3 months!

Grayson turned 3 months old today! It has been a wonderful day so far. We got a much needed blast of fall here in Fort Worth. To celebrate the day, Grandma Angel, Grayson and I had a girls shopping trip. We went to James Avery, Denim and Lace (a wonderful children's re-sale boutique), Bed Bath and Beyond, lunch stop at Jason's Deli, Hallmark, Buy Buy Baby and TJ Maxx! I got tons of great deals on some adorable items for Grayson's "6 month" wardrobe.

Here's what's been going on with G over the past month:

• Still a great sleeper...typically gets last feeding around 9:30, in bed by 10 and sleeps till I wake her up at 6:20



• Very happy and smiley all of the time, loves to "talk" to us and repeat sounds that we make to her



• Rolled over once from stomach to back, (both Steve and I were there to witness it) but she hasn't done it since then. Gotten very close to rolling from back to stomach, we think she'll actually master this first!



• Like to put everything she can hold onto into her mouth...and when there is nothing to grab onto, she likes her hands, fingers or thumb in her mouth.



• Still swaddling her to sleep although she is getting stronger, and we have nicknamed her our little Houdini as her arms seem to find ways to escape the swaddle more often then not.



• I went back to work - four days a week, 7:15 - 4:00. Grandma Angel has been here taking care of G at the house. They have been having a great time. Grayson loves taking bottles now (it took her a while)! They go for one or two walks a day, lots of mat time and reading books!

A 1980's classic...

With maternity leave coming to an end, I am scrambling to get things in order around the house for my return to work. Today I decided to make some room in Grayson's closet by packing up her newborn clothes. I have to admit that packing up those teenie tiny outfits made me a little sad. To make myself feel better, I told myself that one day we'd have another little girl who would have the chance to wear these outfits as well. Hopefully it won't be one day too soon, we just want to enjoy G for now! :-) But while I was cleaning up the closet, I came across a couple outfits that I had stuck in the back. They were outfits that my mom brought to me a couple visits back that I had worn when I was a baby. One of them was sized for 0 - 3 months, and I was sad that I hadn't dressed G up in it yet. So I decided a photo shoot was in order. Hope you enjoy as much as we did!

A day in the life....

Since Mommy is getting ready to go back to work next week, she thought it would be a good idea to do a blog about how we have been spending our days during her maternity leave. I have been so lucky to have mom home taking such good care of me for the past 11 weeks. I will miss her when she goes back to work, but Grandma Angel and then Grandma Kathy are going to come and watch me for a while and I know that is going to be SO MUCH fun because let's face it, Grandmothers Rock!! Mom has also told me that she will only work four days a week which doesn't seem like too much to me!

Ok, so here is life as I have known it so far...

6:30AM - Mom comes to my room to wake me up, I get a new diaper and changed from my PJs. Then I get to eat, I'm always really hungry after sleeping all night --- that is hard work!
7:15 - Time to get in the stroller and head out for our walk and run. So Herbie doesn't feel left out, we take him for a short stroll around the block first, then we drop him off at home and hit the road for a 3 to 4 mile jog. By the time we start the run, I am ready for a nap and usually snooze the whole way.

8:45 - When we get home, I sit in my bouncer (my favorite spot) while mom takes a shower.
9:15 - Time to eat again! Then I normally spend some time on my activity mat.
10:30 - Around this time I go down for a nap. I like to use the SwaddleMe blankets when I sleep. In this picture, mom let me have one arm out! I also like the pacifier for naps but as you can see here, I typically spit it out once I fall asleep.

12:00 - Around this time, I either wake up or mom wakes me up because it's time to eat again! About once a day, I take a bottle. This is my favorite bottle taking position.

12:30 - We do lots of different things in the middle of the day. Sometimes we go to playgroup and I get to hang out with some of my buddies...

Sometimes we have friends over....

And sometimes we meet one of mom's friends for lunch...

When we go out to lunch, normally I sleep....

2:30 - Back home to eat again, hang out and take another nap!
5:30 - Up to eat again (I hate to miss a meal!)
6:00 - Dad comes home from work around this time and we hang out while mom finsihes cookinng dinner.


6:30 Normally I hang out in my bouncer or pack and play while mom and dad eat, then I'll take another short nap.

7:30 - Time to eat again! Then I put my PJs on and hang out with mom and dad on the couch reading books and "talking." Depending on my mood, sometimes I'll take another short nap or I'll just stay up and hang out.

10:00 - Last meal of the day (the 7th one for those of you who have been keeping track)! Then off to dreamland for mommy and me!

2 month stats

Today we went to visit Dr. H for Grayson's two month shots and check up. She weighed in at 12 pounds, 4 ozs which I thought seemed small but that is actually in the 75th percentile. She is 23 3/4 long which is in the 95th% percentile and her head circumference is 40 (cm?) which is also 95th percentile. Most importantly, the doctor thought everything looked and sounded great on Grayson.....especially those lungs after she received 5 immunizations. Woah, we had never seen her get that upset. Luckily, she calmed down by the time we were driving home and is currently "sleeping it off." Here is a photo of the good patient just a few minutes before the immunization assault. I really wanted to take an "after" shot but just didn't have the heart. Trust me, it was sad. We can't believe how big our baby is getting!

Are you my mother??

The pictures that go along with this post for some reason remind me of the P.D. Eastman children's book, "Are You My Mother?" Steve and I had our first night away from our sweet baby girl on Friday. As the die hard TCU football fans that we are, we were really hoping to find a way to attend their season opener against Baylor in Waco. Our awesome neighbors, the Benson's, offered to keep Grayson for us so we could go. I wasn't nervous about leaving her because I know what fantastic parents Lindsey and Charlie are so I knew Grayson would be in wonderful hands. I will say that about half way through the evening I really started to miss little G. My heart melted when we finally got back home and I got to gather her up from their pack 'n play, sleeping soundly in her footed pajamas, and bring her home and tuck her in her crib. Here are the pictures that Lindsey sent me throughout the evening to help me "cope" with being away.

This first one really reminds me of the book....G staring at Nash thinking, Are you my mother?!?

Grayson's First Trip to the Pool

Today the oppressive summer heat finally came to an end! Our temps dropped to well below 100, so we decided a trip to the pool was finally in order. I was told by our pediatrician that infants younger than 6 months shouldn't wear sunscreen so I ordered Grayson a UV swim shirt and hat. We ended up going to the pool near 6pm so I don't think the sun was too intense at all. She didn't seem to mind the water, she just looked around intently the whole time. We didn't stay in the pool too long as we were worried about her getting too cold. After we got her out, dried off and into dry clothes, she took a nice nap in her stroller while Steve and I enjoyed dinner by the pool. It was great to enjoy the cooler weather and fresh air. I feel like I have been inside most of the summer!

Happy 2 Month Birthday Grayson!

A few days ago Grayson celebrated her 2 month birthday! As I reflect on the past month, I can't believe how different it has been when compared to her first month of life. She has changed SO much and caring for her is quite different too. When she started smiling and cooing at us, it's like the little person inside of her came alive! She has gone from a newborn who had a rather unpredictable temperament to an infant who can let you know when she is really happy and really mad and most of the time, there is an identifiable cause for her emotional outbursts (whether happy or sad!). I believe I described G as high maintenance in a previous blog. She has turned into the furthest thing from high maintenance. She is very content now and can entertain herself for very long stretches (allows mom plenty of time to shower, eat, read the newspaper!) The only time she fusses is when it's time to take a nap! I put her down in her crib when she is still happy, she watches her mobile contently for a little while, then as the tiredness comes over her, she will fuss and sometimes scream, but typically, all it takes is giving her the pacifier and she will be out. Her nighttime sleep is AWESOME. She goes down around 10:30 and sleeps until 6:30 (we are on a week straight of that streak!). This skill will be invaluable when I return to work in a few weeks. With how much she has changed over the past month, I am SO excited to see what the next month has in store. We are loving being parents to this amazing little miracle!

Enjoy some pictures from our two month "photo shoot" capturing her smiling face!


Thought that it was SO funny how both G and Herbie look SO serious in this photo! Herbie has started to take more of an interest in G, he will occasionally nap in her room when she is napping, etc. We have no doubt that they will soon be the best of friends.

Here is her 2 month photo compared to her 2 week photo with the same bear....crazy how much she has grown and changed. (We haven't been to the doctor yet, so I don't have her official 2 month vitals, but I'll share when we get that info next week!)