Grayson Tells Us A Story

Grayson is 10 weeks old...no wait, 11?! Wow, time does fly! He is becoming stronger every day and holds his head up with little to no bobbing - it's unreal how far he has come in a few short weeks. He is also SO much more vocal just in the past few days. I even noticed a difference after being gone just 1 1/2 days (that blog post is to come - Nikki's bachelorette party was so much fun!). You will be happy to know I didn't cry leaving him over night. But again, all of that to come later.


Look at this! He really gets going around 1 minute or so. Too cute! ;-)

Recommendations

I have had two great experiences in the past couple of days and I must write about them! The first is nothing new, I have always loved them and most Dallasites know all about them but Weir's Furniture continues to impress me with their quality and low prices. An incredible combination and my only complaint is that I want SO much when I go in there. It's very different than seeing stuff out of your price range. Here, everything is reasonable just not all at the same time ;-)

I'm REALLY digging their super secret Clearance section. Typically hidden in a different building or on the second floor of what you thought was a 1-story building. I'm in love. 

If things go my way and we end up with a new living room set and a bench for the breakfast room that is TO. DIE. FOR. then I'll be sure to post pictures ;-) Don't hold your breath though....

The second company is European Wax Center. If you are in to this sort of thing, it is a MUCH less painful option to regular waxing. Especially if you are going anywhere near the bikini line. They use a different type of wax and my experience was very pleasant - super clean and professional. Not to mention, they are offering a FREE area for your first visit. No strings attached. Total win for my trip to the river this weekend - my first in a swimsuit this year - yikes!

2 Month Check-up

I took Grayson for his 2 month check-up last week and the pediatrician used the word "perfect". I've heard people say that their ped said this before and I've always thought a doctor is crazy to use this word but sure enough, I heard it with my very own ears and I'm thrilled! He is hitting all of his milestones so far (eye contact, following your movements with his eyes, recognizing Beau and me, etc.

Here are a couple of pictures to accompany his stats....

Height: 24 inches; 82nd percentile
Weight: 13lbs, 15 oz; 90th percentile
Head circum; 16 inches; 62nd percentile

You can't tell me that this kid doesn't look like Coach Tanaka from Glee (my fave show right now)?!

No? Well, maybe these 2 pics are a bad example. I promise he looks just like him sometimes! :-)

Moving on, I have really been taken back by the weight increase. I kept telling myself I had some time to get in the gym and work up my arms so that I can carry him and the car seat around. OMG - I can barely carry the car seat around when he's in it. Super heavy and it's only going to get worse! Gym, here I come.

In other news, I have been busy with (among other things) planning Nikki's bachelorette weekend at the river! There are 12 of us heading down to New Braunfels bright and early in the morning to tube the river and hopefully if we are still standing eat at the Gristmill. Can't wait to be with the girls! It's also my and Kristi's first night away from our babies - wish us luck!

This Week in Pictures

You better believe you are about to see a whole bunch of 9 week old baby....

Mimi (my mom)bathed this little thing twice this week - she is a big help! Grayson seriously loves his baths, which is good b/c we are going to have to bump up the frequency notch with his new storage system....you can imagine the ick factor when I realized how much stuff was in Grayson's 37 neck roles...lint, Shelby hairs, formula, etc. 

Thanks for keeping me clean, Mimi!

Grayson is really starting to recognize me and make eye contact. He smiles back sometimes when you smile at him. It's beginning to feel like he gets that I'm his Mom. He grasps a little tighter when I hold him and he fits perfectly in my arms :-) He would rather I hold him than just lay there and he definitely lets me know this when I try to put him down. Now that this is happening I can say that it didn't feel this way when he was a newborn! I would love, love, love him and he was pretty disinterested until it was time to eat again. He couldn't make eye contact nor did he care to (haha - kidding, it's b/c his eyes weren't focused yet) and he really only took interest in me when he was hungry. It was like one of those dating relationships where you like the guy more than he likes you and you just give and give and give and he just takes. Ha! Yes, I just likened my love for my child to a bad high school relationship. :-)

Last night we went out with my parents to celebrate my Mom's last birthday in her 50's and Beau's last in his 20's. We went to a swank restaurant here in Frisco and the food, wine and atmosphere were wonderful!! Who knew that there was more to Frisco than Macaroni Grill and The Cheesecake Factory! It's our new spot as my Dad said & I look forward to actually having a reason to dress up! Of course we didn't get any pictures of ourselves or the restaurant b/c that would actually be blogworthy and I just don't think like that when the champagne is flowing...oh well, here's one of Grayson waiting to go to dinner....totally bored.

Grayson can finally fit into the cuuuute onesies that our dear friend Becca Caney made for him...she is at Darling Deuce Designs if you see something you like. :-)

She will do a matching burp cloth with any onesie...

SAHM Lessons 4, 5 and 6

I'm learning so much about being efficient and taking shortcuts to keep this house straightened up, Grayson alive and happy and to keep myself bathed and sane. Baby steps...

Lesson #4: If you can answer "yes" to "would this decision get me on the 6 o'clock news?," don't do it. 

If there is ever a question in my mind whether what I'm about to do is safe, I picture myself crying on the 6 o'clock news. Sort of like a legit Susan Smith (emphasis on 'legit'). For example, when I was tempted to "run in" to the post office to buy stamps while leaving the car running and Grayson inside. I considered it...then pictured myself on the local news pleading to the public that my car was stolen with my baby inside and that the capture of the suspect and safe return of my baby would yield a generous reward.

Grayson is laying next to me and I still don't have stamps. See? It works.

Oh, and my Mom politely suggested that I strive for more of a "What Would Jesus Do?" mentality rather than a 6 o'clock news approach. Noted.

Lesson #5: $200 jeans aren't in the budget.

Let's be real, they probably never really were in the budget. And I'm proud to say that they don't need to be now that I found non-designer jeans that a) are long enough, b) hold their shape and c) that I'm completely happy with! I have to say that I haven't shopped Express since college but this sign caught my eye the other day: Buy one pair of jeans, get the second 50% off. I was in the fitting room within 10 minutes and out of there in less than 30 with two pairs of jeans for $100. What a deal and I kept my hubby off my back - ha! ;-)



Lesson #6: Only begin a project when you have all the supplies needed to complete it.

I am guilty of cleansing my closet of maternity clothes without a place to store them. I couldn't decide on a giant bin or one of those vacuum storage bags (expensive-ish). Thus, this is what the bench in our bedroom looked like for FIVE WEEKS! Ugh. So, I vowed to myself that I wouldn't begin a project without having everything up front to complete it. Also, so that I can cross it off my list - I LOVE  crossing things off as complete. A feeling that has not gone away since I left my jobby job.

What an eyesore!

Fat Baby

When did THIS happen?

And this?

I mean really. It seems like just yesterday that I was carrying around this lanky little thing.

Just more to love! ;-)

Happy Birthday, Mr. President!

That would be Happy Birthday to Mr. Beau Reynolds, President of our household (so he thinks)! Since Beau has appointed me Chief Operating Officer and since I have attempted to delegate household responsibilities (isn't that what COO's do?), he has clearly pointed out that he is CEO/President & that I can't delegate upwards (whatever.) So, Happy Birthday to the Reynolds Household President! We love you and miss you more than you know! 

P.S. SAHM Lesson #3: While this photo opp was so worth the time and energy spent making the hats and getting these kids to sit still, next time just please go buy the stupid things (hats, not kids).

SAHM Lesson #2: Don't try to buy wine before noon on God's Day

Oh, the embarrassment....From the beginning....I zipped around Tom Thumb yesterday morning with my coffee in hand and Grayson in the cart super impressed that I was out of the house before 9am. I had some last minute things to pick up for Beau's Birthday dinner and was trying to let him sleep in. I was trying a new recipe called "Just for the Halibut" (get it?!) and it called for, well, Halibut. And wine. [SAHM lesson #2a: if a recipe calls for a 1/3 cup wine, you get to drink the rest! ;-)] Walmart isn't really known for their wide selection of fish (or really any selection of fish) so this created the need for one last minute trip to the store before we started our fun Sunday. I pulled right up to the lane (since there were more employees than customers) and put my groceries on the belt. I would describe Cashier #1's next move as "confiscating" the bottle of wine and I would further describe the looks I was getting from Cashiers #1 and #2 and Bagger #1 as "judgmental" and "LUSH"! The first Cashier took the bottle off the belt and put it behind her saying, "You can't buy wine before noon." So what did I do? I made it worse, of course. So begins the babbling I'm so good at in awkward situations, "Oh, ha, well my recipe calls for wine....I'm just so focused on cooking....amateur wine-buyer...." The more I tried to make it clear that I wasn't planning on opening the bottle in the parking lot, the more they figured that's exactly what I was going to do.

If you are wondering, the dinner turned out pretty good! We had asparagus and garlic bread with it.And wine, too ;-)

Just for the Halibut in White Sauce

2 (12 oz) packages frozen halibut steaks, thawed

2 tbsp flour

1 tbsp sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 c butter

1/3 c dry white wine

2/3 c milk

Place halibut steaks in crock pot. Combine flour, sugar and salt. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the flour mixture, stir until bubbles. Add the wine and milk and boil for 1 minute or until thickened. Pour the sauce over the fish and cook on High for 3 hours. Serves 6.

The Pedicure

To you, this picture may spur questions like how can I live with such a tired-looking pedicure and why I have waited so long to get another one. But to me, these toes take me back to two months ago (yes, I've had this pedicure for 2 months!). These toes remind me of the day I was sitting in the salon chair with labor pains so bad that I ended up in the hospital for an emergency c-section and holding my new baby not an hour later. :) This pedicure was the subject of lots of laughs and chatter among the nurses (they believe this is what jolted me into labor) and this pedicure was with me during c-section, meeting my new baby, my wonderful hospital stay and the past two (best) months of my life. So, you can understand how it's kind of emotional to say good-bye to this now-terrible-looking paint on my toes. 

I'm ready to say good-bye to it as we hit other milestones (like moving into size 2 diapers and growing out of the newborn insert of the car seat). But it's not easy! 

A "Nekkid" Question

[that's the South Texas spelling of 'naked' - at least according to my Dad]

Wondering if any of you moms out there ever stand in front of the washing machine as you begin a new load of laundry, with dried spit-up on your clothes, and end up just stripping down and throwing in your clothes with the rest of the load?

I mean it's really all about efficiency. But the trip back across the house "nekkid" does feel a little goofy. :-)

Grayson's New Trick

Happy 2 Months, Grayson!

Grayson is 2 months old today. How did we spend it? With a wonderful lunch at The Cheesecake Factory with our new friends Lori and Piper! I worked with (I use that loosely - we maybe spoke once in the past 3 years) Lori at RAZOR and she went out on maternity leave a month before me and gave her resignation about 3 weeks before I did. It turns out that she lives a mile away from me so Grayson and I are very excited to have them around! Lunch was fun and we can't wait to hang with them again!

I later went to my parents house where my Mother gave me a tutorial on making Coq au vin, which was delicious! She is typically the baker in the family, the Master Baker if you will. Haha, sorry. Inside joke. Anyway, this is what Grayson did the rest of the afternoon:

If nothing else, please appreciate the precious shoes that our dear friends Stephanie and Kris Pessarra gave Grayson. Thank you.

You always hear people say that they grow up so fast and change every day but my goodness, it's happening before my very eyes! He discovered the mobile on his pack 'n play yesterday and was mesmerized by it! Newsflash kid, it's been there all along. ;-) He is also starting to rock back and forth while he stands on my legs. Cutest. thing. ever. He's so happy when he does it too. He also loves being outside. UGH. Yes, in the 100 degree heat. Strange for a kid who is a SWEATER! Hellooo, perspiration. He is just beginning to smile back and it warms my heart!! I live for that smile. I can just see it now:




Grayson (age 16): Mom, can I take your convertible?
[what? i'm totally going to have one, one day]
Me: No. That's my 'cedes.
[what? i'm going to have a Mercedes convertible and i'm going to call it my 'cedes]
Grayson: (insert smile) Pleeease? I love you. And you look particularly thin today.
Me: Okay, but be back before dawn.


See?! I'm toast.

SAHM Day 1, Lesson 1

Today was my first official day at my new job: Stay At Home Mom to Mr. Grayson Reynolds. How do you like that?! It has been just like maternity leave lacking one notable difference. This internal debate: "should I go back to work? should I not go back to work? [repeat]" Overall, a productive yet relaxing day. And....

I only managed to destroy two things. Ridiculous, I tell you.

WHAT: Our two master bathroom white rugs.

WHERE: Washing machine

HOW: With hot water. 

ESTIMATED VALUE: $80

LESSON LEARNED: Never wash rubber-backed rugs in hot water!! They deteriorate and the laundry room will smell like melted rubber! And trust me on this, you will have a mess to clean up.

I cut the tags off the rugs b/c I hate tags. I'm also new to washing things in hot water so I thought I would try this to kill germs and such. Ugh, lesson learned on my first day as a SAHM!

For more information, reference the 3rd tip here...

Shelby's Sleeping Positions

I continue to take pictures of Shelby's crazy sleeping positions. But this one takes the cake! And don't worry Mom, I'm washing the boppy cover. ;-)

Eyelashes

I'm jealous of my own child's eyelashes. He definitely got these from his Dad! Aaaand we aren't quite sure where he got that nose from! :-)

A New Beginning

With many, many mixed emotions and a heavy heart, I announced my resignation from my position at RAZOR on Friday. I never dreamed it would be as difficult of a decision as it was nor did I expect the emotions I felt. It occurred to me that I hadn't realized how much my career was a part of who I was - right, wrong or indifferent. I mean, if you think about it, usually one of the first several questions someone new asks you is, "What do you do?" I have always enjoyed my career in advertising and it has been so easy to talk about it with new people. I have also really loved The Cheesecake Factory brand and not working for them every week day (and sometimes weekends. ok, and sometimes some nights and holidays too) will take some getting used to. This is a new beginning for me as "Grayson's Mom" and I will cherish it! I have learned over maternity leave that this new chapter won't be easy, in many ways, and it will take some time for me to figure it all out but I'm excited about it all. :)

Overall, I couldn't be more thrilled that I have this incredible opportunity before me and Beau and I feel so blessed that it's an option for now. Who knows what the future will hold for us but I will never forget these days at home with Grayson no matter how long it lasts!

I hope to keep in touch with my co-workers. The higher-ups that I worked so closely with gave me some incredible compliments that I will always hold dear to my heart. They have also given me the option to come back full-time, part-time, contract from home, etc., which warms my heart and soul and eases Beau's mind and pocket book ;-)

If anyone wants to do lunch, call a sister!! :)

Beau goes to London

Beau left for London today for a week-long business trip and I think I miss him more than when he typically leaves for the week. I think his increase in travel the past couple of weeks are catching up with us and we are both just ready for him to be home for a while. Hopefully this project really will wrap at the end of August (it was supposed to end twice already) and he can take some vacation time. 

Grayson sent him one last picture before his plane took off :-)

Operation Wake Up

You hear a lot about babies getting their days and nights confused and the way to fix it is to keep them up during the day with lights/sounds/movements/etc so that they get back on track and sleep more at night. Easier said than done! Beau and I spent a good part of our Friday night last week trying to keep this baby awake! FAIL.

*for some reason, my videos are cropped on the right hand side :-( i need to figure that out but just know I'm not THAT bad at shooting video*

Part 1....

Part 2...

Part 3....

7 weeks!

This baby is growing FAST! He is already so active. I feel like he's a toddler trapped in a baby's body! He is spending the majority of the day awake and gets antsy when he is just laying there. He wants to be standing up on my legs and is happiest when he's turned around and facing out (and not just at the back of the couch or chair you are sitting in). His strength amazes me and with Beau being gone during the week, he is just amazed at how much bigger and stronger Grayson is getting. My Mom jokes that he will skip crawling - let's hope not!

Grayson is such an easy baby. I really couldn't ask for more. He only cries when he's hungry. Never when his diaper is dirty or if he's hot or cold. He really hasn't complained during his two stints with diaper rash or when the dogs bother him. Seriously, it's only when he's hungry! That said, he's doing the whole cluster feeding thing right now so it's as though he can never get enough food. Aaaaand here we come full circle - he's growing FAST! ;-)