Karter's First Doctor's Appointment

On Friday Dana, Aunt Emily, and Grandma Terry took Baby Karter to the doctor's office. Here are the results - other than he is healthy:

• Weight = 9 lbs., 1 oz. - Back to birthweight. He's in the 67th percentile.


• Length = 22 3/4 inches - He's grown almost two inches since birth. 99th percentile - he might be very tall. :-)


• Head Circumference = 37 cm - 54th percentile, perfect not too big, not too small. We don't want him to be a pinhead or a fathead!

Today, Grandpa Kim and Uncle Kyler are on their way to Minnesota. We will then have a full house of eight people! It will be fun to have almost the whole Gray family here in the Great North.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE KARTER PICTURES!!

Busy Start to the Week

The picture you see to the left is of our family ready for Karter's first trip to church. On Sunday, we got ready - in time!! - and went to church. Karter wore the same outfit that Kristoffer wore on his first day to church over 25 years ago. WOW!!

We had a fun time - even though Karter and Dana had to leave during the sermon because Karter was hungry! :)

Also on Sunday, Karter's paternal grandparents came to town. Grandpa Kim and Grandma Terry drove after church all the way from Indiana (about a 10-11 hour drive) to Hampton to see Karter...or as Grandma Terry calls him - the "cute little tooker."

Grandpa left on Monday morning to go back to work all week. He will be back on Saturday with Uncle Kyler. (Also...Aunt Emily and new Uncle Zach will be here on Friday.) That leaves behind Grandma Terry to stay for the week.

Grandma Terry has been fantastic this week - cooking dinner and helping to clean and play with Karter. Dana was a little sick on Monday and Tuesday (even going to the doc to get some medicine)...so Grandma Terry was a great help with Karter through all of that! Kristoffer loves eating his mom's meals again...it makes him think of being back home! As a side note, Dana is also an EXCELLENT cook! :-)

So...it's been a busy week so far for the Minnesota Grays. It will be a fun weekend with all of the Gray family in town! CLICK HERE FOR PICTURES OF OUR WEEK SO FAR...

A Walk Around Cannon Falls

On Saturday, we decided to take a walk around one of our favorite towns in Minnesota - Cannon Falls. We first stopped at the Dairy Inn for the "Best Shakes Inn Town." Actually, only Vicky got a shake. Dana and I always get sundaes (hot caramel for me, red raspberry for her). Anyway...the Dairy Inn has THE BEST ice cream I may have ever eaten. It gives Coldstone a run for its money!

We then went to the park - which is right by the actual waterfalls on the Cannon River. There is a little pond there where a family of swans decided to have babies this year - pretty darn cute! This was also Karter's first trip into Cannon Falls and to the park. He didn't see much since he was asleep in his stroller.

Anyway...we had a great time! I can't wait to take my family to the Dairy Inn later this weekend!!

CLICK HERE FOR ALL OUR PICTURES OF THE CANNON FALLS TRIP...

There's a First Time for Everything

Lots of firsts for Karter yesterday - on Friday:

• First Doctor's Visit = Karter visited the doctor for the first time back at the hospital for his 2-day check up. Weight-wise, he is now at 8 lbs., 11 oz. He dipped to 8 lbs., 7 oz. on Wednesday when we left the hospital. He is healthy and growing.
• First Visit to the World's Greatest Retail Establishment = Mommy and Grandma Vicky took Karter to the Target in Hastings (T-1245 as it's called at TGT). Of course, he loved it!
• First Daddy Feeding = Daddy woke up in the middle of the night. In order to let Mommy get a little rest, Daddy fed Karter for the first time from the bottle. This allowed Dana to at least get a little sleep.
• First Walk Around Hampton = In celebration of 4th Annual Hampton Days, we took a walk around town. Karter was mostly uninterested (sleepyness + the lack of fun at the event itself).
• First Visitors = Mommy and Daddy's friends, Johann and Sherry Sonnenberg, visited. They were very gracious, bringing supper along with them. It was great to visit with them and let them see Karter.

CLICK HERE FOR PICTURES FROM THE LAST FEW DAYS!!

Karter is sleeping pretty well at night. Night one, he woke us up around 8 times. Night two, about 5 times. Last night, only 4 times! He sleeps pretty well at night, but obviously, he's not on a schedule yet.

Grandma Terry and Grandpa Kim are coming up tomorrow night. They should be here around midnight or so...it will be great to see them! Grandma Vicky is going home tomorrow, too. She has been a fantastic help for us this week. Tomorrow - Karter's first trip to church!

Dana's Special Day!!

In our new Gray family tradition, we will be celebrating special days with a "Special Day Plate." This is an idea that we kind of stole from Dana's brother Jake and his wife Joscelynn. Dana got this plate from Kristoffer for her 25th birthday this past March.

Although Dana wasn't feeling too special at the moment, we used the "Special Day Plate" for the first time for supper the first day that Karter came home on Wednesday night. Vicky made us lasagna - our first homecooked meal in over three days. Happy Special Day, Dana!!

There's No Place Like Home

Karter finally made it home yesterday around 10:30am. We were so anxious to get out of the hospital. We were there for about three and a half days. Karter slept the entire fifteen minute car ride from Hastings to Hampton, so he missed all of the sights and sounds of his new town and home for the first few minutes.

But...he made up for it last night! As Dana's mom, Vicky, says: "Welcome to parenthood!" Karter woke up around 8-10 times last night after we went to bed. Dana and I tried to alternate getting up - but over half of the time, he wanted food. Right now, that's something that only Mommy can provide.

Needless to say, we are a little sleepy today...but overall, it was not too bad. By the end of the night, we could kind of tell what he needed: diaper change, pacifier, food, or just to be held. All in all, the first night at home went great!

It is so nice to be home - with regular meals (thank you, Vicky) and a much more comfortable bed where Dana and I can sleep with eachother. No guests at home yet, but we do expect some tomorrow and over the weekend! We can't wait to share him with the rest of the world!!

CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS FROM DAY THREE - KARTER COMING HOME...

Going Home Tomorrow

We are going home from the hospital tomorrow morning. Dana has one final check-up with her doctor sometime before 9:00. Once she gets a clean bill of health, we are back to Hampton. Funny story --- but Hampton is having "4th Annual Hampton Days" this weekend. We think it is to celebrate the town's 435th member being born!!

Rascal will be picked up from his kennel after we get home. Then it's time for the dog/baby introduction. That should be very interesting and fun - maybe even funny. Our family is still doing great, and everyone is healthy. Kristoffer doesn't go back to work until Friday, so he will have a full day and a half at home with Dana and Karter.

CLICK FOR PICTURES FROM DAY TWO...

Baby and Family Update

Karter is doing fantastic! Initially, they were concerned because he was breathing faster than he should be. They did a chest x-ray, took some blood (to make sure his sugar was okay), and did a few other tests. He checked out 100% healthy. The breathing "problem" should go away within a few days - he just gets nervous when he's by himself without Mommy or Daddy.

Last night, the nurses allowed us to sleep in the room in quiet as they watched over Karter. We slept from 10:30pm thru 7:30am. The nurses woke us up twice during the night to feed him since we fed him right before we went to bed and right after we woke up.

He is feeding great - every three hours or so, and he was circumcised today around 11:30. In between feedings, he sleeps for a while then is alert and active. That is the most fun time for us!! He has learned to cry during the past 12 hours - and he sure does have a nice set of lungs!!

We will be heading home from the hospital tomorrow as soon as Dana gets her final bill of health from her doctor. This has been a great place to start a family. The staff has been spectacular and extremely helpful. We ask A LOT of questions, but each time, they answer them as if we were so smart for asking. :-)

Happy Half-Day Birthday, Karter!!

CLICK HERE FOR MORE PICTURES... What a cutie!!!

Karter Edward Gray

Karter Edward Gray

He finally made it! After pushing for just over 2 1/2 hours, Dana gave one final HUGE push at 3:46am...and...

...out came Karter Edward Gray!!!!

CLICK HERE FOR PICTURES OF HIM - FROM THE FIRST HOUR OF HIS LIFE

At 9lbs. 1oz., Karter is a big boy already - and a big eater! Baby and mommy are doing fine, but we all are very tired. Dana was in labor from 1:00am until 3:46am the next day - over 26 hours of labor. Kristoffer managed to get about one hour of sleep during the whole process - in two half hour chunks. Each of us has a long day of sleep ahead of us...but Karter is the only one who has managed to do so while Dana fully recovers from the birth and Kristoffer tries to be with her as much as possible.

Thank you for all your thoughts...God helped us through and brought us a true gift.