Sunday, February 17, 2008

Be Present

Tristan is now 5-weeks old and growing quickly (check out the cheeks on that little cutie!) He was 9lb 5 oz when we were at the doctor on the 13th, though by the end of last weekend, my arms are telling me he has nearly arrived at the 10lb mark.

These last few weeks have done him well - he is up to the 35th percentile in weight, up from 10% and has hit 50% in head circumference and height (up from 25% and down from 60% respectively). He grunts a lot and now we know why. If we had gained 30% of our body weight and 1.25" in our skull size in just three weeks, I believe we would grunt a lot too!

We are continuing to lay-low through the winter but have been able to make it out on some nice walks recently. The Babywise scheduling has been great for all of us, as we all know what to expect each day and night, and Tristan gets a lot of that great sleep that he requires (and we need!).

This last week was banner for us, for more reasons than just the 1-month checkup. More than anything we are so excited by his new, voluntary, smiling and laughing. His first voluntary smile was for his daddy. Greg approached us and was speaking to us and Tristan turned his head to him and smiled. We are now getting the more frequent smile and occasional giggle. He loves the animal illustrations in his nursery and in particular the monkey evokes a good smile and laugh pretty regularly.

Things are getting easier for us here. I am becoming much more familiar with this role and don't feel quite as out of control ever minute of every day. Don't get me wrong, this is tough stuff and I still can't get over how quickly a day can pass. The days were rapid in my professional life, they are relentlessly quick now. But i am trying to soak up every minute as I can already tell this precious time with our infant son is passing quickly.

We are staying present...the time is cherished.

Sunday, February 3, 2008

3 Weeks


We have made it out on 3 whole walks; feeling like they are pretty big outings at this juncture in our somewhat cabin-fevered state.

It has been cold most days and unseasonably windy for a better part of the last two weeks. The cold & flu season has hit pretty hard so we have made a concerted effort to stay nested at home and keep this little man healthy; though it seems that would only be possible with a first-child. I don't know how one could be so protective once there is more than one kiddo running around. For the time being though, we will enjoy this stage and continue to be over protective parents.

Greg's mom was in town over the weekend and Tristan got the love poured on him. Over the last seven years Rochelle has dedicated her heart to being a Grandma to Jackson & Grace in Tulsa, and she has it down to an art. It was so special to see her with Tristan and he couldn't take his eyes off of her by the time she left today - it brought us all to tears. There is a very special bond between that first and third generation.