boys.

Pretty much every picture taken on this day was an action shot. These boys are crazy. They are always bouncing off the walls- it's so much fun. I love that I inherited so many brothers. In case you didn't know, Sam is is the oldest of six boys. Only the two youngest were able to make this trip, but there was more than enough crazy to go around. It's been so quiet since they left- Eliza misses her uncles. To be honest, I kind of thought I was going to have a boy first. (When I was pregnant, I kept having dreams of little boys hatching out of eggs. Weird, I know.) I sort of had this image of an older brother to take care of the others. But, I think Eliza will be well taken care of. These two were fighting over who got to hold her the entire trip.

We took the family all over Berkeley, explored San Francisco, drove through the wine country, went to an A's game, visited where Bob and Nancy raised the older boys, and even made it down to Carmel and Point Lobos. Hiking through Point Lobos with these boys turns in to "who can chuck rocks off the cliff the farthest," and "let's all jump in the ocean." We all got pretty into the rock chucking, but only the boys were brave enough to take on those freezing, cold waves. (Notice that they are running away from the water in every picture.)

Bob and Nancy sure know how to make some good lookin' boys, eh? The secret ingredients are endless quesadillas and frozen pizzas. "Rox. Can I make a quesadilla?"

family.

The Grays came to stay with us! They left early this morning, and Eliza was seriously mad about it. I'm not kidding- she woke up pretty angry that I was the only one she had to play with all day. And, who can blame her?

She was in heaven this past week. Two doting grandparents, and two uncles competing for attention. And this girl loves attention. I was afraid she might be overstimulated by everyone and everything, but she was all smiles. And, if she ever got even the tiniest bit fussy- there were several hands just waiting for their turn to hold her. 

We had such a good time. These pictures were taken on a little day trip we took up to Healdsburg, where Sam served his mission. We had hotdogs and hamburgers at The Wurst, and homemade ice cream from the Creamery. 

The Grays are always so much fun. The week was filled with brother bonding feats of strength, Bob jokes, Nancy's good cooking, and late-night Gray political debates. So many good laughs for one week. You know, the kind that can really fill up a home. Not a coincidence that Eliza also gave her very first laugh. With most of the family leaning over her in the car, she started giggling like crazy when we played with her feet. It was the prettiest, little laugh. Like music.

Bob and Nancy have raised some pretty amazing boys. I am so grateful that Eliza has such loving grandparents and uncles. I know she could feel it this week. She misses you already!

apple picking.

I am making a goal to start sorting through our gazillion photos. It is out of control. We fill and dump our memory card without ever actually organizing any of it. And, we don't back them up. So, basically I live every day in fear that our computer will explode and all of my memories will die.

I don't really know where to start, honestly. Writing on our blog has helped me to keep up somewhat in the past, but we really fell behind when we lived in New York. I'm really happy that Flickr got rid of Flickr Pro, or whatever they called it. They now allow an entire TB of storage for free. I've just decided to start by sorting through our mess of photos and uploading them to our Flickr account. But, there are so many photos and they are all over the place! I would totally love any advice on the subject.

Anyway, scrolling through old photos has made me so happy. These photos were from Halloween weekend last year, and never made it on the blog. Back when Penny and Eliza were still buns in the oven and we all lived just a subway ride away from each other, we went apple picking with our friends in upstate New York. Sometimes, I really miss the East Coast. It's just so... East Coast.

This was the most perfect day with friends.

Also, I had to include this pretty great series of groups shots taken by Alpha. Miss you guys!

 

southern california.

This last weekend we headed south for a much needed vacation. Eliza prepped for the trip by going completely bonkers for three days straight, so that we would be good and ready to take a break. Love this girl. Actually, she was such a rock star on this trip. It's funny that she is sleeping in every picture we took with the SLR, when she is so smiley and awake in all of our instagrams. I wish I had taken more photos, but we were having far too much fun!

We basically tried to cram as many stops as we could into this weekend. We started in Newport Beach to see the Crosby's- where Eliza got to meet her future BYU roommate, Miss Penny. Then, we stopped in Aliso Viejo to see Sam's cousin and her sweet girls. 

Finally, we spent the rest of the weekend in Santa Barbara with the Williams. It was the best weekend ever. We played on the beach, ate the best tacos and seafood, attempted to crash the Postal Service concert, spent a day walking the pier, and partied at The Sandman Inn. It was so great to spend time with good friends. The best friends are old friends- when we get together it's like we never skipped a beat. Minus the fact that Jo Jo is two years older, Sam and I have a babe, and Andrea is super pregnant. Little Josie was in love with "Baby Eliza." She is going to be a super big sister.

Southern California is a dream. I can't get over how beautiful it is, or why you would ever choose to live anywhere else. (Until we were stuck in LA traffic for five hours!) The trip was far too short, and we are already missing the beach. I'm glad we got a little taste of summer- and an excuse to use those tiny baby bathing suits. Beach babes are the best.

Way too many laughs and good times to count. This trip helped us realize that we can do this. You know, be a parent and still be adventurous. Eliza handled it all so well, and we totally survived without a scratch. It wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be. We can't wait to take her on more adventures! 

two months.

Little Miss E is two months old. Well, she was two months a couple of weeks ago when I first started writing this post. It's kind of funny how long it takes me to do something like this. I use whatever little stretches of time she gives me! She's a bit bossy!

It's hard to believe she has grown, but it's obvious that she's bigger. These days she absolutely kills us with those smiles. Once she figured out how to smile, and saw how excited we were to smile back- she never stopped. I can't get over those huge, open-mouthed gummy smiles! Her whole face lights up.

She is also starting to get a little chatty. A friend of ours let us borrow one of those play mats with the toys that dangle from an overhanging bar. We put her under that thing and she will chat it up with the little toys for a good 20 minutes. I try to get things done while she's occupied, but mostly I end up peeking in at her and trying take videos with my phone.

Sam and I laugh because it seems like almost every day when we finally wrangle her into her crib and she is out for the night, we throw our bodies onto the couch to veg- only to realize that we are both just scrolling through pictures of her on our phones. Parents.

Eliza at two months old:
-a smile that kills
-learning to giggle
-loves to chat
-the sweetest coos
-still hates tummy time
-but, can hold her head up like a boss
-mover and a shaker
-scoots her way to the bottom of her crib every night
-loves going on walks with mama
-sometimes lets us snuggle during her "morning glow"
-always looking around
-sleeps a 6 hour stretch at night
-grabs and paws at things
-a tiny thumbsucker
-loves being outside
-gets bored at home
-still battling those tummy problems
-holds out for days, then has massive blow outs
-starting to gain some chub
-has one little roll on her thighs
-ok with bath time
-hates putting clothes on
-could bounce on the yoga ball all day
-growing, growing
-sucks on her little fists- very loudly
-stares at her feet

reunion.

When we were pregnant, Sam and I took the Bradley Method Course to prepare for the big day. It was a 12 week course that met every Wednesday for 2 1/2 hours. I thought it seemed a bit much at first, but it ended up being really helpful- both for labor, and for our first steps in parenting. You obviously will never be fully prepared for it all, but this class got us as close as we could possibly get. I'm the kind of person that likes to know exactly what is going on with my body. I think I would have been much more freaked out if I wasn't as prepared as we were. 

One of the nice things about the class is that you meet every week with couples who are going through the exact same thing as you. Also, during the last class of the course the instructor invites former students who have recently had their babies to share their birth stories. Sam and I volunteered to speak just last week, and it was actually really fun. They were shooting off questions left and right, and I was feeling like a superstar mom. It was hilarious because we shared our story immediately following another family who  had a very rapid labor. They had to call an ambulance, and she hardly made it to the hospital before the baby arrived. From beginning to end, her labor lasted around 3 hours. So, I pretty much freaked out the class when I followed up with my labor story- which did not last 3 hours, but 3 days. Ha!

In our original class, all of our due dates were within a couple of months of each other. When the course ended, we would get email updates when all of the babies were born. And, last weekend we all got together for a reunion! How cute are these babies? 

It was so much fun seeing everyone again, and swapping baby stories. One of the moms took these photos. I don't know where I was when they were taken- pretty sure I was inside eating or something (oink). I love these, though! I especially love all of the photos of the dads and their babes. After watching these dads support their partners for months, it was beautiful to see them cradling their babies. And, the photo of the three dads rocking the football hold is priceless.

I highly recommend taking a birthing course- especially the Bradley Method. If you are in the Bay Area, you should take it from Sabine Henrie. She is an excellent instructor, and extremely kind and loving. She has an open-door policy for life- meaning you can call her with questions whenever you want. She is also a former dancer, and mother of two.

Let me know if you have any questions!

blow dryer.

Eliza loves this blow dryer. We discovered it by accident one night, trying to warm her up after a bath. And pretty soon the blow dryer became a regular in the soothing line up. The second you blow it on her face she calms down. Part of it is probably the white noise, but part of it is that she loves that wind on her face. Her whole body goes limp and relaxed, except for her feet which will float up towards the mouth of the blow dryer while she spreads out her toes happily.

We like to think that it is a sign that she will be an adventurous one. You know, a girl that loves the wind on her face and her hair whipping around like a wild thing. (She also loves driving with the windows down.) We're crossing our fingers that it doesn't mean she is destined to be a pampered princess. Eeek!

Oh, and the band-aid is from her shot at the doctor's that morning. I promise we are taking good care of this little human. In fact, she hardly even noticed the shot. They gave it to her while she was feeding, and she screamed for 2.2 seconds and continued to eat like nothing happened. The doctor said it was a sign of her personality- I think she'll be a tough girl!

cousins.

Of course, we had to put the baby cousins in matching dresses and take a million pictures of them. And,  mean a million- because it is very difficult to catch both babies looking good. When Lucy is looking adorable, Eliza is cross-eyed and toppling over. When Eliza is looking cute, Lucy is done with the photo shoot and getting angry. But, really- they're always just so darn cute.

Lucy was such a good big cousin. We would lay Eliza down on the quilt, and Lucy would come and sit next to her. Every once and awhile she might get a little too excited and scare Eliza, but for the most part she was very gentle. Eliza would just stare up at her. I feel like they are going to be good friends.

It's so weird to see the two side by side. Lucy has always been the baby, and now Eliza seems so tiny compared to her. I remember going to Texas to be with my family when Lucy was this age. It was the moment I really knew for sure that it was time for us to start our own family. I was totally in love with that sweet babe. And, now she is over a year old, and I have my own little baby girl. Someday there will be many more cousins around the house. Can you imagine?

blessing.

Last Sunday was Eliza's blessing day- a perfect Father's Day. True to form, Eliza cried through half of the blessing, while Lucy wiggled and yelled in the back of the chapel. These girls are definitely related. They sure like to party.

Sam gave a really beautiful blessing. I have loved watching Sam become a daddy. He already had it in him. He was always one of those guys that can take a babe and hush it to sleep in seconds, while I am awkwardly trying to figure out how to "support the head." It comes from helping his mom with all those brothers growing up. This definitely wasn't his first time at the changing table. In fact, I believe I have been corrected on my diaper changing abilities more than once over the past few weeks. But, I guess I am responsible for one or two blow outs due to a lose diaper job.

Happy (late) Father's Day, Sam Gray. Eliza is so lucky to have you. 

And to you too, Daddy! I love you. I haven't been with my dad on Father's Day for years- it was was my favorite day of the entire visit. The whole family sitting at our dinner table, with the babes. We threw a huge feast on the grill, and relaxed all afternoon. It reminded me of Lucy's blessing day, which coincidently was held on Mother's Day last year.

And, the dress? My mom made it. She is amazing like that. It was designed after a christening dress we saw in a book from the 1800s. I'm an heirloom kind of girl. I'm just hoping that Eliza will be, too. Because, what else am I going to do with all of these treasures I've been hoarding for all of these years?

one month.

 
Eliza Roxie is one month old (on June 7th). Yep, time flies. Too fast.

I love her so much. She's changed our lives in so many ways, and sometimes I can't remember what it was like without her. She made me a mom. My whole day revolves around her, in three hour increments. At the end of yesterday, I had barely touched my to-do list. But, when she fell asleep in my arms after a long day, I wasn't about to put her down and give up that moment. That's our time. The dishes can wait.

She's taught me what true love and care is. I would do anything to make her happy. Eliza has had a rough go at this whole body thing lately. Her little digestive system is giving her all kinds of problems, and it is really hard to see her in such pain. Sam and I have tried everything in the book- thanks to so many medical professionals' and friends' advice. We still haven't found much that seems to help, but she is a tough girl. One day it will be better. In the meantime, I will do anything to give her a little relief and see that happy face. 

We love her. She is so perfect and beautiful. At her one month check-up, she had the whole doctor's office talking about how gorgeous she was. I could hear them in the hall while I waited. I can't believe how much she has grown and changed! She doesn't even like to cuddle the same way she used to. She wiggles and squeals until you hold her up and face her out so she can be a part of the action. Sometimes I like to squish and squeeze and try and make her cuddle- until Sam says, "I don't think she likes that, Rox." I'm a smother mother.

Eliza at one month:
-is starting to smile!
-loves standing on your knee
-likes to sit up and out
-loves burrowing into a ball in the wrap/sling
-collects fuzz in her clenched palms
-can grab your pinky finger with her long toes
-follows objects with her head and eyes
-lifts her head slightly during tummy time
-eats like a shark
-major wiggles
-starting to grab and pull a little
-loves to look at patterns, especially stripes
-battles those toots
-strategically plans her blow outs
-starting to lose her baby hair
-a little embarrassed of her baby acne 
-that binky is her best friend
-gaining weight and getting taller
-still doesn't totally fit into most of her newborn clothes
-loves when Daddy comes home
-doesn't like being cooped up in the house
-loves the breeze on her face

-can't get enough of the blow dryer

-grunts and coos
-loves the up-downs, and baby bench presses

Love this girl.