Happy Birthday Miles Bennett

Miles Bennett Gray was born at 9:02 pm, July 11 at Ridgeview Medical Center in Waconia. He weighed 8 lbs. 3 oz. and was 18 3/4 in long. Baby, mom and dad are doing well. Here's the first pictures and we'll update the blog with more info. later this week.

Just born!

Proud Papa

Happy mommy and snuggly Miles

First family photo

I'm so cute

First car ride

Just a little peanut!

A D.I.N.K. Weekend

The last of the pictures were hung in the nursery this weekend.

Friday night bake-a-thon.

38 weeks pregnant - staying cool in the shade at the Chan parade.

Ominous looking clouds rolling in during the parade fly over.

Mike grilling with his trusty sous chef - Patriotic Pooch.

Feeling ambitious.

Patriotic Pooch helping with yard work.

Well, baby watch '09 continues... While waiting, Sarah and Mike enjoyed a truly D.I.N.K. (dual-income, no kids) weekend. Activities included: shopping for new clothes for Mike, sleeping in, reading a ton, watching a movie and the Twins, taking naps and enjoying quiet meals. Sarah kept thinking "is this the last time we'll do this before Lil' Mikey comes?" Sarah's nesting instincts briefly kicked into high gear on Friday night when she decided at 8:00 pm to bake 2 dozen homemade strawberry muffins, 2 batches of chocolate chip, cherry banana bread and a loaf of lemon blueberry bread. All went into the freezer for weekend breakfast treats after the baby is born.

We had a low-key but traditional, all-American 4th of July. We watched the annual parade in Chanhassen and although dark clouds were quickly moving in on us it didn't start raining until we made it safely to the car after the parade. Later that evening we grilled turkey burgers, corn on the cob and had watermelon for dinner and then hit the Chan fireworks display with Sarah's aunt Nancy.

Today marks Sarah and Mike's 10 year anniversary of coupledom! Ten years ago today we had our first date. Mike picked Sarah up in his Chevy pickup (yep, the one we still drive - it was shiny and new then!) at her apartment in Tempe after Sarah got off of an early evening shift at Old Chicago. Mike suggested we hit a bar called Famous Sam's nearby. Little did he know it was karaoke night. Mike and Sarah were seated right next to a huge speaker and over drinks Sarah tried to make conversation not realizing that Mike couldn't hear a word she was saying. After practically pantomiming that we should get out of there (no karaoke was sung by us that night) we headed to The Vine, another low-key Tempe hangout, where we talked the night away. Sarah says she felt a special connection with Mike from the first moment she met him but little did they know where they would be 10 years from then! We celebrated tonight by strolling along Lake Minnetonka in Excelsior with Ruby and getting ice cream at our favorite spot- Adele's. Overall, it was a very relaxing weekend. Could be the last!!??!!

Nursery Unveiled!

The nursery is ready!


Sarah at 37 weeks!

Well, Lil' Mikey is officially considered full-term today! If he is born now he will be fully developed. Only 3 weeks until the big due date although Sarah could go into labor at anytime. Everything with Sarah and the baby looked great at the weekly doctor's appointment on Friday too.

We are feeling ready as we'll ever be. We bought the last of the baby essentials today at Target - including diapers. Sarah, Sharon and Rachel also went on a huge garage sale spree yesterday. Lil' Mikey scored lots of cute clothes, canvas Baby Gap sneakers and an exersaucer. Sharon and Sarah then spent a busy afternoon preparing meals to freeze for when the Gray family just doesn't feel like cooking once Lil' Mikey arrives.

Our entry today is a bit shorter then usual because Lil' Mikey himself posted a bonus installment on Friday. We also want to get back outside to enjoy this gorgeous MN summer weather - 75, sunny with a nice breeze. Have a great week everyone!

Lil' Mikey's Top 10

Top 10 Things Lil' Mikey's Done In Utero

10. Trip to Seattle in November 2008 when I was just a wee little seed.


9. Vacation in Arizona to visit Grandma & Grandpa Gray in December 2008. They didn't officially know I was there but they had their suspicions!


8. Visiting Grandma & Grandpa Nickolay in Texas. Boy I've traveled a lot in my young, zero gravity life!


7. Eating ice cream. Yum! My faves are anything from Adele's Custard in Excelsior and mint chocolate chip.

6. Kicking mommy.

5. Getting up extra early on Saturday mornings to bargain hunt for lots of clothes and toys for myself at garage sales.

4. Hiking at Afton State Park. Mommy and I may be slow but we get there!

3. Having everyone pay special attention to me and comment on all of my cute stuff at my baby showers.

2. Relaxing and enjoying a mini vacation at Lake Emily Resort in northern MN.

1. Living in a nice, warm, private studio apartment with 24-hour maid service!

It's the final countdown!

Sarah holding her Godson, Daren. Isn't he adorable?

Ruby snoozing under the crib. Boy, getting the nursery ready is exhausting!

Sorting five loads of baby clothes laundry.

Assembling the crib.

Hand-knit baby blanket from great-great aunt Rita in La Jolla, CA.

Hand-knit booties and hat from Lori Dossett.

June 19 we hit the "oh my gosh in one month the baby will be here!" date. It's the final countdown! Sarah's in full nesting (i.e. task-master) mode and our week was full.

Monday was the third of four childbirth prep classes in which we really got into the nitty-gritty details of labor and delivery. Sarah had a few moments where she decided she didn't want to give birth. Luckily the feeling has passed.

Wednesday Sarah met friends at the Tin Fish for dinner and Mike enjoyed grilled pork chops (what a treat!) with the neighbors.

Thursday we attended a breastfeeding class through the hospital. Mike was worried he would be the only guy but there were 6 couples participating.

Friday we had a doctor's appointment and everything is looking good and right on target. Sarah is now 36 weeks along and will be visiting the doctor weekly. In the evening we headed to a park to meet Sarah's cousin Amy and her 5 kids - including Sarah's 7 month old Godson, Daren, for a picnic. He's such a cutie and a very mellow baby. We can only hope a little of that good natured mellowness rubs off on Lil' Mikey!

Saturday we worked on the nursery. Mike assembled the crib, bouncer chair, bookshelf, footstool, and stroller. Sarah washed and sorted all of Lil' Mikey's clothes and started organizing the nursery. (He now has more clothes then his dad!) We also attended Sarah's cousin Dan's graduation party and ran errands.

Sunday we rested - NOT! Tasks today included lawn mowing, cleaning, adult laundry, making a unique art project for the nursery (stay tuned for pics), prenatal yoga, and dinner with Sharon. All in all it was a very productive week and Mike and Sarah feel much more prepared for baby's pending arrival. AND after all of this craziness Mike and Sarah are still talking and are getting more and more excited for Lil' Mikey's arrival! Happy Father's Day to our dads and all dads and dads-to-be!

Whoa mama!

Whoa mama!

Well, it's Sunday evening and another week has flown by. Sarah is now 35 weeks along - won't be long before Lil' Mikey's here! Sarah and Mike are halfway through their childbirth prep classes now and are learning a lot. Mike got the great opportunity to wear an "Empathy Belly" in class last week. It's a weighted suit that simulates the 40th week of pregnancy. It comes with the whole sha-bang - a tight rib wrap is the first layer so that dads-to-be can experience the pressure, tightness and shortness of breath many women experience. The second layer is the really cute breasts and belly shown in the top picture. This layer even has specially designed weights to put pressure in all of the fun places like your bladder. The last layer is a really attractive maternity smock. Welcome to the world of women guys!

Mike said that he could really feel the weight in his legs and back and when sitting down could feel a lot of pressure. Sarah was giggling throughout the 10 minutes he had to wear it and lovingly threw his cell phone on the floor so he could also experience the joy of bending over and picking things up. Mike said 10 minutes of wearing the suit was long enough. Sarah said - ummm, try 40 weeks! Sarah thinks that someone should invent a labor simulator - then men would REALLY feel empathetic. :)

Other baby prep news - Sarah and Mike attended a baby fair at the hospital. They had free classes on topics such as infant massage, sign language and tummy time along with about 50 exhibit booths and lunch. We also had an appointment to meet with a police officer to get our carseat properly installed.

Nursery update - our office is officially moved downstairs and the room is completely cleaned out. Sarah's dad, Dave, is painting the nursery tomorrow and the carpeting is getting cleaned Wednesday. Hopefully by next weekend the baby furniture will be moved in.

So, this past week we checked a lot of items off of our baby "to-do" list but the list is still long. To be continued....

Summer 'mini' vacation

What Ruby looks like after an exhausting day of FUN!

Yes, it is so cold that Sarah is wearing a tank top as make-shift earmuffs.

Sharon & Sarah chillin' on the deck.

Mike & Matt in a fierce game of "washer toss."

We just got back from our one and only summer vacation this year. Mike, Sarah & Ruby headed up to Lake Emily Resort to hang with Sarah's family for a long weekend. Although the weather was frigid (hence the creative use of a tank top above) we had a blast and still enjoyed a traditional Minnesota summer vacation. Fun-filled activities included: a couple of walks with the dogs each day, eating, a new game of washer toss (this game edged out pitch the pea this year), golf, touring Emily, MN (we made three stops and drove down all of the streets for a total of 30 minutes of entertainment), eating, reading, fishing, eating, a boat cruise, naps, eating, and a wild and sometimes "R" rated game of Things in a Box. Mike, Ruby and Sarah enjoyed every minute of it! We also found out that Lil' Mikey will have a new BOY cousin in October. It was very clear from the ultrasound pictures that Rachel and Graham are also expecting a little boy!

Other happenings this past week in the Nickolay Gray household included another doctor visit and our first labor and delivery class. Everything is looking good with Lil' Mikey as he continues to grow weekly. His kicks aren't quite as violent - Sarah thinks it feels like he's doing slow laps and somersaults in a pool. Sarah goes back to the doctor on June 18 and soon these visits will be weekly as the big countdown is on.

Mike and Sarah also attended their first labor & delivery class last Monday at Ridgeview Medical Center. The instructor was nice and the class was pretty low-key. Sarah wanted to dive right into the gory details but we think they ease first time parents into these classes with a little "lighter" material the first night. Sarah was a little freaked out though because of the 11 couples in the class she is due the soonest! Time is ticking... Our next class is tomorrow night and although it makes for an exhausting Monday - work, race home to eat and let Ruby out and go to a 3 hour class - it's all well worth it.

Have a lovely week everyone and stay warm!