Kelly in NC

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!

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?

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.

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.

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.

From random

I have mentioned Grayson’s new bedroom in a few different posts and decided that it was time to finally let you see what it looks like. He has been in his new room for a couple of week now and as expected transitioned without a problem. We went with a construction truck theme. Anyone who knows my kid, knows that he LOVES trucks. I made the border and Grayson stickers myself- as I couldn’t find anything that matched and was at a reasonable rate. We purchased all the furniture courtesy of Craig’s list. $375 for the bed (with mattress), night stand, and a dresser with mirror (not pictured). I still need to purchase a reading chair for the dormer window area and I’m considering using the chalkboard paint on one of the walls too. Has anyone used the chalk board paint and have an opinion? So while the room is not completely finished, it is livable and Grayson loves his new “Blue Room” as he likes to call it!

For Grayson’s Birthday weekend (back in April), Tim and I took him to the local zoo. This is a smaller zoo than the one we visited last year- but the perfect size for taking a three year old. I mean let’s be honest- his attention span isn’t really that long. We were at the zoo for a total of 3.5 hours and were able to see all the animals- except for the gorillas. We tried to see the gorillas on three different occasions- but each time they were hiding. Just my luck (They are my favorite!) Grayson’s favorite animals were the grizzly bears (which we saw wrestling), the fish in the aquarium, and the sea lions. He enjoyed the elephants, giraffes, and lions too- but loved the first three the most. The other highlight of the trip was Grayson’s ride on the merry-go-round. He picked out a big baboon to ride and smiled the entire time he rode around and around. Check out the photos from the day by clicking here.

I just realized that I have really been slacking when it comes to sharing my photos lately. I know that you are all so sad…but to be honest, I usually post them on here and write down a few details so that when I finally get around to scrapbooking I have all the info I need. Deceptive, isn’t it? Well, now I am going to have to go backwards- load all my photos and give you all the details of the past few months. So here goes!
Last night, Tim and I were invited (although we may have invited ourselves??) by Renee and Kevin to take Grayson to NASCAR Pole Night. This was Grayson’s 1st experience sitting in the speedway and man did he love the race cars. He was able to identify his favorites- Kasey Kahn, Elliott Sadler, Carl Edwards and was very excited when he saw them. He only went without the headphones for a couple of laps and the look on his face when he heard the loud cars was priceless. He would have sat there forever had we let him and when we did finally leave he kept saying funny things like:
“Doze Wace Cars were Smokin’ fast!”
“Why we haf to weave now?”
“Are the race cars going nighty-night too?”

Grayson cracks me up constantly and I just realized that I have not been documenting these funny quips. So here’s his latest:
A few evenings ago Tim and I took Grayson and Ozzy for a walk. Since Ozzy is not able to walk far distances, we actually load him into a wagon and Tim pulls him around the neighborhood. (Yes, I can imagine what my neighbors think.) Anyhow, about 1/2 way through the walk, Grayson also gets tired and decides to ride on the wagon. About this time, we reach the turn around point for our walk and Tim realizes that he now has to pull both the dog and Grayson back up a hill that we just descended. Tim starts to complain saying, “Great, now I have to pull both of them up that hill!” Before I could open my mouth, Grayson quips in, “Oh Daddy! Just use you’re big muscles!” Ha! So shut it Daddy and get movin’ - that’s what I would have added- but I was already laughing too hard!

Here’s the low-down of the past week!
~On Monday, since it was Grayson’s birthday I brought the afternoon snack for his class. He requested spiderman popsicles and the kids loved them. I mean what kid wouldn’t love a popsicle with the warm weather that is upon us? For dinner, Grayson asked for pizza and Nagy and Pop-Pop met us out to eat. Afterwards, we went back to Nagy and Pop-Pop’s to sing Happy Birthday while Grayson blew out his three candles on top of a Little Debbie brownie.
~On Tuesday, when I picked Grayson up from school his teacher declared that there must be something wrong with him. He had hit, pinched, and bitten (3 times) his friends at school. I was completely surprised. This is not the way Grayson usually treats his classmates. I mean hitting or pinching- that is his M.O. when he is extremely frustrated. But he has NEVER been a bitter. So three times in one day was unbelievable! So after I made Grayson apologize to his teacher for having such a terrible day, we left the classroom and walked out to my car. As we got to my car, he grabbed his left ear and proclaimed, “Mama, my ear huwts! There’s a wood chip inside it!” So I take a look and sure enough there was something inside his ear. I assumed it was earwax and attempted to scoop it out with my fingernail. Before I could barely get my finger nail inside his ear, he began howling. I then decided to take him back into school to see if I could get someone else’s opinion. Luckily they had a pair of tweezers and with the help of the preschool director, I extracted yes, a wood chip. His teacher was as surprised as I was. She had asked him all day what was wrong and had even taken his temperature because he was so unlike himself. She had questioned him all day if he felt ok, but not once did he mention the fact that he had stuck a wood chip in his ear while on the playground- 1st thing that morning. Why he waited all day to tell someone is beyond me. No wonder the kid was biting people- a wood chip stuck in my ear would have made me pretty irritable too!
~Now unfortunately, that is not the end of the biting story. The next day when I picked Grayson up from school I again asked his teacher if he had a better day than they day before. “Yes,” she answered, “although he did bite someone.” I was again in shock- since I had totally blamed the day before’s incidents on the wood chip. Then his teacher told me the rest of the story. After he bit his friend, she put Grayson in time out and was explaining to him that it is not nice to bite your friends. According to her, Grayson looked up at her with his blue innocent eyes and said “But Miss Wendy- I wasn’t biting. I was nibblin’.” NIbbling? Miss Wendy said that at that response she had to walk away since she was on the edge of laughter. I was perplexed as to where the word nibbling came from. It is not a word that I ever use and Miss Wendy said that she doesn’t use it- but obviously he picked it up from somewhere. Later that evening I told Tim the story of Grayson “Nibbling” and when I get to Grayson’s excuse for biting someone, Tim turns bright red and begin laughing. “It’s form you. Isn’t it? YOU use the word nibbling?” Tim had to admit that yes, he was the source of Grayson’s newest vocabulary word and he also to blame for Grayson thinking that it was ok.. to “nibble” on someone. Apparently, we the two of the them are wrestling, Tim will press his teeth to Grayson’s ribs (which tickles him) and Grayson will say (while laughing) “No Daddy. No biting.” Tim’s response? You guessed it- “I’m not biting! I’m just nibbling!”
~On Saturday, Carri and Dave visited our house. I asked Dave if he would be willing to take a few maternity photos of me before I got way too fat to be photographed. He was kind and brought over all of his equipment to do the photos. I cannot wait to see the final product. I saw some the shots and they are great! I’ll be sure to post them when I get them back!
~This afternoon after working around the house all day, Tim and I went inside to eat lunch. When we came back out about 30 minutes later, we could not find Ozzy. We walked all the way around our house, into the woods, looked in the garage and in the shop, and could not find him anywhere. Now Ozzy has gotten much better at walking- but not so good that he could leave our yard. (We live on over an acre.) Or at least we thought. I finally decided that I would go ask our neighbors. They love our dog and sometimes come by to visit with him. As I started walking down our drive way and across the street to their house., I saw him- sitting submerged like an alligator in the pond next door. Somehow, Ozzy managed to get all the way out of our yard, into our neighbors yard, and down into the pond (a total of about 200 ft). Man, that dog is motivated. Now I should probably tell you that Ozzy pretty much lived in the pond before his accident. So it should be no surprise that he wanted to go for a swim. We were just surprised that he could walk that far. I guess we won’t leave him outside unsupervised anymore!
~Finally, here are the photos I took of Grayson at age three.

Grayson,
How is it possible that three years have passed since the day you made your late entrance into my life and changed my world forever? It seems like only a small time ago that I held you in my arms for the first time and thought that your white, shriveled fingers were the most beautiful things I had ever seen! Of course, now I know that is not the case. Because in the past 1,096 days I have been blessed with seeing your face light up with your impish grin on numerous occasions. That smile to me is the most remarkable sight and the reason I try everyday to be a good mom to you. I can remember my excitement when I saw your first toothless smile, but even then I had no idea how much better my life would become because you were a part of it. Without a doubt this year has been my favorite yet. Yes, gone are the days when you loved me unconditionally. Gone are the unlimited moments when I could snuggle with you on my own demand. But instead those tender moments have been replaced with an independent little boy who knows just how to melt my heart and brighten my day. You have grown so funny in the past year and I often look forward to your next funny story that I can tell others. The most recent funny story was when we were eating breakfast yesterday and I asked you to not touch me with your sticky, syrupy hands. You thought this was funny and immediately stuck out both arms in an attempt to hug me and said, “But Mama- I LOVE you!” Now how was I suppose to respond to that?
This year, you have really expanded your language skills. You now use words like “actually”, “cool”, “awesome”, and “really” and will use adjectives to describe anything you are talking about. You have gone from using two word sentences last year to telling entire stories. You love to talk and often compete with your daddy at the dinner table to control the conversation. You will proudly proclaim “It’s my turn to talk” when you think that Daddy has taken up too much of the dinner conversation. When we agree that it is your turn, you will often start talking gibberish and laugh, thinking that you are the funniest person alive. Usually Daddy and I agree! Anything to see that smile, right? You have learned a number of opposite words- like big/small, tall/short, happy/sad, good/bad, yummy/yucky, etc. and you enjoy using these words to tell things apart. You have also learned how to pick out things that match and like to play games using those skills or select a shirt for Daddy that matches your own. Your love for books has grown and you often request that same book over and over again- using each reading as an opportunity to memorize the words on each page. Your favorite books this year have been “That’s Good, That’s Bad”, “See & Find Thomas”, ‘Trucks”, and “Jack and the Bean Stalk”. You finally began singing songs by yourself this year. You do not love to sing- but do it occasionally, more frequently in the morning than later in the day. Your favorite songs to sing are ‘Twinkle Little Star”, “Ba Ba Black Sheep”, and the “ABCs”. You know lots of other songs, but those are three that you will sing spontaneously. But just because you do not love to sing, doesn’t mean that you do not like to listen to music. You have now begun to request that Daddy play the Drum Song (Pearl Jam, of course) when you are in the truck together and you still let me sing you songs at bed time. You most frequently request some songs that I completely make up like the “Back Hoe Song (who went to work), or the “fire alarm” song, but you still love the oldies and goodies like “Grayson, Grayson” or “You are my Sunshine” and “Take me out to the ball game”. Now of course, Daddy and I would not be doing our jobs as your parents if we did not teach you the Gator pep song (Boys from Old Florida), which I have also turned into a frequent night time lullaby.
Your physical skills have also increased in the past 365 days. You have learned how to do somersaults, walk backwards, climb a tree, kick a ball, hit a ball on a tee, and manage the stairs all by yourself… most of the time. I mean you did have your first fall down the stairs about a week ago. Of course you were fine..a little shaken up, but no injuries. And to be honest, it may have been one of the best things to happen to you, since you are now much more careful and now take the time to hold onto the banister. You have mastered most playground equipment and love to climb ladders- usually indicating that you are a fireman when doing so. Most recently you have begun working on balancing on top of objects and find it hilarious when you accidently fall down. At your birthday party (which we celebrated a few weeks ago) you finally got over your fear of inflatable bouncers and I am hoping that your fear of swimming which began last summer will also disappear. You continue to love sports and this year added a new one- fishing- to your repertoire.
Finally, you have proven in the past year that you really are not a baby any longer. As if all the verbal and physical skills were not proof enough, you have really spent the last year attempting to sever all the ties between being a baby and becoming a “big boy”. At the beginning of year three you officially gave up you paci- with no fuss at all! This was a surprise to both me and Daddy, as we had been dreading the night of no more paci for months. Then in January you decided that you wanted to use the potty and within two months you were officially potty trained. You wear big boy underwear all day long and have only had two accidents that I am aware of- one of which was not your fault. For the past couple of months you have stayed dry at night (except for on a rare occasion) and so we are now considering wearing underwear to bed too! That hasn’t happened yet, but will definitely be a goal for year four! The other big change was your move from the crib to your “big boy” toddler bed. Daddy and I had been procrastinating on moving you because you had been so good in the crib. You had only tried to climb out once (years ago) and after being scolded, you never tried again. We were afraid of how difficult it might be to keep you in a bed and so we waited and waited until we realized that it was best to move you into the toddler bed before you new baby brother arrived. As is your style, you transitioned beautifully. You were very excited about the “big boy” bed and even now you will stay in your bed and call for us when you wake up. Again, alot of worry on our part for nothing.
Grayson, in most respects, you have been an easy child to raise up to this point. You are a good listener and accept consequences without issue. You are polite and caring. You love to interact with others and have never in your three years met a stranger. You are funny and smart and a good boy in so many ways. While Daddy and I would like to take credit for these skills, we know that most of it has to do with your big heart, your desire to make others happy, and your own independent nature. You are a happy kid with a priceless smile and you have in so many countless ways reminded both me and Daddy of the greater purpose in our lives. Three years ago, we only had dreams of what it would be like to be a parent. But now, because of you, our dreams have been realized and our dreams are so much more than we could have ever imagined. You have made us better people and have given more meaning to our lives than we ever knew was possible. You remind us daily to appreciate the simple things and to notice the world as it passes so quickly around us. Grayson, you truly are a blessing in our lives and I thank God every day for allowing us to be your parents.
Without a doubt, I love you more and more each day!
Happy 3rd Birthday!
Love,
Mama

This week, Grayson has discovered a love of fishing. Across our culdesac, our neighbors have a nice sized pond. With the warm weather, the bass have started biting, so Mr. Waddel invited Grayson over to try his hand with a rod and reel. At first Grayson just wanted to watch, but as of yesterday- his love for fishing was born. He “caught” three fish yesterday (or Mr. Wadell and Tim caught 3 fish and let Grayson pretend that he caught them)! When he woke up this morning, it was all he could think about. “Let’s go fissin!” “I got three fishes yesterday!” So tonight we went back over to the pond. Grayson has gotten pretty good an winding the line back in. Of ocurse he’s too slow to catch anything. I guess we’ll need to go purchase a little boy fishing rod now!
By the way, how cute is that picture???

I mean three posts in 3 days… and 4 scrapbooking layouts to boot! That really isn’t like me these days. I should probably wait a few days- but what the hell! The page is finished- so I may as well show it off! This one is of Tim’s guy trip out to Jackson Hole Wyoming last January. He had a great time- but do not even get me started on how I was screwed out this ski trip…anyhow, enjoy his photos.
This page was created using a template ($1) by LizDesigns and Kim Hill’s Snowboarding kit. By the way- I just realized that I have one MORE page to finish before I am officially finished with my 2008 scrapbook….

From Scrapbook

Also on a separate note, Grayson is really working hard on his potty training. The final step has been trying to convince him to go number 2 on the potty. We started with hot wheel bribes each time he used the potty and the first time he did it, I was cheering loudly and he looks up at me with those big blue eyes and says, “Mama, you pwoud uh me?” Umm, yea- I’m proud of you! Since the hot wheel bribes were going so well, we recently moved on to a potty chart. He has been working hard on filling in the chart and finally last night received his Hot Wheels Racing Hauler (a big rig). He was so excited to put his last sticker on the chart and then trade the chart in for the truck. YOu should have seen how happy he was!

So here’s a catch up on the happenings of my life since my last “Odds and Ends” post:
~For the past two weeks Grayson has been refusing to take his afternoon nap. He will stay in his bed- but will not fall asleep. He will usually call for me every 20-30 minutes to ask “Dit up time?” I still make him “rest” for the 2 hours- but man, I wish he would go back to sleeping! He’s been pulling the same stunt at school too. You can just imagine what the evening are like around here. So any suggestions?
~Grayson has been saying some rather funny things these days. Yesterday, I put him in the car to run an errand and realized that I had forgotten my coffee in the house. He looks at me and says, “Oh mama….You lost your mind!” I has also started to joke…or at least that what he calls it. He uses this one anytime I have asked him to do something and he refuses. I start counting and about the time that I am going to say “3″- he laughs and says “Mama, I jus jokin’!” then he runs off to do as I’ve asked.
~Tim was so cute on Valentine’s- or should I say the day before Valentines. He got home before me on Friday and said that I should go inside and look on the counter. There I found a beautiful vase of flowers. Then a few hours later he asks if I want the rest of my valentine’s gift. I tell him no- I can wait until Valentine’s Day. An hour later he asks again. I again choose to wait until the next day. The third time he asks, I finally say ‘Tim, is this something that I need to open tonight? If not I would rather wait until Valentine’s day in less than 9 hours.” His response, “No. it can wait. I’m just proud of myself for getting you something BEFORE the actual day!” And he should be proud of himself-as this must have really taken some effort. Buying gifts in advance is completely outside his nature. I did wait until Saturday to get the gift was very excited to receive a beautiful silver necklace. It’s the type of jewelry I could wear almost any day and I love it! I gave Tim a box of chocolates and made him a yummy dinner of steak, sweet potatoes, salad, and home-made chocolate cupcakes for dessert!
~Grayson was able to feel the new baby kick this week. I didn’t think that he really felt it or understood- but apparently he did. While visiting my neighbors this week, he proclaimed that his baby brother kicked him through mommy’s belly!
~I have finished a couple more scrapbook pages. The first one is from my nephew’s 2nd birthday in March. Template- a freebie from Moriginals. Paper/ Embellishments from a variety of sources…too many to credit!

From Scrapbook

This one is of photos from my nephews Jewish Naming Ceremony. The page was created using a free template from: http://www.scrapandrea.com and paper/embellishments: Merry Go ROund by Trish H Designs.

From Scrapbook

Today we had another snow day! We didn’t get nearly as much snow as a few weeks ago- but we did get almost an inch. It wasn’t enough to make a snowman or throw snowballs- but Grayson did make a snow angel and had Tim pull him around on the “sled” (a.k.a.- a garbage can lid with a rope attached). We took a walk thr0ugh the neighborhood and visited our neighbor’s horses in the barn. By then we were frozen and ready to warm up inside.
Now at 2 pm, the snow has all melted- but we still enjoyed the day off from work/school.

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

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???

Grayson has decided upon his favorite Christmas song: Santa Clause is Coming To Town. It is the only Christmas song he will allow me to sing and he will often walk around our house “singing” it to himself. Now, Grayson isn’t much of a singer- as you can tell from the video (if you decide to watch it). The child can’t carry a tune to save his life- but I think that it’s cute that he tries!

All weekend I have been talking “up” Grayson’s visit with Santa. We’ve discussed sitting on his lap, asking for Christmas gifts, what Santa would be wearing… You name it- we discussed it. I’m not sure why- but for some reason I was afraid that Grayson would be petrified of Santa. Now the kid has never met a stranger in his life- so why I was concerned- who knows? Anyhow, we went this morning to see Saint Nick.
We were the first people in line and Grayson was in awe over all the holiday decorations. The snowmen, the raindeer, the fake snow, the choo-choo trains, he couldn’t see it all fast enough. He seemed to see everything but Santa. So I got out my camera, took off his jacket, and pointed him toward Santa. He looked in the general direction but was still overwhelmed with all the Christmas lights. I turned his chin directing toward Santa and pointed again. The funniest thing happen. Grayson’s face slowly changed from a slack jaw in awe of the lights to the largest grin I had ever seen. He then let out a squeal and ran full force , screaming “Sana Cwause”, literally jumping full force into Santa’s lap. It was so cute and I wish that I had brought my video camera. I had no idea that he would be so excited. He proudly sat on Santa’s lap, asking for a fire truck for Christmas and touching Santa’s beard. I’m pretty sure that Santa will get him anything he wants with a reaction like that!

My only wish is that Grayson would act that excited when he sees me!

Grayson,
You are now two and half years old. It’s amazing that you have made it this far considering the dare devil you have become in the past three months. Fear holds no boundaries for you. In August you climbed your first tree, the Japanese Maple in the back yard. It was fun watching you decide to give it a try. The level of concentration on your face was hilarious. With a lot of detemination you figured out how to climb up to the second limb of the tree and then swing down- pretending to be a monkey. Then about a month later you decided to try jumping off of things. It started with the steps in the garage- but you have now progressed to much higher objects such as jumping off the patio or jumping out of the car. Sometimes you fall- but that seems to make the challenge even more exciting. You brush your hands off and insist on trying it again…by yourself! To prove that you truely are a dare devil- I must report that on more than one occassion you have tried to jump off the tailgate of Daddy’s truck…unassisted. Luckily- Daddy has always been there to catch you during your jump- but seriously child- do you have a death wish? I have a feeling that there will be a lot of trips to the emergency room in your future!
In August you had your very first Graduation, moving into the next class at your preschool. You are now is Ms. Wendy’s class and what a wonderful change it has been. You love the structure of her room and all the arts and crafts acitivities she has planned. I have been pleased to see how much you have learned while in her class. Each week she focuses on a letter and number of the week and we have so much fun looking for them on our drive home in the afternoons.
Your expressive skills continue to blossom and you have given up a number of funny mispronunciations. The one I will miss the most is “booger bike” the term you used for motorcycles. We were never sure where booger bike came from. Our best guess was that you were trying to say “big ole bike.” At this point, I guess it no longer matters since you absolutely refuse to use that term anymore. A new word you have added to your vocabulary in the past two days is the frightful word “why”.
“Put on your shoes Grayson.”
“Why?”
“Because we need to go outside.”
“Why”
And so it goes on and on. I really do not want to use my dad’s age old reply “To make you ask questions” but much more of this and I will be forced to give that response.
I am proud to say that in the last month your language skills have progressed to the point of being able to link up to three sentences together to tell a story. Of course most of you stories center around things that interest you the most- like the back hoe you saw on the ride home or who went to time-out at school. The funniest story was when you gave your Nagy a play-by-play of the “huge caca” in your pull up. You gave her details on the entire thing. Sick!
We’ve really been working on manners for the past few months and I am pleased to say that you are getting very good at using them. You will often say please and thank you (although thank you started out sounding like “NaKu” and then progresed more recenlty into “Fank you”). You did begin the dreaded whining- but with alot of redirection and some tips from Aunt Renee’- I’d say we have that down to a minimum. It’s funny to hear you change your tone of voice when I refuse to give in to your crying.
One of my highlights of the past few months has been your preference for Daddy to change you poopy diapers. If Daddy is anywhere close by when you fill your diaper- you will demand for him to be the one to clean you up. “No, Daddy change it!” If I suggest cleaning your diaper you will actaully go into a tantrum. Truthfully this is probably the only area where I tolerate you whining and mainly because I think it’s so funny. If only I could figure out why your started this demand and then apply it to some other areas of your life. Then life would be devine!
So as you can tell, you have continued to grow each day into a more independent little boy. From your better use of language to your desire to attempt difficult taks on your own- you are finding your own way to grow up. Luckily, you still request “hold me” and we continue to enjoy our songs in the rocking chair before putting you down to bed. Truthfully, our night time ritual is my favorite part of the day. I love to feel your soft body on my lap and I love how strong you hug my neck when you kiss me good night. So you are still my “precious little baby” in some ways and I hope that you will always let me baby you no matter how big you get.
Grayon, I really do love you more and more each day.
Love,
Mama
(You brought that term back, thank goodness!)

I found this over at my friend Jacqueline’s blog who apparently found it at my friend Angelle’s blog. So here goes!
1. What’s your middle name? George

2. What food will you eat every time? Hot Dogs

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

4. What’s your favorite drink? Sweet Tea (but you do not get it often)

5. What are your very favorite songs? The Wheels on the Truck, Ba Ba Black Sheep, and the Thomas song

6. Who are your favorite fictional characters? Blue, Elmo, Thomas the Train

7. What is your favorite TV show? Blues Clues

8. What is your favorite movie? (ummm- you do not have one. You won’t sit still long enough yet.)

9. What/Who are your favorite stuffed animals? The Big Brown Bear and your Baby Ozzy

10. What are your favorite electronic toys? The Caterpillar Bulldozer

11. What are your favorite non-electronic toys? Your Train set and all your construction equipment

12. What are your favorite books? Daddy Kisses, Good Night Moon, Bugs, Trucks

13. When’s your naptime? 11:30 or after lunch

14. When’s your bedtime? 7:30

15. What’s your bedtime routine? Bath, brush teeth, get dressed, read a book with daddy, give daddy kisses, sing 3 songs and rock with mommy, say good night prayers, give mommy a “monster hug” and a “big-0 kiss”, lay in crib, mommy sings the Thomas song, go to sleep.

16. Besides the obvious, what’s in your bed at night? The big Brown Bear, Your tag blankie, your “big blankie”, your Thomas pillow

17. When is your happiest time of the day? 4:00- when we pick you up

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

19. What makes you mad 100% of the time? Us telling you NO.

20. What do you do to make others laugh? crazy eyes, tickle, encourage people to chase you

21. What do you do that drives Mommy crazy? you’ve just started whining. yuck!

22. If you talk, 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)? Fank you for thank you

23. If you talk, what are your favorite words or phrases? NO!!! Thank you and anything to do with transportation.

24. What physical feat have you just accomplished? jumping off of things and landing the jump

25. Who are some friends you play with often? (School) Jack P, Abby, Garrett, Alex. (Home) Jack B., Ella, Kellynn

Also, here’s another scrapbook page. This one is from our trip to the Touch Truck Fair. I used Amanda Rockwell’s All Boy Kit:

From Scrapbook

Grayson seems to enjoy his new classroom. His teacher, Ms. Wendy is incredibly nice and keeps the kids very busy. He has been absolutely exhausted every night once he comes home, falling asleep within minutes of being put to bed. I think that he was ready for the change in classrooms for quite some time and I am glad to see him adjusting so well.

Here’s the scrapbook page I created from his Daycare Graduation:

This past weekend was packed full!
~On Thursday afternoon- we attended Grayson’s Graduation into the 2 year classroom. It was funny watching all of the toddlers march into the room, run for thier parents, and then of course not pay attention to anything. I am thankful that his teachers took the time to prepare the little cerem0ny. I may have teared up a time or two reflecting on how much he has grown. Tim’s parents were able to attend the graduation too! The highlight for Grayson was the little school bus they gave him as a present.
~Also on Thursday, Tim’s brother Joe and his family flew in from Florida. We haven’t seen my nephew Adler since March- so we couldn’t wait for them to arrive. Adler is a wonderful baby- quiet and mild tempered. We were sad to see them leave on Sunday and Grayson is still asking “A Agler doe?” or “Joe-Joe” or “an Amy”.
~On Friday night, we invited all of the family over to our house for BBQ. Tim’s aunts, grandparents, and cousins were in town from Ohio for Jill’s Baby shower on Saturday. Our house was filled to the max with fun, food, and laughter. We loved having everyone in town.
~Saturday was Jill’s shower. Mom B planned most of it, with me in charge of decorations and some of the hosting responsibilities. ONly a few more weeks before little Krugie is due to arrive. I can’t wait to meet my new neice or nephew!
~Here are the photos from this weekend. Click here to view them.
~I finally finished another scrapbooking page. This one is for Grayson’s scrapbook. I use my monthly letters to create an album for him. So here is the one for 24 months:

These pages were created using the free kit “Lazy Summer” by Whimpy Chomper Creations

This weekend was absolutley beautiful! The weather was amazing and I tried to stay outside as much as I could. On Saturday, Grayson and I went out to play…or at least Grayson played. I sat in the shade and read “Breaking Dawn” (which by the way I finished tonight. It was just as good as all the others in the series!). As Grayson moved from object to object in my yard, he finally became facinated with our Ornamental Japanese Maple Tree. At first, he was just reaching up to hang onto the limbs; lifting his feet; saying “Look Mommy- I Monkey!” Not long after that he started walking around the tree, inspecting all of the branches. I knew what was coming next, so I ran inside for the video camera. Sure enough, when I returned he began to test standing on the bottom limb of the tree. Within 5 minutes he figured out how to climb up to the second branch. All the time exclaiming “I climbing tree Mommy!” and “CHEESE!” because he saw the camera. Once in the tree, he quickly jumped out and started the whole process again.
It is funny how proud I felt watching my little boy climb his first tree. You would have thought that he was going to the Olympics or Won the National Spelling Bee with how often I’ve told the story in the last few days. Grayson is so much fun at this age and I am constantly surprised at how quickly he learns. I try to catch each new “feat” he accomplishes- and celebrate each one before they rapidly pass away.
I did capture video of his first tree climb and will try to post it sometime soon. I have alot going on in the next few days-so it may not get posted until after the weekend.

Grayson-
You are now 2 and ¼ years old. You weigh slightly less than 30 pounds and your back molars are finally beginning to peek through. Your allergies returned with the blooming plants, as well as the heat rash that arrived with the rising temperatures.
You have reached a number of psychological and emotional milestones in the past three months. You talk more than ever before- and mostly in sentences now. Your favorite phrases are “no way!” and “boozsh” (a sound effect that Pop-Pop taught you). You can and do repeat everything you hear which means that Daddy is finally learning to alter his vocabulary. On the occasions that he makes a mistake- you kindly remind him by saying “Watch you mouf Daddy.” You can name most types of trucks-but love heavy machinery the most. When in the car you spend your time identifying transportation, pointing out bridges and antennas, and looking for colors. You can identify your colors well- with black being the most difficult one for you. You have learned the shapes: circle, oval, heart, rectangle, diamond, and triangle. You refuse to believe that a square is not a rectangle- so we are still working on that shape.
You have become much more independent. We officially said good bye to the paci at bed time and the amount of time you spend in time out has lessened dramatically. You finally figured out the importance of listening to Mommy and Daddy and will now obey versus sitting by yourself for two minutes. You insist on putting your sandals on by yourself and you like to pick out which shirt you wear each day. Of course you prefer all shirts with truck and tractors on them. You choose your breakfast in the mornings and help with its preparations. You continue to love all fruits- with watermelon being your favorite lately. It’s hard to believe- but you will actually choose fruit over eating cookies and cake!
You have also shown improvement at school. You are one of the oldest kids in your class and you have definitely assumed the leader role. Your teachers say that you always sit at the head of the table and you love to join in the activities. You even received the Gold Star Award in you class-which is given to kids when they have had an exceptional week. With the development of your language you have gotten much better at sharing- or at least telling your friends who’s turn it is! We have even seen your sharing skills here at home. I often watch you in amusement as you bring Ozzy your favorite Back-hoe Loader and books, leaving them between his two paws.
Your physical skills have also continued to advance in the past three months. You have found great fun in walking backwards and have figured out how to kick a ball. You can manage the stairs- both up and down- by yourself, although you are not allowed on the stairs without supervision. You can do a somersault and actually prefer to do them in the nude after bath. Not exactly a photo opportunity, but still lots of fun!
You took your first swimming lessons this summer- which were not completely successful. You spent most of the time in the pool with a death grip around my neck shouting “no mommy” or “hold me mommy”. After forcing you to let go of my neck you did jump in a few times and if I distracted you well enough I could even dunk your head under the water. I was surprised with your reaction to the lessons since you love visiting the Waddell’s pool next door. I do not know if it was being surrounded by unfamiliar people or if the water was too cold- but I can honestly say that you did not like swimming lessons. Maybe next year.
I will say that one thing that you did enjoy this summer was your visit up to Ohio in June. You were able to stay at your cousin Riley’s house and the two of you were quickly best friends. Your personalities are very similar. You both have a wild, mischievous side and you both enjoy looking for bugs and playing with trucks. If only the two of you lived closer.
This summer was also the first time that Daddy and I left you for more than two nights. While we went on a “parents only” trip for six days, you reveled in the company of your Nagy. She cooked all your favorite meals, fed you your first ice cream cone, and even taught you a few new songs. To be honest you really didn’t miss us too much- thanks to your wonderful Nagy. There is a cute story about your reaction once we got home. (Check it out here.)
Well, this summer has passed in a flash. I am not sure where the last three months have gone. We have filled the last 90+ days with your first outing to a zoo, a trip to the mountains, a visit to Ohio, quality time with your grandparents- MiMi, Nagy, & Pop Pop, and your first 4th of July parade. I have enjoyed this summer break more than any break before…and all because of you. You are so fun at this age and I love to be around you. I love to secretly watch you play with your toys- making dinner for your Pooh bear or telling your Brown Bear to go to sleep. I love how you try to sing Ba Ba Black Sheep (your very first song) and I am constantly amazed at how alert you are- seeing tractors that I would never notice. You are sweet and kind and loud and boisterous. You are full of energy and filled with love. You can be rambunctious one minute and sweet and cuddly this next. You are my pride and joy. Grayson, you are the most amazing child and I honestly do love you more and more each day.
Love,
Mommy
(You retired Mama this month too.)

Last week, Tim and I went on our very first “Parents Only” vacation. I say first- because I hope that there will be more in the future! I can’t begin to tell you how wonderful it was to have my spouse just to myself. Since Grayson’s birth, we have only BOTH been away from him on 3 nights…and those were not consecutive. So to leave for 6 fulls days was something of a challenge, to say the least. Tim’s mom, who is called Nagy (pronounced “Nudgie” which is short of Grandmother in Hungarian) agreed to stay at our house and do the baby sitting. I can’t begin to tell you how lucky we are to have Nagy and Pop-Pop living so close to us now. Without them, I would not have been brave enough to leave for so long. And to leave the country at that….

It’s funny how I spent more time getting things ready for Grayson than I actually spent packing for my own trip. I made countless trips to the grocery store to make sure I had all of his favorite goodies. I wrote out a three page note on his schedule, where to find food, nap times, bed time routine, etc. I stocked the freezer full of meals from “Dinner Done”. We prepared a Will, cleaned the house, stocked up on more than enough diapers, wipes, etc. I printed out maps to Grayson’s daycare, wrote directions to his pediatrician. I pretty much tried to think of everything. Not that Nagy couldn’t have figured it out, but more because it set my mind at ease.

Anyhow, as expected, Grayson did very well in our absence. He ate like a horse, took great naps, and even started sleeping until 8 am again (since taking away the paci- he had been getting up at 6:45). Nagy is called the Baby Whisperer for a reason. She LOVES little ones and they, like-wise, LOVE her. I think spending 6 days together served as some bonding time for the two of them. Grayson has asked for her everyday since.

Tim and I were not sure what to expect from Grayson upon our return. By the time we got back from our vacation, Grayson was already in bed. So we had to wait for the morning to discover his reaction. When he woke up, he shouted out “Daddy” which is a bit unusual. He always shouted “Ma Ma” before. Anyhow, Tim and I raced upstairs as fast as possible. When we walked in the room- he seemed like his normal self. Bouncing in the crib, naming items around the room. Didn’t seem to notice that we had been missing for 6 days! However once we took him out of the crib, he proceeded to throw a tantrum. “No diaper change, mommy.” “No jammies on!”, “No powder!” “No shirt!” “No pants!” “no, no, no!” I pretty much put up with a major “No!” tantrum for about 30 minutes. It was almost as if he rememberd that we had left and wanted to let us know how mad he was at us! After the 30 minutes of two-year-old hell, he was back to hugs and kisses, tickling and laughing.

But the best thing happened tonight. After Daddy finished reading him a book before bed, Grayson sat on my lap in the rocking chair for our nightly songs. I asked him what song he wanted to hear- “ABCs” -and as I sang he laid his head down on my chest, facing me. (He usually just sits in my lap, with his back to my chest.) Anyhow as I got to the third line of the song “E,F,G”, Grayson sat up and planted a wet kiss on my lips. As I continued singing, he put his head back down. About three lines later ” L,M,N,O,P”, he sits up and repeats the kiss. And he does it again at the end of the song. I hug him and ask what song he wants to hear next. “Ba Ba Sheep” So I start singing and what do you know- he does the cute kiss thing all the way through that song too! And again for our final song “The wheels on the TRUCK go round and round.” (FYI-we sing truck instead of bus because Grayson prefers trucks.) When I finished the truck song he sat up again and this time puts his arms around my neck and says in the softest, sweetest voice: “my mommy.” I tear up and say “Yes, I am Grayson’s mommy.” He plants another kiss on my lips and again says “my mommy”.

I couldn’t have said it any better. Yes, Grayson I am your mommy and I missed you too. Just ask Daddy.

I have said for the past two months that Grayson would be getting rid of the paci as soon as the arrival of my summer break. I have considered many ways of getting rid of the paci “cold turkey” (from giving it away to an infant to Grayson trading it in for a toy at a store). In the end- D-Day arrived and we had not found an oppotunity to officially say bye bye to his favortie night time vice. So last night, I decide to try a gentle weaning instead. This solution was actually from his pediatrician. The idea is to cut just the tip off the paci and then every few days cut another section off until eventually there is nothing left but the handle.
So last night we went through our normal routine- reading a story with Daddy, singing three songs in the rocking chair with mom, then placing him in his crib. As usually, Grayson grabbed all of his sleeping necessities- his blue tag blanket, his Thomas pillow, and his blue paci. He popped the paci (now with the tip removed) into his mouth, got a funny look on his face, pulled it back out, examined it and explained “paci broke, mama!” I examined it, tried it out for myself, said that I thought is was ok and handed it back. He tried it out one more time and again insisted that the paci was broke. I offered another paci, again with the tip removed. He gave that one a try, threw it out of the crib, and said “Y ucky paci, mama!” I simply told him I was sorry, put the two paci’s back in his crib, and left the room. He fell asleep within 15 mintues- so maybe this weaning will not be too bad.
He did much better than I thought last night. He didn’t get up once. The only change was that he woke up at 5:55 this morning. Yuck! When I went into his room- he held out both pacis and said- “Yucky paci mama. Broke!” So there you have the first night on getting rid of the paci. Send s0me prayers my way…I’m afraid that I may be in trouble tonight!

It has taken me a bit to post Grayson’s 24 month photos. Let’s just say that it is getting more and more difficult to get him to sit still for a picture. Click on the picture to see what I was able to capture. There are also few photos from his party at school. I brought popcicles to share with the class.