Huismans in Helvetica: Grady Henry Huisman

One week ago, we welcomed Grady Henry Huisman into our arms at 6:25 am on Easter morning. His arrival was much anticipated and it makes Easter even more special for us. We thank the Lord that he is healthy and we have had a wonderful week getting to know our newest boy.

Grady weighed in at 8 lbs 6 oz and was 19.5 inches long. We had a good stay in the hospital and went home in the afternoon on April 2 (his due date). He's been an amazing baby so far and it's hard not to make comparisons to Carsten in this respect. Andy and I do not remember Carsten sleeping so long and so well, and honestly Grady is quite a bit more relaxed in personality so far. He rarely cries; the only time he consistently cries is when he screams during diaper changes. Nursing him has gone much smoother than it did with Carsten, but this is probably because I'm more experienced. Grady has been a champion sleeper every night (typically sleeping ~11 hrs with a 4-5 hr stretch and two 2-3 hr stretches. He's also been typically taking an amazing nap in the afternoon (4-5 hrs) which has allowed me to get some good rest in the afternoon. I'm hoping this will continue since Carsten also takes a nap during that time. We have been extremely blessed to have Mom and Dad Huisman to take care of us during this last week; they have been cooking, cleaning, and caring for all of us, especially Carsten, as needed. Carsten has had a bit of adjusting to do, and we've noticed that his behavior is not quite as good as normal - we think he's been missing his 'mommy time' since he now has to share me quite a bit now. Luckily, Grandma and Grandpa have been keeping him very occupied with playing outside, making cookies, and other fun activities (thanks Mom and Dad!). I'm honestly not sure how we would have survived the week without Mom and Dad since Andy needed to be back teaching on April 3. Here's photos from Grady's first week: