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!