Five Months

Merry Christmas and happy five month birthday to Grace!

We took her picture a few days early this month since we are in Nebraska for Christmas.  This baby is getting HUGE!  She is really growing up.  She can now sit up on her own for very short periods of time, she loves her bouncer and can move herself around in it, her hair is really starting to fill in and she is turning ibnto a true blonde, she has discovered the joy of toys (she played with them a little before but now she stays very entertained), she has learned how to ride Cletus, and the big one this month is that she has started to eat solid food!

She really wasn't so sure about it at first, but now she is a super eater!  She can down a bowl of cereal in just a couple minutes if she wants to.  Other times she is distracted and it can try mom's patience.

She seems to grow up a little bit more everyday.  It is crazy how fast she changes but we are having fun watching her learn and experience new things.

Thanksgiving

We had originally planned to stay home for Thanksgiving this year since we are going to Nebraska for Christmas and just have dinner on our own or with some friends, then Eric's parents and sisters decided that they would all come to our house for the holiday (Eric and I know it was really to just see Gracie).

Kirstin and Nanette came from Utah and Eric's parents drove over from Nebraska so everyone was here by Monday night.  Kirstin got here on Sunday night and she and I just hung out on Monday, very exciting I know.  We did some planning and grocery shopping on Tuesday and some more shopping on Wednesday and mostly just spent time together and played with the baby.

Last year when we were in Nebraska for Thanksgiving we had planned a Thanksgiving morning 5k (I think it ended up being closer to 2 miles since it was freezing) so this year Eric's sisters thought we should do another one and we even made race t-shirts.  Kirstin has the group photo of everyone in their shirts, sorry I don't have one to share.  Anyway, we decided to do our "5k" at Riverside Park in Beloit, WI.  After we mostly walked it was time for the "kids" to go play in the playground, it was awesome!

Here we all are on the turtle.

And on the play yard.

I got a lot done since Grace was being held most of the time.  Here she is napping with Grandma.

I tried several new recipes this year and for the most part loved them.  But to be honest I had no idea how much work it was to put together a Thanksgiving dinner.  Gracie and her bumbo were our centerpiece, I mean what could be cuter :)

And here she is in her Thanksgiving outfit, cute as always!

It was a fun holiday!  Everyone left on Friday so Eric and I were able to get our decorations up and get some chores done and even managed to do some Christmas shopping.

Four Months

I know I have a lot of catching up to do after not blogging anything for the whole month of November, but I am just going to start with the fact that our little Grace is now four months old!

She has grown up so much this last month.  She has gotten so much bigger (I won't know how much exactly till Wednesday, but I swear she is huge these days!).  She has really started to do this with her legs, like kick at her play mat toys and she even helps me change her diaper by moving her legs to where they need to be and when.  She is starting to help me out a little by holding her own bottle some of the time.  She is learning how to use her voice more which translates to some really high pitch noises, but it is fun to see her learn new things.  She thinks that she is ready to sit up on her own and constantly tries to, I don't think it will be long until she succeeds.  She loves her toys these days and puts everything in her mouth!  One of her favorites is her taggie blanket, but really she loves to play with any toy.  She officially grew out of her three month clothes and some of her six month ones are already starting to get a little small. . . . and one of my favorite things . . . she has started to giggle :)  It is SO CUTE!!

  

Happy Halloween

I had a hard time finding a baby Halloween costume that I liked this year and I spent a lot of time looking.  Then I ran into a cute onesie at Walmart and decided I could make something cute out of it.    So, for Halloween this year Gracie is a little witch.  (Don't mind the hat, it got pressed flat and I could not manage to get it to fluff up again).  At our ward trunk or treat on Saturday night she really enjoyed trying to eat her tutu but she was not a huge fan of the hat on her head.  Still, I think she is super cute!

Cletus is a turtle this year.  I have a hard time finding costumes for him since he has a little bit different build than most dogs, but I saw this one and had to get it.  Really it is just good for a laugh if you need one.

I pulled out Cletus' Halloween scarf from last year since it is simpler to wear than the turtle costume.  He hates this scarf since there are bells on it and they make him crazy.  He let me put it on no problem, but he sat there just like this until I finally took it off.  He was not willing to move at all, apparently he remembered it better than I thought he would.

Three Months

Our little Grace is three months old today.  She is growing up so fast I can hardly believe it.  I love all of her little rolls and her full cheeks.  I really just can't help giving her tons of kisses.

This past month she has mastered the art of grabbing anything she can reach and putting it all in her mouth.  She is really starting to enjoy her play mat and all of her toys.  She loves to sit and talk to me and has such a big adorable smile.  I love this baby!

(Don't mind the scratch on her face . . . she seems to do that a lot lately)

What I Do During Naptime

My little Gracie takes a few naps everyday.  We are on a somewhat flexible schedule depending on what she feels like that day.  As much as I should be, I am no napper so I don't ever really manage to catch up on sleep during the day.  So what do I do?  Usually work around the house but I don't always feel like doing that so I spend a lot of time on craft blogs and just looking for projects to do.  If you check out my guest room the whole bed is covered with some of my works in progress.

Last week I found this tutorial online.  Sounded like fun and pretty easy.  I like to sew but I am not one for complicated projects these days.  So when I was out and about this past week I found a cute onesie on clearance for $2 and some lace on clearance for $3.50/yd so I decided to give a shot and see how it would turn out.

Of course I complicated the whole 10 minute onesie dress idea by a: using lace and b: making the skirt 2 tiered, but I think it turned out pretty cute.  And I was able to get it all done from start to finish during a short morning nap.  Now onto either finish a project or find a new one.

My Little Helper

So I needed to work on those carrots this afternoon so I did what I always do and put Gracie in her bumbo so that she can see me work (only way to keep her happy if I am occupied).  For a little while she was happy and playing with her elephant.  

Then I noticed that things got a little quiet so I looked over and this is what I found.

Guess that is what happens when you don't get an afternoon nap.

Pulling Carrots

We finally went out yesterday to pull the carrots and the rest of the onions from our garden.  I have to admit that I really slacked on the garden this year and really didn't do as much as I should have done and did not utilize what we grew as well as I should have.  I am using the "I had a baby in July" excuse for my neglect.

Anyway, in case you are wondering what the outcome of not thinning out your carrots can be, take a look at the picture below:

I pulled these two out last night, well they came out together.  They are serving as a good reminder that I need to be more proactive in my gardening attempts next year.

Visiting Nebraska

Last weekend we decided to leave town yet again.  This time we were headed to Nebraska to visit Eric's parents and see his cousin and his family who had come to visit from Oregon.  Friday we went to visit the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha.  (On a side note, we discovered that it is apparently the place to go if you are dating someone in Nebraska).  Gracie toured the zoo the same way that she tours most places . . . asleep.  She did wake up for a little while and the highlight of that was our walk through the butterfly house where a butterfly decided that the flower on her head looked like a good perch and landed for a while.

Saturday was mostly a day for hanging out and watching football, but we did go mini-golfing with Eric's cousins and aunt and uncle.  Once again I was reminded that I am not so good at mini-golf.  Gracie once again missed it by sleeping through the whole experience.  Someday she will start being awake and remembering the things that we do.

Sunday we went to church in the morning and before heading home to Illinois we got a quick picture of Gracie and her Grandma and Grandpa Roundy.  Then we headed home.

This was our first roadtrip with Grace.  She did very well.  She slept the whole way both ways with the exception of one wake up to eat.  I completely believe that they are only going to get tougher from here on out but we did good.

Baby Pictures

My friend Jaime took some pictures of Gracie a couple weeks ago and I thought I would share a few of them.  I may be biased, but I think she is super cute!

New York

About 2 weeks ago Eric got asked if he would do a presentation in Long Island in about a week.  He called me to see what I thought and then suggested that we all go since he had never been to New York before.  Sounded like a fun quick trip so Gracie and I decided that we would tag along.  I am not used to planning trip so last minute but we did and it ended up being a lot of fun.  We really didn't have the greatest weather while we were there so there are not many pictures. 

We stayed at a hotel in Queens near the subway station, here is Gracie and her elephant hanging out on the bed (she is starting to get interested in her toys which is fun).

Thursday Eric had his presentation so he would be gone all day so Gracie and I decided to go out on our own.  She and I took the train to Manhattan and spent a good part of our day at FAO Schwartz reading stories and looking at toys.  Then we walked around Central Park for a little while and headed back to the hotel.  

The weather people had threatened rain all weekend so we checked the forecast and it sounded like Friday morning would be the best time to be outside so we decided to take the ferry out to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.  We made the mistake of forgetting that weather people are ALWAYS wrong.  We got dumped on.  So it was windy and rainy and we got soaked despite rain jackets and umbrellas.  Still we got to go to the pedestal museum and see the statue.

This one is from the ferry.

This is how Gracie spent most of the trip.

View of Manhattan from the ferry.

We got off the ferry at Ellis Island where we went through the museum and saw a video.  I don't think I ever realized how short a time the island was open.  Very interesting.  It had finally stopped raining so here is a picture of Gracie and I in front of the museum.

She finally woke up.

A view from Ellis Island on the ferry.

The sky was kind of starting to clear up so that we could get a better view.  After that we took the train to Brooklyn and had dinner at a restaurant beneath the Brooklyn Bridge.

On Saturday we wanted to go to the USS Intrepid Museum. We finally got there and there was some security issue going on and it was being evacuated and there was a huge line to get in whenever it would open again, but no one knew when that would be so we oped to not wait.  So we took a cab back into town and went to the American Museum of Natural History.  I think the most popular place for people to take pictures there was at the Easter Island statue so we had to get one.

After we were done there we got ice cream and spent quite a while just walking in Central Park exploring.  It was a fun day.  It was a fun quick trip.  Eric and I find it funny that at two months old Gracie has been on more airplanes, cabs, and subway trains than either of us when we went to collage. 

Two Months

Our little Gracie turned two months old yesterday.  I can't believe how fast time is flying, but we are sure loving having her as a part of our family.  In the last month she has been to Idaho and New York, learned how to roll from her tummy to her back and started scooting a little bit.  The best part is that she has started to really smile and have little conversations with us which is just too much fun!

Today she had her two month well baby appointment and she is growing very well  She is now 12 lbs 1 oz and 23.5 inches long.  Her doctor says that everything looks great!

Game Day

So if you know me very well you will know that I am a huge college football fan . . . lucky for me I am also married to a huge college football fan.  This weekend has been eagerly anticipated in our household since it marked the beginning of another football season.  We caught part of the game Thursday night and watched more Friday night but Saturday was game day and not just cause ESPN said do.  

Nebraska, Boise State and BYU all had televised games scheduled and they were back to back.  Sportscenter got turned on around 9 am and I think turned off around 10:30 pm.  Happy to report that all three teams won their games so it was a great way to start off the season.  

Grace made sure to represent  for her dad's alma mater . . . Grandma Roundy made sure she was prepared with onesies and her big Nebraska football blanket.

Cletus opted to represent his mom's home town and wear the Boise State shirt Grandma Kesler got him.

As a side note we did manage to get a few things done besides just watch football . . . not quite that bad.

A Busy Week

Last week we took our first real trip as a family. We went to Idaho for my family reunion (side note: crazy that my whole immediate family getting together now constitutes a reunion but it does). This had been in the works long before Grace was born so we have been looking forward to it for a long time.

We weren't quite so sure about traveling with a 4 week old baby, we considered driving but decided that flying was the way to go. It was so much easier than I thought it would be! We decided on a flight that would have two two hour legs with a short layover in between. It was perfect! She never really fussed at all and the altitude change didn't seem to bother her a bit. Here she is on the plane getting ready to go.

My family rented a house up on Cascade Lake in Donnelly, Idaho. We had a boat, jet ski and lots of water toys to keep everyone busy. It was a lot of fun to see everyone (except my brother in law Eric who is still serving in Iraq but coming home very soon). I even met a new niece; my sister Jennifer's daughter Charlotte. Gracie is the 25th member of my family and there are 2 more on the way so our family gatherings are becoming quite the event to put together, but we always have a good time when we get to be together. I miss them lots so it is fun to see them!

After talking with both of our families we decided that we would bless Grace while we were in Idaho so that most of our families could be there. My Grandma and Grandpa Harper came over from Blackfoot, Idaho, Eric's parents came from Nebraska, and his sisters came up from Utah so we had most everyone there. It was fun for Gracie to meet her aunts on her Dad's side of the family . . . she got lots of attention.

Grace was blessed by her dad at my parents home. We had lot of Grandpa's and uncles there to stand in the circle and be a part of that wonderful experience. I am so grateful for family and for a wonderful husband who honors his priesthood.

We got to spend one more day in Idaho with Eric's family. We decided to go out and visit the Old Idaho Penitentiary. It was interesting, I can't remember if I have ever been there before. It was fun to go see and to spend some time with Eric's family.

It was a very full and very fun trip and quite the adventure!

One Month

Ok . . . so technically Gracie isn't one month old until tomorrow, but we are leaving for Idaho tonight and I didn't want to try to get this photo while we are on vacation.

My sister Jenn does this cute onesie thing with her kids and I decided to copy her idea. It is fun to watch the subtle changes from month to month.

The past month has been quite an adventure for all of us. Grace is growing up so fast! She is awake a lot more now and really starting to focus when she looks at you. It's so fun! She is finding her own little voice and cooing and constantly making noises. Her eyes are getting more blue and less gray (we'll see if that lasts) and her hair is filling in and getting longer and still quite red. I love it!

We love having her as a part of our family :)

This is how I sleep . . .

She keeps me entertained . . . even in her sleep.

Gracie and Cletus

Cletus has been my baby for almost four years now. Over the last couple years he has endured a lot of changes in his life. Having a new baby at home seemed like it would be the biggest change of all and I was not so sure how he would handle it.

We brought Gracie home from the hospital Tuesday afternoon and he overall seemed pretty disinterested in her. He was much more interested in following my mom around or seeing what Eric was doing. Mom went into Grace's room the following morning and this is what she found . . .

He looks like he is going to be a very protective big brother for our little girl.

At attention...

At ease....

Baby Grace is HERE!

Grace Anne Roundy was born on Monday, July 25th at 3:49 am. She weighed 7 lbs, 6 oz and was 19.5 inches long

Grace decided that her arrival should be dramatic. Everything was quite normal, so normal I started wondering if this baby would ever come. My mom was in town and there was no sign that her arrival was going to be anytime soon.

We went to bed like normal Sunday night and I woke up just before 1 am. I was having some short contractions and really just cramping bad. I woke Eric up around 1:30, by that point I couldn't stand to lay in bed anymore. By 2:30 things were so bad that Eric woke my mom up and started putting everything in the car to head to the hospital. Eric and mom were pretty sure I needed to go, I still wasn't quite sure what was going on. It just seemed nothing like what the classes and books had told me to expect.

We arrived at the hospital at 3:16 (or so I am told). They took me straight upstairs. My mom had to help me change into a gown, I could hardly stand by this point. The nurses were pulling things together and one of them checked me. All I remember her saying is "yup, she's complete." They called the doctor and he walked in just minutes later all suited up.

I'm really not sure I understood what was going on at this point. All I know is that they started taking the bed apart and telling me how they wanted me to push while getting Eric, mom and the nurses where they needed to be. I pushed through a total of four contractions and she was here at 3:49 am. I just remember thinking, "really? it's over?". Overall I was pretty confused about the whole thing.

Eric and mom went over with the baby to get pictures and watch while they cleaned her all up and checked her out. Meanwhile, the doctor spent some time stitching me up (fast labor = pretty good tear). I just remember looking around and the scene seemed so unreal to me. Just a few hours before I had been at home sleeping and then here we were with a brand new baby.

Really, it was nothing like what I had imagined it would be. I had done a lot of reading, talking to other moms and birthing classes and none if it quite prepared me how things worked out. I had assumed I would have a long labor and pain medication, instead it was so fast and intense I didn't have time for and IV let alone the epidural I was planning on asking for (in fact I was officially admitted to the hospital after the baby was born).

All in all it was a wonderful day and I wouldn't change it a bit. Now we have our perfect little girl here with us and we couldn't be more excited!

Here are a few pictures from our hospital visit . . .

She stretched herself out right away

She loves to tuck in her lower lip

Here she is with daddy :)

And now with mommy . . .

And now all together :)

Getting dressed to come home

In her car seat and ready to go :)