Picking Pumpkins On A Cloudy Day

Sunset Beach: A Photojournal

Emmett Elijah: One Month

It's hard to believe that our little guy is already a month old... where has the time gone? On one hand, these last weeks have flown by, but on the other, they have seemed eternally slow. The days are fleeting, but sometimes the moments crawl by. At other times, they go by so quickly that I wish I could stop time.

He makes us smile every day and we're beginning to see his own personality emerge. Emmett has more awake time during the day, is very alert, is beginning to smile and coo at us, and is not a good burper or daytime napper. He tracks objects we place in front of him and locks on to our faces too. This is such a sweet time of bonding with him! We're dealing with some reflux issues along with gas and fussiness, but now that we're on medication, a sensitive formula and have been introduced to gripe water, we have a much happier boy.

He is a hungry little fella taking about 4 ounces of formula at each feeding, with variations between 3 and 5. Some days he is a "snacker" and other days he eats really well. He's gaining weight like a champ and at his last check up he weighed 9 pounds 8 ounces. (We'll see what his official one month check up reveals!) At each feeding, we normally need to use the pacifier to calm him down because he acts like he hasn't eaten before, earning him the nickname "Barracuda" from his mama.

Emmett doesn't sleep really well during the day for fear he's going to miss out on something, but at night he has given us stretches of 3 to 5 hours. There's still not much of a routine, but we have noticed glimpses of one during the night with a late night feeding, one around 3:00/4:00 a.m. and one around 7:00 a.m. At least he seems to have his days and nights correct, right?! He still sleeps upright for the most part, although we're working on him sleeping in his crib or the pack n' play from time to time. He can also sleep through a room filled with people, but will startle at random noises when the rest of the house is quiet.

When he's fussy or we cannot get him to burp (and he's pitching a fit because we took the bottle out of his mouth) it is not unusual to find one of us walking around with him outside. As soon as he gets outside, the screaming stops and he calms right down and we can normally find some success in the burping department. It's amazing what a little fresh air and sunshine can do.

We've taken a couple of field trips to the store, the dentist and to Sanford, where he did really well for the most part. The car seat leaves much to be desired for him and we think it's because he gets so hot and sweaty in it. He definitely has a set of lungs and goes from 0-60 in no time. There is no in-between for our little guy.

Right now, Emmett is still able to fit in newborn clothes, although he can fill out some 0-3 month pieces as well. It won't be long until we're out of newborn diapers and on to size 1! We're quickly plowing through our stash of diapers and wipes and it won't be long until we find ourselves at the store buying more. We can go through 3 diapers in one change because his "pipes" work so well!

 Matt and I have been able to get out of the house for a wedding, church and a few errands from time to time thanks to both sets of parents. There is no shortage of help and we are so very thankful for that! I've even had some breaks during the day while Emmett has spent some time with his Grandma and Grandpa.

At one month, Emmett

Likes:

• The sound of running water
• Snuggling
• Eating (this boy loves his food!)
• His pacifier
• Being outdoors
• Sucking on his hands
• Laying on his tummy
• Baths
• Toys that play music (mainly his turtle and caterpillar)
• Being swaddled, as long as his arms are free

Dislikes:

• Being hot (this could be a problem with his love for being outside!)
• His car seat
• Having his diaper/clothes changed (but it's getting better)
• Lying flat on his back in the crib or cradle (we're working on this one too!)
• Sleeping during the day (I guess he inherited this from his mama!)

We are so grateful for our sweet boy! Glad to be coming out of the first-few-weeks-at-home stage, we're seeing how much fun we're going to have with him as we get better at parenting and learning more about our little man.

Emmett Elijah, we love you so much and are grateful to be your mama and daddy!  We thank God for you each day and pray that you would grow into a strong and healthy boy who loves the Lord. Happy One Month, sweet boy!

Father's Day

One thing I love about having a June birthday is that it is normally very close to (or sometimes on) Father's Day. This year, they were a day apart so we celebrated two events on Sunday with a family dinner of pasta and meatballs, Caesar salad, bread and ice cream cake. And pictures. Lots of pictures.

There were lots of smiles and presents and I especially loved watching Matt be a part of Father's Day this year. I loved getting him a little something to celebrate the Dad he'll become in just a few short weeks. I ordered a tiny knit football hat from Etsy to give him along with a small book about raising a son. I cannot wait to get some pictures of my husband and his boy together in the first few days after birth with that little hat on.

I'm also thankful for my brother and the dad he is to his little girl. He loves her to pieces and it's so evident when I watch the two of them interact. (And for my older brother who is an awesome dad to his two boys - I'm thankful for his example too!)

And then there's my dad, who is nothing short of supportive, loving and a great example of what a dad should be. I am grateful for him always.



Happy Father's Day!

Maternity Photos

About a month ago, we met back up with our wedding photographer for a maternity photo shoot. We were blessed to receive this shoot as part of a bartering agreement - photography for graphic design services.

We met at Duke Gardens on a warm and humid Tuesday evening, storms looming around the area. Because of the unpredictable weather, we stayed close by the parking lot. We had plans to roam the gardens and then head over to the American Tobacco District to finish out our evening. About 35 minutes into what should have been a two hour shoot, a tornado siren went off on the campus warning everyone to take shelter. Our photo shoot was over.

To say I was disappointed would be an understatement. I had spent so much time preparing for this shoot and I was pretty excited to be on the other side of the camera for once. It wasn't going to be up to me to "get the good shots" and to "work my magic".

Leaving the gardens, our photographer gave us two options to finish out our shoot: we could choose to have a second maternity session or wait until our baby arrives and have a newborn session. While I was sad that we didn't have much time for maternity photos, there is always sunshine after the rain. A newborn session? As part of this bartering agreement? Yes, please. We had been weighing our options for a newborn session for some time now, from having one in the hospital to doing them myself to hiring someone else once we were back home with the baby.

This couldn't have worked out more perfectly for us.

So, here are a few of our favorites from the evening, thanks to our oober-talented photographer.

Washington and New York

During the week prior to Easter, we made the trip to Washington D.C. to say our final goodbyes to my grandfather as he was laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery. Despite the occasion, having a chance to get inside such a historical place was a neat experience, even if I didn't bring my camera to the cemetery. We spent a few days in Washington, celebrating and remembering my grandfather with a couple of family dinners and some exploring around the D.C. area. We walked our way through the mall, the Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, the Vietnam Memorial and the White House.

Then we made our way up to New York City for our annual family reunion during Easter weekend. Since we arrived a few days ahead of time, we had the chance to go into the city and walk our way through places like Wall Street, Times Square, Central Park and the World Trade Center Memorial. Each day we traveled, we took the subway in. No visit to the city would be complete without a stop in at the biggest toy store, FAO Schwartz, where we picked out a small stuffed lion for our nursery.

We ended the weekend with our Italian reunion just outside of the city complete with more food than you can imagine,  a short stop along the river for a beautiful view of the city and a pick up game of backyard football. My four year old nephew was the star. Next year's location: Raleigh!