My Sweet Baby is Three

Me:  "I don't think I'm done having babies yet."

Jeff:  "Fine.  We'll have a third baby."

And the completion of our family began.  

When I became pregnant with Grady (very quickly after that conversation) I thought I knew what I was doing.  I'd already had two babies.  It wasn't so bad.  Actually, I had quite enjoyed pregnancy.  With Logan, is was wonderful, but I was sick.  I could handle it.  It was worth it at the end.  With Olivia, it was so easy.  I was barely ever sick.  I was a gestational diabetic, but I could handle that too.  And again, absolutely worth it at the end.

Then.  Oh then.  I was pregnant with my third baby.  I became diabetic again.  No problem.  I've been there, done that.  I didn't even mind.  The appointments were long but I had lots of people to help me out, and really, it was a nice break.  I was sick again.  There was a lovely pill that helped me with that.  I didn't get as sick, but I was nauseous a lot more than I had been with Olivia, but less than I was with Logan.  I had all the normal pregnancy symptoms, and some that freaked me out.  I couldn't come off of my Celexa because it could make me MORE anxious and cause me to be MORE nauseous.  I'd been there, I didn't like it.  I talked to my docs, everything was fine with the anti-anxiety medication.  I had two more children to care for, I needed to be mentally good with them too.  I was physically much more tired than I had been with the first two.  Even into the second trimester, when pregnant women are supposed to sort of perk up, I just was so tired, all the time.  I talked to my family doc and she said "Well, you DO have two other kids!"  I had all sorts of weird things happen in my third pregnancy.  My blood pressure dropped one day, freaked the hell out of me.  I got a NASTY stomach flu the February before he was born, and spent the morning in the hospital, with IV's in my arm to replenish my fluids.  I had lots of strange pains that I didn't know what they were.  By the time I had Grady, I'd been in the hospital five times.  The sixth, that was the final time, after my sugars started dropping.  That meant the placenta is dying and I needed to be in the hospital, being monitored until they felt safe enough to induce the baby.

His due date was mid June.  I told everyone I knew that I would be surprised if I made it to the long weekend in May.  Right from the start, I knew that he wasn't going to go all the way to the end.  

I was right.  May 27th.  The Thursday after the long weekend, my Grady-bug was born.  8lbs 4oz of pure love.  

Then I found out, I knew nothing.

I learned that children are all originals, right from the start.  I mean, I knew that, but I hadn't had it really hit home until Grady was born.  He was so different from his brother and sister.  He loved being a "baby burrito".  We always had him swaddled, rocking in his chair.  He loved to cuddle, as much as possible.  

As he's become older, he's made my heart melt and made my brain want to explode.  He's so active, busy, fun, smart, that somedays, he's hard to keep up with.  He's a bit moodier, thinks he can do far more than he can, thanks to being the youngest.  He laughs a lot, loves big and plays hard.  He loves his Treehouse TV.  Toopy and Binoo, Thomas the Train, My Big Big Friend, Dora the Explorer are his favorite shows.  He gives "super hugs".  He has "super powers".  He loves his bike, loves playing ball.  He's just a happy happy boy.  If he gets hurt, he's my wimpy boy.  He loves to come up and tell me about his "boo boo" or his "owie" and get cuddles.  If he falls on his bum, he asks me to kiss it...I refuse and it turns into a game.  

He's stubborn, hard headed, loud...oh wow, is he ever loud.  Being the smallest guy in the house, he makes sure he's heard.  He is bossy, and hates not getting his way.  

But he loves his brother and sister.  Actually, he IDOLIZES his big brother.  He's pretty sure that anything Logan can do, he can do too.  And they love him too.  Olivia plays "school" with him, Logan lets Grady watch when he plays video games.  I think they both really love having someone to teach.  Olivia has done his make up and his nails.  Logan's sat down and played Lego with him for as long as Grady's attention span will allow.  It's so wonderful to watch them play and love each other!

Grady is just a great little person.  Even on our bad days, he can make me laugh.  His funny faces...they're the best.  He makes them and he can't finish them because he's laughing too!  

I simply can't wait to see what he will be like in a few years.  

Well.  Yeah.  I can wait.  He's my baby.