Got Bike?

Olvier's first Cyclocross Race was AWESOME!!!

All he would talk about this morning is racing and when can he race, he was super excited (we were too)!
After a loooong wait, the race was off and kids, 10 yrs and younger, took off making their way around the course.  Oliver was a little timid at the start, so many kids and tons of bikes.  He held Daddy's hand for the first 100 feet and after that it was smooth Skuuting!  After the first lap was complete, the cousre was blocked off.  Oliver stopped, pointed, and said "what happened"?  At the start the anouncer said that the kids race is two laps.  So Daddy moved aside the barriers and Oliver completed the second lap in his race!  He loved it!

Look out Cyclocross racers, Oliver is coming!!!!!!

Photo Book

Click here to view this photo book larger

Photo books are the perfect gift for any occasion.

Party Time!

Day 54
Happy Birthday Great Aunt Jean and Cousin Laura!

Rainy Day Hiking Day 47

It was Grandma Stitch's last day in Seattle so we had to pack in a full day of Griggs Adventures.  We all woke up early to get to Peso's happy hour breakfast.  After two crab benedicts, one bacon and arugula benedict, and two scrammbled eggs we were stuffed and fueled for Top Bop at Magnolia Community Center.  After Top Bop we sipped coffee in the park while Oliver played king of the sandbox and Katherine snacked and napped.  Then it was time for Betsy's eye doctor appointment and while Betsy was pronouncing letters and numbers of progressively smaller sizes the rest of the group went home to pack up for a last minute hiking adventure to Olallie State Park in search of the illusive Twin Falls.
With a car ride lunch and a quick drive to Exit 34 off of Highway 90, we put on our rain gear and hit the trail!




 

 

 

 

It was a bit rainy for our 1.5 mile hike, but everyone pulled through and Katherine's first hike at a State Park was a success, just a bit wet.  To help us dry off, we drove straight to the outlet mall and did some mega shopping!!!  Another coffee and snack stop, then we packed up and drove back to Seattle.  Our ride home was almost a disaster, but both kids did great during the rush hour traffic.  And we were all rewarded with a tasty fish & chips dinner from Lil'Chinook's.
We hope Grandma Stitch had an amazing Seattle Adventure!
More Griggs Family Adventures to come!

Day 7

Katherine was born with a high bilirubin count in her blood, causing Jaundice. At the birth center the nurses and pediatricians kept a close eye on her levels and she went through numerous blood draws to test her blood levels.  She had several tiny little pokes in her teeny little heel to squeeze out a few drops of blood.  Her levels kept going up and up and it was soon determined a bilibed was the best route to take in order to help bring out her bilirubun.

A nurse team was scheduled to set us up with the light therapy bed, bilibed, and she was ordered to stay in her little bed 24/7.  She was allowed to get out for feeding and diaper changes, but we were instructed to put her back in promptly so that the lights could zap away the bilirubin.  It broke our hearts having to see our little baby girl zipped into the space age glowing platform.  But we knew we were lucky because the alternative would have been a hospitalization for several days.  At least this way we could stay with her the entire time.  Between Daddy, Mommy, and Bubbie, Katherine was never alone.


And big brother Oliver was there to watch over her and give her kisses too!

 

 

 

As promised, Bubbie found Oliver the BIGGEST pretzel ever!

 

Day 6

Pink Minke!


 

 

 

Day 5

Lets see what happened today....

Katherine slept in Bubbie's, arms a lot!

She got a lot of kisses from Big Brother Oliver!

And we compared feet, Daddy won for the biggest.

Day 4

We were finally released from the birthing center and were all ready to jump into our nice warm car when Birddog tried the key fob and to his amazement and Mommy's annoyance it did not work.  Long story short the key fob does not work with the key in the ignition of a 2003 Subaru Outback.  And a Super Big Thank You to our friend Joe for saving the day by getting out of bed early, at 5am,to bring us a spare key.

We're finally home!!! Oliver greeting his little sister at the door.  

First time Oliver got to hold his little sister at home.

Oliver insisted that he helped daddy set up baby Katherine's bed.

 

Day 3

Joyce was our main nurse that helped us throughout the labor, birth, and first few hours after Katherine was born.  She made Katherine this cute little bow hat by cutting up one hat and threading it though another hat.  It received so many compliments from the staff at Group Health, but we think it was the cute little girl wearing the hat that made it so special.


Our very first family photo and Oliver is letting you know that Katherine has all ten fingers and toes.

Day 2

This was day two really early in the morning just before our mid-wife, Robin, ended her shift.  Robin is also the mid-wife that delivered Oliver, almost two years and one month before baby Katherine was born.  Robin not only did a great job helping us through the natural-unmediacted deliveries of both of our children, she helped make sure that Katherine's cord blood, that we donated, was handled properly.

Oliver meeting his new baby sister.

Gab (Great Aunt Becky) was the first family member to hold Katherine Elizabeth Griggs.

 Bubbie holding baby Katherine for the first time.
We named our daughter after Bubbie.  Lucky for our daughter that Bubbie has a 'real' name, Katherine.  And Bubbie was named after her Nannie (Grandma) Katherine.  And baby Katherine's middle name, Elizabeth, is Betsy's 'real' name as well as Betsy's Grammie (Grandma).  So this tiny little addition to the Griggs family is already a true historian!

"Tiny Toes" was said many times over.  As well as "Eyes Open".  I think Big Brother Oliver is going to have many wonderful adventures with Little Sister Katherine.

Welcome Katherine Elizabeth Griggs!

Katherine Elizabeth Griggs joined our family at 11:10 pm on Monday, April 23rd, 2012. She was a great surprise and well worth the anticipation.  We arrived at the brithing center  in Capitol Hill, Seattle around 8 pm that same evening so we did not have to wait long.  Let the new adventures begin!

Around 7:30pm waiting out one more contraction.

Betsy and Katherine at 17 minutes old.