Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Sunday, May 27, 2012

Off to the Dentist

We have been planning to take Owen to his first dentist appointment for quite some time, but have not called and made him an appointment.  We decided it was finally time.  We found a pediatric dentist in Greensboro that is great with kids and tries to make the experience as fun as going to the dentist can be!  We had some other things going on that day, so Brent took the day off to take him.  His appointment was at 9:15, so B and Owen left and had breakfast at Tex and Shirley's so Brent could indulge in a lumberjack breakfast!!


O did good at the appointment.  He was a little apprehensive about letting the hygienist use all of the things in his mouth, but at least he got oriented with what happens at the dentist.  The dentist checked his teeth out and said everything looked great, no cavities and his bite was very good.


They took his picture to remember his first visit and afterwards he got to pick out a toy and a sticker.  Of course we had already told him about his 'goodie bag' he would get afterwards.  You wouldn't think a new toothbrush and toothpaste would interest a 3 year old, but we were wrong.  All the way home, Brent said he played with his new tooth brush.  Glad his exam went well.

 

Later that day, O had his 3 year old check up (I know, we were a little behind on this).  He had a great report and was 34.5 pounds and 39 inches tall. (40th percentile for weight and 60th for height).  Such a blessing to get such good reports.  He is growing up so fast!

Gray Is One Month Old!!

We can hardly believe that our little boy is already one month old! The last several weeks have flown by and we have fully adjusted to having another newborn in the house. Gray has definitely grown from the time we left the hospital. He had lost down to 7 lbs. 12 oz when we went for his one week check up. At his one month check up, he was 10 lbs. (51 percentile) even and measured 22 1/4 (72 percentile) inches long. His newborn sleepers are already too snug and he has been sporting the 3 month ones for a couple of weeks.

Hanging out on my blanket.

I love my mommy!

Playing on his playmat

With Owen, it seems like he slept most of the time for a good 3-4 weeks, before becoming more and more awake. It seems like Gray started having more awake time beginning around week 2 and he usually stays awake an hour or so after his feeding during the day. When he is awake, he just stares at our faces and looks to see what noises he hears. We usually get a quick smile or two if we tickle his nose. On most days, he will stay on his playmat for a little while usually just staring at the toys hanging from the top. He will stay on his tummy and lift up his head for a short time. He usually gets frustrated after several minutes and he lifts his head up high to let us know he has had enough!

He loves his warm baths.

Gray started out sleeping in the pack ‘n play in our room and he officially moved into his crib by the third week. We swaddle him in his sleepsack and he usually has 3-4 hour stretches at night. The first months of bringing home a newborn are so exhausting!! I think we would turn cartwheels if we got more than 4 hours of sleep in a row.

Looking like a big boy in the chair.

Gray is such a hold me/rock me/swing me baby! He just loves to be held and that’s the only way we can get him settled at times. He loves to fall asleep in your arms. There are so many things to do around the house during the day, but sometimes it just takes a backseat and I just enjoy holding him in my arms. I figure the moments are precious and will change soon enough, the housework will always be there!

Giving you a quick smile.  Love his smiles so much!
Gray had his first bath when he was one week old. It was just a sponge bath, since it took his umbilical cord a week-and-a-half to fall off completely. He loves taking a bath and usually just sits in the water and looks around. O has fallen in love with taking baths in our garden tub, so we usually bring the infant tub in the bathroom and they take baths at the same time. O obviously gets more baths than G right now. Gray stills has very light brown hair and it looks blondish after we wash it. It’s funny, because Owen’s hair was so dark when he was a baby.

Getting a few lessons on tractors from my big brother.

Owen is still enjoying being the big brother. He has a huge interest in when Gray is going to be able to eat food. We have to explain to him that he doesn’t have any teeth yet. He will help out some with diaper changes, but he is not a fan of stinky diapers. Wet ones are okay. We still have to keep a pretty good eye on him when he’s around Gray. Sometimes he wants to play with him or bounce him in the bouncer. At times, it seems like he’s trying to bounce him out of the bouncer! He doesn’t realize how easy and careful you have to be with a newborn!

Owen's pic from 1 month old.

The first month has been a wonderful adventure of awe, changes, sweet moments, and the occasional evening fussies! We love every moment of it and cherish this time! We love you Gray!

Check Out My Trophy!

Earlier, I blogged about Owen being in the Kiddie Kicker soccer program at the Y this spring.  They practiced for about two months.  Towards the end, I think he may have gotten tired of it, because practices had gotten very interesting.  I stayed at home for most of the practices since I was very pregnant at the beginning and then I was at home with Gray.  Brent said he was exhausted by the time it was over.  Every Monday kinda went like this...Brent gets home from work and changes, O gets in his jersey...they head off to Chick-fil-A and eat dinner...then they get to practice at 6:15...they come home and O has a snack, then a bath, and then off to bed.  They did manage to swing by for ice cream or dessert after some of the practices and I was able to meet up with them.


O was one of the younger ones on the team, so he didn't have the skills the older ones had which made it a little less fun for him.  He still talked about it and said he liked playing.  At the last practice, they scrimmaged against the team that practiced right before them.  With about 30 three to four year olds running around the field, things were pretty disorganized.  After it was over, they all enjoyed pizza and cupcakes.  At the end, each kid received a trophy.  O was ecstatic!!  He was proud of his trophy.  It made us happy to see him so proud of himself for doing well and getting a reward at the end.  He is growing up fast!

Sunday, May 13, 2012

Gray's Arrival

When I was pregnant with Owen, I kept wandering when/if I would go into labor.  We had an induction date set and the night before the big day, he decided it was time to come on his own.  With Gray, we also had an induction date, but he decided he was way too comfy inside mommy's tummy, so we went to Plan B - INDUCTION!! 

We had to be at Women's at 7:30am on April 14th, which is where Gray's story begins.  I was very nervous about being induced..wandering if everything would go fine and just not knowing what to expect.  Around 9:30, they began the induction, but the first method they used did absolutely NOTHING!!  Brent and I just hung out in the labor and delivery room, watching TV, surfing the internet, and trying to make the time pass by as quickly as possible. 



After 4 hours, it was time for the Petocin.  Had they started with that, Gray would have been born 4 hours sooner!  It worked like a charm and about 4 1/2 hours later at 6:15pm, we welcomed him into this world.  It was such an amazing feeling.  It was familiar since we had been through this 3 years earlier, but at the same time it was so unique.  I can't express the feelings of joy, love, happiness, and warmth we felt after his delivery. 



When he was born, we thought he looked so small, I guess we were used to looking at a tall 3 year old for so long.  Much to our surprise, when they put him on the scales and said he was 8 lbs. 7 oz., I was in complete shock!  Good thing they induced him, rather than him getting any bigger!  He had a lot of hair like Owen, but his was light brown/blondish, where as Owen's was dark brown.  He was two inches shorter than O, but over a pound heavier.  So far, it's really hard to tell if he looks like O or not. 


The grandparents couldn't wait to see Gray.  They enjoying watching him get his first bath and shampoo in the nursery before we all moved into my room.  Owen was staying with Brent's parents, and Papa brought him over to see his new brother.  He only got to see him through the nursery window the first night since it had gotten so late and I still wasn't in my room.  He came back the next morning and got to meet him face to face.  He was so sweet and gentle with him.  He hugged him and rubbed his hair.  Whether he fully knew what was going on, I don't know.  The four of us went home Monday morning.  It was so special to load the two of them in the car and drive away.  We look forward to the lifetime ahead of us with our two sweet boys.