Weight Check!

We saw another positive gain at the doctor's appointment today. He gained six ounces in six days and is up to 7 lbs. 9 oz. The doctor is encouraged by his growth as he's keeping with the normal standard of one ounce per day. She wants me to keep the increased feeding schedule for one more week before we make any changes. We'll go back next Wednesday, check his weight, and then see if we can slowly get back down to the average six feedings a day. As you can see in the picture on the right, this is the closest he has to 'fat rolls'!! He's trying!!

I think I mentioned before how we can tell a major difference in Ethan's demeanor now that he's full =) I've actually been able to put him down for solid naps and get stuff done around the house, shower, etc. Before, anytime he would fall asleep for a 'nap' (15-20 min) it would either be in my arms or maybe in his swing. Now that we're able to put him down successfully, we are trying to transition him from his car seat in the crib to just laying flat in the crib (you know, like a normal baby)! Today was a HUGE SUCCESS!! After I fed him, we played for a bit, got him swaddled, rocked him, and put him down in the crib flat. And he took an hour long nap that I actually had to wake him from for the next feeding. The best part? I actually took a nap too!! =) We are still letting him sleep in his car seat at night - we have to start off slow and we will work our way up!

Weather permitting, we are going to take Ethan to his first IU football game on Saturday! He's been tailgating and now has graduated to an actual game! It's supposed to be sunny and 64 - and it's a big game for the Hoosiers so we are very excited! He also gets to play with Uncle Jeffrey, Aunt Kristen, and cousin Jayden who will be in town too!

Operation Gain Weight!

Ethan has one goal and one goal only: gain weight!! We had a doctors appointment Friday where we learned that he only gained three ounces in the last month. This was definitely surprising considering we had been noticing Ethan's cheeks and tummy filling out. At this age, babies are supposed to gain approximately one ounce a day - going by this standard, Ethan should be 9 lbs. Friday, he weighed in at 6 lbs. 10 oz. After a long consultation as to why he might not be gaining weight, the end result was this: plump this guy up as quickly as possible! The doctors put me on a strict feeding/pumping schedule that would (hopefully) result in 8-10 feedings a day. I had been doing six feedings a day with him eating every 2 1/2-3 hours so I've definitely had to step it up. In the couple days I've been doing this increased schedule, I've only made it to 7 feedings because, well, I'm exhausted! However, we got GREAT news during his check-up on Wednesday. In five days, he gained nine ounces and is now up to 7 lbs. 3 oz! They were so encouraged by this jump and Ethan seems to be responding so well with the increased amount of food! This poor boy was just hungry!! His whole demeanor has changed now that he has a full belly. Before, he was so fussy in between feedings and would fall asleep for a "nap" 20 minutes before it was time to eat again. Just in the short time I've been feeding him more often, he is so much more content, happy, and satisfied. I've been able to actually put him down for a nap in his crib - hallelujah! It's amazing what you can get done when you don't have a baby attached to you! =)

During his appointment on Wednesday, he also got his two-month shots. They administered one orally and three through a shot in his thigh. Poor little man doesn't have any meat on his bones so they had to use special tiny needles (and she still stuck a vein and blood was everywhere...eekkk)! Ethan did great - cried really hard when they stuck him, but stopped the minute she was done. He held me finger the whole time and just looked at me like, "what are they doing mommy?? HELP ME!!" Naturally, I had a couple tears stream down my face - I just hate hearing him so upset. But, I picked him right up and cuddled him in his favorite blanket and he was happy again. He was asleep before we even left the parking lot!

Starting with the two-month appointment, the doctor will tell you where your child ranks height/weight wise compared to other children of the same age. Most moms brag that they child is in the 90th percentile in height or 75th percentile in weight, etc. Ethan? He's ranked in the third percentile in both categories! Hahahaha. We've got some major catching up to do - but again, we saw lots of positives come out of the increased feeding schedule and we are moving in the right direction! We go in for a weight check on Tuesday - keep your fingers crossed for another big gain!

Two Months Old!

Hi Family and Friends!

I'm two months old today! It's time for another fun update on everything I've been doing now that I'm two months old. It's been a busy month for me - mommy and daddy had every weekend in October planned! I attended my first IU tailgate, I got to meet my great-grandma Ann, great-aunt Sharon, and cousin Sarah, and this weekend I'm taking my first official road trip to Chicago! Mommy and daddy have a wedding so Aunt Laura, Uncle John, Aidan and Sydney are going to babysit me! I'm excited to see them - I know we will have so much fun!

I get cuter every day. At least that's what mommy and daddy tell me. I am getting really good at sleeping through the night. There are still some nights where I wake up too early, but my parents do a good job of putting me back to sleep. I still eat every three hours. My mommy feeds me throughout the day and then my daddy gives me a bottle around 10pm. That's one of my most favorite parts of my day. He makes me laugh as you can see in this picture.

Here are some other fun facts about me:

• I like to open and close my hands. I'm learning how they work.
• I like to grip the fingers of whomever is holding me. They say I have a strong grip.
• I like to track people and objects with my eyes - I can follow voices when someone is talking to me.
• I like bath time now. At first, I wasn't too sure - but I like when mommy and daddy pour warm water over me and have a warm towel waiting for me when I'm done.
• I am starting to make cute noises. Right now, it's a cross between a yelp and a coo. It makes mommy and daddy laugh.
• I'm starting to smile - although I'll let you in on a little secret - I haven't showed mommy and daddy my smile yet. I smiled at papaw and smiled with my great-grandma, but mommy and daddy didn't see it. I'm secretly waiting for just the perfect time to show them how cute I am.
• I have dimples! And when I "smile" you can see them even more!

I go for my two month check-up next week on Halloween. I have to get shots. Some of my friends tell me not to be scared. They said my mommy and daddy will be right there holding me and making me feel better. I will also get weighed again. According to the scale at home, I weigh 7 lbs. on the dot! Mommy calls me her little man, but one day I'm going to grow up to be tall and strong.

Thanks to everyone for always making me feel so special. I know I'm one loved boy!

Happy Friday!

Will be a short post today as we don't have too much to update you on in Ethan's world! Other than being extremely cute, it's been a quiet week for us! We had a playdate with our friend Cooper, went for a walk, took a bath, snuggled, had lunch with Ginka - ohhh the life of a newborn! We are looking forward to our visit with Great-Grandma Ann, Great-Aunt Sharon, and cousin Sarah this weekend. We also get to see Aunt Kristen and cousin Jayden! Look for Ethan's two-month update next week!

Hoosier In Training!

Let me start off by saying how excited we are that daddy's home from Florida!! Ethan took his first "big" trip to Indianapolis on Friday to pick him up from the airport. He did awesome - slept the whole way there and back! Daddy couldn't wait to get his hands on him! While we did just fine during daddy's trip, it's amazing the difference an extra set of hands can make! (Big shout out to Ginka and Papaw who helped me so much the past two weeks - and every day)!

We took Ethan to his first Indiana football tailgate on Saturday! He definitely wasn't as excited as his parents =) We had a group of friends coming down from Chicago/Indy and they couldn't wait to meet him. Ethan got passed around like a little football yesterday! Everyone couldn't believe how small and well behaved he was. Despite all the loud music, people talking, different smells, etc., Ethan made us proud and was an angel. I wasn't sure how long we would last in the grassy fields, but he was so easy-going and we were out there for 5 1/2 hours! We certainly look forward to all the Saturday tailgates we have in our future! 

We are officially out of premie diapers! Isn't our world exciting?! He's still sleeping really well (especially for seven weeks old) and is clocking anywhere from 7-8 hours a night. Naptime - not so much. Occasionally, he'll take a couple long naps, but usually they are 15-30 minutes. He's like a possum, you think he's sleeping and then next thing you know he's wide awake! Usually, I can put him down for tummy time or in his swing and that allows me enough time to shower, pick up around the house, etc. 

We've got another busy week/weekend ahead of us - Ethan's great-grandma from Kentucky and aunt and cousin from Georgia are all coming to visit on Friday. To say they are beyond excited to meet him and hold him is an understatement =) Can't believe he'll be two months old! 

Six Weeks!

This is my surprised look! 

Ethan must've known that daddy was out of town and he needed to go easy on his mommy because we had a great week! Now's the time for me to brag on my little man - every night this past week he slept 6-7 hours straight! Friday night, he even slept from 10:30pm-8am! It's so nice (and rewarding!) to see a loose schedule taking place. His eating schedule is every three hours - it's funny how he can be napping and he just knows when to wake up and eat. I've been reading a popular book called "BabyWise" that emphasizes the importance of getting into a routine with your newborn. Most experts say a schedule won't start to form until six weeks of age so I'm really pleased with Ethan's behavior so far. I'm halfway through the book right now and so far the main thing I've learned is the feeding/wake time/nap time routine. Most people think a nap should immediately follow a feeding session. However, the older Ethan gets the more he'll be awake. Now, after he eats we do various activities for wake time - lay him on the play mat, lay in crib and watch the little aquarium toy that plays music, tummy time (which I have a funny story about later), etc. Then, I try and put him down for a nap. The book talks about how you should lay them down awake (and sleepy) - not when they are already asleep. This will be my 'experiment' for the next week because right now I've been holding him until he's sound asleep. Today, we had major success with this new concept though. After he played for awhile, I put him in his car seat in his crib while he was sleepy. Even though he was fussy and cried, he eventually fell asleep and took a great nap. Did the same thing later where I put him in his pack-n-play while he was still awake and then he fell asleep for a nap. Hopefully, this trend continues! It all leads to a happy baby that sleeps through the night - and also happy parents!

Who needs exercise?

Tummy time is highly recommended so babies can strengthen their neck muscles and learn to crawl faster. The first couple times we did tummy time, Ethan hated it - cried and cried until I picked him up (was letting him do it for a couple minutes). Well, starting this week he loves tummy time - as in, I lay him down and he falls ASLEEP! Haha, this is supposed to be a stimulating exercise, but not for this boy! He said, "Mommy, I've been strong from day one. I don't need tummy time exercises!" It's the funniest thing. I rub his back and pat his bottom and it's so soothing to him. Last night, he fell asleep in the middle of the floor and was oblivious to everything going on around him! He takes after his mommy who loves to sleep on her tummy!

Me & My Boys!

Ethan had his first play date with his friend Cooper this week. Cooper was born three days after Ethan and it's really fun to have a friend the same age. His mommy Kelsey and I get to compare notes and see all the similarities between the two. He also got to play with cousin Jayden and friend Ella this weekend as well. Ethan's a popular boy as we have two more play dates set up for this coming week with Landon (8 months) and Elijah (5 1/2 weeks)!

Ethan really does get cuter by the day. I've just started to notice how full his cheeks are now and how big his belly is (finally)! He loves to stare into your eyes, he loves to furrow his brow and look like he's so concerned about something, he loves to eat his hands, and most importantly he loves to be bundled up and snuggle with anyone who will hold him! We love him to pieces!

Ethan Outruns Cancer!

We've had a busy, busy weekend full of family fun! We celebrated Eric's birthday on Friday evening since he'll be in Florida on his actual birthday. Mom cooked up a surf-and-turf meal, Eric opened some presents, and we topped it all off with a yummy Oreo ice cream pie! Saturday, we woke up early to meet Grandma Graebe at Hoosiers Outrun Cancer. This is a wonderful event held every year to help support cancer research - and extra special this year celebrating Mary beating breast cancer!! We've all marveled at how gracefully she's handled fighting cancer this past year. She had her reconstructive surgery last week and is well on way to a full recovery. Hoosiers Outrun Cancer has always been a special event for me as I used to walk in memory of my friend, Jenny. Now, it has even more meaning and was so thankful I got to share it with Eric and Ethan for the first time (Ethan slept through the whole walk)! We also got to visit with Uncle Jeffrey, Aunt Kristen, and Jayden this weekend as well. We are loving all their trips home lately!

Sunday, we had to say goodbye to Daddy as he left for his training. Whew, talk about water works. I don't think Eric had any idea how hard it was going to be leaving Ethan. I knew it was going to be a long two weeks for him so I made a little care package as a surprise and snuck it in his suitcase. He has an envelope to open each morning that contains either a picture of Ethan, a card, a note, etc. When I talked to him tonight, he said the first envelope is already waiting by the sink so he can open it as soon as he wakes up =) I know we'll all be just fine, but this is the longest we've been apart from each other since we got married two years ago. We will have lots of Facetime/Skype dates this week and I'm already looking forward to picking him up from the airport on Oct. 12!!

Earlier in the week, Eric and I celebrated our second wedding anniversary! Ginka and Papaw watched Ethan while we went to Gratzi for dinner. We had a couple people tell us it's okay if all we do is talk about Ethan - which of course we did! How could we not! He's such a blessing and we will never get tired talking about how cute and perfect he is. I was in such a rush to get home - every time I'm gone, I picture him screaming and crying and giving the grandparents grief. But, after a couple text messages from my mom reassuring me he was okay, we came home to a baby still sound asleep after a four hour nap! =)

We had our check-up at the doctors on Friday which went great. We knew Ethan must've been going through a growth spurt because he was an eating machine last week!! He was eating more frequently and never really seemed satisfied. Well, that definitely proved to be true when we put him on the scale and he now weighs 6 lbs. 7 oz!!! He gained 9 oz. in 8 days! We were so proud!!

We are looking forward to the month of October - it'll be a busy month! We've got a lot to look forward to with Ethan's first IU tailgate, more walks outside in the beautiful fall weather, most likely heading to Chicago for a wedding and our first "big" trip, and so much more!

One Month Old!

Look at me! I'm one month old! 

Can you believe I'm one month old today? I've had a great life so far - mommy and daddy are doing such a great job taking care of me. Even my kitties are warming up to the idea of me sticking around for awhile! Overall, I've been a great baby for my parents. Even though I may cry, it's just because I'm usually hungry or tired...but mostly hungry. They keep telling me how important it is that I gain weight so I can be big and strong like daddy. I've gotten pretty good at sleeping. Most nights, I like to sleep from 11pm-5am. Mommy feeds me a bottle or nurses me and then I'm back asleep until about 8:30am. Then we do the same routine over and over (and over!!) again all throughout the day! Mommy and daddy like it when I sleep for that long throughout the night. They say that is what keeps their sanity - I don't know what that means, but I know it's good =) Mommy gets up with me during the week because my daddy works - but come weekend time, daddy takes over the late night/early morning feedings.

I thought you might be interested in what I like to do during my days now that I'm four weeks old. Here are a few of my favorites:

• I like to trick mommy and daddy after they've given me a clean diaper and blow it out. 
• I like to squeak. In my sleep. Sometimes my squeaking turns into snoring. 
• I like to stretch, stretch, stretch. I'm usually swaddled up most of the day so it feels soooo good when my arms and legs are freeeee! 
• I like to smile when I'm drifting off to sleep after a full belly.
• I like to look into my mommy and daddy's eyes - we call it facetime!
• I like to spend time with my grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends - I'm always up for visitors! 
• I like to hiccup - A LOT! And sneeze - I hope I don't have allergies like my daddy
• I like it when my daddy sways me to sleep - and when mommy rocks me to sleep.
• I like to sleep in my car seat still - no crib for me, I'm too little! 
• I like to be swaddled, wrapped in a fleece blanket, and then held until I fall asleep - mommy hopes this means I will be always be a cuddlebug.

As you can see, I like a lot. Now that I'm growing and interacting more, my senses will continue to develop and slowly but surely I will show mommy and daddy a little of my personality. I can't wait to see all the fun and exciting things that await me! I love you all!

Growing Boy!

Cuteness Defined.

Hi friends! Well, my little man keeps putting on the weight and is now up to 5 lbs. 14 oz! We had an appointment today with the lactation consultant at our pediatrician's office. Ethan is quickly becoming one of the most popular babies because of his dashing good looks - the nurses LOVE him! They may be a little partial because they know Eric and I being from Bloomington, but they make me one proud momma when they coo over how adorable he is! 

Ethan is definitely keeping us on our toes - constantly switching things up to make life interesting! =) Last week, he slept through the night every night! This week, not so much! He seemed to be very irritable and was waking up every 1-1.5 hours. We thought he might be going through a growth spurt since it's very common for babies to go through one at three weeks of age. Maybe he did because we were so happy with his weight gain today! He very well could hit the 6 lbs. mark by his first month birthday! We will find out next week during his appointment on Friday! 

This is me in my happy, alert state!

 Nothing really too exciting for me to write about so I'll make it a quick post! I'm trying to snap some cute pictures of him, but honestly all he does is nurse and sleep! And a lot of times in those waking moments he's crying because he's either hungry or tired - haha! Can't wait for his little personality to start shining through!

             I love to look around and listen to mommy and daddy's voice.                                                                                                      

I like to hang out with my mommy in this cool sling!

My New Life!

I can't believe Ethan is going to be three weeks old tomorrow! Part of me feels like he was just born and the other part of me feels like we've had him for so much longer than 21 days! We had a doctors appointment on Monday and received the good news that he's still putting on weight - he's up to 5.96, so just shy of his birth weight of 5 lbs. 10 oz. Prior to his appointment, we were having a string of bad nights...he just didn't want to sleep! I knew from reading that babies can't distinguish between day/night yet - and our little man was proving to be a night owl. We're talking being awake from 9pm-5am - yowzers. I don't know what magic occurred after the appointment, but kid you not he's slept through the night every night since. Eric and I have been able to sleep from 11:30-7, 12-8, and 11:30-5. Such a blessing!! 

My days with Ethan consist of feeding, sleeping, getting to know each other better, and waiting for daddy to get home from work =) Ethan usually takes a long nap in the morning where I'm able to either go back to bed or take a shower. We've definitely learned one thing about Ethan - he LOVES to be cuddled and surrounded by as many blankets as possible when sleeping. And right now, the only place he'll sleep is his car seat. So don't judge by the picture, but this is our new set-up. Him sleeping in his car seat in the crib (mostly because that's where the video monitor is). But, hey if this is producing all-night sleep sessions then I'm okay with it!! I've left the house a couple times this week to gain some confidence under my belt! Ya'll would laugh if you had a hidden camera on me though - I literally stopped and checked on him FOUR times the other day while I was driving...and we were only out for about 35 minutes, haha! I can't help it! 

I started pumping this week which will turn out to be a huge benefit in the long run. My goal with pumping is to have enough to take care of one or two feedings a day to give myself a break. Eric fed him his first bottle the other night while I went to bed early and it was a huge success. I'm hoping to build up a supply so others can feed him and also to "free" me a little and give me the opportunity to be away from him for a longer period of time (i.e. actually go to dinner with my sweet husband to celebrate our anniversary and not be worried about feeding Ethan)! 

We gave Ethan his first bath this week! I've been looking forward to this since he was born - probably because of the all the adorable hooded towels I got at my showers! =) Needless to say, he wasn't too pleased with the bath - but, boy was he cute and smell good afterwards! We're trying to do a better job of taking pictures, but honestly all he does is sleep and eat! If anything, we need to record a video of him sleeping. He makes the most adorable sounds while he's sleeping - anywhere from cooing, to little whimpers, to full out snoring! 

I stopped by the hospital today to drop off some thank you cards to the nurses that took such good care of us. Not gonna lie, the trip was pulling on my heart strings! Just remembering that only three short weeks ago, we were there and met our little guy for the first time. It will always be such a special place now =) We still talk about how amazing creating a child is. We honestly feel so lucky - and also feel blessed that we're able to provide Ethan with a stable, loving, protective life. 

 I'm hoping to schedule some newborn pictures here in the next couple days. Jeffrey, Kristen, and Jayden are coming down this weekend for the IU game so we can't wait to spend time with them. Kristen and I are determined to take a picture of the two kiddos in matching onesies (the first of many, I'm sure)! Hope everyone has a great weekend!

{Ethan Perry Graebe}

My last post was made Thursday, August 23 at 8:04pm. When I went to bed that night, I randomly made the comment to Eric, "I hope I don't go into labor." Not ten minutes later, my water broke. It was 11:45pm. It was just one more sign that Ethan was running the show! From there, we woke up my parents, Eric packed his bag, I finished packing mine, and we called the on-call doctor. Thankfully, it was Dr. Stowell who was scheduled to deliver Ethan the following week. He told us to come on in and "think about having a baby tonight!"

The ride to the hospital was surreal. We called my dad, my brother, Eric's mom and dad, and sent texts to our siblings. By the time we arrived at the hospital, I think it was around 1:30am. From there, it all happened pretty fast. All our parents met us at the hospital, I was prepped for surgery, and we were well on our way to meeting our sweet baby boy.

As they wheeled me in to the operating room, they made Eric wait outside and told him the nurse would come get him when ready. Well, that felt like a lifetime (for both of us)! By the time he was allowed to come in, I was pretty out of it because of the spinal block and morphine. Eric was right there with me next to my head giving me support and keeping me updated on the status of baby Ethan's arrival. We welcomed our precious baby boy, Ethan Perry Graebe, into the world at 2:59 am.


I do remember seeing Ethan for the first time, however I don't think it completely registered. I felt like I was fading in and out of consciousness and even remember asking the doctor at one point if I was okay - I told him I wasn't breathing right and he said, "you're right, you're not - and that's completely normal." Meanwhile, Ethan was getting the best care from the nurses and Eric was his #1 fan taking pictures all along the way. I do remember the nurse bringing Ethan over to my face for the first time - again, being completely out of it, I think the only words I managed to stumble out of my mouth were "hi" - haha. But, he must've known he was talking to his mommy for the first time because he kept putting his hands on my mouth...so precious. Eric and I both were shocked when they weighed Ethan and announced he was (only) 5 lbs. 10 oz! Not two days earlier at our ultrasound appointment, they had estimated his weight at 6 lbs. 12 oz!


About 90 minutes later, Eric, Ethan, and I were wheeled into our post-partum room where we were met by four very proud grandparents who just melted when they saw him. The first day of Ethan's life is pretty much a blur for both Eric and I. Since we never went to sleep Thursday night, we had been up for hours on end and felt completely delirious. The nursing staff served as our life savers that day - and for the three days after for that matter. We spent our time in the hospital getting to know baby Ethan, working on breastfeeding, welcoming all the visitors we had, eating pizza and breadsticks that was delivered straight to our room from one of our local favorites, and just soaking in the fact that we created life - and a very adorable one at that! =)

We were released on Monday afternoon and have been settled in at home since. I'll make the next post about our first week as a family of three! So, that was a quick, condensed version of our little man's birth! We marvel at the pure sight of Ethan. We study his fingers, his ears, his little button nose, the hair on his head - and realize it's all perfection. Our lives were enormously blessed and changed forever at 2:59 am on Friday, August 24th and we will never be the same. We are so grateful for the best gift we've ever received!