Our First "Big Boy" Bath

After last night's post we did break out our little sink-sized tub to allow Gray to take a big-boy bath. We weren't sure if we were doing it right. But we were sure whether he liked it or not. Watch the video to see his reaction to the new bath. He slept solidly through the night again. He woke up twice to eat. That night time lotion is a God send.

Today, we got Gray out with us to run a few errands. He slept the entire ride, but we love the chance to dress him in outfits and funny hats. (See above picture) He got home and enjoyed a nap with Daddy on the couch and is up for a night of more eating, burping, pooping, peeing and then more sleeping. Enjoy last night's bath video. Talk to you all real soon.

Gray's Ninth Day

Last night Heather and I spent our first night alone and at home with our baby boy. He slept hard and long, but when he did wake up to eat and get changed he cried hard and long too. I'll go on record and say his lungs are fully developed. But once again, he was a quick fixer. A quick change from Daddy, a big meal from Mommy, and then a tight swaddle from Daddy and he was back to sleep. We once again had the day to do with what we pleased. We welcomed more visitors. Our friend Amy Brown, her son Davis, and her mom Susan came all the way from Augusta. Susan is a labor and delivery nurse and gave Heather a ton of tips for breastfeeding. They were both very helpful, and little Davis was entertaining and is one of the cutest kids we know. Besides the gift of information, they brought us new bottles to try and Gray's first house shoes (He models them in the picture below). They left this afternoon around 3:30. Reinforcements came in the form of Granna all the way from Canton around 6 pm. She is staying the next few days with us. We love all the extra help we can get. I think tonight is "big boy" bath night. We'll try and film some of it and post it tomorrow. Until then, here are a couple pictures from today.

Gray-N-Friends

Graylon and his parents got a well deserved day at home on Saturday. No car seat, no heel prick, and no worries made for a great day. In addition, he got to see his Granna, Pop, Aunt Caryn, Uncle J., Aunt Kelly, and Uncle Rick for the first time in a week. He was also introduced to his cousin Averie for the first time ever! They really hit it off. Can't wait to see what kind of trouble they can get in to. A lot of visitors helped fill the void of Grandma Sharon leaving for Dalton. She was a great help; thank you Grandma. Saturday was followed by more visitors on Sunday. The Lane's made the trip from Canton to spend the afternoon with Baby Gray. Jon and Ashley reminisced about their little Henry at the size. While Henry and Graylon discussed politics, the economy, and the NCAA tournament while drinking a cup of coffee. They act like they've known each other much longer than eight days. Well here are pictures from the weekend. No major plans for the week ahead, but I'm sure Graylon has plans to keep us on our toes. I'll do my best to capture as much of it as I can.


Proud Aunt Kelly showing off her "Mom" skills


Aunt Caryn gracefully sharing her birthday celebration with Baby Gray


Sweetie-Pie Averie Raye giving her cousin a little sugar


Uncle Rick practices the "2 kid" thing. He makes it look easy doesn't he?


Henry and Gray comparing their NCAA brackets


Class of '99 posing with the class of '27

Splish Splash

One week ago at this time, Heather and I were at the hospital. I was about to get cup of coffee number two and Heather epidural number one. The week that followed was the best of our lives. We have experienced overwhelming joy, pride, and astonishment along with fear, nervous tension, and sleeplessness. We got to see his first poop, pee, burp, cry, finger squeeze, and a million other firsts. We've been told to cherish these moments because he'll grow like a weed, and we are. We experienced another first last night as you will see in the video above. Heather and I gave him our first, and maybe his last, sponge bath. Because his umbilical cord is off, he can take a big boy bath soon. So we cherished our first sponge bath as Mommy and Daddy. We are living the dream!

Also, a shout out to Aunt Caryn...Happy 25th Birthday! I'm sure she is pumped to share her birthday with Gray's one week. Gray is lucky to have an aunt that loves him so much...actually he has 3 aunts that love him to little pieces. His uncles are all great too. He is loved that's for sure. Happy Happy Birthday Caryn.

Buh Bye "Billy"

Hip hip hooray! At about 1:15 pm, we got the word from the doc that Gray's Bilirubin level had dropped to 10, and we could take him off the the blue light. His fifth heel stick was the final one. And tomorrow, we don't have to go ANYWHERE. We can sleep til noon tomorrow if we dang well please. So today is a big day anyway, but we got a little more exciting news...Old, crusty umbilical cord decided to fall off too. Additionally, his pee-pee seems to have almost fully recovered from the circumcision. We were told 2 weeks for the cord to fall of and 2 weeks for complete healing, so our little guy is over-acheiving already. We are so proud of him!

We just swaddled him into bed for the first time in two days, and he's sleeping pretty hard. Check out the latest pictures. He changes so much every day. Thanks for your prayers on the juandice. I promise video at the next post.

Jaundice Schmaundice

Good news on the Bilirubin level for little Graylon. It thankfully went down from 17 to 14 after today's report from Dr. Aldridge. That means that hopefully the "Billy Bed" days are nearing an end. With the Bilirubin coming down, we were told to drop the strict formula-only diet and return to breast milk. We do have to go to the hospital one more time tomorrow for one more heel prick. That means that after tomorrow, Saturday will hopefully be the first day of Gray's life that he won't have to see the inside of St. Mary's hospital. He'll get his perfect little heels pricked for the fifth, and hopefully final, time. I know he's missing recliner time with his daddy. That is top on my list of things to do as soon as we get rid of that blue light bed. Talk to you all real soon.

Billy Bed Gray

We got a phone call from our pediatrician, Dr. Aldridge, and she informed us that Gray's Bilirubin level was still a little bit high. His jaundice was not high enough for her to tell us to go to the hospital, but it also wasn't low enough to do nothing. The compromise was for the bed used to help flush the jaundice, the "Billy Bed," to be set up at our house. Graylon is going to have to lay on it until the doctor tells us otherwise. More than likely, until some time on Friday. We can take him off of it for feeding and changing diapers, but the more time he's on it, the quicker we can get that Bilirubin level down. A separate firm delivered the bed, and we were able to set it up in his pack-n-play. I'll let the video explain it further, but all is well. The man that delivered it explained that once we are told to take him off of it, to please call them for pick up due to the high demand for the beds. That made us feel better. This at-home procedure is a little more common than Mommy and Daddy originally thought. Once again, Gray seems to be content in his new situation. He's already been in it, out of it to feed, and back in it again...and now asleep. Say another little prayer that he gets over this fast. We go back to the hospital lab AHHHHGAIN tomorrow for another heel prick, and hopefully we'll get a good report and be through with this. I'll keep you all posted.

Sleepy-head Gray

Well when we last left you, Gray had been sleeping A LOT! Little did I know exactly how much sleep he would do. In hindsight, it all adds up: Heel prick, jaundice, heavier feedings from the formula, a warm bath, night time lavender lotion. Mommy was really getting worried because he was sleeping through feedings even after our attempts to wake him. We would strip him naked and use a wet cloth all over him, and he was still asleep. Eventually around 11 pm, he was awake and stayed awake. He gobbled down a few more ounces of formula, and was wide-eyed but content. Because of this 24 hour period of formula, I insisted that Heather lay down in our bed and get some good quality sleep, and I would stay awake to change him and feed him in the living room. Around 4:15 am Grandma Sharon relieved me, and after Mommy checked him out, we both went to bed.

This process did wonders for me and my "daddy radar." The first night I felt the need to check on him after every peep he made. Because we were suppose to wake him for feedings every two and a half hours for the day due to his slight jaundice state, I stayed awake to watch the clock and give him a bottle. Doing this, I was able to see what sounds meant something and which ones meant nothing. We are still waiting on word of the newest set of blood work to see if we can go back to breast milk today. Keep your fingers crossed.

On our way home from the hospital today, Heather needed to stop by her office to get a few things, so we got to show him off to her co-workers. They all seemed to love him. Coach Landers said we had dressed him in a clown shirt, (It was a simple red and blue striped shirt.) so he called him "Bozo." He thought he was funny. We've now made it back home, and Graylon is sleeping easy in his bouncy chair.

I'll let you all know the jaundice situation in my next post. Everyone say a little prayer that it all goes well. We are looking forward to that first day that we don't have to go anywhere during the day. I think we could all use an entire day around the house. Until the next post, please enjoy the video I put together of yesterday's first bath at home. Talk to you all soon.

The First Night Home and Day #3

We set up Gray's pack-n-play in our room, and last night the three of us had our first night together at home. We dressed him in his familiar hospital shirt and some high socks like his daddy used to wear in high school. He ate around 10:45 last night, and then we tucked him in tight and laid down.

Heather and I worked out a pretty good routine. He was laying on my side of the bed, so when it was time to eat or he was fussy, I woke up and checked him out. When it was time to nurse, I would get him up and check or change his diaper. This would get him good and awake and ready to chow down. The first time he got up was around 1:30 in the morning. I was blown away by this first time experience. By the time we got him on the changing table, he was wide awake. He had a dirty diaper, and for the first time in his life, he didn't make a peep while I wiped and changed him. He was a trooper. He ate fine and slept for another 3 hours. Every other feeding went almost like that with a little more fussing during changing, but again, Graylon is what I call a quick fixer. When he cries, all you gotta do is fix it, and he settles right down. He is awesome.

This morning we had to go back to the hospital because he left the hospital a little jaundice. Gray had to suffer through another heel prick, and he cried a little, but Mommy got face to face with him and kept him calm. He once again quieted right down, and the nurse got her blood sample. The entire process was very quick. We then had a couple hours before his appointment with the pediatrician. So we went to the park to try and nurse him. He wanted no part of it. He was only interested in sleeping. A very normal side effect from giving blood earlier in the day. About an hour later he didn't want to eat again. Mommy was concerned, but at least we were headed to the doctor anyway, so we would get the appropriate attention.

At the doctor's office we were informed that his lab results still showed a somewhat high level of jaundice. Nothing to get too worried about, but we'll have to go back to the hospital probably each of the next two days to get more lab work done. Our doctor told us to avoid breast milk and try formula for the next 24 hours. Mommy should still pump to keep the milk coming, and Gray should drink the formula to keep his energy and weight up. He weighed 7 lbs 5 oz at birth...7 lbs 1 oz when we left the hospital...and...6 lbs 10 oz when we left the doctor today. The weight loss is perfectly normal, but we are ready to pack some "L" "B" 's back on him. Once we got home, Gray sucked down 2 ounces of formula in less than 10 minutes and has been asleep ever since. I have a feeling that there will be even more action through the night tonight. Wish us luck!

Enjoy these pictures from last night before bed, today before the doctor, and then back home this afternoon. We'll check back with everyone soon.

Gray Goes to Winterville

Well after getting Heather and Graylon once-overed like 3 times each, the hospital let us wheel them out the front door and into the car. Gray slept the entire car ride which included a drive-thru stop at Zaxby's. Grandma Sharon had balloons tied to the mailbox, and filmed us driving into the driveway. Since he's been home, Gray has slept 75% of the time, ate 20% of the time, and stared at us the other 5%. He seems to like it here at 248 Pine Ridge, and we like him here too.

Gray's Day in a Nutshell

I've kinda had my hands full today, but I've carved out a little video editing time, and took a 45 minute video and cut it down to close to 3 minutes(I know that no one really likes staring at a 3x3 screen for too long.). More video will be made available upon request and in the comfort of our home. This was Gray's day in a nutshell.



Today Graylon survived his circumcision, and he has done a great deal of sleeping. Also, the nurses told us to expect a disinterest in eating today because of the snip-snip, but he has suprisingly ate substantial portions today. His Mommy and Daddy are so proud of him. I've changed 3 dirty tar diapers, and thats 3 more than Mommy. He's done a great job of poopin' up a diaper in the company of nurses so, we've gotten 3 diaper changes on the house. Again son...so proud!

We're hoping to get our walking papers early tomorrow, and introduce Graylon to Winterville. All signs have led to leaving tomorrow, but both Graylon and Heather's doctors have to give the go-ahead before we can. Talk to you all again soon.

The First Night

About 10 pm, none of the twenty visitors that came to see Graylon on his big day were still here. They had all been so helpful, and Gray loved meeting them. He had breastfed once earlier, but this time we were gonna do it without the help of a nurse. He was a little hesitant, but he began to get the hang of it. With his hesitation, and then a little eating, at about midnight we decided to take him to the nursery for a few hours while Mommy and Daddy got some sleep. They told us that they would bring him back to feed in 3 hours. I awoke this morning a little after 6 am, to the lactation nurse explaining Gray's night in the nursery. In the middle of the night, he had coughed up a little clear mucus, and the nurse said it was common. She suctioned it out and he was just fine, but it did cause him to lose his sucking reflex temporarily. He was worn out, and the nurse thought it best to delay bringing him back for breakfast until 6am as long as he was content. This morning as of now, he has eaten twice, pooped once, been inspected once, and is sleeping and resting up for the big circumcision later on today. Please enjoy a few quick snapshots I took this morning, and I'll update again as soon as possible.

7 lbs. 5 oz.!!!!!

We have a healthy, perfect baby boy. Graylon Michael LaBarbera weighed in at 7 lbs 5 oz at 3:29 pm. Heather felt her first intense labor pains at about 6:00 AM. About 9 and a half hours later we had our son! 10 fingers and 10 toes...he was everything we hoped he would be. There will be more pictures to come, but in the meantime, enjoy.

Uneventful Doctor's Visit

Well, Heather and I totally expected to go to the hospital today. First of all, I called for the 18th a long time ago. Secondly, you do the math: Last Wednesday to Friday, almost an entire centimeter more of dilation. So we hoped for the big 4 centimeters today. Today, however, no change from last Friday. We had to make our next doctor's appointment before we left(it's Monday at 9:30 by the way). Walking into the doctor's office I jinxed us by saying, "This could be the last time we come here." Anyway, he could come this weekend I suppose, but there is still no way of knowing. As it is, Heather and I will enjoy a weekend of just the two of us. We will do plenty of walking and spicy food eatin' to get Baby Gray on out of there though. FYI, our doctor informed us that they won't let Heather go more than 41 weeks without induction. That means, that 16 more days is the maximum time before we get to meet Graylon.

While you wait, enjoy this photo booth strip of pictures of Heather and I from about 8 or 9 years ago. Like I said in the last post, we won't be simply two people for much longer. Graylon LaBarbera will be here soon.

Story from last Friday

I realize this update should have been done last Friday, but better late than never. I'm also beginning to realize the importance of being consistent with this blog. It'll be fun to read back on this 5 years from now. Anyway...last Friday, Heather was concerned that she wasn't feeling Graylon move during the second half of her work day. I told her to call the doctor and she did. It was after 5 pm, so the doctor's office told her to just go by the hospital, and they would contact the doctor on call.

We made it to St. Mary's around 5:30 and got Heather registered. Then we waited for what seemed like an eternity for a triage room to be cleaned. Once in there, we met a very-good-at-her-job nurse that went straight for Graylon's heartbeat. She said she could tell by Heather's face that a heartbeat was all she wanted to hear. After no success in finding one on Heather's right side, she found a strong beat on her left. Once she found it, she proceeded to hook up the two monitors: one for Graylon's heartbeat and one for Heather's contractions. She wanted to monitor her for 30 minutes, she explained the line graph on the computer screen and said she'd be back in half an hour.

What a relief! Our guts were put back into place as they had been in the process of being ripped out for the past hour. We watched the monitor like hawks, and the thirty minutes flew by. Once the nurse came back in, (Her name was Heather too, but to eliminate confusion I'll still call her "the nurse") she wanted to check Heather's cervix. At our doctor's visit two days earlier, she was 1 cm and 70% thinned out. At this point the nurse said Heather was just about 2 cm and 90%! She gave us the opportunity to hang out there for a little while longer, but we opted for dinner.

So we're THAT close. We go to the doctor tomorrow for a scheduled visit. It is also the due date I predicted a long time ago. The date is more of a hope than a true prediction. Heather and I were both born on the 18th of our respective birth months, so I thought Graylon coming on that day would be cool. Whatever day he decides to come will thrill his mom and dad though. We are beyond eager for his arrival. We find ourselves wondering each time we do something if it's the last time we'll do it without Graylon. Trips to Wal-mart, out to dinner, or even going to sleep, will all drastically change either tonight, tomorrow night or a week and a half from now. There is still no predicting the delivery time. We're secretly hoping that the doctor tells us to just go on to the hospital tomorrow. In the meantime, we'll just nest and enjoy a few more moments of being a two person family. We'll be three very soon!

We Have Dilation!

Well, we went to the doctor again today(they are every week from this point forward). We heard another healthy heart beat at 144 bpm. We then waited for Dr. McPherson, and when she came in she wanted to check to see if Heather was at all dilated. She measured one centimeter dilated. Her cervix was 70% thinned out. With all of this new and exciting info, we were still told that there is no predictability to when active labor could set in. It is 50/50 whether or not she has Graylon before or after the due date. Everyone still stay tuned.

Additionally please enjoy some pictures of Graylon's room. Grandma Sharon came to visit last weekend and put her interior decorator skills to work. Her and Heather found these sticker-like animals that are safe to put on the wall for wall art. They look as if they were painted on the wall to begin with. His room is really taking shape, and is one rocking chair away from completion. Wal-Mart tells us the chair will be here Friday. Also, I've tacked on a couple picture of Heather and I as babies, so those of you out there can begin to draw your own conclusions as to what Baby Gray will look like. Talk to you all real soon.

Week 37 Ultrasound

We've looked forward to this doctor's appointment for a while. We had not seen Gray in about four months, so the week 37 ultrasound had been circled on our calendar for some time. The visit didn't disappoint either. We were thrilled to not only see him, but to see him head down, with a healthy-beating heart, and weighing in at approximately 6 lbs. 10 oz.! We had always heard that babies can gain an ounce a day, but Dr. Thompson said it varies with each baby from .25 to .50 lbs. a week. That means if he gains the full .50 lbs. each week and he goes to his due date he could weigh in at over 8 lbs. We both want him to come sooner, but he measured exactly to his due date from today's ultrasound. Dr. Thompson said that rarely do the two dates match up, so we'll have to wait and see when he actually comes. I'm sticking to my guns though...March 18(nine days early). Heather and I were both born on the 18th of the month, so I want Graylon to do the same. We've also determined the outfit he'll come home in. It's his mama's favorite color, green, and has multi-colored polka dots on it. We'll probably pack several different ones because he could be a variety of sizes and we've been experiencing a variety of weather patterns.

All seems well though, and we both gain excitement with each new day. It seems that we spend a little time every day in preparation for his arrival. We go to the doctor next Tuesday, so that'll probably be the date of the next post, so stay tuned. While you wait enjoy this video clip from today's doctor's visit. I've cropped the 10 minute clip into a 2 minute highlight reel(Highlight reel might make the video sound like it's a little more action packed than it really is, but we like it.).

Snow in Athens!

Yep...Heather's pregnant, the doctor JUST said, "Pack your bags. He could come any day at this point."...and then we get the largest snow accumulation in Athens since we've lived here. The Lady Dogs played last night, and so Heather had to drive home in the snow. That was scary in itself. She made it home safely, however, home was without power. We bundled up and warned Graylon that if he came now he would be grounded for a month! The power came on in the middle of the night, and we survived. Here are some pictures and video clips from the snow storm.