Baby Gray/friends

Weekend Fun!

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Annie got to come see us this weekend! Friday we ran a few errands, and hit Target, of course. When we got back, we decided to take a little walk around the neighborhood. (To a little shop in my neighborhood, actually.) Baby Gray had been in his stroller all day, so I decided to try out my sling. He liked seeing everything and walking with Mama. 
Look at those cheeks! 
Saturday morning, Aunt B and Auntie Heather ran another half-marathon, so Baby Gray and I went to meet them at the finish line. It drizzled on and off on our way to the race, but when we got to the finish line, it was clear. As soon as they crossed, though, it started to rain. Baby Gray got to hang out in the rain for the first time. (Don’t worry, I didn’t let him get wet–no sick babies, please.)
After the race, we went to eat a yummy breakfast, and Baby Gray actually stayed awake for everyone to see! He’s such a fun, happy baby.
Baby Gray/goals/running

Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

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In junior high, I was told I had the build of a “distance runner” (I had zero interest in running a distance of any measure at that time). I tried track for a week or two, but decided it wasn’t for me. 
In high school, if we didn’t play a fall sport, we had to at least practice with cross country as part of our off-season for softball. Since we didn’t want to waste our time, we decided we’d just call ourselves the “back of the pack” and run each Saturday morning at the meets, too. I didn’t try very hard, nor did I really care. 
In college, I decided I wanted to start running again. I didn’t go very far or very fast, but I enjoyed it, and it felt good to go out for a jog. I have been running off and on since then. When I got pregnant, I wanted to run the whole time, stuck to walking instead. I figured I probably only wanted to run since I “couldn’t” at the time. I decided that I wanted to get back into running regularly (again, not far or fast) when Baby Gray arrived–I made a goal to have myself ready for a 5k by March 2011. That is farther than I’ve ever run, and I want to run it at an actual pace, not a total dragging my feet jog. 
I checked the RunTex site a while back, and the March runs weren’t up yet. Today, they’re there. I found a 5k in New Braunfels on March 5th. I didn’t sign up yet, but it’s on my calendar. I’m going to run it. 
A friend just told me about the Blue Bell Fun Run, too. You get to eat all the ice cream you want at the end of that one–sign me up! 
Baby Gray/doctor/ethics/vaccinations

Debate of the [insert time frame here]

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I know many parents have struggled with the question of vaccinating their children. With all the possible side effects, the questionable ingredients, and so much more floating on a blurry grey line of to inject or not… how does one decide? 
I believe in the power of prayer for healing, but I also believe that God sometimes uses medicine and doctors to facilitate such healing. Surgeons and scientists are brilliant for a reason–that talent was given to them on purpose. How they choose to use it is what is in question for me. Here’s where my vaccination debate comes in: is it OK for me to use vaccinations made from an electively aborted fetus to better the health (maybe… there is a lot of debate about “bettering” anything with vaccines) of my child? 
As parents, Mr. Gray and I have decided to pursue ethically developed (read: animal cell) vaccines for Baby Gray. From what I have read, these exist for all of the recommended vaccinations except the chicken pox vaccination. While there are some serious risks associated with actually contracting chicken pox, I cannot bring myself to allow Baby Gray to be injected with cells developed from an aborted child to “stop” this virus. 
Do I want my child to be protected from harmful diseases and illnesses? ABSOLUTELY. 
Do vaccinations do that? There is no absolute answer there, in my opinion. Side effects, long-term effects, etc. are all possible with the vaccinations or without. 
Do the benefits out weigh the costs? I don’t think we can be sure. Some children suffer greatly from the vaccination–some suffer greatly from going without and contracting an illness. I think each set of parents have to look to their values and beliefs to see what matters to them. It is something I have prayed about, read about, discussed with Mr. Gray and other friends, and more to come to a conclusion. 
We go in on Monday for the Hepatitis B shot that should have been given at birth (we declined it at the time because we were not sure of our decision). I’m nervous. It’s a scary step. I have verified with my doctor’s office that it was ethically developed. I will have them show me the information about it before they give it to Baby Gray. I pray that God sees my heart and sees that I want to honor him by choosing the ethical option in conjunction with the medically recommended option.
beef/crock pot/Recipes/stew

A Crock of Stew

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As I shared this summer, I was not always a fan of crock pots. As a matter of fact, if someone had thrown mine away, I would have only missed it when I did my water cycles lesson at school (that’s a story for another blog). 
However, this summer, I started trying out a few recipes and ideas with the ol’ crock, and things were tasting pretty good! Friday I tried stew (I’m super picky about my stew) in the crock pot, and, while it’s not as good as my regular stew–and no where near as good T-Paw’s–it’ll work. 
Crock Pot Stew 
(Warning: This will not taste as good as homemade on the stove.) 
You will need:
1 pound steak or stew meat (cubed)
1 package baby carrots
1 onion (chopped)
4-5 potatoes (peeled & diced)
2 packages of beef stew seasoning (I prefer McCormick)
1 can diced tomatoes
  • Layer the meat, onions, carrots, and potatoes into the crock.
  • Cover with both packages of stew seasoning
  • Pour can of tomatoes over all (make sure to get liquid on all the seasoning)
  • Add just enough water to barely come to the top of the meat & veggies (I squish the meat & veggies down to avoid adding too much water; I like my stew to be pretty thick.)
  • Turn crock pot on low and leave to simmer 6-8 hours or until veggies are tender
I serve mine with cornbread–always. I can’t give you my cornbread recipe, though. It’s mine alone.
Baby Gray/bath time

Splish, Splash!

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I was takin’ a bath! 
Until Baby Gray’s umbilical cord fell off, he could only have sponge baths. He wasn’t a fan of the sponge baths at all, so we weren’t sure how he’d feel about getting a bath once it was gone. 
This week, we gave him a bath in his bath chair in the sink. He wasn’t too sure what to think, but it wasn’t as bad as his reaction to the sponge baths. 
He was so cute in his much-too-big hooded towel!
Baby Gray/blessings/learning

What I’ve Learned…

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I’ve only been a parent for not quite three weeks, and, despite all previous experiences will little ones, I’ve learned a ton already. 
First and foremost, boys are different from girls. From day one. Period. 
Most of the little ones I’ve cared for have been girls. The best method for changing a girl’s diaper is to put the new on under the old one, clean her up, remove the old diaper, and get the new one on quickly and efficiently. However, you ruin a lot of “new” diapers by changing a boy’s diaper that way–he’ll teetee on it every time! Just get the diaper ready, set it to the side, and watch for the sprinkler! 
Baby Gray is also much larger (as you’ve read) than most of his same-age or older (just a little) peers. I’ve learned that it’s ok for boys to be a little bigger–I love that Mr. Gray is such a tall, strong man! We went to lunch with Mrs. S and S-cubed this week, and S-cubed (who is a month older) is about the same size as Baby Gray. I’ll take his size, though, because he eats and sleeps so well. 
I’ve also learned to optimize every minute of every day. Generally, this is a skill I feel like I have always done well. Little did I know, I had much to learn. The way this works best for Baby Gray and I is for me to organize the day’s tasks by priority and go from there. Each nap, I knock off a top priority. When Baby Gray is awake and content, I can hold him and accomplish some other items. (All that crock pot cooking I tried out this summer is coming in handy!)
The most important thing I have learned is what an amazing husband Mr. Gray is. I never had any doubt, but he continues to prove through and through that he is absolutely the best. God could not have given me a better, more caring teammate for life! I am so blessed to have my boys–all of them–Mr. Gray, Baby Gray, and Rooster!
Baby Gray/bottle

A First Time for Everything

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Last night was a first for Mr. Gray as well as Baby Gray…
Mr. Gray got to get in on the feeding action with Baby Gray’s first bottle! The doctor told us Friday that since he was obviously nursing well, we could introduce a bottle. Mr. Gray is so involved in all the other aspects of Baby Gray’s care that I wanted him to have the time to bond with him over a feeding or two as well. It was a great time for Baby Gray to just be focused on his daddy. 
Our big ol’ boy had to have a couple of refills for a total of four ounces! No wonder he’s already a ten-pounder!
Baby Gray/photos

Work It, Work It

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Baby Gray had yet another photo shoot yesterday. This time, we called in someone with better skills and a better camera, though! Cookie came over to bring dinner and take Baby Gray’s newborn photos. Mr. Gray and I helped position him and the props, but Cookie did all the hard work. Just like with our maternity photos, she did a great job! I have a whole album on my Facebook page of all the photos and outtakes, but these are some of my favorites. 
All photos courtesy of Lindsay Cook, 2010
Baby Gray/fair/family day/pumpkin patch

Our Little Pumpkin!

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First of all, I forgot to toot my own horn yesterday… I wore pre-pregnancy jeans to the pediatrician’s office yesterday. She asked Mr. Gray why he didn’t bring the baby’s mother to the appointment with him. Talk about making a new mom feel great! (I have on regular clothes again today, too.)
Also, we are in love with the pediatrician’s recommendation of letting Baby Gray sleep until he was ready to eat–we slept from 10:00 to 2:30! Hooray! We’ll take it! 
Now to today–family day… 
First we went to the pumpkin patch to get pumpkins and take some fall photos. We want to go back when Baby Gray is in his monster costume, but a friend gave him a super cute pumpkin outfit that we were scared wouldn’t fit closer to Halloween. The ladies at the pumpkin patch loved that it was Baby Gray’s first visit to the pumpkin patch, and they helped us get some great photos!
After our photos, we set out to find the perfect pumpkins–and we managed to find some that I love! 
Baby Gray slept pretty much the whole time as we wheeled him around in the wagon… too bad I kept hitting the edges of the pallets and bumping him around. Mr. Gray said I couldn’t be the driver anymore. 
After we got all our pumpkins situated, we headed to the fair to check out the booths. 
 
We saw all the pumpkins that were in the decorating contest; they were so cute!
We snapped a quick photo on our way out to commemorate Baby Gray’s first trip to the fair. Once again, he was a great traveler!
Baby Gray/doctor

Doctor, Doctor, Gimme the News…

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Today was Baby Gray’s two-week well baby visit. Of course, he had gained some weight–he is now an even TEN POUNDS! He’s in the 87th percentile in weight. Wow… the goal at their two-week appointment is for them to be back at their birth weight. He obviously had no problem with that! He’s also measuring 21.25 inches (75th percentile). 
The doctor told us we no longer need to set an alarm and wake him up in the night to feed him. She said he is definitely getting plenty of food, so it’s no longer necessary. Most likely, she said, he will start to eat a little more often during the day to make up for the calories he’s not getting at night. She didn’t seem worried, so we aren’t, either. 
He had to get his two-week heel stick for blood work as well, which resulted in his first band-aid–blue camo! 
He was a champ when she stuck him, but it broke my heart!