Kelly in NC

Grayson,
Where did this month go? I swear that it has passed the quickest of them all! Or maybe it just seems like a blur because I’ve spent most of it chasing you. This month you learned to say “come on” (pronounced “mon” and used with a sweeping up-and-over arm motion) and you say it constantly. You want us to feed you: “mon eat” + hand motion toward the kitchen. You want to play basket ball: “mon buh ball” + hand motion running toward the goal. You want to go out side: “mon ou-si” + hand motion moving toward the door. You get the picture. If we do not listen the first time, you will choose one of two approaches: 1) repeat the request with a louder voice and bigger hand motion or 2) grab us by the hand and drag us to the requested location. I am pretty certain that you learned this new trick from your cousin Ella. She was telling you all about “come on” when you visited her house not too long ago. She’d tell you where to go and you followed her all over the place. Then, next thing we know you came home and started repeating it the next day. Too funny!

Speaking of funny, this month you have laughed over a million times over the game Hide and Seek. We started playing it a few weeks ago with Daddy. After putting on your pajamas, Daddy hides and then we search around the room looking for him. You have gotten really good at guessing where he might be and you giggle everytime you’ve discovered where he has hidden. This past week, you decided to start hiding too! You have declared some of Daddy’s best hiding places as your own- such as under the crib, in the closet, and behind the curtain. The funniest part is that before we even have a chance to begin looking for you, your laugh gives you away. And as if those elfish giggles weren’t enough to give away your hiding spot, you only give us 3 seconds before you peak you head out and wave “mon” before hiding again. I think that we are going to have to keep working with you on the strategy for the game- but strategic or not- we have a blast playing it!

In the past 31 days you have learned to put two and three words together. I believe that it began with you saying “Dada truck” and has now progressed to you giving us commands- “move Mama” or “more milk peas”. You boss Ozzy around- “Beep, beep Ozzy” and are working on your color words “boo tractor”. You can identify a circle and a heart and are working on naming your other shapes. Your cartoon repertoire has expanded to include Thomas and Friends (aka- “choo choo”) and Bob the Building (aka- “tractor”) although you still love to watch Blue’s Clue’s.

Now in your opinion, the coolest thing that you learned this month- better than saying sentences or learning how to hide- was learning how to hop. You have been working on this movement for quite sometime, but is wasn’t until a few weeks ago that you finally figured out how to propel youself forward. The look on your face was priceless- determination mixed with amazement- so glad that you had finally discovered how to hop like a bunny. So now when you get excited you jump around the house and often yell to us “Mon jump!” I have attached a little video highlighting your latest moves and I hope you know that Daddy and I are proud of your determination. There are so many things about you that make us proud…so many things that we can’t help but brag about to anyone who will listen.

Each day I look and realize something new about you. And so I aim to caputre each fleeting glimpse because I know that they will not last for long. I want to remember everything about being your mom and having you as my son. Already I forget how tiny you were in my arms at birth and the memories of you waking every 4 hours at night have also faded. So from this month, I want to remember you reciprocating a raspberry on my stomach and thinking is was hilarious. I want to remember the sound of your voice as you make the animal sounds when I sing Old MacDonald’s Farm- usually intermingled with giggles. I want to remember hearing you call my name first thing in the morning and feeling your hands tighen around my neck when we walk up the stairs before bed. I want to remember it all! Grayson, you are such a wonderful gift in my life and pray that I never take you for granted. So as always, thank you for another special month.

I love you more and more each day!
Love,
Mama