Trying a new product for my video editing: Peanuts Video

peanuts from Rebecca Grennan on Vimeo.

Jude is on the move!!!

Jude's 6 Month Progress Report

Jude is now 7 months old today! And the report card is in, he gets an A+.

In the area of Physical Fitness and Health Jude should real progress.  His stats included:

Jude is 16.8 lb. and exactly 25 inches long.

He received 3 Vaccinations, 2 doses of Pain Reliever, and 1 Mickey Mouse Club sticker.

He earned 3 Solid Meals a day, 2 Teeth, and 1 Training Cup.

This isn't so bad.

He is nice. 

Jude and Dr. Epperly

Jude waiting to be seen. 

Granny talking to Jude through Skype.

Playing with Granny through Skype.

His skills continue to improve when rolling a ball and clapping.

(There are no pictures of him getting the shots or sticker because I knew he would cry. Although I should have gotten it because when he got his sticker he actually stopped crying and started smiling at the phlebotomist. Proof that 1 he understands more than I think and 2 stickers just make people happy, especially kids. It is like currency to a child, just to add color to their life. If I forget this, someone please remind me down the road when it counts.)

He learned to hold his bottle, sit up on his own, and how to make some really strange sounds. But still no Daddy. He loves to make you think he is choking to get your attention, and he will sound like he is gasping for air just because he can (I think he picked that up from the sound he makes just before he laughs).

As for his teeth they are still quite small so you will have to settle for a picture of him teething. 

For us this isn't really all that impressive but I can tell to him it is just amazing. Like when Jeremy and I play ball with him. He laughs until he can't hardly stand it, it is just amazing. Or when we sit him in our lap and he wants to touch and learn all about what we are doing.

I took him up to Jeremy's office for a short visit with some friends and he saw Mary Carman typing and just had to have a try. Another time, Jeremy was playing the PS and Jude just had to have his own controller. He wanted Daddy's but that wasn't going to happen. He did manage to pause Daddy's game once, which I thought was just fine...lol! He also tends to think that my necklace is very intriguing.

This is what Jeremy looks like at the computer. No lie.

We went bowling with a friend here in Rota and Jude thought the colors were wonderful, but all the hard work of bowling really tuckered him out. I mean he was the one and only cheering squad: Cheering for the Gators that is (My Team). Jeremy's team was the Cowboys. Not that they aren't great but it is just that the Gator's are better as represented by Jude's clothing. (Jude outgrew the Cowboy's outfit).

Our wonderful Bowling Ally!

I love Daddy kisses!

I love Mommy hugs!

If you can see, Jeremy is about to pick up his spare. 

All that cheering makes me tired.

Jeremy's was blue and mine was pink. Typical right.

There is an empty slot where my shoes should go.

Jeremy's Shoes are blue and mine are red.  I tried to make them look the same but his are really bigger.

Jude is really doing well and that being said he is now wearing 9 month size clothes and size 3 shoes. We hope to visit you all very soon but in the mean time we will keep you up to date on our adventures. We are planning a trip with Sarah Wright to visit Granada, Gibraltar, Cadiz, Rota, the Gypsy Market, and to see one of the parades on Holy Week.  We will do our best to take pictures and video of everything. 

In the mean time, enjoy what we have and remember to pray for Japan. 

Rolling and Reaching

Jude is fantastic! It seems as though he never had any problems at all. He is well on his way to being in 6-9 month clothes and we are scheduled for a 6 month check up at the end of this month.

He is playing with his feet and sitting on his own. It is still a struggle for him to hold his bottle but I am quite sure he can take his time on that. However it is nice that he is getting more proficient at placing his pacifier in his mouth.

Rolling and Reaching all day long is Jude's way of playing. He loves his jump-a-roo and even his play-pin.

Jude's two favorite ways to pass the time would be laughing at Roxanne and Vienna as they play, and splashing around in his tub.

It is a great experience getting to help Jude grow. It is not always easy but he makes smiling simple, so how can I complain. Jeremy will be away for several weeks training and we will miss him but we are sure to have a lot of fun learning new things everyday.

Jude's Progress

Hello there everybody. Jude is still fighting jaundice but is gaining weight.

The great news is that he can roll over on his own now. October 2, 2010 (sometime in the morning) he was lying in his playpen on his tummy and decided that he would give it a try. Jeremy and I heard some tears and came to see how he was. I was completely surprised to find him on his back crying because he spit up a little and desired his pacifier.

It was a really great feeling to know how strong he is getting regardless of all the jaundice and lack of weight gain.

God Bless and Love You All. Becky

Great News

Just wanted you all to know that the blood work for Jude came back normal so we are going to assume for now that the problem is my breast milk. The solution is a few days of formula and then we can go back to breast milk again. Thanks for your prayers. Love, Beck

One Month Old

We just wanted everyone to know how Jude was getting along.

Jude is now 5 weeks old and still very small. Sometimes I wonder if I am doing ok as a mom and sometimes I think I am doing great. I am sure almost everything we have experienced together is normal however my mind often wonders.

I see so many other babies that are his age and think wow they are so much bigger than he is but I am sure he is just getting a slow start.

Ok, so health wise we are going to the doctor this afternoon for a check up because his jaundice has been going up and we have to run some tests on him.

However there is some interesting news about his weight gain. It turns out thanks to the pictures we took that he wasn't 7 lb. and 9 oz. at birth, he was 6 lb. and 15 oz. so he is gaining. He is just gaining slower than we would like him too. Please pray for him that God will continue to help him grow big and strong and that my breast milk is not the culprit, and also that his liver is in perfect health as well.

His weight is: 7 lb. and 5 oz.

Here are a few pictures that we had taken over the last month by our neighbor Heather (Heather Beatty Photography). She gives us free photos for helping her. We hope you like them.

2 Weeks and Counting

Dear Family and Friends,

Jude turned two weeks old this past sunday. And yesterday he had his two week check up with the doctor. He is still more than a pound under his birth weight and is still dealing with jaundice, however we have a follow up appointment on Thursday to see if there are any changes based on a new feeding routine. Please keep him and me in your prayers that we will come together on breastfeeding and eating. I don't want to have to supplement him with formula.

He is spending most of the next two days in the sunlight next to the back door resting in his swing. Hopefully we will see a vast improvement by the next visit with the doctor.

He has changed so much already, and it is truly amazing to watch him learn and grow. It is 5:00am my time and he is wide awake. I hope he will not take too much longer to go to sleep, I would really enjoy another two hours of sleep, maybe more. In the mean time, it is nice to have him awake and play with him a bit.

I have lost almost 30 lb. since the delivery and hope to lose the other 10 or so very soon. In the mean time I still can't wear my pre-preggy clothes. 10 lb. goes a long way on a persons body, especially when you are as short as I am.

He really is looking a lot like Elijah right now too. We recently had some family shots taken and some pictures of him by himself. I hope to show them off soon. Well, this was a bit of everything going through my head when I should be sleeping, so I hope it makes sense. Love You All, Becky

Jude's Birth Video

If you click on the title of this blog it will take you to the video. We hope you enjoy it. It is the highlights of the birth and the last few days with Jude. Love, Becky

Baby Jude Alexander Is Here

August 14th 2010 I went into the hospital diagnosed with Pre-Clampsia and was induced into active labor. I had been contracting for 4 days at this point and was excited about the possibility of having Jude within the next day or so. I was also scared about what could happen if my blood pressure continued to rise.

So swollen, scared, and  surprised at the situation I found myself in I settled in for the long hall. I labored for 14 hours total before they performed the C-Section. It was confirmed that Jude was just to large for me to give birth to naturally.

The scary parts had to do with the epidural for me. I just didn't want to feel completely numb all over me and of course I cried a lot but I got through it with Jeremy's support and love. He did a great job keeping me calm and taking care of the baby while I was in recovery.

Well to tell you all the stats: Jude Alexander Grennan was born in the Rota Naval Base Hospital at 8:19am on August 15th, 2010. He weighted 7lb.-9oz. and was 20.5 inches long. He cried right away which gave us a lot of peace. It was about an hour later that I got to see and hold him for the first time and I have to say it was simply amazing!

He is way cuter than I could have imagined, and thankfully he is healthy. We have had some problems with jaundice and weight loss because I had a c-section but he is on his way to a nice plump, rosy color. Jeremy and I are enjoying every moment, even the sleepless nights. We are learning how to form a good schedule and hoping he will sleep a bit longer at night soon. We can't quite make out his personality yet but we are discovering him the same way he is discovering us, one moment at a time. Hope you enjoy the pictures. Love, Becky and Jeremy

Sweet Things about my Pregnancy

I have really great friends and I wanted to brag on them a bit.

    Mirinda made Jude a baby blanket and it really is stunning. She did such a beautiful job that it was suggested she place the blanket into the fair. Well she did and it won second place in her devision and second place over all. Mirinda was so sweet about it she even gave me the ribbon to but into Jude's baby book. I can't believe how nice it is. Mirinda thank you so much!

    Also Brianna gave me a great pedicure. I love pedicures and the farther a long I get into the pregnancy the harder it is to give myself one. You should see the positions I have to attempt just to try, and I say try because I am not always successful. However Brianna did a great job, she even made me flowers on my big toes. Check out the shots, plus don't hesitate to comment on the fact that my ankles are really large now. The baby is cutting off my circulation at times and so my legs, ankles, and feet have been swelling. I measured my ankles at 9.5'' the other day, more than double their normal size. Strange and Humorous!

      Lastly I have time to cook if I am not too tired. I made a fruit salad the other day and Jeremy said it was so pretty I had to take a picture. So I hope you all think it is pretty too.

A Little Bit More About the Baby

Dear Family and Friends,

I just wanted to give you an update on the latest news. Since I made the last post but didn't have the time to post it a lot has happened. News travels fast so I am sure most of you know by now about me going into labor at 34 weeks. However the Dr. gave me some very strong muscle relaxers and after 2 1/2 days I was able to go home on a modified bed-rest. Jude is fine and I am fine. I was in a lot of pain but nothing I couldn't handle.

As of today though I believe we have made it to the 37 week mark and Jude can now be considered full term. I don't know how much longer he will take to be born but I know that God is good and we hope to give you all the good news soon of a healthy baby boy and an easy delivery.

Jeremy will do his best to get the information out as soon as possible to everyone but don't be shocked if the Spanish Internet fails us.

Oh, and sorry Jude missed your birthday Paul Paul! We will just have to aim for a day of his own now. Course Momma, Gabriel, and Jason I think would all like him to be born on their birthday too. Deddy may be the only one who gets anything out of this though, since Jude is sort of named after him. I just don't think I can tell him when he is to pop out, my timeline has come and gone. I thought I would go into labor June 30th, Jeremy thinks August 5th. I guess only the Lord knows and that is how it should be.

I can say that the experience was really good for Jeremy and I so far. I have been blessed with good health this whole pregnancy (even though I had a few challenges) and Jude has maintained good health as well. The early labor was helpful too. Jeremy and I learned that parenting starts at conception and it gave us a chance to get the house in order and to get the car and bags ready to go to the hospital. We are confident of two things. We are ready to have this baby, and we have no idea what we are going to do when he pops out! We are your typical first time parents and are looking for as much advice as you all can give. Don't overwhelm us but just take note that we don't mind the advice. We may or may not accept it into our family but any advice is welcome so long as it comes in love. We have read a few books and taken a few classes but now it is really up to God, us, and all of you who God has given us for support.

By the way, thank you all for your love and support over the course of this past year. We are so blessed to have family and friends that have kept in touch with us from over 6,000 miles away and we can see the positive affects your love and prayers have had on us as individuals and as a couple. God bless you all and know that I will be thinking of you all in the next few weeks of our lives. Love, Becky

The Baby Shower Plus

I know it has been some time since I have updated the blog. I am so sorry for that, I hope to cover all the missing links in the last 2 1/2 months. Ok so several things happened, Jeremy and I flew to Florida (Space A), we visited with Mirinda and Jon, we visited my family and my sisters threw me a great baby shower, we visited Bonnie, we visited Bethann/Erik/Jada/Wayne up in Virginia, we took maternity shots and birthing classes.  There have been other things but those are the things that have been most interesting.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPEiu9JvsqA 

The baby shower was just wonderful. And if you want to check it out just watch this video by clicking the link above. I am also going to post a video from our visit with friends and family too. I know I have taken a while on this but sadly I am busy and tired. I am still working but I think as long as I don't over do it, it might be a good thing for me. I keep feeling that if I don't continue working I will become bored and or overwhelmed with everything that is to come.

I believe Jeremy and I are learning and growing together as a couple but I can see that there are going to be lots of challenges ahead. Brianna (my friend here) has been a great support to me and I believe she will be in the first few weeks after the baby is born as well.

These are a few of my photos from the maternity shoot. I hope you like them, if you want one please just let me know and I will order one for you.

Jeremy and I have also been getting the baby's room ready, which I can say has been an adventure of its own. If you ever want to test your love for your spouse... try building furniture together. I am proud to say Jeremy and I have been successful and in more ways than one through the experience of putting together a nursery. It is really beautiful and as soon as it has curtains I will show you some pictures.

I know Jeremy is working on a surprise for Jude as well but it will be some time before that is finished.