Inside the Mind of a New Mom.

When Henry was a new baby:

He was always falling asleep. I used to have to wipe his face with a wet cloth to wake him up in between boobs.

One of my favorite things to do was snuggle him skin to skin.

Just getting out of the house to go to Target was a huuuuge deal.

I cried when he got his first taste of sick, a blocked tear duct.

His nickname was "Baby Bear".

I would check his breathing at least six times a night.

I thought it was impossible to love him anymore than I already did.

I was too afraid to let him sleep longer than two hours in a row because I was afraid my milk would dry up.

I loved sleeping with him curled up on my chest and listening to him breathe.

I had a complete melt down when my mother in-law was visiting because I thought I couldn't handle the endless crying and had convinced myself that I was a bad mom because I couldn't make him stop.

I was waking every 1-2 hours to feed him at night and taking pretty epic naps during the day.

I would dream that I had fallen asleep while feeding him and wake up in a panic searching the sheets for my tiny baby.

He had a three inch knot on the top of his head from being pressed too hard against my only semi-dilated birth canal for too long. I would run circles around it with my fingers and it would calm him down when he was upset.

I was worried that he wasn't getting enough milk while feeding or latching correctly and obsessed over making sure he did.

Every time we'd eat out I spent most of the time worrying that he'd start crying.

I slept with five blankets at night because my hormones were going all crazy so I was always either really cold or really hot.

I discovered a whole new kind of love for my husband and it blew me away.

What kinds of crazy things did you worry about/think when your baby was still brand new?

It's da Plumber...

Aunt Lindsey found some crack by the pool this weekend. Baby H says, "Knock, knock. It's da plumber. I've come ta fix da sink!"

Thanks for the Tags!

I was tagged by Paige to participate in this wonderful project started by Dori the Giant. Please take the time to click for Haiti. It just takes a second I swear! Click here to help.

I was also tagged by my awesome mommy blog-friend Bonnie to answer the following questions. Thanks for the tag, here it goes!

What's the one thing that you still do that is childlike?
I still make wishes on shooting stars, dandelions, 11:11, etc.

What is one of the most embarrassing moments of your life?
When I was little, I left our friend's apartment for something and when I headed back I walked into the wrong house! I didn't realize I was in the wrong place until I saw a man sitting on a sofa, watching TV in his underwear.

If you could take an all expenses paid vacation anywhere in the world, where would you go?
I know this might sound boring to most, but I'd travel back home to WA state with my husband and Henry and we'd use the remaining money to live closer to our parents.

What's your favorite thing to do to relax?
I love taking a super hot bath and drinking wine with a good book and music playing.

What is the most spontaneous thing you've ever done? And did you regret doing it?
I don't really want to talk about that! I regret parts of it but then again, everything happens for a reason.

What is your favorite genre of music?
I love old folk music, 50s/60s pop, and newer indie bands. Anything with a catchy melody and great lyrics is okay with me though!

What is your favorite movie of all-time?
Hmmm, it's a four way tie between I Am Sam, The Wedding Singer, The Royal Tenenbaums, and Requiem for a Dream.

If you had the chance to meet anyone (dead or alive), who would it be?
I'd really like to meet John Steinbeck.

Taking a Break

Yesterday we decided we all needed to get away. Just this morning G found us an awesome hotel in Beaufort, South Carolina and we've been spending the day swimming in the pool, watching cable (a luxury for us!), lounging in the sun, and eating good food. I was even able to take a long, hot bath and drink a glass of wine tonight. Do you realize these are two things I have not been able to pair since I found out I was pregnant?! This is a huge deal guys!



Henry had his first experience with a pool today. We all thought he would hate the (very cold) water on his feet but he loved it. He kicked his legs, squealed with excitement and blew spit bubbles until his lips were numb. One of my most favorite things ever is introducing Henry to new experiences and I know this is one we'll remember forever.







We love spontaneous getaways and we are so happy that my little sister could join us for such a fun weekend. Here's a video of Henry's first time in a pool EVER!



ps. i know i have a couple of tags i need to respond to. i can't wait to answer your questions and pass on your awesome ideas tomorrow!!

pps. thanks for voting for us :)

Four Month Check Up

Henry's four month check up yesterday went great! I look forward to every appointment and seeing how much he's growing in such a short amount of time continues to amaze me. The fact that another human being can survive purely on milk that my body makes blows. my. mind. Poor H hated getting his shots (duh) but quickly forgot about them once he was safely snuggled into the crook of my neck. I hate hate hate the little quiver his lip makes as he gasp-cries and looks at me like, "W-w-w-what just happened?"

H has gained three pounds in two months! If you don't believe me, please refer to the double chin in the picture above. He now weighs 14 pounds, 5 ounces which places him in the 38th percentile for his age. He is 26 inches long and in the 80th percentile as far as height goes. Watch out ceiling fans, Baby Henry's going to be TALL!!

Today Henry discovered the most wonderful napping spot.

Hey Lindsey!

Aunt Lindsey is here! Aunt Lindsey is here! We've been having so much fun catching up, pinching sweet baby cheeks, and goo-goo-gahing at the smiliest baby-who-had-to-get-shots EVER! Going to try and get some sweet sleep before Henry's up for his 11:30 night cap at the milk bar. You can read about Lindsey's first day here. I couldn't have written a more beautiful post about their meeting.

Doctor appointment updates tomorrow! My boy is getting F-A-T! Yum, yum, yum. I love it!

Dr. Appointments and JAX

Henry has his four month check up this morning. I can't wait to find out what he weighs now and to see his percentiles. Just two months ago he already weighed 11 pounds and judging by that last "Mr. Boobies Hanging Out Of My Overalls" picture he's been steadily packing on the pounds since.

After his appointment we will be driving two hours south to Jacksonville again, this time to pick up my other younger sister who will be staying with us for ten days. I'm so excited to see her and happy that Henry gets to meet another one of his (many) awesome aunts. As for the two hour drive, I couldn't be more okay with it. I actually look forward to these drives lately. H usually sleeps and I can have two hours all to myself. It's a nice time to clear my head because I can actually complete my thoughts. Last week I found my favorite Iron and Wine album (The Creek Drank the Cradle) at the library so I'll have good driving music as well. Lindsey, here we come!

Please keep voting for us! We are almost on the first page! Thanks to everyone for your votes so far :)

Georgia babies don't wear shirts in the summertime.

The Tiny Dancers

Almost everyday we clear the living room and dance and dance and dance. I love watching their little arms twisting above their heads as hands clap sporadically and the tiniest feet stomp all shaky and off beat.

"And now, let the wild rumpus start!" -Maurice Sendak

Years later and this still makes me laugh so hard!

Our Weekend

We had so much fun this weekend. Although G was pretty busy with bike work and grant write ups we still managed to get some pretty good family time in! Saturday morning Henry and I drove G downtown and then headed back home for some serious sleep-in. After we woke up we walked over to G's bicycle event where he was teaching kids bike safety, leading a variety of games, and cutting the ribbon for the new bike lane he helped fund. See those palm trees behind G? This stretch is called "The Mall" and it is in our old neighborhood. Those trees line the whole walk and the rest of the area is covered by old oak trees sagging with Spanish Moss.

Henry sat in the stroller and watched the older kids pedaling around the track. It's crazy to think that before we know it he will be racing his bike around and yelling things like, "I WIN! I WIN! I WIN!" It's going to be so much fun to ride bikes with Henry someday and I know his dad is so so excited to teach him how to ride.

Because it was so hot outside Henry and I headed over to the mall to get some walking in and people watch. I found this dress last minute, discounted down to $12.00 (originally $50...what?!) Look at how well our porch plants are doing! Just when I think I've killed them, they pop back up. Thanks lilies and tomatoes, you make me feel like an expert gardener!

When we got home, I set up Henry's bouncy seat for the first time and we ate fajita burritos and watched him discover how much fun an overload of neon, plastic toys really is. He loved kicking his feet and making the seat bounce!

Henry spent a good portion of the evening lounging on his dad's legs. Lately we've been really into sticking all kinds of hats on him and then snapping a million pictures (duh).

Saturday night H went to sleep a little earlier than usual and G and I spent a lazy summer night drinking beer and playing music on our porch. G's working on a new song and I like it a lot. Although the days here are a little too hot for me, the nights are just about perfect.

H has been having a really hard time sleeping lately and it's getting a little frustrating. He's still sleeping in our bedroom (turns out I'm waaaay softer than I thought...) and so today we bought a baby monitor. After my sister Lindsey (coming to stay with us on Wednesday!!) leaves it's no more shared room for Baby Henry. It makes my stomach hurt and my heart sad just thinking about it so I'll save all that for a separate post.

Tonight we're curled up in the living room, watching the last episode of Lost and listening to the loudest thunder/lightning/rain storm outside. Bunz the cat got a little scared and curled up on G's blanket like she used to do before Henry was born.

Here's a video of our crazy storm tonight! The south gets the most amazing weather, I really love it:



Hope you all had a great weekend!

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Our Button

Look! Look! Check out our new button! It's brand spankin new and I'm totally stoked on it. Feel free to take it for your site, you can find it in the right side column!

Special thanks to our friend Paige from Prone to Wander. She helped me resize the image and generate the code!

Dear Henry

Dear Henry,

Last week you really figured out how to use those (chubby!) little hands of yours. You can now reach out towards anything we place in front of you and immediately place everything into that always-drooly mouth I love so much.

At first you'd shakily move your hands up to my breast and hold it like a bear slurping honey out of a pot (your dad called this the "Big Gulp" :) When you gained even more control you started moving your hands up to my face and ever since this is where they naturally stray while you're nursing or listening to books or flirting with me.

They say one of the ways babies learn is by touch. I love to think that you are memorizing my face with those fingers as you touch my nose, and then my lips, and then my eyes. Don't waste too much time studying though, I'm going to be here forever!

Love.

A Henry Video

I don't want the first post people read after clicking my blog to be about death, so here's a Henry video for you all. This was taken just three weeks ago and since then he has already changed so much. It's crazy and so exciting how fast he's growing!

A Taste of Awful

Something really horrible has happened next door, you guys. A few months ago I wrote about our next door neighbors and how their house had been broken into two times within a three month time frame. Not long after that it was broken into again. We don't live in the best neighborhood, but it's definitely not the worse by any means. I've never felt scared about loading the car for work at night or sitting on the porch with G when the weather is nice.

Last night after work, I was blowing raspberries and reading books with Henry when I noticed three cop cars parked outside our house. I stepped onto the porch and found four cops standing around the front door of our neighbor's house. I asked them if everything was alright and they told me things were "just fine" and I mentioned the break-ins. One of them came over and asked me about the tenants and prior burglaries.

I told her that because of all the break-ins, the couple renting the place had broken their lease just two weeks ago and a new girl had moved in. We hadn't met her but had been told she was 24 years old and was moving here alone from Atlanta. The cop took my information, thanked me, and then left.

A half hour later, a forensics van pulls up and they head into the house with green gloves and swab sticks. An hour later they're taking pictures of the entire house, digging through the trash outside, and rummaging through her mail/car.

As I peeked through the blinds from H's dark room, a big black van drives up and they pull out of the back a body bag on a stretcher. What the hell?!

The scariest part is that we still don't know what happened. All we know is that the girl next door is dead. The whole thing has been harder for me to deal with tonight than it was last night.

Since H was born, things like this are more difficult for me to deal with. I think having a baby makes you realize just how precious life is and how lucky we are to be alive. Even if you don't want to, every horrible situation makes you automatically think "What if that was my baby?" and then you feel so sick to your stomach even slightly imagining such. I can't even watch movies the same way I used to. Every show involving kidnapping, murders, or any kind of dangerous situation really puts me on edge now.

As cheesy as it sounds, life really is so short. Enjoy every moment of it.

Henry and the Spoon

The One Where I'm a Big Boo-Hoo Baby

I've been having a really hard time balancing the things I should do with the things I want to do. I've been trying to do both and have found myself so behind on sleep that I'm absolutely no fun to be around. Poor G, he has been so patient with my impatience and complete lameness but I know it's got to be getting on his nerves by now. I'm easily aggravated by the dumbest things all day and all night and can't ever rest my mind enough to catch my thoughts.

There are things I want to be doing with my (small amount of) free time, projects that are much more fun than cleaning the house or sleeping. I've refused to give up these things I really enjoy doing but I'm afraid I need to start telling myself, "I can do this tomorrow" and then putting down the crafts, turning off that so-stupid-anyway episode of Lost, and logging out of Blogger.

Making myself get a good night's sleep for once.

But what's worse than having only a small amount of time to do the things you like to do is having to give up that time to do something lame-oh like clean the house, take a shower, sleep or eat.

Look at me, I just used lame and eat in the same sentence. Wtf!

Henry Gets Real.

Hey Henry, how do you feel about the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and the attempts at stopping the leak so far?





We love, love your votes...thanks!

Two Very Special Birthdays

Sleep Pretty Darling, Do Not Cry....

Tonight as I type this, I'm listening to the first real thunderstorm we've had since H's birth. The wind is rustling the trees outside our window and a large amount of rain just started pounding the roof. The thunder woke Henry up, I could hear him squirming inside his bassinet every time the sky would rumble. I pulled him into our bed and with a little nudge into my neck and a sigh, he immediately fell back asleep.

I love listening to the rain and watching my boys sleep peacefully in our dimly lit room. With Henry snuggled safely on my chest and G sleeping soundly beside me I am so grateful for this family of mine. There's no feeling that compares to this.

Henry's Raspberries

Last week Henry discovered how to blow raspberries! He makes the most hilarious faces as he tries so hard to make his new favorite sound. His eyes get so huge and shifty and he pulls his chin back, really making those neck rolls pop! This new favorite activity of H's makes for some pretty loud dinner dates and a slobbery chin that attracts lint and hair and dirt from all over. Just look at my little fatty trying so hard to spit all over his dad's arm. That's a face of pure concentration and determination. This picture cracks me up...





Thanks for your votes!

Songs We Love 6/50

G's band when we lived in Chicago last year (G = drums and vocals). Saying goodbye to these people when we moved to Savannah was so hard. Life kind of pushed us all in crazy directions real fast (wtf. we have a baby now?!) Funny how that happens.

The boys wrote this song about their first tour. It's one of my favorites as I can't listen to it without feeling a little knot in my stomach and an ache in my heart.

Life and Death in Columbia, MO by Slim Dixon (language alert towards the end...okay kiddos?):

Shoes For Little E

I've very recently stumbled upon many new readers. I feel so lucky to have met so many amazing people through this silly little blog of mine, every comment you all leave me makes me happier than you could ever imagine. I love, love, loved all of your encouragement and tips on my breastfeeding in public post and spend so much time grinning stupidly over all of the sweet comments you leave Baby H.

Paige is a reader very, very special to me. I can't say enough good things about this adorable girl. She's so awesome and sweet and writes the most stunning pieces over at her blog Prone to Wonder (GO!) Her friends are expecting their first baby, a little girl named Evangeline Grace. For little E (and Paige!) I sewed a new pair of felt booties. I'm pretty excited with how these turned out!





The fact that these are the best shoes I've made so far shows just how much H is growing up. He can entertain himself for longer amounts of time and actually let's me get some things done in the afternoon. Thanks baby!

Paige, I just love you. I'll get these mailed next Wednesday. Thanks for being such an awesome friend.

The Ice Cream Date

"That's a h-h-h-huuuge cone mom!"

While my sister was visiting, we took Henry on his very first ice cream date! Henry has been incredibly interested in the foods we eat lately, he's always carefully following my meals as they travel from plate to mouth. I think the size of the cones blew his mind.




"Hey Megan, do ya think you could you move that just a *little* closer to mah face...?"