Love So Amazing- Grayson Blair

"Wait for the Lord; be Strong and take heart and wait for the Lord"

Psalm 27:14

 I feel like this was Kathryn's verse these last few weeks as we waited- waited on the Lord for this precious gift!

Grayson Blair

February 22nd 2012

8:01 am

7 lbs 5 1/2 oz

On the twenty-second of February I had the honor and privilege of witnessing a baby being born. What an incredible blessing to be a part of something so special. I remember Kathryn telling me about the emotions she had as she witnessed Brayden being born- but I had no idea the overwhelming emotions that would overcome me as I watched this little guy enter the world.  My dearest friend Kathryn gave birth to a beautiful boy; Grayson Blair, and I am so proud of her.

Kathryn is one of the strongest persons I know- she endured thirty-eight weeks of a very uncomfortable/painful, nauseating, and exhausting pregnancy. Sometime in her thirty-third week this beautiful little guy decided to give us all a scare as Kathryn's body began to contract and put her into one of many "false labors".  Our prayers for this special little one was that he would stay put until Kathryn was atleast thirty-six weeks so that he could be delivered here at the local hospital. thirty-six weeks came and we praised God for his answer to our prayers. Then thirty-seven weeks came and went- and then to all our surprise, Kathryn hit thirty-eight weeks and we started to wonder if this little guy was going to come early at all!

Tuesday night- after a date with my family, I received a phone call that Kathryn was having contractions with news that she was almost certain in labor. I could hardly wait to get the kids packed into the car, drive them home, get them into bed, and head over to their house.  Here was the moment we had all been waiting for- God's perfect timing as Kathryn made it to thirty eight weeks, Blair had the upcoming two days off, and Jon didn't have classes on Wednesday. I remember leaving Kathryn's house after her mom arrived to take over watching Ava wondering what the night was going to look like. When I arrived at the hospital, Kathryn was walking and breathing through contractions.  From the moment I saw her- I was proud. The night would continue to get more and more difficult and Kathryn would show incredible strength as she breathed through each contraction- did I mention, she is one of the strongest people I  know? A beautiful moment somewhere around twelve hours later as the sun was coming up the doctor came to check her progress and as she went to check, there was his head. I had never seen something so incredible as Kathryn shortly began to push and after a few strong pushes- Kathryn and Blair welcomed Grayson Blair Drake into the world.

Kathryn, you are an incredible person, mother, and friend. I will never forget this special day and will always be so grateful that you allowed me to be a part of this incredible memory. Love so amazing- I love you my dear friend. Congratulations! He's beautiful. He's perfect. He's here!

More pics:

 Ava seeing her baby brother (Bing-o) for the first time)

Ava decided his name should be Bing-o!

 A trip with mommy to her new room <3

 Ava holding Grayson for the first time. I was so blessed to watch as she met her precious baby brother.

 Ava's special present to her baby brother

 First family pic- I love this moment

The Drakes- Table for Four!

Holding Grayson an hour after he made his appearance.

Brayden- 1 Year Old Stats

Brayden had his big boy 1 year old appointment today sharing the appointment with his favorite sister, Ruthie for a not so well appointment.

Our favorite Dr Jarvie walked in and was pleasantly surprised with how much he's growing and how well he interacts with others. He's hitting his milestones very well and talks well for his age- (what?!?!) Guess I need to stop comparing him to his very vocal sister.

Vocab-

Da-da (often)
Ma-ma (rarely)
Ga-ga
Ball
No
More (and he signs it)
Ru
Ava

I can't wait to hear more and more words from my little man. I just love his voice. He babbles all the time I just love watching him interact with people and try to carry on his own special conversation with them!

After getting over the flu, he lost a few pounds- he weighed in today at 19lbs 8.5 oz which put him at the 7% in weight which went down 8% from where he was at a week ago- kinda crazy!

He's 2' 5" in height. (22%) -- looks like he got more of the Marshall genes. :) Doctor says he could still shoot up and surprise us all- but we'll have to wait and see.

Today he got three shots- he cried as they were administered but then put on a tough face and asked for Cheerios. He did a great job- I'm so proud of my little man!

Brayden also met with his GI doctor this morning- they switched his later afternoon appointment which was so very nice of them! Brayden looks great! The doctor asked a few questions about his reflux which has almost 100% cleared itself up (unless Grandpa is holding him for some reason) Really, from the moment I quit nursing and dairy was out of his system- he's really grown and even though he still spit-up, he appeared so much better and the doctor agreed he's on the right track! He happily told us this would be our last appointment with him as he didn't see any reason to continue meeting with him since things have cleared up nicely! What great news for my little guy. At this point, he will see his allergist and regular pediatrician regularly but other than that, he has a good bill of health! YAY Bray! 

Ruthie spent a restless night of sleep in our room last night. After listening to her cough for hours and start to have difficulty breathing, we decided to bring her closer to mommy and daddy just to watch her more closely. Unfortunately, it was very difficult to get her in to see a doctor this am, without making the appt over her lunch/nap time-- but thankfully, mom met me at the appt so I could have both my kids seen earlier rather than later. The doctor was def not my favorite- but I think he is just in saying that she has another episode of the croup- hopefully we'll not have to put her on Steroids and things will clear up quickly. Poor sweet girl.

Blessings of a One Year Old

Blessings of a One Year Old- 

Brayden Timothy Stube

Little Man- (as we like to call you) We are so in love with you and the little man you're becoming. Your laughter is contagious and it's your daddy's and my greatest joys to listen to you and Ruthie laugh together. Ruthie is your best friend and you watch her and play with her. You giggle at all her craziness and follow her everywhere. You now growl on demand for her and when she tries to take your toys- you def put up a fight.

For your 1st Birthday mommy and Ruthie decided to make your party train themed- we had a lot of fun going to stores, checking Pinerest, and Google searching. I had a lot of fun and even though you won't remember one minute of your special day- I will remember it always. Unfortunately- for you big day- you slept most the day away- when you finally woke up around 2 pm- we fed you lunch and as i was carrying you in the kitchen, you puked all over me. I thought it was weird that you had such an upset stomach from lunch but slowly more and more clues revealed that you were actually sick and not just spitting up. :( The day of your birthday party- it would come completely clear as your daddy came down with the terrible bug :(.


The Cake-

I was so very excited to make your birthday cake- from early on, I had this idea of putting a track on the cake and have Thomas ride around the track. I was very pleased that it only took me one attempt to get the cake right! Parchment paper is my friend! And it helped that I had the support of my friend Katie. :) AND man! Was the cake a hit- the kids LOVED it!! For Brayden's special mini cakes- I was given a recipe from my friend Shannon-- I couldn't even tell that the cake was missing dairy and eggs! Brayden was curious about eating his cake- but surprised me with how similar he is to his older sister and slowly ate one bite at a time!

The Decorations- as I said, I had a lot of fun on Pinterst and other search engines looking for fun ideas. Here is what I came up with!

So blessed- we were incredibly blessed by our friends and family who came from near and far to be with us on this special day. And to those who couldn't make it- we missed you!

Friday night- around 6 pm- there was a knock on the door. We had just sent the boys out to grab some pizzas. I went to the door and looked at the peep hole to only recognize it was a man. (odd) When I glanced again- he moved out of the way of the hole (again...odd) When I reluctantly opened the door- there was a dog and slowly I realized- I was staring at my brother Evan! What a great surprise!!

I don't know his big boy stats yet- his appt is in another two weeks. So I'll end with a little note to my little man.

Dear Brayden- you are one years old. I remember the day you were born like it was yesterday. The moment my water broke clearly stating that daddy would not be watching the Carolina/Duke game to the long 22 hours of labor- to finally holding you in my arms. I remember the first time I held you and looked at the precious little guy you were. How much love I had for you at that very moment. You  would continue to bring me joy as I learned more about you- as your personality took shape- I knew I was blessed, but to the extent, I'm still discovering. The beginning of your journey was rough- you were born with allergies that we're still learning about that made it very hard to nurse you and for you- gaining weight was a struggle at the beginning ... but now! You are growing and thriving and your early struggles are beginning to fade. 
Mommy and Daddy (and Ruthie too) love you so much. We are so thankful you are apart of this family and we can't imagine life without you little man. We are excited to see what this next year brings. We cannot wait for your first step (which we predict is in your near future). We already talk about our adventure down to North Carolina and running down the beach! Love you little man <3

Love, Mommy