A Big Smile for Mommy

When I was getting ready this morning, I had Grant sitting up in his carrier on the bathroom counter and we were talking to each other. I would tell him what I was doing and he would say, "Bah!"

When I got closer to his face to say hello so he could see me, he looked me right in the eye and gave me the biggest smile. It was so sweet it made my eyes well up with tears. I love my baby boy!

Close Up

Good Sleep & Tummy Time

Grant slept a full four hours straight last night and it felt like heaven, then he fell asleep again at 5:00 (which never happens) and Mommy didn't have to get up until 7:00. Wahoo!

This morning's activity was tummy time on the floor, which he doesn't seem to like quite as much as on the soft couch. We'll try Jen's super cute sheep next time because Mr. Grant loves variety.

Weekend Playtime

Afternoon Smile

He's Thinking About It

First Bath

Grant had his first full-fledged bath today. It started out really well because he was happy and full, but after just a few seconds he made a funny "I'm worried" face and then there was poop everywhere.  Thank goodness Grandma Ruth was helping because it was quite a challenge getting him and everything else cleaned up without a full baby meltdown.

The good news is he seems to find baths very relaxing, but I think we'll go back to sponge baths for a while.

Tasting Grandma's Hand

Grant grabbed Grandma Ruth's finger and popped it right in his mouth. He must have liked the pork verde flavor because he gummed it for quite a while.

New Grant Pictures for August

Loves His New Swing

Nick suggested a swing to help calm Grant and get him to sleep. Great suggestion daddy! It works like a charm.

New Grant Pictures!

Morning Calisthenics

Grant was super cute and active this morning.  He learns a new movement every day.  Here's a 30-second video of this morning's calisthenics.

The Delivery

On Friday the 22nd, my back was pretty uncomfortable and Saturday wasn't much better.  By late Saturday night it looked like we were in business with bona fide contractions, but even though they got progressively more intense, they never picked a good pattern.  Nick and I were up all night watching Cops (because that's about all my attention span could take).  They subsided around 4 a.m. and I decided it was just false labor, but when the sun came out, they started up again.  By 10 they were closer than 5 minutes apart and we got ready to go to the hospital.

Unfortunately, the ride there turned into a nightmare when the 101 was unexpectedly closed and we had to take surface streets.  Accelerating (at what seemed like 100s of stoplights) triggered near constant back labor pains which were incredibly intense.  With only one photo radar ticket, we got to the hospital and a couple hours later I was much more comfortable with an epidural.

Grant had a little trouble getting his head in the right position, which made labor pretty difficult.  But with lots of helpful encouragement from Nick and our awesome doctor, Brenda Martin, I was still able to deliver naturally.

Hallelujah for little Grant Ralph Reed!  Seeing him was such a relief!

 Born 10:52 p.m. weighing 6lbs 13.7oz and measuring 20" long

 He did great on all his tests, too.  Nice and healthy. :)

 Grandma Ruth (wow, it's funny to say that) hurriedly moved up her flight and arrived just an hour after Grant was delivered.  We're SO thankful to have her help these first few weeks! She's been AWESOME!

Nursery is Ready (7/18/11)

Dreaming up a nursery that evoked my love of Northern European design absorbed weeks daydreaming and a never ending struggle with the no-VOC paint that took four coats to cover off white walls.  I'm delighted with the nursery because it's airy, cheerful yet quiet, and versatile enough to work for our little boy for the next several years.  Hopefully he'll like it enough that it will last him past kindergarten!  A big thank you goes out to Nick for his tireless carpentry, refinishing, and electrical work to bring it all together.

There are some special items in the room worth noting:

• Curtains, bed skirt, and mattress pad masterfully sewn by my mom, Ruth
• Fish mobile originally carved for me by my mom's brother, Tom
• Wooden penguins carved by my great grandfather, Floyd
• Side table made by my dad for his mom, Polly, as his first woodshop project
• Two pottery piggy banks from my dad's pottery friend Pat Brown, who still lives in Utah
• Wind up robot, a favorite childhood toy of mine
• Wall art handmade with love by me and Nick

In-House Photographer (7/11/11)

Sunday morning I was feeling pretty good (aches and pains were relieved from Saturday night's massage).  So, since we have under two and a half weeks left until the due date, we decided we should get some maternity photos.  Nick, our in-house photographer, set up a studio in the game room.  He even had several concepts ready to go so we could buzz through the poses quickly and keep mama's back/hips/shoulders from acting up.

It turned out to be a really fun session.  We hope other people like these photos as much as we do and that little Grant will enjoy seeing them when he's older.

Baby Shower (7/20/11)

Here's Nick holding up a Puma onesie from Matt and Shaina.  We had a great time at the shower with our friends and family.  It's starting to sink in that he'll actually be here soon, but it's still tough to understand exactly what that will be like.  It will be quite an adventure.


Thank you everyone for your generosity, kind words, and advice.  We are so lucky to be surrounded by such loving support!  (And a special thanks to Christine who was such a big help with putting the shower together.)