Baby Gray

Movin’ & Shakin’

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Today Annie & I took Baby Gray to Honey’s store and out to lunch at Chick-fil-A. He did an amazing job while we shopped! Honey & Happy held him and showed him around the shop; he ate quietly in the office; and he slept peacefully in the stroller the whole rest of the time! 
He’s patient and wonderful–just like Mr. Gray!
Whew! He was worn out after his long day!
Baby Gray/stroller

Shaken, Not Stirred…

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I’m not much of a homebody, so by day four (Saturday) at home (a week without being “out”) I was dying! We had been to the pediatrician, but we went straight there and straight back–no other stops or anything. Mr. Gray and I decided to take Baby Gray on a little outing.
Mr. Gray wanted to see if he could find some new shirts, and we needed a few things from CVS, so we set out. Baby Gray did an awesome job riding in the truck for the first time–it’s a little bumpier for him than my car. He loved strolling in his stroller at the store (thanks, Kacey & Bridgette), and he was not bothered at all by anything the whole trip. 
People were blown away in the store when I told them he was only six days old! He’s a big guy!
Aggies/Baby Gray/hospital/labor

Introducing… Baby Gray

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Baby Gray is finally here! He arrived on Sunday about 2:30, and he weighed 9 pounds, 4 ounces at 21 inches. He’s a big ol’ boy–just like Mr. Gray! (Thankfully, he wasn’t born quite as large as Mr. Gray who was 10 pounds, 2 ounces, and 22 inches!) His ten fingers are so long; so are his ten toes. He’s perfect in every way! We just love him to death!

BUT, let’s back up just a touch… 
I woke up last Saturday (the 25th) with a few contractions, but didn’t think much of it. They were sporadic, and not too intense. We went to breakfast with friends, checked out a few things at Best Buy & Sam’s, and headed home to watch t.u. get beat by UCLA. (WHOOP!) 

Even though I wasn’t sure the contractions were the “real thing” I called Annie and let her know what was going on (she’s 5+ hours away). She headed our direction, so after she got here we went to eat with T-Paw. I had been timing contractions off and on all day, and by the time we were done with dinner, they were about five minutes apart and more intense than they had been. Mr. Gray & I decided it was time to head to hospital. We got checked in about 7:30 or 8:00 Saturday evening, and spent the next 18 or 19 hours waiting for our precious arrival: 


We had to stay in the hospital until Tuesday due to his blood sugar levels (they were fine, but a test was due at 48 hours due to his birth weight) and some monitoring for infection (he didn’t have an infection, but I am a carrier for a specific bacteria that can cause infection in infants–just a precaution). 


It was a great time to get to know Baby Gray and spend some uninterrupted time with Mr. Gray before he needed to get back into the swing of things at work.

All was well, and we were out the door Tuesday afternoon! Aunt Nancy (maybe Cookie, but we’re not sure… we already have a Cookie, so we might just have two) was there, so we got some great photos of our first trip. We got ready to put Baby Gray in the carseat, and the smallest settings were much too small for our big boy! Mr. Gray had to adjust the carseat so we could safely take Baby Gray home!


We loaded our hospital cart with all the bags I packed, things we acquired while in the hospital, got Baby Gray into the (adjusted) carseat, and headed out. 





We spent our first night at home, and all went really well. He is sleeping as expected, and eating just what and when he should. He’s making things pretty easy on us!

We have had a few visitors, and he does well with them all. He enjoys sleeping while people hold him (what newborn doesn’t?) and just checking things out. Grandmommy got to come by and visit him as well–I’m so glad she’s feeling well enough to do so! 


Thursday he had his first visit to the pediatrician, and, again, all was well. She said he was perfect and she’d see us at his next appointment (next week).

He loves to sleep swaddled up in his bouncer or his vibrating Pack ‘n Play. Annie has been here helping out, so he gets lots of lap time between the three of us! He’s not going to know what to do when she goes home! She has been tons of help–I haven’t cooked since before we left for the hospital Saturday evening.


He wasn’t too happy with the Aggies’ loss, but who was?


Overall, he’s perfect, and we’ll keep him!
Baby Gray/maternity/shower

Super Harvest Moon

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In all my wishful thinking, I decided that the Harvest Moon combined with the Autumn Equinox was definitely what it was going to take to get to meet Baby Gray. I mean, come on, what other natural events could he possibly be waiting for? 
Needless to say, that’s not how Baby Gray wanted to make his arrival. I do have to say that this kiddo is courteous, though. He has been so thoughtful. I was concerned about him coming early and not having enough time off to not have to go back to work before Christmas. Nope. He’s waited and taken care of that for me! (You know, he’s got his calendar all synced up in there… that or God was watching out for us…) He has also been kind enough to wait until after my work shower took place (my teammates were really concerned he was going to rain on their parade). We had a great diaper shower yesterday after school! I have been so blessed with so many wonderful people around me. 
I’m really thankful for all the courtesy, but I’m really ready to meet this little guy, too. I’ve decided that since we made it past all the natural events of last night and today, I’ll just go back to holding out for 10.10.10. It’d be such a cool birthday! (In all reality, of course, I’ll take him whenever he and God decide it’s time for us to meet him!) 
Mr. Gray & I will head to our weekly check-up tomorrow afternoon. Updates to follow…
Baby Gray

Packed, Unpacked, Packed, Unpacked, Packed!

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I like to be prepared (stop laughing, I know that’s a slight understatement). We have had the car packed for a couple of weeks now. Well, I have. Mr. Gray finally put his bag in (much to my insistence) after our last trip to Aggieland. The car seat is installed, a ridiculous bag is packed for Baby Gray, and I even called Annie to make sure she packed her bag to come down in the event that I called her prior to a time remotely close to Baby Gray’s actual due date. To those of you who know me, I’m sure none of this is surprising. 
The funny part comes with the items that we need for daily living that I would also like to take to the hospital. You know, make-up, my Chi, the computer–things that would cost more to duplicate than it is trouble to pack and unpack them each day. Fortunately, not a lot of items fall into this category, but enough that I have a specific bag for them. 
This bag is becoming quite the focal point in our home. I carry it to my dressing area in the morning so I can use my make-up, etc. while getting ready for work. Then I take it back into the kitchen so it’s close enough to the door that I don’t forget it should we need to head to the hospital during the day (I don’t want the computer to sit in my car all day). On the weekends, though, we take it with us any time we go anywhere in case we have to leave straight from whatever we’re doing. I realize this is a bit overkill, but I don’t want to be without my things–the hospital has free WiFi, and I fully intend to spam the world with Baby Gray’s photos as soon as he arrives!
applique/Baby Gray/football/sewing

Rainy, Restful Afternoon…

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Much to our doctor’s dismay, we went to College Station for game day last weekend… this weekend, however, we decided to follow directions and stay home. We ran a few errands this morning, and headed home to rest this afternoon. I felt like doing some more applique onesies, but I didn’t have any plain white ones to work with. I decided to do some burp cloths instead.

I started with a star for Baby Gray. I was pretty impressed with myself because I actually used the foot pedal since the sides were straight! It still has a few imperfections, but Baby Gray won’t notice. 
I made him a car next. It was a little tougher to use the foot pedal due to the curves, but it still turned out pretty cute! 
I made a flower next. Not for Baby Gray, obviously, but for a gift later. The flower was supposed to look whimsical, but it sort of lost that in translation some how…
I’ve never been a superstar with a sewing machine, but I am starting to enjoy it. I am hoping to get better each time. We’ll see!

Baby Gray/teaching

The Things I’ll Miss…

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While I have to say I’m absolutely looking forward to being home with Baby Gray for 12-14 weeks before returning to work, there are some things I will definitely miss about being in an elementary school. Most of them are things kids say… 
Just in the last week, I have heard: 
“That baby is a boy, right? You should name him Balthazar.” 
(As I’m telling students to finish they’re snack because it’s time to go home) “Eat two at a time; they’ll be gone faster.”
(Shouted across the cafeteria) “LOOK! That teacher is PREGNANT!”
Me: “What is a property again?” (We had previously discussed this in science.)
Student: “You know, your house, the school, some land…” 
Me: “What is matter?” (In the previous science lesson)
Student: “You know, like, ‘What’s the matter with you?'”
(At least five times a day) “Are you going to have a baby?” 
Student: “I don’t like those.” (breakfast sticks)
Teacher: “Have you tried them.”
Student: “No. What are they?” 
WalMart

Ugh… WalMart.

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Yesterday afternoon, Mr. Gray decided we needed a new air filter. When I agreed to ride with him to go get it, I thought we were going to Dollar General, HEB, Handy Andy, the 3M factory, anywhere BUT WalMart… 
Nope. Smack dab in the middle of Sunday afternoon, we pulled into the WalMart parking lot for an air filter. I did need a few things from the grocery side, so I obliged. As we round the first corner, an older lady on a borrowed (probably not needed) electric scooter sweetly asks me when I’m due. I tell her, and she proceeds to jump all over the girl she was with (presumably her daughter) about her pregnancy size. This continued all the way down the aisle as she practically yelled about how much bigger I am than the other girl (I heard poor girl say she was six months pregnant… I would hope I’m bigger). 
We continued our shopping, nearly getting pummeled by many children without supervision, as well as by adults who don’t pay attention to where they’re pushing their carts. I kept eyeing Mr. Gray with a look that nagged, “See why I don’t come to WalMart?” each time we had an incident. 
Finally, we make it to the check out, and, as we’re putting our items onto the conveyor, a man squeezes between Mr. Gray and I in the line, “What do they have in there?” he asks no one. 
Mr. Gray and I just look at each other, and the man continues, “What do they have in there? Is there anything diet? What’s in there?” 
I just stand there, and finally he walks off. Obviously, he was interested in the sodas in the checkout aisle, but he could have gone about it a little differently. 
To top it all off, we had a gift card we wanted to pay with; Mr. Gray hands it to the cashier. She looks confused, and asks him how much he’d like to put on it. We had to explain to her that we wanted to pay for our items with it, not purchase it. Ahhh…
Aggies/air conditioning/Baby Gray/baking/doctor/football/Recipes

Happy Trails to You…

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Friday Mr. Gray and I headed out early (YAY, half-day of work) to go to the doctor to check on Baby Gray. He’s doing well, and hanging in there! My doctor is pleased with the progression of the pregnancy and says there is nothing to be concerned about at this point. While we were there, she did suggest that we stop making the trek to Aggieland each weekend, so this was our last weekend to go until after Baby Gray’s arrival. 
Despite last week’s extremely pleasant (for September) weather, this weekend was back to hot & humid at Kyle Field. We decided the Alumni Center was the place for me. I was pleased to see it provided air conditioning, the live feed from the field, chairs that sort of reclined, and all the water I could drink. 
The screen is a grid of many TVs put together to provide a pretty large viewing experience (complete with side screens for other games as well). It wasn’t a bad way to watch the game, but the audio left a little to be desired–it was split between the Kyle feed and the radio (read: Dave South) feed. One or the other would have been better, I think. 
Even though watching the game from inside was definitely different, it was much appreciated by Baby Gray due to the heat & humidity. I did get to tailgate a little. I brought some Reese’s cookie bars, which I thought were good (though really, really rich). 
Reese’s Cookie Bars
1 box Devil’s Food cake mix
1 can Eagle Brand milk
10-12 Reese’s cups
1/4 bag milk chocolate chips
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees
  • Combine all ingredients until well mixed
  • Press dough into greased and floured 9 x 13 pan
  • Bake 11 minutes 
(I forgot to take a photo before we ate them… oops!)

Next time we head to College Station, we’ll have Baby Gray in tow! I can’t believe it’s already that close. Until we meet again, Aggieland… 

Aggies/Baby Gray/cookies/football/nursery

Lots to do this Labor Day Weekend!

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This weekend kicked of the 2010 Fightin’ Texas Aggie Football season! I am so glad it started on a holiday weekend so I could get into the swing of things…
As usual, everyone fell right into their roles at the tailgate and the game. I took “Cheater Chip Cookies” as my contribution this weekend. The weather was wonderful, thank goodness. Mr. Gray and I had planned on me going to watch the live feed at the Alumni Center if it had been too hot, but I was able to stay the whole game.
The first game always gives me chills… I love being at Kyle! 
The game wasn’t too terribly exciting (although a win is a win; we’ll take it) so we played with the camera on my phone for a while… I’ll spare you too many of these, though. 
Thank goodness it was cool enough for me to stay! I would have been sad to miss the game.
We got home mid-day Sunday, and were able to get things finished up in Baby Gray’s room as well as get my bag and the baby’s bag packed and put into the car.
Today we had a few errands to run, but, mostly, we were looking for a rug for the office/art room and a rug for Baby Gray’s room. We were able to find both, and we got those put in when we got back. 
If you look at the top of the photo, you can see the camera for his monitor… that thing is cool! Aunt Nancy got Mr. Gray & I the super high-tech one that has both the handheld screen and the screen that goes by the bed. It’s pretty cool.
His room is really coming together… I can’t wait to put him in it!
This photo doesn’t actually do the rug in this room justice. It’s a perfect match for the style of this room. The black design on the white is framed up by a green border around the whole thing–perfect!
Basically, our bags are packed, and we’re ready to go when our little man is ready to get here. We can’t wait to meet him, and we’ve had so much fun getting ready for him! In the meantime, we’ll just watch Aggie football!