Grady is 3 months

Jan 13, 2014 (how is it 2014, btw?? shouldn't there be hover crafts and aliens all over the place??) marks Grady's 3rd month on this earth and what a joy he continues to be!  In my personal experience and the general consensus among moms I know, 12 weeks is considered the "magic age" in which babies have regulated themselves a bit and a natural schedule begins to emerge. Also, moms are much better at anticipating their baby's needs and interpreting cries so they can swoop in like only a mommy can and make whatever is wrong, right again.

Grady and I are no exception. We are so in sync and he fits right into our family's rhythm like he has always been here. We are pros at breastfeeding now and can do it anywhere and anytime he needs to, though he only nurses about every 4 hours and has been sleeping 8-9 hour stretches in his crib at night. When he wakes in the morning he just coos and makes sweet little baby sounds while waiting to be picked up and changed.

He weighs 13.5lbs and is 25ish inches long. He wears size 2 diapers and 3-6 month clothing. He is now grabbing at toys that dangle down from his play mat and he is rolling onto his side from time to time. His eyes remain blue and are always wide when they are open, absorbing all the goings on around him. He loves watching his sister's antics and they are best at making him smile. Daddy is something of a baby whisperer all of the sudden and Grady falls asleep in his arms so easily.

Grady continues to be a dream baby! He loves his paci, has no issues with bottles or falling asleep or his car seat or being held by others, he doesn't awaken easily...I could go on and on! He isn't perfect though. Boy is a PUKER! Constantly spitting up. The first rule of Grady remains: Always Have a Burp Cloth! He will spit up hours after nursing and soaks burp cloths and bibs all day long. It is smelly and annoying but that is really his only flaw (so far!)

Love this little guy with all my heart!!

Halloween 2013

Now that we have kids, Halloween is a holiday I look forward to. Before them, it was my least favorite of the holidays. I am not a fan of scary anything, and I find dressing up as an adult silly. But, now that we have kids I think about what costumes they will wear months in advance. I like them all to have a coherent theme, and I think it is adorable when the girls match.
Avery was a teddy bear her first Halloween 2010, then a kitty cat in 2011. In 2012, Harper's first Halloween, they were both cupcakes. This year I had to come up with something that Grady could be a part of, even though he would only be 2 weeks old.
So the girls were Charger cheerleaders (this was decided upon because I already had an outfit for Harper that Avery had outgrown the year before) and Grady was a football. Alex and I were referees.

We really get the most out of the holidays now, each one lasts the whole month! We went to the pumpkin patch at least 3 times this season and had a Halloween party with our playgroup.

On Halloween evening, we walked down to our old neighborhood, Las Playas, and joined our old neighbors block party and trick or treating. Avery and Harper had a blast playing with all the kids their age and we had a great time showing Grady off (who slept the whole time!) and catching up with friends. 

Then we came back up to our neighborhood and hit up a few houses on our street, and still made it home by 7:30 to pass out candy to the older trick or treaters that came by.
It was really fun as Avery totally "got it" this year, and LOVED running up to the doors and getting candy. Harper stole the show with her cuteness and said "tank you wewy much" after each neighbor gave her candy.

Grady is Two Months

My little man is growing so fast! On December 13, Grady is 13.5 lbs and has started to smile selectively, mostly at his sisters. He is a great napper, sleeper and nurser though he still continues to spit up a ton. The first rule of Grady is: Always have a burp cloth!

He is into kicking his legs and is staying awake longer now to look around at things. He is still sleeping in our room with us but will likely move to his own bed soon, though I am in no hurry. He doesn't enjoy being swaddled and sleeps very well in just a sleep sack at night.

He does have a flat spot on the right side of his head due to a tightness in his neck, probably from his position in the womb. (In all the pics in this post, you'll notice his head is turned to the right) I have to work on stretching it by forcing his head to turn to the other side, and I do this as often as I can. It doesn't seem to bother him and it seems to be loosening already.

Grady is One Month

On November 13, our littlest baby turned one month old. While we were definitely adjusting to having a newborn again, the first month with 3 kids 3 and under was not as bad as it was when we brought Harper home. It has been chaotic in our house for a year and a half with two crazy girls, throwing a newborn in barely made a dent (for me. Ask Alex this question and he will tell you his world is rocked and he is never having more kids!) Grady is a great nurser and gained a pound in his first 2 weeks and at a month weighs 11 lbs.
Grady is proving to be a dream baby! He pretty much just eats, sleeps and poops as all newborns do but he is pretty happy doing it. He doesn't fuss or cry much and so far he has been an absolute joy. He does spit up a lot and seemingly constantly, but the pediatrician says it is normal and he will grow out of it.

The girls absolutely adore him and Avery is always saying how cute he is, while Harper shares all her baby dolls with him. I see them both holding and rocking and burping their dolls and saying soothing words to them like I do to Grady, and it is very sweet. Neither girl seems to be jealous of the attention he is getting, though both are more attached to Daddy as I am tied down nursing the baby. But this was expected and I am SO grateful for all of Alex's help with them. I am happiest when I am feeding or cuddling my son, while Alex is entertaining the crazy ones.

I am thoroughly enjoying every minute of Grady as a non-verbal, immobile baby who lights up when I come near because I know these moments are so fleeting. 

I love dressing him just as much as I ever did the girls. It is so amazing to see all the clothes I would stare at and try to imagine him wearing when he was inside me, finally being worn! My favorite part of the day is choosing his outfit and getting him dressed.

At about 2 weeks old, we had some professional shots taken of Grady and they turned out great.

Thanksgiving 2013

It was a skeleton crew at Oma's in Carson this year, with my mom and Corey spending the holiday with Lauren's family and my dad and Katherine choosing to celebrate it at their house.
But Alex and I and the kids enjoyed spending quality time with Oma, Kathy and Glenn, Danielle, Michael and the kids. We don't see my side of the family as often due to the distance and busy schedules, so it is important that we see them when we can.
Oma and Aunt Kathy made a delicious spread, as always, and everyone ate until they could eat no more. I contributed the sweet potatoes and I think they were a hit.

The spread

Love from Great Aunt Kathy

Avery playing with all the toys I played with when I was little

Doting on Grady

Harper and Hailey

Grady's first Thanksgiving, 5 weeks old

Ready for turkey!

Baby boy with the hit of the evening

First family of 5 photo

Our three turkeys

To compensate for not seeing Alex's family for Thanksgiving or even most of mine this year, we decided to host a Thanksgiving Leftovers brunch at our house on the Sunday after, which happened to fall on Dec 1st this year. I was excited to have an excuse to decorate for Christmas immediately following Thanksgiving, and we were thrilled that all the family we missed seeing on Thanksgiving came over to spend time with us. It was a great time and once again, Grady was the hit of the day, in addition to Solange's chipotle gruyere sweet potatoes!

Yum! Tis the season for eating!

Yaya and Grady

Sweet cousin Penny Lou

Uncle Corey and Auntie Lauren

Grandpa John and Grady showing off their baby blues

Pat and Al and the great grandkids

Avery starts Preschool!

Hard to believe our little girl is 3 and goes to school like such a big girl! She has been at Redeemer for over a month now and is thriving, as we figured she would. Her teachers, Miss Debbie and Miss Stephanie in Room 4 have taught her so much and we are loving everything about Redeemer.

Avery comes  home singing adorable songs and telling us stories about friends she has made and things she has done. The art display wall in her room has grown exponentially and we couldn't be more proud of our intelligent, kind little whippersnapper!