Friends Are Friends for Life

I have been very blessed in life to have such great friends. I have always felt important to and cherished by so many loving, sweet people. It's a feeling that can not be beat. Well, my dear friend, Erica, is no exception. I'll love her always and for many reasons, but let's just talk about our latest visit...

Since the Ballards moved in July, any time spent together is precious and well-planned! Erica and I have been talking about this visit for MONTHS now. We were going to get pedicures, go to the Festival of Lights, let our boys play and just generally enjoy each other's company. Well, little Grayson changed plans for us, but Erica didn't let it affect the time we would spend with each other.

She came straight to the hospital to meet my sweet boy as soon as she got in town. I love that she was here for his birth (well, nearly). On Saturday, she brought the pedicure to me. I don't think the nurses had ever seen someone getting a pedicure while in the hospital, but it was great!!! Now that I know she's so talented, I'm never paying for one again! :)

After we arrived home, she brought me chocolate chip muffins (I had been wanting one for a long time) and spent the afternoon chatting with me. Mostly about how hormonal I was!

Monday morning, we had brunch with the Ballards, Bibby and Tippi. Even though they were leaving soon, I enjoyed every second of their visit. And I just cherish this friendship so much. I love each of my friends because (whether they know it or not) they have taught me something special about how to live my life. I see in each of them a wonderful quality and I hope I can apply that quality to my own life. Love you all and hope you are having a wonderful Christmas and New Year's!

My Christmas Present

My sweet boy is here! Erica did a great job filling you in on labor details, so I won't give a recap. Since I was scheduled to be induced next week, I was slightly upset that I would never experience 'natural' labor. Well, Grayson had plans all his own and I am so glad he did. He is the sweetest baby and I am loving every second I spend with him. I came home from the hospital in a state of euphoria (it might just be the hormones). I am so happy with my life, my family and my children. I feel like everything is perfect and I am not even minding being awake for a good portion of the night!

Grayson Lee weighing in at 6 lbs 12 oz, 18.5 in. He is such a tiny fellow. Especially in comparison to big brother Grant. His little feet are just the cutest thing and I can't stop kissing them!

Absolutely precious!

Since this year's outbreak of H1N1 flu, the hospital has had a strict policy of not allowing children under the age of 16 to visit. Well, this delayed the initial meeting of Grant and Grayson, but I think it may have gone smoother this way anyhow. Grant has had a few moments where you can tell he is overwhelmed by the change in the house, but overall he is adapting fairly well. He has started helping me by getting diapers, bottles, etc. He is such a great big brother!

On Monday, we took our first car trip as a family. If you can count driving three minutes down the road as a car trip. We went to have brunch at Bibby's house to send off our good friends, the Ballards (more on their visit later). Grayson did not like the sun in his face and Grant was wondering who his backseat companion was. When we got to Bibby's, we found Grant's pacifier in Grayson's lap. I guess Grant was saying, "Here... you need this more than I do!"

Boy was I wrong!!

Well, not only did it take 6 hours, it took 12. Apparently Grayson likes to make a grand entrance. Aimee labored all night, thank God for epidurals! They started Pitocin at 3am. By 6am she was still at 6cm and there was a question about Grayson's position. By 6:45am she was ready to push. She went from a 7 to pushing in less than 30 minutes! (refer back to the Grand Entrance) I'm not sure of his exact time of arrival, but I was texted at 7:25am that he was here. It took less than 2 pushes! That would be because he's 6lbs 12 oz 18 inches. He's got dark hair! We're just getting ready to leave to go see them. I'm sure Aimee will blog soon. Erica

Labor Pains

Hey Scogin Fans!! Its Erica (Aimee's most special friend! Ha!) If you're wondering why I'm the one blogging I'll give you a minute....figured it out? YUP, Aimee's in labor. Here's how the day went: Aimee didn't sleep at all last night because of all the the contractions. She still wasn't sure if it was true labor or not, but it definitely was uncomfortable. She called the MD office and told them she was still having contractions. They told her to come in to the Assessment Center at the hospital. However, Aimee had two finals today (she graduates tomorrow...we're so proud). She called her professors and was able to rush up to the school and take the test early. From there she drove to the hospital around 11am. She finally got on the monitor at noon. It took a while to figure out how dilated she was and how strong the contractions were (incompetent nurse). She spent the next 2 hours waiting and walking around. Still not sure if she's really in labor. By 2 she got a new, competent nurse. She was dilated to a 2, 60% effaced and having some major contractions. By 4pm there had been no change except the need for pain medication. At 5pm the MD showed up, she was now 3-4 cm, 90%, and had orders to be admitted. We're having a baby today people!! The MD broke her water around 6:30pm and she got an estimate of 6 more hours of labor. (Let me make a prediction that it won't take that long...could be wrong, though). She still has no epidural, but as of 10 mins ago (8pm) she is a solid 4cm. I probably won't blog any more tonight, and I doubt Aimee will get around to it. She just wanted everyone to know what's going on. Please be praying for this sweet family as they introduce their precious boy into this world.

A Unique Wipee Dispenser and Baby Grayson Update

Don't ask why we still have a VCR, but we do. And Grant thinks it makes an excellent storage unit for wipees...

... I walked by this afternoon during his nap to find it filled with wipees. He loves to pull all the wipees out of the box. Usually he just leaves them on the floor or stuffs them back into the box. This time he had a more creative idea!

In baby Grayson news, we had our weekly appointments today. After visiting with Dr. Klein, I thought things were going about the same as last week. He said I might be slightly more dilated than last week, but nothing overly significant. I then went across the street to the hospital and found out I was having contractions every 3 minutes that last 50- 60 seconds each! Well, I wasn't feeling all of the contractions, so they must be fairly mild. They sent me home with instructions to drink lots of water and to call the doctor if I am still having contractions in the morning.

I did manage to doze off for about an hour this evening, but now I am up holding my stomach every 3-5 minutes. Still fairly mild, but getting stronger. We'll see if it's true labor. Keep us in your prayers!

Christmas Parade and...Santa???

Saturday evening, we headed over to City Hall to watch a Christmas parade! We were concerned about parking, so we arrived quite a bit early. The parade was supposed to start at 6:00, but since we were at the very end of the parade route, we didn't see any action until about 6:30. Needless to say, we had to entertain Grant for nearly an hour. Luckily, all the Christmas decorations were so interesting, they kept him busy!

He loved running up and down the lights. He was laughing so hard and would just repeat, "Ights, ights!" Grant really loves Christmas lights. It almost makes me wish we had taken the time to decorate our house this year (not that we don't have other things going on). When he wakes up in the morning, he heads straight to the Christmas tree and says, "Ights!" I turn them on and he is happy just to look at them! Me and my boy! Grant sat on Gary's shoulders the entire parade. He hardly moved because he was so intently watching every float that passed by. The only exception to this is... ...the fishy face! I'm not sure why he was making this face during the parade. I don't remember seeing any fish, but we have been practicing and practicing what animals say and do (He hasn't been interested in animals at all, just trains and cars. I decided he needed a little diversity in his education, so I am forcing it upon him! Ha!). I guess some of it is sinking in! After the parade, we were supposed to get pictures taken with Santa. We got in line early, but we waited and waited for Santa to show up. It was nearing bed time and Grant is not too keen on standing in lines, so we just decided to go home. Luckily, we saw Santa the next afternoon at church!

Children's Christmas Party

Grant celebrated Christmas with all the other children at church today. While everyone else was eating lunch, Grant had a blast chasing some of the other boys around the fellowship hall. I did get him to stop for some oreos...

... and it ended up all over his face! After lunch, we set out on a hay ride. It wasn't cold when we started, but the wind made it a bit chilly. We huddled close to one another and sang Christmas songs to stay warm! This isn't a particularly good picture of any of us, but it is a family picture. We haven't had one of those in a while! Grant decided it was warmer on the floor. I don't blame him... ... "maybe if I cover myself in hay, I can get warm!"

Afterwards, we worked on making our gingerbread house picture frame. Grant was really focused at first, but lost interest when I wouldn't let him eat the fake candy.

Santa! We finally made it to Santa's lap. All the children got to sit on his lap, but we had to go in order... from youngest to oldest! Presley (the youngest) did a great job and just smiled for the camera. Evelyn and Elizabeth both cried when they saw that big beard! Then, we placed Grant in Santa's lap... his strategy was a little different. He sat so perfectly still. He wouldn't move a muscle... only his little eyes would move from side to side. It was if he was thinking, "Maybe if I'm really quiet and don't move, this strange man won't know I'm here." Santa did try to bribe him with some candy...

... at least that means I got one picture without his pacifier. We left promptly after talking with Santa, and Grant was asleep before we left the parking lot. He wore himself out with all this holiday cheer!

Hot Chocolate

We've been fairly busy around the Scogin house lately. I have a to-do list a mile long, but we are slowly eliminating some of the more pressing tasks. Yesterday afternoon, Gary assembled the double stroller, Grant's old bassinet and the baby swing. I packed our hospital bag, continued organizing Grayson's room and did some (online) Christmas shopping. Grayson's dresser (the dresser from my nursery) should be finished today and we will have a nearly completed nursery!

All that being said, we took a break from all the hard work last night. It has been fairly cold around here the last few days. We have had to break out the heavy sweaters, coats, mittens and caps to brave the windy, wintry weather. We thought we would make the most of the circumstances and treat ourselves to some homemade hot chocolate. We bottled it up when we were done and took a cruise around town to look at Christmas lights. It was a bit disappointing to see that not many had decorated this year, but we still had fun. And as you can see, Grant enjoyed his hot chocolate!

Baby Grayson Update

I had another doctor's appointment today. I am dialated 1 cm and the baby's head is down. According to Dr Klein that could mean I'll go into labor tonight or he'll still have to induce me at the end of December. Nothing conclusive. Afterwards, I went to the hospital for Grayson's weekly monitoring. I was on the monitor for 30 minutes and had two contractions. I didn't even feel them, so they must be pretty mild contractions, but it makes me feel like he is coming sooner rather than later!

My Little Turkey

We did all the traditional Thanksgiving day things this year. And they were lots of fun, but I most thankful for some extra family time we had last week.

We started by celebrating the cold weather at my parent's house. We decided the only appropriate thing to do was to build a fire outside, roast marshmallows and make some s'mores! Grant started off by sitting in Uncle Mike's lap. He didn't quite know what to make of the fire yet. Then he moved to Aunt Robin's lap. Still not quite sure...

By the time he made it to Grandpa, he was an old pro! He loved those toasted marshmallows!

Greg and Jen were able to come down for Thanksgiving this year for the first time. We had a great day of fun including a yummy brunch and fun games. Later that evening, we drove down to the beach and had some yummy Mexican food. Apparently, my son still needs a bib!

After dinner, we went to the Festival of Lights. PawPaw was in charge of pushing the stroller and Grant was just entranced by all the lights. Of course, we had to stop to see the train.

Jen and Greg in front of the Christmas tree.

Next time we see Jen, we won't be able to take a belly pic together. Jen -26 weeks. Me - 34 weeks.