A look at a day with Greyson

Greyson is 3 weeks old today! I cannot believe how quickly time has already gone by! He's changed so much since the day he was born & when we were able to bring him home!

We got 10 whole days with daddy at home with us before he had to go back to work [boo!] and we enjoyed adjusting to our new family of 3! We spent lots of time cuddling while also running errands - pediatrician visits, BX & commissary for stuff, go see friends & Skype with family! I was so sad to see his leave end, but we knew it was coming so we just had to accept it!


Greyson is doing pretty well with sleeping through a good portion of the night! Recently he's been fighting his sleep & wanting to stay up until 1 or 2 AM, which isn't fun for mommy & daddy who are exhausted! Plus he's hit his growth spurt & gets super hungry at night! We got a Rock-n-Play sleeper for him that he sleeps in next to our bed! This helps with middle of the night feedings & to keep him close since I'm still a little nervous at times to leave him alone! Greyson & I end up getting up around 9 & thats when the fun starts for me - get him downstairs, get the dogs outside & food in their bowls, sneak in a quick morning pee, make food, start nursing him & eat over top of him! By the time his morning feeding is done, I'm already exhausted & ready for a nap! 


Being so young still, Greyson sleeps most of his day! He loves the napper on our Pack-n-Play & ends up taking most of his naps there throughout the day. I take advantage in the mornings during his nap to pick up & clean the house a bit. Our house isn't perfectly clean, but considering we have a newborn, I'd have to say it's doing pretty good!



After nursing & napping some, Greyson amuses me & lets me take pictures of him! I set up a mini studio in the living room & attempted to take some photos of him. I need to go through & edit them, & will share them soon! Greg was impressed by what I came up with just using simple things from around the house! 


Swing time! Our lil monkey [usually] likes to sit in his swing! He is soothed by the music & loves the motion. Almost anytime he is moving around he is content, given he isn't hungry. The swing is great when we're trying to make dinner & want him in the kitchen with us or to stimulate him a little before bedtime. 


Greyson's umbilical cord fell off about a week ago & we gave him his first bath [look out for a post on the event]. He's gotten 2 so far & seemed to like it a little better! We do nighttime baths with calming bath stuff to relax him& help him wind down at the end of the night. 


My favorite part of the night is after dinner & bathtime - family snuggle time! We usually pop in a movie or How I Met Your Mother [we're crazy obsessed with this show - never gets old!] and cuddle up on the couch! Even though we have something on to watch, we usually spend most of this time watching Greyson's expressions & the little things he does. He makes some silly little faces already! I love seeing his personality develop each day & cannot wait until it is full blown unique to him! 

Our goal has been to stimulate him some, give him a bath & put on warm pjs, get a good full belly of milk & get him to sleep! Unfortunately, the last few days he's had an issue with the sleep part! A wide awake baby isn't so fun at midnight, but we're working on it! Once his growth spurt slows down & he's not wanting to eat every 30 minutes, that should help! Greg is great at getting him to go to sleep & once he's finally down, he sleeps for 3-4 hours at a time, sometimes longer! 

Our days aren't filled with what seems like much excitement. But I love spending all day with Greyson & love when Greg gets home to be with us! I love my little family & sometimes cannot believe that I am so blessed to have such an amazing husband and son! I may get exhausted & worn out with having a newborn, but I wouldn't go back & change a thing to make us not have him! 





HE'S HERE! :)

Our precious little guy has finally arrived! 


Greyson Joseph Greathouse
Born Thursday February 14, 2013 
Weight: 7 lb 9.8 oz 
Length: 19.7 inches

It has been a whirlwind since his arrival! I know I am a few days late posting this, but as you can imagine, having a newborn takes up a great deal of your time!

So here is his birth story: 
On Wednesday the 13th, I started having some contractions. Didn't think much of them at first until I realized they kept on coming back and were getting a little painful! I started timing them on my contraction timer app like the midwife told us to do. Greg was at work & I kept blowing up his phone about how I hoped they kept getting stronger & closer. 

After Greg got home from work, I was still having contractions but they weren't nearly close enough to even consider the hospital. We went to get some food and walk around the BX for awhile, in hopes that walking would either ease the pain or send me into full on labor! It helped make them a little stronger but still not a big deal. We watched a movie & headed to bed around 11 PM. 

By this point, they were pretty painful and I couldn't sleep with them coming back every few minutes. After about an hour, they were too much so I decided a bath would help! Hopped in the hot bath & tried to relax - oh wow! About 20 minutes of that was enough! I jumped out of the tub, not even grabbing a towel & ran upstairs. I'd been timing the contractions and at this point they were less than 4 minutes apart for at least an hour. I shook Greg from his sleep & couldn't get out fast enough that we had to go! Called Labor & Delivery to let them know what was going on & to expect us there in a few minutes.

We got to the hospital and got into our room around 1:45 AM. We got situated and waited for the nurse to come in. They monitored the baby and got my vitals and when the nurse went to check my progress around 2:30 AM, I was dilated to 5 cm. I had to wait for the anesthesiologist to finish giving another patient an epidural so I got some fentanyl [IV pain med] to hold me over in the mean time. The anesthesiologist had a hard time finding an epidural space in my back, but he finally got it and the pain relief came soon after.

Right around 5:30-6 AM the doctor came in to check me, chuckled and said to the nurse "Wanna take a guess how far she is?" And all the nurse said was "no way!" Yep, I was completely dilated to 10 cm in about 3 hours. His head wasn't quite down enough so I labored down for awhile. Found out from a nurse at one point that all 5 of the rooms in L&D at that point were fully dilated and it was a "race" to see who would be ready first - exciting & stressful as there was only 1 doctor on the floor to deliver everyone!

The nurses who would be there for the delivery came and got me started pushing. I was given a dose of pitocin to help shorten the time between contractions. After pushing for about 2 1/2 hours & a worn off epidural, at 10:02 AM our little guy came into this world. I was a surreal feeling when they put him on my belly! I couldn't believe this little human just came from my belly & was ours! The doctor called Greg down real quick & he got to cut the cord. All I wanted to do was stare at him!

Some minor complications arose and they had to take him off of my belly. They checked his vitals and gave him the shots he needed. After about an hour that it took to fix me up, I got to hold him and cherish him. It was an amazing moment for Greg & I when we got to spend our first moments together as our little family!

Cuddles with mommy! 

First outfit! 

Daddy's savior! Haha

Napping on mommy's chest

Daddy's little guy 

My boys taking a nap! 

All dressed & ready to go home! 

The experience was such a crazy one that I will always remember! Through all the pain and discomfort, I can honestly say that it was worth it! Every time I look at his little face and see him smile, I cannot help my get overwhelmed with love. I can't believe he is our son & that he is already so amazing! 

I have some pictures I've taken of Greyson since we've been home that I will have up shortly! And I am going to try my hand at taking some newborn pictures on my own this coming week! So wish me luck that they turn out well! :) 





Playing the waiting game...


How far along?  40 weeks & 2 days
Total weight gain:   about 33 pounds 
Maternity clothes?   Definitely! I didn't buy as many as I probably should have but most of my pre-pregnancy stuff worked through to the end! 
Stretch marks?  So far nothing & hoping that doesn't change in the home stretch
Sleep? Getting lots but it's not straight through. Constantly having to pee still & just uncomfortable! 
Best moment this week:   Installing the car seat in the car finally! Everything is all done officially & ready for him to get here any day now! 
Miss Anything?   Plenty of things! Wine, energy, clothes fitting... 
Movement?  Yep, but its dying down as he continues to have less room
Food cravings:   I keep wanting ice cream! haha Not good for that weight gain number above! 
Anything making you queasy or sick: nope! 
Starting to show yet? Absolutely! 
Gender:   BOY!! 
Labor Signs:  Contractions here & there but I can't get them to stay consistent enough to start labor! 
Symptoms:   Heartburn & big belly making it harder to get around! 
Belly Button in or out?   In
Wedding rings on or off?   On
Happy or Moody most of the time:   Happy but growing more anxious each day that passes without him coming!  
Looking forward to:  Him being here already! I am getting impatient! 

Officially past my due date with no signs of labor being imminent! I feel the same as I've felt for days & can only hope that labor starts spontaneously out of nowhere instead of a steady growing up to it like some people experience! I'd love to wake up at like 2 AM with crazy contractions & just be in labor! ha

Not working at the moment until baby is old enough to head to child care. It helps me to be able to relax and focus on not stressing myself out! I need to remember that my body knows what it's doing & that I have no control over the time frame in which it happens! 

For those wondering, I have another appointment this Friday, the 15th, to get checked on and have a non-stress test - assuming he hasn't made his big arrival before then, which of course I'm hoping for! But we will schedule an induction for next week if he isn't here yet! 

We will keep everyone in the loop when anything starts to happen & I can promise we won't have the baby & just not tell anyone! :) 



39 weeks & Nesting Craziness!

I can't believe how time has flown... 


How far along?  39 weeks
Total weight gain:   about 30 pounds 
Maternity clothes?   Oh yeah!  I haven't worn regular clothes in months! - I JUST realized that the majority of pictures I take for this I have on the same shirt! At least its been versatile this whole pregnancy! ha
Stretch marks?  Not yet & hopefully never! Still keeping my fingers crossed! 
Sleep? More please! ha Exhausted easily & sleep isn't the same! Lots of tossing & turning! 
Best moment this week:   Getting my breastpump & glider to finish up his room! 
Miss Anything?   Wine & having lots of energy! 
Movement?  Yes! A little less now that he's running out of room! 
Food cravings:   Nothing outrageous really! 
Anything making you queasy or sick:   nope! 
Starting to show yet? Absolutely! 
Gender:   BOY!! 
Labor Signs:  Only really Braxton Hicks contractions! They are stronger now & happening more frequently, but not at a constant interval yet
Symptoms:   Heartburn & big belly making it harder to get around! 
Belly Button in or out?   In
Wedding rings on or off?   On
Happy or Moody most of the time:   Happy! 
Looking forward to:  My appointment this week & finding out if I've made any progress to be closer to labor! 

Our new glider! 
Our new 

His dresser & little swing


Changing table & "closet" 


His crib with monkey decor & name! 


Our bags are [mostly] packed & waiting for him to decide it's time to come out! 

We finally have the last bit of big stuff to round out his nursery, finally finding a glider someone was selling! I went a little crazy on the house last weekend & then had some help from Greg today cleaning a bunch of the house as well! It was mostly spare rooms that don't matter, but they were cluttered & full of nonsense that has been cleared out &/or straightened! 

We also go a new couch so we did some rearranging in the living room today to make it not so crowded with our giant old couch & new couch! If you're wondering, it's the blue couch behind me in the belly picture above! 

But this pregnancy is coming to a close! With only a week left until my due date, I am done with work, ready to relax & anxious to get things going to have him make his grand appearance! I cannot wait to meet & hold him, see his little face, get to know his personality & see the impact he has on our family! Little man - we are more than ready for you! 

Keep your eyes peeled for the announcement of our little guy! <3 





37 weeks!

How far along?  37 weeks
Total weight gain:   about 28 pounds
Maternity clothes?   Oh yeah!  I haven't worn regular clothes in months! 
Stretch marks?  Not yet & hopefully never! Still keeping my fingers crossed! 
Sleep? More please! ha Exhausted easily & sleep isn't the same! Lots of tossing & turning! 
Best moment this week:   Getting his little clothes folded & put away! 
Miss Anything?   Being comfortable, not being tired all the time
Movement?  Yes all the time! He is using my bladder as a pillow almost constantly! 
Food cravings:   Nothing outrageous really! 
Anything making you queasy or sick:   nope! 
Starting to show yet? Absolutely! 
Gender:   BOY!! 
Labor Signs:  Only really Braxton Hicks contractions! They are stronger now & happening more frequently, but not at a constant interval yet
Symptoms:   Heartburn & big belly making it harder to get around! 
Belly Button in or out?   In
Wedding rings on or off?   On
Happy or Moody most of the time:   Happy! 
Looking forward to:  My appointment this week & being on half days at work! Excited to get some time to relax & get stuff done! 

Can't believe I finally made it to full term! I know I still have 3 weeks until my due date, but knowing he could come at any time now makes me excited & anxious! I cannot wait to meet him & see his little face for the first time! 

Got the hospital bags [almost] packed! Have a nice long list of stuff that still needs thrown in but the majority of stuff is in! Went a little nesting crazy on the house this weekend, wanting everything in its place & cleaned, which is kinda my normal on crack! Ha poor Greg! But I think everything is basically ready for when he decides to show up! 

Well Greg is off watching football with some friends, so I have enjoyed a relaxing night including a bubble bath by candlelight, accepted the challenge of painting my toenails [& succeeded], watching a movie & writing all of this! Now I shall fall asleep or scrapbook some! We'll see how long this preggo can stay awake! Until next time... 



New Year, New Adventures!

HELLO 2013!!

We rang in the new year with some great friends & watched lots of fireworks! Germans sure do love fireworks! We stood on the front porch of our friends' house & had fireworks to view in every direction, including right on the street & directly above us!

Ah! A new year to start new things in our lives! 2012 was a great year with lots of changes for us:

1. We moved across the ocean to Germany! This has been a huge life-changing experience! Adjusting to a completely different culture 1000s of miles from family has been tough, but we've done a pretty good job so far!

2. We celebrated our first wedding anniversary! We decided to keep it simple since we'd just gotten to Germany so we explored the Landstuhl Castle & got some awesome pictures of the beautiful view overlooking the KMC!

3. Found out we were expecting our first little one! As if the craziness of moving to a new country wasn't enough - just a few months later we found out I was pregnant & we would be having a baby! It's been an exciting 8 months of dreaming & planning what is to come that I can't believe it's almost time for him to make his appearance!

4. Greg went to ALS - Oh what a stressful time that was for him. It challenged him mentally & physically but of course he came out on top & did awesome! His graduation was just a few weeks ago & I couldn't be more proud! When he goes back to work tomorrow, he will be SSgt Greathouse!

2012 has been a big year & I can only suspect that 2013 will top it! Just about a month & a half until our little guy is to make his appearance! We will get to experience & celebrate all of the holidays with a new perspective! Things are no longer about us, but our little one! Greg starts working after his promotion & will surely have plenty of new duties & responsibilities to excel at! Hopefully some awesome Euro trips in the near future - hey, France isn't even an hour away!

I will leave you with a weekly belly bump update!


How far along?  34 weeks
Total weight gain:   about 20 pounds
Maternity clothes?   Oh yeah!  Jeans, tees, & tanks with cardigans! 
Stretch marks?  Not yet & hopefully never! Still keeping my fingers crossed! 
Sleep? Eh! Each night is different - some nights uncomfortable & others very sound! 
Best moment this week:   Getting the changing table put together & buying the dresser! Oh & my awesome German baby shower thanks to my friend Megan & the lovely ladies who came!
Miss Anything?   Wine & Amaretto Sours, & having energy to do lots of things! 
Movement?  Yes all the time! He's an active little baby! Keeps shifting & kicking my ribs! 
Food cravings:   Nothing outrageous really! 
Anything making you queasy or sick:   nope! 
Starting to show yet? Absolutely! 
Gender:   BOY!! 
Labor Signs:   Uh some Braxton Hicks, but nothing serious yet! Still have about 5 weeks until these should really show up! 
Symptoms:   Heartburn & big belly making it harder to get around! 
Belly Button in or out?   In
Wedding rings on or off?   On
Happy or Moody most of the time:   Happy! 
Looking forward to:  My next appointment next week! We should be touring Labor & Delivery! Plus putting the dresser together & washing his clothes to put away! 






33 weeks & Christmas Eve



Merry Christmas! 


How far along?  33 weeks
Total weight gain:   about 20 pounds 
Maternity clothes?   yes! Fall & winter are great times to be pregnant! So many options! 
Stretch marks?  Not yet & hopefully never! 
Movement?  Yes all the time! He's an active little baby! Hoping he's head-down since he likes to kick my ribs! Every once in awhile he kicks so hard my whole belly moves!
Sleep? Pretty well! Toss & turn some & still wake up at random times to pee! Thanks little one for thinking my bladder is a comfy place to chill!

Best moment this week:   Christmas activities! Dinner with good friends & starting traditions for our family! Oh & today we put the crib together in his room! Can't wait to have all the pieces to finish it! 

Miss Anything?   Wine & having my clothes fitting me well
Food cravings:   Potatoes & juice of all sorts
Anything making you queasy or sick:   nope! 
Starting to show yet? Absolutely! Random people congratulate me lots! & showing means I get to park in the "Expecting Mom" spots at the store! 
Gender:   BOY!! 
Labor Signs:   Having what I believe are Braxton Hicks contractions here & there but nothing serious at all
Symptoms:   Heartburn & exhaustion
Belly Button in or out?   In
Wedding rings on or off?   On
Happy or Moody most of the time:   Happy! 
Looking forward to:  Getting the rest of his stuff we just ordered - bedding, rock n sleeper - plus finishing the nursery & my German baby shower this coming weekend!





Greg's ALS Graduation

Greg getting his graduation certificate 

So just last week, Greg graduated from his Airman Leadership School class that he was taking. It was 5 1/2 long weeks for him of school work, papers, tests & additional duties that he had to complete. The general idea of the class was to teach him how to excel as a leader once he becomes a Staff Sergeant!

Well, needless to say, I was very proud of him for all of the hard work & dedication he had during the class! I was always so used to doing schoolwork & being stressed & hadn't seen him go through that in a long time! So I was very sympathetic &, though pregnant, I did try to help out as much with things as I could! But he's a champ & kept up with class stuff & helped lots around the house! He's such a great husband! I am way too lucky! 

Greg will put on Staff Sergeant & officially become an E-5 in the USAF on January 1st, 2013! That's one day short of 5 years from the date he left for Basic Training back in 2008! It's been a long journey but one that he's excelling & doing great in! I can't wait to see what the future has in store for his career & our life! 

Commander, friend Dave, fellow grad Josh, Greg, his supervisor & Superintendent

Greg & I with Josh & Amber - so proud of our grads