First Visit to East Texas

When you were about 3 weeks old, we made our very first (of MANY) trips to East Texas to visit your MeMe, Grand Daddy, and cousins. It was Memorial Day weekend and all the cousins were gathering at MeMe's house for the first peek at the new babies (you and cousin Makenna were only 10 days apart!)

I fed you a bottle and loaded you in the carseat with your paci in hopes that you would sleep the entire drive. I admit I was driving a bit too fast because I didn't want to stop to feed you until we made it to MeMe's house. The last 45 minutes of the trip was tough -- you were hungry, bored, and MAD. But thankfully we made it in short time after I reached back and plugged your paci back in countless times!

The cousin and family time was so therapeutic for me, especially getting all the extra help (and naps!) while I was there. Your Dad was in his super busy season at work so we didn't see him at home. We stayed in White Oak for about a week before heading back home.

Aunt Alli holds you and Makenna -- no one would've guessed that you were the younger one!



A picture of Grand Daddy with all four of his grandbabies. He is SO proud!



You and baby Ryah had a little "chat" on the floor.



Naptime with Grand Daddy. Your cheeks were already SO plump!



Visit to cousin Karlie's house.

Your Aunt Katherine visited us and brought Jacob. This was your very first meeting! We knew you two would one day become great buddies.

Newborn Moments

During the first few weeks of having you at home, your Dad loved taking a long lunch break and driving home to see you at lunch. He was so in love!



He would hold you the entire time he was eating his lunch.



Tiny newborn, so sweet.



When you were a few days old, I tried to conduct a little photo shoot at home to capture you in some tiny outfits. Your expressions in some of them cracked me up!

One of my favorite memories of being a brand new Mom was enjoying the maternity leave and meeting your Dad for lunch. Our favorite spot was Beck's Prime on Westheimer under the sprawling oak tree. It was a brand new experience to be dining out with a baby, and I loved it!

Another picture from a lunch date with Daddy.

I often sat in this rocker to feed you. Early on you LOVED your paci so you were rarely without it.

This was one of my very favorite outfits that you wore. You were brand new in this picture -- I can tell because your baby thighs are still tiny!

Another newborn photo shoot. I'd guess you were about 10 days old.



My very first Mother's Day. We posed for a quick picture before church. You were only 2 weeks old at the time.



Your very first shower with Dad. I was SO nervous that you would slip out of his grip!

Your infant bedroom and bedding theme was airplanes - so precious!

But sometimes you just had to sneak in a little nap with Mommy!

Your arrival was the hugest blessing in our lives, and we loved every second of our new life with you in it! You were SO loved!!

Big Boy!

One of the most noticeable traits that you showed early on was your affinity for formula and Mommy’s milk! Boy, did you love it. Probably from your third or fourth day of life, you were on 100% breast milk and you plumped up so fast. You were probably the only baby I’d heard of that actually gained weight before we even left the hospital (8 lbs., 6 oz. at birth and 8 lbs., 9 oz. when we left the hospital) and your weight steadily increased from there. I learned after having you that most people adore plump babies, especially ones like you that had such bulging cheeks!

The doctor and nurse that checked you at your Well Baby visits were always amazed at your growth and weight each time we visited. You were always in the very top percentile of growth, and at one point you actually went off the chart in weight. It became a joke about how plump you were becoming, but your Dad and I were so pleased because you were breastfed and healthy.

 

Little Brother

We brought you home on a Friday afternoon (after a stressful rush hour stop at Woman’s Work to get a breast pump) and quickly settled you into your bassinet. Your Aunt Robin, Uncle Paul, and Cousin Karlie drove down for the weekend to meet you, so they were a big help in getting some of the equipment set up and offering help with feeding and changing you. Your dad picked up your brothers that afternoon and brought them home to meet you for the first time. We tried not to make a big deal out of it, but everyone was anxiously awaiting their reaction when they saw you.

When Collin and Kevin walked in the house, they casually strolled towards the bassinet where you were sleeping. Your Dad introduced them to you, and they seemed interested but not overly so. They took turns holding you and we snapped some pictures that are still on our walls today.







With Robin and your Dad on duty, I took a much-needed nap. I remember waking up that evening after my nap and I was in a grouchy mood! Lack of sleep has always done that to me. That night, Robin and I let your Dad sleep the full night and we took shifts getting up with you for a feeding and diaper change. I set up the breast pump and began pumping every 2 hours (no joke!) to attempt to establish my milk supply. (It worked, because I began flowing freely soon thereafter.)

 











It was hard for me to sleep during the nights with you at first because you were a little grunter. You grunted your way through hours of restlessness for me. And even when you weren’t a noisy sleeper, I would still wake up to check on you and make sure you were still breathing. (It’s a terrifying fear I have around infants – that they’ll suddenly stop breathing during the night.) But overall, we were impressed that you would sleep for decent stretches during the nights without much effort on our part.

Your brothers learned a lot about babies during those first few weeks with you in the house. They looked on as your Dad changed your diaper, gave you your first few baths, and swaddled you tightly in baby blankets. They laughed loudly when you peed (more than once!) on your Dad as he bathed or changed you. They fed you some milk and cringed when they realized it was “Mommy’s milk”. It was hard to tell what their feelings about you were, although you were always a source of entertainment for us all.