3 Months Old

My little guy is 3 months old now. Where did the time go? We were watching video of Grady at the hospital this past weekend when my parents were in town and I can't get over how much he has changed. He is full of personality now. I actually got him to belly laugh for the first time today - best sound ever. Well, maybe I can't commit to best sound ever because the little noises he makes as he sleeps on my chest are priceless. And so are the "grrrs" he just started making. Okay, any noise he makes is the best sound ever.

I can never pick out my favorite picture of Grady, probably because I take about 100 each day. But these are pretty darn cute...

I've got his cries and grunts and coos down now, I think. He has a very exaggerated pout when he wants something and it isn't happening fast enough. But when he is tired its a very lazy cry, not full blown. You have to hear it to understand what I'm talking about. Hilarious! It does make life easier now that he is communicating more and I am understanding what he needs/wants.

He is also grabbing a lot more now. He just figured out that mommy has hair and its fun to swat at and pull on. He also grabs my arm when I change him and tries to shove it in his mouth. If you didn't know any better, you would think I starve this child. He tries to put everything in his mouth. I keep looking for teeth, but I don't see any signs of a tooth coming yet.

Grady is still sleeping like a champ, but I used to be able to put him down awake and he would put himself to sleep and he doesn't do that anymore. He is really easy to put down still, but we usually have to go back into his nursery once or twice to get him back to sleep. Still not complaining though, he sleeps 10-11 hours straight :) Thank God because when my alarm goes off at 4:30 A.M. starting next week (yep, tearing up just typing this), I'm going to need all the sleep I can get! And while were on the topic of sleep, I changed his sheets this morning and looked down and saw a clump of hair right where his head rests. I about died. Seriously I think there were 20 little pieces of hair. And now he has a bald spot on the back of his head. Cute and silly!

One thing that is new that I'm not too thrilled about is he is developing fear. He has been listening to Porter bark since before he was born and until this week he hasn't given it a second thought. But this past week Porter gave a couple of loud barks to some poor innocent person walking by our house (how dare them!) and Grady got really still and listened intently and all of the sudden his bottom lip curled up and he started to cry. It was the cutest and saddest thing I have ever seen. He also showed signs of being afraid of people. I'm hoping this is a short phase. Although I'm fine if he is afraid of strangers for the rest of his life - there are sick people out there!

I feel like I say this every month, but this is my favorite age so far. I love how expressive he is and the endless smiles he gives us, especially in the morning when I say "good morning sunshine"! But as we packed away and gave away some of his newborn clothes, a part of my already misses that age. However, I am loving every second of him and I can't wait to see what the next month holds.

XOXO,

Courtney

Big Girls Dont Cry...Until They Have To Go Back To Work

It's here. The day I have been dreading since I gave birth to Grady. I'm headed back to work next Tuesday. I realize I've had a nice long four months of maternity leave, for which I am very grateful, but I don't feel ready. I've been crying off and on for the past month knowing this day was iminent. Today, however, I think I have teared up 5 times. randomly Actually, make that 6 times. I just left my neighbor's house (we were watching the CAPS game) and she asked me exactly when I was headed back and I immediately teared up. Maybe it will get easier once I'm actually working again and it's just the build up that's killing me. But somehow I don't think that will be the case. It's just plain cruel that a mom has to be separated from her baby. Sure I could stay home if we really buckled down and budgeted, but it would be a siginificant lifestyle change and God forbid what if Dave lost his job, then what? I've entertained the idea of staying home and watching someone else's child/children, working from home all the time doing something, selling my gall bladder (HAHAHA), etc. But for now it just makes sense for me to return to work, I think...

What bothers me the most about returning to work is the idea that I will miss a first. What if he crawls first with the nanny and not me? What if he says her name first and not "momma" or "dada"? I realize I sound like a jealous crazy person, but these are real fears of mine. I also realize that at some point he will have a first something that I won't be around for. Regardless, it still really bothers me.

I had a long chat with Grady the other day and I told him that I had to go back to work and Lauren would be watching him during the day. He told me he understood and that he would be just fine as long as he gets new toys :) Reality, he will be just fine and eventually I may be too. For now, though, I'm going to cry myself to sleep for a while! And I'm probably not going to wear mascara at work for a while either!

XOXO,

Court

10 weeks old

I'm feeling like a broken record these days, but I cannot get over how fast Grady is growing. Maybe its because he is only 10 weeks old but has doubled in weight since birth, or that he is now wearing all 3 month clothes and even 3-6 month, or that when people ask how old he is and I tell them 10 weeks they look shocked and say "wow he's a big baby". Whatever the reason, I still cannot get over it.

Every week he learns something new and it amazes me. This week he found his tongue and now that he knows its there he won't put it back in (of course until I grab the camera!) I think he gets this from Aunt Sarah!

I think his face has definitely changed and although he still looks just like Dave, I think I see a little of me in him now. Maybe? Wishful thinking?

He drinks 5 ounces every two hours and don't you dare shortchange him because he will let you have it! I think he drinks so much during the day because he is making up for sleeping 11 hours straight (God love him!) I think I'm going to have to upgrade his bottles - mommies any suggestions? Check out the belly on this kid...

Grady is days away from rolling over. He gets his feet and legs in position for the roll over, but he can't quite figure out his arm situation. So cute!

He is playing independantly for longer periods of time now. I've caught him a few times this week playing by himself and laughing. I'm dying to know what he was thinking about that made him laugh! Before I would play with him on his activity mat and he would play for about 10 - 15 minutes and then would be over it. Now he kicks and swats at his toys on the mat for about an hour. In fact he was playing so hard the other day when I picked him up the back of his head was damp and little curls formed - it was sweat! I couldn't believe it. He literally worked up a sweat from playing. Here's a little clip of Grady hard at work (if you scroll to the bottom of the blog and turn the music down you can hear a little Grady giggle :)

Another new and exciting discovery for Grady is the mirror. I hold him and show him the mirror and he gets the silliest look on his face - like he is flabergasted by what he is seeing. If I keep talking and smiling while facing the mirror he eventually smiles back, but you can tell he is utterly bewildered by it!

I can't wait to see what he will be up to next week!

XOXO,

Court

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words!

Before Grady was born I was dreaming of having his pictures taken professionally. I mean I literally thought about it every single day. But I am extremely picky about pictures - in fact it has been a sore subject many times in the Schoen household. I didn't want a "Sears" portrait, rather I like candid, organic type photos (not to mention I am extremely obsessed with black and white photos). This is where Jeff Massey comes into play. My sister Sarah has been dating Jonathan for I believe almost two years. Jeff is Jonathan's older brother, and I have to add a Pirate!!! GO ECU! Jeff has a great talent for taking timeless photos - check out his website jeffmasseyphoto.com. Aside from being an amazing photographer, Jeff and his wife Lauren have become good friends of ours. In fact we have adopted the entire Massey family into our lives, whether they like it or not. (The Evans' have a tendancy to do that, for the record.) I could go on and on about what wonderful people they are, how sincere and welcoming they are, and how much we enjoy their company when we head to Raleigh, but I know you are holding your breath waiting to see the beautiful pictures Jeff took of our little family, so...

By no means are these all of the photos Jeff took, but they are my favorites! We can't thank Jeff enough for taking time to create these priceless memories for us. I'm going to have a very hard time deciding which pictures I want printed - and I may just print them all :) I hope you enjoyed them as much as we do!

XOXO,

Court

9 weeks old

Well my little guy is growing by the day - literally. I have retired a bunch of his clothes that were size 0-3 month (yes I realize he is only 2 months old). I was just looking at his one month pictures and I can't believe what can change in a month. It truly is the miracle of life.

I can get him to giggle now and it may be the best thing I have ever heard. He actually giggled for the first time when my dad was here while I was in the hospital. Now he does it all the time, especially while we change him. This kid loves being naked and bath time and changing time are his favorites. When you talk to him he looks right at you and smiles, coos and laughs. When I give him a bottle and he looks right at me and if I smile at him he will smile back but at the same time continue to drink from his bottle so milk comes streaming down both of his cheeks. I just laugh and laugh and that gets him going even more. What a mess!

Grady's new thing is his thumb. I mean this kid really LOVES his thumb. It has changed his sleeping habits too. GRADY IS SLEEPING 11 HOURS STRAIGHT - WAHOOOO! Ever since he found his thumb he can put himself back to sleep when he wakes up. Now, he will stir throughout the night but its not until the "yell" that I know he's ready to be picked up, changed and fed. I really need to get this yell on video because it is too funny. But really, he is 9 weeks old and sleeping from 8 pm until about 6-8 am. I am so grateful to have such a healthy, happy baby. In fact, the only time he fusses is when he is hungry and boy does he let me have it when its time. He cracks me up because half way through his bottle when I stop to burp him, he gets down right pissed off and throws a mini temper fit. Again, I can't help but laugh. And if I don't get the bottle back to his mouth fast enough he feverishly shoves his hands and thumb in his mouth while making a weazing sound. I should try to get this on video too.

Grady had his first Easter and he was adorable. Dave and I woke up and went to Church early, and like the amazing baby he is, Grady slept through the entire mass. I went shopping several times before Easter to find a cute outfit and I was having a hard time finding something cute enough that wasn't going to cost a small fortune. (Because Grady is growing so fast, its hard to keep him in any outfit long enough which makes it hard for me to buy expensive clothes for him - even if they are the cutest outfits ever!)  Then I remembered that Dave's mom gave us some of Dave's baby clothes, so Grady went vintage this Easter, what a hipster!



His outfit says "Mommy's Little Peep" - how stinking cute is that?



Obviously Dave was a little smaller than Grady so its a bit snug. He will not be happy with me later in life when he sees these pictures! Easter was bitter sweet for me. I have so many found memories of the Easter egg hunts we had at Nana and PopPop's house with my cousins, but I am sad because his house went on the market this week. I stay positive though because I know that Frank "the fingers" G is watching over Grady all of the time. And I am excited about what the future has in store for Grady because I know he will have the same great memories and experiences that I had growing up. I can't wait for next Easter when he is just learning to talk and getting into everything!

XOXO,

Court