we've moved!

i finally got things together for a new blog. now that grayson is here i'm not really "waiting on july" anymore. i figured a new blog is a good place to share pictures and stories so that everyone can keep up with us. he's already 6 weeks old and its amazing how fast the time has gone by. he has changed so much, the new blog will document that.

i hope you will visit it and continue to follow us!

you can find us here - two dogs and a baby

first night away

our first night away from you was when you were only a week old. some people may think thats terrible but i knew you were in the best of hands so it really wasnt that bad. 

we had a wedding to go to in philadelphia so i left you down the shore with grandma for the night. i only cried three times, which i think is pretty good. as much as i missed you it wasnt bad because i knew i didnt have to worry about you, grandma is the next best thing besides your mom. 

the wedding was wonderful, and it was nice to know that there was still a chance of having a life, even with a newborn. i tried very hard to keep the conversations non baby related. i think i did fairly well. and i only whipped out a photo once. 

i was proud of us for making it will midnight, we headed out around 1230 though. lame. but thats what happens when you get no sleep. we still managed to dance and have a good time though. 

we were beat by the end of the night. your daddy is so handsome! even when hes being cranky because i want to take his picture. 

xoxo

the mom

doggies

i have to say, i was really nervous about how the dogs would react to bringing home a baby. especially since they were already attention bugs. its something i worried about for a while. 


we decided the best way to introduce you to them was to bring everyone to a neutral location (grandma and grandpa joes house) then bring everyone home. they were interested when we first walked in the door, then you became old news. the only time they really payed attention was if you cried or made noises. 


eventually though they became use to you. every time i walk in the door they run to the carseat and smell and check you out. they have started saying hello to you before they say hi to me now. 


cherrio LOVES to give you kisses. he licks and licks your feet. pancake has just started to show interest.

i'm so proud of her. i would have thought she would be jealous and not have wanted anything to do with you but instead she has decided its okay to love you! until you start running around pulling tails. 

xoxo

the mom

preppin the dogs

to prep the dogs we brought home your hospital hat. here is what the dogs chose to do with it...

snee

pete

b

xoxo

the mom

jimmy buffet concert

were all big jimmy fans. grandpa joe has tickets to the concert. here is your video you sent asking for a ticket.

xoxo

the mom

learning...

So there are a few things i have learned since becoming a mom. Like do like let the baby sleep for 6 hours straight during the day because he will not sleep that night. And make sure you are fast when switching from old diaper to new because that stuff will get on the walls! My most recent discovery. Strap the child in!

It's not true what they say about putting an infant down in one stop and coming back to see they are still there. Not with you anyway. I put you in your swing, walked to the kitchen, walked back and here you were. Wiggling out of it. I put you on your playard and minutes later you are off of that as well. You are going to be trouble. 

xoxo

the mom

lazy?

ive been a bad blogger. i havent gotten lazy. its just all my time is spent doing this..

you insist on being held 90% of your day. which makes doing anything else impossible. there will be time for all those other things later though, i know this "hold me hold me" will not last once you realize you can get around on your own. peanut snuggle time is THE best. 

xoxo

the mom

he talks!

Such a talented boy, already talking. And so very wise!

We have fun with you!


xoxo
the mom

monthly visits

So we missed our one month old post. You seem to think that the best way to celebrate was to put yourself back in the hospital! One month to the date from when you had us in the hospital before (that one was okay though, it was so you could be born!). 


You had a low grade fever for about a week so i took you to the dr and it was over 100 so off the the er we went. My heart was breaking as they put you through lots of tests to try and figure out what was wrong. We stayed three days and they never figured out what was wrong, the fever did however break. Drama boy. Lets not make a habit of this. 

Here is a video of how you feel about tylonal. 

You were such a good boy. All the nurses loved you. And of course you were never without visitors. 

xoxo

the mom

Happy Baby!

xoxo
the mom

Nakie Baby!

xoxo

the mom

4 weeks

It is amazing how fast time goes by, and even more amazing how much you have changed in that amount of time! I love watching you mature. You are so alert when you are awake and are fascinated by the world around you. It fills my heart with a joy that I have never known. I am enjoying you being so small and fitting perfectly in my arms but I am excited to see you grow. I am already forgetting how small you once were, I don't want to forget any of it so I am making sure to take lots and lots of pictures of you. Here are some shots from your one month photo session. 

So beautiful! 

xoxo

the mom

sports

your dad is addicted to sports, did i mention that? you weren't even home 24 hours and he already had you watching basketball with him. like your mama, you fell asleep!

xoxo

the mom

sleepy

we do a lot of this around here...

that is your favorite way to sleep. its your little compfy spot. 

xoxo

the mom

bathtime!

your very first bath. 

mommom (your great-grandmother) came over the second day you were home and helped me give you a bath. you were still too small for the whale tub and had not lost your cord yet so it was just a sponge bath. you did well though, you did not pee on me nor did you scream. you just laid there, cute as can be! 

xoxo

the mom

growing

i cant believe how much you have grown in just a few weeks. when you were born you weighed 5lb 3oz. by a week old you were already up to 5lb 11oz. you just keep growing and changing. i just can't believe how fast its happening. you are fitting into your clothes better, and your carseat. 

4 days old versus 2 weeks old. 

its just amazing the rate you are changing. i love it. but don't grow up too fast on my little peanut!


xoxo
the mom

our first day

The first week you were in the hospital, then we brought you home and we had visitors coming constantly. Daddy had the week off from work so i was never alone. Then when he went back to work the next week you and i spent it down the shore with grandma so i would have some help. Saturday we came home from the shore and then today your dad had to go back to work. So it was just you me and the dogs. 


We napped a bit in the morning then i got some stuff done around the house while you were sleeping. I gave you your first bath all by myself. I think i did pretty well, there was no screaming or crying. You looked cute as a button all wrapped up in your towel, i was so worried you were going to pee on me before i was able to get your diaper on. 

ET or baby Grayson?

Then auntie came over and we took a trip to target. You did very well, good thing auntie was with though because we needed to take a bottle break. 

Overall the day was not so bad. I managed to bath you, feed you, and keep it all together. I did discover though that you make it very hard to get things done (this short post alone took two days to write). There always seem to be bottles that need washing, and things that need straightening. Forget trying to make myself a meal. You need constant attention when you are awake (which surprisingly is most of the day). You want to either be held or bounced in your chair. This is a habit we will need to work on breaking. 

It's tough being home alone with an infant. I have a totally new respect for stay at home moms. Its wonderful being able to spend time with you but it is exhausting and a bit lonely as well. I know i am very lucky to be able to do it though and when things get tough i will just try and remind myself of that. 

Mommy baby snuggle time is great!

xoxo

the mom

the many faces of grayson

you are the most expressive baby, always with the crazy faces. 


xoxo
the mom

moving?

no, were not relocating our home, just possibly our blog. i created this as a way to document my pregnancy and keep people up to date with what was going on. now that july came, and so did you, i am no longer waiting. just enjoying. 


which made me think i should possibly say goodbye to this blog and move onto another so that i can keep people up to date with how you are growing. what do you think?


xoxo
the mom

teanie tiny baby

look at that face. such concern. 

xoxo

the mom

adjusting

There are a million books and websites to get you through your pregnancy and labor but not much mention of once its all over. Any difficulty in pregnancy is nothing compared to the difficulty of caring for a newborn. 


It's pretty overwhelming, the second day we were home i cried for two hours straight. Not because i was unhappy, just because i was exhausted and so unprepared. This little life that totally relies on you. I have no idea if i am doing things right or not, i worry constantly that i am screwing it up. 


I think it took a couple days for me to realize, hello- yes this child is mine. Even the moment you were born and i saw them take you there was this thought that came over me and i said to myself, he is mine- all mine, i actually get to keep him? I was sort of in shock i think. The first week was crazy. We spent so much time in the hospital then we came home and the first couple days was a constant flow of people coming and going. 


I think i am finally starting to get a grip on things. Although its a false sense of reality. Your dad is coming home late every day this week so we are down the shore with grandma so mommy is not alone all day and all night without help. She is a huge help, giving you baths, feeding you, taking you so i can nap in the morning. Next week will be tough when it is my first week alone while daddy is at work. I think this week is kind of like training though. That first week was way too crazy to learn anything so this second week i've got my training wheels on while grandma helps us then next week i should be ready to go. 


As difficult as this is though, between the tired eyes and constant annoyance of pumping, i am enjoying it more and more every day. You are a huge reward. 

xoxo
the mom

our first night home

The night you were born i got no sleep, and not because of you. You were born at 8:56 and i was in a room before midnight. All i wanted was to see you but they took you away to the nursery then they brought you in to me for about a half hour and had to take you away again. Then an hour later they brought you back but just long enough for me to kiss you goodnight. Then another hour later the doctor came in to tell me you were being admitted to the nicu. I was worried, plus they came in every hour to take my blood pressure. 


They submitted you to the nicu because your blood sugar levels were not stable, then you developed jaundice. It was heartbreaking seeing you hooked up to all of the monitors. And they had to stick your little foot to draw blood every three hours. I really only saw you when it was time to feed. The first day i got to hang out and hold you all day but you were a bit overwhelmed with all the visitors and the nurses suggested we give you a little recovery time. I would come in every three to four hours to feed you and during the night i would skip the 3am feeding so i could get some sleep. I could sleep easy though because i knew you were being monitored constantly. I was not worried. 


Finally though you got to come home Monday night. We took you right from the hospital over to grandma and opa joes house. The dogs were there so we had to pick them up and we wanted you to meet them in a neutral place, we thought it would help. Then we headed home, all five of us. I could not sleep at all that night though. I decided to put you in the pac n play in our room instead of your crib. I laid you in there all swaddled up and five minutes later i saw you on your side and panicked, you have to sleep on your back, they told us that many times at the hospital. I tried to reposition you but it did not work so i ended up calling grandma in the middle of the night and she told me to bolster blankets on either side of you, and that worked. I was still worried though so i kept checking every few minutes. 


Plus you are a stinker and have your days and nights mixed up. You fussed all night and would not sleep. Therefore i did not sleep. It was a bit rough. I was exhausted the next day and I have a hard time taking naps, especially with you around. I feel like i need to be there for you instead of napping. 


The second night went much better though. I slept more confidently that you would not roll over and suffocate or something and you seemed to understand that you were supposed to sleep. I did not get a ton of sleep but it was better. 


It's hard, its only day two but its very hard. I know that I have lots of help and support and that it will only get better though. 

A cute picture of my little turtle! 

xoxo
the mom

The day you were born...

For the record- July 8th was my guess, although i never thought i would be right!


People kept asking me "have you been having contractions?". All i could say was that i wasn't sure. It's hard to say you have or haven't when it's nothing i've ever actually experienced before. Around 4 in the morning on thursday though up until 530ish i could say for sure i was. They weren't horrible, just cramps that would come and go every few minutes. They got stronger and made sleeping not so easy.


The plan for Thursday was to go to the dr, come home and get some stuff done, pick up emily and grace to go walk around cherry hill mall (i figured walking would be good for me and it was too hot to do it outside so why not go shopping while i walk!), then go to the grocery store and come home to get some cleaning done. Very busy day.


9am rolled around and i gave the dogs a treat and told them i would be right back. I went to the dr, was so distracted that i forgot to pee in the actual cup, so i then had to drink lots of water and try again later at the end of the apt. The midwife did an exam and said i was already 3cm and 75% effaced. Part of me was totally shocked but the other part of me expected it since i've been taking the oils, walking, doing everything i naturally could to move things along.


I took a picture in the bathroom while i waited to have to pee again. Lovely i know! (but im glad i took it! ended up being my last one)

Blood pressure was way high (which since may it randomly has been here and there) and the midwife was not happy about that. She also suspected my water had broken and that there might not be any fluid so i needed to go get an ultrasound. She seemed concerned with everything, which concerned me! Then when i finally did pee in that cup (i remembered to hold the cup under this time!) my protein was also high so she said "yup, you're having a baby today. head to the hospital"


Ummm, what! Excuse me. Come again!?


I really was not prepared for that. The poor secretary at the desk when i was checking out asked when my next apt needed to be and i said i was headed to he hospital to have a baby and totally lost it. Sobbing. She probably thought i was insane.


She wanted me to head right across the street to the hospital, not to stop home first. I was not at all ready for this so i had to call your dad, tell him what was going on. He freaked out and ended up hanging up on me! Then called back a minute later realizing he hung up on me. I sent him a text with all the stuff to pack, because naturally i had not finished getting it all done. Then i called grandma and told her to get her butt home from the shore (we had just gotten home ourselves the night before!). Called sarah, who had just gotten off an evening shift at the hospital and was about to go to sleep, told her what was going on and asked if she could take care of the poor dogs who i had told i would be right back to!


The labor floor was busy and I had a million different staff coming in and out, none of which were consistent because everyone was so busy and they kept telling me I was headed home soon. "No Diane said we were having the baby today" i told al of them and I just kept getting the same response. Probably not, we will see, doesn't look that way.


Wonderful, I had gathered all the troops, collected myself, come to terms with what was going on, and now they tell me this probably won't happen!? It was a little frustrating. I sat there from about 10 till 3ish waiting to hear what was going on. Your dad and grandma had made it there, Sarah was there and already called out of work for that night, everyone had been expecting to see a baby.


My pressure was good but your heart rate was not, there were dips and no real jumps. Which apparently is not good. So despite the hospital nurse and attending objections my midwife said "we are definitely having this baby- you don't mind do you?". So things were back on again.


Pitocin was started around around 4:30. I was petrified. I have heard horrible things about that drug. It meant hard fast contractions were on their way. I waited and waited but no horror. Contractions were very manageable, not much worse then gas pains. They were getting a little more intense so i decided to get IV meds to help relax me a bit, maybe i could sleep. As with anything in the hospital it takes forever so i just said lets do the epi while we still can. They checked and i was  4cm, -1 station, 90% effaced at that point.


Around 6:30 i got the epi, which was scary, but not bad. It was more uncomfortable then anything else. The most painful part of labor though came when the anesthesiologist had the needle in my back and a contraction came on. I was bent over, which was not comfortable, could not move, and trying to work through it. Once it was in and the contraction was over though it was totally fine. I could still move my legs around and feel them, they just felt heavy. About 20 minutes later I couldn't even tell I was having contractions, it was pretty amazing. 

I just hung out for a while. By 7:30 i had already moved to 6-7cm. Because the transition from 4 to 7 was so fast you dropped down quickly which messed with your heart rate. This got everyone worried because you were in distress. They decided to break my water to see if you pooed. It appeared you had not which was good but they still started setting up for a C-section because of your stress level. I was not happy about this at all. I did not want a c-section! 


Everyone started heading to the hospital, anticipating a very long night of waiting for you to come. We figured at that point you would probably have a Friday birthday rather then a Thursday one. 


One of my favorite shows in the summer is Big Brother, the premier was that night at 8pm so the plan was to watch it. Since i was not in pain i figured that would be no problem at all, it would help pass the time. Grandpa joe set it up for me so i could watch the live streaming on the laptop because the tv in the room was terrible. I saw maybe two minutes of it before I started feeling something strange. Pressure, like I could feel you moving. I mentioned it but no one seemed concerned because they said there was no way it was time to push. WRONG! There you were. I was at 10cm and ready to go. 


Everyone started rushing around getting ready. They reminded me that pushing can take a couple hours. Nope, wrong again. Three pushes later and you had arrived! Turns out my water had not totally broken, they broke the remaining bag and it turns out you had in fact pooed so they had to rush you away. This was disappointing because i was hoping to wait and cut the cord after it was done pulsating. But nothing i had hoped for went my way so why should that have! 


4 hours of labor, 3 pushes. 7/8/10. 8:56pm. 5lb 3oz. 19". Perfect and beautiful. 

Holding daddy's hand. 

Mommy holding you for the first time.

Look at that face!

Daddy holding you for the first time.

Grandma and Grandpa joe.

xoxo
the mom

Welcome Baby Boy!

A couple cell phone shots. More to come...

Grayson Brady. 19in. 5lbs 3oz. 

xoxo

the mom

baby bump turned pillow

i'm pretty sure once you are here the dogs are going to miss you being where you were for a couple reasons. one- there will be a loss of attention on them which they will not be okay with. two- you make a pretty compfy pillow. 

xoxo

the mom