Compromises

Nick has always complained about our living room set. We bought our sofas about 4 years ago when we moved to Florida. When we moved back they fit nicely into our house and matched well. I bought this rug.... I don't know how to describe it... it's a little retro I guess. It's brown with fall looking flowers on it. I love it. and I used this very old green distressed trunk that I got from my mom for our coffee table (it was my great or great-great-grandmothers- not sure?). I am obsessed with the trunk. It is definitely my favorite piece of furniture in myhouse... and Nick HATES the trunk. He thinks it takes up too much space and he hated that ourrecliningleather chair doesn't fit in here. It currently lives in the garage with the other mis-matched furniture. I finally gave in and agreed to get new furniture even though there is nothing wrong with what we have. I am just tired of hearing Nick complain about it. We originally set out to buy a leather sectional with a recliner built in. This was his wish list. We went to about six furniture stores and I couldn't find anything we could agree on. Nick and I have VERY different taste in furniture (he decorated the extra garage). We ended upgetting the exact opposite of what we went shopping for, but it is a sectional. a fabric sectional with a funky little corner.... it's A-mazing! Very comfortable and very well made. It was a little pricier than we wanted but he said I could get it if we replaced the trunk for a round cocktail table. It is copper with distressed wood and ironwork... I talked myself into getting it and I think it will look great. I am VERY sad about not having the trunk in the living room but I will make a place for it somewhere else. :( Didn't tell Nick that of course! lol So, moral of the story... Compromise is a great thing. I gave a little and still ended up getting what I wanted... :) I will let Nick stick to decorating the yard and garage with all the beer clocks and LSU posters his heart desires. The sofa and table get delivered next Tuesday. It's a bit bittersweet. I go back to work next week, so I have something to look forward to andsomething I am absolutely dreading.

I am sure going back to work won't be as bad as I am imagining it being. It just breaks my heart to leave Grant! They are only little once. At least I had 12 weeks with him and we get off early enough to spend time with him after work. Poor Nick gets home so late I feel like he hardly sees him. I hate that.

Speaking of the bebe... He is doing well! He went almost 9 hours between feedings the other day. I think it is because he was held and played with all day and wore out at the party. Emma got her first communion and we spent all day and into the night at his sisters house. They put all the kids to bed and we had Deuce juice ;) and caught up. Oh, how I miss the days when we could do that often, he really has such a great family. Anyways, back to Grant :) He weighs about 14.5 pounds now but really doesn't look that big. He smiles at me a lot and loves his papa's voice too. He finally started tracking things which made me feel better.He brightens my day with every smirk. Nick and I just love him so much! Even when he doesn't like to sleep.:)The past few months have gone by so fast, before we know it he won't be a baby anymore. I have been trying to video as much as possible. I am just so worried I will forget what he was like when he was this little. Enjoying every day, making memories, and loving life.

Here are a few videos and pictures of life lately:

Trying to get Grant to sleep:

Trying to roll over- mean mommy!

Just playing around

Sara-isms

Ok, so Sara always cracks me up but I forget what she says. Today before leaving Jordin said she asked my mom to pick her out some clothes, and they better be tight pants!lol

Nick walks in the house from work and she yells, "Hey uncle nick, how was your day? You look HANDSOME!" It was so funny!

Me: Sara quit throwing grapes in the air!

Sara: but I only did it three times, can't I just do it again?

Jordin went to church with Sara, when they were leaving she tells the pastor "You did real good on stage".

Dad was looking all over the house for his remote control. Mom told him to ask Sara because she always takes his stuff. Dad said, "Sara, do you know where paw paw's remote its?" She walked him to the play room and pointed to the huge dollhouse and said, "I put it somewhere where you could find it."

I will keep adding to the list... lol

Grant 8 WEEKS!!!

Life this week

The past week has been pretty nice. Grant is waking up one time in the middle of the night and early in the morning. WOO HOO. I also finally got around to ordering his pictures and sending off his birth announcements which I LOVED. Nick let me buy a new computer last week so I can finally upload all of my pictures. I was really sad that the Mac "geniuses" were not able to transfer my information on to my new computer. So I am pretty much starting from scratch but I must say I have enjoyed going through all of my old CD's.

This is back of the birth announcements.

Jo and I got to go out shopping a few times. The other day I got him the CUTEST hat. Also, I ordered him some little monogrammed shoes that turned out beautiful. He is wearing both in this picture.

Nick and I went out to Outback with Luke last night. It was great getting to hang out with him again like back in college but, with a baby! :) I took this when we got home.

This morning Nick and Grant came with me to do my two hour glucose test. It was pretty horrible I must say but hopefully it will be the last one I have to do for a long time. Today Thomas and Hayley are coming with Pierce to visit! We can't wait to see them! Hope everyone is having a great weekend.

Life lately

This is one of his newborn pictures.

So, Grant turned seven weeks old today! It is hard to believe that my little baby is growing so fast. We weighed him the other day and he weighs 12.5 lbs already. He barely fits in his 0-3 month clothes. He just started smiling this week which I think is the cutest thing in the world. Not sure if anything makes me happier. He has gotten on a pretty good schedule. I feed him 4.5-5 oz every four hours and he sleeps about five hours at a time at night. The last two nights we only woke up once. Fingers crossed! He LOVES taking his little baths in the sink. He lays there and looks around like he is so relaxed. I have gotten really good at changing his diaper. He no longer pees on me EVERY time I change him. In fact, I only get a golden shower about once every-other-day. He loves it when I sing to him and he falls asleep every time I put him in his stroller. We have taken him everywhere... to the mall, several restaurants, family day for his big
cousin, and walmart. His is such a good boy on outings. Thas when he sleeps best! I only breastfed for about a month when I realized that pumping and giving him the milk in the bottle was the way for me. I was disappointed in myself at first but then realized I have to do what is best for us. I am now able to get help with feeding him and he still gets breast milk so I decided it was a win-win situation and I would take it easy on myself. Motherhood is definitely everything and more than I thought it would be. Also, it's harder than I expected. Breastfeeding was probably one of the most challenging things I have ever done. I have more respect than ever for those women who do it for months and months. I was always so scared that I would have no ideawhat I was doing but it really does come naturally. Here are a list of things that I love about my new life:

1. Nick tries and tries so hard to do as much as he can and he loves our baby so much. I love that I can see the pride and joy in his face when he looks at him.
2. I LOVE when Grant smiles at me. My heart just melts. I feel like no matter what I do , he will love me just because I am his momma. (even when I cut his finger trying to clip his nails :( )
3. Everywhere we go people comment on his hair and how cute he is... and I have to agree. His hair is precious and I love running my fingers through it. Yes, it's that thick. 4. Being off of work is not nearly as boring as I thought it would be. In fact, I am dreading going back. Thank goodness we are fortunate enough that I can take 12 weeks off. I honestly can't imagine going back after only 8 weeks... how do people do it?
5. Grant fits so perfectly into our lives. It is like he has always been here.
6. I find myself daydreaming about the person he will become and I am so excited to see him grow.

Life is good, so good. I could not ask for more.

This is one of the first pictures I got of him learning to smile.


This is his first of many strolls around the neighborhood.

Grant Nicholas Cicero= 8 lbs. 8 oz. 20.5 in. of preciousness! ;)

Wow! I can't believe I survived childbirth! For those of you who truly know me, I am sure you never thought this day would come... I didn't either! Well, I didn't actually DO much, I just cried, laid there and got cut open. But regardless, it was quite an experience. I never imagined the rush of emotions that I would feel. Leaving for the hospital I kept trying to imagine what it would be like driving home with a baby. After you have been with someone for almost nine years you kinda get stuck in your ways. We got to the hospital and checked in. I had the most fabulous nurse ever! Nick's friend from high school, Jessica, babied me through my IV (which I was freaking out about), and all of the other pre-op things they do. I really don't know what I would have done without her. I was completely terrified of the epidural but after all of the tears and anxiety, (and drugs that made me feel drunk) they managed to get my baby out. When I first saw Grant all I could do was cry. Nick and I were instantly in love. I remember them handing me our baby and the first thought that I had was "where are his eyebrows?". I expected him to come out with caterpillar eyebrows like his parents... I am still waiting. I had to keep reminding myself that he was actually our child. He grew inside of me. It was really an amazing moment for our little family. I have never been happier or felt more complete in my life as I do now.

The hospital stay was short and not so sweet. :) You can probably tell from the pictures...which by the way will never happen again. My face will be banned from all forms of photography for the next babys birth!!! I passed out, had a terrible time trying to pee, and had to beg the nurse to let me shower. We had lots of family come to visit. We loved getting to show off our precious baby. One great thing was that the baby wasn't born with any problems and my diabetes went away instantly. I ate as much candy and dessert as they would let me order. I want to especially thank my sister Jennifer for taking so many beautiful pictures and helping me get through all of the medical things and answering my questions. Also, Nick.... poor Nick. He saw parts of me that no man should ever have to see. Poor baby had to carry me, while I was naked and passed out) and watch them give me a catheter (that hurt like hell) und he held my hand every step of the way. I am reminded of how lucky I am to have sich a supportive and amazing husband.

So, after only two days they actually let us leave with a baby! The nurses and doctors at Woman's are wonderful and I must say they made me as comfortable as possible. I wish I could send them all thank-you notes. Except for the lactation consultant (she was kindof a weird, hyper hippy that made me nervous. Nick was scared to drive on the interstate which I thought was cute. When we got home we just kept saying "wow, we have a kid!" The past week-and-a-half home have been really nice. We have had lots of visitors and everything has fallen into place. So far baby has been on a good schedule and he lets me sleep a few hours at a time in the night. I weighed him today and he was 8 lbs. 15.5 oz.!! He is such a precious sweet potato! He pees on me daily. I always heard that boys do this but I definitely underestimated how often this would happen! I love all of his long hair and his cute little nose and those fat cheeks. I can just hold him and kiss those cheeks all day. Breastfeeding has been going surprisingly well. I was really nervous at first that he wasn't eating enough. Now I have more confidence and I really enjoy it. I always thought I would be kindof wierded out by the whole nursing thing but I have found the exact opposite to be true. I think it makes me bond with him even more. And there are times when I think , man it would be nice for someone else to wake up at night and give him a bottle so I can sleep, but I wouldnt have it any other way. For those of you out there that are pregnant and not sure if they are going to giving breastfeeding a try, go for it! You will be surprised how rewarding it is. It's hard work, but so worth it.

I look forward to the future and our new life with Grant. I am the luckiest person in the world! Here is a quote that I love and says exactly what I feel.

Making the decision to have a child is momentous.
It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.
-Elizabeth Stone

Ready or not

Wow, so many thoughts running through my head. Today Jordin, Jude and I went to DeAngelos. I came home and tried to get all of the clothes washed, dishes done, and bags packed for tomorrow. It has been hard to get going because I have not slept AT ALL in the last two days. This is very unlike me. I don't know if it is my body preparing me for what is about to happen or just nerves. Either way, I have been up all hours of the night wide awake! Nick came home and we decided that we should definitely go out to dinner one last time before the baby comes. We had a great time at Zeas and then drove around everywhere looking for "It's A Boy" cigars. Mission not accomplished! He will just have to buy some from the hospital. I can't decide if I am more anxious/nervous or excited. The thought of my stomach being cut open totally freaks me out. But the thought of seeing our baby for the first time makes me want to burst with excitement. I feel like a little kid on Christmas Eve. It is hard to believe how much our lives will change tomorrow. I can't wait to see Nick hold our little boy for the first time. It makes my heart happy to see and hear his excitement. He said he is really nervous about taking pictures :) This is because my sister was not able to get off of work in time to come and be our "photographer". I better give him a little lesson tomorrow. I hope everything turns out ok tomorrow and that Grant is a healthy boy. It is funny to me that everyone asks if we are ready. Does anyone really have any clue what it will be like? I feel like I have done everything I can to be ready but I am still unsure as to how we are going to care for a whole little life. Hopefully, we will be half the parents that our parents were to us. We have had great examples. Will update soon after baby arrives. Until then, wish me luck that I don't have a nervous breakdown tomorrow. :)