Has it really been almost 11 weeks?

Grady will be 11 weeks old on Tuesday (25th). It's really crazy to think about. Seems like he's always been a part of our lives. He is growing so quickly. At his 2-month pediatrician appointment, he weighed in a 10 lbs, 10 oz! He's also now sleeping typically at least in 5 to 6 hour stretches at night which has been awesome! One night he slept from 9:30PM-5:00AM. I thought he was dead. Thankfully, he just had a REALLY good night's sleep. This was after 3 straight days of no lengthy naps during the day. Guess it caught up with him! He's also smiling now and laughing now and again. It's so much fun to interact with him now. He loves his playmat and bouncy seat even more these days since he's figuring out that controlled movement with his arms actually produces something fun. Oh, the simple life!
Mark took him for his first trip to Sportsman's Warehouse last week. Of course little Grady was appropriately dressed head to toe in camoflage for the outing and Mark was the proudest Dad.
We have also proud parents in church recently, as Grady has been awake during Mass but never screaming. I'm sure our luck will run out one of these days. But so far, he's just been quietly watching everything and not making too much noise. He does typically seem to fall asleep once Father starts the homily. Guess he's practicing for when he gets older! :)
I return to work full time this week. Luckily it's a short week with the holiday. Nanny Kali starts next week. I think she is going to be great--at least I hope it works out well. I'm looking forward to not trying to take care of a 2.5 month old and work simultaneously. It has been increasingly harder to do in recent weeks for sure.

Aunt Amy's Visit

Before I let too much time pass, I must blog about Grady's Aunt Amy and Aunt Stephanie's visit back on the first of this month. It was so awesome to have them here--first time Amy has been here to visit in like 4 years! But what better reason to make a trip now than to see her new nephew. We are forever grateful to them for the Notre Dame football uniform (Grady's Halloween costume) and the cutest dog ever that Amy free-painted on the wall in Grady's room. She is so talented! I wish I had a tenth of that amount of artistic ability. Wonder if Grady will be artistic... Well, we had tons of fun showing them all around this great place we live and they stepped in and just hung out and took care of Grady like he was their own. Pretty cool to see! We hope they come back to visit soon!

Home Sweet Home

Ahhh, back in the land of dry air and open spaces with terrain relief! Texas was pleasantly warm at least but I'd much rather be home with my boys. Funny, no matter where I travel to, I always have that big sigh of relief to be back in Colorado. And I take a big deep breath when I walk out of the airport and see the mountains and know I am home.
G (as he's become well known in my texting) survived with Dad and Grammy and Papa C. while I was gone in TX. Actually I think it was more a case of survival for Mark living in the same house with his parents more than anything! :) We are truly grateful of them putting their lives aside for several days to help take care of the tyke.

Mark and I had our first official date last weekend since Grady was born and Grady spent his first time with the nanny. We thought we'd let her get her feet wet with G before December. I was a bit apprehensive after Grady slept most of the day on Saturday. That usually translates into a nightmare evening. But Kali said he was a good baby so perhaps the two of them are hitting it off already. (I hope!) I do know we won't be doing date night too frequently because it's a wallet-emptying experience to pay a babysitter and enjoy dinner and a movie. I have full sympathy for those who have three kids and pay for a night out--ouch!

The Lone(ly) Star State

So hear I sit in Granbury, Texas on a business trip and missing my family like I never thought I would. I didn't really have a lot of choice on being here this week and at first I thought 'Wow, it will be awesome to sleep 8 hours a night for 4 straight nights'. But the truth of it is, I'd much rather be at home getting up every three hours to take care of my baby boy. He's growing so fast that I don't want to miss a minute of his life. I thought this concentrated time of work would inspire me professionally but mostly, I just want to quit my job and be only Grady's mom!

From what I've heard, my boys are doing okay at home. I call every night and try to talk to Grady on the phone. He grunts for me (this is what he does best). And it just makes me miss him more. 3 more days and I'll be able to hold my boy again.

Timing

I'm noticing that life is a lot about timing and sometimes it's not always the timing you'd prefer. Consider the following things...
1. Our 2.5 year struggle to get pregnant with no success.
2. Our adoption of Grady in about 3 months!
3. Mark's business taking off when we have an infant at home.
4. A new boat that we committed to before we knew about Grady and now we have to pay for!

I'm convinced that God is testing my faith through all of these challenges. It's definitely working toward the positive side though. My friends and family are a huge help too in keeping me on the right path. An interesting story that I've shared with some...
The very day I got the call that we had been picked by birthparents (July 21st), I had what turned out to be my last acupuncture session. With a not very encouraging outlook regarding this acupuncture helping me to get pregnant (thanks anyway Rachel!), I laid on that table stuck with needles and prayed to God to show me some sort of path that I was supposed to take to become a mom. Just show me something!
Upon checking my voicemail when I left acupuncture, it was the agency calling to tell us we were getting a baby! And if I had never truly believed that God answers prayers before, THAT made me a believer.

Just a side note story that some may appreciate.

Well, we are starting to get a handle on things again, now that I've completed 3 weeks of being back to work. Just in time for me to make a business trip to TX next week! But Grammy and Papa are moving in while I'm gone to help Dad out! (whew!) I will really miss my boy. But right now, I really miss my husband. I have no idea how people say 'Oh just adopt and then you'll get pregnant'. We hardly ever see each other enough to even plant a kiss! I guess part of that is Mark's business kicking in full gear (like we don't have enough on our plates!). But I'm happy for him. I hope it really goes because I know he's going to be great at it and really love it. Now, the bigger question...will he ever make any decent money at it?? For those reading who haven't heard what he's doing...he and another guy who works for the county Sheriff's Dept. are starting a business to provide law enforcement training to parks departments. Seems lots of parks guys (like the National Park Service) are lacking in their skills in that arena and the opportunities for training are quite slim. They are also expanding into providing security detail training for companies like resort hotels and such. He's working really hard to put this all together. I'm so proud of him! But...it feels like I'm left holding the bag full of everything else. Again, God's test. But I know I just need to have faith. He will carry us through this too.

On to the boy! He's somewhere over 9 lbs now! He sure has had some grumpy growing days lately. It's good we named him with a G because some days it stands for Grumpy--emphasis on the capital G. He's still awfully cute though. He gets a visit from his Aunt Amy and Aunt Stephanie next weekend. I'm really looking forward to it. Amy says "I'd like the bedroom farthest away from the crying!" Ha Ha! No place in our house is safe--unless you're Mark and can sleep through a freight train.

Life at Warp Speed

I know, I'm WAY overdue on adding a new post here. Life has suddenly seemed to move at warp speed anymore. I need at least 5 extra hours in each day--and those aren't even for sleeping! Do I sound like a new parent??
I went back to work last week--hence why I now have no time for anything. That was the fastest 4 weeks of my life being off on maternity leave. And just as I was getting the hang of it and finally feeling like I was accomplishing things, I added 30 hrs of work into the week and BAM, I felt like a failure in a matter of hours on my first day. I figured I could get up early and work my hours while Grady slept (which is typical in the mornings). Well, my boy was determined to prove me all wrong on the very first day. He decided to be awake and fussy much of the night before (unusual) so after little sleep overnight, I started my first day back to work late because I slept late. Then Grady decided to stay awake after his morning feeding and by mid-morning, thought it was appropriate to start screaming. Nothing went as planned. But I'm learning that appears to be what it's all about with a kid!
In my second week of work, I'm adjusting better. However both my workload and Mark's have been insane this week and so I've let other things suffer--the dogs, the housekeeping. I realized today that I've been carrying around the gas and electric bills (ready to mail) for nearly a week now. I suppose I'll know that they really care if they cut out electricity or gas. But PLEASE don't cut the gas--it has finally gotten cold here. We went 4 days without seeing the sun or hitting 50 degrees last weekend. It SUCKED! Those who know me, know I NEED the sunshine. Isn't it hard enough this time of year with the lessening daylight??

Okay, on to what I should be really writing about...my son. He's growing like a bad weed. Nearly out of a lot of newborn clothes now and I'm sad. He has so many cute things that he did not get to wear nearly enough! He's so LONG! But getting cuter every day. And some days, grumpier. He can turn his bottom lip down into the biggest frown on a 5 week old I've ever seen. It makes me laugh! That probably doesn't make him any happier. Holy crap--he's 5 weeks old! I almost can't remember life without him now...almost. :)

Before I end this super-long post I have to announce that one of my dear friends had her second baby this week--a beautiful little GIRL named Faith Brooks. Grady has his first girlfriend! Welcome baby Faith into our world! You will be surrounded by so much love from your family and friends and we can't wait to watch you grow up!!

Drooling Black & Gold

It only seems appropriate that Grady was born at the beginning of football season--my favorite time of year! He watched his first Steelers game on 9/14 wrapped in a Terrible Towel (and unfortunately peed on it too). My sister Beth saved the day when she arrived to visit on 9/19 with two Steelers onesies in hand, as well as Steelers socks. This week we also added the coolest bib I've ever seen to his Black & Gold collection. Mom bleeds Black and Gold, Grady drools Black and Gold. There will be no mistaking that this kid, though he knows nothing about the Steel Curtain right now, will be a big Steelers fan. Who knows, he could grow into being a Pittsburgh wide receiver! (or maybe a running back, but I guess he's a little small to help them out now)