Silent Nights

Praise the Lord! Griffin has been sleeping through the night for the last two weeks and I'm thrilled!! There were days I thought this point might never come....even though I realize sleeping all night at 9 weeks is great for a new baby, those weeks of minimal sleep for Momma sometimes felt like forever! I'm so grateful for a healthy, well-rested little man.

Of course, now our dog Dixie has decided to start waking up in the middle of the night for a water break or bathroom run....but at least she's a little easier to deal with. One down, one to go!

2 Month Check-up

Griff had his 2 month check-up today and all went well. He's still a growing boy, weighing 12 lbs. 3 oz. (70%) and measuring 23.5 inches long (75%). I just love his pediatrician, Dr. McElroy. He's so encouraging and reassuring to a new mom and made me feel like we were already off to a good start. It seemed like he answered all my questions before I could ask them! The Little Man was very brave for his shots and only cried for a minute. Once I was able to pick him up, he settled down and went right to sleep. I do feel bad for the poor nurse who has to spend her day poking little babies and making them cry.

On another note, we're looking forward to our first family holiday at the lake this weekend...I'm pretty sure Griff will not be a fan of the cold water, but we have a couple of cute bathing suits I'm just dying to try out. If he's not a fan of lake water, we can always move the party indoors for a warm dunk in the tub. I already know he loves a good bath :)

Sitting Up and Stripping Down

I can't believe how fast Griffin is growing up! As you've seen in my videos he's been "talking" and playing a lot more lately. It's such fun to see that toothless grin when I make a funny face or when he hears Ryan's voice. He's such a doll! He's getting stronger every day, and recently we've been learning how to sit up with the help of the Bumbo seat. I don't know if he really likes the seat or not, but he seems to enjoy the new vantage point it gives him. Just like he's one of the big kids now.

We've also been doing our best to have fun outside despite the increasing temperatures this month. The weather's been great until the last few days and we've enjoyed several walks in the stroller. But as the month of May goes by, the temperatures have been slowly creeping up. Not a big deal until our air conditioner decided to curl up and die. That's right, just as the summer is beginning, our 11 year old unit stopped working and we had to bite the bullet and replace it. Sometimes I really miss the carefree days of apartment life, when I could just call the maintenance hotline and let someone else worry about fixing (and paying for) things like broken air conditioners. Oh well, better now than in the middle of August when things really heat up!

Anyway, during the 3 hour period it took to install the new unit, with our thermostat reading a steamy 86 degrees, we had to find some way to cool down.

In our world, Texas summer + broken air conditioner = naked baby! So we stripped the little guy down to his diaper and found a cool satin blanket to relax on.

Thankfully, the new air conditioner was installed before bed time and we all got a good night's sleep. Even Griff seemed to enjoy the cool night air and slept from 10pm till 4:30am. Not bad in my book :) Could sleeping through the night be around the corner???

More Baby Talk

One more video of Griff talking and playing. I promise I'll post more interesting stories and pictures soon!

For the Grandmothers

Okay....I fully admit that the following videos are probably not super interesting to anyone but me and some of them are way too long, but I know that Gigi and Abby will get a kick out of them, so I'm posting them anyway.

Lately, Griffin has started "talking" more and more, especially to Daddy and to this little stuffed tiger that we bought because it was named Griffen the Golfer. So here's a little peek into our brand of entertainment these days.

One Month Old

It's hard to believe little Griffin has been in our lives for an entire month already. Where does the time go?? Here's a brief look at how much he's grown the last few weeks:

And a few samples from the impromptu photo shoot Momma and Griff had yesterday....such a cutie!

Hmm....what could he be thinking about??

Sweet little feet

I just love this face...I think he looks a lot like Daddy in this picture

This is the adorable Easter basket Aunt Heather gave us for our first Easter!

Griffin Thomas Fitzhugh

As most of you know by now, little Griffin has finally arrived! Our little man was born on March 31st at 4:56 p.m. weighing in at a whopping 9 lbs. 1 oz and measuring 20.25 inches. He was certainly bigger than any of us imagined...including the doctor!

I have to say, the whole labor and birth experience went better than I could have imagined. I don't think I was really worried about the delivery, but I have certainly heard my share of war stories from other moms, so my expectations weren't too high to begin with. Of course, I have to admit, I think I had the easiest delivery you could ask for. For those who are interested, here is a brief recap of our birth story:

First of all, labor had apparently started a few weeks before delivery without my knowledge. I was already dilated to 4 cm and 80% effaced before I ever felt a contraction. Our official due date was April 3rd (Easter weekend) and my sister Amy had booked a flight home from Colorado for that weekend, so we were really hoping Griffin would make an appearance by the time she got home. I was never too uncomfortable during the pregnancy, so I was originally willing to wait for labor to begin naturally. But considering how quickly I was progressing and our limited timeline with Aunt Amy's visit, when I went in for my weekly checkup on Tuesday March 30th, I went ahead and asked my doctor if we could be induced that Friday, April 2nd. However, he had several other deliveries scheduled for that day, so we were left with the options of Wednesday March 31st or Monday April 5th (the last day of Amy's visit)....I guess April 1st was also an option, but we weren't too keen on saddling our kid with an April Fool's Day birthday :)

So, we settled on the 31st and the next morning, we were headed to the hospital. We checked in at 8 am and got the ball rolling. Since I was so far along already, I was able to get the epidural right after the doctor came to break my water. And I had this handy little button I could use to increase the medication as needed. Awesome invention! Although I respect other people's opinions on the subject, I really don't know why anyone would actually choose natural childbirth when we have the wonderful option of an epidural. To each his own, I guess. From that point on, things progressed pretty easily. We slowed things down for a while when my doctor had to deliver another patient, but before long we were ready to push.

This is where our little bit of drama cropped up. I was feeling great and pushing strong for about an hour and a half when my doctor decided that we just weren't going to be able to get our little guy here the old fashioned way. Apparently the shape of my pelvic bones is not ideal for the speedy exit of a newborn, so we decided on a C-section. After letting our families know what was going on (they had all been anxiously waiting down the hall for some news), we were wheeled into the operating room, and Griff arrived a few minutes later. Considering how big he ended up being, I'm actually thankful that we went the C-section route after all. Not what I was planning on, but definitely the best decision for me and my little man.

Finally...I can stretch out!!

First family photos

Ryan was an ideal husband through everything. He was helpful and patient and never let on if he was shocked (or totally grossed out) by the process. He even took some great pictures DURING the C-section (I'm not sure I could have stomached the sight of all that).

This is Ryan in position to "catch" the baby just in case the doctor wasn't around :)

My recovery was quick, but we did have one trip back to the hospital the day after we were discharged. Griffin's jaundice levels were escalating and he wasn't eating well, so he needed another night in the hospital under the special billy lights. He seemed to really enjoy the warm incubator, and before long we were able to go back home.

Now we're home and doing our best to get the hang of being parents....and trying to enjoy all the precious moments with our son! I can't believe how easily Griffin has fit into our lives. It feels like he was always meant to be here and it's hard to imagine life without him now.

Words can't describe how much I love BOTH the men in my life!