Grandma

We said goodbye to my Grandma Bice today. She was 90 years old and ready to go join my grandfather in heaven.

It's very bittersweet. She will be greatly missed, but she has been ready to leave this world for a better place for a while now.

My family is at peace and has said our goodbyes. Sibley and I actually made a trip down last week while she was out sick from daycare but still feeling well enough to smile and play. I had a moment with Grandma by myself and told her I loved her and that we were ok with her leaving us. She really and truly has missed my grandfather so incredibly much the past seven years, but I'm so extremely glad she stayed around long enough to meet Sibley and spend some time with her.

She was a very strong, smart, and stubborn woman (and I say that with love). She taught high school English and taught me everything I know about grammar. She would bring real grade books and seating charts home for me to play school with, and would even let me rearrange all the desks in her classroom some Saturdays so my dolls could learn.

I have many, many wonderful memories of her, and I'm very blessed to have had her in my life for 33 years.

It's always sad to lose a loved one, no matter how prepared you are. I know she's in a better place and is reunited with her sweetheart, but prayers for comfort for my family are appreciated.

My dad is the youngest of two, and he lost his mom today, on his 59th birthday. A friend told me today that hospice patients are finally in peace on their most peaceful of days. The irony is not lost on me, and I hope my dad can take comfort in that.

Peace and love to you, Grandma. Give Grandpa a big hug from all of us, too.

Five Months

Sweet Sibley,

I'm a little late in writing this, so you're now five and a half months old!

This has been a huge month for you! You're now holding your own bottle, and just last week we gave you baby food for the first time. You LOVED it! So far we've tried peaches, green beans, and apples, and you love them all. It's a whole new world for you, and it's so fun. :) You even make this "mmmm" sound when you want more.

The time change has made you go to bed a little earlier, but you still sleep like a champ. Bedtime is usually at 6:30 sharp, and you'll sleep a solid 12 hours if we let you! (And we can't thank you enough for that, seriously.)

Just this weekend I was looking at you and admiring what a wonderful big girl you've become. You smile 90% of the time now, and you're so happy (most of the time!)!

You're really working on trying to crawl, although you still haven't quite figured out how to make your arms and legs work together. You just kind of swim on your belly or play superman. It frustrates you sometimes, but you'll get there soon enough.

It has been an absolute joy to watch you grow each month, and we really can't wait to experience the holidays with you as a part of our traditions now.

Life is so good, and we love you so very much, our little Munch.

"It's So Southern..."

Last weekend we headed off on a highly anticipated girls' weekend to The Grand Hotel and Spa in Point Clear, Ala.

I've probably mentioned it before, but I truly cherish my girl time, and this one was extra special because we all got to just ENJOY and no one had to play hostess.

What an incredibly wonderful weekend! This place was spectacular and "so Southern" as my friend Allison put it. The resort was amazing, and we even caught a history lesson about the place and its military past.

We relaxed around the firepit with some cocktails before heading to dinner.

We decided on dinner at Gambino's in Fairhope. This place had great Italian food, then about 9 the DJ came out, the disco ball came on, and it turned into a dance floor complete with the corresponding music video playing on the projector screen. HILARIOIS. We had sooo much fun line dancing and requesting some old school rap. I think we were the life of the party! Hehe

After dinner and our impromptu dance party, we went to this hole-in-the-wall bar called The Jub. Whoa... We had even more fun, played some pool and sang some karaoke.

Let's just say our relaxing morning at the spa was well deserved. :)

The spa there was LOVELY. I fully enjoyed my 80-minute hot stone massage and wish I could have one every weekend!

Saturday afternoon was spent shopping in downtown Fairhope, then we had Mexican and margaritas Saturday night while watching the Alabama-LSU game. We were in Roll Tide country, after all.

It was such a wonderful weekend, and I've always felt that girl time is good for your soul. 

I feel refreshed and all caught up, and I can't wait to do it again soon!!

Homecoming and Halloween

I've abandoned my beloved blog! Time to catch up...

Last weekend we headed to Hattiesburg for Southern Miss homecoming, one of my favorite weekends all year. This year was a little different because our usual crew didn't come to set up a tailgate, so we improvised.

We met some friends at a new restaurant in town for lunch, Patio 44, then my parents met us to take Sibley home for the afternoon/night.

We drove over to campus and made a last minute tailgate on some benches. We still had a lot of fun, despite not having a tent.
 

After the SAD game, I called it a night while the rest of my friends went out downtown. I needed my beauty rest. ;)
 

I still love my Golden Eagles, despite not winning a game since 2011. :(

Halloween was Thursday, and it was a total washout. Most neighborhoods postponed trick-or-treating to Friday, which worked out much better.

We went one clock over to our friends Melanie and Trey's house for a hayride (minus the hay) on a trailer for all the kiddos to trick-or-treat. Sibley loved it, even though we just watched the whole time. Fun night! Can't wait until she's a little older to actually have fun with her daddy's favorite holiday.

Isn't she the cutest Snow White you've ever seen?
 

And last but not least, we had a lazy, cozy Saturday night at home this weekend and made our first real fire of the season.

This baby is loving some tummy time these days, and she LOVED watching the fire. Welcome to winter in the Grey fam, little one!
 

Four Months

Sweet Sibley,

You are now a little over 4 months old! (Eighteen weeks today, to be exact.)

What an eventful month it has been! You LOVE going to school, and we love the school, too. Ms. Mary and Ms. Carolyn take great care of you, and it's so funny to watch you and the other four babies in your class just watch each other. 

You got your second round of shots last week, and you did great! You are now 15 pounds, 1 ounce and 24.5 inches long. Big girl!

The biggest news lately is that you've learned how to roll over onto your tummy. You did it for the first time at the doctor's office and have since perfected it this past week. Now pretty much any time we put you down on your back (except at bedtime when you're too tired) you immediately flip over an start trying to scoot. You can work those legs like crazy now and can push yourself up on your arms. You just haven't figured out how to move your arms to make you go forward just yet.

I think I'm close to winning my bet with your dad that you'll be crawling by Christmas!

Speaking of your dad, he is your FAVORITE person in the world. He cracks you up, and you think he hung the moon. It's so very sweet to watch, even though I have to admit it makes me a little jealous. I am still the one who can comfort you when you cry though, so I suppose that's fair. :)

You're starting to teethe now, and we've added rice cereal in your bottles. Next comes trying it in a bowl with a spoon! 

You keep us busy, but we love it. When you crash at 7:45 for the night, we struggle to stay up much later than that.

We can't imagine life without you, sweet girl. It's so amazing to watch you learn how to do new things. Every day is a new adventure, and we love you so very much.

Introducing Mr. And Mrs. Grey!

I'm a week or so behind on blogging, so please forgive me. On September 28th, I turned 33, but more importantly I gained another sister-in-law!

Ryan and Beth Ann got married in an absolutely beautiful rustic, country wedding on Zach and Jennifer's land. Everything was just perfect, and both the rehearsal dinner and wedding were wonderful.

Beth Ann's sweet mom even had some special birthday cupcakes made to celebrate my day, too. It was a wonderful wedding weekend!

Congrats to the newlyweds! I had a great birthday celebration. :)

Not Quite 33

My birthday is this Saturday, but since we'll be celebrating at Derek's brother's wedding, my sweet husband organized a little early birthday party for me this past weekend.

We had a delicious dinner with some dear friends at Bon Ami, followed by a little karaoke. Fun night!

Aunt KK kept Sibley for the night, which was so sweet, especially given that she took care of all THREE kiddos solo while Uncle Neil was out of town.

I feel very loved! Thanks to everyone who celebrated with me. I think 33 will be a great year!

Birthdays and Football

I can't believe it's already Wednesday, and I haven't written a short post about the weekend yet. Here's my recap in fast forward...

First of all, happy belated birthday to my mom! (I know she reads the blog). Glad you had a fun time in Nola. Sibley can't wait to see you next weekend! 

Now on to the weekend... I started the weekend out with a massage Friday night, which was just lovely. We took it easy Saturday and watched football ALL day long. Not a good day for my Eagles, but those Rebels sure played a good one! We watched the game over at our friends Claire and Jeremy's new house. Of course we dressed the girl up in her Hotty Toddy attire. The weather was perfect for some football-watching!

Sunday we spent the majority of the day in Vicksburg visiting with family for Derek's dad's birthday. Sibley was exhausted from all the cousin time once we finally got home, but we had fun.

We watched some Sunday night tv (Saints won, Miss Mississippi didn't) before bedtime at 9. I am a proud old person these days who is happy to go to bed before the hour hits double digits. No shame here.

I love football weekends! Only four more days until the official start of autumn. Happy fall, y'all! Now bring on the cool temps!

Three Months

Sweet Sibley,

You are almost 14 weeks old! I'm clearly a little late in posting your three month update, but better late than never.

What a busy month we've had! You've been in "school" for almost two full weeks now, and you really seem to love it! I knew you would enjoy being around other babies because people-watching is one of your favorite pastimes (mama's too). You've adjusted so well, and Ms. Mary and Ms. Carolyn love you!

I can't tell you how much your dad and I love the school you're attending. It's called the Privette School, and it's very small. It was our first choice of daycares for you, and we've been on their waiting list since right when we told family and friends we were expecting you. They called last month to let us know they had a spot saved just for you, and you would have thought your dad and I won the lottery we were so excited. :)

It's a wonderful place, and you're making new friends already! You also made your first piece of artwork on your second day of school. We were very proud.

At home, you now sleep about 10 hours a night in your CRIB! I think I was more nervous about the transition to your own room than you were, but we put you in your room overnight for the first time at 10 weeks, and you had no problems at all. I think you enjoy having the space to stretch out, and you enjoy the peace and quiet of being by yourself. We put you down about 8 and get you up about 6:15, and it works out wonderfully. You are a GREAT sleeper, and we can't thank you enough for that, especially now that I'm back at work. :)

You smile at us all the time now, and you're really starting to laugh and talk. It's really cute. You just talk to yourself all morning long while we're getting ready for work, and you laugh at yourself. You're in a great mood in the mornings, and I LOVE waking you up. It's the sweetest part of the day.

You're wearing all your 3-month clothes, and I'm so glad you're finally getting good use out of all those cute play clothes your cousin Frances passed down to you! 

We brought you to church for the first time a few weeks ago, and you looked so pretty in your sweet little dress. You did just fine in the nursery. You LOVE being around other babies.

You're at a really fun stage right now where you're not mobile, but you want to be so badly! You love to stand up on our laps while we hold your hands, and you get so proud of yourself when you do. 

I know I say this every month, but you are so sweet and so funny, and we enjoy every minute with you. That being said, I'm also happy to share you with others sometimes because I know you brighten their days as much as you brighten ours. You're a special gift.

We love you so very much, munch.

Long Days

Well, we survived our first week back in the real world. Even though it was only a four-day work week, it felt like it lasted 10 days straight.

We have our little morning routine pretty well orchestrated, but in the evenings I feel like we're running a marathon. From getting her fed immediately when we get home and trying to feed ourselves something other than cereal for dinner to bathing her and bathing ourselves then getting her ready for bed and getting everything ready for the next day, we are on GO from sunrise to sunset.

I know all you other moms are thinking, "Welcome to the club, sister." It's exhausting. Of course, before I started back at work I thought staying home with her or running errands with her was exhausting. I think being a mom is just exhausting in general, but definitely so worth it!

I couldn't wait until Friday at 5:00 when I got to go pick up the munch and settle in for a mostly lazy weekend in our pajamas. It was wonderful. Sometime during those four days while I was at work, she learned how to laugh and how to perfect that sweet little chubby-cheeked smile just for me.

I really have an entirely new appreciation for the weekends now. They are to be completely cherished, and we shall do just that at our house, especially in our pj's.

End of Summer

Summer at the Grey house is coming to a close. Sibley is now 12 weeks old, which means I go back to work next week. Tear... :(

What a wonderful summer it has been! I have been so lucky to spend the past few months at home with this sweet girl, and while I'm sad our weekdays won't be spent side by side anymore, I am ready to return to the working world and get in some sort of normal routine.

Sibley will be going to the Privette School in Fondren, and we couldn't be happier. It's very close to home and work, and I just know her teachers will love her as much as we do. I'm excited for her to make some new friends!

In other news, I actually got a promotion a few weeks ago while still on maternity leave. My new position is Division Director of Emergency Preparedness Communications (a mouthful, I know). It's still in my same office (although I do get a bigger cube by the window - whoop!), and it's a lot of what I'm doing now with some grant management and a little travel thrown in.  I'm excited to start fresh and learn some new things! Hopefully my brain will readjust accordingly. ;)

That's really about all that's new with us. Now it's back to the real world... Let's do this.

Good Ole Lake Days

On Saturday Sibley stayed with Derek's dad (Pawpaw) and Miss Lynne while we spent the day and night at the lake hosting a couples' wedding shower for Derek's younger brother, Ryan, and his fiancé, Beth Ann.

The shower was hosted by all the Grey kids and a few other couples, and we had a great time!

It's been a loooong time since we've all been out there without the kiddos, and we certainly made the most of it with a fun day on the boat and even a night out at the Chotard Landing Resort! Watch out, world! 

It really was a fun like the good ole days, which clearly none of us can handle as often now in our older and wiser years. Fun in the sun with a lot of cold beer. :)

Congrats, Ryan and BA! Can't wait for the wedding.

Two Months

Sweet Sibley, you are almost 10 weeks old! I wanted to wait to write your two-month update until after your doctor's appointment last Friday. You are now 12 pounds, 8 ounces and have grown two whole inches since your one-month visit!

You're measuring in the 90th percentile for weight and the 30th for length. That big ole noggin of yours is in the 95th percentile, which Dr. Storey said means you have big brains. 

You did so well at the doctor and took your vaccinations like a big girl only crying for a few seconds. It was hard to watch, but I think you handled them better than I did!

You've changed so much in a month. You're really holding your head up pretty well now, you LOVE your activity mat, and after a few weeks of sleeping soundly in your Rock and Play (yay for no more sleeping on the love seat for mama!) you've graduated to your Pack and Play. That means your crib is next!

You have blessed us with a straight EIGHT hours of sleep every night for the past few weeks. We can't thank you enough. You're a great sleeper, and you are like clockwork with a 10:00 bedtime right now. You like it dark and quiet, and you'll snooze soundly til about 6 a.m. 

You've really developed a routine these past few weeks, and I'm amazed at how closely you stick to it every day. You still take your two big naps each day and are up to 5 ounces of formula every 2-3 hours. And again, like clockwork, you cluster feed about once each hour and a half from 6-9 p.m. before bedtime. I think it's your way of "carb-loading" before your big night of sleep. You're so smart! 

You smile at us now and are really cooing and making all sorts of funny noises. You're discovering your voice for sure.

One of our new favorite activity is a grocery trip to Kroger. We went twice last week, and you would have thought you were at Disney World. You LOVED looking at everything. 

You are growing SO much each week, and I'm enjoying watching it firsthand while I'm still at home. Three more weeks, and it's back to the real world. :(

What a great summer it has been with you! We love you so much, my little munch!

NOLA

Sibley turned 8 weeks on Friday, and Derek turned 31 on Saturday, so we felt like the time was right to leave her overnight with my parents and have a grown-up weekend away in New Orleans.

It was a record-breaking HOT weekend down there, but we really had a great time. Friday afternoon we wandered the Quarter and stopped in at one of our favorite bars, Tonique, for a Mint Julep slushee to beat the heat. 

After dinner Friday night, our friends Katherine and Paul went back to the condo while Derek and I wandered back out in the Quarter for a little date night. 

We first stopped in Jackson Square for sunset and did a little people-watching while listening to a little street band and catching a cool breeze. It was so nice!

We then decided to keep wandering and do a little "classy" bar-hopping like gown-ups do. ;)

We checked out Sylvain, the Carousel Bar at Hotel Monteleone, 801 Royal, then back to Tonique on the walk home. I had never been to most of these places before, and I really had a lot of fun!

Saturday was all about the food: breakfast at Ruby Slipper, po-boys for lunch at Katie's, then the big birthday dinner at Restaurant R'evolution.

Before I talk about dinner (which was fabulous), I wanted to mention that we stopped by The Columns Hotel Saturday afternoon for a drink while a little afternoon shower rolled in. We sat on the big front porch overlooking St. Charles and watched the streetcars. Very cool place where I also had never been!

The night started with cocktails before dinner at SoBou, then Derek's old friend Kevin and his wife, Sarah, met us at R'evolution for dinner. I had heard great things about this place, and it did not disappoint! The service was absolutely impeccable, and food just kept on coming. It was pretty amazing and a wonderful dining experience. Our reservations were at 8, and we didn't leave until almost 11.

After dinner Derek, Kevin, Sarah and I finished celebrating the big birthday at 801 Royal, the Gold Mine (don't ask - ha!), and Tonique before calling it a night.

It really was a wonderful weekend, and I didn't even realize how much we needed that little getaway. We hit the road early Sunday morning to get back to Hattiesburg to pick up the munchkin.

We missed her BIG time (I only cried twice), but she had fun visiting with BB and Popi. I would say our first weekend away was a success.

Happy Happy Birthday, Derek!

Catching Up

Sorry for my absence... Seems like we've had a lot going on and very little going on all at the same time, if that's even possible.

Since the last time I posted, Derek spent the weekend in Memphis for a friend's wedding and some catch-up time with his cousin, Wes.

I single-parented for the weekend, and it was fine! Sibley and I rode over to Vicksburg for Grady's second birthday party and a short visit with Aunt KK, Frances and Cash while Uncle Neil was also out of town. I've got the road trip with a baby thing down pat. Ha!

We've still been enjoying our weekly visits to Hattiesburg. One great thing about being on maternity leave this summer is that I've actually had plenty of opportunities to hang out with my bestie, Cassidy, while she's home from Japan for a few weeks. It's been wonderful! I miss this girl like crazy and really, really hope to replan our trip overseas to visit her in the spring.

Other goings-ons include Sibley's first 5K in support of our friends Claire and Jeremy's fundraising for A Climb for Hope. They're raising a LOT of money for Livestrong in hopes of climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in the spring. It's a great cause, and Jeremy is a cancer survivor with a great story. (Check out their Facebook page if you get a minute.)

And in other baby news, Sibley started smiling! It's the sweetest thing I've ever seen. She is absolutely adorable, and I just can't even express my love for this little girl.

She'll be 8 weeks on Friday. Crazy!! I still have 4.5 weeks left of maternity leave, then it's back to the real world. 

I actually had my postpartum OB visit yesterday. My c-section had completely healed, and I'm thrilled to share that I am EIGHTEEN pounds down from my pre-preggo weight. I have big plans to join the Y this week and keep it up. Blog friends, hold me to it! :)

I suppose that's about it as far as what's been going on in our little world. We have big plans for Derek's birthday this weekend, so stay tuned for a non-baby post! Hehe

Road Trip!

Thursday Sibley and I set off on our first road trip adventure by ourselves. We decided while I am on maternity leave we'll try to make a weekly trip to Hattiesburg to visit my family and for my mom to watch her for the night so I can get out and about for a while with friends and enjoy a solid night of sleep. Trip number one was a success!

Sibley was able to visit with both great grandmothers and with her great aunts.

I met my friends Allison and Cassidy downtown for happy hour and dinner, and we had such a great time! It was wonderful to get out for a few hours, and Sibley was a perfect angel for her BB and Popi while I was gone. :)

Once the official weekend arrived we filled up the baby pool on the back deck and spent a lovely Saturday afternoon at the Grey Country Club. She loved the water then napped in the shade for an hour or two.

Then on Sunday we rode out to the country in Edwards to visit our old friends (and my old boss) Karen and Jimmy at their cabin. 

It was a great weekend! Sibley loves riding in the car, so we're taking advantage of it while it lasts! I definitely see more road trips in our future. She'll be one well-traveled little girl! :)