Emmeline: One Month

Dear Little Emmy,

You are officially one month old and I'm having a hard time accepting that. I want time to stand still, so that I can hold you in my arms at this wee little size, for just a little bit longer. I want to remember every little grunt, snuffle and squeak you make. You are a pretty quiet little thing and you rarely cry, and even when you do, you are easily consoled.

Emmy, I was pretty scared to have a newborn again. I was scared I would forget what to do, how to be there for you 24/7, or that I wouldn't be able to devote the time needed to breastfeed you like I needed to do for your brother. I was worried about being exhausted again from multiple nighttime wakings. But Emmy, from the moment you were born, you have been my little angel. You eat, sleep, and then eat some more. We love to hold you, but you are content to be put down too. You are such an efficient nurser and I'm so glad we aren't dealing with supply issues like I did with your brother.

You had your one month checkup on the weekend and you are tipping the scales at 7lbs 15.5oz which is more than a one pound weight gain since your birth. You are almost the exact same weight as your brother was at one month. You've also gained almost half an inch in length, which I can tell since you are starting to fill our your newborn sleepers a bit better. You're still wearing newborn diapers, which I imagine will be the case for the next month. Your neck is already incredibly strong and every day you are looking around more and more with your beautiful blue eyes. We aren't sure yet what colour your hair will be, but right now it's a light brown.

You love car rides and you fall sleep immediately when we put you in your carseat. When we take you out to run errands, you sleep the entire time. You truly are the easiest baby ever, already going with the flow, and I'm so grateful for that. We've been giving you baths in the wash pod and you are a huge fan of it. You sleep quite well at night - either in the bassinet, or in the Dockatot in bed beside me. I generally hear you start to fuss every two to three hours at which point I nurse you and you fall back asleep. When Gramma was here for two weeks, she would get up with your brother, and you and I would stay in bed until 10 or 11 am, cuddling and nursing. It was the best, getting that extra alone time with you!

Your big brother was a bit jealous of you when you first came home with us, but now he adores you. He likes to help with all your diaper changes and when he hears you crying out a bit, he will often be the first to go check on you or pop your soother back into your mouth. He loves to give you kisses and he always makes sure to do so before he goes to bed. My heart is so full when I think about the two of you growing up together.

Emmy, I love you with all my heart!

xoxo
Mommy

Welcome, Little Man (and a one month update!)

On February 21, 2014, at 10:26 am, we welcomed beautiful Sullivan Michael Fraser into this world. In a moment, our world, for the better, changed forever. I spent 9 months unable to really imagine life with  him, and now I cannot imagine life without him. I have had every intention of getting on-line sooner to show off our little man, but instead I have spent the last month (how has it been a month already!?) holding my dear son. (It's so very hard to find time to get onto a real computer when you have a newborn - kudos to all you mama's out there that are able to do so!)

Here's our little Sully from his first few days in our lives:

Last Friday, Sully turned 4 weeks old. I've always found myself conflicted with the passing of time, even more so now that I'm a mom. While a part of me curses that time flies by too quickly and wants Sully to stay little and in the newborn stage forever, another part of me can't wait to experience all the different milestones that occur in a baby's first year and to watch Sully grow up.

So with that being said, I am consciously trying to enjoy every moment I have with Sully. There are days where we camp out on the couch, spending hours nursing and napping in my arms because he doesn't want to be put down. There are days where unloading the dishwasher is a task to be celebrated and if I get in a quick shower, high five to me! But I know these days are limited and it won't be long before Sullivan is no longer a tiny little bean and won't want to be held all day long or while he is napping. So instead of feeling guilty about the laundry not folded, the supper not made, or spending the day in my pajamas, I stare at my beautiful son, burning to memory every little facial expression, squeal and sound he makes, all while holding him close to me.

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Dear Sullivan, at one month you:

> are still wearing new born clothing and diapers. At three weeks, you weighed 8 pounds - just a wee little guy.
> wet or dirty diapers do not bother you, but you hate having your diaper changed.
> do not enjoy having a bath.
> sleep best in my arms.
> have an incredibly strong neck and very powerful kicks.
> love listening to your daddy's voice when he reads you stories.
> hate being put into your car seat, but love car rides.
> have had 3 big outings: once to your first doctor's appointment, once to spend the day with me at your gramma's place and another time to Old Navy and then again to gramma's place.