12 weeks on 11/25/08

I head back to work on 11/25 and am very anxious about it. Who isn't anxious about heading back to work after having a baby though? Grayson is 12 weeks and just starting to smile and coo and recognize me now. It seems so backwards that I have to head back to work when he starting to show a little personality. That's the deal though and I know he will be well taken care of. Savannah turned out ok so far and she went to a babysitters at 3 months as well. It's been wonderful to have the flexibility to stay home for a few months with Grayson and not worry about the stresses of work. Christian is a great juggler of all roles and has made the transition look very easy although I know he wishes for more time of his own. We are both very thankful for our families that live nearby and are always very helpful.

Our family is excited to join RaRa and the gang for Thanksgiving this year. We are also looking forward to a little shopping Thanksgiving weekend too. I know Christian is happy to have plans for some hunting time that weekend. Maybe one day I will grow a taste for wild game - until then Christian you are on your own. Happy Hunting!

Boo!

There was one spooky ghost flying around here on Friday night. She started her Halloween early with a Harvest Party at school and continued into the night from there. We stopped by Mimi’s, Gram’s, and Grandma/Granddads’ for trick-or-treating. It was mostly treating except for the short nap our little ghost took on the 10 minute car ride from Gram’s to Grandma/Granddads’! Ha! We’ve got pics in smugmug of course.

Mimi and Annaleigh filled her bag so full we had to ask for another bag to take it all home in! Gram had her candelabra lit up like a haunted house as Savannah walked in. She also had fresh coffee made which made our stop at her house a little longer than planned. Thanks Gram – we can always count on a good cup of Joe at your place. Grandma made taco soup for everyone to enjoy at her house along with popcorn balls and cupcakes. Savannah was excited to see Uncle Martin and Aunt Suzanne there. Suzanne’s mom Ann joined us too. Grayson didn’t get to trick-or-treat this year but loved everyone’s cuddles since his Mom and Dad passed him around all night. Isn’t that what family is for?

Halloween 2008 was a wonderful night. It really reminds me how blessed we are to have family so close by.

Even more serious though is how thankful I am Halloween came on a Friday night this year! :)

Three in a Jeep

Jeni and Dawn came to visit with their kids last weekend. It was great to have playmates for Savannah especially so all the adults could visit. We made Halloween cookies and ate more sprinkles of course than went on the cookies. The kids enjoyed the nice weather outside and exploring through the boxwoods. They also learned that the Barbie Jeep can hold three although there are only two seats. What else is a hood made for?

Hailey and Grayson spent lots of quality time inside together. Check out the smugmug shots of the two hanging out in the bouncy seats. They were totally out of control! Jeni saved my sanity by staying the rest of the weekend with us while Christian was out of town. I am so completely thankful for her and still feel like I will forever be in debt to her! Thank you Jeni! We had a great time visiting and catching up even with a couple newborns around.

Fall is here!

I can't believe it's been 7 weeks and I'm 1/2 way through my maternity leave. Our family has been busy with lots of fall activities. We visited the pumpkin patch with Savannah's preschool and visited Carter's Mountain Apple Orchard with some friends. Our jack-o-lanterns are both spooky and sweet. Savannah decided after making both she wanted the spooky one to be hers. She also is going to be a spooky ghost this year for Halloween and not a friendly ghost.

Grayson is still eating every 2 or 3 hours and struggles with gassiness and spitup during feeding. We are trying everything we can think of to make him more comfortable. Despite the spitups he is gaining weight and growing fast. He's up to 9 pounds now and is smiling more and more every day. Savannah has been a great help in trying to make Grayson happy in busy times. She sings lots of songs to Grayson and is getting very good at binky recovery.

We celebrated Savannah's great grandma RaRa's 80th birthday this past weekend with a surprise party at Old Ebbit Grille in DC. What a great dinner and time to visit with family we had. Savannah played with her cousin Erin and discovered Erin enjoys interpretive dancing as well! There's nothing better than a trip to RaRa's even if her swimming pool was closed for the season. Happy Birthday RaRa!

We're looking forward to Jeni and Dawn's visit this weekend while Daddy is out of town. Savannah is especially excited to have other children around that can actually 'play'. We have pumpkin seeds and sugar cookies to bake while our friends are visiting. Stay tuned for more pictures.

State Fair Trip

Our family enjoyed spending a day at the VA State Fair last week. Savannah's first stop was the Kiddie Rides and if it were up to her we would have stayed in that area all day! We did convince her to visit the baby farm animals and other exhibits. Grayson traveled with us as well. He did great throughout the day wandering between a deep sleep and some serious stares at all the sights and sounds.

We had all agreed that the Ferris Wheel would be our last stop before leaving that day and somehow Savannah decided she wanted to attempt a climb on the rock wall. She did ok, considering she was a walking zombie by that point in the day. The Ferris Wheel made me question why I had volunteered to accompany Savannah, especially as we edged to the top while the other riders were loading. I think she enjoyed it although she didn't have much to say during the ride. It could have been the height but it could have been due to the fact that she was extremely tired. I knew she was exhausted when she fell asleep in her carseat before we could change Grayson's diaper and get on the road. WOW.

Mom's 1st Blog Entry :)

I figured it was time I jump on here and make an entry about the new addition to our family. Grayson is 18 days old now and I am really enjoying having a baby in the house again. He's so tiny and sweet and totally dependent on Christian and I to take care of him. He's awake for just a few hours a day or just a few hours a night I could say. It's easy to forget, even since Savannah was born, how sleep-deprived you can actually get and still be expected to make good decisions.

Savannah is enjoying her days at preschool. She is attending a fulltime Pre-K class this year and absolutely LOVES everything about school. All visitors to our house are now automatically enrolled in Savannah's Day School. We'll save you a seat.

I worried Savannah might not be able to nap at preschool in a room with 17 other children. My indicator that she was not napping, other than her number of meltdowns at night, was the comment "I take a nap Mama, but I don't close my eyes." How can a parent argue with that? :)

I posted more pictures in our SmugMug gallery behind Christian's pictures for anyone that is interested. They are random shots we've taken since leaving the hospital. Enjoy ~ we'd love to read your comments.

More Pictures

Howdy all...posted a couple of pictures of Grayson (12 days old today!) and Savannah. Click the SmugMug link at right, and enjoy.

Grayson has arrived!

We're happy to welcome Grayson Chapman Goodwin to the family! He was born September 2nd, 2008 around 11:20am. He weighed 6 lbs. 14 oz. and was 20 inches long. Mom and baby are both doing well, and we're adjusting to having a little person around the house again! Check out pictures using the link to our SmugMug site on the right side of the page.

New Site

Welcome to the Goodwins' new internet abode (We'll try to keep this one updated a little better than the last one). Keep checking back for updates, new pictures, and other information. Thanks for visiting, and see you soon.

-Christian, Liz, Savannah, and Grayson