14 July 2010

in which i become a mommy blogger

You might have heard: I had a baby.

That day was one of the best of my life. Words are useless in trying to tell about it. How could I describe the feelings that made me cry when Shay and I finally got to see and hold our little boy? We named him Malcolm. We love him to the moon and back and clear out to the moon again.


Day 1. I love the suspicious look he is giving us -
"Are you sure about this?"
As a bonus, check out my monstrous swollen hand.


It has been an adventure, figuring out how to be his parents. There have been moments of sweet perfection where parenting made more sense than anything else on the planet.


Day 3. Beautiful eyes and wrinkled forehead.


But there was also the minor issue where our cute son cried - or rather, screamed - most of the day and night for a couple of months. We read books about how babies sleep 16-20 hours a day and we laughed heartily. Shouldn't those books go back on the shelf of the "fantasy" section where they belong? We were occasionally driven to the brink of sanity. We latched on to the "sweet perfection" moments for all they were worth.


2 months. He may have cried loudly all through his baby blessing,
but he was all smiles when it was over!
Well, he offered smiles, and also his "I am way too cool for this picture" look.


Now as Malcolm gets older, there are more of those sweet moments and fewer "brink of sanity" moments.


"Who's the new guy?"
(I don't know why I love this picture so stinking much. I do though.)


At three-months-and-some-change, it seems like we're turning a corner. It is a relief to have longer periods where he is happy and interactive. Have you noticed that he is also, um, huge? His cheeks get more comments from strangers than any of his other fine characteristics. At his 2 month check-up he was just shy of 25 inches long. That is big, folks.



3 months. Unlike the better mommy bloggers, I have no photography skills to speak of,
no fancy camera, not even decent photo editing software.
But I do have a really, really cute kid. So, I've got that going for me.


We're free and clear this summer - no school for Shay, no work for me, and no commitments for Malcolm (he's convinced us to wait a few months before we send him out to the factory to earn his keep.) We are enjoying all this hanging out as a family; I love that both Shay and I get to watch in amazement as Malcolm figures out cool new things every single day. We've got just a few more weeks of lazy togetherness ahead of us. And I'm looking forward to it.

21 comments:

jen said...

Malcolm makes his blogging debut!! I've been waiting!!

Malcolm...you are really cute and Carter can't wait to smack you in the face and give you kisses.

Kim said...

Oh Alexis he is so darn adorable! And his expressions are so funny. I'm so glad you are sharing him with us. My mom told me with Logan that you just kind of do what you can to hang in there for the first 3 months and then it gets better. She was right.

P.S. I always cringe when I post dark/blurry/distorted camera-phone pictures of my kids because of all the photographers out there - but at least I'm taking pictures!

Tara said...

I can't wait to see those cute cheeks and everything else in person. He is so adorable. I'm glad to hear that things are getting a little easier. Not that it's ever really easy, but those sweet moments are so wonderful. Thanks for sharing your cute baby.

morgan and tina said...

Congratulations! Morgan told me about Malcom but I had only seen his newborn pictures. I hope to hear more from you on your blog because I sure do love reading it! :]

Catlin said...

Ahhh! Joseph and I were just talking about you guys yesterday! I'm so glad you posted! He really is darling, really. I'm sorry to hear you had a rough patch for a while, but I hope everything is going well. Enjoy the time all together!

Andrea said...

Hooray! A post! And a post with an amazingly sweet, handsome little man. You just made my day. :)

Melissa said...

What a wonderful surprise to see you'd posted today! Welcome to the mommy blog-o-sphere. Malcolm is completely cute, of course. And, oh, how I can empathize with those first few sleepless months of endless crying! And I'm not just talking about the baby! Glad you're seeing the light--and that you get to experience those indescribable parent moments.

Breona said...

Actually, no. I hadn't heard you were a mom of a Malcolm. This blog us my only tie to my guitar friend from Utah state! I'm glad you posted. I've fallen of the map with blogging these days. You know the routine. So happy you're a mom. It is amazing and only more and more each day!

Loni said...

It's about time. Malcolm is cute, and does have huge cheeks - which I love.

Lisa Johnson said...

He is adorable! I love the pictures, the expressions and the captions! So sorry that it has been hard, but I am glad things are getting better! So fun to hear from you and see Malcolm! He is going to be a heartbreaker!

Spenny and Nellie Morris said...

Congrats! He's adorable. Sorry about the fussiness-my first was a lot that way. It's exhausting! We had a baby girl March 17th, so her and Malcolm are about the same age.

Ashlie said...

What a cute little guy! Parenting is defintely one of those things that can be so good and so hard at the same time! I keep wondering why no one told me what it was like...it's great to see an update!

Danny said...

What a beautiful boy! Congratulations!

Amber said...

Hooray!! Love the name, love the cheeks, and love the post. Glad that you guys get all this Summer together- how great is that!
I'm still just so happy for you guys. You are amazing parents. Take care and continue to update us!

Heidi said...

um, SO happy I decided to look at your blog today! I have been waiting for Malcolm pictures for, pretty much, ever! He is a cutie! Those cheeks are about the cutest things ever. (I guess I am into total absolutes today...) Keep the updates coming because I love them!

Holly said...

I did not think I'd ever see you on this again. What a cute little boy you have. I am glad his screaming stage is over!

Melissa Scott said...

He is so handsome Lex! I am really happy for you. Please let us in on the in-person cheek pinching when you are in Utah.

Mary said...

I haven't visited in a while...what a pleasant surprise! Malcolm is beautiful. Do you miss being able to count his age in days?

Heidi said...

Remember when you came back to life in Blog World? That was fun. I'm wondering why it stopped. The end.

ATnell said...

I agree with Heidi.

P.s. No one cares about your photo skills because Malcom makes every picture cute.

Jane said...

Awwww seeing sweet Malcolm from birth to 3 months is so precious!! I'm glad I saw this post! Alexis I love how you describe his little life and cleverly share your transition into parenting. He is SO cute!!