No One Likes to Sleep Alone

Most babies like to sleep. Keeping with the trend, Griffin likes to sleep. He is doing pretty good: he wakes up for the day at 9am, takes a long nap in the afternoon, and is ready for bed by 8 or 9pm. He gets up around 2am and 6am to eat. We repeat.

There is this thing that I like to call "the 7:30 intruder." Each morning at 7:30am, Griffin wakes up for whatever reason, be it gas, a full diaper, or he spit up all over himself. The problem that presents itself each morning is always fixed by laying on top of mom's or dad's chest for the next hour and a half. I say that this time of day "intrudes" but really, I love it. Every parenting book undoubtedly says that you should NEVER put baby in bed with you. Oh well.

Griffin would sleep the day (and night probably) away if someone was holding him. This works to his advantage sometimes, because he is really really cute.

And, who can blame him? No one likes to sleep alone :)

Phone Photos = Best Photos

I have a big, fancy camera that Brian got me for Christmas in preparation for Griffin. Why is it then, that my favorite pictures of Griffin are on my phone, and of poor quality? That always seems to be the case. In an effort to catch up with present day Griffin, here are a few of my most beloved pictures of him, captured with the iPhone. And by few, I mean like ten.

He was only five days old here, on his first trip to see Dr. Reyes. I love that his bink is bigger than his face. I love that he seems to be guarding the bink, as if he is worried it might get taken away. I love that you can see how crooked his nose was before it fluffed up.

He hated baths in the beginning. Most likely because I was trying so hard not to get his button wet - I'm sure he was freezing. I love this one because you can see just how happy he is to NOT be in the bathtub.

"You lookin' at me?"

He makes some silly faces. Quite advanced for someone his age, I would think. 

I love this one because he hates being tied down. Sometimes I even have to feed him while he's laying on my legs so he is free, not cradling him. This is unfortunate for him now, due to the fact he gets put in a straight jacket blanket (it's called something very lovely - the Swaddle Me, I believe...but really, it's a straight jacket) when he goes to bed - he doesn't wake himself up with his flailing arms.

Cutest boy in the world. I knew he would have red hair, blue eyes, and his daddy's dimples.

There is one spot in the house where he will look towards all the time. He starts to laugh and smile and talk to it - we call it his ghost in the corner. I wonder what he is seeing.

And finally, the yawn. I love this one because he always has his lips pulled into the smallest of smalls. Like a cheerio. Even at the peak of his distraught. I think it's hilarious when he yawns because it always surprises mehow big his mouth can go.

I love this little guy more than I can put into words.

Parents

My mom and dad came the week we had Griffin. They arrived the day before we went into the hospital and left a couple days after we got home. They were the first people to meet my sweet little guy, waiting at the hospital for hours. When we came home, the house was spotless, out fridge was stocked, dinner was made. I cried.

At some point during my hospital stay, I sent my dad a text message in the middle of the night. It went something like this:

I need you to go to the store for me. I need Tucks pads, Miralax, and Newborn diapers.

A) I am grateful that I can text my father and tell him that I need Tucks pads and Miralax - does anyone else have that type of relationship with their dad? B) Why didn't we have diapers? It wasn't like we didn't know we were going to bring home a baby that week. We knew a few weeks ahead of time, in fact. Babies need diapers. Again, why didn't we have those?

When we got home, in addition to the forementioned nicities, everything on my list was there waiting - in bulk. There two huge tubs of Tucks pads (I think I used them all) and two massive bottles of Miralax. There were FOUR boxes of newborn diapers (108 diapers per box) plus another 200-and-something count of size 1 and 2 diapers.

 I was so grateful then, and even more grateful now after a trip to Sam's this morning.

 When I saw just how much a box of diapers cost, I was floored. I then went and checked out the price of Tucks pads and Miralax. I love my parents. I love that they were there for us in every way that week: physically, emotionally, and financially, apparently. I am so thankful for their wonderful example of what great parents are. I am so thankful that they are mine.

Griffin James Merkley

 

I was scheduled to be induced on May 18th. We were to arrive that day at 3pm and were told to expect a baby sometime the next day, maybe by lunch. Oh boy. The double bubble was inserted and the pitocin drip started at 4pm. By 6pm, I thought I was going to die.

Seriously? Two hours later and I already wanted the epidural? No. No I can't order it yet, the nurses will totally make fun of me at their little station. My husband will think I am a pansy. I will think I'm a pansy. I held out, my mother breathing through the contractions with me and my husband still trying to get the hospital's WiFi on his laptop, until 8pm. Gloriously, as soon as I ordered it, the good doctor came. It wasn't bad at all, and I do not understand why anybody would choose not to get one, especially when they give you a special button to push just in case you need more.

My water broke on it's own about 2 minutes later - they checked my cervix and I was a "6 almost 7." I felt completely justified in ordering my epidural a mere 4 hours after starting labor :)

By 11pm I was pushing and Jeanean, our midwife (yes, midwife) had been called. At 11:56pm, my sweet little boy was born. He was 6 lbs 3.5oz and 19 1/4 in long.

Brian got to go in the nursery and be with Griffin while he got his very first bath. Brian promptly gave the nurse the chosen first outfit:

He may have been born in Texas, but he pledged his allegiance to Oklahoma!

Things I Said I'd Never Do...

"I'll never start a blog."

Well...it's done. Just don't tell my husband, he will make fun of me (he has a twitter account, make fun of him). I rationalize this blog by using it as a way to remember my time with my sweet baby - a journal, if you will.

I follow a few mommybloggers, all who have clever writings and artistic pictures. I apologize, this will most likely not be like those. My picture is off center, and I can't figure out how to make the middle part solid and not see through...

Oh Well.