Beach Baby

We had a wonderful time at the beach for Memorial Day weekend. Obviously, William didn't get the full beach experience, but I think he enjoyed his time hanging out on the porch soaking in the salty air. My mom bought a pack & play for William to sleep in at the beach and he slept really great in it so we immediately set ours up when we got home but haven't had quite as much luck :) Grant and I are really trying to figure out what William "needs" to sleep longer stretches at night. I guess time will tell. Warning: this post will contain lots of pictures.

 Trying out his pack & play for the 1st time. Looks pretty comfy and content to me!

 Ready for a day in the sun even though he never left the screen porch.

 I could just eat him up!

Even though William didn't do any boating on this trip, Grant and I went out on the boat several times and even went to Shell Island for an afternoon swim with my dad. My mom pretty much babysat William for the majority of the trip which was a great break for me. But, I must say, I did miss him when I wasn't there :(

Uncle Quin hosted a fabulous Memorial Day party at his house on Saturday night, so we spent the evening at his condo and William met LOTS of people. He was the star of the night!

 Baby Grant 

 Juju takes such good care of her baby boy.

 1st family picture since leaving the hospital. I can only imagine these pics will get more and more challenging!

 This is what William does 95% of the time we are out and about, and I'm not complaining!

 Love those pursed lips. 

 Sitting with Douglas and his girlfriend, Kayla, at Quin's party

Sunday night, William got to experience Captain Anderson's, a Panama City restaurant, that our family has been frequenting since I was a baby.  My parents have memories of setting me under the table while they dined on delicious seafood. Some of the same waitresses are still there today. I didn't take any pictures because I didn't want to look like a tacky tourist but I wish I would have!

 Porch time with Juju

 Family picture before Captain Anderson's :)

This picture was NOT staged! My mom just happened to catch us :)

We are headed back to the beach for the 4th of July and hopefully William will get to go on his first boat ride then! My mom already bought an infant lifejacket for him to wear. It was a wonderful weekend, and one that I will never forget. 

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