Birthday Party!

Here are some random pictures from Grady's party on Sat. He enjoyed the paper more than anything and I've never seen a baby get so into a cake. We just let him go at it and then the Grandmas put him in the bath! Taylor enjoyed helping with the gifts. The dark haired boy is my nephew, he's 10 wks older than Grady.

Season's Greetings 2008

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRADY!

Ok, so it's not until tomorrow (the 28th) but I was at the hospital getting ready to start my labor with him at this time last year so I'll count it! Plus, I'd rather post now before going to bed!

Here's the birth story I had typed when Grady was born. Figure I can reuse it to celebrate his first birthday!

I had gone to my dr. appt. on Wed., Nov. 21, and Dr. Bantz wanted me to go to labor and delivery due to 146/94 bp. I chose not to go. On Sat. the 24 my bp was still up and I got a headache so I called the hospital and the dr. on call said to come in. I went in and they watched me for about 4 hours. BP went down so they sent me home. Induction was still scheduled for November 29 (Thurs). The dr. told me to stay off work until baby was born. I went to my scheduled appt. on Tues. with Dr. Boothe. My blood pressure was 160/92!!! I was still only 1 cm dilated. Dr. Boothe wanted me to go ahead to the hospital that night. We all discussed that 2 days before the scheduled induction wasn’t a big deal and that the bp was high enough I should go ahead and get the induction started. So we went and got Taylor and made plans quickly. I was checked into the hospital around 7 pm on Tuesday, November 27. They checked me and I was still only one cm dilated. They started Cervadil around 8:30pm. I sort of slept off and on through the night. The Cervadil fell out around 3:30 am and they went ahead and checked me again and I was 4 cm! They started the Pitocin around 6 am. I went ahead and got the epidural around 7:30 am since the anesthesiologist was going to be unavailable until around 11 am. When they checked me again (around 11 am) I was 6-7 cm and the dr. came and broke my water. Ryan and my dad headed to get lunch. The nurse checked me and I was 10 cm and 100% effaced. She told me to call Ryan back up and she’d get the dr. Dr. came in around noon. Nurse talked to me through one contraction and then I started pushing at 12:05 pm. I pushed for 5 sets (3 pushes each) and Grady was born at 12:23 pm. He was much bigger than Taylor (she was early and only 6 lbs 4 oz) but he was 8 lbs 11 oz!! So, the pushing went faster but it was much harder!

Grady is such a happy, onery, perfect baby! Well, I guess at one year old he's not a baby anymore but he'll always be my baby! HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRADY!!

A year ago

Ok, so I know it wasn't a year ago according to the DATE but it was a year ago according to the DAY. Last year, I went to my dr. appt. on a Tues. and my bloodpressure was so high that the dr. sent me to the hospital to induce labor. So, last night as we were putting up the Christmas tree and then laying in bed, all I could think of was what was happening a year ago on Tuesday night. A year ago on this Wed. morning I was tired after a night of little sleep and getting ready to have Grady! WOW! So much has happened in a year!

Late night bathroom trips

When I was younger (like from the time I was pottytrained until I was in about 5th grade and my bedroom moved upstairs) I had a nightly ritual. EVERY night (and I mean every night) I would wake up in my bed and (because I was scared of the dark) call for my dad. "Daaaadddddyyyyy! Daaaaaddddddyyyyyy!" Many nights my brother would just go get my dad (dad's a heavy sleeper) and then dad would walk me to the bathroom and then put me back to bed. I can remember this vividly. I never knew how much my dad must have LOVED this ritual until I became a parent of a pottytrained child.
Taylor now wakes up about 2-3 (sometimes more) nights a week and walks to our room (she says she's scared of "darkness" but at least she comes to me rather than screaming for me like I used to scream for my dad) and then she stands next to my bed holding her silky and babybear and whispers, "Mommy. Mommy. Mommy, I need to go pee." So I take her to pee and, if it's not after 6am, I take her back to her room. She usually wants to sleep in my bed but I tell her it's still dark so she can't. Don't know how that's going to work during the summer when it's light at like 5am!!
Anyway, thanks Dad for the nightly bathroom trips. Sorry I disrupted your sleep every night for so long! :)

A Couple Pics

Here are a couple pics of my gorgeous kids! Taylor's hair hadn't been fixed but I think she's still beautiful! Of course, I'm a bit biased!

A good weekend

Taylor, Grady, and I got back home today from a very nice weekend with mom parents and extended family. The kids had a good time and were exhausted. They fell into bed and I'm about to do the same (after I put away a large pile of laundry!)
It's always so nice to spend time with family. Now I get to get through a three day week, then do Thanksgiving, Grady's bday on Friday, then the bday party on Sat., and try to rest on Sunday! Then it's three weeks until Christmas break!!!
It's strange how this weekend I was able to start the "a year ago today" thoughts. There's sooooo many "a year ago today" milestones coming up now. I hope to look back on them as something that God got us all through and made us all stronger. I want all of the thoughts of what has happened in this past year to remind us of how strong we are through our God. It truly is amazing what all our family has been through and how "well" we're all doing.