Shades of Gray: June 2010

I LOVE my Uncle Jo-Jo!

>> Monday, June 28, 2010

It is so cute to see the way Joel adores Gray. He has proven to be stiff competition for my mother when it comes to cuddling with Gray. As you can see from the pictures below, little Gray has managed to capture the heart of her Uncle Jo-Jo, even if he does make her a bit sleepy!

First Father's Day

>> Sunday, June 20, 2010

Yesterday we celebrated Kevin's first Father's Day! We enjoyed a nice, relaxing day at home, followed by dinner at my parents to see Gray's "Papa Britt." Kevin takes such good care of us girls and we are incredibly lucky to have him in our lives. Thanks babe for making all of my dreams come true... Love you!

Gray and I did our best to spoil Kevin a little with:

Hedge Trimmers - Not so exciting, but he said he needed them

Parfait Glasses - As you can see he has already broken them in

Homemade Chex Mix - One of Kevin's favorites, which is why it is almost gone

Framed footprint of Gray's - He found the evidence of this gift on the bottom of her foot

Onesie for Gray - I made it for her to wear for her Daddy

Here is Gray in her new onesie sitting in her Bumbo seat. I have a feeling that she will be wearing this onesie whenever Kevin gets her dressed... at least until she outgrows it!

Here we are at my parents house celebrating Father's Day!

Playdates

>> Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Gray came with me to school a couple of weeks ago while my mom and I cleaned out my classroom. It was great to see co-workers and former students that came by to visit. One of the teachers at the school had her baby girl, Lina, on the same day that Gray was born and we were able to let our girls see each other for the first time. It was neat to see how they reacted to one another and it just so happens that my mom had her camera with her (now that she has a granddaughter she does not leave home without it!) to capture some pictures of the two.

Gray was not sure about it at first!

Then she was okay.

And once the girls started moving around it was pretty cute to see their reaction to one another!

And just last week Gray and I had Van and her baby girl Joelle over to visit. Van and her husband Jerome were in our Bradley Method childbirth classes and Joelle was also born on April 27. Van and I actually delivered at the same hospital too. We had fun making the Father's Day footprints and just sharing stories about our almost 2 month old little girls!

Hanging with cousin Kael...

Yesterday I was able to get a taste (with a little help from my mom, since I would be outnumbered) of what it is like to be a mother of two. Kael hung out with us for a few hours, playing with cars, a train and a puzzle while Gray mostly slept. We had a lot of fun and I tried to get some pictures of the two, but as you can see below I did not have much success. I guess I need some practice!

Waking up with Gray!

>> Monday, June 14, 2010

Gray is definitely a morning person! I usually wake up to her little voice and as soon as I start talking to her she begins to smile. I am NOT a morning person, so it helps me to wake up to such a happy little girl! Hope you enjoy seeing her sweet smiles as much as we do...

Gray Elizabeth Sykes

>> Wednesday, June 9, 2010

April 27, 2010...

The day our lives changed forever! SHE arrived at 8:45pm (6lbs, 12oz and 20.75 in) after many years of waiting, many months of growing and many hours of laboring. We are so in love with our baby girl and feel incredibly blessed that we were chosen to be her parents. God is so good!

The past 6 weeks have been a blur to us both, which gave me the idea that we should be documenting as much as we can to remember this special time. And with so much of our family away, I want to make sure that they are able to share in all of the fun!

Things I love about Gray at 6 weeks:

She smiles! At first she only smiled as she was drifting off to sleep, but now she smiles all of the time. She is especially sweet when she wakes up in the morning (before she realizes she is hungry). I have tried to get this on video, but I cannot seem to capture just how adorable it is! The rest of the time, she smiles whenever she is spoken to and she has the cutest crooked smile you have ever seen. And like her Daddy, her ears shift up a fraction when she smiles!
She holds her head up - and has done this since she was about a week old. Her control has definitely improved and it is pretty cute to look down at her when she is in her carrier to see her looking up at me!
She follows you with her eyes. Again, she has done this practically since birth, but she is doing this more and more frequently and at greater distances.
She has a temper! It is cute now, but in a few years I have a feeling that I will be paid back for all of the grief I gave my own mother. When Gray is hungry, she does not like to wait... This is a"Britt" trait that Gray gets from myself and her Papa Britt and many generations before us I am sure!
She has her Daddy's brown eyes! I know that brown eyes are a dominant trait and that most of the population of the world have brown eyes, but this is not the case in my family. My dad, mom brother and I all have blue eyes, so brown eyes are a rarity to us. Plus, her brown eyes make her look even more like her Daddy!
She has long, skinny fingers and toes - this she gets from me! I love that I can see both of us in her!
She has lost the hair on the top of her head and her Daddy says she has her Uncle JoJo's hairline... But where the hair used to be, she has a tiny layer of fuzz coming in. We cannot wait to see if she is a blonde or a brunette!
She is a good sleeper - thank goodness, because I am too! She goes to sleep sometime around 10:30pm and does not wake up until 6:30am. She started sleeping 6 hours at night around 4 weeks and has gradually increased to sleeping 8 hours on her own. Let's hope she keeps this up!
She is a girl! I am so blessed to have a happy, healthy baby, but I am so excited to have a baby girl and all that it entails! It is so much fun to dress her in all of the cute clothes that I wish would come in my size. Let's hope that fuzz on the top of her head grows quickly so she can wear the clips that I bought her!
She is OURS! I have always wanted a child - especially since finding the perfect person with which to raise a child. And now that we have our baby girl, life feels complete!