Dear Liam :: 4 Months

:: Stats :: 

Weight : 14 pounds 0 ounces

Length: 24 3/4 inches

Well we made it through the worst doctors appointment yet. You got a healthy report, which I was so thankful for, but they were out of the combo vaccine so you had to get 4 separate shots :(. I think these visits are going to get worse as you start to react more to the shots, but luckily soothing with a good feeding right after seems to do the trick! It turns out you are a pretty petite little thing right now measuring at 25th percentile! It's a little surprising because most people comment on how big you seem for your age, maybe because you are so alert! 

No idea 4 shots were coming your way...

:: Feeding :: 

You are still doing really well with nursing. You are eating every 2 1/2 to 3 hours on both sides. Mostly it's every 3 hours, but sometimes you let me know that you need food a little more frequently. 

At your doctors appointment they told me it was time to start introducing solids! This is all so new to me so I asked a ton of questions about the pros and cons of starting now as opposed to later because I've heard so many different things. I think I've decided that we are going to start when you are 5 months old so that I can get through this busy month and get into a good routine before the summer starts picking up and I have to start getting in the kitchen to make some good homemade organic baby food! I'm excited about this part and I think your dad will be too because we will be able to use the veggies out of our garden! 

:: Sleeping :: 

So apparently babies sleep patterns and habits change pretty often...thanks to your Aunt Megan, I have finally wrapped my head around this fact of life. Overall you are an awesome sleeper. The majority of the time you sleep from around 8:30pm to 5:30 or 6am and go back to sleep until 8 or 9am. There were a few flukes this month where you slept from about 8:30pm to 8am which were amazing but also kinda nerve wracking for me when I didn't hear a peep from you for that long! Then there were also nights where you woke up once in the middle of the night, usually around 3:30 or 4am wanting to eat, sleeping again until 7am and then again until 9am. So we just never know! 

Also forgot to mention that you are now sleeping exclusively in your crib! This was a big step for me and the first big "letting go" moment as a mom I've experience so far. It was so much harder than I thought it would be to let you sleep in your room by yourself. Even though I was looking forward to having our room back so that your dad and I could have a lamp on to read or even just talk in regular voices, it was still kinda sad and scary. The first night you slept in your crib, I'm pretty sure I watched the monitor on my bedside table for a good 2 hours before I fell asleep. (Then I peeked at it every couple of hours throughout the night! oops!) Now we are both pros, you love your crib and I have adjusted to loving having our room back! 

:: Fun Things :: 

-You are rolling over!! The first time you did it was on your play mat and you did it from your belly to your back. I didn't even realize what had happened at first! A few days later, you rolled from your back to your belly - again on the play mat and have been a rolling fool ever since! You get so excited when we clap and cheer for your after you roll over - sorry this makes you sound like a dog learning a trick - but it's been so fun! 

-Another big milestone has been transitioning from being swaddled to the sleep sack during naps and at night. We had to start this process so that you wouldn't roll over in the middle of the night and be face down without your arms to lift your head up, scary. We started the sleep sack during naps and once you had that down, we transitioned to nights too. It only took a few days to adjust and you love your cozy, warm sleep sack now! 

-We think you might be a lefty! You definitely favor your left hand when you reach for things and grab onto objects. Dad is excited because apparently this means you will have an advantage in some sports! 

-You have started touching peoples faces and stroking/grabbing cheeks when you are held. Melt my heart. 

-You have great head and neck control and I wouldn't be surprised if you started to sit up by yourself soon! 

-You are still super verbal and love to make noises and laugh!  

-Cradle cap hit hard this month and we are having to treat that nasty stuff with some olive oil...hopefully it will do the trick! 

-You found your thumb this month, but still prefer your entire fist in your mouth or your index finger :) 

families, firsts, & farewells

This past weekend was another busy one with lots to celebrate...

Friday night kicked off the weekend with a visit from Aunt Jamie! Jamie hadn't seen Liam since the week he was born, which blows my mind, and she finally made it home from Ole Miss to come love on her nephew!

On Saturday, Ben, Liam, and I spent the morning working at the North Hills Farmers Market selling the produce, meat, and eggs from Pinhole Farm. Pinhole Farm is a certified organic farm in Louisburg, NC that Ben and 2 other guys founded. Ben will have to do a more in depth post about Pinhole, but for now check them out on Facebook!

Later that afternoon, Ben's family and Laney's family met us back at our house for a graduation cookout to celebrate Graham graduating from NC State and Laney graduating from Appalachian State with her masters degree. Since Mother's Day was the next day, it was perfect timing to also be able to celebrate Ben's mom and grandma's in person!

Of course we had to get as many family pictures with as many different combinations of family members as possible:

Pops and Nan with Liam

Grandmama & Grandaddy's first time meeting Liam! 

Pop Pop, Grandmerle, and Liam 

4 generations of Wright men

seester graduate! 

The Bolick's with the graduates! 

Sunday morning, Ben and Austin brought me my favorites from Panera for breakfast. (I was lucky enough to be celebrated by 2 Wright boys this weekend!)  Later, we headed to church and then to a special Mother's Day lunch at my parents house.  

Liam loves his Mamo & Bill

Sweet brother 

So fun having Jamie home!

Jamie & I have some great examples to learn from 

It was such a pretty day, so after lunch Ben, Jamie, Austin, and I took Liam and all of the crazy dogs on a walk and ended up at...duh frozen yogurt.

2 sets of twins?

That night, Ben brought home some fancy takeout and wine and we got to spend a low key night at home with our little boy.

Notice the logo's - definite Ben Wright choices 

My first Mother's Day was full of all of the things I love - great quality time with the people I love, good food and wine, and such thoughtful notes and gifts. (p.s. Ben got us tickets to see The Lumineers!)

It still doesn't seem real that I am now able to call myself a mom! These past few months of trying to figure it out have held some of the hardest, most sleep deprived, bring me to my knees moments but have also held the sweetest, most life giving, indescribably beautiful moments of my life. I am so thankful that the Lord has given me the incredible gift of becoming a wife and a mom and even more thankful that his grace covers all of the times I have already and will continue mess up.

Even though the transition hasn't always been easy, I have a million questions every single day, and my house is often filled with the sounds of a wailing baby or cluttered with endless laundry and toys, I wouldn't trade the role I have been given in this little man's life for anything in the world:

Also, for any mom's in need of encouragement:

So God Made a Mother

Happy Mother's Day! 

My Kind of Weekend

This past weekend was one I have needed for a long time.

It was the kind that revives the soul.

I had been looking forward to the weekend for months because two major events were going down. I was going to get to hear my best friend, Jen Hatmaker speak, (she doesn't know we're best friends yet but I'm determined to make her understand that we're meant to be) AND get to witness my dear friend Kara marry the love of her life!

Coincidentally, both of these things took place at a church in our neighborhood so it was pretty convenient for a first time mom trying to get feeding schedules and babysitters and separation anxiety (for mom and baby) under control.

Friday night Ben came home and got set up for a date night with our boy, while I headed out for a much needed Chick fil a date with my Sarah :). After catching up, pouring our hearts out, laughing, and stuffing our faces, we headed to hear Jen speak.

Whoa.

I knew I was going to love Jen from reading her book, 7 and her blog, Jen Hatmaker but oh my gosh, she is on another level in person. I'm talking all ages, men and women, full on peeing in their pants laughing at her hilarious stories. My personal favorite was her comparison of trying to get out of spanx to cracking open a tube of biscuits.

Aside from her hilarious take on life, parenting, etc. I was blown away by her message about discipleship. I felt my heart coming so alive during her talk that night and I knew God was stirring something in me. Our group got to meet her that night and you would have thought we were teenage girls meeting Justin Bieber....I think Julia even interrupted her once and blurted out "I LOVE YOU" and turned away blushing...we totally blew it on the cool points.

The next morning after retelling Ben word for word the first sermon, Sarah and I headed out to meet the girls for the next session. Again, we sat under such relevant, convicting, and wise teaching. I feel so privileged to have been given the opportunity to hear her speak. She harped on the things Ben and I have been trying to sort out in our hearts for a long time and said something that has been ringing so true to us when she challenged us as believers to take our faith out of our minds and into our hands and feet. We have the unbelievable honor of being chosen to be disciples of Christ, the Rabbi whose yoke is easy and burden is light. As disciples, our lives and ministries should look like Jesus' did. I left asking questions like, "would people look at my life and know whose disciple I am?" "Does my heart break for what breaks Jesus'?" "What does it mean to be the hands and feet of Jesus?"
Thank you, Jen for speaking such truth and for challenging our family. We are excited about what God will do as a result of the things he is laying on our hearts!

After eating lunch, Caroline came to my rescue once again to help me with my appearance and to babysit for the night! Thank the Lord I have a sister who is so willing to help and is
so great with babies because I definitely would not have been able to enjoy my night without knowing that Liam was so well cared for.

Ben and Kara's ceremony was so special. Christ was so evident in every detail and I loved how the service so uniquely reflected so much about Ben and Kara as a couple. After the ceremony, we headed to the reception and it was so fun to be able to have sort of a built in date night for Ben and I while celebrating our friends marriage!