Blessing Day

a gift from nana nance

four generations and his uncle/twin

 always studying...

Baty and Bart Baty, his namesakes.

 those cheeeeeeks!

blue steel.

After almost a month unplugged in Idaho, I'm back home trying to recover from an amazing Christmas vacation. Our living room is covered in dirty clothes, leftover candy and mail. lots of mail. After a ten hour drive I was thrilled to be home with my little family. We hadn't been home 24 hours before Jake was told he needs to leave again for a 21 day mission to Africa. Ugh. Will life ever slow down?

I'm taking a break from the craziness to reflect on this special day we had last weekend. My aunt and uncle were generous enough to let us use their home for the event and it was jam packed with our family and friends. I was overwhelmed with how many people drove out of their way to see little Graham. Jake used the priesthood to give him a tender heartfelt blessing. There was such a strong spirit there, it was a wonderful way to start off the new year.

January be kind to me!

2 Months

my 2 month baby is...

smiling a lot. especially when you sing ridiculous songs and make weird noises.

sleeping well at night, eight hours this week!

still super fussy in the evenings.

taking Zantac for acid reflux, we think it's helping...

weighing in 11 lbs and 4 ounces. big chubby boy!

has a umbilical hernia that's squishy and weird.

getting a big Morrison head which makes his hair line look like an old man.

better at the pacifer. still likes the soothie more than the mam.

recognizing mom and dad, can follow us around the room.


we love our graham man... he's serious and stubborn and oh so strong.

an over tired boy who won't take a pacifier.

motherhood is one hundred times more difficult than I thought it would be.

maybe it's the hours spent consoling an over tired boy who you love so much it hurts, but that fact alone won't help him sleep. and he just screams and falls asleep, then five minutes later he's screaming again.

maybe it's the husband who serves his country and loves his wife but has to leave her for days and days. how I love him for sitting on the phone with me and listening to me sob for an hour because of the over tired boy.

maybe it's because of Christmas and it's the first one I won't spend with my family. I wish I could just drive to my mom's house when husband's away and let her watch over tired boy so I can take a hot bath. then we could all snuggle and watch Christmas Vacation in front of the tree by the fire.

maybe it's the freezing rain that greeted California hours after husband left. ain't no sunshine when he's gone. the chilled air makes my bones ache.

mothers, i applaud you.

tuesday, come faster.

Redwoods

Nana and Papa Kearns came this week. (I can call them that now that I'm a momma).
We decided to venture up to Muir Woods, something we've been wanting to do for a while.
It was beautiful and so cold. We bundled G up in lots of blankets and he slept the whole time.
(Gotta love the ERGObaby Carrier.)
Although I miss the snow a little tiny bit, it was nice to be out in the cold crisp woods without getting soaking wet. I don't miss that part.

Now the house is quiet, I've been left all alone again. Poor me :)
I have big plans for Christmas crafting and baking, book reading, money budgeting and house cleaning.
Lets just hope fussy fussy baby boy lets me.

Leave your address below if you want a Christmas card/birth announcement!

Pregnancy Journal

Click here to view this photo book larger

week six

week six was tough. 

Daddy left for his first mission, so we spent a lot of time bonding. It wasn't easy to have him gone, but you were a good boy. One night you slept six straight hours! It rained and blew all week long, so we stayed indoors a lot (except for that special trip to Trader Joes). You just get more and more adorable. You're starting to recognize me and your legs are getting so strong! We love you little squishy. Please stop vomiting. 

Mom. 

dance parties

Sometimes when daddy's gone we have dance parties to keep the depression away.

These songs have been on repeat. 

Also, if you're a fan of Vampire Diaries, check out Reign on the CW. 

So juvenile... but deliciously addicting. 

week 5

week five was a busy one.

auntie lauren came to visit from the east coast which never happens! We spent a lot of time catching up on the latest TV shows and showing her the best fast food has to offer. she also got to witness some new mom meltdowns. those are all too common...

my dad and step mom Nicole also came for the weekend and we were able to take another day trip to SF to show lauren the wharf. I miss them all terribly. I hate how empty the house feels now that I'm all alone. Jake went on his first trip for work and after panicking for days beforehand, I'm trying to make the most of it.

Graham and I will be doing some serious bonding this week. He is still colicky in the evenings but I'm learning how to handle it. Thanks so much for your tips and advice, keep them coming! He is finally fitting into his 0-3 month clothing and growing some cute little rolls. He loves bath time, but hates getting out. He's giving me the occasional 4-5 hours periods of sleep at night, thank heavens. His head is getting huge and strong and he likes to roll from side to side. I love him terribly :)

Here's to a new week of Christmas crafting, book reading, and baby snuggling!

One Month/Due Date

week one

week two

 week three

Happy Due Date Graham Man.

Can't believe we've lived to see the one month mark. What a wild ride it's been so far! Can't say it's been easy. You're getting more and more fussy. It's extremely frustrating late at night when we just want to sleep and you just seem to be so unhappy. When we finally get you to sleep, you're the most adorable thing on the planet. You look so peaceful and plump. Then you cry and wake up an hour later.

We noticed that you love car rides and being bounced. You still haven't gotten the hang of your pacifier but we're working on it. You enjoy our evening walks to the park in the Ergo carrier. You prefer to be in the shower with daddy over the bath with mom. Some how you manage to get out of your swaddle wrap every time. I am super paranoid about your stomach issues. Every time I think I have it figured out, you mystify me once again.

Motherhood is hard. Really hard. I just wish you could talk to me and tell me what you need! Here's to hoping we can get through the next month... and the one after that. It'll be a long holiday season :) but I'm glad I get to spend it with you little buddy. Your exhausted mom and dad love you more than sleep. In fact, they love you more than anything.

Mom.

G

One week without posting Graham pictures... whhaat? Well here's the gassy beautiful boy who keeps me up all night! I feel slightly less terrified now and I think my body is adjusting to the exhaustion. However, the dark circles are here to stay.

G is changing every day, he's getting the cutest round cheeks and double chin. We moved him further from our bed because he's constantly grunting all night from all of his bodily functions. Now we're accepting his late night schedule and trying classical music. I dream of the nights where we sleep more than two to three the hours at a time, but somehow after the 3 am zombie feeds, I see his cute round face in the morning and instantly melt.

Here's to almost a month of parenthood!