Addy Baby - Days 29-42

Hi all! First off, I simplified the blog so that I could make the slideshow pictures larger. Plus, I'm finding these days that simple is better!

So Addy got to meet her Uncle Brian for the first time last week, and she got to try on her first Halloween costume - talk about the cutest cow you've ever seen!! Her two month appointment is next week, so we'll find out how much she weighs now...I'm guessing around 9 1/2 or 10 lbs...and growing. Her latest skill is that she can stand up with just a little thumb support - she's got some strong gams! And she's going through a bout of baby acne - it's not bothering her at all and she's healthy as ever, so that's all that matters!

We're in the process of packing up and moving out, so things are busy but very exciting. And, thanks to our friends John and Jenn who checked out apts for us in Chicago, we're very close to signing an apt lease (in Roscoe Village for all of you who are familiar with Chi-town). Though we've only seen pictures, it looks and sounds awesome and perfect for what we're looking for - we'll be getting the keys on Nov. 8 if all goes well. Also, we'll be back in AP for Steve's wedding and to see family in mid-Nov, so we'll see many of you then. If not, no worries - we're stateside for good so we'll definitely be seeing many of you in the next month or two:)

Addy Baby is 1 Month Old!!!

Can you believe that Addy is already one month old??!!!? It's been the best month of our life. We've enjoyed every minute with her, and since last Wed., we've been celebrating with Grandma and Grandpa Grant, and Great-Grandpa Studzinski! We've been having a blast together, just watching Addy grow as she discovers the world around her. And Addy has accomplished lots of "firsts" this past week - her first pacifier, her first bottle, and even her first trip to the bar! To all of our family and friends, thank you so much for all the cards, presents, and well wishes we've received over this last month...Addy is so blessed!

Addy Baby! Days 12-20

Hi All! Life in the Grant household is sweet...we're just enjoying our pumpkin head and our new family life. All went well at our two week check-up...she's up to 7lbs 5oz! And now, Addy's getting ready for her next big visitors - Grandma and Grandpa Grant and Great-Grandpa Studzinski who are arriving on Wed!! So we'll be posting lots of pics of their visit over the next few weeks. Then, we'll be greeting Uncle Brian who'll be staying with us til mid-Oct! Yea!! We're also getting ready for our move to Chicago - we'll be arriving back to the States on Nov. 6 after almost five years of living in Germany.
Just a note...have you noticed a red mark on Adelyn's right eyelid? It's called a "stork bite" and is a common marking on infants' faces and/or necks - this mark will fade over time and should disappear altogether over the next several months. Okay, enjoy the pictures and we'll be talking/seeing you soon!

Addy Baby! Days 7-12

Ok, so many of you must think we're crazy for taking a crazy amount of pictures of our little pumpkin head, but she's so cute!! We'll keep the pictures coming for those of you who want to see them...

Addy and Dude

Here's Dude and his new little sister! Dude has been really gentle with her, but we'll see once she starts pulling his ears :)

Addy Baby! Days 3-7 Slideshow

From now on we'll be posting slideshows of Addy so that you can see more pics at once:)

Addy Pics - Days 1-3

Here's more pictures from Addy's first days home - my parents have pictures on their camera that we'll post soon. It's crazy how different she looks at times - as you can see, she can look go from looking "mixed" to looking like a total sumo wrestler! Either way, she's gorgeous. And her check-ups are going well - so far, she's a happy, healthy baby. More to come...

SHE'S HERE!!!!

On Monday, August 27 at 1:50pm (German time, or 7:50am EST), weighing in at 6 lbs 14 oz. and measuring 19 1/2 inches, our beautiful daughter Adelyn Grace was born! You hear this all the time, but it's true - nothing prepares you for the love of a child - we couldn't be happier or feel more blessed. Now, we're back in our Heidelberg home and we'll be talking to many of you soon and posting pics along the way - just check out the blog now and again. Thanks so much to all of you for your support and blessings throughout this journey!

Here's some info about the pics (in order)

(1) In the warmer - literally, just minutes after she was born

(2) Daddy and Addy - love at first sight

(3) With her tongue out - Addy saying "what's up!!!" to the world! Again, just minutes after she was born

(4) Mommy and Adelyn - Kissing my baby girl!!!!

(5) Going home - This yellow newborn outfit was knit by Adelyn's Great-Grandma Jones approx. 45 years ago and wore by all of Stacey's cousins when they were brought home

36 Weeks!

Holy Scheize - we have officially hit the nine month mark! And though our due date is September 2, the doctor is having us come in on August 29 to induce labor (if I haven't gone into labor already). She feels that the safest thing for us is to not let Adelyn go past my due date, and when I just went to the doctor on Friday, she said that I'm already dilated enough to be a good candidate to be induced! (ok, so not so interesting info for most of you, but a few people like the details...) ANYWAYS, my main point is that we're so excited and almost can't believe that in 4 weeks or less we're going to be parents. I, like my cuz Michelle (who is due August 28) am also "nesting" like crazy - in the past week I have organized, cleaned, and recleaned our apt. top to bottom.

Our other big news? We are moving to Chicago in November! Danny has landed a job as a senior policy analyst (ooh-la-la, sounds fancy, huh?) with the Lt. Governor of IL - Pat Quinn, who is a dedicated advocate for military servicemembers and their families. He's bringing Danny on board to invigorate his current military initiatives as well as develop new ones. We will likely be leaving Heidelberg in early-to-mid November. So, for all you Chi-towners, we really appreciate all the insight and help you can give us! We're really excited about it, and because my parents, Danny's parents, and then my brother are coming out here in phases (from August 29-Oct 13), we will have plenty of help. And since Bree (Danny's sister) and Sean are due in early Dec., we'll be home to greet their little peanut into the world.

As for the pics: (1) me pointing to my German doctor's name - Dr. Klapp (Dr. Syphilis was on vacation in Bulgaria) (2) I am 34 weeks in the brown shirt (3) I am 36 weeks in the red shirt (4) we learned how to swaddle a baby so Danny decided to practice on Alf - he's a pro! (5) Danny in the OBGYN clinic with a preggo lady on his shoulder, kinda funny (6) the shrunk filled with fun gifts from all of you - thank you so much!! (7) a babycake made by cousins Chels & Boo Boo (8) an Addy hat and espadrilles from Kev & Lise's trip to Spain - muchas gracias (9) from L to R: homemade quilts from Jenny (friend from Danny's work), my Aunt Raeleen, and cousin Boo Boo.

The next posting will probably be the baby!!!!!

32 Weeks!

As of 7/12, we're 52 days away and...growing! Here's the latest pic of my belly! Also, here's a picture of Danny and our friend Scott after their successful assembly of Addy's crib! Since we won't be here for long after she's born, we're really not setting up an entire nursery, but we have some furniture (graciously donated to us by our friends Scott and Jeanne) and have filled the shrunk and changing table with all the wonderful goodies that you guys have sent us/given us over the last 7 months - thank you soooo much. We will post pics of her room next time.

Also, our friends Kev and Lise flew out from NY over the 4th of July to visit...Dude LOVES them! We were on our way to camp in Bingen to see the fireworks and castle illumination.

As a final update - Danny took the GMAT and scored 730!! The median score to get into Harvard is 707, so needless to say...he did EXCEPTIONALLY well and I'm so proud of him. That's it for now :)

31 weeks!

So, the little one is not so little anymore! (well, relatively speaking). She' a little over 3 lbs. now and growing! I'm smiling on the doctor's table, but her head was up in my ribs during ultrasound so it was difficult to get a clear picture of her, but she's a bee-yuut, huh? The ultrasound is her foreheard, eyes, ear, mouth, and her hand is just above her nose. As of July 1, we are 31 weeks, so only about 9 more weeks to go - we just can't wait! The tees are Danny's anniversary present from me - it's been 2 years already!
Danny is studying for his GMAT that he'll be taking next week and I just finished up the last of my exams to complete my dual masters degrees, so we're pretty thrilled. Germany is still as beautiful as ever for anyone who wants to make a last minute trip :) Want to see where we live? Go to http://www.heidelberg.de/ - we live downtown, right at the foothills of the castle you see on the homepage.

As a weekend trip, we recently went camping in Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland near Lake Constance - a bridgepoint where Germany, Austria and Switzerland meet. We set up shop in the pouring rain at midnight, drank beer (and near beer) and hung out for the weekend. Six 1/2 months preggers and I'm sleeping on the ground! We had a great time...as did Dude. He enjoyed the wind in his ears and the flying saucer around his neck. Click pics to see full view. Love you all...more to come....

26 Weeks!

Hey All,
It was great to see many of you when we were back home in MI a few weeks ago. If we didn't get a chance to see you this last time, we'll be home in the winter for good so we'll definitely be catching up with you then.

Pics posted are: (1) an ultrasound pic from this last week of Addy - she was facing downward so you can see only her spinal cord, neck, arm hanging down, and her profile. Pretty amazing still! (2) a night out at the K of C in Allen Park right after Bree (Danny's sister) and Sean announced that they are pregnant too and due Dec. 6!!!!!!!! (3) picture of Danny and I at the Hofbrauhaus when Katie and Tim came out last month, and (4) pic of me at 26 weeks. (pics of my family to come...)

Also, let us know if you have a webcam because now we have one too. Tschuss til next time :)

21 Weeks

We couldn't be happier to welcome into the world Adelyn Grace when September 2nd rolls around. The pictures posted are from week 21, and the other pics are from the tulip fields and gardens outside of Amsterdam. Tschuss!