First Month "Firsts"

So I know I said I would try to keep these "catch up" posts short but there is just so much that I want to share. The first weeks at home were amazing but a little hard if you really want to know the truth. Being a first time mom & never really being around newborns all that much, I had (and still have) a lot to learn! My parents stayed with me a few days while TAG was at work & they were a huge help. This child is with out a doubt going to be spoiled rotten! He is the 1st grandchild on both sides of my family & TAG's family. My precious Aunt Nylene will be one of the main ones to spoil him, too. She & my Uncle Bob were the first family members (after our preacher) to arrive at the hospital the day Riley was born. They even beat my parents there! Besides Riley being the first grandchild, he is a boy & my dad is super pumped about that fact! Growing up he would always take my sister & I to do all sorts of "boyish" things like fishing, shooting cans off of fence posts, etc. I remember one Christmas he got me a big football field toy with footballs to go with it. I was not too thrilled because at the time all I wanted was Barbie dolls & an Easy Bake Oven. Needless to say he wanted a boy to hang out with & now he's got one!

Besides all of the visitors, we laid low for the first few weeks. I was still recovering from the section & didn't feel like doing much.

On August 20th we went to his first doctor visit. We went at one week old instead of two because he was a little Jaundiced. Not too bad though--his levels were at 7. He was back up to 6 lbs even that day & the Jaundice was leaving too. The next few weeks we just kept him in the sunlight as much as possible.

His 1st stroller ride :)


Look at that face! He loves being outside!

In the top picture above Riley was 1 week & 2 days old. In the picture directly above he was 2 weeks & 2 days old. I couldn't believe how much he changed in that short period of time! It feels like he changes everyday!

Did I mention that I am in LOVE?!

August 26th was his 1st trip to his grandparents' house.



Two days later on August 28th he made his first sound other than crying or grunting...happy little "cooing" noises.

Riley watched his first Mississippi State Football game on August 30th & dressed to support the bulldogs with Daddy.





On August 31st his umbilical cord fell off & he was able to take a real bath on September 2nd instead of getting sponge baths (which he didn't particularly care for). He actually loved being in the water & to this day bath time is still his favorite.



Aunt Brooke, or "Aint B" as we like to call her, is another culprit in the spoiling of Riley. She comes to visit on an almost daily basis. For a while she was making twice a day trips to see us! Brooke has also been a huge help with things. I couldn't ask for a better sister-in-law. She is going to spoil him in more ways than one! I honestly think she has bought him more clothes & toys than even I have!
On Saturday, September 6th Riley got to meet his Great-Grandma Ruth since she was unable to make it to the hospital on the day of his birth. Brooke, Riley, & myself made the trip to the big town of Iuka & visited Ruth. She was up front (of the assisted living facility) waiting on us when we pulled up. I was excited that she remembered that Riley was TAG's baby. She has a hard time remembering a lot of things, but she seemed to piece it all together pretty well for the most part. In the pictures she has a place on her head where she had just fallen a few days before. Luckily that was the worst of her fall--no broken bones or anything like that. She loved on Riley & wanted to hold him the whole day. It was a sweet time.



The next day Riley made his 1st trip to church. I don't think I got a picture of that, which is very unlike me. I'm sure we were running late or something! Haha

September 9th was his 1 month check-up. He weighed 9 lbs, 3 oz & was 21 3/4 in long! Wow, he grew so much the first month! He still had a touch of Jaundice so Dr. Phillips (whom we love, by the way! If you live in the area I DEFINITELY recommend him. He is the best!) suggested that I stop breastfeeding for at least 48 hours to see if the formula would flush his system better. This was a miserable time for all of us. The formula that I tried hurt his poor belly so bad & none of us rested much those days.

Another first around this same time was his 1st smile. It was on September 15th. And oh, how this brightened up my world! To see your child smile at you for the first time & recognize you as his mommy is a feeling I could never explain. Seeing him smile, among many other of his milestones, brought tears to my eyes that I couldn't hold back. Many times being a mother has been very surreal to me, but an instance like this makes me realize that I am & always will be this little boy's mother. I am the first person he will look to for encouragement when trying something new, the first person he will run to to get a kiss on a boo boo & make it all better, the one he will call mom forever. The feeling I get from him needing me is yet another that I don't have the words for. Just to know that this tiny person depends on me (and TAG of course) for everything is absolutely amazing. I think that is why his first smile pulled on my heartstrings so much. It was like he was telling me "I know you are my mommy & will always be there for me no matter what. Thank you. I love you." This picture wasn't actually his first smile, but it did occur right before I could get the camera. Once he did it a couple of times, it was like he was so proud that he could intentionally do something with his body that his mind wanted to do, that he kept on & on smiling, giving me enough time to get my camera out. Barely a month old & such a happy baby already. (P.S. The date on my camera is wrong on some pictures.)

One of Daddy's favorite pictures is with the basketball in hand--left hand to be exact. TAG says he will be a perfect tall left-handed quarterback if he would rather play football than basketball when he grows up. Or a left-handed pitcher if he prefers baseball. ;)

The picture below is a good example of why his "Aint B" calls him "Moose". From the time he was born until about 4 months, he would hold his hands up by his head almost constantly & it looks like moose antlers. (If you notice, he is also doing this in a few other pictures throughout the post.)

Just a few of the facial expressions he can make at a month old. Some of these really make me laugh!

Well that pretty much covers the first month. It still feels like he should be this age. Time really does fly.