stinky umbilical stump (ew!) before it fell out |
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