little man update

hello there! grayson is now 2 weeks, 3 days old :-) and doing very well. his first couple pediatric appointments went great after he started gaining weight... he was just about back to his birth weight at our 2 week check up, and had grown another 1/4 inch.  he's still wearing newborn clothes (some preemie) and i wonder if he'll get to wear some of the cutest outfits we have waiting for him before it gets too cold!  the little guy is definitely more alert this week, his eyes are always wandering to new sounds and our voices. i swear, he can see me now! nights are long as he, like many babies i've heard, likes to be awake more than asleep. we are all trying to get used to our new schedule and of course some days are better than others.  grayson is finally learning to nurse and that has made mom & dad VERY proud! although now this means he likes to eat ALL the time! hello dairy queen (my new nickname)!!  we have had lots of visitors in the past week; gray loves being held by everyone! here are some pictures to enjoy!

after my first bath!

uncle nelson likes to "hog" holding me

 

my sad face is still super cute

 

hello! i'm wide awake
 

mom, your hands are huge!
 

me & my "brother" chase like to nap together
 

my future babysitter grace (age 7)
 

my dad's not the only one in the family w/ red hair!

me and my great uncle frank (my Nonna's brother)
 

my mama likes to put me in my swing, i like it too!

(it keeps me quiet for awhile) :-)
 

what can i say, i'm a ladies man!

me with jenny and jenna
 

hanging out with mom

 

what's up with this tummy time thing?

meet Grayson!

Mama and me

Grandma came to see mehanging with Dad full tummy! I'm cute! I look like my dad :-)

sleepy old man

july=baby month!

well june was pretty much the worst month of my life ... there are no words to describe accurately what losing my mom has been like. everyday i think: maybe today i won't cry, maybe today it will be ok, and then ... it's not ok and i do cry. i know this is all normal, but i can't help feeling cheated.

i started writing this blog post on july 1, now it's july 14 and baby Armington has arrived! sunday, july 4th, 2010, grayson james armington was born at 8:19 pm at providence portland medical center. he weighed 7 pounds, 9 ounces at birth, and was 20 1/4 inches long. and what a blessing he is! his birth story has some ups and downs, but in the end the sweet grayson came into our lives and has changed every part of what we knew before.

the birth of our son has been bittersweet. all of the emotions, hormones, and lack of sleep make for a pretty teary-eyed mama most days, but thankfully most of the tears are joyful. i wish every second of every day that my mom would have been able to meet little G. she would have been so proud of his red hair, big beautiful eyes, and soft skin. i tell grayson about his Nonna everyday, someday i know he'll understand what i'm saying and be sad he couldn't meet her too.

coming into the month of july i tried to have a new perspective on things. not to forget of course, but to remember everyday what a great mom i had, and with grayson's birth use her to be a better mama to him. i know she is helping me in some way, whether it is comforting the baby when he's trying to nurse, calming him at a time of meltdown (!) or easing me to sleep in one of my many 2 hour breaks between feedings. i know it will get easier; i try and remember that although sometimes it is hard to get past the sadness.

day 10 today... we're exhausted but so very happy! grayson is amazing and i now know what all my parent friends were talking about... it truly is the best thing in the world.