Kelly in NC

Grayson,
Where should I begin? This month has passed the fastest of them all. You are now 334 days old. Wow! When I say it like that it makes you sound ancient! But ancient, you are not! Yes, you have changed alot since you entered the world almost a year ago…but no you are not yet a “boy”. For at least one more month you will be considered a baby…and maybe for a bit longer than that if I have anything to do with it. Clothing size and appetite are not considered in determining into which category you fall. So even though you are now wearing 18 month clothes and eating portions the size most toddlers eat, you are still a baby. Thank God because in my book you are growing up way too fast anyhow!
You are now up to 6 teeth; four on the top and two on the bottom. You love those pearly whites, showing them off with a toothy smile any chance you get and of course by using them to chomp on all kinds of things. This month you received your first spanking (not on purpose, it was more of a split second reaction, and more of a soft swat than a spanking) when you decided to taste my shirt and bite right into my shoulder. Daddy couldn’t believe that I would (delicately) hit you, that is until you accidentally bit him too. We have since made it a rule that you are not allowed to taste clothing. You did not appreciate this rule until the other night. I was in the process of getting you into your pajamas and was pulling your hand through the sleeve. Apparently the sleeve looked delicious and so you decided to take a bite…right into your own hand. You howled and cried and when I finally got your arm through the shirt, I could see why. You had two deep teeth marks on the fleshy part of your hand. See? It hurts! Biting is bad! Amazingly, we haven’t had a problem since.
For the past 28 days, you have been very busy practicing your budding verbal and physical skills. You are still crawling and cruising; not yet interested in walking. You continue to babble and can be heard talking to yourself in your crib at night and in the back of the car on the way to school. We still do not understand anything you say. You have mastered the cup and have learned how to put yourself to sleep at night. Daddy or I put you in your crib at exactly 7:30 every evening (almost) and within 10 minutes you will be dead to the world…without any crying. You have learned to point and your receptive language has grown by leaps and bounds. I was surprised when one night before bed I sat down to read you a new book “Find the Duck”. On each of the pages there was a duck; sometimes he was easy to find (on those pages you pointed directly to him without any prodding) and on other pages the duck was well hidden (on those pages you would flip back to one of the easier pages and point him out there instead). You love your cow, pig, and frog bath animals and will give the right one on command. You have learned how to make “kiss” sounds although you are still not giving kisses. Instead when we ask for a kiss, you push your cheek against ours as if the kisses only go one way… I do not think so little boy! You need to figure that one out…and soon!
Your love for Ozzy continues to grow. Unfortunately his has not. He does seem to enjoy your presence in the house around meal times…especially if you are eating cheese, carrots, or any meat since those are his favorite foods. You crawl after that dog as fast as possible, but he is still too fast for you. On a positive note, you have learned how to treat him nicely. On the occasion when Daddy or I make Ozzy sit still, you will softly pat his back and if you have enough time, you’ll lay your head down on his back; touching your cheek to his soft fur. Continue these nice ways and maybe, just maybe, Ozzy will see that you are a friend and not a foe. Just give it time.
Only 31 more days and we will be celebrating your first year. It is hard to believe that you have been with us that long. It seems like just yesterday that I was as big as a house and was pushing your father around the yard in a wheel-barrow in hopes that you would finally decide to join us outside the womb. Have I told you how glad I am to not be that big and uncomfortable anymore? And have I told you that I would gladly do it all over again knowing that I would be able to stare into your big blue eyes and hold your chubby hand? Everyday that I hold you in my arms and tickle your plump neck, I thank God for the miracle he has given me. I only hope that as a mom I make you feel as special and happy as you make me feel everyday. Happy 11 months!
Love,
Mommy
P.S. Click on photo at the top to see the other photos taken for month 11.

Well, this weekend has been a full one…and to be honest, one of the best weekends that I have had in a while. Sure, I love St. Patty’s day and drinking Irish beer is always a blast! But this is the first weekend in a long time that I was able to just relax and enjoy myself. I must admit that I was not so sure that I was on the path to a relaxing weekend on Friday afternoon. Before lunch time, we received a call from Grayson’s day care stating that they thought he had pink eye and that he was really sick. After a visit to the pediatrician we found out that while he did have a cold, which as usal had settled in his ears causing an infection, he did not have pink eye! Thank goodness since we had a party to attend on Saturday. By that Friday evening I was exhausted from trying to entertain the “kid”and so I convinced Tim to watching a movie (Little Miss Sunshine) with me and then go to bed at a reasonable hour (10:00).
Satuday morning was “my” morning (we take turns on who gets up with Gray each day) and I was very pleased with myself when I convinced Grayson to go back to sleep after his morning bottle…until 8 am. What an angel! Then I spent the morning just playing with Gray! The day was beautiful, although a bit cold. We didn’t let the nip in the air stop us from soaking up the sunshine though. Then yesterdayafternoon, we all went to my nephew Jack’s house to celebrate his one year birthday. It is hard to believe that he is already a year old. My has the time flown. We had a blast watching the babies play, observing Jack’s reaction to his bright red Elmo cake, and finally a walk to the spec home my brother-in-law is building. Again, I went to bed early, this time by 11 pm.
This morning was Tim’s turn with Grayson, so I was able to sleep until almost 9 am. Unbelievable, I know! Then Tim left to work on one of his side jobs and Grayson and I stayed home to entertain ourselves. At 11 am he was exhausted and refused to sleep in his crib. I finally conviced him to fall asleep in my arms and as the selfish mom I am, who knows that my days of napping with a baby on my chest are numbered, laid down on the couch with him and napped until after 1 pm. Yes…I know. I got over 10 hours of sleep the night before and still took a nap. You see, before I had a baby I LOVED to nap. But I guess that is one of the sacrifices of having kids. Anyhow, after our nap, we went for a walk with the dog and otherwise just lazed around the house doing alot of nothing. Who knew it could be so much fun?
So I guess tomorrow I will pay for my weekend of laziness. My in-laws are coming in town for the weekend and so I cannot put off cleaning my house any longer. I am looking forward to their visit, although I know it will packed to the brim. So I guess that it is a good thing that I took advantage of this weekend of rest. I am not sure when another one like it will come around again.
You can view my photos from the weekend by clicking here.

So my friend Angelle sent me to this site to determine just how “southern” I really am. Well, this test proves it! I was born in the south and southern I am. How about you? Check it out!

Well, we did it! Earlier this week we finally put a contract on a lot. Yes, Tim actually bit the bullet. For anyone who doesn’t know Tim and the experience of house shopping with him, he is THE most wishy-washy home buyer I know. I cannot tell you how many houses we passed on in the last year only to hear him say 10 days later “I think that we should have bought that house.” The last “just missed” house was actually a god-send…since it is the one who led us to the lot. Of course when we looked at the house, I was ready to sign. It had some issues of course (updating was needed), but it hit all of our requirements including more space, a larger lot, and closer to all members of our family. Tim drug his feet and 7 days after it went on the market (and we had our walk through) he decides we should buy. He calls the realtor only to find the house already had a contract (no shit, the house was a steal) and that there was a back up offer too. Well by this point, we liked the neighborhood so much that we began cold calling owners of open lots. We found one person willing to sell…and without a realor fee! It is a 1.5+ acre lot on a culdesac…that has a pond for Ozzy to swim in. (When we went out to the property last weekend, I even saw to yellow labs swimming in it…I am sure that Ozzy will have at least 2 new friends!) And I guess the rest is history. So now that we have a contract, we now have less than 30 days to decide on a home plan, have the lot approved for septic, well, and of course turn in all of the required paperwork for a mortgage. Am I the only one out there surprised at the amount of paperwork mortgage lenders request? Paystubs, list of assets, W2s, and on and on and on.
Anyhow, this is the house plan that I like the most so far. I like the big greatroom and kitchen island. I think that it will be perfect for all of those weekend family get-to-gethers. There are a few things that we would like to adjust…like maybe another bonus room over the garage, getting rid of the door in the laundry room. What do you think? Anyone out there know of any great home plan websites? We need to make a decision fast and I am SICK of searching.