12 Weeks Old

It's so hard to believe that Grant will be 3 months old next week. We have been very busy this summer, and time is just flying! We are getting ready to go on our next vacation--we leave for Myrtle Beach with Doug's family in 2 days and will be gone another week! It's been a little easier getting ready for this trip since we now know what/how to pack everything after our last trip. We are looking forward to having more time together as a family, and Grant is excited to spend the week with his cousin Timmy.

Last week we had to go back to Children's Hospital to have Grant's post-surgery appointment with the surgeon. He couldn't believe how much bigger Grant looked! He weighed 10 pounds, 11 ounces at this appointment. The surgeon said his scar looks great and it healed correctly, but he does have a tiny umbilical hernia that could be caused by the scar tissue. He said it is common and will go away as he gets older--it won't bother him at all--it just looks like he has an "outie" belly button! He also assured us that he does just have reflux like our pediatrician says, and the spitting up has nothing to do with the surgery. He should outgrow it between 6-12 months.

Doug and I also celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary last week. We can't believe how far we have come in just 3 years, and we love where our life is taking us. We spent the evening together without Grant, and while it's nice to have time alone, we couldn't believe how much we missed him and couldn't wait to pick him up. We are looking forward to celebrating MANY more anniversaries together!

Grant is growing and learning a lot. He is getting a little better at tummy time, he focuses a little more on books and toys, and he smiles a lot! He seems to smile the most while on his changing table. We love just talking and singing to him to get him to coo and smile, and we think we even got a little laugh out of him the other day after his bath! He is still wearing 0-3 month clothes, but we are noticing that some of them seem tight where they button at the bottom--probably because Grant is getting taller. By the way, Doug couldn't wait for Grant to wear the Jordan jersey we bought before he was born, since he grew up with Jordan as his idol! Now he just needs to grow into all the Notre Dame outfits we have. It's amazing how much Grant changes everyday, and while we love to see him reach new stages in life, it makes us sad that he is growing so fast. We just try to enjoy every minute of it!

Summer Days

Well, we made it back successfully from our first vacation as a family of 3. We had a great time spending the week on the beach with my family. Grant did well on the ride down. We stopped halfway at a hotel Friday night, so he wasn't in the seat too long. We then stayed in a beautiful 4-bedroom condo right on the beach in Folly Beach, SC. Grant loved spending more time with his grandparents, Aunts Susanne and Tammy, Uncle Matt, and cousin Clara. While this vacation was different for us than most, since we couldn't spend the entire day out by the pool or the ocean, we still loved every minute of it. We of course had to keep Grant out of the sun, but we kept him shaded and were able to hang out with everyone for a little bit of time everyday. We were also extremely lucky to have so many people that wanted to help out, so we were able to get a little more sleep than we do at home. We also took Grant out to the ocean and dipped his foot in during a day that was mostly overcast. We had fun with all my cousins, ate some great food, and made some wonderful memories for Grant's first vacation. The way home wasn't as great--we wanted to make the whole trip in one day. It took us almost 4 hours longer than it should have due to all the stops to feed him, and he got awfully tired of sitting in his seat all day and became quite fussy. But we made it. The good news is that we get to do this all over again in 3 weeks when we go to Myrtle Beach with Doug's family!

We got home just in time to celebrate the Fourth of July. We hung out with some good friends and then watched the Western Hills Country Club fireworks from Doug's parents' driveway--which has a great view of the fireworks. Grant didn't seem too interested in them at first, but really didn't like the noise as the finale came and it got louder. I'm sure next year he will be much more amazed by them!

Yesterday Grant had his 2-month appointment. He turned 2 months last week while on vacation, so we had to wait for the appointment. He was 10 pounds exactly! That means that he gained 18 ounces in 13 days. So while we are still frustrated with his spitting and grunting, he is growing which is the most important thing. He was in the 10-15th percentile for weight. He measures at 22 1/4 inches tall, which is still in the 25 percentile, but the doctor said if he was only a month old like he should have been based on my due date that he would be over the 50th percentile. He had to get 2 shots and one oral vaccine, which of course he didn't like. He was fussy for the rest of the day and had a loss of appetite, but they say this is normal. We gave him some Tylenol which really helped, and he seems much better today. We won't go back to the doctor again for a well visit until he is 4 months old. One more milestone Grant has reached this past week is smiling and following things with his eyes. We started to really notice this while on vacation. He doesn't do it all the time yet, but he is much more alert and aware of his surroundings, and it is the best feeling when we can get him to look in our eyes and smile. We will try to capture this on film soon!

On a sadder note, we have spent the last week mourning for our close friends that lost their first baby just a few weeks before their due date. After we heard the news, Doug and I went through the whole bit of emotions we feel every time that losing a baby or infertility affects someone we love. It is something I get so angry about and will never understand God's reasoning for things like this. After having gone through a miscarriage and 20 months of infertility, we sympathize with anyone having similar problems. We will never be able to fully understand how our friends are feeling right now since this is much more intense than what we have experienced, so all we can do is pray and trust that God has a reason for His choices about babies. I still get angry anytime I hear of unwanted pregnancies, child abuse, etc., but I have to keep hope that there is a reason for all of it. Please keep our friends in your prayers.