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! :)

One Month

Sweet Sibley, you are now more than a month old! As of today you are 4 weeks, 4 days and growing more every day. It's been quite an eventful month for all of us, to say the least, but we wouldn't change a thing!

Based on our fancy system of weighing ourselves then weighing ourselves holding you, you're tipping the scales at a solid 10 pounds, almost 11. You're eating about 4 ounces every three hours, give or take, then 5 ounces at bedtime and in the middle of the night. If we wait too long to get your bottle ready you get really mad at us.

And speaking of mad, you make these little cough sounds when you get really frustrated. It usually coincides with the woodchuck. We have to be ready to jump quickly when you start to tell us you're hungry or we have an angry little girl on our hands!

You've been sleeping in your swing in the living room at night, which means mama spends most of her nights on the couch to be right next to you. It's just easier that way in the middle of the night rather than stumbling around in the dark in our room. You're not a big fan of your Rock and Play just yet, but I hope you'll grow into it. Same goes for your crib, although you don't mind doing a little tummy time in there.

Right now you usually wake up for a little while from 6ish to 8 in the mornings before taking a nice, long morning nap, then another nice nap in the afternoons. Your most alert time is from about 6 to 8 or so at night, which makes for perfect snuggle time while your dad and I catch up on our favorite shows.

You seem to love bathtime, just not the drying off part of it. We're bathing you every other night right now, but this will probably become a nightly routine pretty soon.

You can still wear newborn diapers and clothes, but we're transitioning into size 1 diapers and some of your smaller 3 month outfits.

You've been on a few outings this month, including your first July 4th at the lake. You loved it there and stayed awake almost all day long!

You are a sweet baby, and we continue to learn more about your cries and signals every day.

Happy 1 Month, baby girl! It's been a fun one!

Outta Here!

After two weeks on basic house arrest, I was itching to actually get dressed, put on some makeup, and get outta here!

On Friday we took Sibley to the doctor's office for her two-week check-up and to meet our pediatrician. She got a great report! Perfectly healthy and now weighing 8 lbs., 3 oz., which is up almost a solid pound since our last visit at the hospital nursery a week ago. This girl loves to eat! Guess she comes by it naturally... ;)

Saturday we decided to make our first official outing as a family of three to cousin Frances's third birthday party at Eagle Lake. It was perfect and so nice for her to meet the rest of her Grey family and close friends. She slept through most of the party inside in the A/C, but it was a successful first adventure!

She finally got to meet her oldest cousin, Ryan Hadley, who I know will be thrilled to babysit in a few years. :)

And she and cousin Cash (just four months apart) bonded in their carseats.

It was a fun, HOT day, and we had a great time! The birthday girl was a little too preoccupied to get a pic, but she had a great time, too. Happy Birthday, Fran Fran Ferrell!

Getting to Know You

We've been parents for 13 days now. So far, so good! It's been a lot of fun getting to know this little munchkin... All her mannerisms, faces, cries, hunger cues, etc. She has quite the personality already!

She makes the FUNNIEST faces, and when she's hungry she holds her fists up to her face and shakes her head side to side. We call it the woodchuck. :)

She's a pretty good sleeper, although we have been having some issues with gas, which makes her a little unhappy. But other than that, she hasn't been a big crier at all.

Derek was off all last week so we could figure out the start of life as a family of three, and when he went back to work on Monday my mom came up to stay a few nights and help me. She's leaving today, so now the real test begins! 

It really has been a wonderful almost two weeks. Even with the fussiness and the lack of sleep, when she curls up on my chest and cuddles or smiles (even though I know it's just because she has gas!) it makes it all worth it.

Pure love.

Sibley's Birth Story

The original plan was for us to be second on the surgery schedule Friday morning. We would to arrive at the hospital at 5:30 to get prepped, then as soon as c-section #1 was finished, we'd be up about 8:30 or 9 that morning. Well, that was until the hospital called about 10:00 Thursday night as we were trying to make ourselves get some sleep to tell us that the first patient had delivered her baby, so we were being bumped up to the 7:30 a.m. surgery slot. That's when the nerves kicked in.

After virtually no sleep at all, we arrived at River Oaks bright and early Friday morning, we filled out our paperwork, got settled into a room, and the nurse immediately started the pre-op prep work. I was a nervous wreck, but before I knew it it was time to go! These doctors were READY to get this done. We might have even been a few minutes ahead of schedule for all I know!

The next 45 or so minutes were a bit of a nervous blur, but I remember clearly that at 7:47 a.m., my beautiful baby girl was brought into this world. As soon as she came out, the surgical team told us she was perfect and beautiful, then Dr. Moses held her up over the curtain for us to see. I saw her, she let out a big cry, and I immediately started crying tears of relief, elation, and absolute amazement.

As it turns out, Sibley was waaay up high nestled under my ribs with the cord wrapped around her neck. It took Dr. Moses and two other members of the surgical team working together to pull her out. She wasn't as big as predicted, but the c-section ended up being a blessing for a safe delivery.

Once they weighed her and cleaned her up, Derek brought her over to me for me to give her a kiss and take a few pics before bringing her back to the room to meet family while they wrapped up my surgery.

It all went by SO INCREDIBLY FAST. Before I knew it, I was back in the recovery room with my new little family and my big extended family. And then the love fest over our new addition began... :)

She's here!!

Sibley Elizabeth Grey arrived at 7:47 a.m. Friday, June 7th. She weighed 7 pounds, 12 ounces and measured 20.5 inches long.

She's absolutely perfect, and we are so thankful for a healthy baby girl. We are totally smitten.

I'll write all about her birth story as well as our first few days with her later this week, but here are a couple of pics from her birthday. I just can't get enough of her!