Kelly in NC

Grayson-
The past three months have been a blur. Especially since there were so many holidays packed into the past 13 weeks. For Halloween, you dressed as a UPS man and went trick-or-treating with your “bes fwind Jack”. You really got into the spirit of the holiday this year and couldn’t wait to see what type of candy you would get at each house. For Thanksgiving, you were visited by lots of family. MiMi, Aunt Jennifer, Mr. Glenn, Great Grandpa and Great Grandma Brun all came in town to enjoy the Thanksgiving feasts! And then only a month later, Uncle Joe, Aunt Amy, Adler, Mimi and Mr. Glenn made the trip up to visit you for Christmas. You loved Christmas this year, particularly Santa Clause. You were very excited on our trip to see him and even now over a month later, you continue to ask about him. One of your funniest stories on Christmas was how you got in the habit of opening presents for four days in a row. On the fifth day you said to me, “Mama, more presents? I open more presents?” I sadly had to tell you no, although you continued to ask for two more days before you realized that the presents were over for a while. For New Years, you celebrated with all of your North Carolina family and with Paw Paw who made a special trip up from Florida to visit you. You enjoyed the few days you were able to spend with Paw Paw, and especially the time you spent with him around the campfire. I am not sure you realize it yet, but Grayson one day you will know that you are blessed to have such a wonderful family both here in NC and those who live far away.
As I think about how you have changed in the past 92 days, I swear that you continue to grow more and more into a little boy every day. Your language skills have greatly increased. You now LOVE to talk- earning yourself the nickname “Jaws” from Daddy because as he says “You are always jacking your jaws!” You now say things like “dat’s Awesome!” or “Oh Cool!”, making you sound like the big boy you think you are! You have begun to sing entire songs all by yourself. Your favorite ones to sing are your ABCs, the Bob the Builder theme song, “E-I-E-I-O”, the Itsy Bitsy Spider, and Jesus Loves Me. At Christmas time you loved “Sana Cwause Coming to Town”. You can now count to 20, although on occasion you skip 13. (Everyone knows that it is an unlucky number anyhow!) You can identify all your shapes and colors.
Speaking of becoming a big boy, just this month Daddy and I moved you into a “Big Boy” toddler bed. We were very worried that you would be out of bed 100 times once you left the crib, but you have surprised us as usual. In the past 2 weeks, you haven’t gotten out of your bed once. When you wake up in the morning, you sit in your bed and call us, asking “Dit up time? Dit up time, yet?” You love your big boy bed and to think that I was worried about transitioning you out of the crib!
Also since moving into your big boy bed, you have finally decided to start using the potty. Daddy and I are not really pressing the issue, but you will try using the potty a few times each day. You love your potty prizes- with candy or more recently with stickers that your Aunt Jennifer keeps sending you from Florida. You proudly pronounce to anyone who will listen “I doe pee pee in duh potty!” Daddy and I are proud of you too!
Finally the biggest change for you this quarter has been the news of adding a little brother to our family. When asked where the baby is you will matter of factly state “in Mommy’s belwy.” Sometimes you will randomly walk up to me, press you head against my tummy and proclaim “the baby’s cwying, mama.” You have even picked out a name for your little brother- JJ. (Who also happens to be your imaginary friend that surfaced last month.) You seem to understand that you are going to be a big brother soon, but truthfully you have no idea how much your life is going to change in five months. I have spent a lot of time thinking about how to make this transition as easy as possible for you. For over two and a half years, you have been the center of the universe for our family and so I know that it will be challenging to have to share your time with Mommy and Daddy. In time, I hope you will understand that a big part of adding to our family was really for you. We wanted to give you the most wonderful gift that our own parents gave us- a sibling. So we will continue to prepare you for the major life change that is coming your way, and with luck you will be just as happy and as excited as we are when the new baby arrives. (At least for the most part!)
Thank you for the past nine hundred, eighty-one days. You have given a new meaning to each and every one of them. As always, I love more and more each day!
Love,
Mama

So besides playing in the snow, here is what I spent the rest of my “Snow Day” accomplishing…another scrapbook page. This one is of Grayson’s visit with Santa this year. It was created using the free Seaonal Sampler Holiday2006 kit from Shabby Princess.

From Scrapbook

It worked! The snow dance worked! We have a snow day. We are off to go play in the powder and build a snowman. Grayson is SOOOO excited. I’ll try to post photos a little later today!

Here’s the photos! We had a blast chasing each other through the snow, building a snowman, making snow angels, and Grayson loved being pulled by Tim on a garbage can lid. What a fun day. See the rest of today’s photos by clicking on the picture below!

From Scrapbook

Finally another scrapbook page (Tempate: KijmLizzy free DIP template 33 Kit: Lazy Summer. This one is in honor of my brother-in-law Kevin who was officially as “old as dirt” in November…or at least 40. I swear that Kevin is the youngest looking 40 year old person I have ever known. He is kind and thoughtful, sarcastic at times, but always fun to be around…even if he is almost ancient. He is a wonderful father, and an even better brother-in-law. I am lucky to have him as a part of my family. So Happy Birthday Kevin, you junk-collecting old fart!

By the way, have I mentioned how SLOW my computer works on my scrapbooking projects. It is driving me crazy. I know, I know…buy the IMac already. I would but it seems as if we have been making a number of large purchases lately that seem to “trump” by new computer. First there was Christmas and now we just bought a new leather recliner for Tim’s Audio/Video Room. Maybe next month. Yes, the A/V room is basically finished…except for a few final details and furniture. I promise to post photos once it is completely finished!

Lastly, cross your fingers and do your snow dance….I am praying for a snow day tomorrow!

I have been meaning to do this post for quite sometime. At least once a week, my In-laws do something to make me feel like the luckiest Daughter-In-Law in the world. I mean I knew that I had great In-Laws before they moved up NC…They were sure to visit every 2-3 months in order to build a relationship with Grayson. They would call often with the latest gossip on the Gators, NASCAR, family, recipes, etc. And to make matters even tougher (is that a word?) for them, they had a lot to live up to in my eyes- I do have two really great parents myself. Anyhow like I said, I knew that I had great in-laws before they moved up here- but I swear that they have gotten even more amazing in the last 9 months.
Case in point: Just this past week, Mom B calls me up at work and says: Hey- if you haven’t made dinner tonight, I would happy to bring something over to eat.” I of course jump all over this. Tim’s mom is a fabulous cook and let’s be honest- I do not think about dinner on a work day until I actually get home from work. So anyhow, they come over carting not only soup, sandwiches, and a vegetable tray…but an apetizer and dessert to boot. They said they were cleaning out their refrigerator before they went out of town…but really? And the story does not end there. Tim’s mom also tidys up my kitchen (in a nice way- not a judgemental, controlling way) and Tim’s dad takes the time to entertain my kid! And that is just one example.
When Tim’s dad is bored, he comes over to our house and with Tim’s permission works on our “fix it” list. He has adjusted doors that didn’t close properly, raked my yard, cleaned out our gutters, etc. He has even sat at our house while subcontractors are here because we were not able to be home.
So see- Eat Your Hearts Out! I know you’re jealous! Who wouldn’t be? Most people are burdened with tiresome, unpleasant In-Laws. Not me! Mine are fabulous!
So thanks for everything Mom B and GB! Lucky for you- you have no competition…yet! Maybe one day I’ll be lucky enough to have my own parents living close by too. Then you may as well say I died and went to heaven with all the attention I’d get then!

While taking a shower tonight:
Grayson: “Mama, Mama, I pee pee in the shower!” (very excited)
Me: “oh, ok- well next time let’s try to pee pee in the potty.”
Grayson: “No mama! I pee pee in the shower…like Daddy!” (obviously proud of himself.)
Me: “TIMMMMM!!! GET IN HERE NOW!”

Ummm, really? On almost a daily basis I seriously wonder how my child would turn out if Tim had to raise him on his own. Am I the only one who wonders about things like this? Am I the only person whose husband is just an over grown kid???

Doctor’s Appointment: Well, as mention in the last bump update, we had another ultrasound at this visit. The baby is measuring right on target and we sat in awe watching him kicking his little legs and touch his face. That’s right, I said “him”. It’s a boy! Tim was very concerned about the ultrasound tech being accurate with the sex, so she showed us his little penis from numerous views! The only potential concern that came up with this ultrasound was that the placenta is a little low in the uterus. We will take another peek in a few months to make sure the placenta moves higher in the uterus. The doctor did not seem particularly concerned- so neither are we. Measurements, blood pressure, weight (total 11 lb gain) are all in the normal range.

Baby Development: At almost 18 weeks, the baby has almost doubled in size since last month. He is now the length of a large bell pepper at around 5.5 inches long and around 7 oz. in weight. His body is now growing faster than his head, which now sits upon a more distinct neck. The skeleton is changing from cartilage to bone and the umbilical cord has grown thicker. His arms are in proportion to the size of his body and the legs are now longer than his arms.
The baby can now squint, frown, grimace, pee, and even suck his thumb! (Which I think we saw on the ultrasound- although it is difficult to really know.) Thanks to brain impulses, his facial muscles are getting a workout as his tiny features form one expression after another. His kidneys are producing urine, the liver is making bile, and his spleen has begun helping in the production of red blood cells. His tiny little heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day and is beating at 138 beats per minute. Although the eyelids are still fused shut, the baby can now sense light. He has formed taste buds, has begun growing toe nails, and his sweat glands are starting to develop. (Will he have the family “sweat”gene like Tim & Grayson?) He can move his joints and is busy flexing his arms and legs (which I can feel inside if I really concentrate- but are not strong enough to be felt outside yet.)
How I Feel: Now that I am a full month into my 2nd trimester, I am feeling great! I can stay up late (if I really want to) and I finally feel as if I have gotten a lot of my energy back. I am hungry all the time and have begu to feel “shaky” if I try to skip a snack. I try to surround myself with healthy snacks (fruits and vegetables) because otherwise I’m afraid I will end up being the size of a house by the end! At night, I can often feel the baby moving inside, although I am sure this is only because this in my 2nd pregnancy and so I know what it feels like. I keep waiting for our little boy to get strong enough for Tim and Grayson to feel it too…maybe in a few more weeks. I am officially wearing maternity clothes most of the time even though there are only a few that really fit at this point. I can’t tell you how excited I am to have another little boy in our family. I didn’t mention it to many people, but I did have a feeling that this one was also a boy! I guess I was right!

As predicted, the last 4 days have been a blur. My sister Renee and I convinced my dad to come up for a visit over the New Year’s Holiday and we have been busy, busy, busy spending time with him. He hasn’t visited us in NC for over 2 years so as you might imagine we couldn’t wait for him to arrive…and then of course we couldn’t pack in enough quality time to spend with him. (You can see my photos for the last few days by clicking on the photo above. They begin with a New Year’s Eve dinner at my house, then there are photos of the guys go-cart racing, a trip to the race shop, and finally a few shots a trip we took to the local gold mine.)
I guess as I get older I realize that my parents are getting older too. When you only get to see the people you love a few times a year, it really makes those moments even more important. I read other people’s blogs about losing parents or grandparents in their families and it makes me recognized that I often take the precious amount of time I have with my loved ones (especially those who live far away) for granted. There were times over the past few days that I observed how gray my dad’s hair has gotten or noticed some new wrinkles I hadn’t seen before. (I’m sure he noticed a few new gray hairs on me too by the way!) Am I really ready to see him get old? Do I have a choice? On many occasions I watched Grayson asking him questions or trying to play with his Paw Paw and I realized how important this trip was for Gray. I was never able to know my paternal grandfather, and I would hate that Grayson be robbed of that opportunity too. It’s easy for all of us to get caught up in our daily existence and not stay in close contact with all of our family. So I guess my New Year’s Resolution for 2009 is to do a better job of calling and visiting my family in Florida. They are such an important part of my life and I hope to never take them for granted.