Grady's Visit to Santa

Playing Around

Grady is quite the monkey these days! When I put him down on the floor to play on his play

gym I often find him with his legs entangled in the foam bars or with his head peeking through like in the picture above. He also sounds as if he is having a full conversation with the little animals on his bouncy, play gym, and swing. Sometimes we think they've done something to offend him because it sounds as if he's telling them whose boss! I've lovingly dubbed him my roarasarus when he's using this voice, because well he sounds like a dang dinosaur!

Rolling Around

Little man is now rolling both ways, back to belly & belly to back! He is also beginning to push up on his arms to lift up his chest, neck, and head when on his belly. He's got to keep up with his big sister I guess!

Grady's 1st Back to Belly Roll!

3 months!

Our Bug is 3 months old now and we can't remember what life was like with out him! He is such a show stopper, everywhere we go people comment on what a beautiful baby he is. I have to say, I agree!

At 3 months Grady is bringing his hands together and doing a "finger catching trick" quite similar to the one his big sister did at this age, reaching out for objects, giggling and squealing, making sweet "talking" noises, holding his chest/and head up high when lying on his belly, and following objects/people (especially mommy) with his eyes. He is nursing about every 2 hours during the day, and has a nice long stretch of sleep at night before waking for his 1 night feeding. His favorite place is still in a nice snuggly pair of arms but he is getting better about spending some time in the swing or bouncy seat during the day. He loves to be in the Ergo or Moby and is doing much better with car rides!

We love you Buggy, and our so glad you chose us for your family! xo

Look who found his toes.....

Of course Mommy wasn't fast enough to actually catch the toes in the hands, but you get the point!

2 months!

Legs that go on for miles!
Don't you just wanna eat him up?


First pumpkin patch!


A bit excited!

First trip to the farm! He slept the whole time!

Grady is actually 10 weeks old tomorrow! At his two month wellness visit he was 11 lbs 3 ounces (50th percentile) and 24 3/4 inches (95th percentile)! He is twice as long as the average 2 month old! Besides growing like a week Grady has had a busy month! He met his great grandparents (Maw-maw and Paw-paw) and his great Uncle Mark, we took him on his first trip to the farm, he also went to the pumpkin patch for the first time, and he celebrated his first Halloween! Grady loves his swing and "talking" to Mommy and Daddy. He is cooing more and more every day, and his smiles are to die for! He loves his big sister and lights up when she comes around. I can't believe how much he tolerates from her, she loves on him a bit too much and too hard sometimes and he smiles through it all! He is sleeping very well at night but doesn't want to be put down during the day. He is a very loveable little guy!

My little pumpkin

Grady's 2 month update is coming soon! But to hold you over here are some cute shots of our sweet little pumpkin boy!

Smiles that will melt your heart....

Everytime you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing. ~Mother Teresa

Grady's first "caught on film" smile!

My sweet buggy boy has been smiling it up for a couple of weeks now. His sweet smile is like the gift that keeps on giving! I could just eat him up with a spoon!

1 Month!

"Playing" sidewalk chalk with Mom and Ava

This boy has some long feet!

Dreaming of all that he will be!

Tummy time with Sissy!

Don't you just wanna kiss those sweet little lips!

He's learning how to prevent his binx from being snatched by Ava!

Our Grady-bug is 1 month old already! Time sure does fly when you're having fun....or when you have two under two! Grady is growing and changing every day. He no longer has that newborn baby look, he is long and lean, and I doubt he will ever have "baby fat". At his 1 month appointment he was 23 inches long and 9.8 lbs, he's in the 75th percentile for weight and 97th for height. He is 2 inches longer and his head is a 1/4 of an inch larger then Ava at 1 month. I find this hard to believe as she has always been off the charts.....my children are like little Green Giants! This week his 3 a.m. grunting sessions seem to be tapering off a bit, they are getting shorter and less frequent! He is still nursing every 2 hours during the day for the most part, he is a growing boy after all! A strong growing boy at that! I can't believe how high he can lift his head, and the neck control he already seems to have! My sweet Buggy Boy, we are so in love with you!

Fantastic Foursome!

This boy has every baseball related outfit, towel, etc in existence!

Kisses from Sissy


Sweet sleeping angel.....don't let him fool you, this is rare!

First Bath

Hangin out in the bouncy

Grady is just over two weeks old now and every day brings a new and different joy, challenge, and/or obstacle. He is such a sweet snuggler and his big doe eyes are to die for. The first week of nursing him was a challenge, he liked to pucker up like a little kissy fish and did some serious damage to the Momma. But we had a few little talks and about 50 million "latch breaks" and he's doing so much better! Daddy was home today so Grady and I went to Mom's Club where I got to weight the little booger. 9lbs exact. While he is gaining at a healthy rate, I feel as if he should weigh about 20lbs already as frequently as he's eating! Every 2ish hours during the daytime hours, and every 2-3 at night. I love the quiet time I get to spend cuddling him for the first couple of night time feedings, but my sweet little man turns into Grunty-McGrunts-Alot between the hours of 3-7 a.m. I hope we get to the bottom of what is causing him to be so uncomfortable before we all turn into zombies. Ava is a fantastic big sister and has a special kinda love for "baby". She wants to know where he is first thing in the morning, I'm talking before she even has her morning banana. And as most of you know that morning banana is like her morning coffee. She brings him blankies and only steals his binx occasionally now. Overall, we are all settling in and working on a routine, and a sense of what normalcy is for our new family of four.

A star is born....

Welcome sweet Grady!

Grady and his very proud Daddy!


Couldn't get my hands on him soon enough!

Sweet, sweet baby love. Even with spit-up on his sleeve!

"Baby!"

Grady James Lightsey has arrived! 7lbs 14 oz and 21 inches of sweet precious baby boy was born on Tuesday, August 24th at 5:12 a.m. In true Lightsey baby fashion, Grady was five days late and born via c-section, despite many months of prayers and positive thoughts about a natural delivery. Apparently this mommas body was made to grow babies not birth them! But all is well, our prince is here and he is perfect! My labor actually began early Monday morning. I was having uncomfortable contractions every 5-6 minutes. Those went on through out the morning. I had an OB apt at 9:15 a.m. and was told I was 3 cm, 75% effaced. By about 2:30 contractions were getting stronger and closer together. Ryan came home to be with me and Nan came to pick up soon-to-be big sister, Ava. We walked, swam, had dinner, I took a bath, and by about 11:30 contractions were 1-2 minutes apart and STRONG. Maggie, our doula, came to help us through the end of labor and hopefully achieve the natural birth we were longing for. Around 1-1:30 a.m. we arrived at labor and delivery where we were told I was still 3 cm and was 80% effaced. It was devastating to learn that these painful contractions were not doing there job. After another hour or so we came to the conclusion that a c-section was once again necessary. We had a goofy but awesome anesthesiologist who made me very comfortable with a spinal tap (with Ava we opted for epidural and that was not a good experience). Lila, the wonderful midwife who cared for me with Ava's pregnancy, was there to assit Dr. Raup. And at 5:12 a.m. we were blessed with a perfect angel faced little boy. Ryan and I couldn't be more happy and Ava......well she told me he could stay as long as he doesn't steal her toys!

34 Weeks

According to babycenter.com my sweet Grady is now the weight of an average cantaloupe, but I sware this big guy feels more like a watermelon crashing around in there! He is all boy already; I can already picture him buzzing around the living room, pulling his sisters hair, putting his sticky Popsicle hands all over my clean walls, and doing it all with a giant grin on his face. But I also day dream about kissing chubby baby cheeks, capturing first moments for a second time, quiet night time nursing sessions, sister and brother t-shirts, and sweet siblings poking their heads out of secret hiding places. What a blessing it is to have a growing family. We are so thankful.

30-32 weeks

31 week belly shot (Fathers Day)

Tomorrow I will be 32 weeks pregnant. The doctor reassures me Grady is growing at a normal rate but he sure does feel big to me! He had his first bout with the hiccups this past week...right at Mommy's bed time 2 nights in a row! But that's ok, I love feeling him and knowing that he is growing well and practicing those important life skills in there! It is getting harder for me to bend over and get up and down from the floor. But toys need to be picked up and big sisters need to be snuggled so onward we go!

Grady Pics

29 weeks at Caribbean Beach Resort
22 weeks
22 week 3d ultrasound

22 weeks....what a handsome mug!

14 weeks...this is the first time we saw you!

Dear Grady,
Mommy has been super busy chasing around your sister and finishing up the school year, so I am sad to tell you I only have a few pictures of you growing so safely in my belly. Time has just flown by, in two days we will be 30 weeks along! You will be here, snuggled up in our arms before we know it! I will do my best to take a picture a week for the last 10 weeks or your time in my tummy!

All my love,

Mommy

The Journey of A Jellybean

Shortly after Christmas we discovered we had one more gift waiting for the appropriate time to reveal itself.....a new baby! A precious little Jellybean, who we will name Grady James. We are very excited about our growing family and are really looking forward to having siblings so close in age. Ava and Grady will be a year and a half apart. I know there will be plenty of crazy days ahead; with two under two I'D BE CRAZY to think any other way, but there will also be double the snuggles on lazy weekend mornings in bed, twice the sweet smiles and giggles, building forts big enough for two in the living room, crazy sibling jargon only they will understand, built in play mates, two more sticky hands to hold, two more precious lips to receive giant slobbery kisses from, and two more sets of tiny toes to tickle! God is good and we are MOST certainly blessed! Doubly!