5 Weeks

Greysen turned 5 weeks old yesterday morning at 5:38 a.m. We were both awake (Greysen and myself), of course, and had a little birthday celebration while I changed his butt. I danced to the birthday song and Greysen smiled at me - I SWEAR he smiled right at me and not the foofs coming from his butt. And then we danced a bit together. It was a sweet early private moment in our day. Happy Birthday Sweet Baby Grey.

Speaking of grandparents ...

Oma and Opa Dockter are heading out this way to live. They've retired (somewhat), sold their house, and rented a place here in little ol' Helena. I think they would tell you it's mostly because Sweet Baby Grey lives here, but I also think it's because they were ready for a new chapter in their lives. And they love Helena. The new chapter is soon to begin.

Last night Opa's sister Rae organized a Farewell Party for them. People came out of the woodwork to bid them farewell. They saw people from their past, present and hopefully their future. I know it was a bittersweet moment for them to see all the people they know and love together. They realize that they are leaving a whole lifetime of memories behind in order to make new ones. I even got a text from my sister last night (who actually was able to attend the party) about the stories they shared involving beers, parties and many wonderful memories with family and friends.

I hope the memories are fresh enough in their heads so they can carry them to Helena with them. Greysen will want to know and hear about the many things we did in my hometown Bismarck while I grew up there. There wouldn't be a UHaul large enough to carry them all. Luckily, it doesn't take UHauls to bring them ... CDoc so aptly put it recently:

Happy memories can't fit into a suitcase, but they're the lightest things to carry.

Happy Trails Oma and Opa. Love you.

Grandma Jean

Grandma Jean arrived yesterday. Greysen put on his best Grandma outfit and quickly peed in it before she arrived. Grandma Jean didn't care and fell in love with that sweet face anyway:

Greysen is still giving the stink-eye. He did this from birth - you can see it in the pic posted at the side of the blog. He was two days old and already giving us the stink eye. But he also has a signature smile - crooked, half-smile that makes me think he knows more about this world than we give him credit for knowing:

Just tired ...

It's no wonder Greysen has a double chin and gained 2 lbs in his first 3 weeks of life: I feed him every 2 hours lately and sometimes more than that, even through the night. This is new. In the beginning we were blessed with a baby that slept sometimes 4 hours at a time. My theory is that he's going through a growth spurt right now and that this will get better. He needs sleep too, right? Try to convince a newborn of this... even my best persuasive skills can't get anywhere on this case. But my neighbor stopped us on our way down the hill for a walk today and told me that Sam, her very sweet teenage boy, woke up to feed for a year and a half every two hours. And her words of comfort: "And he turned out to be quite a sweet boy."

The good news: he's healthy and happy. And I'm just tired ... which is a rite of passage for every new Mama.

Welcome!

Greysen Alexander Jakes was born on March 22, 2010 at 5:38 a.m. by emergency c-section after many long hours (days) of labor. He was 7 lbs 6.9 oz and 20 1/2 inches long. My first introduction to his presence was the sound of his cry from the other side of the curtain dividing my lower and upper body. He had good lungs and I was happy to hear that little scream even if I wasn't allowed to hold him in my arms until about an hour and a half later.

Greysen also had quite the cone head. He impressed even the most seasoned OB nurse and doc. By the time we left the hospital 4 days later, he'd already lost an inch of length. And his head shape gradually became the sweet kissable head that it is with requisite baby smell.

He continues to both dismay and delight his Mama and Papa with smiles and cooing; with holding his head up already; with Olympic potential pooping skills.

Happy One Month Birthday Sweet Baby Grey. We love you.