The first eight weeks.

When I first wrote this Tavin was just about to turn two months and now he is about to turn three months. Wow I am so behind! I do have good reason though I can either blog or cuddle...I usually choose to cuddle with Tavin. So I apologize but better late then never!

I cannot believe how fast July and August have flown by! I know everyone says how fast the time goes after you have a baby, but I finally feel like I have had a moment to look around and see how true this statement really is!

The last eight weeks have been unforgettable and life changing. Tavin has brought Brady and I so much happiness and we can’t get enough of him. I wanted to recap on the last eight weeks, making this a pretty wordy post. So, feel free to enjoy the picture overload and skip through all my rambling.

One Week Old!

Weeks one and two were spent with our mothers. My mom came up the night Tavin was born and stayed with us for a few days and helped us out. It was such a relief to have her reassuring me that I was doing alright and I could get through the first few days. They were more exhausting and overwhelming then I think anyone ever lets on to a first time mom. Brady and I had a couple of days alone and then his mom came up and helped us out again. It really is so important to have help from people you trust. I knew I could leave Tavin for an hour while I took a nap and as strange as that might sound it was so hard for me to hand him over. Brady and I spent these weeks back and forth to the hospital for his jaundice and holding him in the “biliblanket” thankfully he got his levels down fairly quickly and was such a good baby for us. Brady was finishing up the school semester (talk about an accomplishment…straight A’s and a brand new baby! Not to mention the surgery he had back in May. I am really proud of him, he amazes me!) and I spent my time with Tavin figuring out feedings every two hours, diaper changes and lots of cuddle time. He was and still is the snugglist little guy!

First "real" bath, he loved it!

Morning cuddles with Momma

little glow worm, with the bili blanket

This was my birthday, Brady gave me a carrier.
Tavin absolutely loves it.

-One thing that always made us laugh from the beginning is how he feels his diapers. He is so LOUD. We were pretty nervous to take him to church for the first time. He also is a champion at burping. He usually lets out a huge one before I even pat his back, it is pretty funny.

-The first couple of weeks he loved being swaddled tight but would always wiggle his arms out and sleep with them above his head.

-Tavin hated sponge baths the first few days, but after his umbilical cord fell off and we gave him his first real bath he became a water baby. He is really calm in the water and we look forward to bath time everyday.

-He always slept with his bottom lip in. It was so cute!

-He is so spoiled by lots of loving aunts and uncles. It was a lot of fun to see everyone meet him and know he will always be loved by them.

-Proudest Daddy moment: Brady struggled the first few times he changed his diaper because Tavin would always feel the need to “go” as soon as the diaper was off. When we were leaving for the doctor’s one morning he started yelling for me in the nursery and when I ran in he was covered in yellow all over his white shirt and our white walls. It was kind of hard not to laugh!

-Proudest Mommy moment: I have to say I was pretty proud the first time I sucked a booger out with the green bulb! But I think one of my favorite memories was taking him on his first stroller ride with his Auntie Abby and Auntie Brook, it was so surreal to realize I really was a mommy to this sweet boy!

Weeks three and four were full of ups and downs. At the end of the spring semester there is a seven week break in Rexburg until the Fall semester starts so we decided to spend that time in Burley with our families. On the night we came Tavin had a really bad screaming fit and this continued for the next week. How grateful I am for my own loving mother and mother-in –law who helped us through this tough time of dealing with a colicky baby. I cried nearly as much as Tavin did and it was draining on both of us. Brady was the ultimate dad and husband helping me out and reassuring me that I was still a good mother. We dealt with the fits for the next week and a half and then took him in to a pediatrician who told us he was not only colicky but also had acid reflux. I know a lot of parents feel that this is an easy answer for the doctors, but everything I read (and I read a TON) matched acid reflux. Poor guy was a coughing fit at night from an esophagus that was burnt and throwing up so much. It was horrible to see him in so much pain but thankfully within a few days the antibiotics kicked in and gave him some relief.

Meeting his grandma great for the first time

-We spent our days with family, back and forth from Brady’s parents to my parents and hanging out with my sisters. I was able to sneak in some much needed sleep and Brady was able to fit in some rounds of golf and evenings fishing.

-Proudest Mommy moment: Taking him to the doctor at 3 weeks and finding out he had gained three pounds since birth and a week and a half later he had gained another pound. He is an awesome eater and feeding time is a good experience for the both of us.

Proudest Daddy moment: I think Brady was pretty proud of the fact that the first time we went back to church he behaved himself and slept the whole time!

Weeks five and six were  busy for us and we started to see an improvement in Tavin’s acid reflux. The medicine he has to take every morning is awful. He cries and cries every morning when I give it to him and I feel terrible! Week five was fair week in Burley and so we went into town every day. My sister, Emily, came for a couple of days and it was a lot of fun to have the whole family together and enjoy the babies. Tavin was so good as we packed him around back and forth and was as happy as could be until Thursday night when we had a relapse with the acid reflux. We think his medicine lost its potency when it was left out on the counter for awhile and the next couple of days were really rough. We called in a couple days later and the doctor had us go pick up a new prescription and thankfully we started seeing improvement again. This same week was awesome because even through Tavin’s fussy evenings he was awesome through the night. He started going down between 10-11 pm, would wake up at 4am eat and go back down and then wake up about 7:30am. For the past three weeks he has kept this pattern and I am definitely not complaining. Week six Brady’s two older brothers and two older sisters came down and we spent a really fun week swimming, going on walks, going to Twin Falls, spending time at Lake Cleavland and eating lots of good food! It was fun to see Tavin being loved on by all his nieces and nephews!

Cousin Krayden, Tavin, and Max (Max is Brady's cousin's baby)

Krayden's blessing day!
Krayden and Tavin are 11 days apart!

We spent lots of time with Cousin Caleb, my sister's baby, they are 3 months apart.

 Weeks seven and eight have been growth spurts for Tavin and he has become really smiley and happy. Mornings are especially fun when he wakes up and gives us lots of grins and coos. He loves watching people and being bounced. He has really been loving his swaddle and cuddled when I rock him to sleep. It doesn’t take much for him to fall fast asleep. He has started rubbing his eyes when he is tired and so I swaddle him up, cuddle him close and rock him for a few minutes and he is out! I love these moments. I haven’t been worried about how much he sleeps yet or setting a routine for sleep during the day. I know he is still pretty little and growing so I just trust that when he is tired, he needs his sleep. Fortunately, this has worked for us and he keeps his same routine at night.

I cannot get over the fact that he will be 2 months and we have enjoyed some of the craziest and best weeks of our lives. Brady and I can’t get enough of Tavin. We love him so much and are grateful for his sweet spirit. I cherish every cuddle and smile I get. The newborn stage is so sweet and life changing. I have never been more grateful for eternal families and we love him more than I can say.