Aunt Lou-Lou

Aunt Jessie, aka Aunt Lou lou, came to visit this past week. Grayson & Aunt Lou hit it off right from the beginning. She got lots of smiles from her favorite nephew all week.
It was great being able to see my sister, but it was also nice having the extra hands around the house. Lou helped with washing dishes, changing diapers, averting pacifier falling out of the mouth disasters, Grayson's daily dose of hugs & kisses, and she even cooked dinner for us one night! Thank you Lou for all your help- my plan to keep you here failed. Next time I'll make sure there are no other flights available for you to take back!


Grayson has been doing so well & growing so fast. He is such a happy baby, giving us lot's of smiles. You would be amazed at what two grown people will do to get a smile from a 7 week old! His smiles really do melt our hearts though- so it's all worth it. Grayson is also cooing much more now and has gotten so much stronger. He loves to be stood up and to look all around. He is so curious about his surroundings. He also LOVES being outside. Of course this makes his mother very happy. He loves looking at the trees outside and going for walks. I can not wait for the weather to get a little cooler so we can spend even more time outside! The leaves have already started falling so hopefully cooler temps will be here soon.


I also returned to work on an intermittent basis this week. I worked a festival on Saturday at Lake James, however the whole family came out with me, and that made it a little easier. On Wednesday, I took advantage of my free babysitter (Jessie Lou) and went in for five hours. I felt like I was missing something the whole time. Of course I was- my little side kick! I only called 3 times and Grayson seemed to do okay. I couldn't get enough of him as soon as I got home though. Oh how I had missed him!

grandma great and the katzman's

On Saturday Grayson and I took our first over night trip together. What a way to spend celebrating his 1st month- getting to see his Great Grandma Sayles for the 1st time. My Grandmother came up from Florida and stayed in Boone, so we made our way up the mountain to stay over night. It was so good to visit, and a chance for his Great Grandma (or Grandma Great as she is referred to by the family) to love on him. We enjoyed a short visit and then I headed home on Sunday. The weather was beautiful in Boone. It was nice to enjoy the cooler temperatures.

Grayson all dressed up for cooler temps in Boone

On Sunday our best friends came up to stay with us from Louisiana. I was so anxious to see them and my godson, Michael. It was great to introduce them to Grayson, and all of us spend time together. It became apparent the first night though just how much our lives have changed. Two years ago we would have been up late, playing games, having a few drinks. . .on Sunday night we were all in bed by 10!

Mikey and Grayson meeting for the first time

Wilhelm, Grayson and Mikey

On Monday we headed over to the county fair in Hickory. It was pretty hot outside so we weren't able to stay to long with the kiddos. But we did enjoy fine fair food- fried and/or on a stick.

Fair food

Grayson standing on his legs! He is getting so strong!

4 wks

Grayson turns 4 wks today and is growing like a weed! He may have had a slow start, but he is growing so quickly now. On Sunday I had to break down the bassinet, as he had already outgrown it! His poor little legs were all scrunched up, and this little man likes to stretch out. The newborn diapers are becoming a thing of the past, which is good as my collection of cloth diapers for him have grown, and now he'll be able to fit in them.
Grayson is making so many milestones. He is slowly starting to follow moving objects with his eyes, his little neck is getting stronger every day and is able to hold it up a little more each day. His smiles are amazing! Dad got the first smile, but now we are seeing them in response, each day. Graysons little legs are getting stronger too. He is now kicking with some strength, and when you hold him up, he is locking his legs to hold himself up. He seems to have started another growth spurt, which made yesterday and last night a little rough on mom, but I'm glad he is doing so well. I just wish naps could be a little longer than 30 minutes!

Grayson napping in his play yard. Look at those long legs!

3 wks

Today Grayson was three weeks. I feel like I've known him forever, otherwise how could I be so in love? Yet, at the same time I feel like I am just beginning to know him, as our journey together has just begun.
Grayson has hit a growth spurt and is eager to nurse around the clock. It has taken a few days for my milk to catch up, but I think we are doing okay now. I am excited to weigh him this Friday at my breastfeeding group. I hope it is good news. He should be over 8 lbs by then, fingers crossed!
Everyday this week I have seen more and more alertness from our little man. He is locking eyes with me and dad, he is enjoying his tummy time more and more, he is able to steady his head a little better each day, and I am slowly starting to see signs of happiness sweep across his face. I can not wait for that first gummy smile! Grayson is amazed by lights, especially sunlight coming in from the windows. He also loves going for walks in the morning. We have had some wonderful cool mornings here lately- in the 60's this morning!
Our feeding schedule has become almost a real schedule. The days are still completely on demand, and seem to change, but the evenings have become pretty consistent at 10:30, 2:30 and again at 6:30 am. He really is such a good baby, and so curious about everything. We have so much fun exploring and I can't wait for the next source of amazement in his world.

Grayson @ 3 wks after our infant massage class. He did so good, and absolutely loved it!

Grayson finally discovered his mobile on his swing!

2 Weeks

We had our two week check up today! Wow, it's hard to believe it's already been two weeks since we welcomed this little guy into the world!

Steven and I were very anxious about this appointment, especially to see how his weight has improved. During our 3 day check-up we had quite the scare of Grayson loosing 9 oz! But that day my milk started to come in, and by the next day (with a little supplementation) he was up 6 oz! We were so pleased, and relieved! So this appointment meant a lot to us.

Grayson did very well at the office despite the poking and prodding. The nurse weighed and measured him, and the doctor concluded that everything looked good. Woohoo. . .another gold star for Grayson!

His measurements today were 7 lbs 11 oz. This puts us back at birth weight, which is a little small, but since he had lost so much in the beginning the doctor seemed pleased with this. It's in the 25th percentile. His height is 21 inches (head to heel) which puts him in the 75th percentile (funny with the shortest parents ever) and his head circumference was 13 3/4 which puts him at the 50th percentile. Tall, slender and handsome!

Sleeping with Daddy after the appt.

Everything else looked really good, and both mom and dad are slowly gaining more and more confidence that we really can handle this parenthood stuff.

I also managed to venture on the scale for the first time. The midwife warned me not to step on it until two weeks due to water retention, but I think all of the swelling has subsided so I tip-toed on to the scale. Well, not where I want to be, but not as bad as I thought. Though my body looks ENTIRELY different than it used to. I am up 12.7 pounds from when I first got pregnant, but I am 32.7 pounds from where I was when we first started trying to get pregnant. So I've got some work to do, but hopefully posting it here will keep me accountable. Hopefully breastfeeding helps the rest of this excess weight come off.

Our baby boy is here!

Wow, so I have finally found a few minutes to get on here and update on the birth of our amazing son. Sorry to everyone who I have not called just yet. . .or gotten back to. I promise I will. . .eventually.
So our birth story. . .
Tuesday I went in to work, but left early just exhausted. When I got home, of course I couldn't nap so we headed to the farmers market and ran a few errands. I never seemed to relax that evening, and Steven kept asking if I was okay. He mentioned that I seemed very short. Hmmm, hindsight. Well, finally around midnight I decided to lay down. At 1:20 I woke up with what I thought at the time was a really strong braxton-hicks contraction. I also realized I had to pee. . .or so I thought. . .um, honey wake up, I think my water just broke. So we call the midwife to let them know. She tells me to start timing contractions, so I do. They are already 5 minutes apart. My water never actually broke, but I had a leak, so the midwife had me wait it out a little longer at home and to call her with a n update. By 2AM the contractions were every 3 minutes. I was able to handle them, but because of the water concern, we headed to the hospital for them to check me out. By 4AM we were at the hospital and the contractions were regular at 2-3 minutes apart, and they stayed that way until sometime afternoon. Exhausting is an understatement. I was dilating, effacing, water had to be broken, but baby was not dropping. By 3PM the contractions were right on top of each other, but my body still had a long way to go. With nothing in my energy reserves, I decided to opt for the epidural. By 4:00 I was out. . .and slept soundly for two hours. Midwife came in to check me after a few doses of pitocin, and it was finally time. So we started pushing, and pushing, and pushing. Two hours go by, a doctor was called in, a room full of staff, and threats of internal fetal monitoring. Something was right. . .so with all I had, plus some energy pulled from I don't know where, I finally pushed and gave birth to Grayson Cromer Hoke. The second I heard my baby crying, I knew all was going to be okay. It was the most beautiful sound in the world, and drowned out the sounds of everything else going on in the room. Dad was crying, Aunt Veronica was elated, and mom was in love.
So on Tuesday, August 4th, 2010 our son Grayson Cromer Hoke was born. Everyday I find a new spot on him to love and adore, and even waking up in the middle of the night doesn't seem so bad when he looks up at me with those big beautiful eyes.

Still walking. . .

For our rainy Sunday we needed a new venue to to do our walking, so Steven and I headed to the Reynolda house in Winston- Salem. It is history/art museum, so both Steven and I were content. I climbed 4 sets of stairs and walked and walked. We also paid a visit to Mark, Veronica and the kiddos when we got back to town. It was good to see them. Ms. Piper couldn't believe how big her Aunt Kelly is getting. We tried to get her to talk to her cousin, but she wasn't so sure. Aaron, however before I left whispered to his cousin, hurry up so I can meet you. Lil' man is going to have so many cousins to love and love him, and lot's to keep up with!

Thank you so much for all the calls and emails. I can tell everyone is excited, just as Steven and I are. He will be here soon, and we are so excited to introduce him to everyone. Maybe this week will be the week!