6 Weeks

This was a hard week for us, my baby. You were downright miserable. You cried and you cried and you cried. I had myself convinced that you were going through a growth spurt, the dreaded six week spurt, but after your Mimi was over with your Auntie Kris to bake cookies, she convinced me that I needed to call your doctor. You were refusing to sleep during the day for any naps and when you were awake you seemed miserable. So I called and Dr. Judge thinks that you may have acid reflux. We started you on Zantac just yesterday and I feel like I can see a slight improvement. I also am working on getting you calm and ready for bed earlier at night. We tried something new and took a bath together and you loved it! You loved the water and Mama moving you around in it, almost as though you were swimming. It was so cute to see you so happy and carefree.

Naked little boy....this was one my many attempts to get you to calm down. It worked!

Cuddles....our favorite activity of all.

Christmas is next week and I cannot wait for all the excitement! I know that you will not understand what will be going on at all, but Daddy and I will be sure to take lots and lots of video and pictures. I can just imagine how spoiled and loved on you will be! We took you to see Santa for the first time this past weekend. It was an entire family affair - Mama, Daddy, Papa, Mimi, Uncle Matt, Auntie Kris, Auntie Mackenzie and Auntie Michaela. Sweet boy, you have no idea how much you are loved by this family.

Here you are with Santa!

Family picture in front of your Christmas tree.

Even despite your crankiness and possible acid reflux, you still are smiling more and more. You have even started cooing and 'talking.' It is near enough to make my heart literally melt.

Smiles! (Nice, Santa...take note!)

 You have completely outgrown all of your newborn clothes and are getting to be such a big boy! I can see you having the type of body that your Daddy does - tall and lean. You are developing quite the double chin, but other than that, you don't have too many rolls yet! You are so tall though.

Even though we have had a rough week, not a moment goes by that I do not thank God for you in our lives. I just hope that this medicine will do the trick for you. Nothing hurts your Mama's heart more than seeing you miserable.

No caption needed.

Godspeed and sweet dreams, little man.

Hello again.

We have a baby boy. Owen Samuel Greene and has he stolen our breath and taken over our world. HAS HE EVER. Six weeks ago this Friday, our little man came into the world on his own accord and life since then has been a blissful, exhausting, better-than-I-ever-could-have-imagined-but-harder-than-anyone-ever-tells-you whirlwind.

I have thought of this blog every single day since then. I have thought of this blog for months. I have neglected it and neglected my commitment to document for our little man and for myself the journey that we took to get here. 

Every week during my pregnancy I thought, "I need to go update that blog." And I didn't. And every week since you have been here I have thought, "I need to go write down what happened this week so I don't forget." And I didn't. I meant to. Maybe I should have. But well, I just didn't. 

That is the thing about life. We have so many good intentions. I know I do. But then what happens? Life. Yeah, life happens. I have always striven for perfection. The thing about perfection though...you always, every single time, fall short. Perfection is impossible. It is cruel. Unnecessary. Maybe that is one of the great lessons that you, my sweet boy, will teach me. That perfection, it is not only impossible, it is not something to strive for. I so terribly want to be a good mom. I want to be a good wife, daughter, sister, friend, keep a clean house, and do all the things that I have dreamed up in my head that will, in my mind, make our life better, more memorable, easier, more beautiful, and the list goes on and on. But in doing so, in trying to make things perfect, I miss out on real life. The baby coos, the smiles, the snuggles, the look in your eyes that makes my heart feel like it will literally melt. And those things, I am not willing to pass up. So yes, I may have good intentions every day to get things done or to write in the blog so that you can look back one day and see how much I loved you. Recount all the memories that you will not remember. But instead, I choose to lay on the couch and stare into your closed little eyes for what feels like an immeasurable amount of time. Because before I know it, time will be passing us by and you will be too old to let your sweet mama stare into your eyes. 

I have wished away time for so many years. I had so desperately wanted a baby that I just wanted time to go by as fast as it could. And now, that you are here, I wish I could freeze it. Make it stop. Since I obviously cannot, all I can do is take it all in as slowly and fully as I possibly can. So if I forget to post a weekly update or miss out on writing you a letter, just know that it is not because I simply did not want to. It was because I was busy living. We were busy living. I was busy being your mama and loving you. I was busy soaking in everything that I have prayed so long and so hard for.

Baby boy....as I sat in bed with you tonight after your (what felt like) millionth feeding and held you while you smiled in your sleep, I began to weep. Not tears of sadness or longing, like I used to for so many years. Tears of utter joy. You are such a miracle. The joy in my heart, the feelings of true thankfulness that I have in my heart for you and how amazing you are - words do not even do that justice. Perfect or not, I know I can offer you this. Love. I love you in a way that I never knew I had the capacity to. You, my sweet, sweet baby, have brought life back to me. 

And tonight, your exhausted mama held you in her arms, stared at your beautifully perfect face and rocked you until your tired self finally fell asleep. And I let it all soak in. 

My cup runneth over. Dear God, my cup runneth over.

One Month Milestone

This is another retroactive post, so I am going to do my best to remember what I can. During your first month you accomplished many many things. You started sleeping through the night. And let me tell you, that is every parents dream. DREAM. You deliberately smiled at Mama and Daddy for the first time. And I cried. Tears of sheer joy and utter awe. Lastly, you started, just toward the end of your first month, cooing. It is a sound unlike any I have ever heard in all my life. I mean I have heard babies coo before, but none so sweetly and intentionally as you (okay, I may be biased!). 

You had your one month appointment with Dr. Judge as well. You weighed in at a whopping 10 pounds and 12 ounces and measured in at 23 1/2 inches long. You were in the 90th percentile for height and the 80th percentile for weight. Dr. Judge said you were "perfect" (her words, not mine...even though I of course know you are perfect). She was amazed at your smiles, coos, attentive and alert nature and your stellar head control. I felt like one proud Mama.

Mama and Mimi also already tried to break you in as a professional shopper. We took you out on some shopping excursions, lunches and of course Target runs. Seeing as flu season had just started, we didn't take you out too much, but once a week didn't seem like it was going to harm you!

We started a monthly photo session in your room, on your glider with your puppy stuffed animal. I will admit that I may have gone overboard with the amount of photos that I took, but I wanted to be able to capture the moment and will be able to share a few favorites (and maybe some bloopers) below.

And it wouldn't be a monthly recap without some special moments with the people who love you, oh so much.

Papa and Mimi

Auntie Kris and Uncle Matt

Auntie Kenzie

Auntie Michaela

Grandpa Greene

Mama, Daddy, You, Parker and Tucker

Your Daddy loves you so so so much!

Uncle Mike

Uncle Dave