HAPPY 2ND BIRTHDAY GRAY BEAR

It is so hard to believe, even as I type the title, that our little Grayson is two years old today. I love the little person he is growing into and I never could have fathomed how much he would change our lives for the better.

I didn't start blogging until Grayson was several months old. I didn't write his birth story anywhere and as I sit here two years later with another on the way I feel it is important to document the details while I still remember most of them. (TMI alert for anyone who doesn't like birth stories you can skip down to the updates).

A week before Grayson's birth my OB made the recommendation that I be induced due to severe sciatica. I had already dilated 2 cm and I was experiencing some total leg numbness. The concern was that I would fall and really hurt myself. I was very hesitant to schedule the birth of my child and hated the idea of choosing his birthday. I prayed every day that Grayson would come on his own before induction. On the evening of the 21st we made the final preparations at home before I was scheduled to be induced on the 22nd at 6 am. After all the preparing was complete we headed to bed to attempt to get some sleep.

I awoke at 3 am for a not so unusual trip to the bathroom. Only this trip was unusual. I couldn't stop ummmm going. I call to Justin and he replies by saying, "Did your water just break?" He says it sounded different??? Anyway, that is what was happening and I was instantly relieved and thrilled to know that my little guy was ready to arrive. I took my time getting showered, shaved my legs, fixed my hair, and called the doctor. While I was doing that Justin did one last load of laundry and made sure the house was perfect for our baby's arrival home. The doctor instructed us to come in right away. Funny because I was in no hurry. I could barely feel any contractions and didn't even feel like I was in labor other than the amniotic fluid that continued to leak. It rained the entire way to the hospital and at that point I could feel the contractions but they weren't at all severe.

I arrived at the hospital around 5:30. I was dilated to a 3 and my contractions were between 3 and 5 minutes apart, but were not very strong. By 6:30 there was little change and my contractions seemed to be slowing down and easing up, not progressing. My doctor recommended we begin Pitocin. If I knew then what I know now, I would have refused. As another friend put it, that stuff comes straight from the veins of the devil himself. It was awful. My contractions instantly became harder and faster. I was in real pain. Until that point I was really trying to avoid an epidural and wanted to do it all natural. The worst was that they were giving me fluids via IV and I kept having to go to the restroom. I would have a contraction on the way, on the toilet, and on the way back to the bed. It was terrible.

By 9 am the contractions were every two minutes and lasting one full minute. I was in a lot of pain. Then the nurse scared me by saying, "well, if you do decide you want that epidural it will take an hour to get the anesthesiologist here." I asked the nurse to check me and I was 6 cm dilated. I had four more to go. I knew if I had to continue the Pitocin, then I would need an epidural. The pain relief arrived around 10 am. When the anesthesiologist first tried to numb me for the shot, the numbing didn't work. I felt the needle start to go in and almost lost it. He backed up and tried to numb me again. It worked the second time and I was on my way to little pain for the next couple of hours. I took at nap.

At 11:30 I was checked and informed it was time to push. I pushed with just Justin and the nurse for an hour. After about 30 minutes Grayson's heart rate began to drop each time I pushed. The nurse decided I should take a break and give the baby a break from the pushing. Honestly, it was 12:30 and I think they went to lunch. I took another nap.

At 1:30/1:45 the nurse returned and I got back to the business of pushing. After about 30 minutes of pushing the doctor arrived and we were ready to meet our baby. After some slight tearing and an episiotomy Grayson arrived. I will never forget looking a that messy little baby and the look on Justin's face when he met our son for the first time. It was amazing. Born at 2:19 pm, Grayson weighed 6lbs, 8 ozs and was 20.5 inches long. He was perfect in every way.

We had about 35 visitors at the hospital that night. It was exhausting, but the whole family was ready to meet the newest addition. Grayson was so handsome and won them over right away.

Now two years later he is so different, but just as lovable. He loves Elmo, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, art, trains, big trucks, and any sports. Everyone comments about how athletic he is and I must say that I don't know a more coordinated two year old nor do I know one that can trow a ball as far. For such a little guy he has a mean arm. He is still in the less than 3rd percentile on the growth charts and only wears size 12 or 18 month clothing. He has been in a growth spurt lately so maybe he will move up on the chart. He continues to do well with potty training and sleeping in his big boy bed. We often get comments in public about how well behaved he is. His best friends are Dawson (from preschool), Rin, Abe, Lexie, Caleb (all from church), and his cousins Peyton and Jackson. He still loves his bath time and also enjoys time in his sandbox. He calls all of his grandmas "nana" and all of his grandpas "papa". He is also rather fond of his Godparents Brain and Jodie and calls their parents "nana" and "papa" too. Grayson doesn't like. . .well there isn't a whole lot he doesn't like. He is a really agreeable kid. He has his moments, but he responds well to redirection and is very respectful and polite. He often goes to work with me and is a real charmer with all the ladies there.

Grayson is also really funny these days. He has lots of cute phrases and is talking so much. When he makes a mistake or hurts himself he says, "uh-oh me". When he is excited with himself he exclaims, "I did it!". He loves to tell us about what he does at school with his teachers "Dom" (Ms Dawn) and "Dah-tah" (Ms Agata)and tells us all about his coloring, cutting, and painting. He finds it funny when we make mistakes and will talk about it for the rest of the day starting with "Mommy or Daddy uh-oh and then a long string of jibberish talking all about what we dropped or the mess we made. He loves to pray before each meal, before bed, and several times throughout the day. He often suggests things we should pray about and people we should pray for. He regularly asks to pray for Peyton and to thank God for boats and our house. He is very thankful for our house and each time we pull into the driveway he exclaims "Oh Home!!!!" Each morning he checks himself out in the mirror after he is dressed to make sure he looks good. He also likes to look at himself in pictures. When you take a picture of him he will say "me see, me see". When you show him the picture he will say, "Awwwwwww" very pleased with the picture of himself.

Boy has it been an amazing two years. God has brought such an amazing blessing to our lives through Grayson. I can't imagine life without him. I am sure he will continue to amaze, challenge, bless, and strengthen our family as he grows up. We are still early in the journey but it sure does seem to be flying by. Happy Birthday Little Gray Bear. Mommy and Daddy love you very much!