SO. Parents ‘Shocked’ When Baby Boy Was Born at Nearly 16 Lbs. Now, at 17 Months, He’s Still ‘Melting’ Their Hearts

One Canada-based couple were shocked when their little one came out weighing nearly 16lbs at birth.

Leading up to the scheduled delivery day, Paul and Stacie Golebiowski knew that their son was going to be a big baby. According to the proud dad, 37, the ultrasounds, which measured their baby boy at 13 lbs. and 17 lbs., gave him a clue that their baby may be “a little bigger than average.”

Meanwhile, the then-expectant mother, who’s now 36, figured her baby would be on the bigger side of the scale because of the discomfort she experienced during the pregnancy. However, nothing compared them for the actual moment they saw their bundle of joy.

Born on July 4, 2024, baby Grayson entered the world at Orillia Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital in Ontario, weighing 15 lbs., 9.9 oz and 24.5 inches long.

Stacie tells PEOPLE that when she first saw her “beautiful chunky boy,” the love was instant. “Unsure of what a 15 lb., 9.9 oz. baby could look like I was nervous,” she says. “But when I saw our beautiful chunky boy it was love at first sight.”

As for Paul, seeing his baby boy for the first time was a mix of “pure joy with a little bit of shock and amazement.”

Due to his size, baby Grayson had an extended stay in the NICU as he had difficulty breathing on his own. Paul and Stacie explain to PEOPLE that their baby boy had to be put on breathing support for a week until he was stable.

He was also put on an NG tube, which, according to the Cleveland Clinic, is a type of medical catheter that’s inserted through your nose into your stomach for limited periods to deliver substances, such as food or medications, to the stomach.

During his 27-day stay, the parents of two share that baby Grayson also developed “pretty bad” thrush, which is a fungal infection of the mouth.

When they were finally allowed to take their newborn — who was wearing 6-month-old clothing and size 3 diapers — home, the proud parents tell PEOPLE that the feeding tube had to be used for another two months until the thrush was fully treated.

For Stacie and Paul, this moment was “challenging” as they worked with medical professionals to figure out how to treat their baby boy. Looking back on these tough moments, they still believe having him home was “great” after spending almost a month in the hospital.

Despite his rocky start, baby Grayson continued to grow and develop normally. Stacie and Paul tell PEOPLE that their newborn is “doing well and hitting all of his milestones as expected.”

“He is a patient, funny and happy baby!” the couple tells PEOPLE. “He loves to babble, laugh, show off his new faces, smile, play with cars, (pretend) read, and eat!”

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Now, at 17 months old, their son weighs 24 lbs. and is 33 inches tall. The parents tell PEOPLE that their favorite thing since welcoming their son has been witnessing the love and friendship between him and his sister, Chloe, 3.

“The love and friendship Grayson and his sister have is adorable and melts our hearts,” the couple says. “He has helped us create our million dollar family.”

They add, “Having a boy and a girl is incredible and we are beyond grateful to have the best of both worlds!”