What a GREAT weekend!!!

It was a busy but fun weekend at the Bledsoe house!!  

• David had to complete his FAM ride (in which he has to fly in the cockpit of a FedEx plane in order to keep his flight dispatch license current).  So, he left at about 1:30pm, headed to the hub at the airport, flew out around 2:45pm, landed in Ft. Lauderdale, hung out there for about 3 hours, and was back in Memphis at our house by 12:15am.  I wouldn't really say that he had fun, but it gave Grayson and I the chance to hang out for a little bit.  :)  

• The next day, Grayson and I drove up to my parents' house in Humboldt.  My grandparents (Grayson's great-grandparents) were in town for a visit, so Grayson got to meet them!  He was such a good little boy, and smiled the whole time.  He really loved talking to PapPap (my dad).  It was good to visit with Grandma and Grandpa Plank, as well as Jason, Ally, Mom, and Dad.  

• We spent the rest of Saturday watching football and just hanging around the house.  We haven't had many lazy Saturdays around here, so it was nice to have an evening to just spend as a family.  We had to get a few errands done and ended up running in to Kroger to get a few things.  While we were there, several people came up to ooh and aah over Grayson.  It always amazes me how much attention he gets from everyone!  Of course, we are a little biased and think that he's just the cutest kid ever...it's nice to know that other people think he's cute, too!  :)

• On Sunday, we had hoped to participate in the FedEx 5k for United Way...but, Mother Nature had other ideas.  It started raining around noon (the race was scheduled to start at 2:30pm), and it just never let up.  We sooooooooooooooooo needed the rain, though, so we are thankful for it.  The timing just kind of stunk.  David went over to Shelby Farms to pick up our packets, t-shirts, and goodie bags while Grayson and I took a nap on the couch.  :)

• After the race, Grayson and I headed to the Halloween Party that was being held at the Allens' house!  Every year, the small group from Hope Presbyterian Church that I have helped with for a couple years has a Halloween Party.  Let me tell you, the Allens know how to throw a bash!  It was so much fun, and Grayson got to meet lots and lots of new people that have been waiting a long time to see him!  He was dressed up as a dragon...he was ADORABLE!!

While we were at the party, Grayson's Auntie Ness (and one of my best friends) gave him the cutest Halloween shirt.  Grayson loved it!  

• As always, here are some more pictures from this past week.  Our little man is growing up so fast!!

Happy Halloween!!

Click on the link below for a special surprise!!  :)

http://sendables.jibjab.com/view/Do9yrslrePuqrg1z

10 weeks old!

I can't believe that it has been 10 weeks (almost to the hour) since Grayson became a part of our lives!! At times, it feels like it has been the fastest 10 weeks of our entire lives, but then, at other times, it's hard to remember our lives before Grayson.  

Grayson, 

You are 10 weeks old today, and each day you teach Daddy and I more and more.  Like a said a few weeks ago, there are many, many reasons why I love you.  Here are just a few:

1. I love the way you smile when Daddy or I walk into the room.  You have the sweetest smile we have ever seen, and the BEST laugh.  We find ourselves spending most of our time figuring out new ways to make you smile or laugh.  Luckily, you are easily amused (or you just think Daddy and I are funny looking!)
2. I love that you are such an easy little boy!  You like knowing what to expect, but you definitely let us know if you don't like something.  You usually go to bed around 7:30pm each night, and you wake up around 6:30am each morning.  You are ALWAYS happy in the morning, but you are usually ready to eat pretty quickly.  :)  And, just like clock-work, you eat 6 ounces of formula every 4 hours.  (And, it's every 4 hours exactly.  We can seriously set our watches to your eating schedule!)  Your favorite part of the morning is getting to see Daddy--whether he is just coming home from work, or just waking up.  
3. I love that you are learning to love Cordi and Bailey, and they are learning to love you.  Cordi is especially protective of you, and likes to lay close to wherever you are.  Bailey just loves to give you kisses.  :)
4. I love that you like to cuddle with me when I get home from work.  You are so content just sitting in my lap in the recliner, looking out the window.  Your other favorite place to sit is on your Bumbo chair.  
5. I love that you love being outside so much.  Daddy and I bought a seat for you to go on the bike of our bikes, and we bought a jogging stroller for you to sit in.  Every time we take you outside, you just stare at the sky and the trees.  I pray that your love for being outside continues.
6. I love that, when we are out in public and someone comes up to tell us how cute you are, you always smile and laugh at them.  You are such a flirt! 
7. I love that you are able to put yourself to sleep!  Right now, as I type this, you are in your crib, eyes wide open, relaxing.  I am so lucky to be able to rock you, lay you in your crib, and you lay there quietly until you go to sleep.  You are so cute with your big, wide eyes as you laugh and coo at your monkey mobile.  
8. I love how you look at your daddy and me like we hung the moon and the stars...like we have all the answers...like you would be happy forever if you could just stay in our arms.  It's amazing the amount of love that we feel for you and from you.  

Grayson, you are loved more than you will ever know.  There is no way to put into words how much you mean to your Daddy and me.  We can't wait to see what the next 10 weeks with you will be like!  

Here's an update on the other happenings in the life of Mr. G-man!

• After he went to see Dr. Charles on his 9 week birthday, we were given the go-ahead to feed Grayson some formula thickened with rice cereal (to help his reflux symptoms).  Dr. Charles was adamant about NOT giving him the rice cereal in a bottle, so......here is his first attempt at eating cereal from a spoon!  (He did a pretty good job, and LOVES to eat his cereal!)

• Grayson really enjoys the days that he gets to stay home with Daddy.  David is able to get him to smile and laugh like no one else can, and David gets some GREAT pictures.  Anyway, Grayson really loves to play on his playmat and listen to his music:

• On the days that David sleeps in the morning, Grayson is always very excited to see his daddy when he wakes up.  Evidently, he has a lot to tell Daddy...but, as soon as he sees Mommy with the camera, he stops talking.  :)

• Grayson is getting very excited about his first Halloween!  Isn't he the cutest little pumpkin?!

And, as always, some more pictures of our little angel:

Thank you for checking back in with us!  We love you!

P.S.  If you haven't already, check out the video of our wedding ceremony in the post below!  We can't believe that was only one year ago!  :)

One year ago

Bledsoe Ceremony - Audio Corrected from Brandon Jernigan on Vimeo.

Overwhelmed

As I was sitting in bed last night, reading my book and listening to David getting ready to go to work, I became overwhelmed with how blessed I am.

On the baby monitor, I could hear Grayson's cd and sound machine playing, and him breathing.  He looked so peaceful laying there in his bed.  He is the perfect little boy.  I didn't realize it was possible to love someone as much as I love Grayson.  I thought back tot he day I met David...how nervous I was to finally meet this guy who I had known only through text messages and 2 phone calls.  I remember, though, how I was immediately comfortable with him.  And, I remember how he made me laugh.  Oh, he was so funny that night!!

When I think back to who I was on the night two and a half years ago, I know that I never imagined my life would end up like it has.  Over the past two months, I have fallen even more in love with David.  Our relationship certainly isn't perfect, and we don't pretend it is...but, especially our first year of marriage, I know without a doubt that David is the man that God made for me.

So, I thought about all this last night as I was falling asleep, and, like I sad, I became overwhelmed with how blessed I am.  It literally knocked the wind right out of me!  I will never understand why God has given me all that He has.  I am a sinner, and deserve none of the grace and forgiveness He has bestowed on me.  A few days after Grayson was born, David and I talked about the love a parent has for a child.  The more I thought about it, the more I realized the feeling of love God has for us.  I would jump in front of a moving car for Grayson...just as Jesus died so we could live.  That He loves me THAT much, despite all the time I have turned away from Him, is just incredible!!

I'm not sure if any of this makes any sense--it's hard to put my feelings into words.  All I know is that I love Grayson, and I love David, and I am so thankful for God putting these two guys in my life.  :)

Confessions of a Working Mom

I've officially been back to work for just over a month now, and, as each day passes, I learn more and more about how to balance everything.  Let me be honest, though.  Being a working mom is hard work.  Please don't get me wrong...being a mom is hard work, period.  Right now, I am simply speaking from a personal standpoint--that balancing work, baby, house, marriage is harder than I thought it would be. 

So, after this month of being a working mom, I guess I have some confessions I need to make:

1. I don't care about the housework and keeping everything neat and organized like I should.  Now, my husband and I definitely work to keep our house clean.  But, is everything in it's place and does it look like it did pre-baby? No.  Do I care?  Not really.  By the time I get home from work, I am just so ready to love on my little man, that I could care less about the dishes in the dishwasher that need to be put away, the laundry that needs to be folded, or the bed that needs to be made.
2. I am so happy that we have Grayson on a schedule, even though it means I usually only get to hang out with him for around 2 hours or so a night.  I love that he is sleeping through the night.  It is so wonderful for our whole family.  Plus, it makes David feel a lot more comfortable with me driving so much--I am a lot less likely to fall asleep at the wheel!  :)  Oh, and Grayson is soooooooooo much happier on a schedule because he knows what to expect.  Of course, getting him on a schedule wasn't necessarily easy.  There were a couple days where we had to spread out his feedings a little bit, which meant tears were shed (by both me and Grayson), but it was well worth it in the end! 
3. I have lots of new best friends: Mylanta Supreme, Dr. Brown bottles, rice cereal, and the Halo Swaddle Sleepsack.  Grayson has baby reflux, which can make him pretty unhappy at times.  We have found that 1/4tsp of Mylanta Supreme works wonders, and 1/2oz of formula thickened with rice cereal helps his reflux at night (since laying on his back makes it worse, and he is on his back for 11 horus or so each night).  AND, my husband introduced me to the Halo Swaddle Sleepsack.  I'm telling you, this thing is a lifesaver.  The minute we put Grayson in it, he's asleep.  It seriously helps him that much.
4. I am so thankful for my fabulous husband.  He works a full-time job AND stays home with our little boy during the week.  He truly is the greatest dad ever.  Grayson has developed so much more quickly thanks to all that my husband does while they are home together. It has truly been amazing to watch.  I love you, David!
5. More often than not, I feel like a pretty crappy mom.  I feel like I am missing out on so much of Grayson's life because I am at work.  But, then I walk in the door, and he greets me with a huge smile, and I feel so much better. Having a full-time job has allowed me to not get completely overwhelmed...as much as it sucks to be away from him every day, I really do feel like I am a better mom for it. 

In other news, Grayson went to the doctor this past Tuesday, and he weighs 12lbs 12ozs and is 24.25 inches long.  We were concerned because his reflux symptoms seemed to be getting worse.  Thankfully, Dr. Charles said that Grayson is just fine, and we are treating his reflux exactly like we should be.  YAY!  So, in just 2 months, our little boy has grown to be not so little anymore.  He has almost doubled his birth weight already!  :)

Work is as busy as ever, and it seems like this month is the craziest it has been in a long time.  I have gotten 4 new clients in the past month, so that has added to the craziness.  I guess it's a good problem to have, though...it means more business for us!

This weekend, David and I are both working, so Grayson is going to spend part of the day Saturday with Grandma and PapPap.  Then, Sunday is our 1 year wedding anniversary!  YAY!  Other than that, I have some paperwork to catch up on, and then I am definitely going to try to straighten up this house while I have the chance.  (I guess I do care, eh?!) 
As always, thanks for checking in on us.  We love you all!

I am 2 months old! by Grayson

I am 2 months old today!  

There are some things you should know about me:

I like when Mommy sings to me or Daddy makes silly noises at me.

I am learning to use my hands!  I am reaching for toys, especially on my play mat.

I love to sit in my Bumbo chair.  It makes me feel like such a big boy!

I especially like to sit in it and watch Mommy and Daddy get ready in the bathroom.  I also like to sit in it and watch TV (but only if Mommy sits right next to me).  :)

I am a very happy baby, and I love to smile and laugh.

I make lots of happy noises when I am having fun.

I like to go for rides in the car, as long as they aren't too long.

My friends, the bugs, ride with me, and they keep me company.  I like to talk to them and hit them.  

They make me laugh.

I love taking baths!  I would sit in the bathtub all day if I could.

But, Mommy says I'll get all wrinkly and cold if I did...and I don't want that to happen.

I am growing quickly!  

At my 6 week check-up, I weighed 11lbs and was 23.75 inches long.  

Mommy and Daddy measured me 2 days ago, and I am 24.25 inches long!  (And they think I weigh at least 12lbs now!)

I wear 3 month sized shirts (but they are still a little big for me), I eat 5 ounces of milk 5-6 times a day, and I am sleeping for at least 8 hours at a time every night!  (Last night, I slept from 8:30pm to 4:30am, ate 3 ounces, and slept again until 7:30am!)

I love spending time outdoors.  

This past weekend, Daddy, Mommy, and I took a hike together.  I was so excited, I fell asleep!  :)

I can't wait to go on bike rides with Mommy and Daddy!  They even got me a special seat that goes on the bike and a helmet that I will wear to keep me safe!

My most favorite time of day is when I get to see Daddy.  

On some days, he sleeps in the morning and it's just Mommy and me hanging out.  I don't mind these days, but I LOVE it when he wakes up and says hi to me!  I always have a BIG smile on my face.  

The BEST days, though, are those days when it's just Daddy and me hanging out while Mommy works.  I love those days because I love hanging out with my daddy.

As you can see, I am having so much fun!  Thank you for reading about me!  I love you all!

In the swing of things...

I like the bulleted list so much, I decided to make another one!  :)

• Grayson is on a GREAT schedule, and David and I are very relieved!  :)  He usually eats around 7:00pm or so, and then we cuddle and play for a little bit.  Then, we have bathtime, and we wrap him up in his halo blanket (which I am SUCH a fan of, thanks to my husband).  We cuddle a little more, and by 8:00pm, he is out like a light.  I usually give him his last feeding around 11:00pm or 11:30pm (before I go to bed), and then he sleeps until 6:30am and 7:00am each morning!  I feed him again, we play a little bit more (this is when he is his absolute happiest: smiling, laughing, and talking to us), and he takes another nap from around 7:30am to 9:00am.  It's really been neat to see him get into the routine with us...he seems to know what to expect, and has a rough night if we deviate from the routine at all.  David and I realize just how lucky we are to have had such an easy first 2 months. Sure, there were those really tough nights or those nights when Grayson just didn't feel well, but, overall, there were only about 3 or 4 nights where I thought I wouldn't make it.  The rest of the time has been smooth sailing!  

• Our little guy will be 2 months old tomorrow, and I can't believe how fast he is growing up!  I love how much he is interacting with us now--his personality is really starting to come out!  I miss when he was a newborn, though.  I loved to cuddle and snuggle with him, and he didn't mind laying on my chest or in my arms all day. I miss him sleeping in his sleeper between David and I, and listening to all the little sounds he makes when he is falling asleep.  Somedays, it seems like all that was happening a lifetime ago, while other days, it seems like just yesterday.

• We went to the pumpkin patch this week!  (We actually had to go twice because Grayson just wasn't wanting any part of it the first trip.) He still didn't love being there the second time, but we did get some good fall pictures: 

• We are very much looking forward to attending Zoo Boo with our friends at the end of the month. Grayson is dressing up as a monkey (since he has been our little monkey before his was born!).  He looks pretty darn cute in his costume (if I say so myself).  You know I will most definitely post pictures!  :)

• David and I will be celebrating our first anniversary on Sunday.  Neither of us can believe we have only been married one year--it feels like we have been a family so much longer than that!  I am very much looking forward to having a night away with him--we are going to go to dinner while our friends, Ashley and Justin, watch G-man.  Can you believe this was only a year ago???:

• Finally, I will leave you with some pictures of our little guy from the last week:

As always, thank you for checking in with us!  We love you all!

It has been a GREAT week in the Bledsoe house!

A bulleted list for easy reading.  :)

• Sunday night and Monday night weren't so good for sleeping.  On Sunday night, Grayson cried for a few hours on and off, but it was mostly whimpering.  He was pretty much able to cry himself back to sleep throughout the night.  He made it 7 hours between feedings without too much heartache.  Overall, I was pretty confident that we were getting a handle on him sleeping through the night.  Well, I couldn't have been more wrong.  Monday night was just a nightmare.  Grayson went to sleep around 11:00pm, and was wide awake and screaming at 12:30am.  He screamed and screamed and cried and cried and screamed some more until after 4:00am....and that was just because Daddy came home from work early to give Mommy a break.  I was able to fall back asleep while David took over for a bit, but Grayson never really went back to sleep.  We fed him 7 hours after his first feeding, but he still didn't want to calm down.  By Tuesday afternoon, I was done with Dr. C's plan.  Don't get me wrong, I LOVE our doctor, but this plan just didn't work for Grayson and our family.  So, on Tuesday afternoon, I put all my schooling and training in behavior into practice, and I developed my own plan for getting Grayson to sleep through the night.  It's really too long and drawn out to type here, but, in a nutshell, it involved feeding Grayson one time in the middle of the night and then weaning him off of the feeding.  David and I felt MUCH more confident, and were ready to put our plan into place on Monday night.  So, on Monday night, Grayson woke up one time,  I fed him a small bottle, and he went back to sleep.  YAY, Grayson!  And, you know what happened after that?!?!  Our little stinker of a son slept for 6 straight hours Wednesday night, and 7 straight hours Thursday night!  I guess he had a plan of his own in mind! :)  Last night, his schedule was just a little bit off, so he did take a small feeding in the middle of the night.  BUT, our little man is doing a great job!  :)

• On Wednesday night, we went over to the Bradley's house to hang out for a bit.  We had so much fun, and Grayson LOVES his Aunt Ashley and Uncle Justin...and of course Addison, too!  The weather was absolutely amazing, and we sat on the back porch talking and drinking wine.  It was too much fun.  The best part, though, was when I got there.  Grayson was rocking with Ashley in the rocking chair.  He was whimpering just a little (because he was fighting going to sleep).  I picked him up, and Grayson gave me the biggest smile.  It just melted my heart!  This little boy certainly has me wrapped around his finger--I'm in trouble in just a few years!

• Grayson and I went to Mistletoe Merchants with Mary Beth and her mom this morning.  Oh my goodness, I was in heaven.  It made me wish that I was rich so I could spend all my money in those stores.  I didn't get too much, though...a few shirts and some yummy cream cheese dip. I can't wait to dig in to them tonight!  And, Grayson had a blast, too!  I put him in my chest carrier, and he just looked at everyone as we passed them.  His eyes were huge, just looking around, and he even smiled at a few people!  We couldn't walk down an aisle without someone stopping us to ooh and ahh over him.  He loved every second of the attention--so much that he completely zonked out!  It was really sweet.

• Grayson and Daddy are having a blast staying home together during the week.  It has been so much fun watching David grow as a father and become more confident in taking care of our little man.  After all, Grayson is the first baby that David has ever really been around!  Anyway, they are so cute together: playing, cuddling, and running errands.  I can tell how much Grayson loves spending time with his Daddy--he is always comforted when his Daddy picks him up or sings to him!  :)  My two guys are pretty amazing, and I am certainly one very lucky girl.

• We FINALLY got the letters that we ordered for Grayson's room.  We ordered them when I was around 27 weeks pregnant, and were told they would take 10-12 weeks to arrive.  Well, we didn't get them until Grayson was 6 weeks old...a little longer than we expected, I will say.  Anyway, they were definitely worth the wait, because they are super cute!  The lady custom-made the letters to match Grayson's bedding, and they DO match just perfectly!!  

It's not a very good picture...but you get the idea!

There isn't too much else to report.  My job is still going well, and I am actually enjoying being back at work.  And, since I think my son is just the cutest baby in the whole world (HA!), I will leave you with some more pictures:

Bailey and Grayson are best friends!!

Big boy sitting in his Bumbo chair! 

Thanks for checking in with us!  As always, we love you all!  :)