Joey's First Days at Home

Addy's I Love You Video link:

http://picasaweb.google.com/staceygrant1/AddyILoveYouVideo?feat=directlink

It's been 3 days since we've been home as a family and it's been awesome. I was released from the hospital Thursday afternoon and when we got home, Addy was waking up from her nap. My mom told her before she went to sleep "If you take a nap, then Mommy and Joey will be here when you wake up." It was a sweet sight to see her rubbing her eyes with sleepy excitement as we walked through the door. She kept saying "Baby Joey" over and over. She's been so patient and the best big sister - she wants to hold Joey all the time and give him hugs, rub his head, watch Daddy change his diaper, and "make him laugh" with her silly antics. Addy seems so big to us now that we've got such a tiny comparison. She's putting her sandals on as I write this...how she's grown.

Danny surprised me and took Friday off of work, so we've been able to just hang in as a family. Today, Joey had his 2-day check up and everything went well. While he's down to 5 lbs 8 oz, he's within the normal weight loss range (most babies lose weight in the first week and then start gaining weight after that). He nurses all the time so we know he's doing just fine. In some pictures it looks like he's got light brown hair - he does! His hair is definitely light, probably similar in color to Danny's hair when he was little. We haven't determined what color his eyes are exactly, but they aren't quite brown - they are like a dark blue/slate grey, so they could still turn any color. We'll see!

My friend Leana sent me such a sweet gift today - it's a custom made necklace with Addy's and Joey's names etched on small medallions - you can see a picture of it in the slideshow. I love it. There's something very moving about seeing your kids' names etched together. It has hit me that I'm now a mom of two and I couldn't be happier.

I hope that you can view the video of Addy. She's singing "I love you" to Joey. It not only showcases her chops (singing is one of her favorite things) but also her funny, silly personality - a side of her that some of you don't get to see because of her shyness.

We'll try to post more pictures by mid-week!

He's Here!!!

It's a BOY! On Monday, May 25, 2009 at 5:21pm, we welcomed into the world our son, Joseph Casimir Grant. He is 6 lbs and 20 1/2 inches of perfection!

The whole day of delivery was a surprise to us, for many reasons: (1) I was 38 weeks and thinking that I still had at least a week if not two until I would deliver, (2) Danny predicted that it was a girl, weighing 7 lbs 2 oz, (3) I predicted that it was a girl, 6 lbs 15 oz, and (4) I had just seen my doctor 5 days prior who confirmed that the baby was head down and ready for natural delivery, but when I went into the hospital (dilated at 7cm for those of you who know about that stuff) I was told that the baby was breech and that I was being rushed into a c-section surgery! Thank God that everything went well and that I didn't have those few slices of pizza I was contemplating before I went to the hospital. I told Danny that I had schemed the whole thing as a good PR headline for him: "Director of IL VA has son on Memorial Day." As a sidebar, Danny's sister Bree came to stay with me on Monday morning because Danny was the keynote speaker at the Lincoln National Cemetery Memorial Day Service where (I have to brag) Obama made the keynote in 2005. Danny wanted to bow out but I said no way, so after he rushed there and back, we headed to the hospital. Here's a newsclip about the event: http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&id=6831002

Addy has been handling the whole thing so well - Aunt Bree, Uncle Sean, and her cousin Grant stayed with her the first few days, and then our friend Sunhee and her mom watched Addy Wed. morning, and now she's with my parents - a big thanks to everyone! She has come to see us in the hospital a few times, and each time she says goodbye without tears, so it has gone well. She is pretty mesmerized by Joey and we can see her growing up and becoming a big sister before our very eyes. Sometimes life changes without you realizing it, but then there are other times when you realize how life-changing certain moments can be...watching Addy with Joey for the first time was one of those moments.

Joey is just so sweet, and, (knock on wood) a crazy sleeper! While Addy was up and alert for hours on end, even in the first few days, Joey just snoozes away and is awake for 5-10 minutes at a time. Danny was up with Addy for a few hours her first night, trying to get her to stop crying - Joey, on the other hand, slept for 8 hours last night! I tried to wake him up to feed, but he was zonked out. Not that I think it'll stay that way for long, but for now, we're enjoying the peace of just watching him sleep (and sleeping ourselves).

The recovery has been going well...the usual pain that accompanies a C-section, but other than that, no complaints. Mom and Dad Teller are here to stay with Addy and to meet their new grandson, and Danny's parents and Grandpa Studz (who Joey gets his Polish middle name Casimir from) are coming out as soon as Grandpa recovers from a mild illness.

I included just a few pics of Addy from this last week at home and at the park - it's her last week of "just her" pictures.

Thank you for all the well wishes and support - we feel so blessed!

37 Weeks and counting...

May 2009 (1)


May 2009 (2)


Jan-Feb 2009


So, I've committed the biggest tech faux pas a modern-day parent can make - we've gone months without posting blog pictures AND we've done without a camera for several months after two of our cameras broke. But now, our newest little one is going to be here any day, so we bought a new digital camera and have been snapping away, trying to catch up a bit and getting ready for the flurry of pictures we're about to take.

Addy update: She's awesome! We've been busy this spring hanging out at the park, watching local baseball games (she spent over an hour glued to a baseball game at the local park on Tuesday), playing with her neighborhood friends, going to the zoo, kids' museum, dog beach, and hanging out with all our recent visitors. Addy is already 21 months old and talking a ton - she knows her alphabet, she can count past 20, and she can name her shapes and colors, so we're sending her off to kindergarten once the baby arrives (just kidding!) Best of all, she's just a happy, healthy toddler who has a terrific sense of humor and a contagious smile. As for her personality, Addy still has her shy tendencies with strangers, but she's a ham once she's comfortable with company and she can be pretty bossy (e.g., she was telling an older girl at the playground today "Be careful, go down slide NOW!") Speaking of being bossy, she says "Baby inside mommy's belly" and "Addy is the big sister" - so she knows that she's going to be a big sister soon. We're going to try and give her extra attention to help her adjust to her new sibling...we'll see! And no, we still don't know if it's going to be Joey or Chloe - we're excited for the surprise.

During the last 4 months, Danny has been traveling every week between Springfield and Chicago for his new job, and until recently Addy and I (and Dude) have been traveling back and forth as well, so we've been adjusting to the new transient and sometimes hectic lifestyle. Our rented ranch-style house near Springfield is in a quaint residential area near Lake Springfield and is a nice change of pace from the city life of Chicago.

And last, Dude is good, but he looks at me sometimes like, "What ever happened to the days when it was just me?" As an indication of Dude's life, when you ask Addy what her name is, she says "Adelyn Grace Grant" but when you ask her what Dude's name is, she says "Dude No." Poor Dude.

Ok, that's all folks, we'll send out an update once the baby is here!