Baby Grey's first date

HAH.  I am pulling this photo out someday in the (very long distance) future when Grey brings his first girlfriend over...let's hope he's still as charming and engaging to his future dates....hahhhha.  Jess and Sam stopped over today to take a walk and visit.  Sammie was as cute as ever and tried her best to get Greyson's attention...however, he spent the entire date snoozing.  Geez, play hard to get much?

Bath Time!

Greyson's belly button has finally peaced out, heh, so it was time for a real bath.  Brandon and I were a little nervous about whether or not Grey would be screaming bloody murder the whole time...since he hates being naked.  But to our surprise, he kind of liked it:) 

Our baby tub has the little hammock in it, so Grey's cute butt was hanging in the water and we were pouring warm water all over his belly and he didn't hate it.  Of course, we had a pee fountain all over the mirror for a little while..but those things happen :)

After he was all cleaned up, we wrapped him in his monkey towel and he was a fully happy baby again.  Ahh, I love bathtime the most, I think.

Lots of visiting love for Baby Grey

Greyson was very lucky to have a whole weekend of Gma and Pappy Studer visiting.  He got a whole lot of lovin' and cuddling that weekend.  And his mumma got a whole lot of resting (thanks for all the meals, Mare!)  I feel so lucky that Grey is fortunate enough to have four grandparents that love him so much.  I know it is hard to be away from them (skype helps a little) but we feel so lucky they are willing to travel to spend time with him.  Mare told me this great quote that I think is spot on for how much grandmas love their grandchildren; "Grandmothers are people who take delight in listening to babies breathing into the telephone"

Bullet even got some extra lovin' which he was sooo happy to accept.  Grey and I are pretty boring day in and day out- so the extra company means some extra Bullet attention too:)

We really love living in Erie, but hate that it just feels like one hour too far from Johnstown...really its that third hour that is just too long.  But, because Grey is loved so much, he has so many people willing to make the drive to see his little cute butt.  Meg, Matt, and the boys all stopped for a visit on Saturday.  The boys were so sweet and kept saying, "He's a nice baby."  hehhe.  They were running all around and proved that our house is definitely boy-compatible, which makes me very happy for future Greyson running all around.

Then we even got a chance to visit with cousin Mallory and Stefanie!  For so long Mallory looked so teeny, but now finally next to Grey she looks like a biggie girl.  Many many moons ago, Mindy had Stefanie and then about 7 months later, my mom had me.  Jump to present day, Mallory is born and then 9 months later Greyson arrives.  History repeats itself<3   I know they'll be as good as friends as Stef and I have been all this time.  I'm already looking forward to planning summers that they can spend together- hehhee.

And THEN, we even got to visit for a little while with Aunt Kitty who drove all the way from Pittsburgh "on her way back to Johnstown"  We took a super long walk, she pushed Grey while I tried to keep Bullet under control.  It was so nice to see her...I can't wait for Grey to see SCF in full force when Uch gets back from Scotland next month!  He's not going to know what hit him when all that love and kisses comes his way from his two crazy aunts at once.

Bullet becomes a man...'er not

Bullet took a little trip to the Erie Wellness Center to get fixed today!  It was an interesting day being at home and not having to juggle a newborn AND a hyper puppy.  I ate meals without sharing bites; put the toilet paper on the roll instead of the back of the toilet and it wasn't ripped to shreds; I left Grey's binkie wherever I pleased without having it snatched up; the garbarge man came and went without any barking...it was a day that was quiet, calm, and strangely missing something.

We are glad to have that crazy loon back in our house.  We'll see if the operation puts a dent in his crazy antics (probably not)...although the anesthesia hasn't worn off yet, so he's been fairly calm and groggy so far this evening.  Even though our lives would be immensely more sane without him, he's our family and we love him despite all of his madness.

A Day in the Life of a new momma

get up, change the baby, make up a song to get the baby to stop screaming during the diaper change, breathe deeply and find patience until the baby latches on, feed the baby, announce to sleeping husband, I am so tired, roll eyes while sleeping husband continues to sleep, burp the baby, wonder when you became a woman that relished in the sound of a baby burping, hand baby off to dad, go start the coffee, ask Bullet, Do you wanna go for walk?, breathe in clean, beautiful morning air, restrain Bullet when the neighbor is outside picking up his newspaper, pick up dog poop, smile at the sight of our home, get Bullet breakfast, make lunch for B, feed the cats, clean the litter, put in a load of laundry, swaddle the baby, kiss husband goodbye, drink whatever coffee is left, eat breakfast, email family, take a shower, take 5 extra minutes doing nothing but standing under the hot water, reluctantly get out to the dog licking water off your feet, change baby, change baby clothes because he just peed on himself, feed the baby, let Bullet out, burp the baby, wonder when you became the woman that didn't notice when you get spit up in your hair, giggle when the baby farts, read the baby books, wonder what the baby is learning from listening to books this early, put the baby to nap, weigh the benefits of running the vacuum vs. napping, nap wins, wake up with a guilty conscious, practice Bullet's tricks and give him extra treats since he's been neglected, empty the dishwasher, change the baby, wrestle the baby's binkie out of Bullet's mouth, regret giving him the extra treats, feed the baby, watch tv on hulu, cry over a pampers commercial, wonder when you became the woman who crys over pampers commercials, strap the baby in the car seat, ask Bullet, Do you want to go for a walk, juggle the stroller and Bullet while neighbors stare in disbelief that you would walk a stroller and that crazy dog at the same time, justify the walk in your mind by resolving that Bullet is only bad when there are people or dogs outside, worry about the fact that spring is going to bring more people and dogs outside, say a silent thank you when you pull back into the driveway, get the dog water, open the mail, mentally balance checking account after opening bills, put laundry in the dryer, use a treat to get Bullet away from tormenting the cats, realize you forgot to eat lunch, eat lunch, change the baby, feed the baby, try to get the baby to wake up to finish eating, finish feeding the baby, kiss the baby's face, play a silly game about pretending to eat the baby's neck, wonder when you became the woman who would be satisfied to never smell another smell in the whole world if you could just have this baby neck smell forever, put the baby down for a nap, load the dishwasher, smile when Bullet starts barking at the garage door, kiss Brandon hello, say a silent thank  you that he is my husband after he pulls out a chocolate bar from behind his back, eat the chocolate in less than 20 seconds, start dinner, change the baby, feed the baby, eat a kind-of cold dinner because the baby took a long time to eat, wish I wouldn't have eaten all that chocolate at once, raid the cupboards for a dessert, settle for yogurt, skype with family, sit on couch with Brandon, Greyson, and Bullet, weigh the benefit of folding laundry vs. sitting with family, sitting with family wins, ask Brandon to change the baby, feed the baby, let the dog out, wake Brandon up to go to bed, turn out all the lights, double check locks, start dishwasher, think about bringing up the laundry, decide tomorrow will be just as fine to bring it up, brush teeth, give Bullet a belly rub, kiss husband goodnight, wonder when I became the woman who falls asleep with the nightlight on smiling because I know that everything I care about in this world is in this room...including Bullet, with his wagging tail smacking my feet.

Happy Mother Earth day!!

We love us some Earth over here.  I really try to be concious of our impact on the Earth.  We are far from fully eco-friendly, but I try to make an honest effort into our daily life to do what is best for the planet.  It is not a political stance to care about the environment, it is a responsiblity that I truly believe we all have.  This is where we live, and we're not the only species that live here- but no one else makes as much waste as we do and dump it back into the planet.  We watched a movie the other day; The Day the Earth Stood Still...not a great movie, BUT there was one line from it that really stuck in my heart...The alien (ie. Keanu Reeves, duh) who came to Earth to destroy the human race said, "We cannot allow the planet to die because of only one species...if the Earth dies, you die.  If you die, the Earth survives."  Now, don't get me wrong- I am all for the human race surving...duh.  But, honestly- it seems pretty greedy/selfish/lazy/irresponsible to keep pounding the Earth with all our crap.  Just like our homes, the Earth needs a little lovin and upkeep. 

Okay, enough of the ranting and raving...here's what we did on Earth Day to give her some extra lovin'
Gdiapers!  We ordered our first pack of gdiapers today to see if we like them and will make the switch.  Gdiapers are a hybrid diaper of disposable and cloth diapers.  The difference in the disposable part is that the insert is flushable and/or compostable.  Regular disposable diapers don't disintegrate in landfills for 500 YEARS!  Gdiapers compost within 60 days!  They are even compostable in our home compost bin (the wee ones anyway) and the poo ones can be flushed in the toilet!  They're pretty much amazing...you can check them out here:  http://www.gdiapers.com/

No more junk mail!  We logged into DirectMail and removed our names from the national registry for junk mail.  Plus it was free!  You can do it too at:  http://www.directmail.com/directory/mail_preference/

One other thing...there was a really interesting documentary made last year called No Impact Man where a family from NYC lives for a year attempting to have as little impact on the Earth as possible.  Even if you just watch the trailer, I think its pretty inspiring:)  You can watch it and be inspired too here:    http://www.hulu.com/watch/83658/movie-trailers-no-impact-man

New Mom internet searches

Google search "Yellow goop in newborn's eye"
Answer:  Blocked tear duct, call doctor to let them know, wipe with warm/wet cotton ball, put a few drops of breastmilk in the corner of the eye (near the nose)- the white blood cells will destroy the bacteria
Status:  It worked!

Google search:  "Newborn son is peeing through his diaper"
Answer:  Try a size bigger diaper (size 1 instead of newborn) and fasten tightly
Status:  It worked!!

Google search:  "Newborn is sneezing a lot", "Is my newborn allergic to our pets?"
Answer:  Normal, amniotic fluid still in their passageways and they can't blow their own nose, so sneezing is the best way to clear things out.  Newborns aren't old enough to be allergic to anything yet, so no pet allergies will show yet

Google search:  "Clear crystals in baby's diaper"
Answer:  Its stuff from the diaper when the baby pees, don't worry

Google search:  "All my newborn does is sleep"
Answer:  Normal, it takes a lot of energy for a newborn just to eat.  Sometimes newborns can sleep up to 23 hours a day, waking for only a few minutes every hour

...thank God for the internet, or our poor doctor would have calls all day.

you can take the kids out of Johnstown...

...but you can't take the Johnstown out of the kids. 

Oh yes we did.  Brandon whipped up a homemade version of the Coney Island Sundowner for dinner last night....and it was delicious.  For whatever reason, when B asked what I wanted for dinner I answered, "Too bad we don't have any buns- we could make sundowners...." Like it was the most normal thing I've ever suggested.  It took Brandon about 30 seconds to put on his shoes and get in the truck to drive to Wegmans for buns and chili sauce.  B worked his magic in the kitchen - unfortunately there was no arm balancing of food and or plates...he said he'll work on it for next time- and they were surprisingly quick and easy to make.  At the first bite, both of our eyes got big and we were surpressing huge smiles...We kept saying, 'why haven't we made these before?'

For those of you that are unfamiliar with the Sundowner, it is a cheeseburger topped with onions, mustard, chili, and a fried egg...and is a Johnstown legend.  Nothing hits the spot at 3am like one of these delightful sandwiches.  Brandon actually said last night, "I think this is probably the earliest in the evening that I've ever had a sundowner"  hahha.  Sometimes you just need a little piece of home.

Baby (sponge) baths, tummy time, & Bully walks

Oh yes, it is all baby- all the time here at the Studer house.  We just can't get enough of baby.  So in order to let you know the kind of adorable cuteness we have to deal with each day; here are some of our favorite baby activities as of late.

Baby baths:  Since Grey still hasn't dropped his belly button cord yet; we are required to do only sponge baths for our little man.  Downside: he hates being undressed because he gets cold.  Upside: he looks so damn cute with his hair freshly washed and fuzzy.

So after we get him all wiped down, we wrap him in a sweet little hooded towel and he looks so sweet that Brandon and I are googoo gaga'ing all over him.  Seriously giddy with baby cuteness.  

Finally, when its time to unwrap him and put on some jammies, we discover why he looked so sneaky while wrapped up.  He left a nice little dump in his towel.  So much for the bath.

Tummy time:  One of my favorite times of day is tummy time because it means two things 1) Greyson is awake and not snoozing for 5 minutes 2) I get to brag to Bullet about how strong and advanced Grey is at the age of 7 days.  HAhaha.  Tummy time is all about letting Grey try to hold his head up and move it from side to side...which he can do...clearly meaning he is advanced for his age.   (hehhe)

Bully walks:  Bullet must have thought it was his lucky day to finally get a walk again after a whole week.  Poor Bully was probably thinking this baby was such a drag- but it was an absolutely beautiful day out today and we were able to take Greyson and Bullet out for a stroll.  Bullet was loving sniffing everything in sight and being is normal, nosy self.  Grey slept the whole time in the stroller, but it felt so good to get some fresh air and move around.  We have been couped up (due to weather and exhaustion) in the house for the past week, so it was a much needed break from the house.  Hopefully with spring in full swing (hehe) we'll be able to make these Bully walks part of our daily routine!

Happiness: A visual representation

Funny how someone so small can make everyone's hearts feel so big.

...and then there were three.

Its funny how life happens.  You are just going about your day, everything the same just as its been for some time...and then just like that the earth shifts.

On Wednesday, April 7th, Brandon and I were operating at normal (normal in 9 month pregnancy terms).  He went to work that day, I worked and then headed over to East Erie to take a walk with my good friend Jess and her baby Sam.  I was happy to get out of the house and move around- but really feeling miserable and so tired of being pregnant.  After our walk (I pretty much complained the entire time- thanks for putting up with me, Jess!) B was already at home and we started talking about ideas to induce labor...that's how miserable I was.  

So, take a guess at what I did....I googled it...obviously.  There were the standard suggestions:  castor oil, drive in a truck on bumpy roads, sex, spicy food....all of which I wanted nothing to do with at the moment.  Then we found a post that said she heard that eating macaroni&cheese with ketchup on it would induce labor, but she wouldn't know if it was true because while her husband was making it- she went into labor!  Well, I love mac&cheese + ketchup- so that's what we decided to have for dinner.

As Brandon was cooking it up in the kitchen, I hurried back to the bathroom mentioning something about watching a movie later.  As I was about to get off the pot (tmi?) I realized that something weird was going on....fairly certain my water broke.  I yelled to Brandon, "something weird is happening!"  He came in and I told him that I thought my water had broke and to call the doctor.  He started acting totally hilarious by being nervous/excited/frantic/crazy and called the doc right away.  I kept trying to get up from the toilet, but I just kept leaking (tmi again?!).  Something no one tells you (including the movies) when your water breaks, its not just a gush...its keeps on a'coming.  Once B explained to the doctor what was happening she said, "yep, come down to the hospital, you're going to have a baby"  So...I would also like to confirm that just thinking about eating mac&cheese with ketchup on it will make you go into labor.  It has worked in at least two confirmed instances!

We gathered our things up and headed to the hospital very calmly.  We both kept talking about how crazy it was that we were on the brink of a life-changing event.  We headed up to Labor&Delivery, got our room, and settled in for a long night.  Our parents, Kayla, and Juice all drove 3 hours through the night to make it in time for our little Studerbaby's birthday.  After plenty of deliberation, Greyson Rudolph Studer was born at 8:05am on Thursday, April 8.  He weighed 6 lbs. 15 oz and measured 21 inches long.  

Our hearts are stolen.

March Madness Results!

With the NCAA tournament behind us (congrats Duke...but seriously amazing job, Butler!!!) we have the final results of our March Madness pool.  We want to whole heartedly thank everyone who participated by signing up with their brackets, and all of those that sent in donations without even participating in the pool.  Together, we were able to raise $205 to donate to the PA Special Olympics!! 


Shout out to those that participated!!
Kevin and Teri Adams- Johnstown, PA

Alan, Pam, Taylor, and Bryce Boring- Johnstown, PA

Michael, Katie, and Sophia Fiore – Altoona, PA

Kevin, Mindy, Kevin Jr., and Kyle Forte-Girard, PA

Ray Jr., Lisa, and Reid Gilmore-Elizabethtown, PA

Allison Karpy - Baltimore, MD

Tim, Tifani, Derek, and Indi Knox – Ocala, FL

Mike and Darlene Mayer-Johnstown, PA

Gregg and Sarah Moffett-Erie, PA

Danny Petrunak- Johnstown, PA

Lyle & Leslie Ribblett- Johnstown, PA

Mario Sacco – Homer City, PA

Joe, Becky, Josh, and Ryan Siwy- Johnstown, PA

Rudy and Marianne Studer-Johnstown, PA

Matt Vorndran and Taryn Terchanik-Chicago, IL

Erin Weller – Kent, OH

We are so lucky to have people in our lives that help us help others- thank you!!

Pool Results:

Bracket Participant	Final Points
Rudy Studer	76 - Winner of a $50 VISA gift card!!
Michael Fiore	72
Danny Petrunak	71
Ray Gilmore	71
Brandon Studer	69
Becky Siwy	69
Alan Boring	65
Matt Vorndran	60
Tim Knox	60
Mario Sacco	57
Sarah Moffett	55
Gregg Moffett	52
Derek Knox	51
Tabitha Studer	48
Allison Karpy	48
Mindy Forte	37 – Winner of a $5 Starbucks gift card!!

A very Studer Easter

We were very fortunate to have Brandon's parents visit Erie for Easter, since there was no way I was going to be able to make another trip to Johnstown with all the swollen feet and huge belly going on.  Marianne and Rudy got here on Saturday morning and Bullet was very happy to have more company visiting! 

We took Bullet to Walnut creek for a walk and again, he loved going into the water.  It was his third time visiting there, and each time he goes he gets into the water a little further.  The creek is too shallow for actual swimming, but I can't wait to see him in deeper water.  He really loves it.  It was so nice to get out for a walk and have all four of us laughing at crazy Bullet. 

B and Rudy got a few loose ends taken care of (fixed the laundry room light, got the mower hooked up, etc) and Marianne was a blessing to take care of all the food for the entire weekend- and the cleaning up!  I was pretty much a waste since I literally did nothing but lay around.  My belly and back are feeling more and more like they are getting ready, so I am unable to do hardly anything.

For Easter, we all went to Holy Cross and it was a really beautiful mass and sermon.  There were tons of people there, but it was so gorgeous I hardly minded the heat.  We had a delicious Easter meal (thanks again, Mare!) and Bullet throughly enjoyed the ham bone...even if he got sick later that night.  It was a very relaxing and great Easter.  Last holiday before our little baby arrives!!

Does Bullet know something we don't know?

For the past three days, (Sunday-today), Bullet has been acting noticably different.  On Sunday night, we tried to take him for a short walk but he was barking like a maniac at all the neighbors; like barking like he was going to attack them.  We were so embarassed, we took him in the house and put him in the crate.  Brandon and I went on the walk anyway and thought maybe he was just acting up. 

But then on Monday afternoon, we got him all suited up for his regular afternoon walk and we didn't make it out the door before he started barking at our neighbor, who he has met a million times.  She came over to let him smell her, but he would not let up.  On our walks, he sometimes gives a quick 'ruff' when someone is outside, but he has been out of control.  Brandon and I just walked him around the backyard a few times instead of trying to go for a walk through the neighborhood.

Then today, I was home alone and exhausted and knew there was no way that I was going to be able to keep him under control by myself.  So we went outside to play fetch instead of our normal walk.  I threw the ball only about three times until Bullet refused to play anymore and just sat down next to me.  I even threw the ball again, but he didn't even flinch to try and go get it- he would not leave my side.  Anytime he heard a noise, his ears would perk up and he would give a quick bark in its general direction.

I still have 15 days to go until our due date, but I have been feeling really miserable since Sunday (exhaustion, lower back pain, dizziness, swollen feet, etc).  I really believe that animals can sense people's emotions, but can they sense oncoming labor?  Guess, we'll see :)