Cousin Fun and 24th of July

Melissa was in Utah with Merrick and Elle so we decided it would be a good time to get some pictures of Nana with her grandkids.  This was the "best" picture we got.  Henry and Elle were more interested in exploring than sitting for pictures.  

The next day we all met for Logan's annual 24th of July parade.  It was Greyson's first parade and he was pretty darn excited.  

JJ Grey & Mofro

Mom and Dad took me to my first rock concert!  We went to see JJ Grey & Mofro in Park City.  

Mom and Dad with Uncle Grant and JJ Grey July 2012 in Salt Lake City.  Mom didn't know it quite yet but I was in her belly.  Notice that Uncle Grant is wearing the same Black Crowes shirt that I am. 

Here we are with JJ Grey.  

Me and Dad at the concert.  I don't know who was more excited me or him.  

Mom got me these great headphones so I could enjoy the show but not be overwhelmed by the noise.  I even took a 45 minute nap during the show.  

I can't wait to go to more concerts!  That was fun!

Happy 4th of July

Here I am in my 'special' 4th of July outfit.  This is the only picture Mom got of me before I pooped all over the place.  Mom made a quick note to self that next time take the family pictures RIGHT AWAY!  

Every year we have a brunch and croquet party at the Palmer's and mom happened to find me a fun croquet onesie from GAP along with a festive fedora. 

HAPPY 4th of JULY!

Three Months

Greyson turned three months on June 25, 2013

Height: About 23"

Weight: About 12 lbs.

Sleep: I am still sleeping through the night, I go to sleep between 9:00 and 10:00 pm and wake up around 6:30 am.  

Discoveries: I love to put my hands in my mouth and sometimes try to get both my fists in there.  

Other Stuff: I just started to coo and gurgle a lot and I like to make big spit bubbles.

I pretty much have a serious face most of the time, especially when mom pulls out the camera.  I don't want to smile at all.

Here is one of my big spit bubbles.  

RAGNAR 2013...what were we thinking?!

For some CRAZY reason I decided to do Ragnar again and this time with an ALL GIRLS TEAM! Here we are all bright eyed at 4:00 am at the starting line at USU about to send Laura off as runner 1.  

And there go the runners at 5:00 am to officially start Ragnar's 10th year!

Here we are at Snowbasin still looking pretty happy.  We have finished our 1st legs but not without some mishaps.  Allison injured her knee while running in Hyrum and McKinley tripped and fell and scraped up her knees and hand coming off Avon Pass into the town of Liberty.  

Van 1 at the finish line waiting for Van 2 to come in.  

We FINISHED and before dark too!  I believe our time was 37 hours and however many minutes.  I won't say I'm never going to do Ragnar again I will just say I won't be doing it for a few years.  It was hard to have a baby and coordinate the two vans and it was definitely hard to leave my baby!  

Check out the cute smiling face I got to go home to...

Greyson and Nick had some great bonding time together and other than a little pee on Greyson's face...they survived just fine without me.  

First (documented) Smile

Mom went back to work full time in June so while school is out Auntie Katie is watching me.  Mom wasn't gone more than 2 hours when I showed Katie how cute I was with this smile!  

Two Months

Greyson turned two months on May 25, 2013

Height: 22 inches

Weight: 11 lbs 10 oz

Sleep: I started sleeping in my crib and will still sleep 6-8 hours at a time.  Mom is loving it!

Discoveries: I have found my hands!  I love to make fists and put them up in the air. 

Other stuff: I kick my legs a lot and have started cooing more and more each day.  I also really like to blow little spit bubbles. Mom and Dad just think I am the CUTEST!  Oh, mom went back to work two days a week so Auntie Allison watches me on Wednesday and Auntie Megan watches me on Thursday.  

Here I am all serious with my fists in the air!

My FIRST Mother's Day

Although I wasn't able to sleep in...I still had a great 1st Mother's Day.  Nick (and Greyson) surprised me with a beautiful pot of succulents, a stuffed monkey, and a sea salt candle.  I won't say that a couple weeks later we killed the succulents by leaving them out in the sun too long.  Opps!  Maybe better luck next year.  

Bethann Matousek who works with Camie gave me this cute onesie that we proudly wore on Mother's Day.  

We met up with Grandpa Stan, Grammie Camie, Megan, Taylor, and Nana at Cafe Sabor for brunch.  Greyson was such a good baby and slept most of the time.  It was a great Mother's Day! 

One Month

Greyson turned one month on April 25, 2013.

Height: Not sure, didn't have a doctor appointment.
Weight: 10 lbs (give or take)
Sleep: Will usually go about 3-4 hours between feedings during the day and just started to go 6-7 hours between feedings at night!  Mom is so happy!
Discoveries: I love to stare!  There is a black and white picture of my Dad above my changing table and I like to stare at it or the black frame that it is in.  Either way, I stare a lot with a serious look on my face.  

I am still on maternity leave and loving being home all day with Greyson.

Happy Easter!

For Easter Sunday the Palmer's came down to our house and brought dinner.  Greyson was just 6 days old and we had only been home from the hospital 3 days so it was nice to not have to go anywhere.  

Once I realized that Easter was going to come shortly after he was born I decided to get his Easter Basket ready.  To be honest his Easter Basket was ready long before his room was.  I saw that GAP had Beatrix Potter clothing so I got him this knit Peter Rabbit romper, a jelly cat bunny, and the books Velveteen Rabbit and Peter Rabbit.  Then Camie gave me the bunny booties that Nick wore for his first Easter.  

It was a great first holiday and I look forward to many more with this little guy!  

Here we go...

Since this little boy decided he didn't want to come on his own I was scheduled for an induction on Sunday March 24th.  Nick and I spent the day cleaning, resting, and overall just being extremely anxious.  Here's one last shot of my pregnant belly!  

We checked in to the hospital at 8:45 pm and by 9:30 pm we were in our room and they were giving me my IV.  They first tried in my right hand but blew the vein so they had to try again in my left hand.  I hate needles and getting the IV was probably the worst part of labor.  

At 10:15 pm they gave me the pill cyotec to induce labor.  I was dilated to a 1 and having some mild contractions.  Stan, Camie, Taylor, and Megan came up to the hospital to see us so Taylor could take some pictures and video.  While they were in our room I could feel my contractions getting stronger and stronger.  

By 1:30 am I was dilated to a 3.  I was feeling my contractions pretty well so I got out of bed and would hold underneath my belly and sway back and forth.  It was hard to labor at the hospital because I was hooked up to the IV and the monitors so I couldn't move very far past the bed.  After awhile I was getting tired of standing so I decided to lay back down in the bed.  My contractions were getting more and more painful so the nurse gave me some pain medication through my IV.  The medication took the edge off the contractions and let me rest for about 20 minutes before the medication wore off.  Finally at 3:00 am I was exhausted and my contractions were coming harder and faster so I threw in the towel and called for an epidural thinking I was maybe dilated to a 5.  By the time they administered the epidural at 3:30 am I was dilated to an 8 with a plus 2 station (not quite sure what that means but that is what they told us).  And then 20 minutes later I was dilated to a 10 and the contractions were coming harder and faster and it was putting the baby in stress so they gave me a shot to slow them down.  I was then able to rest from 4:00 am to 5:00 am.  

At 5:20 am the nurse came in and told me it was time to start pushing.  They got me set up and I started pushing but my contractions weren't coming very regularly and the monitor wasn't giving them a very good reading so it was hard to tell if I was really having one.  To speed up my contractions they hooked me up to pitocin but then that would put the baby in stress so they would take me off and my contractions would go away again.  I had pushed for about an hour when Dr. McCulloch showed up a little after 6:00 am. After almost another hour of pushing Dr. McCulloch told me that I was going to have to have a c-section because the baby just wasn't dropping.  Soon after she told me this the baby's heart rate dropped so all of the sudden I had people all around hooking me up to monitors, moving me from the bed to another bed and wheeling me down the hall.  I was nervous that I was going to feel the incision but one of the doctors assured me that if I felt anything at all he could have me heavily sedated in 10 seconds.  

I kept my eyes closed and just continued to breath deeply through the oxygen mask in order to stay calm.  I remember feeling a lot of pressure in my stomach like someone was pushing against my organs and then I felt a lot of tugging and seconds later the feeling of my stomach deflating.  At 7:24 am Greyson Reed Palmer was born weighing 7 lbs 1 oz and was 19.5 inches long.  He had been in so much stress that he came out completely green covered in meconium.  He was so green that one of the doctors in the room made a comment about having just seen the movie Oz The Great and Powerful.  I didn't hear him cry at first because they had to hurry and clean him off and suction out his mouth.  When I did finally hear him cry I had tears running down the side of my face.  I couldn't see him but that cry was the most surreal feeling in my life.  After what felt like forever Nick brought him over so I could see him.  

I wasn't upset about having a c-section but the one thing I didn't like about it was I was unable to see Greyson come in to this world and I didn't get to see them weigh and measure him.  

While I was being stitched and stapled up Nick went with Greyson to the nursery where he had some tests done.  When we finally got up to our room on the 3rd floor we had a bunch of missed calls and text messages.  Everyone wanted to know what was going on, especially my mom and sisters who last heard I was dilated to an 8 at 3:30 in the morning and it was now almost 10:00 am.  A nurse came in our room and told us that Greyson's blood sugar level was at a 48 and 45 is the lowest they want to see it so they tested him again and he was down in the 20's so they took him down to the NICU where he had to have an IV in his head because he wasn't eating on his own.  They figured because he came out covered in meconium he probably swallowed some of it which was upsetting his stomach.  

Nick and I would go down to the NICU as often as we could to be with him and at night we would go down and feed him.  After spending the rest of Monday and all day Tuesday he was released Wednesday morning and brought up to our room.  

Dr. McCulloch suggested that we stay at the hospital one more day so we had Greyson in our room with us all day Wednesday and overnight to Thursday.  As much as I wanted to get out of the hospital, it was nice to stay one more day and know that if anything were to happen we had help right outside our door.  

Then on Thursday March 28th we were released and it was time to go home!  

And life with Greyson began...

40 Weeks

Alright I know I am cheating and using my maternity pictures for the last 3 weeks but I just haven't had time to take weekly pictures anymore and honestly I don't think my belly has changed that much.  Plus, Taylor did such a GREAT job I have to show them!

Baby Boy is still the size of a watermelon weighing about 6 lbs and is anywhere from 19-21 inches in length.  

How far along: 40 weeks!  Can't believe we are finally here!  It went by SO FAST!

Sickness: None whatsoever...I feel great!

Maternity Clothes: Yes, wearing strictly maternity clothes except for the two pairs of non-maternity pants I have that are a size bigger than my regular pants. 

Stretch Marks: Still the faint white lines. 

Sleep: Sleeping great...I would like to say I am catching up on sleep to be used at a later time but we unfortunately know that is not how it happens.  

Movement: Still the pushing against the stomach...he is stretching wanting to get out right?!

Food Cravings: Still jamba juice, applesauce, Grist Mill sandwich sounded good the other day.  

Symptoms: Don't really feel any symptoms this week...except anxiety about what is coming!  

Progress Status: Still 70% effaced and dilated to a 1.  Went to the doctor today and she scheduled me to get induced on Sunday March 24th.  Apparently I check in Sunday evening and they will give me a pill or insert a pill and that is suppose to soften the cervix and help get things rolling.  Dr. McCulloch scheduled the induction as a "just in case I don't come on my own".  Hopefully it doesn't come to that and this baby will come on his own.  Honestly, once I heard my due date of March 18th I always had March 22nd in my mind which is Friday so we'll see!  

39 Weeks

Baby Boy is still the size of a watermelon (oh my!) weighing about 6 lbs and is anywhere from 19-21 inches in length.

How far along: 39 weeks

Sickness: None at all!  I am feeling really good!

Maternity Clothes: Yes, basically wearing ALL maternity clothes now.  

Stretch Marks: Still the faint white lines on my back. 

Sleep: Sleeping great! Can't complain at all!

Movement: Still just the pushes against my stomach...he must be trying to stretch. 

Food Cravings: JAMBA JUICE!  I seriously stop and get one almost every morning.  Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, Little Caesar's Pizza also has been sounding good and at $5 a pizza it's hard to say no to that for dinner. 

Symptoms: Occasional sciatic pain and the upper / inner thigh pain but nothing that is too bad. 

Progress Status: Still 70% effaced and at my doctor's appointment on Monday she said I was dilated to a 1 but I really think she was just being nice.  

I just about have everything ready for this little guy to come.  Bedding is washed and so are most of the clothes.  Things are FINALLY getting put away and the room is really coming together.  Anita, Camie's friend came and hung up the baby pictures of Nick along with his booties.  Once this little guy arrives we will get a picture of the three of us together and hang that up too.  

38 Weeks

Baby boy is the size of a watermelon weighing about 6 pounds and is anywhere from 19-21 inches in length.  I'm going to guess he is on the shorter end barely making 19 inches.  

How far along: 38 weeks!

Sickness: FINALLY over the cold and sinus infection!  I am still a little stuffed up but they say that is a symptom of pregnancy and honestly it's not that bad,  I can breathe during the night and right now that is all that matters.    

Maternity Clothes: Mainly yes.  I still will wear a couple pairs of non maternity pants but my shirts are all maternity.  

Stretch Marks: Faint white lines on my back.  I have to say I have been pretty lucky.  No stretch marks on my stomach and my belly button hasn't even popped out.  

Sleep: Back to sleeping pretty good.  I think Thursday night I was out by 10:00 and only woke up once during the night.  

Movement: It's hard to explain the movement.  I think he just stretches so I just feel a push against my stomach.  Yesterday morning I was on the couch having a bowl of cereal and he was moving around and I looked down and could see my stomach move. I have to say it was really cool to see.  

Food Cravings: Jamba juice, applesauce, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, toast, hot chocolate, and pizza.  Those have been the staples this week.  

Symptoms: I had some serious sciatic pain and the upper / inner thigh pain last night when I got up to go to the bathroom.  I had to brace myself against the bed and then the counter to walk.  But I was fine when I woke up this morning.  

Progress Status: At Monday's appointment I was still 70% effaced and not dilated.  They even told me I lost a few pounds...probably from being sick and not wanting to eat much.  So of course after I heard that I thought bring on the treats, I only have two weeks left!  

Let's see...the past two weeks have flown by that we haven't gotten our weekly pictures.  The house has been a mess with baby stuff EVERYWHERE.  I have been trying to wash blankets and clothing little by little and put things away.  Wednesday night we went to dinner for Grandma Eloise's 90th birthday and then yesterday they had an open house for her in Tremonton.  Allison and Tyler came over last night with the boys to finish the trim on our wood floors.  I had been doing baby laundry most of the day so Allison came and helped me decide where to put all the clothes and blankets.  Nick and Dave put the crib together today so now I will wash the bedding and get that ready.   Taylor and Megan took some maternity pictures of Nick and I today.  They turned out SO GOOD!  I'm excited to frame a few of them and hang them in the baby's room.  

37 Weeks

Baby Boy is the size of a watermelon weighing 6.3-8.5 pounds and is 19-21 inches in length.  Yeah, I think he is more in the 6.3 pound range than 8.5.

Sorry no picture of me this week...I have been miserable with a sinus infection! But here is the bassinet bedding.  

How far along: 37 weeks, 3 weeks to go!  Yikes!
Sickness: YES!  Still sick with this nasty cold that has turned into a sinus infection!  This is the 3rd week of me being sick! I went to Instacare yesterday and they prescribed me a Z Pack so hopefully that helps and this sinus infection goes away.  I feel like I have been punched in the face.  
Maternity Clothes: Mostly yes because they are comfortable and fit over the ever growing belly.  
Stretch Marks: Still the faint white lines on my back. 
Sleep: Not great but it is because I am so stuffed up!  
Movement: Occasional little bumps and then I can feel him just moving around.  Sometimes I will still get him up in my ribs.     
Food Cravings: Nothing because I am so stuffed up!  I have had a few jamba juices because I prefer to drink than eat.  
Symptoms: I was really sore in my upper / inner thighs earlier this week but the past few days I haven't had anything.  
Progress Status: Had my 37 weeks appointment on Monday.  Still not dilated and I think still 70% effaced.  

The painter came yesterday and painted this little guy's room Oyster Bay which is really just a greenish / gray color.  Nick picked up the crib today so hopefully we'll get that put together in the next day or two.  I picked up the bassinet bedding from Anita and it is so cute!  Laura came down with Henry yesterday and we went to dinner at Le Nonne for my mom's birthday.  I was mad I was sick because I had to steer clear of Henry and Savannah.  

36 Weeks

Baby Boy is still the size of a honeydew melon weighing 4.2-5.8 pounds and is 17-18 inches in length.  

This is the last week he will be the size of a honeydew melon...next week it's up to the watermelon!

How far along: 36 Weeks, 4 weeks to go

Sickness: YES!  Nothing pregnancy related but I have been battling a cold for the past week.  Last week started out as a sore throat and body aches and then right after Valentine's Day it turned into a stuffy nose and nasty cough.  

Maternity Clothes: Mainly wearing maternity clothes.  I still wear two pairs of non-maternity jeans and occasionally a stretchy shirt or open sweater but I can tell they are even starting to get a little short on the belly.  

Stretch Marks: Still the faint lines on my back. 

Sleep: I think I would be sleeping fine it if wasn't for this cold!  I have the humidifier blowing on me and a box of tissues close by.  

Movement: He isn't the most active.  I will get some feet in the ribs and then occasional bumps here and there.  

Food Cravings: This past week Jamba Juice, I don't feel like eating much because I am so stuffed up.  Cereal has been a staple at night for dinner.  

Symptoms: I had a little sciatic pain this week and still will have the feeling I have been sitting on a bicycle seat for a few hours.  

*Progress Status: 70% effaced, not dilated.  

Last Saturday I went shopping with Camie and we got the crib bedding, crib mattress, mattress and cover for the changing station, and some bottles. Camie brought me the bassinet that Nick and Megan used so we went and picked out fabric to make sheets, a bumper, and some blankets.  We chose slate gray for the sheets, and zig zag shades of gray with a little mustard yellow for the bumper.  Then Camie's friend Anita came to my house and helped us pick a paint color for the baby's room.  We decided on a greenish / gray color that matches the crib bedding.  

Today Melissa McEvoy threw me a luncheon baby shower.  It was such a nice shower.  Melissa made homemade tomato soup with mini grilled cheese sandwiches, and salad.  I got a diaper cake, wet wipe warmer, wet wipes, blanket, bath soap, crib sheets, and bottles.  We had a pretty big snow storm  too getting almost a foot at our house.  It literally snowed all day long!  

35 Weeks

Baby Boy is still the size of a honeydew melon weighing 4.2-5.8 pounds and is 17-18 inches in length.  

How far along: 35 weeks, 5 weeks to go!

Sickness: None that is pregnancy related.  I started to get a sore throat the beginning of the week and today my nose is stuffy and I am starting to cough.  I have been feeling achy and a little run down since I got the DTAP shot at my appointment last week.  

Maternity Clothes: Yes, in this picture I am wearing maternity jeans and a maternity shirt.  I would also like to add that they are both VERY comfortable.  

Stretch Marks: Still the faint white lines on my back.

Sleep: Still sleeping pretty good.  I've noticed that it's more comfortable sleeping on my left side than my right when just a few weeks ago it was more comfortable on my right side.  

Movement: He is still moving around quite a bit.  I got a quick jab to the ribs yesterday while I was sitting in a meeting and it startled me so I jumped a little.  Got a few laughs from the others in the meeting. 

Food Cravings: Nothing really this week but that is also due to not feeling well, made a few stops at Jamba Juice to get their coldbuster smoothie.  

Symptoms: I haven't had any sciatic pain lately just the soreness in my upper / inner thigh like I have been riding a bike for hours.  

Nick flew to Florida for a couple days to meet with HSN (Home Shopping Network).  I missed him while he was gone and have to admit a couple "what if" thoughts of the baby coming SUPER early went through my mind.  He left on Sunday and was back Tuesday evening so thankfully I wasn't home alone that long.  For anyone that knows me I HATE being home alone.  Valentine's Day was yesterday and sadly, we were a pathetic couple that stayed home and enjoyed a heart shaped pizza from Papa Murphy's.  But hey, we were together and that's what counts right?  I told Nick that we do need to go on a few dates before this twosome becomes a threesome.  

34 Weeks

Baby Boy is the size of a honeydew melon weighing 4.2 to 5.8 pounds and is 17-18 inches in length. 

How far along: 34 weeks, 6 more weeks to go!

Sickness: In this picture yes because I had gone to my 34 week appointment and got my DTAP shot and I had body aches and just felt crappy. 

Maternity Clothes: Yes.  I went to motherhood maternity and got a few things because you can only stretch your shirts so far.  

Stretch Marks: Still the faint white lines on my back.

Sleep: Still sleeping pretty good.  It is hard to move from one side to the other and sometimes I wake up in the morning forgetting I am pregnant until I have to get out of bed and realize it's not as easy to just sit up. I have to swing my legs to the side to sort of catapult me up.  

Movement: At my dr appointment today she felt my lower stomach and said the baby's is head down so that means all the jabs to my ribs are his feet!  And this past week I felt what I now know must have been his little bum.  

Food Cravings: I bought a case of slim fast over the weekend and drink that almost every morning for breakfast.  I also have been loving hot chocolate during these frigid temperatures and still the apples and greek yogurt.  

Symptoms: I have a new symptom that started this week to add to the sciatic pain.  I had sore muscle pain in my upper / inner thigh that I thought maybe came from working out and then I felt like I had been sitting on a bicycle seat for HOURS.  I asked my dr at my appointment and she said it is the ligaments spreading apart.  It's not a constant pain but Wednesday morning it was difficult to get out of bed and walk around.  

Melissa, Merrick, and Elle flew in from CA this week and Laura and Henry came down from Twin Falls because they along with Allison threw me a baby shower on Tuesday.  They had a 'Little Man' theme complete with mustaches and bow ties.  It was so cute!  Melissa stayed the whole week in Logan and Laura stayed until Thursday, it was so much fun spending time with all my sisters!  Nick along with laundry and cleaning were neglected the entire week.  

*Picture was taken by Melissa at Allison's house.  

Baby Shower #3

My sisters threw me a LITTLE MAN shower

Laura made these CUTE onesies for me!

'ADORABLE' pictures of me when I was a baby...

Nick when he was about 9 months old along with shoes he wore as a toddler and his blessing shoes

We had soup, bread, salads, fruit, and yummy cupcakes and eclairs for dessert

Thanks to my wonderful sisters for such a fun shower!  

My cute cousin Emily who is pregnant in this picture (but you can't tell) and due in June with a little GIRL! 

Some of the gifts I got from the shower: Bumbo with tray, receiving blankets, baby bullet, books, quilts from grandma Norda, lots of fun onesies and tee shirts, nose frida, bibs, and my aunt and cousin made me a cute diaper 3-wheeler but by the time I took this picture I had already taken it apart and put the diapers away.