2 month update!

We just went in for Bragan's 2 month checkup today and he did great! Here are the stats:
Weight 13 pounds 11 ounces (96th %ile)
Length 24 and 1/4 inches (>97th %ile)
Head circumference 40 and 1/2 cm (88th %ile)

The doctor said, "I normally ask how he has been eating, but I don't think there is any question about that". Everything looked great developmentally and he cooperated well with the examination.

{Here we are in the waiting room...little did he know what was coming

He got 5...yes, 5 vaccinations today. One was oral and the other 4 were injected. Fortunately 2 were combined so it was 3 injections instead of 4. It was still rough for us both though. The nurse gave him the first shot and said "He didn't even cry!" without looking up. Little did she know, he was quiet because he had taken in a giant gasp in shock and horror and then let out a blood curdling scream. Mommy felt like doing the same exact thing. He recovered quickly from the trauma, but I am still picturing that look of sheer panic on his face when he realized what had just happened :(. I know it is best in the end. There have been some pretty tragic cases of pertussis (whooping cough) in the news, and we do not want to take any chances!

Since we have been traveling the southeast on the interview trail, I have gotten a little behind on updating. Here are all of the pictures from the meantime. We missed the seven week picture because we were out of town.



He has been such a trooper with all of this traveling and has done really well in the car. He is now a smiling machine and I will have to make a post all about his sweet smiles because we have some great pictures. His first social smile was on November 19, 2010 and he has been really starting to get good at it. Over the past week or so he has begun cooing. It is so much fun to get him to "talk" and he gets so excited to hear his own voice. He has also been on the brink of laughing for the past week. It won't be long until we start to hear some real giggles from this little guy. He has gotten good at holding his head up and looking around. He has also gotten really good at focusing on things and really looking at them. He loves, and I mean LOVES ceiling fans. Sometimes I wonder what I would do without them!

Thanksgiving 2010

We had such a wonderful Thanksgiving this year with our new addition. We got together with both sides of the family at the Grays house. We all ate too much, played pass the baby, watched football, and played cards. We have so much to be thankful for. My only complaint was that the day went by too fast!

"The LORD has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy."
Psalm 126:3

And since a picture is worth a thousand words, here are a thousand pictures to enjoy!

{I am thankful for you too, little buddy}

...to be fair, his bib said "I am thankful for Daddy"

{Turkey bottom!}

{The Alexander +Harrison end of the table}

{Cousin Ellie and Bragan}

{Snuggling with Uncle Alex}

{Liz, Bragan, and Grandaddy}

{Grammy and her little turkey}

{Grammy and Grampy}

{The grandkids}

{Snuggling with Grampy after an outfit change...diaper explosion!}

{Mimi, Grandaddy, and Bragan}

{and to finish it all off...Grampy in a post-turkey coma. I love my dad!}

I am kicking myself because we did not get a family photo of the four of us on Thanksgiving. We might have to fake one a little late :)

AWOL

...so it appears I have gotten a little slack with the blogging these past couple weeks. I have a good excuse though. We have been super busy around here. I had my first residency interview last week (with USC, loved it!) and then Thanksgiving came. Trying to use this quiet 1-hour window I have while Bragan sleeps to catch up on this and my thank you notes! :) I am going to be transitioning this blog to more of a Gray family blog instead of just baby updates. Trying to be more deliberate about documenting the fun stuff our family does so we can remember it for years to come.

5 week photos

{I love this...looks like he's smirking}

{Um, I have a question}


{Ok, that's enough. Time to eat!}

6 week photos

{Very pensive}

{Hey Mom, I can't find my feet!}

{C-L-E-M-S-O-N, T-I-G-E-RRRRR-S!}

Shutterfly...you rock!

I heard through the grapevine (or actually from one of my favorite blogs) that Shutterfly is giving 50 free holiday cards to any blogger who gives them a shout out. I am such a fan of Shutterfly because it is easy peasy! Uploading is simple and the designs are terrific. I use Shutterfly for my holiday cards and for ordering all of my digital photography. I cannot wait to get busy designing our Christmas card and incorporate photos of our new little bundle. Being a busy busy busy mom of two, I am such a fan of time savers like Shutterfly. In fact I am uploading photos right now while replying to emails and feeding my baby.

Here are some helpful links for the Shutterfly website:

Check out the endless assortment of Holiday cards
http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/holiday-cards

..and Christmas cards
http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery

They even have calendars ( http://www.shutterfly.com/calendars) and holiday invitations ( http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-invitations)!!

Thanks, Shutterfly! You helped me get one more thing checked of my infinitely long list of stuff to do!

(To get in on the promotion go here: http://blog.shutterfly.com/5358/holiday2010-blog-submission-form/)

4 week/1 month update

We cannot believe you have been here a whole month!! Where has the time gone?! You are such a sweet sweet baby who loves to be held, especially by Mommy :) You are still eating every 2-3 hours during the day and are now waking up about once every night to eat. We have started a bedtime routine that calms you down well. We give you a bath, rub you with lotion, wrap you in your baby straight jacket miracle blanket, and feed you. You usually fall asleep between 9-10 and wake up between 2:30-3:30 and then will sleep until 8:30am. We are letting you sleep upstairs in your crib for the first time tonight. We are leaving the pack n' play assembled in our room just in case it doesn't work out :). You have started really focusing well on faces and looking like you are interested in what we are saying to you. We cannot believe how fast your are growing! Love you little peanut!

3 week update

{Soooo sleepy}

Bragan you are now 3 weeks old and I cannot believe how the time is flying. I also cannot believe how we ever lived without you. You are still eating every 2-3 hours during the day but have started sleeping longer stretches at night. You even slept 6 hours straight last night. Mommy felt like a new woman! Everyone looooooves to hold and snuggle you. Your big sister tries to give you a million kisses each day. Your umbilical cord fell off on October 30 and you had your first real bath on October 31. You did not like it very much, but you decided it was kind of fun the second time.


You are still taking one bottle each night and doing well with that. You are growing so fast and are now wearing size 3 months clothes and size 1 diapers. We have been taking lots of outings this week to get out of the house even though you HATE your car seat. It just takes some getting used to each time I put you in it! You decided you liked it a little better when I hung your toy monkey from the handle where you could look right at it. We have also started using the rocking chair more often and you just LOVE to be rocked. Love you, little man!

2 week update

{Look how big I am!}

So Bragan is officially two weeks old. I cannot believe that he has been here for 2 weeks already! Time has flown by in a blur of feedings, diaper changes, snuggling, and extreme sleep deprivation. I said after the first few days that medical school had prepared me well for the sleepless nights, but I am not sure that is the truth. At least after a 30 hour call shift you get a post call afternoon to sleep it off...not the case with a new baby. There is no post call coma to recover from this sleep deprivation! :) We are making it through and night times have gotten much better. He is eating about every 3 hours at night and usually goes back to sleep after he finishes eating. Because his weight gain has been so good, the pediatrician said we could stretch him out longer between feedings at night if he will let us. He also told us it was a good idea to go ahead and try the bottle...so we did tonight. He took it like a champ and acted like it was no big deal! We were so excited because he will need to take a bottle by the time I start back to school. I was worried the bottle might make him not want to breastfeed, but he breastfed the next feeding after the bottle without skipping a beat. Praise the Lord! :)

{Snoozing on my blanket that FerFer made}

Here are his stats from his 2 week visit: (they did not give us the percentiles)
Weight: 9 pounds 2 ounces (birth weight was 8 pounds 3.5 ounces)
Length: 22.5 inches (birth length was 21 inches)
Head circumference: 37.5 cm

{Smiling while my big sister gives me a smooch}

In other news, we have made our first official outings together. Bragan and I took a trip to Target to pick up diapers and some other things yesterday. I put him in his car seat right after he finished eating thinking that he would be happy...boy was I wrong. As soon as I had a few things in my buggy he started screaming! I could not get him to calm down, so I had to cut the trip short and head home. He was already hungry again! My mom went with us on our next outing to Kohl's to return some things. He was so well behaved when Grammy was there that we were even able to go to Old Navy. Grammy's got the magic touch, I guess! :) I did manage to get a few errands done today by myself with Bragan and he was excellent.

And here are some sweet pictures for you to enjoy!

{Double chin!}

{Smiling in my sleep}

1 week update (2 days late)

...so we survived the first week and are having a blast loving on our little guy! He is the sweetest baby and boy does he love to eat! When he is hungry, he better get that milk right away or it is not pretty. :) We have spent so much time snuggling, cuddling, and just staring at him!


We have been to the doctor a few times for weight and bili checks because they let us leave the hospital early. On Wednesday, his 1 week birthday, he had surpassed his birth weight and was 8 pounds 6.5 ounces so they told us we could let him sleep as long as he wanted at night. No more waking him up for feedings, I just let him choose when he wants to eat. So far, I have had 2 nights in a row with a 4 hour stretch of uninterrupted sleep. That is a beautiful thing! I feel like a new woman. He has not had a hint of jaundice. Jaundice is pretty common in breast fed babies, but this little guy likes to eat so much he has stayed nice and pink :). I still cannot believe that he is here! We feel so blessed.


Madison has been such a wonderful big sister. Everyday when she gets home from school she can't wait to kiss him and hold him. She has adjusted well to no longer being the center of attention. We have only gotten a few comments about the baby getting all the attention or Madison missing her mommy and we have been able to talk them through with her. I can't blame her...it's been the three of us for 6 and 1/2 years, so this is a huge adjustment. I think I would be worried if she didn't express these feelings. I am so proud of my big girl!

Harrison "Bragan" Gray, Junior...the birth story

We are so excited to report that Bragan has arrived! So here's how the story goes...


At my 38 week appointment on Thursday October 7, I was told that I was 4 cm dilated and could go any minute. Well at my 39 week appointment the following Monday (October 11) there was no change. So on Tuesday we decided to go ahead and schedule an induction for Friday October 15 since Madison had the day off from school. I told Harrison that I just knew he was going to come now that we had decided to "plan" it...and I was right! I woke up at about 2 am Wednesday morning (October 13) because my water had broken in my sleep. I told Harrison and we proceeded to run around like chickens with our heads cut off to get out the door. Madison was sound asleep upstairs, but was able to wake up and get herself dressed and ready to go quickly. We dashed out the door after grabbing a few last minute things as most of our bags had already been packed and put in the car. I remember that I had woken up at 2:04 and we were in the car by 2:25 and at the hospital by 2:45am. We called the doctor and our families on the way to let them know the baby was coming!

On the way to the hospital, I started having some mild contractions but nothing serious. When we got to the hospital we zipped up to L&D and checked in as my contractions started getting worse. By the time I was all hooked up to the monitors I was having contractions every 5 minutes. The doctor came in and checked me and I was 5 cm. I told them that I wanted to go ahead and get things moving for the epidural since I did not get it in time with Madison. They told me we had to get a CBC and I had to have a bolus of fluids first and that the anesthesiologist was busy in the ER anyways. I just knew that meant bad news for me! After about an hour of pretty strong contractions that were 1-2 minutes apart, I started to feel a lot of pressure. The doctor checked me and I was 8 cm dilated. The anesthesiologist came in a few minutes later and said it was late for the epidural, but it might help with the pushing. Well, that epidural was the worst part of the entire night because it is nearly impossible to hunch over on the side of the bed without moving when you are having contractions 1 minute apart and are fully dilated. As soon as he finished, it was time to push and let's just say the epidural kicked in about 10 minutes after the baby was born! Fortunately, I only had to push for about 5-10 minutes before he arrived.
Bragan came into the world with a good, strong cry weighing in at 8 pounds, 3.5 ounces and 21 inches long at 4:43 am. That's right, water broke at 2 am and baby born at 4:43...what a whirlwind! Since then, things have been a blur of cuddling, feeding, dirty diapers, and trying to squeeze some sleep in there somewhere. We are so in love with this little cutie and cannot believe he is here. Madison is adjusting well to not being the only child and has been doting on her baby brother nonstop. She is so sweet to him and for the most part has been handling not getting all the attention well. I am so proud of my big girl and I know she has so many cool things to teach her baby brother! We are so amazed at this incredible blessing God has entrusted us with. What a miracle!

38 weeks

{I cannot believe how big that thing is!}

How far along: 38 weeks on the nose
Total weight gain/loss: I plead the fifth
Maternity clothes: Yup...so sick of wearing the same thing over and over!
Sleep: Off and on. Woke up this morning at 4:45 am and was not able to go back to sleep.
Best moment this week: Baby shower yesterday with some friends and family
Movement: Still very busy in there.
Cravings: Nothing I can think of right now.
Gender: BOY!!
Labor Signs: Having more frequent contractions, but none are regular yet. Some have gotten quite uncomfortable and made me wonder...is this the real deal??
Belly Button in our out? Out
What I miss:Hugging Madison close and bending over easily.
What am I looking forward to? Smelling that sweet baby smell when I am snuggling with the little cutie.
Weekley Wisdom: Prop those feet up any chance you get!!
Milestones: Full term plus some!

37 weeks...FULL TERM!

Sorry there is not a picture to go with this one. We just have not gotten around to taking one this week. I will post one soon!

How far along: 37 weeks and 4 days
Total weight gain/loss: +28 pounds :(
Maternity clothes: Yes! Haha I don't have a prayer of getting into any non-maternity clothes. In fact, some of my smaller maternity shirts are riding just a little short under the belly!
Sleep: So/so. Getting more and more uncomfortable, but once I am asleep I am good.
Best moment this week: Last night when Harrison was talking to the baby he was wiggling all around and poking out like he knew we were talking to him!
Movement: Still wild and crazy in there. I remember reading that the movement might slow down since he is running out of space. It doesn't seem to stop this little guy!
Cravings: Ice.
Gender: BOY!
Labor Signs: Lots of Braxton Hicks contractions like usual.
Belly Button in our out? Out.
What I miss: Being able to hug Madison really close without a big beach ball getting in the way.
What am I looking forward to? Seeing my sweet boy's face and snuggling him!
Weekley Wisdom: I got nothing!
Milestones: We are now FULL TERM! Hoping to make it all the way to our due date so I don't have to make up any days from this rotation.

As a side note...not really baby related. I have officially submitted my residency application and have scheduled 10 out of my 11 interviews. December and January are going to be very busy with traveling to all of these places. Please pray for us to have wisdom and guidance as to where God wants us to end up.

Soccer Star

Madison had her first soccer game this Saturday. She did great and actually went after the ball! It was so much fun to watch. So proud of that little pumpkin!

Get it, girl!

Figuring out her plan of attack

Showing those boys how it's done :)

Hot and sweaty, sweaty, sweaty!

Preparing to kick

We are excited to see how her skills progress as the season goes on. I was so proud that she was running towards the ball and not running screaming in the other direction like I feared she might! :)