Shut That Baby Up!!!!

It's been several days, so let me update y'all on what's new with little Grady. He's not the same baby we got used to for the first couple of weeks! Once he got used to the world, he replaced sleeping all the time with crying! Mikey and I were in for a rude awakening! We were used to this precious sleeping angel all the time who only cried when he was hungry or had a dirty diaper. I thought, we've got it MADE! NOT!!!

Having a baby is the best thing ever, but for all those people who act like it's bliss 24/7, they are either lying or have a saint baby.... Because when you're up at 4 am after only sleeping a few hours and your bouncing, bouncing, bouncing, shushing, shushing, shushing, and swaying, swaying, swaying all around the house, the thought crosses your mind WHAT HAVE I DONE????? GET BACK IN MY BELLY AND DON'T COME OUT TILL YOUR OLDER!!! I told Mikey the other day, load up the car, we're taking him to the safe house in Nebraska like that one mom did! Of course, I'm only kidding.... I'm sure there's a safe house closer than Nebraska. :)

I was so not used to the crying that I thought something was physically wrong with him, so we took him to the emergency room. Turns out, there's something mentally wrong with me. :) I've got first time mom disorder on top of being a hypochondriac. Deadly combination. We've been to the doctor three times and the ER once since he's been born. And thankfully, he's healthy every time!

So to calm the crying (which the ER doctor attributes to gas and colic), we bought something called Gripe Water which is an herbal remedy said to "calm the fussy baby". We also bought the Miracle Blanket which is a swaddling blanket guaranteed to work. We used it for the first time tonight and baby Grady is sound asleep in his crib before 9 pm. Now let's just hope he's not up wide eyed at 4 am like he was last night!!!!

One thing he absolutely LOVES is bath time. He must get that from me. :) That calms him right down and he just lays there and looks around. He sticks his tongue out and tries to drink the water. I think he could stay there all night long and enjoy every second of it. We got a really neat tub that tells us the temperature of the water and it also allows the water to run through constantly so it stays clean. Good thing, because Grady likes to pee in the water so I'm glad it flows right out!



He's a growing boy. He weighs 8 pounds 14 ounces now. That's 2 pounds since his lowest weight. He still got little chicken legs, but his belly is nice and round. He's like an olive on toothpicks.

Despite the crying, the lack of sleep, and the fact that our house is dirty and the laundry is piled up, we LOVE that baby boy. I look at him everyday and can't believe that God has truly blessed Mikey and I with a precious son that means the world to us. He's changed our lives and made our relationship stronger than we could ever imagine. I'll remind myself of that later when Grady is screaming in my ear and swatting at my face!

Uh-oh... there's the sleeping beauty now. So much for the Miracle Blanket. SIGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH......

Free Stuff!

Yesterday, we received LOADS of free baby items from a friend of a friend. Mikey went and picked it up and his entire truck was filled with toys, clothes, and shoes. We got a portable swing, a walker, a bouncer, a "Play Hut", a rocking horse, and a car for when he gets a little older. There are even more toys that I cannot remember. We also got two Rubbermaid bins full of clothes and shoes- many with tags still on them! I've washed 4 loads of laundry so far. I took pictures of his shoes because they are just so cute. He's going to have a shoe fetish like his mama and he already has more shoes than his daddy!




We also got this really cute Harley Davidson vest! Not that I am a Harley fan, but it was cute anyway!



The other day it was pretty cold outside, and we were headed to Grandma's, so I wanted him to wear his cute blue coat that a friend of mine gave him. Unfortunately, it's a little big! When I put it on him, it reminded me of Ralph in The Christmas Story!


Mikey's gotten to feed Grady two times now! He loves feeding him but I will have to get used to letting him do it some, because I feel like it's "our" time together... it's hard to let that go! But Grady did take the bottle really well and the pump worked well too. (Hope that's not too much information!)

Here are some pictures of Grady on his activity mat. He really enjoys laying on his back looking around, but tummy time is not his favorite, like I mentioned the other day. However, I'm trying to make sure he meets all his "developmental milestones", so I'm making him lift his head and use those muscles! Plus I don't want his head to be flat in the back! That's what I get for being a teacher and having one sister that is a physical therapist and another that is a speech therapist!!!


Enjoy the pics!

2 Week Check-up

This morning we had Grady's 2 week check up with Dr. Mahaffey. Everything went well, I asked all my paranoid questions and Dr. Mahaffey said Grady is "perfect". Can't ask for much more than perfect! She checked all his joints and assured me he is not bowlegged. He's also gained some weight and he is now 7 pounds 10 ounces. His length is now 21 inches. He's a growing boy!

Grady's been doing some "tummy time" and really is strong. He doesn't enjoy it very much, but he kicks his legs and lifts his head very well! We have to get busy building those muscles if he's going to be a defensive end like his daddy wants!

No, Grady is not stuck at 4 days old!

We have been super busy the past 2 weeks with visitors, visitors, and more visitors... so I have had little time to post an update. Not to mention that Grady takes up most of our "spare" time, so spending time on the computer is more of a luxury. Man, how life has changed! It's partially my fault because I am a little OCD about putting him down. I feel guilty putting him in the swing all by himself. Sometimes I sit on the floor next to him so he's not alone. No wonder I don't have any time for myself!

Since Christmas Day, we have had nonstop company! Here's a list of our family and friends that came to see Grady:

Auntie Em (Emily)

Uncle Brian

Aunt Robin

Uncle Beau

Aunt KK (Katie)

Big Daddy (Dad)

Nanny (Charlotte- Oops, no picture!)
Mimi and Papa

Steve
Nancy
Carol
Cathy
Mrs. Marler
Maggie
Aunt Jenine

Uncle Tom
Gerri
Uncle Steve

We will be adding more pictures of our visitors as they are sent to us!

So as you can see, we have been very busy! We definitely enjoyed spending time with our family and friends, and Grady especially enjoyed all the cuddles and hugs! While everyone was here, Emily surprised us with the news that she is engaged, and Katie surprised us with the news that she is pregnant! So, I guess if you want to have a baby, come spend some time with Mikey and I- it seems to be "catchable"! Grady will have lots of little cousins soon!

Grady has really changed the past couple of weeks. He is awake a lot more during the day and very alert. He loves to lay back and stretch his arms and legs. We love just sitting around and watching his funny faces and listening to his sweet sounds... (well, most of them are sweet- those of you who have visited know that he can make some not so sweet noises also!). He's been sleeping pretty good at night lately. We get at least four hours at a time, which we think is great! He wakes up to eat and then goes right back to sleep most of the time.

So we are slowly trying to settle into a routine and get used to our new roles as mom and dad and enjoying every minute! I will try to do better posting pictures and updates. He is changing so fast and I don't want y'all to miss a beat!!!!

Four Days Old

Last night was another long night... Grady stayed up so late. He screamed every time we tried to lay him down and the only thing that would keep him momentarily content was walking around the house with him in our arms. That gets old quick. His stomach was making all sorts of sounds, so we both thought he had a stomach ache. Finally, around 2 am, he "blew out his drawers" (Mikey's words). But thank goodness, because then he calmed down. We layed him down and about 15 minutes later, the explosion happened again. After that, he slept soundly until 5:45 am, and then I fed him and he went right back to sleep... we all woke up again around 9 and have been going ever since!

We took him to see the pediatrician today because we thought he was looking a little yellow. Turns out he is jaundice, which is no big deal. The doc said to get him in the sunlight. We have to go back tomorrow for another blood test and hopefully there will be an improvement.

I got peed on tonight. So did the wall, the changing table, and Grady! But not Mikey! He managed to dodge the sprinkler and ducked for cover. Everyone told me that would happen and I knew it would, but it is still shocking when it happens! And I'm sure it won't be the last time. :)

One thing I am working on is putting the child down for a few minutes! I feel like he needs to be held night and day and Mikey wants to utilize all our baby equipment (swing, bouncer, etc). He convinced me a little while ago to put him in the bouncer seat and he loves it! And I kind of like have a free hand for a while. I feel a little guilty not holding him, but that's silly and probably me being hormonal (shocking, I know).

Right now we are trying to plan out the night for optimal sleep! I'm not sure there is any planning with a 4 day old, but we are both tired and hoping to get a few good hours of sleep tonight. Time to feed him and then hopefully tuck him in snugly!

Wish as luck as we begin another night time adventure! And for those of you with children, feel free to share any words of encouragement as to when the sleepless nights will end. And DON'T say never or I'll kill you!

Grady Michael White's Nursery

Grady's Arrival and Homecoming

The past few days have been extremely busy and emotionally draining, but Grady is finally here after 9 long months of waiting! We were scheduled to be at the hospital on Wednesday night at midnight. I had planned on working Mon, Tues, and Wed but after being completely stressed out on Monday and Tuesday, we decided I should take one day off before going to the hospital. I am glad I did that because I really needed it to relieve some stress. Mikey and I spent the day doing last minute things and getting ready to go to the hospital. Mikey was very excited Wednesday night, but I was internally freaking out about the uncertainties of the next several hours.


We sent Ellie off to Grandma's and headed off to the hospital around 11:30 Wednesday night. As soon as we got there, we were immediately checked into our Labor and Delivery room.... as well as immediately asked for payment! We got settled in, I got changed into my gown, and the hospital staff starting piling in... our L & D nurse Emily, the administration person, and a couple other nurses. My pitocin drip was started by 1 am and we decided to try and get some rest before it would be too late! I expected to start feeling contractions very soon, but was very lucky and was able to sleep for a couple of hours. Mikey had a "couch" to sleep on, but didn't get too much sleep because I was constantly interuppting him to help me walk to the bathroom. We had to unplug my IV's every time and hold a million cords, so I definitely needed some help!




Finally, at 5:30 am, my nurse Emily came....





and asked if I was ready for my epidural because the anesthesiologist was nearby and could come within an hour. I still wasn't feeling any pain, but thought I better go ahead and get it because Dr. Grammer would be coming in to break my water at 7:00 am and I knew things would get worse at that point. At 6:30 am, I received my epidural. I anticipated pain for the epidural, but only a little sting and pressure was all I felt. At 7:30 am, Dr. Grammer and his nurse, Terri (who we LOVE) came in to break my water and do an exam. We also got a new nurse, Christine, and Emily went home. I was only 3 cm dilated at this point, which I had been for a week, so that was a little disheartening.


All day long, things progressed slowly. At some point during the morning, my epidural pump quit working and I felt some very uncomfortable contractions. It took a while for Christine to figure out what was going on, but once it was discovered, they fixed the problem and I felt much better. They also decided to put in an internal fetal monitor because I was having so many contractions, but not dilating much. Finally, at 3:00 pm, Christine did an exam and told us it was time to push. I said, No it's not!!!! I was scared and thought I needed just a little while longer, but it wasn't up to me, so we got set up for delivery.


I began pushing and Mikey was a great supporter the whole time. Luckily, my epidural was working well and I didn't feel much at all. In fact, we watched ESPN for a little while (guess who picked that) and then switched to Judge Judy at 4! Christine said it was the quietest delivery room ever, which for Mikey and I is very surprising! I was just so tired that I wanted to rest any chance I got and Mikey wanted to let me. It was a difficult time in the laboring, not because it was painful, but because Grady was not moving down the birth canal as quickly as we had hoped. Christine said she would need to call Dr. Grammer and ask what to do, but then things started to progress. We called the doctor at 4:30, and he wanted to know if he should speed through the red lights or if he had enough time! He made it there by 4:45 along with Terri and suddenly there were 4 more nurses in the room as well. It was a very exciting time as they were all coaching me along... just a few short minutes later, Grady was born and it was such an overwhelming feeling. There really aren't words to describe it. We were all crying. I got to see him for a short minute before they took him into the adjoining room to clean him up.

He was 7 pounds, 3 ounces and the cutest thing ever (of course I would say that).... he spent several hours in the nursery getting exams and vitals checked. He finally came back to us around 11:30 that night and I was never so happy to see someone!


We had lots of visitors over the next two days and we were both very tired, but happy to see everyone. Finally, at noon on Saturday, we were released to come home. We took naps with Grady as soon as we got home and prepared for what was probably going to be a sleep deprived night (and it was, just like the past few days had been!). But it is all worth it because he is the most precious thing in the world to us! We can't wait for him to meet all our family and friends!

If you would like to see more pictures of Gradys please go to: http://www3.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=262399129/a=13882716/t_=13882716