Our Philly Family

I have been wanting to get family pictures taken in front of the Philadelphia skyline for a while but I wanted to wait until we had our whole Philly family. My friend Heather offered to do a whirlwind photoshoot for a bunch of families so we jumped onboard.

 

It's so fun having the pictures. I know we'll treasure them.

 

 

 

 Abby was nine months old when we moved to Philly. Just look at her now!

 

 

It was a bit cold during the photoshoot and I obviously didn't make the best wardrobe choices for cold weather. Clara was starting to turn blue but she was a trooper!

Grant couldn't decide if his eyes should be open or shut. He went with somewhere in the middle.

I'm so glad Sam went to school here. It's been such an amazing experience.

And, just for fun...This is what our Philly family looked like when we started here!

One Month Old

Our little man is one month old today. I'm not sure where the time has gone. He's growing up so fast.

 

He is such a sweet little guy. He is usually quite content. His fussy moments are usually followed shortly by gas. He tends to be quite gassy.

 

He likes the pacifier. I think he would probably be a thumb sucker if given the chance.

 

He rarely spits up, which is wonderful. The only times he really does is during tummy time.

 Speaking of tummy time, he likes it quite well. He's usually pretty relaxed. In fact, when he's fussy, we'll lay him on his tummy and it will often calm him down.

He started wearing size 1 diapers yesterday. I was grateful he was wearing one because he really unloaded while I was feeding him right before our family pictures and I think he would have leaked out of the newborn diaper, all over our new outfits.

He has started spending more time awake, wiggling and looking around. His sisters love to come lay by him. The girls really adore him. They have adjusted really well to having a little brother.

Photography by Abby.

Things have been going better than I expected without any help around. I have been able to manage my time and get the things done that need to be done. The girls are great helpers.

Packing on the Ounces

*Grant's Weight Update*
We took Grant in yesterday for his weight check. He had gained 6 oz. during the week and had returned to his birth weight. I was thrilled and so was the doctor. It seems that the biggest problem is/was that he is a pretty sleepy little guy. He was going long stretches without eating and then would fall asleep within a few minutes when he was nursing. We're trying to get him to eat at least every three hours in the day but the doctor said we could let him go as long as he wants at night now. I am so grateful things are going better and I hope he continues to pack on the ounces.

Confessions of a Breastfeeding Mom

I have a confession to make. I don't really love breastfeeding. I really don't love breastfeeding. I kind of hate breastfeeding.

Well, you're probably asking, why do you do it then?

The truth is, I don't hate it all the time.  There are definitely moments, everyday, that I hate it. When I'm sitting there, at 3 a.m., looking over at my snoozing husband, I hate it. When a steady regimen of Lansinoh isn't even starting to heal "the girls," I hate it. When I have to sleep in a bra so I don't soak my sheets, I hate it.

But, most of the time, I don't hate it. I love that my baby relies on me for his sole source of nutrients. I love sitting, one-on-one with my little guy several times each day. I love not having to make bottles or smell formula. I really love that I don't have to spend any money to feed my baby.

Breastfeeding and I have had our troubles in the past. Abby would spit up blood...blood that was coming from me. It was terrible. And, if you've been reading this blog for a while, you know about the problems I had with Clara. It seems as though history may be repeating itself...

We took Grant in for his first check-up when he was four days old. He had gained a few ounces since leaving the hospital and was on track to reach his birth weight in good time. This week, we took him in for his next check-up and he hadn't gained any weight since his last appointment. When I looked at the scale, my heart sank and I had to fight back the tears. We thought he was doing so well. He's such a sweet, happy baby. I wasn't prepared to deal with this again.

I don't always love breastfeeding but I know it's the best thing for my little guy and I hate that I'm not doing it good enough. The doctor recommended lots of water and rest (which I'm not very good at), pumping and making sure he doesn't go too long between feedings. He is an exceptional sleeper, day and night and I have to wake him up a lot, which I hate.

We take him in again on Monday for a weight check. Wish us luck!

Easter Festivities

We've done a few Easter crafts and had Family Home Evening lessons about Easter throughout the month. We like to really make our holidays last.

 

We dyed Easter eggs. I think this is the first photo of our whole family. Probably won't be framing it.

 

 

 

It was fun to have Grammy and Grandpa here to celebrate the holiday with us.

We were glad to be in town for the annual Easter egg hunt this year. The kids had fun playing at the park while the parents hid the eggs. It was a beautiful day outside--the first we've had in a while. Grant stayed home with the grandparents.

Most of the kiddos. There were too many to fit on our camera.

Clara was very into the egg hunt this year!

Love this action shot!

I couldn't get them to look at me.

On Easter morning we had an egg hunt at home.

The girls loved opening their gifts.

Grant looked very handsome. He was a good boy for his first day at church.

Our family of five!

My three wonderful kiddos! When Abby saw these picture she said, "I'm prettier than Clara!" Ha! And so it begins...

The Big 3-0

Sam turned 30 on the 30th--his golden birthday. For obvious reasons, I wasn't up to my usual birthday zeal. Luckily, Sam's parents were here to pick up the slack.

 

In the morning, Sam enjoyed a nice nap with his baby boy. Sam has been saying that the best gift would be to have the baby born on his birthday but I think cuddling him on his birthday was a much, much better idea.

 

We went to an Easter egg hunt (more on that later) and then relaxed the rest of the afternoon.

 

Sam showing off his new pie server. I can't believe we've gone through nearly 6 years of marriage without one. He also got some new shirts and a wallet.

Abby showing daddy the card she made him.

We ordered pizza for dinner and Sam's mom stepped up to the plate and made a strawberry rhubarb pie. Strawberry rhubarb is Sam's favorite but I've never been able to make it for his birthday because rhubarb isn't in season yet. This year, I had some saved in the freezer!

We love our daddy so much, even if he is an old man now!