These hands are made for grabbing...

Today was the first time that Grayson reached out and deliberately grabbed for something. It was so fun to watch. She was in her most favorite spot, the Rainforest Bouncer (thanks Benson family for lending it to us!), and when you move the parrot and monkey, the music plays and it lights up. Well, she seemed to get that there was some sort of relationship between grabbing for the objects and the lights and sound. It kept her entertained for nearly an hour! I really feel like I am getting to the point where I blink my eyes and she is doing a new trick. So fun!

Happy 4th Birthday Herbie (or 28 in dog years!)

Since Grayson's arrival, Steve and I have been really mindful to make sure Herbie continues to get plenty of love and attention. He was, afterall, our first baby, and we wanted to make sure he continued to feel like he was an important member of the family. So, like we usually do, we invited some friends over to celebrate his 4th birthday. Keep in mind that Herbie was found on the playground of an elementary school on the "other side of the tracks" so we don't know exactly when he was born, but the vet gave us a good indication of how old he was when we got him so we made up a birthday from that. Our party guests included Herbie's very best friend, Hogan. I made them some doggie cupcakes to enjoy using a recipe I found online. They seemed to be a hit...but then again, Herbie has never met a cupcake (or any type of food really) that he didn't like.

Herbie and Hogan enjoying the pool

Our great neighbors, the Bensons - sweet Lindsey helped me with Grayson so I could prep dinner!

Grayson ready for the party!

Who's your momma?!

Ok, so up until recently, Stephen and I have been kind of undecided on who Grayson resembles, me or him. I would look at her and just see a cute newborn, I didn't really feel like I was seeing either of our features in her. Well, all of that changed last week when my parents sent a newborn picture of me in the mail. Steve opened the card and immediately said, never mind, Grayson looks like you!! When I went over to look at the picture he was looking at, I was shocked. Ever since then, every time I look down at my daughter, I see myself staring back, it's crazy! Here's my baby picture...whattya think?!

Christmas in July (or August!)

Christmas came early in our house this year! On Thursday, Grayson's 7 week birthday, she thrilled us by sleeping through the night! I fed her at 10 pm, put her down and she slept soundly until 6:15 when I woke her up to start our day! I was a little nervous that it would be a one-hit wonder, but she followed it up Friday night with a repeat performance! Unfortunately the third time wasn't quite the charm as she woke up last night for a feeding, but I have high hopes that everyone will be catching more zzz's in the future. My goal was to get her sleeping through the night by the time I have to return to work at the end of September and I am thrilled that we are on our way to achieving that.

I do have to give some credit to Babywise, a sleep book by Gary Ezzo. Being the type A planner that I am, I couldn't just "wing it" with getting Grayson on a sleep schedule. To be perfectly honest, I had no clue how to approach newborn sleep management, so I was desperately looking for a guide on what to do. I have some friends who have had Babywise success so I decided to give it a read. It's principles seemed to make sense and were easy to follow, so without any other guidance, it's what we have stuck to. It's approach has been perfect for my personality, but definitely might not be for everyone. There are likely lots of ways to get a baby to sleep through the night, I am just hoping that this sticks and my search can end here!

Here's a smiley picture of the well rested baby!

Very Special Additions to Nursery

This past weekend we received a very special addition to Grayson's nursery. We got a growth chart and clothes hooks that were made by Steve's grandma Helen, Grayson's great-grandma, who lives in Michigan! Grandma Helen made them with the help of her friend Lori who happens to specialize in Wood Children's decor and sells on etsy at loriBiebel.etsy.com. Both pieces match Grayson's room perfectly and are such a fun addition. And they are even more special that they were made, with love, by Great Grandma Helen! Grayson also has a beautiful multi-colored pastel afghan made by her other Great Grandma Jean who lives in Arizona. How special is it that she will have these treasures as she grows up

A smile makes everything better

I am convinced that as a mom, especially a new mom, you are blessed with a certain amount of amnesia. As an example, the first couple grueling weeks at home, now seem like a distant memory. Even the 3am melt down that occurred just last night already seems a little hazy in my mind. I truly believe this forgetfulness is there so that parents will not stop at one baby! And one thing that brings the amnesia on even faster is when Grayson smiles at us. It's just been recently that her smiles have actually been the result of joy rather than gas or something else. And when she looks up at me and gives me that grin, I suddenly forget all of the tough times of the previous 24 hours. A baby's smile is definitely a gift from God! Here are a couple pictures attempting to do justice to her cute little grin.

Grayson's first "bottle"

I am a bit behind in this blog, but I really wanted to share it! A couple weeks ago we received a gift from Steve's aunt, uncle and cousin in Florida. It was Grayson's first "bottle." They had seen it on a menu when they were out to dinner and knew right away that they must find a bottle and send to us. We drank it to celebrate Grayson's one month birthday. It was a yummy chardonnay from Napa Valley...Grandma Kathy, a devout red wine drinker, even enjoyed it. It will be 21 years until little miss can try the variety for herself, hope the winery is still around then.