1st Trip to Dothan

Well, another monumental event occurred this past week when William and I headed south for his 1st trip to Dothan and to the beach. My mom drove up on Monday to go with me to William's 1 month pediatrician appointment and then we drove to Dothan the next morning. Traveling with an infant is no easy task! You would've thought we were going to Europe based on all of the luggage we had in the car. William did great for the majority of the trip but he had a major "blow out" diaper in Montgomery which was followed by projectile vomiting all over my mom, a case of the hiccups, and another "blow out" diaper, which led to my mom having a full wardrobe change in the car. It was actually quite comical after the fact! Other than that small incident, he really did great for a first time traveler.

When we arrived in Dothan Tuesday night, William finally got to meet his great grandparents, Jan Jan and Sam. This was such a sweet moment and I feel so incredibly blessed that my child got to meet two of his great-grandparents. I was fortunate enough to grow up with a great-grandmother, Gamin, who lived until I was a Junior in high school.

My mom and dad graciously agreed to keep William each night until about midnight so I could get some extra sleep which I greatly appreciated. The first night my dad moved upstairs to my bedroom while my mom was on baby duty in their room. I slept in Douglas's room because that's where William's crib is in Dothan. Despite my mom's best efforts to convince me to let William sleep in his crib without the Nap Nanny, I wasn't up for switching things up without Grant's help. However, when we got to the beach he did sleep on his back without the Nap Nanny for 4 straight nights. Since returning home, his sleep schedule has been pretty unpredictable, but I'll save that for another post.

 Relaxing on the porch after Juju gave him a good bath after a LONG day of traveling .

Meeting Jan Jan and Sam. So sweet!!!

 Jan Jan singing the same songs to William that she sang to me 27 years ago. 

 Checking each other out

I had to post all of the pictures of William meeting his great-grandparents because I know I will cherish them forever.

 Juju likes for William to have tummy time to help his neck grow strong. William isn't so sure what to think about it :)

 We had lunch with Williams great-great uncle Quin on Wednesday and I snapped a couple of pictures after feeding William a bottle on the porch.

Wednesday night Juleann prepared a delicious southern meal at her house. I haven't had fried chicken that good in a LONG time.

Having a bottle before heading out the door to Jan Jan and Sam's for dinner.

It's hard to believe 3 years ago I was sitting on this same couch having my bridal portraits done! Wow how time flies! 

My mom found this little vintage gown at an antique store. I love all of the intricate details.

This is a very special spot on their front porch because all of the grandchildren (my cousins) were rocked here when visiting Jan Jan and Sam. It was pretty amazing that my grandparents got to hold their great-grandson in the same place where they rocked me for many, many hours when I was a baby. I spent a lot of time at my grandparent's house growing up and have so many special memories there. 

I snapped a couple of pictures on Thursday morning before we headed to the beach. 

 My heart!!!

I think William really enjoyed his 1st trip to Dothan and getting LOTS and LOTS of attention from Juju. I of course loved all of the extra help but I missed Grant sooooo much and was happy to be reunited with him Friday night at the beach. Next up...baby's 1st beach trip. I took an absurd amount of pictures but I can't help it.

One Month Old

In some ways it seems like William has been a part of our lives forever, and then on the other hand it seems like yesterday he was looking directly into my eyes as he lays on my chest just seconds after he was born. As I mentioned in previous posts, I hope that memory remains engrained in my head forever. I get chills thinking about it. Grant and I have walked in uncharted waters this past month but we definitely feel like we "know" our baby boy more and more each day. It's amazing how Grant and I know what his many facial expressions, sounds, and little quirks mean, and it's a special feeling that nobody "knows" William quite like we do.

A couple of things I would like to remember about William's first month of life:

• He sleeps in the Nap Nanny in the cradle in our room. We've tried the crib several nights but he's not quite ready for that. 
• I've been mainly breastfeeding but we introduced the bottle this past week so Grant could help me out with the night feedings. So far, William seems to be tolerating the bottle well. He eats every 2-3 hours during the day and every 3-4 during the night.
• He LOVES his car seat and stroller. Usually he will go straight to sleep when we put him in the car seat. 
• I hold him the majority of the day even though he's perfectly content in his bouncer or swing. 
• During the week, I usually bathe William after our first morning feeding. He seems to really enjoy bath time. 
• He hasn't intentionally smiled at us yet, but we feel like this could come any day now. 
• He only cries when he is hungry or when his tummy hurts when he's going poo poo. 
• So far he is very even-tempered. I seriously hope this continues :)

This week, we also had his 1 month check-up with the pediatrician and he is a growing boy: 9 lbs 12 oz (50th percentile) and 22" long (75th percentile).  I guess this just means he is growing at an average rate at this point and all I care about is that he is healthy!  I am already dreading his next appointment because he will be getting multiple shots and I really don't think I will handle it well....

Here are some pics!

Aunt Birdie feeding William a bottle :)

Meeting Quin and KK

William has had a big week! His great-great uncle Quin took him to his first fancy restaurant on Wednesday night. He slept the entire dinner until Juju just couldn't resist and got him out of his car seat, but even then he didn't get fussy. I think the little guy really enjoys the attention from all of the ladies in his life! Grant and I were holding our breath the entire dinner but it was so much fun to get out and socialize :) Here are a couple of pics of William's first play date with Quin. I have a feeling this baby boy will love his great-great uncle just as much as his mommy does. Quin is the most giving, loving, genuine person I know, and I'm so grateful that William will get to know him! Quin couldn't bare the thought of William not having his own Never Rest loot, so he made a special order for some newborn Never Rest onesies. He's already asked me when he needs to order the next size up!

 Quin has always said that all newborns look alike and they are all ugly, but he said William was a little different. GOOD answer Quin!

William also got to meet another very special person on Wednesday, his "Aunt" KK. Kathryn and I have been talking about becoming mothers since we were old enough to know what motherhood was all about. We played baby dolls until we were in the 8th grade for hours on end every Saturday and we strolled our babies in REAL strollers back and forth between our houses at least 5 times a day. These are such special, sweet memories that I hope to one day be able to share with a sister of William. My mom saved all of our dolls and their many accessories with hopes to pass them down to her granddaughters. 

 Checking out KK

Mother's Day and 1st Bath

I had a wonderful 1st Mother's Day! Even though I've been a mommy for less than a month, Grant made me feel so special. He knows the way to my heart is with an Olexa's cake. We chowed down on cake all weekend, and the two of us managed to eat the entire cake by Sunday night. He also got me 2 books I've been wanting to read, and I thought I'd be able to start one of them today but William had other plans for me :)

William wanted to ring in Mother's Day with me so he decided to stay AWAKE all night on Saturday and into the wee hours of the morning on Sunday, so we spent Sunday lounging around the apartment for the majority of the day. William did surprise me with one gift himself - his umbilical cord stump fell off! This meant William got his first REAL bath in the tub.  He really loves his baths!

I've been dreaming about being a mother my entire life, and I must say, it is even better than I ever imagined.  Even during the late night feedings and my eyes can barely stay open or when he starts to cry right when I finally drift off to sleep, I still feel so incredibly blessed that God chose William to be in our lives.

First Day Out!

Friday was a very big day for me and William! We were literally out and about all day long, and we both had so much fun. The day started with a morning walk with Jenny and two precious twin boys and their mom. It's still challenging to get out the door because there are so many important items that must make it to the car. Just to name a few - diapers, wipes, pacifier, swaddle blanket, extra outfit, nursing supplies (which entails a lot!), car seat, stroller, and BABY! I never imagined it would be so difficult to take a baby out of the house. I'm pretty sure William enjoyed his hour stroller ride, and it felt SOOO good to exercise! I don't think my heart rate had been up in 10+ months so the hills were killers!

After our stroll, we went back to Jenny's and I nursed William using my new nursing cover that allows me to nurse in "public" without being too obvious. I NEVER thought I'd be comfortable doing this, but you do what you have to do :) After one hour of nursing, Kori arrived in town from Mobile, and we headed to lunch at O'Carrs. William slept peacefully in his car seat the entire time. After lunch we stopped by a cute baby store in Cahaba Heights, had a little ice cream, and then William and I came home to freshen up for round 2!

That night, several college friends were in town for a wedding, so we grilled out over at Jenny and George's house. After a very long, fun day I was a little worried about how William would do getting out again, but he did great and never made a peep. It was Mommy and Daddy that pooped out at 8:45 and decided to head home.

Lauren was very hesitant to hold the little guy, but eventually she came around and held him for about 3 minutes :) 

So Fresh, So Clean

Here are a couple of pictures I snapped of William after one of many sponge baths the other day. We are hoping the umbilical cord stump falls off ASAP so we can put him in the tub and give him a REAL bath. I thought he looked so cute in his little hoodie towel wrap that his great-grandmother, Jan Jan, gave him.