[Since I blog every few months now, this is a long one.]
In March, when Deacon was 4 months old, his Great-Grandma Delma Lou Dunn died & so it was off to Utah for her funeral. Deacon did so good on his first flight. Mckay & I didn't even get to sit together (last minute booking issues) but that proved to be a non-issue when baby boy didn't make so much as a fussy peep the entire way. He was all smiles, chatting it up with the sweet boy sitting next to us, nursing off to sleep, and looking quite bemused by the loud noises & new surroundings. The trip was great because he got to meet most of his Dunn family, & see more of his Craven family. One thing I learned was that a baby and a funeral do not mix. Definitely one of the harder days of Motherhood I've experienced -dragging that poor baby all over Utah for 7 straight hours. Never again.
(his happy flying face)
There isn't much I love more than his sleepy body in my arms. I used to be anti-nurse-your-baby-to-sleep but I just didn't know what I was missing. It's bliss. And it's NOT the only way he goes to sleep. Although I do it a lot, because it's just so wonderful.
He got lots of time with Grandpa Craven, was a little skeptical of his beard, but came around eventually & now thinks he's a pretty cool guy.
When we got home from Utah this little one came down with what I thought was a bad cold. But then it wouldn't let up so I took him into the Dr. to make sure it wasn't anything serious. Turns out, the little man had bronchiolitis (an infection of the smallest airways of his lungs) which can be pretty serious. At that point, it wasn't impeding his breathing too much & so when the Dr. suggested albuterol breathing treatments I wasn't keen on the idea. (FYI- most medicine given to babies under 12 months is not FDA approved for their use and doesn't have much support to back up it's effectiveness in babies that little). So I opted out and decided to treat him at home, of course, if things would have progressed out of my control I would have immediately enlisted proper help. We spent a week inside, keeping warm & relaxed, had lots of steam baths, lots of nursing & naps, lots of Breathe essential oils on his feet and chest, a homeopathic remedy and lots of Nose Frieda-ing. I was so thankful when his cough & congestion broke and he was feeling better. I was also so grateful for a husband who trusts me, and helps me trust myself. The human body has amazing capacity to heal itself, even a tiny one like his.
Conference Sunday loving. The older he gets the more I love him. I really don't see how this pattern can continue without bursting my heart into pieces. He is so sweet, calm, fun & happy. He really is my joy.
The sun decided to shine again sometime in April & so we headed outside to soak up its rays. Deacon decided that sun, grass, sand & dirt are right up his alley. I can't wait for summer to introduce him to the swimming pool!
Just being a doll in the outfit Grandpa sent him. He rolled over for the first time at 4.5 months and was so proud of himself. He slowed down after that but has gotten the hang of it and loves to throw himself to the ground when I have him sitting up & then roll over onto his back. He also LOVES this comforter he is laying on. It's on our bed and it's my secret weapon for when he is cranky. I'll just go lay him on his tummy on that and he starts kicking his legs and smiling and laughing. He loves those little dots, it's adorable.
In early April I took him on the first of many (I hope) Mommy-son trips! We went to Boston for the weekend to celebrate the impending arrival of sweet Ashley & Scott's baby girl. We enjoyed the shower, but mostly liked hanging out at their apartment and eating the yummy cookies Scott brought us for dessert. It's wonderful to have such dear friends close to us.
At around 5 months his "vocabulary" really started to expand. He began trying out new sounds and volumes and it's just so fun to watch him discover his voice. He'll whine when he's cranky, "talk" with us when he's happy, scream/shriek when he's excited, and my favorite, is the "bbeehh" sound he makes every now and then when he's really concentrating.
My sweet Easter Bunny at our ward Easter brunch. He wasn't sure what to make of all the people yelling and snapping and smiling and clapping at him to get him to smile for his picture.
Easter Sunday. Too bad we didn't get family picture.
This is one of my all-time favorite pictures of him. Every night before bed I lay him in his crib under his mobile and he plays while I get his jammies on, diaper changed etc. This particular night he was just in such a great mood & he was laughing and coo-ing up a storm. The lighting and shadows are terrible but I love the look of glee in his little face. And you can kind of see his legs stick-straight out like he does when he's excited. And the neck rolls!!! And arm rolls! And leg rolls! How delicious is he?! I wonder when I'll stop thinking that he is just completely perfect... (Probably during potty training).
The very last weekend in April I took him back out to Utah for the annual McAffee girls (& babies) retreat. 35 of us shared 4 condos at Bear Lake and it was a blast. The next week we spent a few days with Grandma & Grandpa which made the trip even better. Again, he was an angel on the airplane (thank you, thank you, thank you Deacon!).
(Excited to be on the airplane again!)
That weekend he suddenly became completely enthralled by food. He would see someone near me eating and just lunge in that direction. I was trying to hold out until he was a solid 6 months before giving him anything but breast milk but decided that if he was ready, I could be ready too. A raw carrot to gnaw on was his very first taste of solid food!
Hanging with his favorite Uncle Trevor in Utah. Trevor was such a natural with him, even after all his self-proclaimed disinterest babies I heard through my pregnancy. He toted him all over the house and outside and even changed a diaper for me.
Of course he loves his Grandma Caroline so much.
He sat up by himself for the first time when he was 5 months and about 1 week old. He does it daily now, usually with a Boppy around him so he doesn't bonk his head when he falls over or throws himself to the ground. He's growing up and we are loving it, it's so fun to watch him learn and grow and develop into such a smart & happy baby.
Strawberries! A little strong for his palate, although he insisted on more after this picture. So far he's had: banana, avocado, watermelon, cooked carrots, bell peppers and this little bit of strawberry and he's liked it all! I think he's going to be a great eater. We are doing baby-led weaning and loving it. It's convenient and he's already made so much progress in how he manages food.
Bath time is happening more frequently these days, he knows how to get that food everywhere.
I've been so bad at writing in a journal since he's been born. That makes me sad, because there is so much I want to remember, but hopefully my excess of pictures will make up for it.
To remember:
- Laying in bed next to him this morning after he'd woken up from a baby nap in my arms and looking into his eyes as he looked into mine and just feeling so close to him.
- The giggle and huge smile he always has for Daddy when Mckay walks in the door at the end of the day.
- His winkie smile and how he gets excited and and then buries his head into my shoulder or turns his head away from who ever is making him happy, like he gets shy, or too excited to handle the eye contact. It's the cutest things.
- He loves the bath and just splashes away, I usually need dry clothes after he's done.
- He's getting better at napping at at least once a day will give me a two hour nap, which is awesome. I'm still looking forward to a full night's rest- it has to happen one of these nights, right?
- The way he curls his feet together when he is laying on his back with no socks on.
- When I change his diaper on the changing table and my elbow waves in his face it always makes him laugh and then he tries to catch it and chew on it. It's the funniest thing, and it always makes me happy.
- His sleeping face, so content and peaceful in my arms. I love it even at 2am.
There just aren't words for the love we have for Deacon. Everyone said it's something you won't understand until you have your own child. And they were right, but they were also wrong because I have my own child now & I still don't understand it. He's our light. I could have ten of him.
