Catching Up

In the month since Grayson was born, we have all grown up.  David and I have learned to function on much less sleep, we have learned that walking and bouncing are the keys to calming a screaming infant, we have learned how to take a baby to a store, but mostly we have learned that we still have a ridiculous amount to learn.  We are working on learning how to communicate, how to fit a child into our lives (like we can't go to Wal-Mart at 11pm), and we are learning that love holds us all together and that whatever works for us is the way we should do it, even if our living room now looks like more like a baby factory than a living room. 
It's also been an adventure in graciously losing ourselves, for instance, David was explaining to Grayson today that my real name is Amy and I realized that I haven't heard my real name in quite a long time.  And, I admit, David has heard his name but never without a request at the end of it, like "David can you bring me ..." But that is a luxury we give up readily because it takes one look at Grayson to bring the whole world into focus. 


George and Charlie are having to learn to function with much less Amy and David interaction!  George has learned that Grayson is definitely a pack member and probably outranks him.  He has learned how not to get run over by the stroller when we go on walks.  Charlie has learned that the crib and all the other baby gear, while they appear comfortable, they are not places cats are allowed. 


But the champ at growing up is Grayson.  At his last doctor appointment, on 9-9, he weighed 9 pounds 12 ounces.  By the following Wednesday he had gained 9 more ounces!  He had his first smile on Thursday night for Daddy and then I saw it on Friday morning.  Did anyone else notice the world get a little bit brighter?  He is holding up his head for longer periods of time and his little coos are getting stronger.  All in all he is a happy healthy little guy. 


Today we had Grayson's first music class.  I won a free 9-week session at Cradle Talk a couple of weeks ago.  We had a blast.  Grayson did sleep through part of the class but when we was awake you could tell he loved it.  He even trys to move his body in time with the beat.  I don't know if we have a future Mozart or head banger on our hands!

                                          

                                           

                                          

       

      

                                                   

                                           

Shhh...baby's trying to go sleepies...

                                            

              And he's restin' up for football watchin' with Daddy later today

On Thursday the first Chick-fil-a in Chicagoland opened.  It was a huge success.  We tried to have dinner there but alas we arrived at a madhouse.  There were at least 1000 people there, they had a block party going, the cows were there, and the streets around the mall were packed with cars in the drive through.  Needless to say we did not achieve any chicken but the sight was amazing. 


One other local happening I would like to comment on is the oil spill in Romeoville.  We had a pipe rupture which has caused local gas prices to sky rocket.  But the best thing is that one school was closed and four other schools were put on lock down due to pipe bombs being found taped to the lamp posts in the parking lots.  It wasn't until later that day that the EPA informed the police department that they placed air monitoring devices on the lamp posts of the school which just happen to look like pipe bombs.  Nice..ahhh I love it. And I personally hold the project manager responsible.  Who doesn't realize that you shouldn't notify the local authorities before you place anything that resembles a bomb anywhere..and who doesn't label them!?!?!?  


And now for more random pictures: 

                                          

Fishing with Papa