Newborn Pictures!

Ok, last post for today, I promise!

Sometimes, when you have a moment to catch up, your realize how much catching up you have to do. Thats today.

We found a local photographer with a studio downtown and decided to start seeing her for our pictures. I am so glad we found her! She spent so much time with us, making sure we were comfortable and that Connor was happy. She was able to get a few shots of the whole family, and I am so in love with all of our pictures!

Aren't they just perfect?! Seriously, I am so in love with them all. I'm having such a terrible time trying to decide which ones to put up in our house. Is it bad to put them all up?!

One Month Old

So that's the only good picture I managed to get of him that day. Poor kid hasn't been feeling very well lately.

One Month Already!

This boy is growing like crazy. He's broken 10 lbs (not sure exactly what he weighs these days). And some of his 3-month size clothes are starting to get too small. He is holding his head up like a champ, and so alert and looking around. He loves to hear his daddy's voice when he comes home from work. We have discovered that he has some infant reflux, so he is on medication for that now. It seems to help mostly, but he has also been sort of colic-y and gassy the last week or so. But we are working through it!

Landon has adjusted fairly well. At first, he adored his brother and was sooo sweet to him. We have since had  a few incidences of Landon pushing on Connor's head when we are not in the room, and Landon has begun to somewhat act out. He has just been generally mean and difficult the last two weeks. I know it is because of jealousy, so I am trying to find ways to spend more time with just Landon. But I also know that he needs to learn not to behave that way. It's a tough balancing act, but we are doing alright so far!

They will grow to be great friends, I'm sure of it. :)

October 2013

Time seems to fly much more quickly these days. I guess having two kids and working at the same time can do that to you. 

Anyways, October was a good month. Very busy, but very good. When Connor was just two weeks old, we packed up the car and headed out to Salt Lake City. Nate and my dad had a work conference to go to, so my mom, the kids, and myself decided to tag along. Mom and I got to do some shopping while the boys were in meetings, and we got to eat some food we don't have the luxury of in Steamboat. Then, when the conference was over on Friday, Nate and I stayed behind with the kids and visited with his parents and brother and sister. Connor was lucky enough to have two hotel stays in one weekend, in the second week of his life. We all got together on Saturday and went to Cornbelly's Pumpkin Festival in American Fork (I think) and the kids had so much fun! There were tons of rides and stuff for them to climb and jump on. And it was such a gorgeous day. It was perfect!

 This slide was probably the kids favorite. They wanted to go over and over and over!

 This is Landon's new smile. Why? I'm not sure. Do I love it? You bet.

 Oh, thats right. He gets the goofy smile from his dad...

 This one was probably tied for favorite activity. They went nuts on this thing!

 Bestest Cousins

 And Princess Lola in the Carriage

 Landon insisted on doing this one, which cost extra, but we couldn't tell him no. They got guns like paintball guns, with CO2 and whatnot, but were single shot, loaded with foam balls. He could barely hold the gun up, much less aim and shoot it himself. But Nate and Taylor went with him, and Nate helped him repeatedly shoot Taylor, and Landon had SO much fun!

Most of the crew from the day. How cute is this!

After all the fun that day, we went to Nate's Aunt's house to visit with Nate's Grandpa, and got a new picture of 4 generations of Gray men with Connor this time.

When we got back to Steamboat, we had a quiet week, and then the following week was Halloween! My sister, Jenn, came up from Denver and was able to bring Landon his Halloween Costume, Wolverine! Since our town is largely made up of vacation homes, and condos and apartments, the town organizes an event for Trick or Treaters every year. They shut down mainstreet through town, and all of the stores either set up in their doorways, or in the street, and the radio stations come out, as well as the firefighters and all sorts of local businesses. Our store participated for the first time ever this year, so we were out there a little early to set up a table and get our candy ready. We saw some of the coolest costumes I've ever seen! People are so creative! Landon was a little cold, and didn't last too long trick or treating, and Connor had the best set-up of us all. He got to hang out in my Ergo carrier all night and slept through the whole thing, staying nice and warm. We had so much fun. It is definitely something we will be a part of every year now.

Before the festivities began

Jenn found some cool masks, and was nice enough to do hair and makeup for me, so we were somewhat festive this year!

The Family early on

Nate's assistant manager, Jonathan, and his family. This is their first halloween outside of Florida! They've become good friends of ours, and our boys have so much fun together!

The ski slopes view from Downtown.

We are definitely growing to love our little town. There are always cool events going on. It will be interesting to spend our first winter here though. Bring on the snow!!

Connor Jacob

Our little baby boy sure wanted to come on his own schedule. He was due on September 26, and we decided to try to induce labor a week early, on September 20. I was admitted to the hospital early that morning, and started on pitocin to help start contractions. I was only about 3cm dilated, so we knew it could be a while before he came. The doctor checked me a few times that day, in hopes of being able to break my water and move things along. However, the baby was sitting too high to do so safely. All day, we tried walking and squats and anything we could think of to make him drop, but nothing worked. So we stopped the pitocin all night to get some rest, and started over in the morning. Saturday turned into another long day of waiting, and still no luck in getting him to drop. For one last attempt, that night we decided to try Cervadil, a drug to help thin out my cervix. It took 12 hours to set in, and we checked again in the morning. Still nothing. So we called it quits. After such a long, exhausting weekend, it was such a bummer to go home without a baby, but we realized he just wasn't ready yet.

Later that week, I went in to the doctor for my 40 week appointment. We monitered the baby, and his heart rate sounded great. Then we did an ultrasound to check fluid levels. Fluid levels were all good. Then we checked his estimated weight. Based on the ultrasound, our baby was going to be about 9lbs 4oz. Give or take about a pound. We were shocked! That was a big boy! So we decided I would come back to see the doctor early the following week to check things again. At that appointment, I was slightly more dilated, and we decided to try induction again. I went back to the doctor on Thursday, the day I was officially 41 weeks, to meet with the doctor who was going to induce. She checked a quick ultrasound, and he finally decided to drop a little lower. Low enough to break my water! So the induction was scheduled for the following morning.

We woke up at 5am on October 4th, and there was about a foot or so of snow on the ground. Landon stayed with my parents, and Nate and I got on our way to the hospital. We were admitted and started on the pitocin again. At about 9am, the doctor came to check me, and we discovered that the baby had moved back up some. Enough that we couldn't quite break my water. We were so upset! So we spent some time walking and stretching, and at about noon she came to check again and he was finally low enough! My water was broken at noon, and I started to have intense contractions quickly. I labored most of the afternoon without pain meds, until about 4:30, when I decided I needed the epidural. The anistesiologist was such a nice guy, and talked to me through the whole thing. Unfortunately, the first try only numbed my left side. So he adjusted it some, and it still wasn't working right. Then he took it out, and tried again in a different space. Still, only my left side was numbed. And I was getting dizzy and lightheaded from it all. So he decided to give me another drug to numb my right side, which finally worked. The only catch was that it wasn't going to last as long as the epidural. Luckily, it was almost time to push. My doctor came in, as well as two nurses and one neonatal nurse practitioner. We started pushing at about 5:30, and after about 15 minutes I could feel my right side again. But I didn't care, I was just ready for all of this to be over and to have my baby. At 6:06pm our little boy finally made his appearance.

9lbs 8oz and 22inches long.

For such a big boy, he had no problems, and I had no problems. He was absolutely perfect. We spent some time with him, just Nate and I, then Nate left to go pick up Landon to come meet his baby brother. He was so excited when he walked into the room. I couldn't believe how incredibly infatuated Landon was with him. He just stared at him and kissed his head and looked at him. I couldn't have asked for a better outcome. 

My parents and sister came down not long after, and all got to meet our baby boy. We spent exactly 24 hours more in the hospital before they let us go home. We had some trouble nursing, but found out pumping worked for us and have been doing great since. We have been home for about a week and a half now, and things have been great! Nate went back to work after about 4 days, and I was very nervous about having both boys by myself. But Landon has proven to be a HUGE help and such a good boy. He's constantly smothering his brother with kisses, and helping to make sure he's happy. He sings to his brother, and talks to him all the time. I can't believe how lucky we have gotten with our two little boys!

This past weekend, Nate's parents came to visit to meet Connor, and brought his brother Taylor and our niece Lola. Landon was so excited to have his favorite person here to play games with him (Tay Tay), and everyone was so happy to spend time with our boys. We loved having everyone here, even though it was rainy outside and we didn't get to do much of anything. 

Now, my house is quiet and clean. Nate is at work. Landon is watching Teen Titans, and Connor is on the floor looking around at things. Its snowing outside again, and I should be going to the grocery store. But I'm not sure if I'm ready to tackle the grocery shopping with two kids, alone, in the snow, just yet. But, I may get brave as the day goes on.

(Newborn Pictures soon to follow. I should be getting them back in the next few days, and I am so excited!)

A Rare, Quiet, Moment of Reflection

5 more weeks (or less) until our little baby is here.

5 more weeks being a family of three.

5 more weeks of calm.

Who am I kidding? Calm? No such thing.

Landon has been somewhat difficult lately. Especially at meal time and bed time. He's always been a champion eater. But lately, I can't seem to get him to eat anything but cereal, lunch meats, or yogurt. Could be worse, I suppose. But the constant fight at meal time is killing me. He says he wants to eat what we are eating, then as soon as it's on the table, has a giant meltdown because he thinks its gross, or hurts his tummy, or makes him sick. He's grown to be the king of excuses lately. I don't like it much. He's also gotten into saying "I can't" which is beyond frustrating. I'm not sure where he learned it, or why he thinks he can say it all the time, but I try so hard to encourage him to try everything before I will help him. That only ends up making him more upset, and he doesn't try. So it turns into a fight. I should learn to be more patient. He is only three.

Besides all of the frustrating things he's been doing lately, he's had some very sweet moments. Sometimes I can't believe I am so lucky to have such an awesome little boy.

I had a moment at 4am a few days ago. At the time, it was extremely annoying. Soon after, I saw the beauty in it. At some point in the night, Landon got in bed with Nate and I. And my body pillow, which is an essential these days. And Nate ended up in the middle of the bed. Talk about crowded. I tried to wake up Nate to have him bring Landon back to his bed, but that was a failure. So, I grabbed my pillow and left the boys in my bed, and went to Landon's bed. He has a full size bed now, which is far too big for him, but very nice to have an extra bed for guests, or in this case, myself. The mattress was very cheap, and therefore, not very comfortable. But I've bought a foam topper for it and its at least liveable. Anyways, it turned out very nice to have a whole bed to me and my big belly. I had just started to fall into a deep sleep, when in comes Landon. "Hey mom. Why are you in my bed?" I check the clock, its 4:00am. So I scoot over (not easy) and let him in. He tosses and turns and sits up and lays down. My blood pressure rises. After repeatedly asking him to lay down, he finally fesses up. "I have to pee mom." Great. Go. So he takes himself to the bathroom, comes back, climbs in and settles down, and he's out in about 3 minutes flat. I, on the other hand, am now wide awake for the second time that night, and almost decide to just give up on sleep altogether. Then, Landon rolls over, snuggles up next to me, and sighs. He is completely content and relaxed and happy to be next to me. And I am happy to be next to him. I realize that there are only 5 more weeks of him having me completely to himself. 5 more weeks of being able to freely go sleep with my big boy and snuggle him, without a baby needing my attention. 5 more weeks to enjoy my only child before he becomes my oldest child. 

That turned into a really long story to get to the point, but I wanted to make sure to write it down. He is so important to me. And sometimes, it's easy to forget about these moments, and only focus on the bad days he's had lately. He is going to make an incredible big brother. And I hope he understands when I get busy sometimes. Nate and I absolutely adore our little big boy. He teaches us so much every day.

Our Uneventful Life in the Mountains

We have gotten all moved in and are slowly getting settled into our new place, and every day I am in awe of how beautiful the scenery is here! Just walking out to the parking lot of our apartment, you can see the very top of the ski lift to the mountain, and right now it is all green, with a nice blue sky back drop. And driving around town you just get the most beautiful views of mountain tops all around. We are so lucky to live here!

The view from our playground at our apartment.

Over Memorial Day weekend, Nate got his first holiday from work, and it was absolutely gorgeous, so we spent Sunday walking around our cute little downtown and exploring all of the shops along the way. Then we strolled down by the Yampa River and let the boys check out the water. Nate showed Landon how to throw rocks into the river, and now whenever someone says something about the river, he gets very excited to go throw rocks. Such a boy. We are in search of a little fishing pole for him so we can teach him how to fish some this summer, if he has the patience.

The boys checking out the river.

Nate has adjusted very well to his new job, and has taken the responsibility amazingly. He never ceases to amaze me at how well he really can adjust to new situations, even thought he is difficult in the beginning. I can't say enough how proud I am of him. He is managing the store and stepping into his responsibilities very well. He has four employees under him right now, and only one is younger than him, but all seem to really respect him and what he's bringing to the table for the business. Soon, I'll get started helping out at the business as well, but for now, I am really enjoying my time with Landon and exploring our new home. 

Our trip to the local donut shop. Soooo good!

I am currently 23 weeks pregnant, still due September 26. Getting more and more excited every day! We are planning out the baby's room and trying ever-so-hard to pick a name for our little guy! Nothing is standing out to us yet, but we still have time! Landon is actually getting very excited to be a big brother, and likes to pick out super hero names for his baby brother. 

And I'll leave this post today with pictures of our views to the east and to the west from downtown. Jealous?!

Steamboat Springs Bound!

With all of the hectic things going on in our lives right now, I finally had a quiet moment to sit and update this crazy thing. As of Friday, May 17, we will no longer be residents of Castle Rock, Colorado. We are moving up "to the mountains" as Landon likes to say, and becoming residents of Steamboat Springs. My dad is in the process of acquiring a business there, and has offered us both positions within his company. Nate will start work on May 20 as the Manager of the Valvoline Lube Center, which is half of the business. In a few weeks, once things have settled some and my dad has finished the purchase, I will become his executive assistant and handle all of his stuff from an administrative side. We are really looking forward to starting a life in the small town, and getting some experience in a field that we are both interested in. As most of you know, Nate is very much into cars and working on them, and he has been going to school for Marketing and Management, so this is right up his alley and hopefully will help lead him to more opportunities in the future with the experience that he will gain. 

Currently, I am almost 21 weeks pregnant. Sorry, no pictures. I already feel like a whale. And we just found out last week that we are going to be blessed with another baby boy! Landon is beyond thrilled to have a little brother, and we are just as excited as he is. Everything is going well with the pregnancy, and I feel great for the most part. Still getting migraines regularly, and I think I have developed an allergy to beef somehow. But, all things that can be easily managed.

Here are a few pictures from our life lately. We have spent so much time enjoying the beautiful weather (finally) and getting ready for this move. So I really have no clue what we have been up to these days!

We went to a Cinco de Mayo party at Nate's Parent's church, and Landon got his first whack at a pinata. When it finally busted, he had no idea what to do! We had to direct him to the candy and he scored a blow pop and a nice piece of bubble gum for his mommy, who had a wicked craving for some. :)

This lovely boy climbed into bed with me at almost exactly midnight on Mother's Day. It was the perfect way to start (and end) my days.

Next time, I'll be able to show you all around our new little apartment and our new little town of Steamboat Springs. And, as a side note, the skiing in that town is amazing, so if you're ever wanting to take a nice ski trip, gimme a call! Our door is always open! :)