Summer 2009

Joey and Addy Video - click link below to see a video of the kids
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/uih_cBDrWIosj5ni7q6K_w?authkey=Gv1sRgCOTt4qXy2v_kggE&feat=directlink

Happy Fall Everyone!
Sorry it's has taken me so long to update...it's been a hectic summer as I'm sure it's been for you. After throwing Addy an early birthday party the first week of August, we packed up our place in Chicago and moved down to our rental house in Chatham. We continued house hunting and finally found our first house in Springfield, put in a bid, and are closing this Friday, Oct. 9! Thank the Lord!!! We're so excited...it's a 3 bed/3 bath ranch with a finished basement, so we're thrilled to be moving into a "move-in ready" house. We're SO ready to stop commuting every week and to finally unpack our life of boxes and suitcases into a home of our own. A word to the wise: Don't move twice in 2 months with 2 kids under the age of 2, or 3 times in one year. Id' rather eat salmon ice cream and poke my eyes out.

Updates: Addy's birthday party was so fun - she wanted a Barney birthday party, so that's what she got, along with a zillion presents and a homemade b-day cake from her Aunt Lisa - thanks again :)

In late August, I got the chance to see my bro do the impossible - he finished his first Ironman competition (that's a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride, and a 26.2 mile run). He finished in 10 hours and 45 minutes...I ate a brat, fries, a Wendy's chili, Frosty, and took 2 naps in the meantime. Seriously. His wife, Sun and I, along with my parents followed him around Louisville for the whole day and then saw him cross the finish line...it was amazing. Go Bro!

Then, on September 14, Bree and Sean welcomed 6 lb 14 oz Jillian Katherine into the world. She's the sweetest little thing. I can't believe that Joey and Addy were that small at one time! I stayed in Huntley to watch Grant while they were in the hospital, and then got to stay to hang out with my first niece. Also, we went to see my parents and spend some time in MI with them - Addy had a great time at their county fair.

As for our little guy - he's getting so big! Joey tried his first rice cereal last week and he just sat up by himself for the first time today! He's a smiley, sweet guy who puts up with a lot of crap from his sister. Addy loves him so much, but she'll smack him around a bit and she's already yelled at him for pulling her hair and "playing" with her toys. He'll get his revenge soon enough.

I'll post pics of our new place - hopefully by late October. Springfield is on the way to nowhere, BUT, that said, we'd love to have visitors. Come see us! We've got the Abe Lincoln Museum (actually very interesting) and a hip store called Kohls. Hope to hear from all of you soon - love to all!

Stacey, Danny, Addy, Joey, and Dude

July 2009

Two Months Old and Smiling


Happy Summer Everyone,

So I'll post more pictures from earlier in the month later in the week, but I wanted to share a few that I took today. Addy and Joey are getting bigger every day. Addy is excited for birthday presents soon and wants a Barney birthday party, much to my dismay since he's annoyed me since I babysat in high school, but hey, she only turns two once. Joey is starting to hold his head up and really focus in on faces - he gave me his first "I see you!" smile a few days ago. It definitely melted me away. He was smiling a ton this morning, hence, all the consecutive pictures from today!

Also, we want to share the news with all of you that, after much deliberation, we have decided to move our lives down to Springfield. Since Danny started his job at the VA, we have been commuting back and forth between Chicago and Springfield nearly every week. But now that our family is complete with 2 beautiful kids and, of course, Dude, we feel ready to settle into stability; actually, it's a welcome change from the transiency of the last half year. We'll be out of our apartment by the end of August and possibly into a new house - we are considering buying our first house...we'll keep you posted! We're going to miss Chicago like crazy, especially since we'll be moving further from Bree, Sean, and Grant, and because our friends Kevin and Lisa just moved a mile away from us, but family and friends endure even as life rolls on. I posted a few pictures of our place in Chicago...I snapped them for Craigslist and figured I'd post a few for those of you who'll never see our place. Alright, hope you're enjoying your summer!

Early June 2009

Hi Everyone!

Joey is officially 3 weeks old today! Here are pictures from the last few weeks. We spent most of the time in Springfield (actually, we live in a small town outside of the capitol called Chatham). We had a great visit with Danny's parents and grandpa, and then Bree, Sean, and Grant came out for a nice, relaxing weekend. We got back to Chicago last week and Bree came down this past weekend (Sean was on a golf trip with Pops...Danny in the meantime had Daddy duties to attend to). Actually, Danny won MAJOR brownie points by surprising us and watching all three kids (and two dogs) on Saturday and sent Bree and I out for the day. We went to the Second City show, Rod Blagojevich Superstar, and out to a fun tapas restaurant downtown - it was a much needed (and appreciated) break. Then on Sunday, Bree and I took the kids to the Lincoln Park Zoo - it felt great to get out on such a beautiful day, and Joey slept most of the time! I am not taking for granted this short phase when he just sleeps like an angel - I'm sure it won't last long!

Joey is definitely filling out more but he's still a little guy. I imagine he's around 7 1/2 lbs now - we'll see when he has his check-up next week. We'll keep posting when we can. Happy early Father's Day to all you daddy's and daddy's-to-be!

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!

I'm Going to Be a Big Sister!!!

Hi Family and Friends!

The big news is...WE'RE PREGNANT!!!! Addy's going to be a big sister!!! My due date is June 8, so I'm 11 weeks now, and we're so excited to expand our family. We've been keeping it hush-hush until we got to spill the beans to both sets of grandparents in person, and now that we've done that - we can share the news with all of you. If we've been out of touch lately, it's because (1) as soon as we found out 5 weeks ago, we quickly decided to move out of our small 2 bedroom apt into a much larger 4 bedroom apt (just a few blocks away from our old apt), so we've been crazy busy with apt hunting and moving, and (2) I've been getting morning & day & evening sickness, so just balancing everything has been a bit rough. BUT, we just happily moved into our new apt a few days ago, which we love (and we live right above my good friend Sunhee whose got a 15-month old daughter), and we're getting prepared for our little one on the way. This time, we're going to be surprised on the day of delivery - we're thinking Chloe or Joseph - either way, we're very, very happy.

As for our summer - sorry that we haven't posted pics in a long time. These are the pics from mid-June til late August. I've got Halloween pictures that I'll add soon. All in all, we had a great first summer in Chicago, so check out all we did and saw. The biggest milestone was Addy's 1st birthday on August 27 - we celebrated a few times over and marveled at the way she's changed our lives for the better over the last year. These days, she's quite the busy toddler - running around, saying about 20 words (including "no!" and "dang!"), and just enjoying life as a 15-month old should.

As a last note, now that we've got a lot more space, you're all welcome to come and visit! Talk to you soon and have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

April-June 15, 2008

Happy Spring to Everyone!

Addy is now 9 1/2 months old (10 months on June 27) and has been enjoying her first spring. At her last appointment a few weeks ago, she was 28 inches long and 18 pounds, 4 oz (so around 70th percentile for height and 40th for weight). She's cruising like a pro and can balance on her own standing up, so we won't be surprised if she starts walking in the next month or so. The pictures are in reverse chronological order, starting with yesterday, our 1st Father's Day. It was such a fun weekend for the three of us. We went to Millenium/Grant Parks, Lincoln Park Zoo, an Italian Pasta and Wine Fest, and to Addy's first baseball game at U.S. Cellular Field (Sox lost, so good for the Tigers :) She's been enjoying her first swim and music classes (very low-key and fun, and I get to meet moms in the neighborhood) and has been experiencing lots of "firsts", including her first steps (about 3 weeks ago), and her first two teeth which popped through together (and now she's getting 4 more on top). You can see in the pictures with her hands raised up...when you ask her "How big is Addy?" she'll raise her hands above her head as if to say "So big!" Didn't seem like such a big deal when we weren't parents, but now that we are - these little milestones are so amazing to watch. And, thanks again for contributing to our March of Dimes walk that we completed with Aunt Bree, Uncle Sean, Grant, and several friends. We raised over $2000 for such a great cause, so thank you very much. In the coming months, we plan on getting to the most important game of summer - a Tigers' game, as well as hitting up all the fun weekend festivals going on in Chicago. Our doors are always open, so feel free to come visit us anytime. Love to everyone, bis spater!

New Noise

Feb 15 - March 24 2008

Hey family and friends - happy spring! Hope life is sweet for all of you. We've celebrated a lot these past six weeks - Danny's 28th birthday, St. Patty's Day, Easter, and on the 27th - Addy's 7-month birthday! I know we say this in every blog, but Adelyn really is growing and changing so fast. Now, she's crawling like a pro, pulling herself up to standing, trying to balance on her feet, eating solid foods (bibs are becoming our new best friends), playing with Dude and babbling her first words. We went to see the Easter Bunny on Sat. with Aunt Bree and Grant, but as you can see in the pictures, both kids could have really cared less...how things will change in the years to come! We've been traveling quite a bit to see family so we might take a break from our road trips after this upcoming weekend trip to Colon to rest a while and enjoy Chicago.

On April 27, we will be joining Sean, Bree, Grant, and some friends in the March for Babies/March of Dimes Walk to raise money and awareness for healthy babies and families in St. Charles, IL. We thank each of you who have already donated to this important cause. If you'd like to help us reach our goal of raising $500 for March of Dimes, please go to: www.marchforbabies.org/staceygrant1

Keep in touch and hope everyone is doing well!

Jan.10 - Feb. 20, 2008

Hi everyone!
Hope this finds everyone healthy and happy. If you can believe it, Addy will be 6 months on Feb. 27! And her dad is turning 28 the next day, so we've got a lot to celebrate. Addy is growing and changing so much - right now, she's sitting up by herself, babbling like crazy (she's currently learning the art of shrieking) and priming to crawl. We went back to Allen Park for her shower on Jan. 11, which was graciously hosted by Grandma Teller and Grandma Grant, and the following day she was baptized at St. Francis Cabrini and annointed at the AP Presbyterian Church. It was a wonderful weekend and we thank everyone for everything! And just last weekend, we had lots of visitors - Aunt Bree, Uncle Sean, Grant-man, our friends Kev and Lise from NY, and Katie and Brad Monhaut from MI all came out to Chicago. Unfortunately, I took zero pictures except for the one of Brad and Addy. But it was a great time! We'll try and post pics within the month...Love to all!

Oct 31, 2007 - January 9, 2008

So it's been a REALLY long time since we've posted any pictures, but here you go! Pictures are from Halloween up through today (Jan. 9). So much has happened in the last few months, it's been hectic but overall - absolutely wonderful. In early November, we moved our lives from Germany to a friendly little neighborhood in Chicago; Danny started his job in the Lt. Governor's office; Addy got to meet her family on both sides, including her newest cousins Cameron Richard and Grant Louis; we've celebrated Thanksgiving, birthdays, Christmas, and New Year's; and now, we're getting ready for Adelyn's baby shower and baptism.

Also, my family has been celebrating the life of my Grandpa Jones who passed away just before we arrived back in the States. If Addy has even a quarter of the zeal for life that her Great-Grandpa had, she's in for one exciting, adventurous ride.

I'll be posting pictures of the shower and baptism, hopefully within the next few weeks. Thanks in advance to Grandma Teller and Grandma Grant for putting this shower on for us. A happy and healthy 2008 to you all!

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...