Happy Thanksgiving

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving this year!  We were planning on spending the holiday with the McKean's, but they were having their dinner on Friday so, my mom, Greyson, and I were able to swing over to Tulsa and spend some time with my mom's side of the fam!  It was so nice to see all of my aunts, uncles, and cousins!  Greyson and I headed back to Texas Thursday afternoon.  It was so nice to be able to spend time with the McKean family too!  It was so fun to have all of the cousins together!  I have to admit Greyson was a little jealous!  He did not want to share "his" Nai Nai!  I really can't believe Thanksgiving has come and gone!  Time is flying!  I am really looking forward to Christmas though!

The Cousins! Left to right: Janie, Jenny, Melissa, Katie, Jordan, and little Jack.

Bapa, Ra Ra, Mommy, and Greyson

Big Boy Haircut!

Last Wednesday Greyson got his first haircut!  We knew it was time because several people referred to him as "she"!  He was a trooper!  In the pictures he looks terrified, but he really did great. 

Last shot of Greyson with his baby hair!

Such a trooper!

Greyson with his new big boy cut!

Happy Halloween!

This year for Halloween Greyson was a tree frog!  We had a fun Halloween.  My mom got some really cute shots of Greyson playing outside.  It was a beautiful fall day.  In the evening we headed into town and took Greyson to trunk-or-treat!  He had so much fun.  He got to see his adorable little friends and he loved going on the hayrack ride. 

We Have A Walker!

Somebody is officially a walker!  For months Greyson has been taking a few steps and then he would either sit or fall down.  But, the last few days he has really taken off and he is really getting the hang of this walking thing!

The Big One!

Yesterday we celebrated Greyson's first birthday!  His real birthday isn't until Tuesday but, we wanted to have his party on Saturday.  It was so much fun to celebrate his first year
of life with our friends and family.  We are so blessed! 

1st Birthday Cake!

Yum!

Auntie Hannah and cousins!

MeeMaw and Bapa

Greyson's Loot!

Greyson Talk!

This is my favorite sound in the whole wide world!!!

Time Flies When Your Having Fun!

Where does the time go?  I am not quite sure, but I know it goes fast!  We have had a very busy last few months.  Greyson is in full swing motion all the time!  He is a very good crawler!  He does what we call "extreme crawling" where he will crawl up and over anything he can find.  There is no obstacle he won't tackle.  He has just masted being able to climb up on the couch all by himself.  It is so fun watching him master all of these new feats!  It won't be long before he is walking!  His favorite activity right now is walking while someone is behind him holding his hands.  When he does master it by himself I will be in double trouble!  He is one quick little guy. 


The last week of July we went out to Montana to visit my Grandmother. (Nanny) We had a great trip. 
I was so excited to take Greyson to my all-time favorite place, and the place where I have so many wonderful childhood memories of my own.  We were a little nervous about the 18 hour drive. We tried to do most of it at night so Greyson could sleep.  He was a trooper!  My parents were able to come out too!  It was so neat to be able to see all four generations on my dad's side. We had a nice relaxing visit at my Nanny's.  We spent a day inYellowstone.  I was so excited to take Greyson there.  We saw a lot of bison.  They are such magnifcent creatures!  And we also saw two Grizzly bears!  And boy were they huge!  I wouldn't want to meet one face to face.  Then we spent a couple of days at the cabin. Nick was able to do some fishing on the Big Hole river.  He was successful too!  We all love Montana and it was so hard to leave.  I don't have all of the pictures from our trip, but when I get all of them I will make a slide show of our vacation and post it!  Here are few pictures that I do have.



Four Generations!



Family Picture at Chico Hot Springs



Greyson and Mommy!



Crazy hair!

My First Mother's Day

Greyson and I on my first Mother’s day.

Happy Birthday Daddy

May 9^th was Nick’s birthday.  He turned the big 29!  We had a really nice quiet evening at home.  I made his favorite dessert, and Greyson and I sang Happy Birthday. J

Brownie Torte

Daddy and Greyson

Easter

We had a wonderful Easter this year.  It was really nice because all of Nick’s family was able to get together.  The food was amazing of course, and it was really fun to see all of the Grandbabies/Cousins, and I always love it when I get to visit with my sister-in-laws!

What did the Easter Bunny Bring?





Family Picture



The cousins and Miss Hannah



The McKean Family



 

Kicky Kickster

Running Shoes

I think that I am going to have to invest in a new pair of running shoes very soon.  Not only because I have started running again, but because my little kiddo is going to be running before I know it.  And, I am going to be in trouble.  Greyson is always in a state of constant motion.  I can only imagine what is going to happen when he starts crawling.  He has definitely started to try to get in the crawling stance!  Here is a clip of him.  He will be seven months tomorrow!

March Madness

My how March has flown by!  It has been a crazy-busy month, but it has been a lot of fun.  We were able to travel to Iowa the week of the 12^th for my best friend’s daughter’s 1^st birthday.  It was so great to be able to see her and her precious little one!  We also had a great visit with my parents.  The second day we were there, they took us on a day trip to Galena, IL.  It was a beautiful drive, and we had great weather.  Galena is a very neat little town. 

This month was also Greyson’s first veggie experience.  We started him on green beans.  He wasn’t sure about them at first, but after a few bites he decided he liked them.  Yum!

The Birthday Girl!  Isn’t she a doll?

Green Bean Boy!

The Screech!

Over the past few months Greyson has been discovering his voice.  However, this last week he has really found it!  His new favorite activity is screeching as loud as he can!

Cousin Cora

Last week Nick’s brother and his wife returned home from overseas and they brought with them this precious baby girl! :)  Here are a few pictures of Greyson with his baby cousin Cora.  

Our Little Valentine

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Love,

Nick, Jenny, and Greyson

Jumperoo

Greyson has a new favorite activity.  JUMPING!  My sister-in-law let us borrow their “Jumperoo” and he loves it! 

Solid Foods

Last Thursday was Greyson’s four month checkup.  He had his at five months because of the other procedure he had to have.  I couldn’t bear to have them so close together since he would be getting his shots.  At the appointment, our doctor told us that we could go ahead and start giving him rice cereal.  Here are some pictures of how it went.  I wanted to post a video, but all of the ones we took were too long to load.  I am pretty sure he got more on his face than in his mouth.

Kissing Cousins

Not this last weekend, but the one before, we packed up and headed west to Albuquerque to visit Nick’s brother and his family.  The days were filled with great food and fun.  On Saturday the guys kept the kiddos and my sister-in-law and I were able to spend the afternoon shopping.  I had a blast.  It’s not very often that I get some quality girl time.  She helped me pick out some cute stuff. 

It was also super cute to see my niece with Greyson.  She was so gentle with him and she was a great little helper!  Here are a couple of pics of them playing together.  :)

Walker

Last Tuesday I had to take Greyson to Amarillo for a procedure.  Nick’s mom accompanied us, which I am so thankful for, because it was heart wrenching to say the least.  After the procedure was over I had to run some errands.  I had to stop at Target and while we were there Nick’s mom bought Greyson a walker.  I was really excited! :) Here is a little clip of Greyson’s first time in it.

Greyson Dean

Part II

August 30^th 2010 was the big day.  It was the day that Nick and welcomed our precious son.  After much anticipation the day finally arrived.  So much anticipation for me, because after a month on bed rest I was ready to GET THIS SHOW ON THE ROAD! Even though bringing Greyson into the world was the most amazing experience, I have to admit it was shadowed by some disappointment.  From the moment I found out I was pregnant I had this idea that everything was going to go exactly how I had it in my head.  WRONG!  I thought that pregnancy would just be easy for me.  Part of the reason I believed this is because every woman in our family pretty much sailed right through pregnancy.  And for the most part my pregnancy was very easy too.  I got pregnant very easily, I wasn’t horribly sick, and up until the last two months or so everything went pretty well, aside from an incident where my blood pressure crept up a little higher than they liked, but they put me on some medicine and that kept it at bay for a long time, until I got preeclampsia.  Going “all natural” was something that was very important to me.  I didn’t want to have an epidural, and I certainly did not want to have a cesarean section.  But wouldn’t you know, I ended up having both.  Before the big day arrived I had to go into the hospital twice due to my rising blood pressure.  Then at my 37 week checkup which was on a Thursday, my doctor decided to go ahead and induce me.  We scheduled the induction for the following Monday. 

I remember getting ready to go the hospital very clearly.  I was supposed to check in at 7:00 am.  I Woke up at 5:30 am and got in the shower.  I was so nervous! The whole way to the hospital I remember thinking, “Wow this it, we are going to have a baby today!”  Nick was my rock.  He kept reassuring me that everything was going to be all right.  As soon as we got to the hospital and got all settled they checked me and I was dilated to a two.  Then they went ahead and started the pitosin.  They also had to start me on magnesium sulfate because of the preeclampsia.  That was not fun.  It makes you feel like you’re cooking from the inside out.  Then we just waited and waited and waited.  It seemed like forever.  Then finally my doctor came in to see how I was progressing.  I wasn’t, so she went ahead and broke my water.  Then we waited some more.  It seemed liked hours and hours went by.  Then she checked me again and I was only a two and a half.  So she decided we needed to go ahead and do a c-section.  I was disappointed, but yet relieved because it had been a very long day, and I was ready to meet my son!

They got me prepped for surgery and wheeled me down to the OR.  Then they did a spinal block.  That was the weirdest feeling to me.  I couldn’t feel a thing from m y waist down at all.  Then they got me on the operating table and Nick was able to come in at that point.  I remember them pulling out these little arm rests on the side of the table and strapping me down.  I guess since you are awake during the procedure they strap you to it just in case you freak out.  My doctor then proceeded to tell me she was pinching me very hard with a clamp and asked me if I could feel it.  I couldn’t, so they officially got started.  I remember the drape being over me and all these people standing over me and working, but it just seemed like they were pretending since I couldn’t feel anything.  Then I heard it.  The most beautiful sound I have ever heard.  Greyson’s first cry.  I had tears streaming down my face.  They got him cleaned off and then gave him to Nick.  Then they brought him around so I could see him.  They put him close to my face and I was able to give him a kiss.  I don’t know how much time passed, but they finished putting me back together and then I had to go to recovery for a while.  I couldn’t wait to get back to my room and hold my baby.  After I was done in recovery they took me back to my room.  I remember the nurse walking in with this little bundle and she handed him to me.  I couldn’t believe how beautiful he was.  I couldn’t believe that he was mine.  Then I was able to nurse him for the first time.  It was so amazing.  I cannot explain how full my heart felt with love.  It really did feel like it was going to burst. 

Greyson Dean

I never want to forget the day that we welcomed our precious son into the world.  I remember thinking right after he was born that I needed to make mental notes of everything.  I swore to myself that I would not forget one detail, but as time has marched on I am realizing some of the details are slipping away. So, I want to capture as many as I can!

Part I

January 4^th of 2010 was the day that Nick and I started the most wonderful journey.  It was the day that I found out I was pregnant.  I remember I was home that day and I was doing laundry.  I had a sneaky suspicion that I might be pregnant, but at the same time I thought naa I’m probably not.  Finally, I couldn’t stand it any longer.  I had to know.  However, it was 5:00 pm and the test said that it was best to take it in the morning.  So, I would walk to bathroom and get the test out and think, ok, I am really going to do this and then I would think no, I need to wait until the morning.  I went round and round until finally the sheer desperation of wanting to know completely gave way to my more practical self that was telling me to just wait.  I remember I said a prayer right before I took the test asking God to prepare my heart for whatever the result would be.  Then I went back into the bathroom and took it!  I set the test down on the counter without looking at it. (I used one of the Clear Blue digital tests that tells you in words.)  Then I left for the five minute wait time.  I remember being so nervous to look at the test.  I crept back into the bathroom and for some reason I closed my eyes.  Then I lifted up the test and opened my eyes, and when I did I saw these letters P R E G N A N T.  I remember blinking a couple of times and looking again.  It still said the same thing.  A flood of joy washed over me and I got down on my knees and thanked God for this wonderful blessing.  Then the joy was shortly followed with the fear that maybe the NOT just hadn’t showed up yet.  So, I spent the next hour or so carrying the test around where ever I went. I kept checking to see if the dreaded NOT had showed up yet.  I even slept with it on my nightstand during the night and checked it several times just to make sure nothing had changed. :)  After finding out such great news I was bursting at the seams to tell Nick.  I was really nervous to tell him though.  I always thought that when I found out I would tell him in a really cute and creative way.  That didn’t happen.  He was working late and I knew he was really busy.  I thought I should wait until he gets home and surprise him.  But, it happened again, my dying to tell him self gave way to my more logical self.  So, I called him crying (happy tears) and just blurted it out.  He had to ask me to repeat what I just said because he couldn’t understand me due to the choking sobs. He sounded happy but he was in something called a frac van with a bunch of guys so he couldn’t really say much, but I knew he was happy.  We were both so very happy.

Here we go!

I really can’t believe this is my first blog post.  For those of you who know me well, you know that I am not a writer at all.  However, I think that since all of our friends and family live all over the country this would be a great way to keep you all up to date on the happenings of our precious little man.  I will do my very best to keep you all posted.  No pun intended ;)