Brotherly Love...

...and other pictures from the past few days.

"Mom, Reid isn't paying attention!"
Aww....isn't this a sweet picture? Keep reading! It was about 1.3 seconds after this picture was taken that our dear Landon decided to roll his little brother out of his lap. Reid made it to the edge of the chair before Daddy's cat-like reflexes kept him from going on the floor! Lovely!

Daddy gave Landon a mohawk while cutting his hair

Our first family walk using our double stroller

This is how Landon fell asleep during naptime one day

Napping in Mommy and Daddy's bed

Cute and cuddled in the swing

Newborn Pics

Here are some of Reid's newborn pictures we had taken this week. We want to say a BIG thank you to our sweet friends the Watson's! (Tim Watson Photography). We tried to get some brother pictures as well, but our dear sweet Landon was not very cooperative!

Reid's 1st Bath ~ Take 2

A few days ago I shared how our 1st attempt to give Reid his first bath played out. He screamed, I couldn't take it and the bath was over....pronto! So, we tried again after a couple of days. After all, being in this world for 2 weeks will leave even the tiniest of boys a little stinky! I'll let the pictures tell the rest of the story....

Ahhh...Much better!

Reid's 2 week stats

Weight: 7 lbs. 4 oz.

Height: 20 1/4 inches

4 Years

Our Story

Aaron and I have known each other for about 14 years. In high school, he started attending the church that I had grown up in. After a while, he became a family friend, even house & dog sitting for us a few times. However, it wasn’t until I graduated from Hardin-Simmons in 2001 that we really became friends. We started hanging out with the same group of people and getting to know one another better. In 2002, we thought we would give dating a try. After a few short months we decided it wasn’t working out. We remained friends and became even closer friends over the next couple of years. In 2004, we were both becoming more attracted to one another, but I’m sure I can speak for both us when I say we were nervous about the thought of dating again. God had some more work to do on both of us before we were ready to make a true commitment and experience such a deep relationship. In October 2004, Aaron took me to lunch (Jason’s Deli) and asked if I would be willing to give “us” another try. I remember asking him how this time would be different. He told me that I would just have to trust him and that together we would need to trust God. Since we didn’t have to start from scratch in getting to know one another, things moved pretty quickly after that. The first time he told me he loved me was about 2 weeks after our Jason’s Deli conversation. He first kissed me in the parking lot of Bella’s Italian Restaurant after I met him there for dinner while he was working. We were engaged on March 3, 2005 and married a few months later in July. We didn’t have a love-at-first-sight moment, but it’s so amazing to look back and see how God worked in the formation of our relationship…even though it took several years! A year and a half after marrying, we found out we were expecting our first son, Landon. And now, 4 years after saying I do, we’re a family of 4. Wow…how time flies! Happy Anniversary, Aaron! I can’t wait to see what God still has in store for our family! I love you!

These pictures were scanned in so they aren't the best quality!

The Truth?

The truth is that the honeymoon period is ending and the reality of being a mommy to two little boys is setting in. I know it’s been said a thousand times before, but being a mom has to be the hardest job in the world. And I’ve only been doing it for a couple of years….it has to get easier, right? It seems like the past few days have been extra hard. My emotions are getting the best of me, I’m physically uncomfortable and often times am in pain, the lack of sleep is catching up to me, too many people need me at once, breastfeeding has been a BEAR (to say the least), the house is NEVER clean enough and the time that Aaron has off work is quickly fading! It’s only been 2 weeks! I know I’m probably a bit more sensitive these days due to raging post-partum hormones, but I’m hoping I am cut out for the job that is ahead of me! But, because I love these two little boys more than anything, I am up for the challenge. I know it won’t be easy.

Our almost 2 year-old has definitely been testing Aaron and I a lot more lately. I know it’s normal and to be expected, but what happened to our perfectly, well-behaved, sweet little boy? How does one breastfeed the baby while entertaining the older child, or at least try to keep him from getting into trouble? Any thoughts? I’m sure there isn’t a mother out there who hasn’t had these thoughts, so it isn’t anything new. It’s just what I’m in the midst of and this seemed like a nice way to vent!

Aaron and I will celebrate our 4th anniversary tomorrow. Due to obvious circumstances the celebration won’t be much. We are planning to at least get out for a couple of hours and enjoy dinner together. It will be a nice get-a-way, but I’m sure it will be a little difficult for me! However, I’m excited to celebrate our marriage with my wonderful husband, who has been a rock for me the last few weeks!

Since a post doesn't seem complete without a picture, I'll leave you with this one of the two original McGrew Crew members. Remember those days, Honey? Life is certainly different, but is much sweeter now! This is from the wedding of one of my dearest friends, Nandra, in January 2008.

Three Men and a Momma

Well, we're getting all settled in and slowly learing how to run as a family of four! I can't believe how odd that sounds...but there's no denying it! Reid is still sleeping a lot of the day and night (which I can't complain about). Hopefully in a couple of weeks he will start having some more awake time during the day so we can start to learn more about his little personality. Today, I would have been 37 weeks pregnant so I guess (technically) Reid is still in "gestating" mode.

Landon has definitely warmed up to his little brother and enjoys poking and proding and pulling his socks off. I even caught him giving him a kiss on the tummy when no one was watching...so cute!

We had our first family outing this morning. We thought we would take advantage of the cooler temps (ha) and go to the park. After that, we took a short shopping trip to Penney's before we headed home. After Landon went to bed tonight, Aaron and I attempted to give Reid his first bath. There we were with everything ready, camera in hand, expecting some great first bath pictures. Didn't happen! Reid screamed bloody murder the second we put him in there. He was literally in there for 30 seconds before I snatched him up and cuddled him in a towel. As an emotional, post-partum mommy, I couldn't handle seeing him that upset. Guess we'll try again in a few days. Here are some pics from our 2nd week with our 2 precious boys!

Daddy & Reid
Landon has been picking up some of the slack around the house since mommy can't do as much right now.

Is that a smile?

I surrender...

At the park

Landon is looking down checking on his little brother

I've learned that having a second baby makes your first baby appear 3 times as big all of a sudden. Doesn't Landon look huge compared to Reid? He's such a big boy!

A Sweet Tribute

Take a look at a few sweet images from Reids first days.

Home Sweet Home

I’m so excited to say that Reid and I are home much sooner than expected. I was convinced I would be at the hospital on bed rest for at least a couple of weeks before they would decide to take him. So, imagine my surprise when the nurse came in at 4:00 p.m. last Thursday afternoon telling me I was going to Labor and Delivery to prep for surgery. I tried so hard not to cry and break down in front of the nurse because I felt sure that would only raise my blood pressure (and that’s what got me in this predicament to begin with). I promised not to watch TV, have visitors, or get on the computer in order to try and better control my BP. There was no reasoning with her. I was so scared that my sweet baby wasn’t ready to be born and he needed more time to develop. But, once again, God demonstrated just how mighty and faithful he is. At 35 weeks, I delivered a perfectly healthy, baby boy! I don’t remember too much about the actual surgery, but I do remember how I couldn’t help but cry when Reid first cried after being delivered.

We’ve enjoyed our first few days as a family of four. My mom has been here to help us out, and we truly appreciate her. My recovery has been difficult but is getting better every day. One of the hardest parts of the recovery is not being able to interact with Landon very much. I’m ready to be able to pick him up, and get down on the floor to play with him.

Landon has been a great big brother. At first, he didn’t want too much to do with Reid. But now, he seems to be tolerating him. He still doesn’t pay too much attention to him, but he does go around the house every now and then looking for Reid, or “ba-by.” At least he hasn’t tried to hit him or throw toys at him…yet! He seems to understand that you have to be gentle around him. It’s been very sweet to watch the little interactions they do have.

Reid has been such a great baby. He is already sleeping and eating so well and seems so laid back. He doesn’t budge when Landon throws one of his tantrums. It’s like he’s used to it after hearing it for the last few months. We’re so excited to see more of his little personality come out as he grows. I’ll leave you with some pictures from our first few days.

Sweet kisses for brother...a rare moment caught on camera!

Our Newest Crew Member

Disclaimer: This is my (Aaron's) first attempt at a blogspot post. So please bear with me if it isn't as creative or doesn't flow as well as when my sweet wife does it. But here goes:

In true fashion of the males in the McGrew family, Reid arrived totally off schedule and unannounced. For those who haven't been caught up yet, Haley had recently started dealing with high blood pressure issues. Because her BP kept creeping up, the risk of keeping her pregnant outweighed the risk of delivering Reid early. So, Thursday night we were off to the operating room. Several minutes later, a screaming baby boy emerged. He was born on July 9, 2009 at 9:20 p.m. He weighed 7 lbs. 2 oz. and was 19 1/2 inches long. Thankfully, he is absolutely healthy in spite of arriving a month early. The recovery has been pretty tough on Haley and the meds they gave her have left her feeling like she's been hit by a freight train.

Thank you to all who have been praying for us and taking such good care of us.

This is Landon peering through the nursery window saying "babee, babee, babee..."

Catching Up

The Fourth

As a kid and young adult, every 4th of July was spent at the Lake. The last few years we haven't always been able to go...especially this year! It just doesn't seem like the 4th of July unless you're outside, grilling out and getting sun-burned! But, we did have a nice, small family cookout and then enjoyed some fireworks at the park. Landon was a little upset about them at first, but eventually he couldn't stop pointing at them all and making his own little Landon comments. Sorry, no pictures!

Shower

My sweet friends Kristi and Tamara gave me and Reid a wonderful shower this past weekend. Since this is our second boy, I wasn't expecting/planning on any showers since I'm already stocked with blue! But, it was such a blessing to receive some diapers, wipes and other things that a family with two little ones goes through quickly!

The yummy food!Tamara, Haley and KristiA diaper wreath from Kristi!
A diaper cake from Nandra!

Reid Update

Reid will possibly be making his arrival earlier than expected. Due to some high blood pressure issues, I have been put on hospital bedrest. We're taking it a day at a time and we're not yet sure if I will be here until Reid is born, or if I will be able to finish out bedrest at home. Aaron was kind enough to buy me a laptop to have at the hospital to keep me company....it's been wonderful! We had a sono yesterday and learned that Reid is already weighing a little over 7 lbs. and is perfectly healthy! We also noticed his chubby little cheeks and pouty mouth...much like his big brother!