Kelly in NC

Grayson,
I thought that I would do something a bit different for your update this month and fill out a little questionaire about who you are at this age. Hopefully this post will capture the spirit of the little boy you have now become and of all the things that make you unique. It’s hard for me to believe that you will be four years old in only a few more months, but when I look at you and listen to you, I can’t deny how grown up you have become. You make me laugh everyday and constantly make me proud.
Love Always,
Mommy

1. What are you often called? Grayson, Gray, Buddy

2. What food will you eat every time? Hot Dogs, any fruit, candy

3. Describe a usual lunch for you? Mini Corn Dogs, Yogurt, any fruit

4. What’s your favorite drink? you request water most often, but love V-8 Fusion Strawberry Bananna juice. For some reason you have recently developed an anversion to milk and refuse to drink it unless we add chocolate or strawberry flavoring.

5. What are your very favorite songs? Ba Ba Black Sheep, The Itsy Bitsy Spider, ABCs

6. Who are your favorite fictional characters? All superheroes- Spiderman, Batman, Superman, and all Transformers

7. What is your favorite TV show? Go Diego Go

8. What is your favorite movie? Cars and Madagascar

9. What/Who are your favorite stuffed animals? Baby Ozzy & the gigantic horse you recently named “juicy” (have not idea where the name came from!)

10. What are your favorite electronic toys? TV! Does that count? Daddy and I very seldom let you watch TV so it is something that you beg for almost every day. We often use it as a reward and let you watch 1 or 2 TV shows a day- if you have had a great day at school.

11. What are your favorite non-electronic toys? Transformers and plastic dinosaurs

12. What are your favorite books? That’s Good, That’s bad and any book with trucks

13. When’s your naptime? after lunch and you will usually sleep for 2-3 hours. For the past 6 months you will often try to stay awake during nap- especially at school.

14. When’s your bedtime? 7:30

15. What’s your bedtime routine? Bath, brush teeth, get dressed, read a book with mommy, give mommy and Gage kisses, sing 3 songs with daddy, lay with daddy for 5 minutes, go to sleep.

16. Besides the obvious, what’s in your bed at night? Baby Ozzy, Juicy the horse, Your tag blankie, your “big blankie”, your Thomas pillow

17. When is your happiest time of the day? mornings after you are dressed! Getting dressed can sometimes be a chore with you exhibiting your independence, but after that you are usually a ball of fun!

18. What can make you laugh 100% of the time? tickling

19. What makes you mad 100% of the time? Not getting your way

20. What do you do to make others laugh? make funny faces, tell funny stories

21. What do you do that drives Mommy crazy? act like you can’t put your own socks and shoes on!

22. What do you do that drives Daddy crazy? Spill something or wipe your dirty hands on the walls.

23. What word(s) do you say incorrectly every time (but it’s so cute that you can just go on saying it that way for a while)? YOu still have trouble with the “th” sound, so any words with that belnd always sound funny like- enouF or Fank You or nuffing

24. What are your favorite words or phrases? “Are you seewWous??” “Are you kidding me?” “Did you know that?”

25. What physical feat have you just accomplished? learning how to swing and learning how to drive your little John Deer Gator

26. Who are some friends you play with often? (School) Abby, Allen, Jack, Maddison. (Home) Gagey, Jack B., Ella, Kellynn, Wes

27. How did you celebrate recent holidays? For Halloween this year you dressed up at Tim Tebow and went asking for Candy around Jack’s neighborhood. You loved trick or treating this year and came home with lots of loot. For Thanksgiving and Christmas, we celebrated both holidays here at home. YOu loved hanging out with your cousins for both occasions. Your favoirte gifts this year was transformers and dinosaurs. As always, you enjoyed seeing Santa and couldn’t wait for him to finally visit our house. Every morning you would run to see how many more days until he would arrive!

28> How big are you? You now weigh around 34 pounds and have recently experienced a growth spurt, growing out of all the 3T jeans we just bought. YOu continue to “thin” out, getting taller all the time!

29. What are you recent academic skills? COunty to ten in spanish, learning your colors in spanish, county to thirty in English, learning how to rhyme

As of Tuesday, Gage has figured out how to propel himself forward. It isn’t a crawl yet…but he is definitely on the way. Picture the Downward Dog yoga position (toes and hands on ground) with an occasional push forward, resulting most often in a face plant. From there (without crying) he goes back into the hand- toe position and tries all over again. Favorite item to get? The remote control of course. I took some video and will try to post it soon.
Our little boy is getting big…fast!

Sweet Gagey (as you are affectionately known around here),
You made it through your first Christmas holidays including three Christmas celebrations, a sit on Santa’s lap, a visit to the movie theater (which did not go so well- we left 2/3 of the way through), and, thankfully, a lot of time spent together. This year, since you are still so little, you did not quite understand or appreciate the excitement of Christmas. You enjoyed trying to eat the wrapping paper off your presents and later expressed joy for all the new toys you received, but for the most part, it seemed like just any other day to you. It won’t be long though before you wake up before dawn to see what Santa has brought or you buy into the concept of being good so that Santa will bring you things on your wish list. I am already looking forward to those days. You did however seem to enjoy spending lots of time at home with Daddy, Grayson, and me. It was wonderful to have the time off from school to just hang out. You seemed please to visit with most of your relatives from Florida who made the trip up to North Carolina for the holidays (Mimi, Aunt Jennifer, Uncle Joe, Aunt Amy, Adler, and Mister Glenn). YOu received lots of kisses, hugs, and snuggles from them and they were all amazed at how much you have grown since their last visits. Aunt Jennifer was particularly pleased since you finally let her hold you without crying!
At seven months old, you continue to be easy to please and self entertaining. You can now sit unsupported (if placed in that position) and can delicately move yourself from sitting to laying on your stomach when you are after a toy. When on your stomach, you have started to get up on your hands and toes (picture an upside-down V) and are working on getting your knees underneath you. I am convinced that crawling isn’t too far away, at the rate that you are going. YOu currently roll all over the place and with allot of effort you can scootch forward to get an object that is slightly out of your reach. Most often you go backwards instead, which makes you rather irritable. Gage for the most part you are a happy, pleasant baby. You will play by yourself for 5-10 minutes at a time, although you prefer to have Grayson in the same room to watch while you play. YOur favorite toys are those of Grayson (that are baby-proof)- his big dinosaurs, dump trucks, tools. I can already see your desire to be “big like Grayson” starting to grow.
In the past month, you have progressed to Stage 2 foods three times a day. Fruits have become you favorite with green beans as the food you least desire. There are many times that I have to sneak the bites of veggies in between bites of fruit in order to get you to eat them. We have also started working on you learning to feed yourself. You have loved the baby cookies and the Graduates Lil’ Crunchers since they were big enough to easily grab with your entire hand and get into your mouth. More recently, you have figured out the pincher grasp and, consequently, have begun to eat the Graduate Puffs and Yogurt Melts. You are now drinking from a bottle (6 oz) 3 times a day; first thing in the morning, in the afternoon, and before bed, and you have started working on using a cup (regular and sippy) during your meals. Since sleeping through the night (from 7:30 until at least 6:30, sometimes even later on the weekends!) has officially been accomplished, we discontinued nursing this month. We are waiting to see your first tooth, but as of yet, there doesn’t seem to be any on the way.
Last week you moved to a new classroom at your school. You are the youngest baby in the room, but not to worry, your teachers Mrs. Emily and Mrs. Audrey think that you can handle your own. Perhaps because you have an older brother? Since entering the new classroom, you have caught your second cold. (The first one also started this month.) and you hate have your nose wiped, so much so that will put up quite a battle when I try to accomplish this task. Besides the cold, your move to the new class seems to be going well. According to your teachers, you have adjusted with ease, almost as if you had always been in the class. The only change that I have noticed is that you now know when I have entered your classroom, usually throwing me a huge smile. If I do not immediately pick you up you will then start to cry. I guess the manipulation has finally started!
So with the past 31 days you have started the process of becoming more independent. I have enjoyed watching you grow (now weighing about 20 lbs) and have celebrated with you all your tiny little accomplishments. You make Daddy and me happy each and every day. We could not have asked to a better addition to our family. Thank you for all the ways you have made us laugh and for helping us see more meaning in your lives. We love you so MUCH!
With all my heart,
Mommy

Unbelievably, NC got hit by a bit of a snow storm in December. At least SOME parts of NC. We only got rain, but my sister-in-law Jill got “dumped” on. Lucky I had already asked her to cut my hair, so we had the perfect excuse to go visit and play in the snow. Grayson, Tim, & Jill had a blast- as you can tell from the photos (click on the photo above to see the entire album). They threw snowballs, did a little bit of sledding, and even built a small snowman. Gage was not a very big fan of the cold- much less the snow. I think that Kannon, my nephew, was so annoyed by his borrowed pink snow suit that he refused to do much playing. He did enjoy watching though! We all had a fun afternoon. It’s amazing how a little bit of snow can bring out the kid in all of us!

Gage,
You have now made it though your first Thanksgiving and you do not seem too concerned about your first Christmas waiting only a few weeks away. You have been slightly amused by the lights on the Christmas tree- but otherwise you do not seem to sense the upcoming holiday. Instead you continue to be amused by watching others and especially Grayson. You have finally started to respond to your big brother by laughing after he laughs or giggling when the two of you play peek-a-boo and Grayson couldn’t be happier. Up until this month, he could never get you to consistently respond and so he would often feel frustrated. Now he enjoys playing with you; which you love just as much as he does!
In the past month, you finally figured out how to eat cereal and since then have progressed to two meals a day. You LOVE to eat; often whining while waiting for the next bite. I am sure that all of this eating has played a part in how much you have grown this month. You now wheigh 17 pounds, 12 ounces (50%), and measure 25 3/4 inches long( 25-50%). Your head circumference is 44.5 cm (50-75%). You haven’t shown a preference for any food in particular. You seems to like veggies just as much as fruits. I have continued to nurse you for you first and last feedings of the day- but to be honest, you have started to show a preference for a bottle at those feedings as well. I am not sure how much longer I will continue to nurse you. I’ m sure that I will know when it is time to finally switch to the bottle full time.
Part of my hesitation in quitting nursing has to do with your sleeping patterns. I want to make sure you are not going to want to eat in the middle of the night before completely switching to the bottle. I hate the idea of having to make a bottle at that hour- when with our current arrangement, I can just throw you in bed with me! On a positive note, for quite some time now you have been on a wonderful sleeping pattern: down for bed by 8:00 and not waking to eat until 5:45 or later (the last few days I have had to wake you at 6:30). I can only think of twice in the last month that Daddy or I have given in and fed you before 5:45. If you keep up this pattern, I wouldn’t be surprised if by next month you are completely bottle fed! Oh and on the subject of sleep, I think that it is import to mention that there have been a least 5 nights in the past week and a half that you haven’t woken up at all! Daddy and I are so excited by those nights! We often fight on who’s turn it is to be on “paci patrol”.
It terms of motor development, your fine motor skills have continued to progress. You can now get your paci in your mouth (using two hands)- although you often accidently pull it back out again. You can pick up and feed yourself your favorite baby cookies and can pass a toy from one hand to the next. Toys, and most any other object, always end up in your mouth which i guess is pretty normal for this age! In gross motor- you care not yet able to sit unsupported (you often fall forward grabbing an object), but have figured out how to turn yourself in a circle (and slightly scootch) when on your stomach to get an object that is out of your reach. You love playing in your exersaucer and jump-a-roo. These are definitley two of your favorite toys.
Not much has changed in your verbal development. For the most part you prefer to observe and listen. You most often talk when in the bath or on the changing table. Lots of vowel sounds and giggles are what mostly escape your lips. You are now pretty good at making spit bubbles and are adept at getting our attention by either yelling or crying. You are one of the happiest babies I know and this has been confirmed by your teachers at school. Mrs. Mia says that you are very good at self-soothing and are usually happy with any toy they give you.
Gage, I can’t express in words how happy I am to be your mom and how much you are loved in this family. We can always count on you to wake up with a smile in the morning and to brighten each and every day. You are an amazing baby with a gift for connecting with others and being patient. Thank you for making the past 6 months as easy as possible on your Daddy and me. We couldn’t have asked for a better baby!
Love,
Mommy

(thanks T)

Rules: It’s harder than it looks! Copy to your own page or email, erase my answers, enter yours and send it on to 10 people, including ME!

Use the 1st letter OF YOUR LAST NAME to answer each of the following questions. They have to be real places, names, things, nothing made up. Use different answers if the person in front of you had the same 1st initial. You can’t use your name for the boy/girl question.

ONE-WORD ANSWERS ONLY!

1. What is your last name? …….. Brun
2. A 4-Letter Word……………brow
3. A Boys name: ………….. Brian
4. A Girls name: …………….. Blair
5. An occupation: ………… Butcher
6. Color…………………. Blue
7. Something you wear: …….Belt
8. A beverage: …………… Beer
9. A food: …………… Baklava
10. Something found in the bathroom: …bathtub
11. A place: ………………. Baltimore
12. A reason for being late: ………. broken watch?
13. Something you shout: … Boom!
The hardest part is finding 10 people that will play with you!!!
Anyone up to the challenge?

Last week at school, Grayson decided to try out his batman skills and jumped from about 2.5 feet off of some playground equipment. They called me immediately to tell me he was limping- no bruising, no swelling. I suggested that they let him take a nap and then call me if he was still limping. They called back a few hours later. He was still favoring his left foot. I took him to the doctor and then to get x-rays (the first of many in his lifetime, I am sure). He enjoyed going to the hospital but was disappointed when he didn’t immediately get to see the pictures of his bones. Grayson was so cute when he looked up at the x-ray tech with his great big blue eyes and said “But may I please see my x-ray bones?” How could she resist that? She couldn’t and so off she took us to the back so Grayson could see his bones. He was amazed at how many bones were in his foot and by how long his toes looked. All in all, he ended up ok. Just a little soft-tissue damage since almost all the bones in his foot are still cartilage at his age.

Gage has finally started to sleep through the night… consistently. He usually goes to bed between 7:30- 8:30 and will not wake up until 5:30- 6:00 to nurse. Occasionally, he will need someone to help with his paci, but usually only once in the middle of the night.. On the weekends, he will go right back to sleep until almost 8 am. Hallelujah! I love my sleep!

Also in Gage development, he has finally figured out how to get the paci in his mouth on his own. It still takes two hands, and it takes him an incredibly long time, but he can do it! Now he just needs to practice, practice, practice.

Tonight, while putting Grayson to bed I told him how proud of him I was for having such a super day.
“Why?” he asked.
I answered,”Well, you got up early this morning in a good mood and you were a big help in getting you and Gage to school; you took a nap today; and you got that nice note from Mrs. Wendy that said you were kind to friend who was crying by giving her a hug and making her fell happy again.”
He replied, “Yea. Like you mommy, I be a school counselor!”

My heart sung with joy! I guess he is right. Maybe he is a more like me than I thought!
P.S. They have been learning job awareness at school this week and we had to send in a note that stated our job title with a brief description. Mine read- School Counselor: I work in a school and help students work out their problems so they can feel happy.

Sweet Gage,
You are now 21 weeks old- or 153 days- or 3.672 hours. But who’s counting? In the past 31 days a number of your motor and social skills have advanced. You have gotten even better at rolling from back to stomach and are stronger at holding your head and chest up off the floor. You have turned from front to back- although now one has witnessed it with their own eyes here at home. Your ability to pick up objects has greatly improved and your Aunt Amy thinks thats you are very coordinated with your hands. When eating, you enjoy trying to hold the bottle, although you have not perfected this trick yet. You often grab your paci, but continue to have trouble with getting it into your mouth correctly. You have now found your feet and you spend lots of time holding on to your toes. You try to pull yourself forward when sitting back in your rocking chair and often reach for my face and play with my hair when you nurse at night.
You continue to be a very smiley baby and have learned how to squeal in delight. You make a few vowel-consonant sounds like “ahh-goo” and have recently learned how to make a razz sound by pursing your lips together. You love to be talked to and will often try to talk back. You will turn your head when you hear others talking and your eyes are very often following your big brother Grayson. As of yet, you have not met a stranger. You are very flirtatious; throwing smiles at anyone who will look and batting your eyelashes when you know you have their attention. You were especially social when you flew to Florida this past month (your 1st plane ride) and met your Maw-Maw, Paw-Paw, Nana Tracy, and Aunt Kristan for the first time.
This month you have begun eating from bottles for 4 out of your seven feedings a day. I continue to nurse you from 6pm-6 am. I recently switched your brand of formula to the Costco brand and have noticed that it has helped with clearing up the eczema. You are still fighting a nasty case of cradle cap, but I have noticed some improvement with that irritation too. We have tried introducing rice cereal, although you continue to turn your nose up at the food and usually spit it back out at us. Maybe in the upcoming month you will finally develop a taste for more solid food.
Finally, another welcome milestone for you was moving to your crib. I knew it was time to move you when you started crying about not having the room to roll over in your bassinet. You also started kicking your feet over the side of the cradle. Yep, time to move. Between the transition to a bigger bed and the recent time change, it did take some adjustment. But now you go to sleep between 7 & 8 pm and wake to eat at around 5: 15. I officially consider this as sleeping through the night! What a happy mommy, you make me!
So yes, Gage this month has been another full one. Between your constant development, celebrating your first Halloween (dressed as a football), a trip to Florida (to visit family), and a recent visit with you great Grandpa and great Grandma, Uncle Joe, Aunt Amy, Adler, and number of your Great Aunts and Uncles here in NC, the last 31 days sped by us in a flash. I am sure that the next two months will also pass quickly with all the upcoming holidays. We both have so much to look forward to! So sweet baby Gage, I pray that you will try to slow down in growing up so fast. Let me appreciate each and every moment. You are a wonderful baby who has stolen my heart… my sweet second born.
I love you more and more each day!
Love,
Mommy

Grayson,
You are now 3 and a half years old. Or 1,279 days . Or 30,696 hours. Yes, that would be over 1.8 million minutes that you have been a part of our lives! It is amazing how quickly those minutes have passed, but even more amazing to think about how much you have changed since the day you were born. You now weigh 33.2 pounds and are wearing size 3T clothes. Sometimes the waist of 3T paints are still too big, but with the help of a belt (your favorite accessory) we make do!
In the past three months, you took a trip to the beach (which you LOVED) and even went to your first (and last for a long while) Gator game to see your hero, Tim Tebow. You celebrated Halloween dressed as a Gator Quarterback and for the first time thoroughly enjoyed trick or treating. You helped carve your first jack-o-lantern and have fallen in love with all super heros- from Spiderman to transformers.
For a while now, you have taken pride in picking out your clothes each day. Lately we have been faced with a new problem. You insist that your clothes must match. Now by matching, you mean that if you are wearing a red shirt, you must also wear red pants. You want to be dressed in the same color from head to toe. You do not understand that you can wear blue jeans with just about anything or that you can choose a smaller color also in your shirt to coordinate with your pants. So- Coordinate. This is the new term that I have been teaching you. Now we try to “O-ordinate” your outfits rather than making them “match”.
Selecting your outfits is only one of the ways that you have chosen to express your individuality and opinions. One opinion that has recently changed over the past 3 months and that has been the hardest for me has been your new found preference for Daddy. Perhaps it is due to the amount of time Gage requires of me or maybe it’s because Daddy lets you get away with all types of things- but for some reason you have recently decided that Daddy is now your favorite parent. You will only allow him to “sweep wif” you “for five minutes” at bedtime and you prefer to sit beside him on the couch or at dinner. Now don’t get me wrong. This hasn’t been all bad. I really like the fact that I do not have to get up with you in the middle of the night and that it is Daddy who you request to help when you have had a “poopy”. And I guess that I should mention that you do still cry for me when you have fallen and have hurt yourself. So anyhow, there are times that I miss being your favorite. But let’s be honest- I guess that Daddy should get a turn too. Right? After all, we are learning to share!
Besides sharing, at three and half years old, you can spell your first name (and a few other simple words like “stop”), name all of the letters of the alphabet (although you mix up u and w), count to 20, and identify all your shapes and colors. A real strength for you is your understanding of numbers. You like to practice using numbers- especially at dinner; like when you count the number of tater-tots and then decide how many would be left if you ate two or three, etc. At your first parent-teacher conference, we learned that another one of your strengths is your ability to tell stories. Your teacher, Mrs. Wendy thinks that you are advanced in your ability to tell a story as you use great details, including the way that you can act out all of the emotions in your story. You can now form complex sentences and you are experimenting with sentence structure- saying this like “On this plate, I want grapes.” Which totally cracks me up, since you now sound like you are from another country. I think that you have a great vocabulary and you often use words that surprise me like “chrysalis”, “actually”, or “attitude”. Mrs. Wendy says that she is often surprised by the things that you tell her at your age.
Speaking of vocabulary, you have picked up some interested names to call others: Poopy head, dirty rat, wackey, goofball, etc. Now where these names come from, I am not exactly sure. I tried to expalin to you that calling names wasn’t very nice, but you quickly responded that I often call you names- like baby, peanut, honey, etc. I then, thinking quick, created a new name calling rule: It is not nice to call people a name of something you wouldn’t want to touch, see, eat, or smell. It is ok to call people name of things that people like. I gave examples like sugar, sweet pea, honey bun, baby, etc. “Cupcake?” you asked. Yes, cupcake would be an ok name. “Cookie?” Yes, cookie is fine. Since then you have decided that Cupcake is one of your favorite pet names for me- often using it at times that make others (who do not know our rule) raise their eyebrows. You think this is especially funny and often laugh and chuckle after using the name.
Grayson you are a very funny child and often use your gift of humor to entertain others or negotiate your way. You like to say things like “Are you kidding me?” Or “Are you Crazy?” You try changing words in your favorite songs to be silly (Twinkle, twinkle little dinousaur…) And you make silly faces and make up funny songs. You continue to be outgoing and fun to be around. You are quick to smile and your laugh can brighten most any room. I dare to say that most everyone enjoys being around you. Daddy and I swear that you will grow up to be a politician or a salesman with the awesome “people” skills you already have. You are great at remembering names, often reminding me when I have forgotten someone’s name.
In motor development, you have finally learned how to pedal your tricycle- although you still prefer to just push it with your feet on the ground. You can climb ladders and rock climbing walls and you have gotten better at catching balls (though this goal is still in progress). You enjoy swinging on the glider on your new swing set, but need help with using a regular swing. At school you have begun learning how to trace letters and objects- even though drawing/coloring is not your favorite activity. Instead building towers and guns, or making things with play dough is your preferred type of art creations. You are now pretty good at getting yourself dressed, putting on your shoes, and brushing your teeth- when you decide you want to! You are learning to use scissors and you enjoy using a knife at dinner.
Yes, little boy- You are growing up! I am often proud of the way you try to help others and by how smart you are. You have a kind heart and your love for life has made the world all new for me too! Three years ago I would not have found myself getting excited when I saw a fire truck or a huge bulldozer. You have inspired me to look at the world through your eyes- the eyes of a child full of wonder. Having you, I now appreciate watching tiny ants working together to carry a dead grasshopper and I take the time to stop and see how a stick might look like an “alien shootin’ gun”. You have made me slow down and appreciate the small things that went unnoticed before you were born. Thank you for all the ways you make me a better person. You are truly a miracle in my life!
Grayson, I love you more and more each day!
Love,
Mommy

Favorites According to Grayson
Color- Red
Best Friend- Allen (at school)
Movie- Chicken LIttle
Race Car Driver- Number 9- Kasey Kahne
Football team- Tim Tebow and the Gators
Food- Paskety
Cartoon- Batman
Insect- Bum Bum Bee
Song- Itsy Bitsy Spider (You finally learned how to do the finger motions!)
Stuffed Animal- Baby Ozzy, Little Chicken, and your Baby (A blue puppy that plays music)
Favorite Book- “That’s Good. That’s Bad!”
Number- 3
Latter- G (”It’s for my name!”)
Truck- Fire Engine

When I picked Gray up from school the other day I had to sign an incident report about a bruise on his forehead. When Grayson got in the car I questioned him about the bruise. Here’s the ensuing conversation:
Me: What happened to your head?
Gray: Cwistofur and Zachowee said I couldn’t go on the swide.
Me: So what did you do?
G: I said- Yes, I can. Watch this! (with his nose scrunched up)
Me: And then?
G: So I went up the swide and the then they started jackin’ me up.
Me: They did what?
G: They started jackin’ me up.
Me: huh?
G: They were jackin’ me up and then I fell down the swide.

A few days ago Grayson proclaims as he sees a comercia on TV- “Hey Daddy- Look it’s YOUR show- knokcers!” It was a commercial for Ultimate Fighter. Now how does he know that Tim loves that show? And where did he come up with that name?

Earlier this week Grayson says “Mom, is today the day I can be Tim Tebow?” (His halloween costume.)
Me: No. Not today. On Saturday.
G: Oh. Is Gage going to be a football?
Me: Yes. (we have talked about this many times.)
A few seconds later…
G: Hey mom?
Me: Yeah?
G: I fink you should be a cheerweeder.
Yeah, um, uh, I don’t think so- but good thinking Gray!

A couple of weeks ago, Grayson reminded me to get out our Halloween decorations. As I came down the stairs with the large black Rubermaid container (with a pumpkin painted on the side) Grayson started dancing around, clapping his hands and proclaimed, “It’s Halloween Treasure!!!!”

This afternoon we ventured out to the local pumpkin farm. Jill, Chris, Kannon, and our friend Ian and his boys- Jack and Sam, also came along. The big kids loved the farm, hayride, and of course the big silo slides. It took Grayson FOREVER to pick out the right pumpkin! Gage was not a fan of the festivities at all. It was a bit too cold for him I think. We still got a few great photos. Wish it had been a tad bit warmer- but we had a ton of fun anyhow!
Click on the photo above for the other pics from our trip!

Gage,
Are you already 4 months old? How can that be? This month has passed faster than all the rest. Most likely because I returned to work this month, making the days and weeks speed by. With my return to work, you began your first days at daycare. I cried when I dropped you off. Not because I was worried about you, but because as my second born- I now know how quickly you are going to grow up. I often look at you big brother and wonder where all the time has gone. Now, I watch it quickly ticking by with you too.
You have changed so much since your birth 122 days ago. You weighed 14 pounds, 13 ounces and measured 24.24 inches long ( I do not think this is accurate) at you 4 month check up. Your tiny, boney feet have now grown larger, complete with little sausage toes, the pinkies of which still curl to the side. Your thin, old man legs now have filled out with their very own distinct, chubby rolls. You have a pot belly and rubber banded wrists, man boobies and the most pinch-able cheeks. You have officially turned into a sweet, huggable, squeezable, tickley baby. And did I mention how adorable we think you are? Your face brightens with the most amazing smiles. Real smiles too- the kind that light up your eyes and draw in complete strangers. You have learned how to grasp the attention of those around you by flashing them that fantastic smile or by letting out one of your precious belly laughs. Speaking of laughs, Daddy and I have now discovered all of your ticklish spots- under your chin, on your ribs, under your arms, and at your hips. One soft touch to any of these places can instantly send you on a laughing spree. And I must admit, we send you down that path a lot! We love to hear your laugh and see you look so happy. If only we could keep up this trick for the rest of your life. Will it always be this easy to make you laugh and smile?
In other developments this month, you are now able to:
~reach for and grasp a small toy
~keep your head level with your body when pulled to sitting position
~turn toward a voice
~make ooo & ahh sounds
~chew on your hands
~roll over- from back to stomach (you are still working on the other direction)
~bear all your weight on your legs when held upright
~on stomach, raise chest, supported by arms,
~smile back when smiled at
~smile at yourself in the mirror
~pay attention to TV
Yes, dear, sweet Gage, you continue to get bigger everyday and I am so excited to see the little parts of your personality begin to emerge like hidden pieces of a puzzle. There have been many nights in the past month that I have held and snuggled with you- stealing private moments that are just the two of us. I love to feel you sleeping in the crook of my arm, watching your eye lids flutter and your lips pucker as you dream. I try to memorize how your delicate eye lashes rest on the still translucent skin under your eyes and how soft and spongey your scalp still feels under my fingers. I know that soon these little baby features will fade away too. I am trying my best to capure all of these sweet memories before they are gone forever. Gage, you continue to surprise me with how easily you have joined our family and with how deeply we love you. Already, you are an amazing little boy.
I love you more and more each day,
Love,
Mommy
Click on the photo above for other pictures from the past month.

Wow, I am really slacking with blogging these days! I went back to work 3 weeks ago and there just isn’t enough time in the day! Leaving Gage at preschool on the first day was a challenge. Oh yeah- I cried. What is funny is that I do not remember being that emotional when I left Grayson on the first day. A friend at work said that it is more difficult with the second one because now you know how quickly they grown up. So true. Anyhow, Gage has done very well at preschool. His teachers love him and he seems to enjoy being around the other babies. Gage continues to be an easy, laid-back little guy and seems to be getting bigger each and every day. But enough about him- you’ll get all the details next week with his 4 month update. Right?
So what have we been up to over the past few weeks? Working backwards…
~Tim went out of town this weekend on a “Guy’s camping trip”. That left me with the two boys all by myself for the first time. We has a blast,although I will admit that I was glad for the break when Tim returned. I tried to come up with a fun “tradition” for when Tim goes out of town. I treated Grayson to pizza and soda (yes, i know…) and enjoyed it all as we watched Cars on a blanket in the media room - A “movie picnic”! After the movie I let Grayson sleep in my bed. (Something my mom would always let us do when my dad was out of town) and Grayson LOVED this privilege. THe next day, I took Grayson to a local festival and he loved all the festival rides and activities. $10 well spent in my opinion. What is most funny about this weekend is that since Gage’s birth, Grayson has shown a preference for Daddy over me. However while Daddy was gone, I reclaimed my spot at the top of the LOVE list. What a wonderful place to be- even if it was short lived. Daddy reclaimed his spot upon his return.
~Last night (Sat) we got away from the kids and went to Carri and Dave’s annual Microbrew beer party. A celebration right up my alley! It was such fun having an adult only evening. I enjoyed catching up with Jason who was visiting from Florida and the outside weather was fabulous! Wish we could do “adult night” more often- but $60 on a babysitter is hard to frequently splurge on. Wish we had a money tree!

Grayson is at that age where he has started saying the funniest things. Not always the most appropriate things, but funny none the less. So to document these converstations, I will now start the “Out of the Mouth of Grayson” Post. Enjoy!

While on the way to school, Grayson asked me “Who’s your best friend?” I explained that I had 3 best friends and rattled off their names and why. I then said to Grayson, “Who is your best friend?” He responds: “Daddy, Gage, Uncle Jo Jo, Mark, Uncle Kevin, Jack…” To which I interrupted and say, “What about me? I’m one of your best friends, right?” His response, “Uh, no Mommy! YOu’re a girl!”
I guess that sexism as begun at my house.

While on the way home from school we pass by a boat and I say to Grayson, “Look a boat!” He responds, “Boat begins with the “B” sound.” (They must be learning this at school this week.) I am impressed at his newly learned skill and begin asking him what else begins with the “B” sound. “Uh Bum Bum Bee starts with the “B” sound.” He is then stuck on what else begins with the sound and so I begin to help. “Bucket starts with the B sound. Button begins with the B sound, Brother starts with the B sound>” This must have gotten the wheels turning because he very quickly and proudly adds “BUTT HOLE. That begins with the B sound. Right Mommy?”
So the next question is- Did he give this example at school too?

And then from about a month ago… I walk into school to pick Grayson up. He is sitting in time out crying his eye balls out. I look at his teacher and say, “Not a good day?” She replies that he had a good day until just a few moments before. As the class was lining up, Grayson decided to push another little boy. Mrs. Wendy told Grayson to go to the back of the line for pushing. He did not like this idea and began to throw a tantrum. Mrs. Wendy then asked Grayson to go to time out for not listening. At this point he is infuriated and says to his teacher “You’re a Damn It, Mrs. Wendy!” She of course had no idea what he was saying and had him repeat it three times before she realized that he was cursing. As she tells me this story, I try not to smile. I know exactly where and when he picked up this word (from a certain grandparent who shall remain nameless). I apologize to Mrs. Wendy and tell her that we will also have a conversation about the ugly words. She laughs and says, “I’m not too worried. He obviously doesn’t hear it too often since he didn’t seem to know how to use the words!” By the way- did I mention that Grayson goes to a Baptist daycare?

Gage,

This month you have evolved from a boring newborn into a laughing, smiling infant. We will not know your official measurements until our next doctor’s appointment in October but my guess is that you now weigh around 13.5 pounds. Your hair is beginning to fill in and now appears to be turning blonde. Your big eyes continue to be a bright shade of blue. You have learned how to laugh, especially when we blow on your belly, tickle your cheeks, or make funny noises. Your laugh is really just a short chuckle and it sounds like music to our ears! You are easy to make laugh and you smile at everything. Maybe you will be the one to inherit my nickname of “Smiley” that I had as a child.

In physical feats, you continue to get stronger everyday. Your neck muscles have strengthened to the point that you are able to fully lift your head up when lying on your stomach and we no longer have to support your head when we lift you from a lying position. You have rolled over a few times when on your stomach, but only when your arms have been positioned underneath you. In that position you push up on your arms and then turn your head, causing your whole body to roll. Of course, you think that this is funny! Rolling is a skill that will need more time before complete mastery, but I am sure that you will get it soon. Another skill you continue to practice is standing. You are now able to support your weight with us only “spotting” your abdomen and you love for us to help you see the world in this position. Another love of yours this month has been the baby gym. You enjoy laying underneath the gym, swatting at your toys, and watching the blinking lights.

Your sleeping patterns continued to improve this month. For the majority of the month, you have gone to bed at around 9 pm, slept for about 6 hours, and woke again around 3 am to eat. After the 3 am feeding you have gone right back to sleep and woke again in 2.5- 3 hours to eat and begin your day. Even more exciting, two nights ago, you skipped your 3 am feeding and slept from 10 pm until 6 am. I am crossing my fingers that you will figure out how to do that more often and that we can really begin “sleeping through the night”.

As for eating, you have moved back to a 2.5- 3 hour eating schedule. thank goodness! You spent about 2 weeks trying out the 1.5- 2 hour schedule and I honestly thought that I was going to stop nursing you if things did not change. Luckily you took my threats seriously, and we compromised with 2.5 hours. On a funny note, you are a lazy eater. You figured out how easy it is to chug the milk during the “let down” and refuse to nurse after the milk flow slows down. Instead you keep smile up at me and refuse to latch on until I offer you the other side for another chug fest. Why work hard if you do not have to, right?

Gage, you are a wonderful blessing in my life, You are a sweet, mild tempered, easily pacified little boy. I am fortunate to have such a content, happy baby and I thank my lucky stars each and every day. You have effortlessly joined our family, stealing our hearts, and giving us new reasons to smile. You are loved without question by all of us, but especially by your big brother Grayson. Grayson had no idea what he was missing before you were born, but now that you are here he hates the thought of you not being near. On the rare occasion that I take Grayson to school by himself, he often cries- wishing that you were in the car too. You are the first thing he looks for when he comes down the stairs in the morning and he often comes running with paci in hand when you cry. I am constantly amazed at how much he loves you, his “wittle bwover”. I am more amazed by the depth of my love for you. As I prepare to return to work full time next week, I am sad thinking that I will not get to spend each and every moment with you. I wish that there was a way to stay home with you and earn money to give you the life of which both Daddy and I dream. I know that you will do well at pre-school and that your teachers will fall instantly in love with you. I just wish that I was one to see all those daytime smiles….

Gage, I love you more and more each day!

Love,
Mommy

Well, we are back form our week at the beach. We had a wonderful time and I was not ready to come back. We stayed in a 7 bedroom house one house back form the ocean. The house was filled with most of the burns plus my sister’s family. I couldn’t have asked for better company! Everyone- including the 6 kids- got along very well. Even in a house that had a very small living room. It didn’t take long for us to get into a daily routine. Up at around 7 am. Eat breakfast, out to the beach until lunch. After lunch- nap time for the kids (and some adults!)- book time for me! After nap, dinner. Back to the beach after dinner, or out for ice cream or to the playground. Each day the kids were exhausted, but yet ready to do it all over agin the next morning. I seriously thinkt hat I could have stayed for another week before being ready to come back! Here’s all the photos. Watch out there are a lot!
Beach part 1
Beach Part 2
Beach Part 3

Gage,
Another month has passed and you are now 61 days old. Lucky you! You spent your 2 month birthday at the beach with a lot of your extended family and you were finally able to meet your cousin Adler, Uncle Joe and Aunt Amy. You didn’t seem to mind going on vacation and loved sleeping at the beach. I did try to give you your first swim in the pool, but you were not pleased with the cold water. YOu screamed your little head off and then of course took another nap!

Besides meeting your Aunt and Uncle from Florida, you were able to meet a number of your other family members and friends this month too. Aunt Renee, Aunt Kate, and Aunt Carri threw you a Baby Welcoming party where you were held, cuddled, and viewed by all of our most favorite North Carolina friends. The party was a hit, with you sleeping most of the time and everyone showering you will a ton of diapers! I think it will be months before we have to buy diapers and wipes again. Also a few weeks ago you were visited by Great Grandma and Great Grandpa Brun this month. They made a trip down from Ohio to see all their grandkids and great grandkids- but Grandma Brun was especially pleased to meet you. You are currently her youngest great grandkid… although with the way that side of the family multiplies I am sure that will not last for long!

Mimi also stopped in this month for a quick one night visit. She was amazed at how much you have grown in such a short amount of time. Since your birth you have almost doubled your weight, now 12 pounds 9 ounces (75%), and have grown to 23 inches long (55%). Your noggin is 39.5 cm. You quickly grew out of your 0-3 month clothes and are now wearing size 3-6 month. Your skinny legs now have chubby rolls and your thin belly is now round and full. You have even grown a double chin in the past 31 days! I am sure that all of this growing has something to do with how much you like to eat. You will eat 4 to 5 oz at a time and over the last two days have decided to try eating every 1-2 hours. Really? That often? I am hoping that this is just a stage and that you will go back to the 3 hour routine you have been on for the majority of this month.

Gage you have been a very predictable baby. You fuss when you are ready to eat and when your are tired. The rest of the time you are very content, looking at the world with your wide-open blue eyes. You open those eyes so big that your cousin Kellynn even asked “Why does Gage open his eyes so big all the time?” I say that it is because you are so excited to see the world around you- you can’t seem to open them big enough to take it all in!” You have now started to track things that cross your line of sight and Daddy swears that you try looking around the room when you hear my voice.

You have started to coo and continue to grunt as a from of communication and my favorite highlight from this month is that at 6 weeks you learned how to smile. You will now smile anytime you can catch someone’s eye and have even let out a few giggles although we cannot get you to laugh consistently. In motor development, you are now able to hold up your head and have just begun to put weight on your feet. You love to be swaddled and for the most part have given up the midnight feeding- allowing us a 6 hour stretch of sleep at night. The only physical issue that has surfaced has been your bowel’s decision to not produce a movement on a frequent basis. You have gone as long as 5 days without a BM, causing me to finally take you to Dr. Goss. She indicated that this was nothing to worry about- as long as you are not constipated, everything is ok. The problem is that after a couple days of no number 2, you start to get fussy and do not nap very well. Dr. Goss did give us a few options- 1 oz of prune juice a day, 1 tsp of dark Karo 1-2 times a day, or a tsp of miralax. So far we have tried the prune juice and the Miralax and you still are not going often enough to avoid feeling “backed up.” Hopefully, your little body will work out this problem in time.

Finally Gage, the only other major change that occurred this month was my return to work. At the end of July I started back, working only one day a week. I will admit that it was not too difficult leaving you, but that was mainly because I knew that you were in good hands. Your Nagy agreed to watch you for the 8 Wednesdays that I will work before going back to school full time. You love your Nagy and I do too! Without her, I am not sure that I would have been able to handle working again so soon.

So 61 days and counting. You’ll be a little boy before I know it.

I love you more and more each day!

Love,
Mommy

Wow- where did the time go? With having a new baby it isn’t as easy to find the time to write a post. Now I know why Facebook has become so popular. I will admit that I have been better about posting snippets of the past month there rather than taking the time to blog. Sorry to my fellow bloggers. I know you are all very sad… although I do not feel too guilty, seeing as how most of you facebook too! So here’s what we have been up to over the past few weeks!
On Saturday, July 18, Renee, Kate, and Carri hosted a baby welcoming for Gage. The three of them did a great job planning all the details- from my favorite cake to hand made cookies as favors- I was in awe over their thoughtfulness. I was also reminded how lucky my family is to have such a large group of support. Thank you to everyone who was able to attend and thank you especially to Kate, Carri, and Renee who planned the event.
On Saturdy, July 25,we were able to visit two of Tim’s cousins who were vacationing from Ohio. I always love when Angie and Tina come for a visit. Combine them with their other two sisters and you are sure to have a good time. They are all such fun to be around and wish that they lived closer. Also it became official that Gage learned how to smile on this date!
Sunday a week ago, Renee and I treated our husbands to the Kid Rock/ Lynyrd Skynyrd concert. The concert was a blast. I had no idea that Kid Rock could play so many instruments. I must admit that I had the most fun people watching…my favorite spy being the man in the red speedo, cowboys boots, and cow boy hat. Awesome!
Last Wednesday was my first day back at work. Mom B has agreed to watch Gage for me on the one day a week I work. I will return to my full time schedule in September. In the meantime, working only one day a week is awesome. I have no worries about Gage since he is in the best possible hands and it is nice to get some adult interaction. I also love my kids at school, so it it nice to stay caught up with them. I should also mention that Gage slept through the night for the very first time on that night!
On Thursday night, I took Renee to see Mama Mia! as a belated birthday gift. The show was awesome and as expected a teared up for the “Slipping through my fingers” song. Am I the only person who can’t even type the title of that song with out wanting to cry? I hate how quickly my boys are growing up and wish that I could just slow time down sometimes!
Early Friday morning my mom, her fiance Glenn, my Aunt Mary, and cousin Aliyah drove up from Florida and crashed at my house for one night. It was great seeing them and wish they would pass through more often!
Saturday, we went on a family trip to the White Water Center to cheer on Tim’s brother Marc who was running his first adventure race. Unfortunately the logistics of the race were changed due to weather issues and we did not discover the changes until we got there. We were unable to cheer Marc on, but we did have a nice outing to the park. Has anyone else who has visited there been concerned about the fact that there is NO guardrail around the water course? Every time I go I feel terrified that Grayson may accidently fall in.
SUnday, Tim and I took the boys to run a few errands. Tim took Grayson into Best Buy while I took Gage into Target. When I finally made it over to Best Buy and grabbed a cart, Tim was amazed at my intelligence in getting a cart. “Why didn’t I think of that?” he says. Apparently the entire time they were in the store, Grayson had spent most of it picking up items, removing tags from the shelves, and oh yeah- head-butting the que ropes. I guess on Sunday, Tim learned a valuable lesson. Three year olds always go in a cart1
On Monday, we spent the evening over at Carri and Dave’s house for dinner. Carri’s parents were in town and we couldn’t miss seeing them. They of course were dying to meet Gage. I love when they visit and wish that I could see them more. Carri’s parents are the kind of people you envy and pray that you will have the kind of happy, fun marriage that they share. I love spending time with them and only wish that they would go ahead and move here. **Hint, hint BJ and Will!

Grayson,
Already another 1/4 of year has passed. You continue to change with each passing day and to be honest, I swear that you seem to have quadrupled in size since your baby brother Gage joined our family. Only the other day, my eyes teared over as I looked at the size of your hands and realized that you were no longer a baby. I guess that I have known this for a while- but it has become so much more obvious in the past few months. Your little body has begun to change from short and chubby to the leaner body of a boy who never sits still for long. Yes, staying still continues to be something that you have trouble accomplishing. Not to worry though. This summer you’ve found all kinds of ways to keep yourself occupied. Like getting over your fear of swimming. Within the last few months you have bravely learned how to jump off the side of the pool (in your “swimmies”) and swim all over the place. This is quite the improvement from last year- thank goodness. There was even one occasion a few weeks ago that you decided to jump in the pool without your swimmines (even after I warned you not too) and I had to jump in after you! For sure, you are a brave little boy!

Speaking of bravery, Grayson you have demonstrated your courage in many other ways this summer too! Such as your desire to move into the “blue truck” bedroom and your request to wear big boy underwear to bed at night. Both transitions occurred seamlessly. You love sleeping in your new room with the big bed and as of yet (please do not let me jinx it) you have not had an accident at night. And it has been almost three months since you decided to get rid of pull-ups! A few days ago you bravely faced your fear of thunder and lightening and discovered that they are a lot like fireworks- only made by “Jesus and God”. You experienced fireworks for the first time on the 4th of July this year and LOVED everything about them- especially the loud boom. You love all things loud- especially fire trucks- and so it was no wonder that you enjoyed your first NASCAR experience- Pole Night at the Lowe’s Motor Speedway. You could identify all your favorite drivers and was amazed at how fast and loud the cars were.

Grayson, I guess of all that you have accomplished in the past three months, I have been most proud about the way you have welcomed your little brother Gage into our family. For the past 9 months I have been worried about your reaction and how it might make you feel to share your time with me and Daddy- but as usual, I had nothing to worry about. YOu seem so pleased to have a little brother and often proudly introduce him to strangers. “Here’s my baby brover!” YOu look for Gage every morning as you bound down the stairs and will often stop playing for a moment to swing by, “pet” him on the head, and then go back to playing. YOu always help give Gage a bath when you bathe together and often ask to hold him while Daddy reads you a story at bedtime. I am sure that it helps that you still go to school over the summer and so Gage’s arrival hasn’t upset everything about your life. But I also think that you truly do love your brother and that you are happy to have him in your life. Now how long will this love affair last? Who knows- but I give it at least until Gage is big enough to start messing with your things!

Now most of what I have shared so far has been the happy, positive notes about the past three months. However, I think that it is also important to point at that you haven’t been all sweet and nice this entire time. Apparently, as you turn into a three year old, a glimpse of your “thirteen year old” personality is then allowed to surface every now and then. For you these glimpses most often surface when you have been put in timeout. At those times, you shout out things meant to make me and your father as sad and angry as you feel for being punished. Most often you shout out things like: “I don’t like you Mommy.” or “You’re not my friend anymore Daddy.” Inside I chuckle, knowing that at the end of your three minutes your will wrap you sticky arms around my neck and again proclaim your affection for us. So while you shout these angry comments, I usually just ignore them- which makes you even more mad. The question I have is where did you figure out these hurtful things to say? And how did you guess that it would get our attention? I guess that these are the types of things that give this age the term “terrible threes”.

Finally, my sweet little boy, as I reflect on the last three months, I am can’t help but think about how lucky I am to have you in my life and how this magical time of “parent adoration” will not last forever. I was espcially reminded of this a few weeks ago when you saw a couple of 6 year old boys playing and you said to me, pointing at the boys “Mommy, can I go over there?”. I said yes and then you looked at me and said “By myself. Can I go by myself?” I told you yes, but as you walked away I fought back tears. It was at that moment that I realized that you were ready to make friends on your own and that you no longer needed me to make you feel comfortable or to take care of you in new situations. I know that this is what I’ve been praying for as your mom- to make you confident and independent. But still there is a selfish part of me that wants to keep you just for myself. I enjoy all the time (or at least most of the time) that we spend together and I know that the older you get the more I will have to share your time with others.

So, Grayson, with each passing day I often look at your smiling face and feel so lucky that you have become one of the happiest kids I have ever known. I dream that you will always look at life with the energetic curiosity you now posses and I pray that you will never lose you love of life and your ability to make people laugh. You are an amazing little boy that I am proud to call my son. Thank you for the memories created over the past three months and for all the ways you have made my life better.
I love you more and more each day!
Love, Mommy

Well, it’s been a month and Ozzy is still being missed around here. It isn’t everyday…just on occasion. Yesterday, while cleaning out the garage, Tim decided to take our left over dog food to our neighbor’s house. As Tim was asking me what to with Ozzy’s things,
Graysons said: “where is Ozzy?”
Tim: In heaven
Kelly: with Jesus
Grayson: Why?
Kelly: Because sometimes when you are really old or really sick you need to go live with Jesus.
Grayson: Oh. Well, when is Ozzy coming home?
Tim: He’s not.
Grayson: Why not?
Kelly: Because when you go to heaven to live with Jesus, you never come back. That is your home then.
Grayson: Oh. Well, can I go live with Jesus too?
Tim: Not anytime soon.

and then I walked away and bawled my eyes out. I wish I could go visit Ozzy one more time too.

Gage,
Who can believe that an entire month has already passed since your birth? Certainly not me. I am not sure where the last four weeks have gone, but I have definitely enjoyed them. For the most part, you are an easy going baby. We have hit a rough patch in the past two days, but for the rest of the month, you have been easy to take care of and entertain. You have gone through a few periods of cluster feeding, but otherwise have put yourself on a schedule- eating every 2.5- 3 hours. More recently you have begun going 4-5 hours between feedings at night. (Yippee for me!) You are usually awake for a couple hours at a time about 3 times a day- often when you get up first thing in the morning (around 7:30 am), in the afternoon, and again at night around 8:00. In the hours when you are awake you love to cuddle, swing, and be walked around in the sling. You seem to take in the entire world with your big, blue eyes and appear as if you are studying everyone and everything around you. The highlight of your day (besides eating) wold have to be taking a bath with your big brother Grayson. Grayson seems to enjoy it as well, often asking if you can join him in the tub and insisting that he be allowed to rinse you off.
Gage, you are lucky to have a big brother like Grayson. You may not realize that now, but in a few more months I am sure that you will figure this out for yourself. So far Grayson seems pleased to have you join our family. He looks for you every morning and kisses your head to say hello. Grayson will often swing by in the midst of his playing to “pet” you on the head, and to strangers he will often proudly proclaim ‘That’s my baby brover!” At night, Grayson likes to hold you in his arms as Daddy reads you both a story and as I sing you both a few bedtime songs. I will admit that I was a bit concerned about how your brother would react to sharing his parents with you, but I am pleased to say that he has surprised us all by his his reaction. Now, things may change as you grow a bit bigger and begin to mess with his things- but by then his love for you will have grown so deep, that you will both make it through those little fights and still be best friends. After all that what having siblings is all about! Just ask me or daddy. We are both second borns and couldn’t imagine life without our sisters and brothers!
So Gage, in the past 30 days we have watched you change from a thin, constantly sleeping teeny-tiny newborn into a slightly larger, more alert version and in the process you have changed our lives forever. You have grown from 6 lbs, 12 ounces to now 9 lbs, 7 ounces and from 20.5 inches to 21.75 inches long. You have made us remember how quickly this stage of life passes and appreciate both you and your brother in new ways. We love to cuddle with you-especially at night- and we are so glad to have you in our family. While we look forward to seeing your little personality grow over the next few weeks, we also treasure these fleeting days of being able to to hold you and kiss you constantly. Please do not grow up too fast. I want to remember these days for the rest of my life.
Love,
Mommy

This year’s 4th of July was one of the best Independence Days ever! I am not sure exactly what made it so much better than the past few years but I think that it has a lot to do with kids and family. Isn’t it funny how most holidays are given a new life by adding a kid to the mix? Grayson loved the 4th this year. He marched in a parade at his preschool, watched a local parade complete with fire trucks (his favorite), and then spent an entire afternoon and evening in Nae Nae’s swimming pool. He loved the fireworks- both the lights and the sounds (They sound like “funder”!). But it wasn’t just Grayson’s enthusiasm for the holiday that made the entire weekend so great. It was also the fact that I was able to visit with some of the people I enjoy the most. It isn’t every day that I get to see my best friends and family all at the same time. I am again reminded how lucky I am to be surrounded by such wonderful people. Maybe that is what made the 4th so great this year. I was reminded how blessed I am in life!

You can see all the photos from this weekend by clicking here.

Sorry to say that it has taken me over a week to write this post. It’s funny how emotional you can be about losing a pet, but when he has been a part of your life for 12 years, it truly is like losing a member of the family. It has taken me this long to get my thoughts together on how to say good bye to an animal who was more than just a pet. He has been our “1st baby” and best friend for as long as Tim and I have known each other and losing him has been an emotional roller coaster. Even if we knew that the end was near.
As most of you know, Tim got Ozzy as a puppy only a few months after we first started dating. Ozzy was the typical black lab puppy. He loved to chase his tail, go on walks, and of course swim. At the time Tim lived with his parents who had a pool. Life could not have been better for any dog. Ozzy would stay in the pool for hours. He even claimed a raft for himself and on many occasions when he would go missing, you only had to look in the pool to see him snoozing by himself on his float in the water. And yes, he really did claim the raft as his own. If you ever tried to lay on it , he would usually come over, tip you off and the climb aboard. He also loved to retrieve tennis balls from the pool. I can personally remember one occasion when I counted how many times he would jump in the pool after the ball. At 100 times I quit counting, and yes he kept retreiving! One other Ozzy pool memory was his desire to make sure everyone was safe while swimming. Tim used to torment poor Ozzy by swimming to the bottom of the pool. Ozzy would circle and circle above him barking, hoping that Tim would soon come back to the top. Yes, Ozzy was a friend, but he also a protector of those he loved.
I am not sure how Tim’s parents felt when he brought the little black puppy home for the first time, but it wasn’t long before he weaseled his way into their hearts…and really into the hearts of almost anyone he met. Ozzy immediately took a liking to Mom B. She was definitley the alpha in his life. He would listen to her better than any other human on the planet. I’m sure that it was due to all the attention she gave him. She taught him most of his commands- sit, stay, lay, get the paper, and made him into the perfect walking companion. I really think that Ozzy gave Mom B an excuse to go on walks everyday and also gave her another baby to dote on since all 4 of her children had grown into teenagers by that time. Regardless of the reason, Mom B can be credited for disciplining the O into the well mannered dog he became. Now not to insinuate that Ozzy did not have a special relationship with all the other members of Tim’s family because he did. On the day he died, I think all of Tim’s immediate family members shed a few tears when they heard the news. And no one seemed more concerned and upset than Tim’s Dad who had always taken on the role of provider and caretaker.
While I liked Ozzy from the moment I met him, it wasn’t until he came to live with us that I fell in love with that silly dog. Tim’s mom decided that once we got married, Tim (and really I) was responsible enough to have Ozzy full time. While Ozzy mourned the loss of his daily swims, he quickly found other things to occupy his time and make him happy. His desire to stalk squirrels grew to a new level and he would spend hours in our back yard hoping to sneak up on one of the critters. I taught him some new tricks like how to balance a cookie on his nose, toss it into the air, and catch it and Tim and I would take him on walks almost every evening. He loved going to the dog park and when we were really adventurous we would sneak him into a neighboring apartment complex’s pool.
Tim and I often took Ozzy on hiking trips which he also loved. Ozzy loved to run ahead of us on the trail, although he would often look backwards to make sure we were still in sight. Tim & I would make a game of hiding from him when he got too far ahead. Once he realized we were gone, he would come running back at full speed, searching frantically until we were found. He also enjoyed sleeping in the tent with us…maybe too much. While he would always start the night in a ball at our feet in the tent, by the next morning he always found a way to stretch himself out until he as taking up more than his share of the room. Still we loved him and couldn’t imagine a trip without him.
The biggest change of Ozzy life occurred with the birth of Grayson. It is funny that Ozzy seemed to know that his life was going to change that year. The bigger my stomach got, the more he began to show favoritism toward TIm. Up until that point, he had always preferred me. He must have had some intstinct that with the birth of little one, he would not longer be my number one priority and so he began sleeping near Tim and greeting Tim first when we would come home. Now Ozzy was not particularly excited when Grayson did finally join our family. It was about 6 months before Ozzy would even make eye contact with the baby. I guess by then he know that Grayson was here to stay and finally decided to accept him as a friend too. Grayson loved Ozzy from the moment he met him and by 6 months he would light up anytime Ozzy would enter the room. Ozzy was patient with the baby and would allow Gray to crawl all over him, chew on his ears, and even sit on top of his back. I believe that even though Ozzy triend hard to not like Grayson, within a few months he just couldn’t help himself. Even now, Grayson will tell you that Ozzy is his best friend, and since his lost has started carrying around a little black lab stuffed animal that he calls his “Baby Ozzy”. He has also requested the “Ozzy” song (sung like B-I-N-G-O) most nights before bed.
Over the past few years we have watched our dear dog age. Once he reached the age of 9 we saw him move from being a playful, active dog who NEEDED to be walked every day into living the retired life of a senior citizen. His hair began to gray at his chin, around his eyes and on his paws. And we were pleased to see our good dog turn into a GREAT dog. He continued to be well mannered and happy-but without the extra energy that would sometimes get him in trouble. It wasn’t really until he was hit by the UPS truck three moths ago that Tim or I ever considered that the end of his life was near. Yes, he had already slowed considerably and his arthritis was bad enough that he could not longer go on a full walk with us- but he still seemed incredibly happy and healthy considering his age. But after the accident, his health never fully recovered. WHile his spirits were most often up and he did find a way to beat the odds and walk again on his own, Ozzy’s body began to deteriorate before our eyes. He lost a considerable amount of weight over the past three months and became a very picky eater. Tim and I tried everything we could to get him to gain weight, even in the end feeding him people food, but he just couldn’t seem to fatten up.
His last week with us was also the week that we brought Gage home from the hospital For the most part Ozzy seemed extremely happy that week…to the point that I even said something to Tim about how perky he seemed. I joked that perhaps Ozzy was suicidal since he seemed so uplifted, but I had no idea how close to the mark I was. On two different occasions that week, Ozzy went missing around our house and was later found in the woods. Lots of people say that dogs know when they are going to die and will try to go off on their own when it is time. On those two times, we carried him back up to the house and he seemed fine. On Thursday he went missing again. After searching all over for him, Tim’s dad again found him in the woods and this time Ozzy’s spirits did not perk up. His happy demeanor would come and go and within a few hours, it became obvious that Ozzy was near his end. HIs breathing became labored, his tongue started to turn purple, and he started to slip in and out of consciousness- all signs of cardiac arrest. This was in stark contrast to his behavior earlier that day- when he followed me to my garden, played with Grayson, and even chased another dog out of our yard. It was surprising to see him turn for the worse so quickly, although I was very happy to be left with some pleasant memories of him from that day.
So now it has been a week that he is gone and while I know that he is no longer in pain, it still breaks my heart that he is no longer with us. I can’t tell you how many times in the past few days that I thought that I heard his chain rattle or that I thought that I heard him barking. I often drive in the yard and expect to see him laying in the grass. I am glad that we had the last three months with him to prepare for his leaving, as I cannot imagine how difficult his loss would be with out the preparation. At least we had our opportunity to say our good byes and reciprocate the love he had given us over the past twelve years.
So farewell dear Ozzy. You were an amazing dog who we could never replace. You were a loyal companion and will always be thought of as a member of our family. We are sorry to lose you so soon but are grateful for the twelve years of memories you have given us. You are missed today and forever.

Today, I took Gage to the Pediatric Cardiologist to follow up on some “clicking” noises they heard in his heart when he was first born. At the time, they did an echocardiogram and discovered that there were some connections between the ventricles of his heart that had not closed off, as well as some possible thickening of his pulmonary valve. In many ways these problems are common in newborns and most often they will remedy themselves. So today’s appointment was to check to see if the connections had closed and to decide if the there was an issue with the pulmonary valve. After meeting with the Cardiologist and sitting through another echocardiogram, Gage was given a clean bill of health. His heart looks great and the clicking noises have gone away. What a relief!
Also, last week, Gage had his 1 week doctor’s appointment. He weighted 6 lbs, 6 oz (up 3 oz since leaving the hospital) and was eating up to 3 ounces at a time. They checked to make sure he was not jaundice and the blood work returned in the normal range. Dr. Young seemed happy with his progress and our next appointment will be in a couple more weeks. As far as Gage’s progress over the last two weeks, so far he seems to be a pretty easy baby. As is typical, he spends most of his day sleeping with the other minutes filled with eating and pooping! Most of the time he eats every 2.5-3 hours although over the last few days he has been hungry every 1.5. We have figured out a system for getting plenty of sleep through the night. (Go ahead and shake your head…) I have found that by keeping him in bed beside me, he barely wakes up to nurse and will then fall right back to sleep. We usually have two feedings in the middle of the night. For now, this system is working well for me- although I know that I will change in sometime in the next few weeks. But let’s be honest, me getting my rest is super important to me right now.
Grayson continues to do well adjusting to having a little brother in the house. He wakes up every morning, comes down the stairs, and asks “Where’s my baby brover?” He will often pet Gage’s head or give him a little kiss before barreling off the play or eat breakfast. For the most part, the times when Grayson does pay attention to Gage are very sweet. For instance the other day as Grayson was watching a cartoon, I placed Gage on the couch beside him and went to tidy the house. When I walked back by I caught Grayson sitting right next to Gage, stroking his baby brother’s head. A few minutes later, Grayson yelled my name and said “Mommy, here’s my baby brover!” Grayson seems very proud to show off Gage to his friends at school and to complete strangers. So….So far we have not seen any signs of jealously and we are crossing our fingers that that ugly monster will not raise it’s head anytime soon.

IT is funny how sometimes you do not realize how easy you had things until something occurs to make life a bit harder. That was the case with the birth of Gage. While I thought that my delivery of Grayson was challenging, I had no idea how “cake” it was until I went through labor with Gage.
For Gage’s birth, we had a planned induction due to the fact that my blood pressure kept going up and the fact that my doctor, Dr. Craddock was leaving for vacation the following week. The positive side of the induction was that we knew when we were going to the hospital and so we were able to prepare ourselves and Grayson for having the baby. Tim’s Mom offered to stay with Grayson and to take care of him while we were in the hospital- so that as an added relief. We checked into the hospital on Wednesday evening and lucky for us, we were assigned one of our nurses from Grayson’s birth- Gayle. Gayle was an absolute blessing, seeming to always look out for us, and bossing the other nurses around. I had no idea at the time how lucky we were to have her on our side. Everything seemed to go well as far as the check in- that was until I had my IV inserted. I guess that the difficulty involved in that “simple” process was a bit of foreshadowing to how the rest of my delivery was going to go. Since Gayle could not find a vein that she felt comfortable using, she called in one of the other nurses who was an “expert” with IVs. This expert 1st chose a vein on the interior of my right arm that unfortunately had a valve and was unusable. She finally found a better vein on my hand instead. Have I ever mentioned how much I HATE needles and how much I HATE the sting of an IV?
By 5:00 one of the other doctors in the practice came by to insert the Cervadil (the medicine that causes the Cervix to dilate and efface). At that point I as already 3 cm dilated and was 80% effaced. The doctor was concerned that by giving the Cervadil, I could begin labor that night- which was not part of Dr. Craddock’s original plan. I later found out that while he did insert the Cervadil, he did not place it as high and as close to the cervix as it is normally given. So while Tim and I were on edge all night wondering if I might go into labor, very little happened until the next day.
At 7:30 on Thursday morning, Dr. Craddock came by and gave the permission to start the Pitocin. At that point I was still at 3 cm. dilated. By 8:30 my contractions began although they were not too uncomfortable. At 9:30, my contractions were two minutes apart and were painful enough that I asked for the epidural. Gayle checked and I was 6 cm dilated. By 10:00 the anesthesiologist came in and proceeded to give me the epidural. Inserting the needle into my back was an easy process that provided immediate relief, but the difficulty came in threadign the catheter through the needle. For what ever reason he had trouble threading the needle so that the epidural would effect both sides of my body. After 15 minutes of working on it, we thought that he had finally found the right spot and for a little while at least, I was relieved of the pain. Unfortunately within 15 minutes of the anesthesiologist leaving my room, I began to regain feeling in the left side of my body. I called the nurse and found that the longer I waited, the more I could feel the contractions on my left side. Gayle returned, called back the anesthesiologist, and then discovered that I was already 10 cm dilated and ready to push. Since I was already at the pushing stage, it was too late to adjust the epidural and I was forced to proceed with the delivery feeling 100% of the pain on the left side of my body. Luckily, it only took pushing through 3 contractions to deliver little baby Gage- but it was the three hardest, most painful pushes of my life.
With the final push, Gage emerged at 6 lbs. 12 oz, & 20 inches long, and was put on my chest. He was a deep blue in color and even after clearing his airways, he did not scream. I was immediately concerned and apparently the nurses were too, since they rushed him to the side and paged a specialist to come and assist him. For what felt like forever, I watched him from my hospital bed praying that he was ok and waiting impatiently for him to let out a cry. The nurses began rubbing him down vigorously, and the specialist began to force air into his lungs with a small hand pump respirator. Within a few moments, Gage finally let out his first scream and it was music to my ears. His first Apgar was a a 6, with points loss for color, heart rate, and respiration. At five minutes, his Apgar was a 9.
But even then, my delivery was not over. In the moments while I waited to hear that my new baby was ok, another problem had developed. The placenta was not detaching from the uterus wall. After much manipulation from my doctor, it appeared as if I had a retained placenta, also known as Placenta Accreta, and that it would have to be manually removed… without an epidural, mind you. So with a shot of morphine under my belt, Tim and the baby were removed from my room and Dr. Craddock then began the excruciating process of detaching my placenta piece by piece. Without a doubt having the placenta manually removed was far more painful than pushing out a 6 lb. baby- even with the opiate!
After the placenta ordeal, Tim and the baby returned to my room and I was finally able to appreciate the reward of my labor. I quickly asked Tim what we should name him and he replied Gage. Tim then placed Gage in my arms and I was surprised to see that he looked nothing like Grayson and maybe even looked a little like me! Tim was a bit concerned about the fact that he would have another boy that this time did not look like his clone, but I was secretly excited to see that maybe my genes had over powered his this time. I marveled at the tiny hands and long fingers on our little Gage and was instantly smitten with his perfect pink lips and his creased brow. He had a had a head full of dark brown hair and the most perfect, clear complexion. As I held him him, he focused his eyes on me, and formed his mouth into a little “o”, as if to say “Oh- so that’s what my mom looks like!” Finally after 39 weeks, I was able to hold my tiny little baby boy and I thanked God for blessing me with another wonderful miracle.

My newest son arrived on Thursday, June 11 at 10:52 am, weighing 6 lbs., 12 oz. and measuring 20 inches long. He was exactly one week early. I promise to post the birth story soon as I just do not have the time to write it all out in detail right now. I will leave you with photos from his birth day though! Check them out by clicking here!

Doctor’s Appointment: They have scheduled to induce me later this week! Partly because my blood pressure has continued to rise (It was 140 over something- usually at around 118-120) although when I lie down it goes back to normal. And partly because I am ready to have this baby. Everything else besides the blood pressure was ok. I have dilated to 3 cm now. As far as the induction, I will check into the hospital on Wednesday night where they will insert a medicine to help “ripen” my cervix- basically make in thin out and open up more. On Thursday morning they will begin Pitocin. I should have the baby sometime THursday afternoon, unless he decides on his own to come a bit sooner!

Baby Development: At almost 39 weeks, the baby’s waiting to greet the world! He continues to build a layer of fat to help control his body temperature after birth, but it’s likely he already measures over 20 inches and weighs over 7 pounds. My doctor is guessing that he will weigh in at around 7.5. I am guessing at over 8! The outer layers of his skin are sloughing off as new skin forms underneath. The baby is definitely running out of room to move and his kicks and jabs have gotten much stronger and more frequent. All of his organ’s are developed and we cannot wait to see him later this week!

How I Feel: While this pregnancy has been fairly easy, I am very excited for it to finally come to an end. I continue to feel fine and have kept myself busy doing things around the house- like weeding, gardening, cleaning, etc. But I must admit that the size of my belly has really started to make things more difficult. I have now started to get carpal tunnel in my left hand too- causing the middle finger on that hand to also go numb. But all things considered, this growing baby hasn’t really made my life too difficult. It isn’t so much the discomfort that has caused my desire to be induced, as much as it is the fact that I cannot wait to meet the little boy who is growing inside of me. I have dreamed about him and cannot wait to hold him for the first time. Who will he look like? Will he, like Grayson, be the spitting image of his father? Will this time around be a bit easier or will our 2nd son also scream so loud that he is nicknamed “Wild cat”? I anticipate Grayson’s reaction at seeing and holding his brother for the first time and I look forward to seeing the look of absolute adoration on Tim’s face again. The past 39 weeks have at time flown by and at times crawled along- but this baby will be well worth the wait. I thank God in advance for blessing my family by giving us another little being to love.

Tiffany tagged me for a Meme. Thanks!

The rules are that I have to thank the person who tagged me (check), complete a list of 8 (check), and then tag 8 other people (and let them know I tagged them). (Check). So here goes nothing:

8 Things I Am Looking Forward To:

1. Seeing my new baby boy (in at the most 12 days!)
2. Summer break
3. Plus maternity leave
4. Being able to drink an alcoholic beverage again!
5. Our trip to the beach in August
6. A new school year- hopefully without all the drama
7. Seeing my mom and sister
8. Eating sushi again

8 Things I Did Yesterday:

1. Took Grayson to school
2. Treated him to Dunkin’ Donuts
3. Worked
4. Helped present at our 8th grade graducation
5. Sand songs with Grayson on the way home
6. Made spaghetti for dinner
7. Facebooked
8. Read The Pillars of the Earth

8 Things I Wish I Could Do:
1. Ged mad without crying
2. be more athletic
3. keep my house spotless
4. drink a margarita! (especially after a day like today)
5. sleep in past 9 am
6. have time to bake everyday
7. get caught up on my scrapbooks and family videos
8. go on vacation every three months

8 Shows I Watch:

1. Lost
2. Gray’s Anatomy
3. The Office
4. American Idol
5. Top Chef
6. Desperate HOusewives
7. Borthers and Sisters
8. Celebrity Rehab

8 Favorite Fruits:
1. Cantaloupe
2. Strawberries
3. Fresh Peaches
4. Fresh Cherries
5. Gala Apples
6. Bananas
7. Blueberries
8. Raspberries

8 Places I’d Like to Travel:
1. Greece
2. Africa
3. Alaska
4. New Zealand
5. Costa Rica
6. England
7. Ireland
8. Italy

8 Places I’ve Lived:
1. Webster
2. Lake Panasoffkee
3. Gainesville
4. Clermont
5. Cornelius
6. Matthews
7. Midland
8.

8 People I’ve Tagged:
1. Renee
2. Jacquleine
3. Angelle
4. Dena
5. Misty
6. Stephanie
7. Rebecca
8. Courtney

Doctor’s Appointment: Another week down, two more to go! Again everything continues to go smoothly. No concerns as far as blood pressure, urine, weight, etc. I am now about 2 cm dilated- but I think we all know that that doesn’t really mean anything. I could stay that way for the next two weeks. My next appointment is on Monday. My doctor will check me again then and then set an induction date for the following week in case nothing happens on it’s own in the meantime.

Baby Development: The baby has really plumped up. He weighs about 6.8 pounds and likely measures around 20 inches from head to heel. Crown to rump length is around 14 inches. He has a firm grasp, which we’ll soon be able to test when we hold his hand for the first time! His organs have matured and are ready for life outside the womb. By now all instinctual reflexes should be developed- sucking, rooting, grasping, breathing, etc. It is now only matter of time before labor begins.

How I Feel: I am definitely starting to feel more uncomfortable. The baby seems to be pushing downward a lot these days which makes walking a bit more cumbersome. The swelling does not seem to be as bad as a few weeks ago, although the carpal tunnel continues to linger. My belly is officially HUGE! I am down to only a few things that I feel comfortable wearing. Luckily this is the last week of work at my school- so no need to stress about what to wear next week! I could wear the same thing everyday if I have to! On a funny note, I tried roller skating last week. Now I completely calculated the risk of skating based upon my changes in balance. However, I never once considered how the widening of my hips would affect my ability to move on wheels. That made things very difficult indeed! Needless to say I made ONE very slow lap around the rink and then called in quits. I was disappointed that it didn’t bring on a few contractions- but as I know from experience- my babies like to stay in womb until the due date if not longer. So unless anyone out there has some sort of great advice for causing labor, I believe I am in for at least two more weeks!

Also, click on the photos above to see the maternity photographs my great friend Dave took for me. It has taken me a while to get them posted on here- but aren’t they worth the wait?