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Greyson made his debut at church today! I used the Mother's Lounge (for the first time in my life) to feed him during the last talk of Sacrament Meeting, then he slept in his car seat for the next 2 hours.

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Not loving the bath tonight... We ate dinner at Souper Salad--Greyson's first meal out.

(of course, he slept through the whole thing)

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Pure sweetness. Ellie woke up today with goopy eyes... Gavin got invited to go to the M.K. Nature Center & the park with his friend, Tate, so Ellie, Greyson & I went to the doctor's office to get Ellie checked out. It was pink eye, so we've got her on the drops. She did so well with the doctor (as opposed to the crying episodes at her 18-month check-up)--I wish I would have taken a picture! She was letting him look in her eyes, ears, listen to her heart, & she was answering all his questions too! She chose a Kung Fu Panda sticker over some Disney princess sticker choices, and when Gavin heard about that, he said, "I guess she's a tomboy!"

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While I was feeding Greyson this morning, Gavin helped Ellie get dressed!
Later, trying to capture Ellie giving Greyson a kiss on the head... camera was too slow.

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Laundry... now with one extra pile!

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Gavin got his wish--before we knew if our new baby was a girl or a boy, Gavin would always say, "I think it's going to be a girl, but I hope it's a boy... because I already have a sister." Now he's got a sister AND a brother, and he is a great example to them as their big brother. He's been a huge help to me this week, dropping whatever he's doing when I need him to get something for me. I've been very proud of him.

I snapped these photos with my phone using Instagram... kinda fun:

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Ellie IS the big sister Greyson always dreamed of. She is constantly checking on him, saying hi,
giving hugs & kisses, and if he ever cries, she'll say (with a frowny face), "Sad..."

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I went to Ward Council today, then stayed home with Greyson while Darin took Gavin & Ellie to church. We'll plan to go back next week.

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 Here's the camping gang (except Darin) after they woke up this morning. They had a fun time! Roasted hot dogs & smores last night. The Williams headed back home to Orem tonight. We were so glad they came to spend this week with us--they were a huge help, & we enjoyed having them here!

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Greyson weighed 7 lbs 1 ounce the day we left the hospital and 7 lbs 4.5 ounces at his two week appointment yesterday, still 6.5 ounces under his birth weight. We're working on fattening him up!

Becky has taken on Mom's role at this stage, doing laundry, sweeping, making sure I am drinking plenty of water, etc. She's good! My rash is finally about gone, and I'm feeling almost back to normal. Darin & Ben took Tessa, Gavin & Breann on an overnight camp out this afternoon--they were out of cell phone range, so we didn't hear from them all night!

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 More cousin fun today including another trip to the park, swimming in the backyard & Pojo's after dinner (kids & dads). Greyson & I both had our 2 week check-ups with the doctors, then tonight, Becky & I made a plum/blackberry crisp to use up some of our Bountiful Basket fruit, had an impromptu photo shoot of Greyson with the cuddly blanket Becky's crocheting for him, & watched our fill of Food Network shows while Darin & Ben went to a late showing of the movie, Super 8.

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Greyson ate & slept today. Ben & Becky continued to entertain the kids--they went to Settler's park--did the playground, splash pad & got sno-cones. They had also brought Kneaders Chunky Cinnamon Bread up from Orem, & made dinner for tonight: Kneaders Chunky Cinnamon French Toast!

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A little bike riding today... Ben gave rides in the bike trailer to the youngest three--Drew, Ellie & Breann, while Tessa rode her bike up & down the street. Poor Gavin--his old bike is too small. Darin had just found him a new bike on Craigslist, but it's a little too big. Darin's on the hunt for another bike that's juuuuuust right. Gotta get Gavin riding!

Later, they went to feed the ducks & play at the park. I love how this picture shows Ellie snacking on her duck bread before the ducks even get there!

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Enter, THE WILLIAMS! They arrived late last night for the whole week. Today they took the kids to lunch in the park. Darin went back to work today, so I'm soooooo grateful to have them here!

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Such a sweet little guy--he loves to be held, and it's all I want to do! I started dealing with an itchy rash on my stomach the other day, so the less moving around I do, the better, so as to not irritate it. Darin has been doing practically everything for Gavin & Ellie all week, which has been good, but I'm ready to feel better!

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Our Ellie just seems so big & more grown up since Greyson came along. She likes to point out when she's doing "big girl" things (like coming down the stairs, lying down in the bathtub, etc.). She's been Dad's little buddy & calls for him when she wakes up in the morning, instead of me.

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Darin went in to work today & came home with this baby shower in a basket given by his department!

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Uncle Ron came tonight for some meetings with Scentsy tomorrow & got to spend the night at our house. Ever since he was here a few weeks ago, Ellie walks around with a phone saying, "Uncle Ron!"
Ron was Greyson's first family visitor!

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Jaxon's mom offered to take Gavin & Ellie to the park for lunch today, then back to their house to play on their blow-up water slide. We have some good friends here!

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Finally, proof that Ellie is in the house & that she does love her baby brother. Darin took the kids to the park this afternoon, and we've been enjoying some dinners brought in by people in the ward.

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Cute little body... Darin snapped some pictures between changes. So far Greyson is sleeping well & eating well--I've been happy not to have to supplement with formula yet, as I did with Gavin & Ellie. We're taking it a day at a time! Darin took Gavin & Ellie out to do some shopping & get out of the house, while Greyson & I just did our thing... feeding, resting, feeding, resting... I'm using an iPhone app to keep track of feedings & diaper changes--nice not to have to try to remember--it's all right there!

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Oh, how we tried to get Ellie to sit down for a picture, but it was not happening.

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We got to come home today! The good-old Graco rear-facer didn't get much of a break this time... Ellie just graduated to a front-facing car seat at the end of  May, when we took our trip to Delta & Las Vegas. We gave this one a good wash & adjusted the straps back down to get ready for Greyson. He didn't make a peep on the car ride home, and continued to sleep once we got home, just after 4:00pm.

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Darin brought the kids in to visit a couple of times today--I'd hear them coming down the hall to my room, then as the door opened, Ellie would call out, "Heh-do-oh!" (hello), then, "Hi Mommy!" Gavin would make a beeline to see Greyson & get a chance to hold him, while Ellie would explore the room, try to climb my IV pole or get up on the bed. A few times, she'd go peek at Greyson, hold her arms out & say, "Hold it... hold it..." but in the end, she didn't really mean it. She's a whirlwind! Gavin could have stayed there with Darin much longer if Ellie could have been contained--he's such a good big brother.

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Happy Birthday Greyson Spencer Bishop! He was born at 9:54 am, weighed 7lbs 11oz and was 18.75" long. Everything went great and the nice thing was Angie was able to spend time with Greyson immediately after the birth and all through her recovery. Gavin and Ellie got to stay with our new  neighbors, the Niu's, from 7:30 am to 2:00 pm, which was a huge blessing for us, then they got to come and meet their new baby brother for the first time.

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We were practicing our baby swaddling skills, and Gavin was the only willing subject we could find.

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Gavin's last couple days of swimming lessons, and finally a smile. He got his own goggles and has been practicing every night in the bath tub. He is very proud that he can now hold his breath underwater for over 30 seconds.

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Happy Independence Day! Our day started with a Stake pancake breakfast honoring military members (veterans & active) in our stake, followed by a little slip & slide for Gavin in the backyard while Ellie napped. We did some errands, started teaching Ellie the Pledge of Allegiance in the car, then went to a fun potluck picnic in the park from 4:30-7:30 put together by a couple families in our ward. We had thought about going to see some fireworks, but it gets dark so late--almost 10pm--and when we got home, baths & showers sounded really good. So we cleaned up, cooled off & relaxed until bedtime.

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Last Sunday before our new baby comes!

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After a week of swimming lessons, Gavin was still not comfortable jumping in from the side of the pool. We went swimming today at the YMCA to show him how fun it is! He still could not be convinced about the jumping in, but he really enjoyed the kiddie pool slide & fountains & before we left, he was practicing going under water on his own. Ellie made pretty big strides too! Starting out scared when we first got in, she ended up jumping to us from the side & practicing swimming (front & back) with us holding her hands & even going under water. Great fun!

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And the Lego play continued... Gavin was in heaven! Darin & Vince went golfing this morning, we all had lunch at Dickey's Barbeque, then they hit the road back to Logan for a fireworks show tonight. It was a quick visit, but fun to see them--it had been a year since the last time!