Always Come Prepared!

Emmett was 5 weeks this Friday.  He now weighs over 10 lbs!  I didn't realize how much he'd grown until we got our newborn photos back from our photographer.  The photos are wonderful and he looks SO tiny!! He is still so small, but when I look back at photos I am amazed at how much he has grown in such a short time.With each week that passes, he not only grows physically but also develops  more personality and becomes more and more animated.  He is an amazingly sweet little guy but he is also stubborn and very talkative (two traits that are not surprising if you know his parents!)  He now coos and talks to us when he is feeling playful and lets us know when he is not happy with a situation.  He is also beginning to live up to the male stereotype of being a messy little boy when he eats! Seriously, I look away for a second and he somehow manages to drool milk into his eye, ear and all down his body.  

This week, we had a lot of adventures!  Emmett and I started a "Mommy and Me" group to try to get to know some of the other Mom's and babies in the area.  Our friends Canyon, and her baby Finn joined us.  It wasn't exactly what I expected but I am going to give it a month and hope that it becomes something that we can do together each week and enjoy.  We also had an experience that I have been dreading- a hungry baby meltdown in public that only milk can solve at a time that I was without a bottle or my "hooter hider".  Todd and I had headed out with Emmett for a walk to the store but spontaneously decided instead to just stop and have dinner at a neighborhood restaurant.  As soon as we settled in and ordered our food, the crying began.  For the most part, Emmett only cries for three reason- a dirty diaper, fatigue and FOOD. He had just napped before we left and Todd changed his diaper in the rest room at the restaurant which left only one reason for the crying- hunger.  Instead of leaving the restaurant without eating, I made the decision to nurse him in public.  So I proceeded to tie a swaddle blanket around my neck and nurse my baby in the middle of a crowded restaurant.  For a lot of mothers this is not a huge deal, but this was something I have been strategizing and maneuvering to avoid for the last 5 weeks.  Even though nursing is completely natural, doing it in public is just not something I am completely comfortable with, and will do everything in my power to avoid in the future!

Beyond that, we also went to Emmett's (and Todd and Heather's) first professional soccer game with Todd's company.  It was Daddy's first chance to show his son off to his coworkers.  Emmett also got to attend his first "ladies" party- a "Sip and See" for our friends Allison and Bill's twin girls.  I have to say, our little guy seemed to really enjoy being the only male in a room filled with ladies!

Here are the photos from our photographer, I will post a link to rest when we get them in a week or so:

Emmett was quite happy between the twins! All three of them just kicked their legs and arms excitedly!

The girls eventually both moved in closer and ended up with all three of their little heads touching!  How cute is that?!

Daddy and Emmett at the Timbers (MLS) game.  Emmett wasn't exactly thrilled about his protective earphones, but it was SO loud!

4 Weeks of Emmett

Emmett was born 4 weeks ago tonight.  There really are no words to describe how happy he has made us.  I truly cannot imagine my life without him.  Becoming a parent is such a surreal experience that it really makes you introspective and nostalgic about many, many aspects of your life.  One thing I have been reminiscing about the last week is the actual pregnancy itself.

While I was pregnant, I truly did NOT enjoy the experience- I was fat, I was uncomfortable, I didn't feel like my body was my own and I had no control over what was happening to me or the life inside of me that I was responsible for keeping safe. People would approach me and exclaim how much they loved being pregnant, elaborating on what an amazing experience it is and share the wondrous details of their pregnancies.  I would nod politely and inwardly think that they were NUTS.  How could anyone enjoy being pregnant???  Did they not share the same discomforts that I experienced?? Or was something just wrong with me?  Was I lacking some feminine or maternal gene that brought about these feelings in other women?  I could not understand how they they could have just forgotten all the little things that combine into one very long, unpleasant 40 week period.

Now that my pregnancy is complete and I have met my son, I feel so differently. Something about his sweet face, the way that he looks at me and how much he needs me makes it all seem unbelievably worthwhile.  I would have been pregnant for years if that was what was required to have him.  Even reflecting back on labor doesn't change my feelings. I would voluntarily be in labor and push for days if necessary to ensure his safe arrival.  (Of course, I would still want my epidural...) I won't say that every little memory about my pregnancy make me smile and fill me with happiness but I will say that whenever I think back on all the gory details of the experience I end up bypassing most of it and remembering that the end result was Emmett.  His existence makes me so happy that is all I can focus on.  There are things that I even miss about being pregnant- like being able to eat whatever I want and feeling him squirm around inside of me.  Even though a lot of the time it hurt me to have him kicking, kneeing and punching his little hands in utero, it was my introduction to him and was the first time I was able to interact with this little person who has changed my life so profoundly.

Tonight, at various points in the evening I would look over at Emmett and Todd and remind them both what we were all doing 4 weeks ago at that point in time.  Todd looked at me with amusement because the discomfort of the pregnancy and birth isn't clouded in his mind; Emmett just stared and smiled like he does when I talk to him and I fondly reminisced about one of the most painful nights of my life. The truth is that I now understand those crazy ladies who loved being pregnant and am looking forward to the next time I get pregnant and get to create another little amazing being.

Emmett has changed so much in the last week.  We have started to get him onto a schedule- he now eats for around a half hour every 3 hours.  This is working out very well for both of us- he gained a pound in the last week and I get some time to do things during the day and a few hours of sleep at night.  He is starting to be awake and alert for several hours out of every day and is beginning to enjoy his play mat, staring out the windows and at ceiling fans and lights.  He also got to meet some of his family and his future friends this week- the Grenley's came up from California to visit and the William's twins.

Look at the little belly he's developing and the cute, chubby roles on his legs and arms!

The Grenley's
Great Aunt Julie, Me, Kate, Great Uncle Rick, Spencer

Emmett, Francesca and Melina
Not a whole lot of interaction YET but I am sure they will have a lot of fun together in a couple of months!

The Mystery Continues...

While I was pregnant with Emmett I often wondered what our little guy would look like- would he have green eyes and dark brown hair like Todd and I? Whose nose and lips will he have?  Will he look like either one of us or be a throw back to some relative with features we don't recognize?  Now that he is here and we get to stare at him every day, I can honestly say that I HAVE NO IDEA.

When he was born everyone said that he looked like a little mini-Todd.  (I have read that all babies look like their father at birth- it's natures way of establishing paternity and protecting the baby...) As he has changed over the last few weeks people are starting to say he looks a little like me. His hair when he was born was brown, what is coming now is more blondish?  His eyes are the typical blue a baby is born with...one would assume since both of his parents have green eyes, as do three of his four grandparents, that his eyes will be some shade of green. The centers of his eyes have already started to lighten up indicating that what I learned in college biology will hold true and he will have green or blueish eyes but those italian genes are strong and I still won't rule out my Dad's brown eyes from making an appearance!  I am 90% certain that he has Todd's lips- ok, maybe more like 75% certain.  His nose is a toss up, it honestly doesn't look like either one of ours right now.  We do both agree it looks like he will have curly or wavy hair, which he gets from both of us.  So the bottom line is that no matter how much I stare at him every day, I don't think I am going to have any immediate answers to my questions!

Last week Emmett met Grandma and Grandpa DeCook.  Everyone had a great time visiting and I am pretty certain that his grandparents think he's as special as his parents do!  Emmett was a little trooper and went out to lunch and dinners with the four of us, and even went wine tasting for the first time.  We also had great news at the doctor today- Emmett was supposed to gain 7 oz. over the last week and he overachieved and gained 9.  Our little guy is healthy and strong.  Mom, however, is exhausted from this growth spurt- can you say 24 hour a day cluster feedings?!  If he hadn't gained the right amount of weight, I probably would have broken down and cried in the doctor's office.

Here are some photos of the last week:

Vivian has discovered baby feet...she loves them as much as the rest of us.

So MAYBE he looks a little like Todd...

MAYBE...

We LOVE tummy time!

Emmett meets Grandma Deb

Vivian reminds Grandma Deb that she still loves her

Vivian loves her Daddy

Emmett meets Grandpa Larry

Grandma Deb loves to cuddle Emmett!

Tired Emmett and Mommy

Emmett loves reading in his glider :)

Our good little boy at Screen Door...waiting for his dinner.