All About Grayson

So, So, Soooooo Behind!!

2010-02-18T18:09:00.005-05:00

I've missed a lot. I know it. We lost our internet right before Grayson's fourth birthday (shortly after my last post) and it took almost two months to get it back. Then, our basement flooded right after Christmas, which was another mess to clean up. And as for the past few weeks, well, snow, snow, and more snow should've gotten me on here to post an update, but I didn't. So here I am, months and months later. I doubt anyone even still reads my updates, but just in case there are a few of you out there. Here goes...

Grayson's fourth birthday was a blast. This was the first time I planned his parties while working a full time job and it was definitely a challenge. This year the theme was drums - Grayson can't get enough of his drums - and he had a really great time. For both parties (the friend party and the family party), the kids made their own drums and then Dominic played the guitar and I lead the kids in songs while they "made music" and sang along. I think everyone had a great time!

As for Christmas, Grayson's big gift this year was a set of drums from my Mom and Dad. He's actually playing them right now. Dominic and I are amazed at how well he can actually keep a beat and play along with the music. He also plays with us on Rock Band. He was playing on his regular drums, but now that we have Lego Rock Band, he can play along on the game drums and he really does a great job. I'm still hoping he'll be interested in learning the guitar someday, but to watch him play the drums now is a lot of fun and he seems to have some talent. We'll see, I suppose.

Outside of major events, life has gone on as usual. I'm still enjoying my job and have settled into a good routine. I'm pretty exhausted when I get home each night, but I'm trying!! Grayson and I have started to work on sight words and he's not only recognizing them on flash cards, but also reading them when we read books together. We're starting to do a little math (very basic addition and subtraction), but numbers are definitely not his "thing." Otherwise, he's really enjoyed the snow, but now that he realizes it means he doesn't get to go to school, he's now praying for no more snow! I guess we all are!!

Halloween Fun

2009-11-07T18:45:00.002-05:00

Halloween was interesting this year. Grayson couldn't make up his mind all month about what he wanted to be for Halloween, so we waited until the last minute to pick up his costume. Final decision - a skeleton with chains on it. And I have no idea where that came from, but we found the costume rather quickly and then purchased light-weight chains from Home Depot, which I then sewed to the costume. He really liked it.

Our first night of trick-or-treating was in our neighborhood on Thursday night. We only lasted a half-hour. Unfortunately, Willie had scared Grayson earlier in the day with a mask and Grayson was petrified that he was going to put it back on, so we only made it through Brownsville. As soon as we arrived in Rohrersville, Grayson was done. He got back in the truck, took off his mask and gloves, and strapped himself into his carseat. Of course after we got home he wanted to go back out, but that wasn't going to happen.

Friday night was a small party at the local firehouse and Grayson enjoyed playing with his friends from church. But the real treat was Saturday night! We went down to Montgomery County stay with friends in a really neat neightborhood called Washington Grove. Grayson had a blast!! He enjoyed playing all afternoon with their children and then loved trick-or-treating, although it rained on us the entire time. Since we spent the night down there, Grayson was able to hang out the rest of the night and he really enjoyed himself. I think we have a new tradition!!

Soccer Mom, Season One - Almost Over

2009-10-03T08:09:00.002-04:00

It's been an interesting couple of weeks. Grayson started soccer after Labor Day and overall he's enjoyed it. As for me, it's been painful at times, starting with his first game when he had had no nap, insisted on only playing goalie (which he had never practiced), and the game lasted an hour and a half because of all the breaks we had to take for the children. The game is only supposed to be 32 minutes long, by the way. It was the longest 32 minutes of my life!!

At practices he usually does much better and he listens to his coach pretty well. He's doing a great job at dribbling the ball, but has problems staying inside the field lines. Of course it doesn't help that the field is only a fraction of the size of a regular soccer field.

Tomorrow is his last game. I'm hoping he'll enjoy it and so will we. I've survived my first season as a soccer mom and I'm guessing I'll have many, many more. This brief season was a good way to slowly ease myself into the world of children's sports. I'm definitely not ready for the all-day marathon of games, but they will most likely be in my future.

We Tried It Again

2009-08-15T10:00:00.004-04:00

Last Friday I took off my first day of work since I started back in February. I got together with a couple friends and we went to Baltimore to try the pirate ship that sails out of Fell's Point. I had hoped Grayson would enjoy himself more this time than he did last year when we went to the one in Annapolis. Unfortunately, I was wrong. He was miserable for most of the trip and I actually was disappointed with the experience as a whole. We barely left the ports of the Inner Harbor, so we really didn't get out into the water much and the storyline was a little less organized than the one in Annapolis. I don't think I would have been as disappointed with it if it hadn't cost so much money. Truly, the cost was completely ridiculous for the length of time we were out and the activities involved. Essentially, I don't recommend it as something to try because it's not worth the money.

This picture pretty much sums up Grayson's attitude during the trip...

The good news is that we spent the afternoon visiting Maria and Jay. Grayson had a blast playing with Paul and it was a nice, relaxing afternoon. Definitely not a day wasted off work.

Grayson With Paul Singing "We Will Rock You" by Queen

I'm a Horrible Blogger

2009-07-29T19:15:00.006-04:00

I don't even know what to say. I know I haven't kept up on the blog at all and I've been reminded by some family members and friends, so I promise to do better.

So much has happened since the last post and to try to do a complete update would be impossible. In a nutshell, I'm really enjoying my job, although it can be quite stressful at times and honestly is the most stressful job I've ever had. Grayson is no longer at Dandelion. My sister was able to start watching him each day, so we took advantage of that opportunity. He gets a little more one-on-one time, but I think he has some problems throughout the day because he misses being around all the other kids. Right now he's only with his cousins each day. Starting in September, he'll be going to the preschool at our church and I'm really looking forward to that. He and I will get to know some of the children he'll grow up with and I will hopefully get to know some new families.

He also is starting soccer in the fall. He seems excited about it, but we'll see how it goes. They are allowing him to play a year early since he'll be four in November. I'm hoping he'll learn a little structure and find a good way to release all his energy. He really wants to play baseball, which I'm dreading, but luckily I have a few more years before that begins!!

Otherwise, things are going well. We've been enjoying the summer, especially since the days have been on the cool side, and Grayson's favorite thing to do is ride his "truck" (aka Gator) around the yard. I'm amazed that something so simple can keep him occupied for so long, but I'm definitely not complaining!!

Where to Even Begin?

2009-04-18T17:43:00.004-04:00

It's definitely been a while, but I'm finding my time to get on the computer limited nowadays and when I am home from work, I don't really feel like staring at my computer very much. As for updates, our family has really been enjoying the new life that my job has brought to us. I love going to work, Grayson loves going to school, and our time together is much more valuable. Now that the weather is getting nicer, it has been even better.

Easter was great for us. Grayson enjoyed his non-traditional Easter basket filled with a Wall-E toy, Mickey Mouse, and coloring books. He also had a good time hunting eggs and eating the candy he got from school and church.
He's still full of activity and non-stop action. Just before Easter, I took him to my friend's restaurant, Volt, for a story-time treat and he had so much sugar I thought he was going to explode. I've never seen him so hyped-up. At one point, I actually saw a literal interpretation of bouncing off the walls as he and his friends were jumping all around the room. After we left there, we decided to go to dinner with our friends and the meltdowns began as the sugar started to wear off. Overall, though, we had a blast and Grayson really enjoyed himself.

A Whole New World

2009-03-15T13:37:00.005-04:00

We've had lots of new adventures these past few weeks. I've now been at my job for a little over a month and I'm starting to get comfortable with the place. The people are great, I'm beginning to feel confident in my HR skills again, and I'm now in a good routine.

Grayson is really enjoying being with the older kids at his school and his teacher noticed a difference in him immediately. The reports I'm getting each day seem to be a little more constructive, such as when they wrote in their journals one day, so I feel like he's starting to learn a little. I still don't think it's quite to the level he was experiencing at his previous school, but we'll see.

I'm also noticing that as a family, we're more productive. Since Dominic is often off work on a weekday, he's able to run errands and get things done around the house, so this is a great relief off me, especially since my workdays are extremely busy. We're also enjoying our time together on the weekends. Recently with the nice weather, we were outside on the play yard together. It was a really nice day.

I have also decided to explore a new business opportunity. Sadly, Learning is an Art went out of business, but they introduced me to another direct sales company called emagineGreen. If you get the chance, please take a look at my website. The company's goal is to educate individuals on simple ways each person can help preserve the environment. It's something that has always been important to me, so I felt it was a good fit. Please let me know if you're interested in getting more information!

Diving Right In

2009-02-28T08:41:00.002-05:00

These past few weeks have gone pretty well. The first week of full-time work, while also coming home and doing "Mom" stuff was pretty tough, but I just needed to get used to the new routine. Each day, I'm working non-stop, but I'm enjoying it. I really like the people I'm working with and I see a lot of potential in my company and what I'm doing. I still feel behind and like I'm playing "catch up," not to mention the fact that I walked into a bit of a mess (just as an example, items for employee files haven't been filed since last summer and are just piled up around the office), but I've only really been in the job for two weeks, so I think it's going okay. I survived processing my first payroll this week with no errors, at least not on my part, and for that I'm quite grateful!!

Grayson is loving the new school. I'm not sure he's learning too much, which upsets me a bit, but he's having a blast. At his old school, they had already gone through the entire alphabet and were working on learning numbers. In his new class, they haven't even started either. This week there's going to be a change and he is moving into a class with older children. I'm hoping this will make a difference. We'll see. Considering I didn't really get to do any research on a school, I'm quite happy with the place.

Change is Coming

2009-02-07T09:05:00.003-05:00

This past week has brought a lot of changes. Back in December I decided I was ready to return to work full time. It took a lot of soul searching and discussion with family and friends, but it felt like the right thing to do. I started applying for jobs at that time and received a job offer last week. They asked me to start on Monday, so in just a few days I had to prepare myself for work and get Grayson ready for a new school.

Which is the other change...Grayson will be switching schools on Monday. I'm a little nervous, as much as I couldn't stand how often Grayson's school closed due to weather, I knew he was learning a lot with his teacher. I really do like the new school we chose, but it seems the class he's joining is a little behind compared to what Grayson has been studying. Plus, I think he's the oldest kid in the class. I know he's going to like all the activities and outside play, but this will also be the first time he's away from me all day long on a regular basis. Hopefully all will go well.

I took this picture to mark his last day with the old school. Here come the changes, we better get ready!!

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

2009-02-05T09:20:00.002-05:00

Or should I say Dad. Yes, Grayson has decided we are no longer "Mommy" and "Daddy," but now just simply Mom and Dad. It's been a little strange to me. I know he's getting older, but for goodness sake, he's only three!! I didn't really expect he would jump away from the mommy-terminology so quickly. But I digress, this post is supposed to be about Dominic's birthday.
Dominic turned 35 on January 29th. Yep, he has moved into a new demographic. We hosted a birthday party with family for the Super Bowl. This was extra special thanks to the Steelers win - Dominic's favorite team. Poor Dominic was picked on all night by almost everyone since they were rooting against the Steelers just to bug him, but when most everyone left after half time (which was a startling performance by Bruce Springstein, I wasn't quite sure how to feel about it) and only a few remained, it got much better.

Grayson had a blast as well. He wore the Steelers jersey he got last year for Christmas with his football uniform and had fun playing with his cousins. He didn't learn quick enough to stay away from the TV during the game, but by the end of the night he had it figured out - "Dad does not want me near the television screaming and running around while his football team is playing." A good lesson to learn.

All in all, a good night!

Snow Day!!

2009-01-30T08:42:00.003-05:00

Poor Grayson. He's never been allowed to play in the snow. It's not that I have issues with going outside when it's snowing. I actually really enjoy it, I find it peaceful. But, every year I haven't been able to justify purchasing new snow boots and snow clothes every year (and it would have been every year, he hasn't slowed down when it comes to getting bigger) on the chance that it may snow enough for him to go out and play. So far I've been right. We really hadn't gotten enough snow each year to justify the expense.

This year he was given a pair of snow pants for free. They are HUGE, which is good because he'll grow into them for years, but I could still make them fit. As for boots, I still haven't bought him a new pair, but he has a pair of water proof boots, so I could double up his socks to keep his feet warm.

And so it goes...he got all bundled up and was very excited. After he got dressed, I got myself ready. I then grabbed my camera for this momentous occasion. I go to take a picture of him all dressed and the battery died. Yes, my wonderful camera that gets amazing pictures was dead. Luckily, we still have our old digital camera, so I grabbed that one.

Grayson really did enjoy the snow. We weren't outside for very long - maybe 30 minutes - but he had a blast. I think the only reason he wanted to come inside was because his hands were cold and he wanted to drink the hot chocolate I had promised. He enjoyed that too. Overall it was a good experience and I think I'll invest in some snow boots for next year. I'll just get them extra-large so they can last a little while!!

Happy New Year!!

2009-01-01T11:37:00.005-05:00

Happy 2009 everyone!! I hope it's a great year for you all. 2008 brought a lot for us - remodeling our home, Grayson started preschool, I started working from home with Learning is an Art, etc. I'm eager to see what the new year will bring.

We said goodbye to 2008 and hello to 2009 with another great party at my sister's house last night. It was the perfect way to cap off our year and this was the first time Grayson was a true "participant." He was up until after 1:00 AM because he insisted on not sleeping at her place. He actually slept in until after 9:30 this morning. That has never, ever happened.

Christmas this year was a ton of fun. Grayson really enjoyed himself and his gifts. This was the first year he really "got it." I don't think I ever realized how much work goes into creating the magic of Christmas, but it was worth it. I was completely exhausted by the end of the day - between going to church the night before and singing, to getting all the presents out on my own after Grayson went to bed (Dominic was working all night), then preparing all the food for the family, trying to entertain over 30 people, and then ending the day at my Aunt Dee Dee's house - I was beat!!
I hope everyone has had a wonderful holiday season and has a lot to look forward to in the coming year. Good luck with your new year's resolutions!!

He Did It!!

2008-12-22T19:15:00.002-05:00

Last year Grayson wanted nothing to do with Santa Claus, this year was a completely different story. Grayson was on a mission. He wanted to see Santa so he could tell him what he wanted.

It was funny, a few weeks ago someone asked Grayson what he wanted Santa to bring him and to my surprise, he replied that he wanted a Mickey Mouse. I had no idea where this came from since we don't watch anything on the Disney Channel and the only thing we have at home with Mickey on it is "Once" and "Twice Upon a Christmas" which we had only watched maybe two times. But, every time he was asked after that, he responded that he wanted a Mickey Mouse.

When I found out Santa was going to be visiting my sister's store, I decided to take Grayson so he could tell him himself. And tell him he did. He walked right up there, sat down, and was serious about his Mickey Mouse. Thank goodness Santa found one on eToys about a week ago!!

Yep, He's Three!

2008-11-29T18:59:00.006-05:00

Here we are. We've survived another year. Grayson turned three on November 17th. He celebrated with a family party on the 15th and then he had his friends over for a playdate on the 17th. Because Grayson loves puzzles, we decided to go with a puzzle theme for his party. There are absolutely NO puzzle-themed decorations anywhere on the planet. At least not on the web. So this meant that I made my own. I used the large pieces from some of Grayson's puzzles and cut out the shapes to make "Happy 3rd Birthday!!" and then I also cut out a bunch of smaller pieces and taped them to the wall. Overall, I think they worked out. As for his cake, it was also a puzzle. It was a half of a sheet cake cut into puzzle pieces. The cake itself was chocolate and just melted in your mouth. You can see more pictures here.

Grayson had a blast at both parties. He got a little wound up, but it was nothing unusual. At the playdate party, I invited Grayson's friends from his school in addition to the friends he's had since he was a baby. It was weird to mix groups, but everyone seemed to have a good time. Each child was given a blank puzzle to color. They could then take those home to play with. We also gave them each a regular puzzle as a thank you gift for coming.

Thanks to wonderful friends and family, we now have new toys to play with and it's terrific!!! I could tell Grayson had gotten incredibly bored with the toys we have and the new toys have made a huge difference. I can also tell I'm enjoying them more. Now that he's three, the toys are so much more fun and engaging!! Definitely beats shaking a rattle at him, like when he was a baby.

Now that he's three, I'm preparing myself for a rough year ahead. Most everyone has told me that three's are worse than two's, so we'll see. He most certainly is strong-willed and I know that's not going to change, so I'm sure the older he gets and the more independent he becomes, the more fights we're going to have. With that being said, I'm enjoying the toddler years as well. The things that come out of his mouth are often a riot. For example, the other day he scolded our dog Sookie by yelling, "Sookie Jordan Paul!" Just like when I use his full name to scold him. I couldn't stop laughing! So even though I'm sure I'll be facing quite a few challenges with this coming year, I'm sure I'll have even more great things to enjoy!Oh, and let me share a few stats with you from his doctor's appointment. He's doing really well and now weighs 37 pounds and is 39.5 inches tall. That's 90th percentile for both. He's going to be a big boy!!

The Most Candy, Ever!

2008-10-22T07:58:00.005-04:00

I think I posted last year that I had never been trick-or-treating. Every year, I would hear "maybe next year." I still got to dress up every Halloween and go to parties and have a great time, I had just never experienced trick-or-treating until last year with Grayson.

Well, this year Grayson went to his cousin's school for "Trunk-or-Treat." I'm sure those of you with kids in preschool or other types of schools have heard of this. The parents come to the school, decorate their trunks, and the kids come to each car to get candy - like going from house to house, only from car to car.

I couldn't go with him because I had a show, but I saw the results. It has to be one of the biggest bags of candy I've ever seen. Grayson barely even gets candy, so this is pretty much enough to last him an entire year. BUT, we still have trunk-or-treat at his school on Thursday and then regular trick-or-treating next Friday. I'm starting to understand why we never went.

Getting Candy from Aunt Linda

For more pictures, click here.

How is it possible?

2008-10-13T18:58:00.003-04:00

One would think that after Grayson started preschool, there would be TONS of time for me to regularly post on my blog. Alas, that has not been the case. The good news is that I've been working quite a bit as a consultant with Learning is an Art. Business is good and I'm still loving my job. I really can't ask for more. And really, that's what I do with my spare time. When I'm not a Mommy, I'm running my own business. I'm making phone calls, planning fundraisers, scheduling parties, going to events and expos, etc., etc. The bad news is that things like my blog, which was already receiving a minimal amount of my time, are getting even less of my time. I'm here posting today as I'm multi-tasking. Grayson is in the bathtub playing and I'm sitting next to him blogging. Normally I'm doing some kind of work during this time, but after receiving an email from a friend of mine in Tennessee today who said she tries to read my blog every now and then, I was reminded of how long it had been since I posted. So here I am.

As for Grayson updates, a lot has happened. He adores school. He would go every day if he were able. He's really growing leaps and bounds when it comes to what he can comprehend. He's even starting to recognize words, as in reading them. I'm sure this has some to do with school, but I also think it has to do with the games we play at home (yes, that's a major plug for my products, I'm amazed at how much they have helped Grayson these last few months).

He has become increasingly independent. I love it and hate it. Unfortunately, the independence has also caused an increase in arguing. He'll argue just for the sake of arguing. If you tell him there are clouds in the sky, he'll disagree and tell you otherwise as he's staring right at them. It's very frustrating, but I keep telling myself it will serve him well in adulthood.

He is showing an amazing desire to put things together. He's never been interested in trains, but we received a hand-me-down train set from my nephew and Grayson just likes to put the train tracks together to see how many different combinations he can come up with. He also loves to put puzzles together having graduated to the much more difficult ones and he does them with very little help from me.

We had another trip to the Urgent Care Center in September. When Grayson was fishing with his cousins, he got a fish hook in his finger. He handled the trip like a real trooper, but we were also prepared for him. As the PA removed the hook, there were four of us working together to keep him still. Overall, though, he really didn't fight it that much and he barely cried. He's a tough boy.

There are calm moments, like when we read on the front porch or when I'm pushing him on his swing, which is one of his favorite things to do. One day when we came home from school, I saw some mushrooms growing in the front yard. We went outside to look at them and Grayson was very accomodating as I took pictures of him (a rarity). This was also one of our peaceful moments and I'll leave you with that thought and a picture from the day. Until next time...

A Draining Week

2008-09-02T10:29:00.006-04:00

Last week was draining, to say the least. There were so many things going on and so little time to do them between parties, playdates, preschool, and work. Also, the week was made especially difficult because of Grayson's decision to not take naps.

The week started with a great birthday party!! Our nephew, Paul, had his fourth birthday party on a pirate ship in Annapolis. Dominic and I took Grayson and our nephew, Brooks, down with us, and our other nephews, Tevyn and Trevor, came as well with Willie and Karena. I had hoped Grayson would sleep on the car ride down, but that didn't happen. He was too excited to have Brooks in the car with him, so he stayed awake the whole time. He was still good on the ship, but he didn't participate in any of the activities. Brooks, Tevyn, and Paul had a blast and it was so much fun to watch! I highly recommend this as an outing if your children are at all interested in pirates. The crew really kept the kids entertained and you get to sit back and watch. I had so much fun watching the kids I barely noticed the Annapolis harbor!! You can click here to see more pictures.

The rest of the week was a nightmare of a schedule thanks to the starting of preschool. Grayson did very well. Of course he didn't like me leaving him there, but overall he handled it well. Unfortunately, he got himself so worked up in the afternoon that he wouldn't take naps. This went on until Thursday!! I was so beaten down by the end of the week I really didn't know what I was going to do. Some people have said that he may be growing out of naps, but I don't think that is the case at all. Unfortunately, when he doesn't get some down time in the afternoon (even if it's just quiet time in his room for an hour), he gets wilder and wilder as the day progresses. This results in extreme temper tantrums, bad behavior, and non-stop energy. All a bad combination for a two-and-a-half year old. Luckily on Friday, we stayed home for the day and I was able to get him to sleep that afternoon.

Dominic was off both Saturday and Sunday this weekend which really helped. For the first time in ages, I actually "did nothing" on Sunday afternoon. I felt terribly guilty about it - I should have been making phone calls for work, cleaning, doing laundry, something - but I tried to allow myself to enjoy it. I watched a movie and enjoyed the peace and quiet. It was refreshing and a great way to get myself ready for the week. I'm now ready to tackle the week and make it a great success!! I even survived shoe shopping for Grayson yesterday at the outlets. We even walked away with a great pair of shoes. Ahh, success already.

Countdown to Pre-School

2008-08-14T07:52:00.004-04:00

That's right! In less than two weeks, Grayson will be heading off to pre-school at Small Scholars. Many months ago I wrote about the research that went behind choosing a school for Grayson. Because of his late birthday, I had to find a school that had a program for two-year-olds. I also wanted a school that was somewhat nearby (a difficult task given where we live) and a place that taught Spanish to help us continue to embrace Grayson's heritage on his birth mother's side. Small Scholars fit the bill.

Last week our packet came in the mail. I was really excited about it, but also a bit apprehensive. I really wanted Grayson to go to school, but for the first time on a regular basis, someone else will be taking care of him and teaching him. I'm over it now and can't wait for the first day!!

Grayson can't wait either. Ever since Bible School, Grayson has asked to go back so I told him that instead of Bible School, he'll be going to pre-school. We even created a count down chart to help with the wait.

One of the forms included in Grayson's enrollment packet asks for his likes and dislikes. I thought this would be a good opportunity to share that here as well. A way of earmarking this part of his life, so here goes.

Likes

He loves to ride his bike - we have been working on pedaling for months and he finally started this past weekend, of course while I was at my Learning is an Art convention, but it was still exciting to see when I got home. Now there's no stopping him.
He enjoys playing outside, especially in the dirt, which we still have plenty of thanks to our construction.
He can't get enough music. He loves to drum, sing, and dance. He's also a little interested in playing the guitar, but I don't think it's loud enough for him.
He adores eating. This hasn't changed since he was a baby and I'm very proud of him because he'll usually try new things at least once.
He loves to play games and be crafty - this is very helpful given my business.
He loves his family, he can't get enough of his Meemaw, D-Daddy, Aunt Linda, Britnee and his dogs and they love him.

Dislikes

He's not a big fan of sleeping. He finally takes naps and he sleeps very well, but if it were up to him, he would run around all day and night.
He hates it when I'm on the phone. This means he's not getting any attention and he's sure to let us all know that. This is not so helpful, given my business.
He doesn't like to be quiet or sit still. The louder, the better, and the more action, the happier he is.
He doesn't like to have his picture taken. Thank goodness for the Nikon D50.

It Just Doesn't Get Much Better

2008-07-19T08:24:00.005-04:00

This was an incredible week for both Grayson and me. He was able to go to Vacation Bible School for the first time and he LOVED it. He wasn't quite old enough, the children are supposed to be three, but because the teacher of the pre-school class knew him and her son loves Grayson, she said it would be okay for him to come. I can't even explain how excited he was each day that he came home and how he looked forward to going the next morning. He really enjoyed it and I'm so grateful.

The last day of Bible School, the Church set up water slides and pools for the kids. This was so much fun to watch. At first Grayson was hesitant because the water was cool, but after realizing it was almost 100 degrees outside and the water actually felt pretty good, he jumped right in. Literally.

For more pictures of his last day, click here.

Friday night, Grayson went to a local carnival with his cousins, Tevyn and Trevor. As you know, Grayson loves the rides so I knew this would be a good time. He did have a blast on the kid rides, but we also rode along with them on the Tilt-A-Whirl and the Scrambler and they couldn't have been happier. Before we left, we allowed the boys to throw balls at the fish game. Grayson actually got one of his balls in a fish bowl and won a fish! Willie (Tevyn and Trevor's dad), then got two in, so each boy won a fish. We brought them to my house and put them in the pond. We'll see how they do! I'm surprised Grayson hasn't already asked to go down to see them. (FYI, it's a real pond, not a little garden pond.)

And as for me, it was an amazing week! Since Grayson was at Bible School each morning, I was able to use that free time to focus on Learning is an Art and it really paid off. My business is doing great and I'm even more excited about it. I can't wait to see watch the future holds!!

The Sweetest Place on Earth

2008-07-01T08:22:00.002-04:00

Last Friday Grayson went to Hershey Park for the first time with two of his friends. I thought he would love it because he loves to ride the rides at the carnival. When we got there, he didn't want to get out of his stroller, didn't want to get on any of the rides, and was generally being contrary. He asked to eat (surprise, surprise) so I got him a grilled cheese sandwich and he sat in his stroller while his two friends rode the rides. As soon as he was finished eating it was like a light switch was flipped. He decided it was time to have some fun and boy, did he!! We even got on a bit of a thrill ride, the thing spun in different directions and went very fast. He wasn't able to get on it by himself, so I rode it with him. I had no idea how he was going to react but he LOVED it. I was then afraid he wouldn't get back on any of the "kiddie" rides, but he did. We were there until after four and he had a blast. It was definitely worth the trip.

As for another update, he is fully potty trained during the day now. I can't even remember the last day he had an accident. This is a really great feeling. I'm not sure when we'll start working on the night time. The poor kid still has to have his diaper changed in the middle of the night so that it won't leak by the morning, so I have a feeling that night time potty training is going to take a while.

I'm also doing really well. I'm thoroughly enjoying my new business. It's nice to get out of the house and I also feel very good about what I'm doing. I had no idea what it felt like to love your job. I can actually say that now and mean it!! Speaking of which, this month we are running a special. For every Safety Brainiac sold, we are donating $5 to the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. This charity is obviously one that is very near and dear to my heart and if you have any children in your life, this game is an excellent one to add to their collections. It's a great way for them to learn about safety issues while having a fun time. Now, get to ordering!!

A Lot of Catching Up!!

2008-06-19T08:09:00.003-04:00

To say these last few weeks have been crazy and hectic is an understatement. We have moved into the newly remodeled house and have been unpacking and trying to decorate. All while an occasional worker still needs to have access to finish something (like painting or today, replace our shower door for the third time). Since the house isn't completely finished we still haven't been able to convert our construction loan to a true mortgage and this is causing me a lot of stress. I hate this feeling of limbo. Hopefully that will happen soon, but really, how long does it take to replace two cabinet doors??? I mean, come on!! It's been like two months!

Grayson has been loving the new house. Lots and lots of room to run around. He also absolutely adores his dinosaur bedroom. We have had no problems with him sleeping in his "big boy bed." He is getting up a little earlier nowadays and this is causing a very grouchy toddler to emerge at about 11:00 AM, but we're surviving.

As for me, I got to spend four glorious days with my high school friends in New York City. I also got to see one of my best friends from college while there. It was a very nice, relaxing weekend and a much needed break.

This gets me ready for a very busy week. In May I started my own business with Learning is an Art. I have mentioned before that I was doing a lot of research to find something I could do that would get me out of the house while also bringing in some income. That's when I found LiA. We sell educational games and toys for kids, teens, and adults and 100% of our profits are donated to charity. For the first time I actually love my job. In the past I have loved the people I worked with or the company I worked for, but I never actually enjoyed what I did. I love the products, I love going to the parties, and I love that we actually give back to the community. This week I have three parties booked, so I'm going to be a little busy. Wish me luck!!

And Now For Some Good News!!

2008-05-26T07:43:00.004-04:00

I can't believe I'm posting this. After five months of living in our basement, we have finally come from the underground to live in our newly remodeled home!!! I feel like I am seeing the sun for the first time. I have a lot of other stuff to talk about - Mother's Day, Memorial Day, moving (in general) - with a bunch of pictures, but today is going to be very busy and I need to get started. We've been "living" in the upstairs since Friday night (which, BTW, Grayson did an EXCELLENT job in his new big boy bed), but we really haven't moved, and that's what we plan to do today. So, off I go, but before I do, here's a picture of Grayson "helping" one of the workers in the house. They are putting up the new railing around the basement steps. Grayson has really enjoyed having all the workers here.

Sloooooow Progress

2008-05-10T16:18:00.007-04:00

Well, we were supposed to be in our new house by the end of April, but that didn't happen. Now I'm wondering if we'll be in it by the end of this month. The subcontractors just don't seem to want to show up, when people do show up to do the work, they often mess it up, and then when the reliable people come to work, the supplies they're give are wrong. I can't even count on both hands the number of errors our supplier has made. They range from building the roof trusses wrong to ordering roping for our kitchen cabinets that I specifically requested not be ordered to putting the wrong color hinges on ALL the doors. Those are just a few that pop into my mind. I actually don't walk through the house that much right now because all I can see and think about are the things that are wrong or messed up. And then there's the stuff that's simply not complete - like our hardwood floors. So going through the house puts me in a rather bad mood. I know it will be all worth it in the end, but living in the basement is starting to take its toll on all of us. I have uploaded new pictures that show some of the progress, just click on the picture of the house below to view them.
In some good progress news, Grayson and Dominic planted grass seed on part of the yard the other day. Grayson had a blast riding on the mower with his Daddy and I had fun watching them. (I hate yard work so watching them suits me just fine.) We also bought a new play yard for Grayson this week. I've been researching them for over a year and finally found a great deal. We're now waiting for it to be delivered. I can't wait to see how excited he gets when he sees he's going to have a swingset in his yard!!

Whatta Week!!

2008-04-22T12:33:00.007-04:00

And it's only Tuesday. On Sunday, Dominic, Grayson, me, and a few of Grayson's friends went to Baby Loves Disco at Ram's Head Live in Baltimore. We had a great time and it was a wonderful way to start out the week. If you've never gone, it's a lot of fun. They close down the bar for parents and their kids and they get to dance the day away. Grayson was a little hesitant at first, but once he warmed up to the idea, he had a blast. We definitely plan to go again.
Then things started to go a little downhill. On Monday, I was scheduled to have minor surgery. The surgery went very well, but the after effects of the anethesia and pain killers were awful. They couldn't get my blood pressure up high enough, so I was stuck in the hospital for three hours after the surgery (it was only supposed to an hour max). Then, once I got home - and the car ride was terrible - I was sick all day and the pain killers barely worked. I had never really had this kind of reaction, so it was a little frustrating for me. Thank you to Dominic for taking care of me all day, and for handling Grayson and the household chores! Luckily today I feel better, just very tired. But...

This morning we had another problem. Grayson is a pretty rough and tumble kid and he's had his share of falls. Well, this morning he ran into a table corner and cut the area above his eye. I was hoping it wasn't too serious, but when I had my sister take a look, we decided he should probably get stitches. We went to the Urgent Care Center in Charles Town and didn't have to wait at all. The staff was wonderful, but the experience was terrible. It was only three stitches, but that was enough for me. I felt so bad for the poor guy, but he survived and I have a feeling this won't be the last set of stitches he'll get in his life.

Tough Guy

Just a Moment

2008-04-13T17:19:00.002-04:00

I very rarely "just post" on my blog. Since the title is "All About Grayson" I try to stay focused on the subject - my son. Also, I simply do not have to time to log in and share thoughts or feelings randomly. But at this moment, this very peaceful, quiet, calm moment, I have some time.

Grayson and Dominic are travelling to the firehouse so Dominic can say goodbye to a co-worker who's last shift is today. My house is silent. It's strange. But I thought I would take advantage of it.

A lot is going on right now. We are about to move into our newly remodeled home. I'm excited, anxious, nervous, etc. I wish it were over and done with. I'm tired of living in the basement without any windows or a "real" bedroom. I'm tired of waiting for a worker to get something done so the next worker can come in and do his job. I'm tired of the mud that surrounds my house. I'm just...tired. I can't wait to sleep in my bed (we're on a futon right now), cook in my kitchen, work in my home office - I can't wait for all of it!!

I'm also looking into some new business opportunities. I'm trying to find a good match for me and the family. I don't want to return to work full time and I definitely don't want to go back to Human Resources or Corporate Training, but I want to find something that gets me out of the house every now and then and also will allow me to use my brain. I'm hoping my friends and family will support me in whatever I choose. I had thought I found a great opportunity last fall, but that didn't work out, so I'm hoping my research works this time. I have already spoken with the founder of the company and it sounds absolutely amazing, so as soon as I'm ready, I think I'll jump in. We'll see, and I'm sure I'll post more about it soon.

In addition, we've decided to get ready for our next adoption. We're in the middle of our homestudy process right now. I'm mentally prepared for another child, but I'm also rather nervous. Grayson and I have a pretty good routine going and a newborn is going to change all of that. That's scary, but I guess everyone goes through that when they plan to add another child to the family.

So there you have it - a few updates and a few feelings. I'm going to use the rest of my quiet moment to relax on the couch and enjoy the peace. "Talk" to you later!

Jump, Baby, Jump!!!

2008-04-10T17:27:00.003-04:00

If you have a child who loves to climb, jump on the furniture, and has tons of energy, then buy them a bounce house! I have been debating the purchase of one of these for months. I was going to buy him one for his birthday, then Christmas, then just because we were stuck in the basement during the winter and he had nothing to do with himself, but I was afraid he wouldn't use it and it wouldn't justify the cost. I finally broke down this week because I couldn't stand it anymore, so I bought one on eBay. And he loves it!!! He's been jumping on it for the past two and a half hours and still doesn't seem to be slowing down. I have a feeling this is going to be one of my favorite purchases for a while.

Hellooooo, Toddler Bed!!

2008-04-04T08:40:00.005-04:00

There really has been a lot going on lately - Grayson's first trip to the circus (which he really enjoyed), Easter, another egg hunt, house construction, paperwork for our next adoption, etc. - so I apologize for not posting much, but last night was a big deal for Grayson so I had to stop by and give an update.

Grayson started climbing out of his crib this past weekend. No matter how much I told him not to do it, he continued playing on the crib like a jungle gym. When the house is finished, we plan to transition him to a "big boy bed." The bed was actually my nephew's when he was little and it's a loft bed with a desk and dresser underneath. It will be perfect for Grayson but way too big to bring into the house right now. Also, since we plan to move into the addition very, very soon, it makes no sense to buy a net for over the bed or to buy a toddler bed.

Earlier in the week, I started taking off the front piece of his crib so he no longer would have to climb over it and he loved it during the day when he's playing in his room, but refused to sleep in it that way. Well, last night I had had it. I just knew that if he continued to climb in and out of the crib that he was going to fall and break an arm, or worse. I decided to take it off and it was going to stay off. He put up a big fight when it was bed time, but finally fell asleep and then only woke up once in the middle of the night and came out of his room. He did really, really well!! One more milestone to check off the list.

Grayson's New Tool Bench

2008-03-20T09:22:00.003-04:00

Well, he did it! Grayson filled his "potty chart" with stars when he successfully made it for five days without any accidents. As a result, we took him to Toys R US to pick out a new toy. We gave him the choice between a tool bench or a drum set and he immediately wanted the tool bench. Unfortunately, they were sold out of the one we wanted. So we checked the store in Hagerstown - and they were sold out as well. We finally found some in Gaithersburg. We called in advance to make sure we didn't drive all the way down there to find they were sold out. They assured us that they had four on the floor and three in the back. When we got there (about 20 minutes later), they had one left on the floor and we grabbed it. Grayson hasn't stopped playing with it since!

A Trip to Chuck E. Cheese's

2008-03-07T16:21:00.003-05:00

Grayson has only been to Chuck E. Cheese's once and that was when he was about 11 months old for one of his friend's birthday parties. I don't have any problem with the place, we've just never gone.

Well, this week we held our playgroup there and Grayson really enjoyed himself. I had hoped he would have played in the "jungle gym" a little more, but he had fun playing with the rides and the games. He even ended up with enough tickets to get two lollipops, a sticker, and a plastic ant. Pure gold to him!

In other news, he's doing very, very well with the potty. We ditched pull-ups and diapers completely (except when he's sleeping) two weeks ago, and he's handling real underwear like a champ. He still has accidents, but usually only when we're home and I finally am not too nervous about taking him out and about (but I always have backups!). Each day that he goes accident-free he gets a star on his chart and when he reaches a certain number, he'll get a new tool bench. I don't know if he really grasps the concept yet, but I'm hoping it will help a little.

Also, we're making some progress with the house remodel. We finally have some brick on the outside, although thanks to the extremely cold weather during the previous two weeks and then tons of rain on other days, we aren't as far along as I would like. The drywall was hung this week and is supposed to be sanded by Monday so the painting can start on Tuesday. Our contractor is still shooting for April, so let's hope that still works out. It hasn't been too bad living in the basement, but I'm starting to get a little tired of not having any sunlight in the house.

Keeping Busy in the Basement

All the Way to 10!

2008-02-20T09:06:00.003-05:00

I apologize for another month of limited posting. I feel like we're constantly running around in circles as we get closer and closer to finishing the house. Speaking of which, our front door went in last week, our brick is going up this week, and next week the drywall is being installed. All great news, but this also meant that I had to get our light fixtures, appliances, and miscellaneous other items picked because I was running out of time. And that's pretty much what I've been doing.

As for Grayson, he's doing very well. He still loves tools and thanks to toys we received from his cousin Brooks, Grayson has discovered Bob the Builder. I recorded it the other day and let him watch it (we usually only watch Sesame Street when we watch TV) and he was mesmorized. He also still loves dinosaurs and the bedding we ordered for his new bedroom came yesterday. He wanted to open it right away, of course. He is now also counting to 10 all by himself, without missing any numbers. He's been counting for a while, but would often skip a number, but now he does it without error. He counts to 20, but once we get past 11, he's not quite getting all the teens in order, but we'll get there!!

Here's a picture from this morning. Our contractor is working on the stairs that come into our basement, so whenever someone is working downstairs, Grayson has to put on his toolbelt and "build a house" on his slide (one of the places he's allowed to bang his hammer) while he watches them work. As you can also see, he's wearing dinosaur pajamas. I ordered these because they were on sale, even though they are too big for him to wear right now, but that didn't stop him. He HAD to wear them to bed last night and really, they weren't that big on him. (which is scary because I fear he'll be in 4T's for the summer).

Third Time's A Charm

2008-01-31T12:45:00.001-05:00

Last year Grayson was having some problem with his white blood cell count. Each time we had his bloodwork done, it was elevated. We always found the results amazing because other than colds and an occasional fever, the kid is never sick. He's never had an ear infection, has only had to take antibiotics once (just before he turned one), and he only just recently had his first stomach virus.

At his two-year-old doctor appointment, we knew we were going to have to have the bloodwork done again, but Grayson got his flu shot that day, so we were told to wait until the following week. Well, that week came and went, and then the holidays arrived, and then Grayson was really sick (that stomach virus I mentioned), etc., etc., so we didn't have the blood drawn.

Tuesday Dominic was off work. Since getting the blood drawn requires one of us to hold him still, we decided to do it that day and have Dominic hold him. When we arrived in the room, the technician had planned to do it herself with Dominic holding him. The look on my face must have convinced her to get some help because she asked someone to come in with her. They blew his vein with the first stick and Grayson was screaming. He's not only crying, but also yelling that it's hurting him. Ugh. The other technician tried it on his other arm and they were able to get the blood.

The next day Grayson woke up with a stuffy nose, so I just knew he was going to have another elevated white blood cell count. When we got home today after visiting a preschool, there was a message from the doctor's office to discuss his results. I was dreading it. Once the doctor got on the phone I was waiting for the bad news again, "His white blood cell count is high, you're going to have to have the blood drawn again. Blah, blah, blah." But to my surprise, that's not what he said at all. He told me everything looked great!! EVERYTHING!! This was great news. So, we finally have that behind us and I'm very glad it's a happy ending.

Preschools, Ack!!

2008-01-26T09:10:00.000-05:00

I'm hoping to get Grayson into an excellent preschool that will then get him on the fast track straight to Harvard, Princeton, or Yale and boy, is this quite an ordeal.

Just kidding. All I'm looking for is a nice place where he can learn how to count to 100 and how to play with other children, while also discovering that there are viewpoints in the world other than mine. You would think I was asking for a million dollars to fall into my lap (although that would be nice right about now, too).

I have seen the parents on television who are eagerly trying to get their child into the best of the best preschool. This requires numerous interviews with the parents and the child, enormous application fees which don't even guarantee a spot in the school and are non-refundable, and then a wait for an acceptance letter. Yes, an acceptance letter!!! If these poor kids are already under this much pressure at three, I can't even imagine how much worse it is going to get.

Luckily, I have discovered there are quite a few schools in our area that seem to meet my and Grayson's needs. And getting into them isn't going to require any of what I mentioned above nor will I have to stand in line at 4:00 AM hoping to get in quick enough to get him a spot or sit on a waiting list for months. Don't get me wrong, education is very, very important to me and I look forward to Grayson's school days, but the kid isn't even three yet. Do I really need to begin pressuring him already?

Appreciating My Son

2008-01-08T09:40:00.000-05:00

These past couple weeks have been pretty rough on Grayson and me. Not only because we have both been sick, but also thanks to the holidays, our routine was completely off kilter since most of our normal events like playgroups and gym class have been canceled. As a result, we have been stuck in the house, which means the basement since that’s where we are living right now. Since Grayson is a very social kid, just like me, we’ve been going a little stir crazy.

During this time, I was emailing one of my friends back and forth. They have also been pretty sick over the holidays and we were exchanging battle stories. While we were discussing our holidays she wrote something interesting, “Two is such a fun age.” As I read it, I laughed out loud and then I told her how amusing I found the statement. She then pointed out how funny her daughter is now and how she is able to reason with her, unlike when she was one.

I thought a little more about this and then started to reflect back on the past couple weeks and how really great Grayson had been. Sure, we had our tough moments, but overall we really enjoyed our time together. This prompted me to think more about why I love my son and why I am going to try even harder to appreciate him as a two-year-old. Here’s my list:

He’s hilarious and he tells you so. Now that he speaks in sentences, he says the funniest things and he tells me all the time, “I funny, Mommy, I funny.” Perfect.

He says please and thank you. And very rarely needs to be prompted. This is something I take pride in because manners seem to be disappearing a bit nowadays. He's also really big on saying "bless you" after you sneeze. And after you cough. At first I was trying to distinguish between the two, but then a friend of mine said, "sometimes coughs need blessing too," and I realized she was completely right.

He loves to go to church. Pretty much every day he asks to go to church. I’m sure he doesn’t understand why we go to church at this point, but I’m also sure that when he’s 16-years-old, he’ll probably be fighting me rather than begging to go, so I’m going to appreciate it while it lasts.

His energy is unstoppable. I am amazed at how he can continue to go and go and go. Because of this, he motivates me to do the same. Then again, do I really have a choice??

He enjoys music. He would much rather listen to music than watch television. He also loves to sing and when his Daddy and I practice singing with our group at church for our contemporary services, he really has a blast. Just today I saw him mimicking our drummer as he tapped his drumsticks together, counted, and then started playing his drum. We had always planned on starting him with guitar lessons, but we may have to rethink that!!

He has a mind of his own. This one is hard to appreciate as he pushes my buttons, argues with me, and fights me on almost everything; however, if I take a moment and really think about it, I know I’m raising a strong, independent thinker and that will serve him well as he becomes an adult. And also, all those challenging moments are making me a better person and mother.

This year at Christmas, he got more excited over the tree lights than the gifts themselves. I had mentioned in my previous post about how hard I had worked to have the gifts under the tree for him to see when he awoke on Christmas morning. I did this because his face lit up the first time we turned on the tree lights and it continued to do so the entire month before Christmas. I really thought he would be incredibly excited over seeing the gifts and couldn’t believe he didn’t seem to care at the time. At first I was disappointed, but the more I thought about it, the greater it became. He found appreciation more in the “spirit” rather than just getting toys. I hope he always feels that way.

He tells me he loves me all the time. I remember the first time he said I love you and it has only become better each time. I don’t think I will ever be tired of hearing it. The best sentence someone could ever say!

The Holidays Are Behind Us Once Again

2008-01-02T15:19:00.000-05:00

Even though Dominic and I are in the middle of construction, we chose to still host our family on Christmas Day. As my brother said, this was the 50th consecutive year Christmas has been hosted in this house. The house may not be the same as it was 50 years ago, but it’s nice to know we were able to keep up the tradition. Luckily it hadn’t rained in a few days, so the mud had turned to dirt for the day and it made it much easier for people to get in. I’ve started posting construction photos for you to view if you’re interested. You can click here to view them and the link is also listed on the side of the blog.

As for the rest of the holiday week, we had kicked it off by visiting Dominic’s sister Maria in Baltimore and had dinner with his family. Grayson had a blast playing with his cousin Paul that day. I survived singing in the Christmas Eve cantata at church. I was very worried I was going to get sick, but that actually came later in the week, luckily.

Grayson enjoyed opening his gifts on Christmas, but I think he was more excited about tearing the paper rather than the gifts themselves. He had been so excited when we put up the tree I thought he would really love to see all the gifts Christmas morning, but the first words out of his mouth after he woke were “I wanna eat.” Go figure.

His favorite gifts were definitely his ride-on gator (which we bought from my sister), his football helmet (he hasn’t wanted to remove it), and his iPod player that is a stuffed elephant.
Unfortunately, Grayson got rather sick the next day at my mother’s house during her open house. This started a very rough week for us. Although I survived our first stomach virus, I’m still sick today and it made New Year’s Eve a little harder for me to handle (but I was still up until 1:00 AM), I’m still very miserable and we missed our gym class today because I just didn’t feel up to leaving the house. Hopefully this will pass soon and we’ll be back to normal.

Discovering Playdough

2007-12-21T20:24:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure of where to even begin since it has been so long since my last post. December has turned out to be even more hectic than November, although I guess I shouldn't be surprised. We are, after all, not only preparing for the holiday season but also remodeling our house.

This past Saturday Grayson went to a birthday party for two of his friends (they're twins) and while there he played with playdough for the first time. We actually have plenty of playdough which we have accumulated over time but we have never actually sat down and played with it. It was fun to watch him form it into shapes and then smash them just to start all over again.

As I watched him I discovered I need to be more like playdough right now. Life is crazy. The week prior to the party we were told by our contractor to plan to move to our basement by the weekend. We then spent the entire week packing and moving. At the end of the week I found myself very sick, so sick that had to ask my mother to come help me with Grayson for a little while. The night of the party, Dominic and I went to dinner to celebrate our seven-year anniversary and at one of my favorite restaurants, I couldn't enjoy the meal because I still wasn't feeling quite right. When we got home that night we found that it was raining in our house. I should clarify...it was pouring down rain in our house. There were so many leaks through the roof (or lack thereof) we didn't have enough buckets or trash cans to catch them all. And this continued all night long. After a rough night, I still made it to church and then to cantata practice afterwards. When I got home, our power went out for about 12 hours. So within a week's time, I found myself over and over again feeling good about the progress I was making only to be smashed down once again to face another challenge. I was being remolded, just like playdough.

I guess I can learn a lot from the new discoveries Grayson makes each day. I have learned to be more flexible and roll with the obstacles thrown my way. I'm going to do my best to look at each situation as a valuable experience. Hopefully, with each remolding I'll become a better person.

Whining!!!

2007-12-03T10:26:00.000-05:00

Grayson is a pretty tough kid. When he falls down, he usually gets up without even a whimper and if he is crying, I know that means it must have hurt. A lot. But lately I've had to put up with a different type of cry, something I knew was coming, but I guess I wasn't prepared for it - the whining.

Oh. My. Gosh. I don't know if I'm more annoyed by the whining itself or the fact that it's coming from my son who is normally so verbally expressive. I'm reading up on the ways to deal with it and how to hopefully make it stop, but it's taking a lot of patience. Something I've been short on these days.

On a much happier note, Dominic and I decided to start decorating for Christmas yesterday. I really didn't think Grayson would "get into it" that much, but I was very wrong. He loved decorating the tree and his face would light up when we pulled out a new ornament. I just wish I had recorded it because it was so much fun to watch. Oh, well. Hopefully next year he'll enjoy it just as much.

Being Thankful

2007-11-26T09:45:00.000-05:00

November is a rather important month in our family for obvious reasons. Two years ago at this time, Dominic and I were in New Jersey learning how to take care of our new baby while waiting for the phone call telling us we could head home. It was a crazy time since we hadn’t been prepared for a baby because we thought the process would take a long time – little did we know that our son would be in our arms less than a month after officially switching to domestic adoption – and we had no clue what we were doing. Everything we had with us to take care of Grayson was borrowed and we knew we were coming home to a house that was not ready for a baby.

So, when we reflect on Thanksgiving, not only do we think about the delicious turkey dinner we had eaten in the hospital two years ago, but we also are thankful for the family and friends who were, and continue to be, so supportive in our lives. We wouldn’t have been able to survive without them during those first insane months of adjusting to a newborn in our otherwise party-like lifestyle (at the time) and we know we continue to be lucky to have them in our lives now.

Now Grayson is two. He is a thriving little boy who we find incredibly intelligent and beautiful (or should I say handsome). At his doctor’s appointment last week, he has landed in the 92nd percentile for height and the 89th percentile for weight. The scale at the office said he was 31 pounds, but at the vet’s a couple weeks ago, he stood on their scale and was 32.5 pounds, so we’re thinking he’s realistically somewhere in between. He talks non-stop and is learning something new every day. I also enjoy watching him interact with his friends. It reminds me that he really is a little man with his own emotions, ideas, and personality and I thank God for him every day.

November is also important to us because it is National Adoption Awareness Month and November 17th (Grayson’s birthday) was National Adoption Day. I know I don’t often blog about adoption specifically, but it is obviously a key part of our lives. I try to stay active with our local adoption group, Adoptive Families and Friends, and I am always very willing to answer questions about adoption and/or the process we went through. So if you’re ever thinking about it or are just curious, let me know and I would love to talk about it.

I Will Catch Up Soon!!

2007-11-24T20:19:00.000-05:00

This has been one crazy month!! I will post all the details very soon, but since it has been almost a full month since my last post, I wanted to go ahead and share Grayson's birthday party pictures. He actually had two parties again this year - one with his playgroup friends and one with our families. You can see the pictures from the family party here. The theme for both parties was dinosaurs and Grayson had a blast. I'm amazed at his interest in dinosaurs and we're going to continue to roll with it as we decorate his new room when the house is finished.

His two-year doctor's appointment went very well. Once again, he's very tall for his age. I'll be back soon with more information and more pictures.

So Very, Very Tired

2007-11-01T20:04:00.000-04:00

I have now realized that the end of October and most of November is my busiest time of year. I remember last year, I was very stressed while trying to stay on top of things, and it has only gotten worse this year. It's all stuff I bring onto myself - planning Grayson's birthday parties, handling the publicity for my adoption group's National Adoption Day event, doing dictation for my sister, singing with the praise and worship group at church, dealing with house building stuff, keeping up with Grayson's schedule (which includes toddler time at the library, gym class, playgroups, parties, etc.), potty training, assisting with a baby shower, and trying to balance my own pathetic social schedule in the middle of all of it - but it still takes its toll. I'm not complaining, just sharing. I love my life. I love being busy. I'm just amazed at how busy I actually am sometimes and I'm now very, very tired.

At any rate, I mentioned that I would hopefully have some good pictures to share because this past week offered up some great photo opportunities. Of course Grayson was his normal "non-photogenic" self in that he refuses to look at the camera, let alone smile for me, but hopefully I think I was able to capture the moment in most cases.

Our first event was a birthday party for one of Grayson's friends. It was at a pumpkin patch and unfortunately, after many months of a drought, it decided to rain most of last week which resulted in some rather miserable weather for an outside party. Luckily the first hour was fairly clear, so the kids got to play outside. Grayson's favorite thing to do was climb on the haystack and here you can see his reflective look as he sits atop a hay bail.

Since the kids couldn't go out to the pumpkin patch on the hayride, they brought the pumpkins to them and allowed the kids to paint them. Grayson definitely enjoyed this and I had a blast just watching his concentration. His final masterpiece is proudly displayed on our porch.

Last Friday Grayson was invited to a Halloween party with his playgroup friends. This year Grayson dressed as a firefighter for Halloween. This was for practical reasons in that I purchased one of those fancy dress up outfits at an expensive kid's boutique a few months ago. The plan was to give it to him for either his birthday or Christmas, but when I started looking for Halloween costumes, it seemed rather stupid to spend the money on something else when I already had this. He loved wearing his costume and his friend Griffin gave him an early birthday present to go with it - firefighter boots - so he now likes to wear his boots all around the house. (The picture is from before we left for the party, so he's wearing his Chucks since he didn't have the boots yet.)

This past Tuesday we went to another pumpkin patch. We took Grayson's cousin, Brooks, and we also met up with a few of Grayson's friends there. The weather was much, much better than the previous week, so the kids truly enjoyed themselves. Grayson loved the giant "pillow" and he also loved going down the slides and through the tunnels.

On Halloween, we went Trick or Treating with his cousins, Tevyn and Trevor. This was not only Grayson's first time Trick or Treating, but also mine. We went to the local "neighborhoods" so the boys could be seen by people we know. It was a lot of fun, but a lot of work. Since we live out in the middle of nowhere, the houses are not very close together, so we did a lot of walking and after about an hour, Grayson was getting pretty tired and wanted to be held, which made it even harder on me. But we had a blast and Grayson brought home a ton of loot. And contrary to popular belief, I am allowing him to have some of it on occasion, but only after he eats all of his fruits and vegetables!!

Accident-Free

2007-10-23T13:33:00.000-04:00

Yesterday we finally closed on the loan to remodel our house. It has been a very, very long road to get the loan thanks to all the recent changes in the market, but we finally succeeded. There weren't any "accidents" but it wasn't without some serious last minute kinks, but we were able to handle them and walk away with the construction loan we needed.

The contractor dropped off his equipment this morning and when Grayson and I got back from playgroup today, it looked as if he had already started working on tearing down the shed. The shed is going to be replaced with a two-car garage. This is where we'll keep Dominic's Jeep and all our yard equipment. It will also have a second floor for storage. Here's a picture of the original shed:
The house will also include a two-car garage, plus we are building off the back and adding a second story. Here's a picture of the current house:
I will start adding pictures to dotphoto soon just like I did for the basement, so people who are interested can watch the progress. I'm excited, but I'm also very nervous. This house was built by my parents 50 years ago. All of us grew up here and now I'm making some major changes. I know it is going to be worth it and we're also trying hard to include parts of the original house in the final plans, but I'm still anxious about the whole thing.

In other "accident-free" news, Grayson went without any potty accidents on Sunday - this was even with us going to church. He's doing a really great job so I guess he was definitely ready! Yesterday we were out on the road most of the day and the poor boy asked to go to the bathroom a couple times while we were in the car, but there was no place to go, so I'm going to invest in one of those portable potties for kids. Hopefully that will help with our long car rides. We have a pretty busy week ahead of us, which will allow for some great pictures (as long as Grayson cooperates), so I should have a decent update sometime soon.

We're Surviving

2007-10-15T09:16:00.000-04:00

One puppy almost completely house trained, one who isn't at all, and a toddler who is being potty trained. Right now I feel like my life is all about "going to the bathroom." What fun. But, we're surviving.

Grayson is doing much better than Melah who is insistent on not going outside. Grayson's mornings go very, very well, but after nap he starts to go a bit downhill. I really think it's the use of his diaper during nap time. I was always worried I was going to send a mixed message this way and I think he's picked up on that, but I keep trying to reiterate that diapers are for sleeping and he needs to use the potty when he's awake.

I'm actually trying to remember what else we've done this week to share with you, but I feel like it's been all about the potty training.

I guess the other "big" thing is that I'm also working on Grayson's birthday party. He's really interested in dinosaurs (for those of you who know me from childhood, you'll remember this was a big interest of mine as well) so we decided to make that the theme of his party. I've been enjoying it. I have even tried to find some of my old dinosaurs. So far I've only found three stuffed ones - I think the rest are gone.

Hopefully the planning will continue to go well. I really feel like I'm just constantly on the go, but then when I look back on the day, I feel like I haven't accomplished anything. I guess that's how it is with Stay-at-Home Moms sometimes. There are days that feel like you've reached new heights and days where you feel like you're just surviving.

New Things to Share

2007-10-09T09:02:00.000-04:00

Well, Dominic and I did it again. We got another puppy. After the loss of our last dachshund, Marie, our new puppy was all alone and we could tell she was lonely. Plus, we always knew we wanted to have two dogs at a time and I knew I always wanted to have a dachshund. So, last week we did a little research and found a few breeders in the area who had some available. That is how we found Melah. She is one of the most beautiful red dachshunds I've ever seen. Where our previous reds had black highlights, Melah has white, so her red coat is much lighter. She also has a red nose, which is just adorable. Sookie and Grayson are both happy to have her in the house.

As for the other piece of news, Grayson has decided he wants to be potty trained. This has actually been going on for months, but I kept putting it off because I thought he was too young. Well, this past weekend he stayed with his Aunt Maria and proved he knew what he was doing. He regularly asked and used the potty without any problems. So this week we've started potty training officially. Today he has been in "big boy" underwear and we haven't had any problems. I guess we'll see how it goes!

He's Not a Baby Anymore

2007-09-27T08:17:00.000-04:00

Okay, so I guess Grayson really hasn't been a baby since he was about nine months old - when he started walking. Actually, my Mom and I were looking at his pictures and noticed how at that time his face really transformed from "baby-looking" to full-on toddler. But this post really isn't about his physical or mental milestones which seemed to come fast and furious. This post is more about the maturity I've noticed in him this week.

Our week has been a busy one, as usual, and it started this Sunday with a birthday party for one of Grayson's friends who turned two on the 22nd. At this same party last year, Grayson was the only child who was really walking around and the entire time I was running after him. This year, I had Dominic to help me, but I also noticed how well Grayson interacted with the other children, how well he listened to both Dominic and me, and how much he enjoyed the moon bounce. It was really neat to sit back and watch.

But it didn't stop there. On Tuesday, our playgroup was held at his friend Ella's house and it was a celebration for her second birthday. Ella's parents set up finger painting for the kids and Grayson had a blast, but was even cooler to see was how he would go to the correct color when I called it out and come back to his own sheet to paint. Also, each child was given a flower pot in which we planted seeds to bring home and watch grow. I was amazed at how well Grayson followed the directions as we put the pot together.

But the most obvious example of maturity occurred at gym class again. As I mentioned in my previous post, gym class has been a true learning experience for Grayson, but yesterday he was even better than before. This time, not only did he participate in the warm-ups but he was actually watching the instructor and doing what she was doing. He almost made it through the entire warm-up session without losing interest. Fingers crossed for next week!

Oh, and speaking of those mental milestones, here are a few to brag about - he seems to know all the basic colors at this point, he is able to identify half the alphabet (in no particular order, which I really appreciate), he can sing half the ABC song, and he can count to five. He also really, really acts like he wants to be potty-trained. Of course, this has been going on for a while, but I haven't really been doing anything about it. I'm starting to think I need to begin the process - something I'm not really looking forward to doing.

A Great Day in Gym Class

2007-09-20T08:14:00.000-04:00

This fall many of my friends and I decided to try out a new gym for the kids. I was a bit apprehensive at first because I absolutely loved The Little Gym, but I also didn't want to go back and do the same exact class we've been doing. We decided to check out the Frederick Gymnastics Club and since we can't sit in on a class, we went to their open house. I was still a little concerned because I just didn't get a good "vibe" from them, but I really liked the variety they offered so we all decided to sign up with them.

Grayson's first class was the last Wednesday of August and it was terrible. We arrived early and had to wait in the viewing area until they called us into class where Grayson would not sit still. When class started, Grayson immediately started screaming and holding onto me. He refused to participate in any of the warm-up activities. Once he realized all the really cool things in the gym to explore, he decided he wanted to run wild so I was holding him down until it was time to move. After warm-up, he still wanted to run around and not actually go through the obstacle courses they had created for the kids. By the end of it all, I was exhausted. I got more of a work out chasing after him than he did participating.

Each week seemed to get a little bit better. The next week he still screamed through the warm-ups but was willing to do the obstacle course. However, in the middle of class he decided he wanted to leave so he began to throw temper tanturms. Last week he made me carry him during the warm-ups, but didn't scream and he didn't ask to leave. Then there was this week and it was great!

I figured out that part of the problem with his behavior was that he was getting his lunch later than usual, so yesterday I decided to give him some raisins and animal crackers before we left the house. When class started, he wanted me to carry him, but I refused and he actually started doing some of the warm-ups!! Then, he did the obstacle courses without any fuss. He even swung from the rings without any assistance. He also tried out the parallel bars and the horse. I couldn't believe it! I finally feel like I'm getting my money's worth and Grayson is getting to use up some of his energy.

On a completely unrelated note, thanks to Aunt Heidi for Grayson's awesome football jersey. I took a ton of pictures the other day to try to get that perfect shot. I don't think I actually got it, but here are a few:

Going Back for the Pass

Running for the Touchdown

In the Huddle with the Other Players

Reflecting on the Game

Wow, What a Trip!

2007-09-15T08:38:00.000-04:00

I know it has been way too long since my last post, but Grayson and I were on the coast of Alabama last week visiting friends I have gotten to know over the years on IVF Connections. When we got back, I was in a lot of pain because I pulled my back out on the plane trying to keep Grayson on my lap (this actually occured on the way down), plus I was completely exhausted. And then yesterday I got very, very sick. So here I am. Finally. And I'm feeling much better.

As for the trip, it was incredible!! It was so amazing to actually meet the people I've gotten to know on-line. Grayson had a great time playing with the other children, although he tired me out. He wouldn't take naps and he stayed up late with the rest of us. Plus, he didn't want to sleep in his Pack-N-Play (I think this was more because he wanted to stay up rather than the PNP itself) so he slept with me. In a twin bed. And this is something we've NEVER done. Needless to say, given the fact that I had pulled my back on the plane, was sleeping in a bed with a little man who is squirmy, and the bed was a tad bit on the firm side, I didn't get much sleep. It didn't matter though, I loved getting to know the girls and their children. Plus one husband! I would do it all over again in a heartbeat.

Some of the definite highlights of the trip for Grayson were playing in the ocean, jumping off the side of the pool into my arms, and the boat trip. The pictures I took really don't capture his absolute joy, but you can take a look at a few of them here. He saw the ocean for the first time last year, but at that point he wasn't even crawling yet. This time he would run toward the water and throw himself into the waves. It was so much fun to watch.

As for the pool, we've been in my sister's pool a number of times this summer, but because it's an above ground pool, there's really no way for him to sit on the side and jump in. Once he discovered this was something he could do, he wanted to do it over and over again.

On the boat trip, Grayson had a blast. He loved standing at the front of the boat, but he loved to help steer it even more. Oh, and honking the horn non-stop. Unfortunately we didn't see any dolphins, but I don't think Grayson cared in the least.

I think we're finally back in our groove here. Grayson went back to his schedule almost immediately, thank goodness, but I've had a harder time as I mentioned above. I look forward to another get-together!!

2007-08-28T14:25:00.000-04:00

I have learned that toddlerhood is not just an uphill battle. There are moments when you are struggling to make it up the mountain, but then there are times you get to go down into a valley or canyon. And then there are times you can simply hike along the bottom of that valley or canyon and just enjoy the scenery around you before you have to start making your way back up. Last week was a treacherous hike uphill, while this week was a leisurely stroll down into a glorious canyon!

I’m not trying to be philosophical or deep, I’m just trying to embrace what is happening and as I mentioned in my previous post, help Grayson learn through it while I’m learning as well.

So much happened this past week I really could have blogged each and every day about it, but we were so busy, I simply didn’t have the time. Not to mention that our Internet went out on us again and we’re still on dial-up so getting on-line is a frustrating experience.

Grayson was so good this past week it’s almost as if he were a completely different child, but I guess that’s the way it’s going to be. We went to two fun playgroups and he did great with the other kids. We took a trip down to Baltimore to visit Port Discovery and I don’t think I have ever seen him have so much fun. He climbed all over the jungle gym, which is three-stories tall, and generally had a blast running around. We went out to dinner with my parents on Friday night and he was an angel at the restaurant and afterward when we hung out in my parent’s backyard. He was great in the nursery at church, both during Sunday School and during the worship service. And we visited his Aunt Maria’s and Uncle Jay’s for dinner that night and he was great as he played with his cousin Paul.

Coming Down a Tube in Port Discovery - Three Stories Up

I guess I’ll just have to remind myself of these times when he’s completely disobeying me or screaming at the top of his lungs because he’s not getting his way or running around like crazy because he has more than enough energy to spare. It is what it is.

Playing on Paul's New Scooter

When Does Toddlerhood End?

2007-08-19T16:01:00.000-04:00

This has been a challenging and emotionally draining week for me as a mother. Grayson turned twenty-one months old on Friday, but really, I think he's been in his terrible two stage since he turned one. The highlights of the week?? Let's see...Tuesday morning he learned to move a chair to our sliding glass door, climb up, unlock the door, open it and then run outside; that afternoon we had to leave our adoptive families playgroup early because he wouldn't behave and started running all around the coffee house; Thursday he tossed his hat into the river near my sister-in-law's house - it was not retrieved; Saturday he vomited all over himself in his carseat and in my truck, what a lovely smell; and today he had to be removed from nursery at church because he was throwing toys and hitting.

I'm starting to realize I have one of "those" children. You know, the ones you see throwing temper tantrums in the grocery store because their mothers told them they couldn't have something, or the ones who steal the toys from the other kids and think it's funny, or the ones who, like Grayson, run obnoxiously around the coffee house. The ones you said your child would never be like.

I guess it's a trade off. Grayson was an excellent baby, so toddlerhood seems like it's going to be a challenge. He loves to eat anything, so instead of the child who refuses to eat his vegetables, I get the child who refuses to take a nap. He's very polite, he says "please" and "thank you," plus he takes the time to say "bless you" after someone sneezes. So I suppose the trade off there is the continual energy he seems to have, constantly running away from me when I call him, giggling all the way.

I guess I need to get myself ready for what's to come. I know toddlerhood isn't going to end any time soon, so I might as well do whatever I can to survive the ride and do what I can to help Grayson grow from his experiences during this turbulent time. Like one of my best friends always says about her daughter, these qualities may be stressful now, but that independent, strong-willed nature will serve our kids well when they are adults.

Reading is Fundamental

2007-08-10T20:00:00.000-04:00

That's what they always say, right? Well, I'm happy to report that it seems to be becoming fundamentally important in our home.

Reading has always been important to me and it's something I greatly enjoy doing. I have always wanted my children to feel the same way. I can remember begging my mother to read to me when I was little and I always hoped I would be on the receiving end of that begging when I became a parent. This has definitely become the case, but I have also noticed that Grayson enjoys reading books by himself as well.

When he and I are home all day, I try to split our time between his playroom and his bedroom. Lately I've been encouraging him to play by himself so he's not always so dependent on me for entertainment. Most recently he has started to go in his room and close the door. I'll usually allow him his "privacy" for a few minutes and then I go in to check on him. Well, today when I checked, this is what I found:He had pulled half of his books off the shelves and had them spread out all around him. As you can see, he's enjoying a good book in the picture. After I caught him, we proceeded to read a few together. Does it get any better than this?

Lazy Summer Days

2007-08-09T19:27:00.001-04:00

Grayson and I have been pretty busy this week, so it was nice to simply take a break today. We didn't leave the house and since it was rather hot as well, we decided to stay inside all day. This meant we did a lot of reading and playing. One of Grayson's favorite things to do is read, so he decided to sit down with a couple good books on his own. He really enjoyed reading the story to me.

The day was also spent learning to count to three; learning the colors orange, yellow, and blue; and Grayson practicing to dress himself (that's why he's not wearing any shorts in the picture). So I guess "Lazy Summer Days" isn't really the right title because even though we didn't go out, we still stayed pretty busy.

Welcome Home, Sookie!

2007-07-30T07:38:00.000-04:00

Dominic and I had always said that when all four of our dogs had passed away, we would wait for a while before we would get another one. Well, all that changed last week when Marie was at the vet's being observed, again, and for the first time in many, many years, I came home to house with no dog to greet me. It was rather depressing.

A couple days later I went back to the vet's to pick up a refill on one of Marie's medicines. While I was there, I noticed a flier on the bulletin board advertising the sale of Whippets. I had no idea what kind of dog they were, so I started asking questions. As the entire veterinary staff started to come out to talk to me, I found out they were great pets, good with kids, and that the breeder, Sleeping Fox Farm, happened to be the daughter of my vet.

So, I called her the next morning and Grayson and I went to meet her and the puppies. We fell in love. We had to wait a few days before we could pick up the puppy, which turned out great because Dominic and I were able to get things ready. Plus, I could read up on what it meant to have a puppy again. I hadn't had one for almost 14 years!!!

Sookie came home yesterday and she has been an absolute dream. She's very good natured and loves to snuggle - which is great because that's exactly what I needed. She had no problem sleeping with us last night and this morning, she's eaten some of her food and started playing with her toys. We also think Marie is happy to have another dog in the house. She had never been alone and after Madison passed away, we could definitely notice a change in Marie's personality. Overall, Sookie seems to be adjusting very well!!

For more pictures, click here.

The Other Five

2007-07-27T09:02:00.000-04:00

It took me a little longer to get back to the blog than I planned, but here are the remaining five of my top 10 list:

Comfy Easy PC – Many of you who know me well, know my feelings regarding children watching television. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love to watch TV, but I’m pretty picky about what Grayson watches. I don’t want him turning into a couch potato. So, when I started searching for a game system (for lack of a better word) for Grayson I was very upset to find that most of them have to be attached to the TV. I wanted something that could attach to the computer so he would begin to relate learning with the computer, not the television.

And then I found the Comfy Easy PC. This is the one thing that can keep Grayson’s attention for up to 45 minutes. I’m amazed at how well he interacts with it and the things he has learned from it. I recommend this to every parent! My only complaint is that they don’t have more games available.

CDs with songs that include your child’s name – One of the things I wasn’t looking forward to when it came to motherhood was listening to children’s music. I always seemed to find it a bit cheesy. I have been able to find some great music, especially from Putumayo Kids, but Grayson’s absolute favorite is any CD that includes his name in the music. His favorite bedtime CD is from Sister Song called “Glimpse of Heaven” (actually, I cried the first time I heard it) and his favorite anytime CD is from Mediak called “Jesus Loves You.” This company actually has a bunch of CDs available, some in Spanish.

Straw Cups – Grayson stopped drinking from a bottle by around 11 months old and I think using straw cups really helped with that. I believe he learned to drink from a straw when he was about nine or 10 months old at my sister’s store. Even though he had been exposed to sippy cups from the time he could start holding things in his hands, cups with straws were a lot easier for him to handle because it didn’t require him to tip the cup. After we started using them, a bunch of his playgroup friends started as well, making it difficult to determine which cup belonged to whom when we got together!! I’m always on the look out for other versions, but so far our favorite is the Gerber Soft Straw cup. We also have a great cup from Catluna Enterprises, but I can’t find it on the Internet (it was given to us). Either way, neither cup leaks!!

Taggie/Lovey/Blankie, whatever you want to call them! – I don’t think there is any way to predict what will become important to your child, but my recommendation is that once you do, buy a back up!! Grayson received a taggie with his name embroidered on it at one of my showers. From that day on, he usually rested his head on it when he slept. I thought this would become important to him, so I purchased a back up shortly thereafter and started switching them right away and I’ve been doing it ever since. But, this wasn’t his most favorite “lovey.” That became Jerry, as we like to call him.

Jerry was also a gift at a shower and I started giving him to Grayson very early in his crib. Jerry was one of those Carter’s blankets with the knots at the corners and a giraffe head in the middle of it. Unfortunately, I waited a little too long to buy a back-up and Carter’s no longer made them, so I paid a small fortune for the one I found on eBay. Oh, well, it was worth it.

Wearable blankets – My final installment into the top 10 would be the sleepsack, or the wearable blanket. We tend to keep our home on the cool side at night, especially in the summer, and I was always concerned about Grayson getting too cold. Obviously you can’t put a blanket on a baby, so these were the perfect solution.

So, there you have it. Honorable mention also goes to the use of cloth diapers as burp cloths – don’t get the cheap ones, we recommend the ones made by Kushies Baby. These were critical to us when Grayson was a baby because he was constantly spitting up. We also love our diaper pail – buy one that can use any type of trash bag so you don’t have to get anything special. It probably sounds strange that I love a diaper pail, but I lived without one for quite some time and it was awful!

My Top 10

2007-07-17T08:54:00.000-04:00

The other day, I was in Toys R Us buying some new toys for our church nursery when I noticed a woman registering for baby items. She had brought a friend along who was helping her decide what to put on the registry. I thought to myself, “Oh, how I wish I would have had that opportunity. The chance to think through the items I would need for a new baby and to have someone help me.” And then I heard the friend’s advice. It stunk. She was randomly having her friend register for baby rattles and toys – items she’ll get plenty of without the help of a registry – and seemed clueless herself, although her friend clearly trusted her opinion.

I was very lucky, overall. The day after we found out we had been chosen by Grayson’s birthmother, my nephew’s wife went out with me to Target and helped me get the basic essentials. She was an absolute blessing and gave me excellent advice! After we brought Grayson home, we were given three different baby showers and we received perfect gifts. I really didn’t have a clue what I would need and what I didn’t need, but I got rather lucky because I received items I would use later rather than those items you only use for the first couple months of a baby’s life.

So, I was inspired to put together my Top 10 Baby Item List (they aren’t ranked by importance). I didn’t include the basics like bottles or diapers because every parent and every baby has a preference for those. I just included those items I wouldn’t have wanted to live without, as well as those items I continue to use. I’m sure many of you will have your own opinions, and if you so desire, please share them with me in your comments. I’m sure I haven’t remembered everything that has been so helpful during these 20 months of motherhood.

And here you go…

The Maya Wrap – I always knew the Maya Wrap was something I wanted when I brought home my baby. Unfortunately, you can only purchase them on-line and I didn’t have the chance to do that before Grayson came home. I bought one a couple months later and used it continually. I still wear it every now and then, but Grayson is so big, it’s a little difficult. I definitely plan to use it with our next baby. Oh, and as an FYI, I got the adjustable pouch not the full wrap because I didn’t want all the extra material.

The Bumbo Seat – I really can’t rave about this thing enough. If you are short on space, the Bumbo Seat is the best thing to use instead of a high chair. And really, even if you have plenty of space, you really don’t need a high chair. We’ve never had one (see the Booster Seat). Also, I took it with me everywhere. Grayson sat in it at three months old and he sat at tables with us in restaurants, I used it at our church nursery, I used it when I made dinner and he watched, etc., etc. This was one of the best things ever!!!

A booster seat – It probably doesn’t matter which one you use, we have this one, but the booster seat is the greatest thing as soon as your baby can sit by himself. Grayson has always eaten at the table with us, a great habit to start early. I also have an extra one that I keep in my truck so he can sit and eat wherever we go. Having one on the go has really come in handy for me because it allows me to sit and eat without having to worry about him. As an FYI, my sister and I just discovered a very cool travel version. I can’t say anything specific about it since I’ve never used it, but I wish I had found it way back when.

Plastic bibs – Grayson was always in a bib when he was a baby because he was usually spitting up and when the spit up is only formula (or breast milk) those cloth bibs are just fine. But as soon as he started eating baby food and I needed something that actually protected his clothes from actual food, the cloth bibs were no longer any good. They stained very easily and since babies are pretty messy in general, that was a pain. One of my friends at church introduced me to the plastic bib. We have the Dura-Bibs. I can easily clean them and the ones I use have a fold down bottom, so you can get to all the food that builds up. I also throw them in the top of the dishwasher occasionally.

An Exersaucer – This gift was one of the best I received!! Its purpose is pretty self-explanatory, but Grayson was able to stand or sit in it and he played with all the toys. Even after he no longer needed it for support, he continued to play with it from the outside. Its “usage life” may not be as long as everything else I’ve mentioned, but it was still a great thing to have and I wouldn’t want to have a baby without it.

This has gotten a little long, so I think I’ll wait to post my other five. I’m sure you’ll be waiting on pins and needles!!

A Fun Weekend

2007-07-16T09:05:00.000-04:00

Maybe I'm a little mushy right now because I just lost my dog or maybe it's for some other reason, but as I reflect back on the weekend I've had, it just brings a smile to my face.

When Dominic and I moved out of Baltimore City and into my parent's house (after they moved, of course), the only people we knew in the area were my family and a couple friends who were still here from high school. That's it. I was still driving down to Baltimore a few times a week to help at Legg Mason, so I was able to be with my friends regularly, but all that ended when Grayson came home just a few short weeks later.

I then felt very alone. Of course I had my son and Dominic. But suddenly I was staying home with a baby and had seemingly lost all contact with my previous "adult" world. It seems so strange to look back on that feeling now.

This weekend brought together a number of new worlds I have found since moving out of the city. On Saturday, Grayson and I went to the birthday party of a high school friend's son. Grayson had a great time, we even rode on a little steam engine train in the neighborhood, and he ate. A lot! It was great to spend time with my friend and to watch the boys play.

Sunday morning, Grayson, Dominic, and I were in church. Growing up, my church was a very important part of my life. I'm now heavily involved again, as a member of the board, a nursery helper, and a member of the women's Sunday School class. I'm so glad Grayson will be able to grow up in the same community - feeling very loved.

Last night, however, was the perfect ending. One of the friends I met through The Little Gym hosted a picnic in a park in Frederick as a thank you to those of us who had recently made meals for her and her family after the birth of their second child. I watched Grayson play with his friends and the rest of us just talk and I was very happy and amazed at how much had changed in just 20 months.

Do I miss my previous adult life? Sure, every now and then. I miss the freedom of coming and going whenever I wanted. I miss living in the city and walking to the restaurants and shops in our neighborhood. I miss sitting on the couch all day and watching Lifetime every now and then. But do I love my new "grown-up" life? Definitely!

Chilling in the Park!

All About Madison

2007-07-12T08:33:00.000-04:00

Normally, this blog is completely dedicated to Grayson, but today I need to write about my first baby, Madison. Sadly, Madison died in my arms Tuesday night. She was a miniature dachshund who had been with me for almost 14 years. This post isn't about her death, however, it's about her life and how much she was a part of mine.

People who don't have animals probably think those of us who get so upset about the loss of a pet are crazy, but Madison was a part of my life for well over a decade and mourning that loss is perfectly normal. As one of my friends pointed out, I may very well have another pet who lives just as long or longer than Madison, but I will never have another one that was with me through so many changes in my life.

I got Madison when I was a sophomore in college. I had recently moved into a townhouse in Columbia with a few roommates and realizing I was on my own, I decided to get the dachshund I had always wanted. I fell in love with Madison the moment I saw her, she was so tiny and sweet. We had driven north of Baltimore to meet her and on the drive home, she slept in my lap.

Over the years Madison has lived in six different homes with me. She has watched me graduate from college, start a career, get married, finish graduate school, and start a family. She was with me through it all and she was the one consistent thing during those 14 years.

I will miss her dearly, but I'm so glad she was a part of my life. Madison, thank you for being my first baby!!

A Rough Couple of Days

2007-07-02T08:54:00.000-04:00

Just last Sunday at church I was talking about how sick I was during Grayson's first year. I was constantly picking up something and feeling pretty miserable. I mentioned that since his first birthday I've been very, very healthy which is a definite blessing because I would no longer be able to just lie on the floor while Grayson played around me like I used to do since he is now such an active little guy.

Well, all that changed Thursday night when I picked up Grayson out of his crib to change his diaper and pulled something in my lower back. I've had minor back pain in the past, but never anything too severe. Until then. The pain was so awful that every move I made was pure torture. The next day I was still in tremendous pain but could still run some errands. When I got home and tried to rest Grayson wasn't going to have it. This had to be one of the most miserable days I've had with him and I could tell I was definitely not myself.

Since then, the pain comes and goes. I'll have moments when it feels much better and then moments when I'm in agony again. I've canceled a few plans, which is terrible for me because I hate being stuck in the house, but I thought it would be best to try and rest my back.

I did have a good day on Saturday morning, which was great because my friend Erica came to visit for a playdate with her son. Not only did we have a great time, but I actually got a picture of Grayson and me together - which so rarely occurs because I'm usually the one taking the pictures. So, here you go...

The Picture Says it All

2007-06-27T15:35:00.000-04:00

Yep, that's Grayson sleeping in the pool. It has been a busy, busy few days. Including playgroup on Friday, a playdate and an afternoon party on Saturday, brunch with friends on Sunday, playgroup again on Monday, all day in the pool at Aunt Lisa's on Tuesday, and then another playdate in Baltimore today. It looks like things finally caught up with Grayson yesterday when he fell asleep in the pool. Up to this point, he had been rather grumpy about being in the water, but once he took his power nap, he was ready to go. He spent another hour and a half in the pool after he awoke and just loved it.

This picture was from Monday's playgroup. The kids had a blast on Griffin's new playset. Grayson especially loved the slide.

Going down slides is one of his favorite things to do, which thanks to our AFF friends who happily gave us some of their gently used items, he is able to do it at home now as well. He loves going up and down the slide we have in our backyard. We also want to thank our AFF friends for Grayson's sandbox and other outdoor toys. He now continually asks to go outside so he can play with them. We can't say thank you enough. We're so glad we can be a part of such a wonderful group!!

My Kid Still Loves to Eat

2007-06-21T18:34:00.000-04:00

When Grayson was a baby, I was actually once told by one of the doctors at his pediatrician's office that he was eating too much formula. I had never heard of such a thing and didn't change how much I fed him.

Things really haven't changed much, even though people keep saying they will. When he was a baby "they" said he would slow down because no baby needs that much formula. When he turned 12 months old, the doctor said not to be alarmed if he didn't eat as much as he had been. It was perfectly normal for a toddler at that age to eat a lot less. Now everyone - including family and friends - say it will change when he turns two. We'll see.

What has prompted this post? Well, today at lunch Grayson ate an entire adult serving of macaroni and cheese with ham and peas. He then proceeded to drink two cups of V8 and eat a ton of blueberries. This evening for dinner he has eaten leftovers from last night - a cheesy chicken casserole. So far he has had two full servings of it, plus squash prepared with basil and garlic, plus Maryland Crab bagel chips. Hello?? Does this sound like a kid who is showing any signs of slowing down? No wonder my grocery bill is so high! That's okay, though, he's a very active kid who is already able to throw a mean football, so I'm definitely not complaining.

Here's a picture of him enjoying his dinner (this is after the two helpings):
On a different note, we went to visit my parents earlier in the week for Father's Day (we weren't actually able to make it there on Sunday) and try as I might, I really couldn't get a great picture of Grayson with my Dad. Remember the "active kid" comment above?? But, this one isn't too bad:
Happy Belated Father's Day to you dads out there!!

Three Glorious Hours!!!

2007-06-15T09:07:00.000-04:00

Not too much to report at this point, but I just had to share that Grayson took a three hour nap yesterday!! I can't even explain how glorious it truly was. Don't get me wrong, I love spending time with him, but entertaining an 18 month old all day long since he usually doesn't take a nap can be pretty rough. We tend to keep pretty busy, but last week was his last day at The Little Gym until the fall which means we're home a little more often than usual and that can take its toll on both of us. He doesn't like to be stuck in the house and neither do I.

I have no idea why he decided to sleep so much, but I'm certainly not going to allow myself to get used to it because I'm sure it's not going to happen again any time soon. At least I now know what it feels like to have a toddler who takes a nap!! And I will continue to be jealous of all you Moms who get that every day.

Looking Good

2007-06-12T14:27:00.000-04:00

Grayson had his 18 month check-up last Friday. I couldn't do an update at the time because our internet was out, but thanks to the miracle of tree and brush clearing our satellite is now up and running!! But, back to the point...

Grayson is now 34 inches tall and at least 28 pounds. I say "at least" because he wouldn't sit still to get a good weight so we had to estimate. I would guess he weighs somewhere between 28 and 30 pounds. He is in the 90th percentile for height and the 75th percentile for weight, so he's still a really big boy!

I also get to brag a little and say he is a bit advanced when it comes to his milestones. At each appointment, I have to complete a checklist of what he is able to do and according to the Nurse, I completed the 18 month list at his 15 month appointment so she had to give me the two-year old's checklist (and from what I can tell, that list seems to go fairly far up in age). By the way, the Nurse said "advanced" so those aren't actually my words but I'll happily take it!

The really neat part was that he was able to do a lot of the things listed on the two-year sheet as well. We obviously didn't get incredibly far, but he's able to put two words together like "no more," "one more," and "get it." He was also able to name all the animals pictured on the sheet and to be able to circle yes, he only had to name one. And he can also point to my body parts when I ask him. He actually says the body parts as well, but that wasn't part of the question.

Since his appointment we have been very, very busy. On Saturday we went to see a kid's band called Milkshake. I had never heard of them before but I had received an email from Enkore Kids which told me about the concert so Grayson and his friends got together to watch the show. They really enjoyed themselves and it was fun to watch them dance to the music. That night we went to visit an old friend of mine and he played with her two sons. He proceeded to dump sand all over himself so I had to hose him down before we went back inside. And finally on Sunday we got together we our local adoption group for a family dance party. Grayson was more interested in the piano at the hall rather than the dancing, but I think he enjoyed himself.

The Great Boonsboro Carnival!

2007-06-03T09:04:00.000-04:00

When I was a kid, one of the highlights of the year was going to the carnival in Boonsboro and riding the rides and playing all the games. This year we decided to take Grayson because they had some baby animals the kids were allowed to pet and hold. Unfortunately it must have been too hot for the animals because they weren't out when we were there, but Grayson did get to play one game - the one where you take the huge sledge hammer and try to ring the bell. They had a child's version and I helped him pick up the hammer as we brought it down on the mark to ring the bell. Of course he wanted to keep doing it, but we only paid for one try. The good news is that all little children win a prize and he got a very large, blow-up hammer that he now loves. Here's a picture of him with it at the carnival:

Good Karma and a Great Weekend

2007-05-28T16:48:00.000-04:00

Our weekend was jam packed, but before I get into that, let me address the good karma. Last Thursday I went into Shepherdstown to buy my favorite coffee and while Grayson and I were there, we decided to walk around and look at the shops. We found the cutest toy store way off the beaten path and there were so many things I wanted to buy, including a peg bench for Grayson to hammer since he seems obsessed with tools, but I controlled myself. I walked out of there without buying anything!! This was the second time I had walked into a toy store that week and didn't buy anything for Grayson. I was so proud of my self control.

Well, that same afternoon I went to visit my sister and I was talking about how Grayson loves to play with his toy tools (we only had one drill, a screwdriver, and a wrench, but they are definitely his favorites). She then asks me if I would want her son's tool bench and of course I said yes (he's much older and no longer plays with it). Not only is this one incredible tool bench that includes everything, she also gave Grayson two more toy drills, a chain saw, a hard hat, an awesome handmade wooden table for his playroom, a potty chair, Rock N Roll Elmo, Tickle Me Elmo, and a picture for his bedroom. This was one major score!!! And I attribute it to my self control, thus resulting in very good karma.

Grayson is now more obsessed with his toy tools than ever before. We took two of the drills with us everywhere we went over the weekend and he played with them constantly. And today he insisted on sleeping with them during his nap. I really wanted to take a picture of that, but he naps so rarely that I didn't want to take the chance of waking him. So, here are some other pictures of the great stuff we got from my sister.

As for the rest of the weekend, it was very busy. On Saturday we went to a picnic at my Aunt Dee Dee's and then watched the Sharpsburg Parade. It was a very hot day, but Grayson handled it well. That evening we went to my sister's house for a bonfire. Grayson hung out with us and then fell asleep at around 9:00. Luckily we brought the Pack N Play, so he slept right behind us while the rest of us enjoyed the evening.

Yesterday we went to the Caribbean Wine Festival at the Linganore Winery. We were originally going to take Grayson, but we got a babysitter at the last minute. He's not handling separation well right now because he's cutting five teeth (one on the bottom and four on the top) but his babysitter handled it like a real trooper!

Today we're just staying inside. It's pretty hot outside and I'm glad that we're just resting today. Later this week we're hoping to take him to the Boonsboro Carnival. We'll see how that goes!

18 Months Old

2007-05-19T18:50:00.000-04:00

On Thursday, May 17th, Grayson turned 18 months old. I don't have any stats to report yet because his check-up with the doctor isn't scheduled until the first week of June, but I thought I would share some recent pictures of him.

I've gone through his wardrobe to transition him into spring/summer clothes and to move from 18 month size to 24 month or 2T. The 24 month pants are still just a little long on him, but the shorts fit perfectly. And honestly, he's been in that size shirt for months now.

So, here are some of my favorite pictures from the past few days wearing some of his new threads...

Reading in His Playroom

Being Adorable

Deep Thoughts

For more updated pictures, check out his photo album!

A Visit to the Petting Zoo

2007-05-11T07:49:00.000-04:00

So, Grayson loves animals. He loves to see them when we're driving around. He loves to look at them in books and talk about them. And he loves to scream, at the top of his lungs, all the animal sounds. All this loving would lead me to believe that he would just love the petting zoo. Well, I was wrong.

Yesterday Grayson went to the petting zoo with his friend Omar, and although he didn't scream or pitch a fit at any point, he was clearly terrified of all the animals. Because his favorite animal seems to be a horse right now, we went up to the horses first. As I lifted him up to pet the horse's nose, he immediately began pulling away and yelling, "no, no, no." Okay, no big deal, I thought, we'll keep trying some other animals. Let's see...he was also afraid of the zebra, the ducks and geese, the sheep, the goats, and he was even afraid of a baby chick. The only animal that didn't seem to faze him was the turkey. The turkey?!? He actually got out of his stroller and walked around them. And toward them! I did finally get some video of that.

After the visit to the turkeys, he seemed to warm up a bit and wasn't quite as terrified, but he was still a little overwhelmed. We ended the trip on a hay ride and he fell asleep in my arms. I do think we'll try again later this summer. I'm hoping now that he realizes the animals are a little bigger than they appear in books and from the car, that he'll enjoy himself a little more the next time. We'll see, I guess.

Finally some Fun with the Kangaroo!

"I Love You!!"

2007-05-03T09:52:00.000-04:00

So, what could possibly be greater than hearing Mama and Dada for the first time from your child?? Hearing "I love you!" That's right, this morning I was standing in the kitchen rinsing Grayson's water cup and he ran up, grabbed my legs, and started saying "I love you." At first I wasn't sure if that was it or if he was just babbling, but when I repeated it back, so did he. It kinda comes out as, "I-vaaa-wu" and flows together as one word, but I don't care. It has to be the greatest thing to ever come out of his mouth!!!

Back from New York

2007-04-25T08:27:00.000-04:00

Each year a few high school friends and I get together with our families to simply enjoy each other's company. Last year we rented a cabin in the Poconos and this year we decided to actually visit a friend's house in upstate New York. We were very lucky because the weather was incredible after so many miserable, cold days. Overall, Grayson was a pretty good boy with a few moments of "spunkiness" thrown in. My friend's house wasn't really Grayson-proof (my new term, since so often baby-proofing isn't enough), so it was nice to have a few extra eyes watching him so I wasn't stressed the entire time. One of the ironies of the trip is that it really was the first time Grayson was out in the snow. I never bought him any snow boots, so all the times we had snow this season, we never went outside. Plus, it had been so incredibly cold. On Sunday we all took a gondola ride up Gore mountain where people were skiing in 80 degree weather. Grayson was able to experience snow for the first time in short sleeves!

Going Up Gore Mountain

Snow!!

Snow, Snow, Go Away!!!

2007-04-11T11:33:00.000-04:00

It snowed here on Easter weekend. In April. Actually, it not only snowed Saturday morning, but some of it actually stayed on the ground! I guess since our winter started out late this year, it's going to continue into the spring months for a little while. I just hope the warmer weather comes soon, Grayson is going a bit stir crazy and now that he understands what it means to go outside, he asks for it regularly.

But this post is more about Easter. Even with the very cold weather and snow, we still managed to enjoy ourselves. Grayson attended three egg hunts and really enjoyed each one of them. By the time he was "finding" eggs at the family hunt on Easter, he was an old pro. He actually enjoys opening them to see what's inside more than picking them up. Our family puts money in each egg, so he loved to take out the money and then later that day, we put it all in his bank.

On Easter Day, Grayson started out a little grumpy and didn't want to stay in the nursery during church. Thank goodness there was a very patient person in there with him. That afternoon we went to my sister's house for lunch and he was still rather grumpy, but after he ate he got much better. He really had a great time playing with his cousin Tevyn. Before the egg hunt they "played" football while wearing their cousin Brooks' helmits and then they both had a blast opening their eggs together afterwards.

More Like Football Weather than Easter Weather

Comparing Easter Eggs

Peace and Quiet

2007-04-01T13:49:00.000-04:00

This is usually not the way I would describe my house, but right now, that's exactly what it is and why I am able to finally post something. Grayson is actually taking a nap. I've been trying to put him down for a nap every afternoon, even though he fights me tooth and nail, and some days I'm successful, most days I'm not. Today we actually are supposed to go to an egg hunt (the party started 30 minutes ago) with our adoptive families group, but I could tell after church he was going to need a decent nap otherwise he would turn into a terror. And I was right. He's been asleep for almost an hour and a half. Such peace!

While I'm here, I might as well share some pictures. I'm having a hard time getting shots of him these days because as soon as I pull out the camera, he either starts running in the other direction or stopping what he was doing that was so camera-worthy in the first place. I keep trying, however, and I get a few good pictures every now and then. If we were using our old camera, I would have none, so I'm still very happy with our camera purchase!!

Grayson loves to play in our kitchen cabinets, here he is with a strainer on his head. He tries to wear everything as a hat nowadays, but heaven forbid I actually try to put a real hat on him!!!

I took a bunch of pictures one day when he was rolling around on the floor (a common occurrence). I love this one because I think it shows off his eyes.

Hangin' Out!

2007-03-12T19:36:00.000-04:00

Grayson had the opportunity to hang out with a few pretty cool people these past couple days. Yesterday, his Grandma and Granddaddy came down to our house for a visit. They wanted to see the progress on our basement remodel and then they played with Grayson for a little bit. Grayson just loves his grandparents and he loves to show off as much as possible!!

Hangin' with Granddaddy and Grandma

Today Grayson finally got to meet Angela. Angela is a friend of mine from grad school who is in the military and is currently deployed to Iraq. She was in town for the past couple weeks and she and I were able to get together for lunch today. Angela sent Grayson his first (and only) gift from overseas after he came home to us - his fish bath toys, which he absolutely loves - and he's been excited to meet her ever since! Today she gave him an Elmo book and stuffed toy, which he played with during lunch, much to the annoyance of our neighboring diners since he chose to hit the same sound effect button on the book over and over again.

Angela, we hope you have a safe trip back to Iraq and a safe trip home to us soon!!

Playing with Elmo in the car after we left the restaurant

Grayson's New Truck

2007-03-08T09:01:00.000-05:00

We got snow again yesterday, but it doesn't matter now because I've traded in my RX8 for a Toyota FJ Cruiser. This was one of the toughest decisions I've ever made because I absolutely adored my RX8, but after the last snow storm I tried to go to the grocery store and didn't even make it a half mile away from my house without skidding all over the road. And this was after the roads were plowed!! So, I started to realize the days with my RX8 were numbered and I began to research four-wheel drive vehicles. That's when I found the FJ Cruiser. It's a cool looking SUV that can pretty much go anywhere. After researching it and its competitors extensively on-line, I went to take a look at one to make sure that I could not only fit two kids in the backseat (since we plan on adopting a second time), but that all their stuff could fit in the trunk. The problem with my RX8 was that I had no problem getting a carseat in the back, but I could barely fit anything in the trunk and when you have kids, that becomes an issue.

So, I call it Grayson's new truck because he is definitely one of the main reasons we bought it. I now feel confident that I won't be stuck in the mountains with a child during a snowstorm and I know this is a vehicle we'll be able to grow with.

By the way, I've already had to take it "off-road." When I got home on Tuesday our driveway was filled with worker's trucks, so I had to park it in our steep yard which is currently very soft and muddy from all the snow and rain. My RX8 would NEVER have been able to do that!!

The Bloodwork Saga Continues

2007-03-05T08:17:00.000-05:00

Grayson's pediatrician and I finally spoke last Friday after a week's worth of phone tag and it turns out that his white blood cell count is still high. They still aren't sure of the reason nor do they seem overly concerned, but I now have to wait until he shows no signs of any type of illness (no runny nose, coughing, anything) then take him in to be seen by the doctor and then go directly to have his blood drawn AGAIN!! Yes, the poor kid has to be stuck once more. He's been very healthy these past few days, but I'm going to be cautious and wait a little longer to make sure he doesn't pick up anything. And really, is that even possible at this time of year with a toddler???

I'm trying not to worry, but of course my mind is anticipating the worst case scenario. Considering the way Grayson reacts when they do the bloodwork, the count could even be a result of stress. Who knows? I just hope the next time comes back normal.

Then and Now

2007-02-17T11:41:00.000-05:00

My friend Erica's post about her two tots "then and now" has inspired me to do the same about Grayson (thanks, Erica, I hope you don't mind). I remember when we were waiting to adopt from Guatemala, I used to love to see the pictures of people's referrals and then pictures of their children at the current time. It really helped me to see a light at the end of the tunnel; however, I had never really thought about doing it for Grayson until seeing Erica's post.

Well, today Grayson is 15 months old and I remember at this time last year, he turned three months old. This is a big milestone during the first year and I had a blast taking pictures of him. I've posted a couple of my favorites.

Note how well-dressed he is in each photo. I remember I took pictures of him in three different outfits that day and he was pretty agreeable up until the last one (the Fubu outfit that's pictured on the right, it was a gift from our friend Flo) and even then I still got a few good shots.

And here's a picture from today:

The best way to describe this disaster is complete chaos. Let's see...mismatched clothes, one slipper off, toys everywhere. Yeah, chaos is about right. But I wouldn't change it for anything. As a toddler, he's learned to push my buttons, and he does it well, but when he runs to greet me to give me a hug, or simply stops playing, walks up to me and places his head on my lap just to remind me that he loves me, it's all worth it.

Happy 15 months, little man!! You mean everything to me.

Happy Valentine's Day!!

2007-02-15T08:23:00.000-05:00

Yeah, I know it was yesterday and I tried all day to get on-line to post an update, but random things kept happening that stopped me from finishing it. I'll actually be lucky if I get it finished now. At any rate, we spent Valentine's Day snowed in our house. Dominic ended up staying home from work because the roads were so bad and Grayson and I had no plans anyway. Grayson enjoyed spending the day with his Daddy and I enjoyed a little bit of a break.

Grayson and I gave Dominic a picture of the two of us. This was a real treat to accomplish, but somehow I pulled it off. I actually took the picture myself, with a very grouchy toddler at the time, but I think it turned out okay. Here's the shot:I had originally planned on trying to go to a professional to have it taken, but we ran out of time. Oh, well. I think Dominic was pleased with it.

I do have a few other updates for you. Grayson finally got two more teeth this weekend. He now has four on the bottom and three on the top. I can't believe how long it's taking for this poor kid to get his teeth. He already loves to eat, I can only imagine how much he's going to love food when he has a mouth full of teeth!

He's also starting to say the names of people in his life (other than Mommy and Daddy). His favorite name seems to be Tevyn, his cousin, it comes out as "TEV." It's capitalized because he says it with such excitement every time. He's also starting to say Heidi, another cousin, although we call her Aunt Heidi because she's just a couple years younger than I am and she's more like an aunt than a cousin. And, he's starting to say names of his friends. He has a friend named Omar and it comes out "Mo-mar." It's quite cute! He can even pick him out in pictures. So, since he's started to pick up on names, I'm going to start working with him a little more.

And finally, he's gotten a lot of his animal sounds down. He knows a cow says moo, a sheep says baa, a cat says meow (he's been doing that one for a while), a tiger says grrrr, a duck says quack, etc., etc. He knows a ton of them, I won't bore you with the rest, but for some reason he still refuses to make a dog sound!! I think he does it just to frustrate me, like so many other things right now.

One last update...his fifteen month check up was last week. It was scheduled a little early so I could get him in with my favorite pediatrician in the group. The appointment went very well. I talked to the doctor about his eating, since he eats so much I was a little concerned, but she said not to worry. He's in the 75th percentile for both height and weight and that's where he has consistently been, so he just must need the food for energy. By the way, he weighs almost 26 pounds now. Unfortunately she didn't have any suggestions for me to get him to take a nice, long afternoon nap like most other toddlers. I'm trying to be consistent, but I think the problem now is a bit of separation anxiety. He screams when I leave the room. This has also made it tough to get him to bed at night, but we're working through it. He also had his twelve month bloodwork last week, which was a complete nightmare. It took four of us to basically keep him still and get the blood. Unfortunately the doctor's office called this week and said he needs to go back because his white bloodcell count was a little high and they want it redone. I am NOT looking forward to that!

Our Little Stud Muffin

2007-01-30T17:41:00.000-05:00

It's been a while since I posted, but that's because poor Grayson was very, very sick last week. His temperature actually went over 104 a couple times, but luckily it never got serious. He definitely wasn't himself and it was rather stressful for me. One day he wouldn't let me put him down, so I couldn't do anything and we actually spent the entire day on the couch. I haven't had a single day like that with him. Ever. The next day he decided he wanted nothing to do with me and he cried constantly. The best way to describe him is "Zombie Baby." He literally walked around aimlessly, crying and randomly touching things. He would then walk in another direction and do the same thing. He would come up to me and act like he wanted to be held, but when I tried he pushed me away. This actually went on for hours. At one point, I was so desperate I called my mother and then my sister for advice. I got him to calm down by taking him for a ride in the car, but he still wasn't happy. Later that night Heidi had to babysit him for me and he did the same thing to her. I felt so guilty. Luckily we got him to bed so she didn't have to put up with it for too long. Needless to say, it was a very long week. He was finally back to his old self last Friday and was a joy to be around. Oh, and by the way, all this crying, whining, and high fever stuff took place during the first week of our basement renovation. I can only imagine what all the workers were thinking!

We are now onto happier times, which leads me to the title of the post. I picked up this shirt to have some professional pictures taken of Grayson for Valentine's Day (we get them for free from The Picture People), but on the first day he wore it, I decided to take a few myself of course. As you can see, he's quite the heartbreaker already!!

Fourteen Months Old...Yesterday

2007-01-18T11:23:00.000-05:00

Grayson turned fourteen months old yesterday and it was also "Show Week" at Little Gym. During the class, the kids can show what they've learned to any guests and parents in attendance. I think because of the extra attention and because I'm trying to get Grayson to take a regular nap in the afternoon, and the class hits right at the beginning of it, Grayson was a bit wound up. Unfortunately, this drove me a little crazy as I was chasing after him the entire time, but when it came time for him to receive his medal of accomplishment and his certificate, he went right up on stage by himself and stood there proudly as Dr. Evan placed the medal around his neck.
Also today we can add another accomplishment onto his list. When we went to his 12 month appointment (a month late, at the end of December), the checklist that measures his developmental progression asked if he could drink from a non-sippy cup with minimal spillage. I honestly hadn't even tried it, so I thought I would start working with him at his meals. Well, today was the first day I gave him the chance and he did it very, very well. He even was able to sit the cup down by himself and pick it up to take a drink without spilling it. Such a big boy!!

The Look of Love

2007-01-15T15:26:00.000-05:00

This past week has been a rough one for my family. Last Monday, my father was rushed to the ER because of an irregular EKG after he went to his doctor because of trouble breathing. From there he was taken to St. Joseph's Hospital in Baltimore and on Wednesday, he underwent a quadruple bypass. As you can imagine, this was all very shocking to our family, but he is recovering very well.

Yesterday while Dominic and I were driving my father home from the hospital, I looked into the back seat to see my Mom looking over at my Dad. On her face she had the most incredible look of love. My parents have been married for over 50 years and it's hard to imagine one without the other. We came so close to losing my Dad and I can only imagine what was going through her mind at that time.

I know there are many times when I look at Grayson and Dominic with that same look. I know how lucky I am to have them both in my life and I can't imagine it any other way.

Rice Cakes?!?

2007-01-04T08:32:00.000-05:00

So last night I was making dinner and one of the recipes called for crushed rice cakes. As I'm crumbling them, Grayson was at my feet screaming for one. I tried to explain to him that he wouldn't like them, they have no taste, etc., etc., but he continued begging for one. So I plopped him down in his seat and gave him a piece of rice cake. And you know what? He LOVED it! Yes, he loved it. I also gave him some V8, something I found out he liked a few weeks ago when I gave him some on a fluke, and he drank away. (By the way, the V8 is the low-sodium version, which has just a little more sodium in it than a glass of milk.)

The best part of the night was, however, when he decided he wanted more to eat. A few months after Grayson was born, a friend of ours gave us a book of sign language for babies. I was devoted to signing everything to him, all the time, but he never seemed to care. When he started talking so much I kind of abandoned the signing since he was communicating pretty well. Last night when I asked him if he wanted more, he answered by signing it!! I was more excited about that than when he first started saying words regularly. Finally, all that work had paid off. I'm now wondering if he'll start signing more since from what I've read it's like a light switch flipping in their heads and they tend to want to learn more and more. I guess we'll see. In the meantime, here are a few pictures of him enjoying his V8 and rice cakes.

Notice the Rice Cake in His Mouth

Taking a Drink of V8

Merry Christmas!!

2006-12-27T15:53:00.000-05:00

This past week has been very, very hectic, but I think Grayson had a lot of fun. We've been busy visiting with family and friends, going to church, and opening presents. Grayson's schedule has been completely messed up, but I think he's recovering well today.

Christmas started out rough because our dog Sarge passed away that morning. He was a Beagle/Shepherd mix and was around 13 years old. He was a very loyal and sweet dog and put up with a lot from Grayson. Grayson loved to roll around on the floor with him and pull at his long hair, and Sarge never minded. Shortly after we got the new camera, we were able to get a picture of Grayson with Sarge. We were never able to get one with the old camera because it was too slow, so I'm glad we have some pictures to save of them together.

After the sadness of the morning, the day started moving pretty quickly. We opened our gifts together and then started getting ready for the family who would arrive at 1:00 for lunch.

With the family here, we opened more gifts and then headed over to my Aunt Dee Dee's house for the night. All three of us were very, very tired by the time the day was over.

Grayson, Wil, and Tevyn

Grayson was more interested in playing with the paper he tore rather than any of the actual toys, other than the books he was given (he wanted to sit down and read them right away), but now that the toys are open, it's a whole new ballgame. He's really been enjoying them, especially his computer keyboard. He has always wanted to play with the computer and I did a little research and found the Comfy Easy PC. I can't even explain how much he loves it. He hasn't sat still like that since before he started walking!! I'm going to order more programs for it soon and hope he continues to enjoy it.

Camera Crazed!!

2006-12-19T20:25:00.000-05:00

Dominic and I bought a new camera last week because the old one just couldn't keep up with Grayson. We missed so many pictures of him because the shutter speed was so slow or I had to wait for the flash to warm up. Well, not any more! We purchased the Nikon D50 and it is AMAZING!! I am addicted to taking pictures. We bought the camera Friday night and as of yesterday I had taken over 200 pictures of Grayson. I'm now sorting through them and trying to delete a few, but I'm amazed at how incredible and clear each picture actually is.

I took a lot of pictures yesterday when I took Grayson to the park to play with his friends. Yes, we went to the park on December 17th - it was over 70 degrees!! He had a blast and I had a great time breaking in the new camera. Here are just a few of the pictures I've taken over the past few days. I'm going to upload more in Grayson's photo album when I get the chance.

Day One With the Camera

Eating with a Big Boy Spoon

Playing in the Park

Communication is Key

2006-12-14T08:27:00.000-05:00

Grayson has really seemed to grow up a lot just in the past couple weeks. Maybe I just never really noticed it before, but recently I am amazed at how well he communicates. New words are constantly becoming a part of his vocabulary. There are really too many to name, but he's been saying "bath tub" for a while now and he's really starting to try to say "please." Right now the "p" sound is about all we're getting, but he's saying it right after we tell him to say please, so I think he's trying. He also says "ball" and we recently took him to his cousin Brooks' basketball game. He loved watching the kids running up and down the court, we even think he was trying to give them some advice, but we could tell he wanted to be down there with them. And yesterday he added the word "bubble." At the end of gym class they always blow bubbles onto the kids and yesterday he kept saying "bub-bull" over and over again as the bubbles were blown into his face. We're also noticing that he's beginning to make up his own words and we have to try to figure out what they mean. For example, I learned that "ta-ta" means cracker. He now has applied the word to all types of food, but I'm also trying to get him to learn some basic food names.

In addition to all that talking, he's comprehending what we're saying to him very, very well. He just may not always listen. If I ask him to put something away, he usually does it. I especially noticed this at gym class when they put the bells and balls away. He loves to go get others in addition to his own and give them to the teacher. He also understands when we're leaving the house (as he constantly repeats "bye bye"), when I'm talking about food, the instructions I give him when we're playing with his toys, etc., etc. I'm truly enjoying this stage!!

All the Parties Are Over

2006-11-29T21:49:00.000-05:00

Yes, I said parties. Grayson had a family party on the 19th with a lot of family members in attendance and then his playgroup party was supposed to be the next day. Unfortunately, a lot of moms and kids had to cancel due to a variety of reasons and only two were able to come. So, I decided to hold the "official" party the following Monday and still have the two kids come on the original date. Grayson, however, only got cake at the first two. Even that was bad enough!! If you want to take a look at some of the pictures, you can click here. In the meantime, here are a couple of Grayson enjoying some of his cake.

His First Taste of Cake

More Cake at His Friend Party

(Thanks, Amy, for the special cake just for Grayson!!)

One Year Ago Today

2006-11-22T08:46:00.000-05:00

This time last year, Dominic and I were waking up in a hotel room in New Jersey after a fairly restless sleep. We were getting ready to meet with a Social Worker to talk about a little baby who had been born on November 17th who may become our son. It's amazing to think about how one phone call received just a few days earlier could change our lives forever.

We officially met Grayson on this day last year. I remember how Dominic and I were staring through the window of the NICU trying to figure out which little baby would soon become ours (we never did figure it out without being told). I remember when we finally did see him and hold him, how surreal it all was. I didn't feel like a Mom. It didn't seem possible after all we had been through, but there we were, being congratulated by Nurses, Doctors, our Social Worker, our family and friends. We were parents. This little baby was completely dependent on us. And it scared the crap out of me!!

We had a lot to be thankful for on Thanksgiving last year, that was the day Grayson was discharged from the hospital. The day his breathing problems suddenly disappeared. The day we ate hospital turkey while we waited for everything to be just right so we could take him with us.

And this year we have a lot to be thankful for. We've made it through the first year and it was a great one!! Thank you, Grayson, for making our lives so wonderful. We only hope we can bless you as much as you have blessed us.

Happy First Birthday, Grayson!

Wow, It's Been a While!!

2006-11-12T16:34:00.000-05:00

I can't believe how long it's been since I posted an update. Things have been very crazy around here as I help our local adoption group plan a National Adoption Day Open House for November 18th and prepare for Grayson's first birthday party on the very next day. Also, Grayson has gotten very clingy lately which has made it rather difficult to get on the computer. So, here are a few updates...

Halloween was a major bust. Grayson looked adorable in his costume, he was a bat, but I couldn't get any good pictures of him in it because he wouldn't stop moving. My sister Linda, niece Heidi, and I took Grayson and his two cousins, Brooks and Tevyn, to the pumpkin patch on October 27th. Unfortunately it was a miserable day making us all very miserable as well. The ground was so wet from the rain that the place wasn't even doing hayrides to the pumpkin patch - something they neglected to tell us when we paid the $7 each to get in. Needless to say, we were rather disappointed, but the boys seemed to still have a good time. On Halloween itself, Linda, another niece, Brandi, and I gave out candy at my Aunt's house in Boonsboro. I thought this would be a perfect way for Grayson to be seen in his costume, but he wouldn't let go of me and barely anyone even noticed him, and when they did, they couldn't tell what his costume was supposed to be. Oh, well. Maybe next year. He did get to wear his costume two more times with his friends from playgroup, but even then I couldn't get really great pictures.

Last week I took Grayson to see the doctor because he had had a runny nose for about two weeks and then over the weekend he developed a cough. She listened to his chest and said he sounded like an asthmatic. She offered to give him a nebulizer or have me try antibiotics first. I went with the antibiotics. This is the same doctor who sent us to an orthopedic when she noticed Grayson's right foot turned out a little and the orthopedic had no idea why we were there. With that in mind, I would rather try the antibiotics before jumping to the worst case scenario. Today Grayson still has the runny nose, but is barely coughing. I'm hoping that means they are working. We have a follow-up appointment on Thursday.

There's most likely more to share, but I'm probably pushing it with Grayson right now as it is. He really doesn't take naps anymore, which is driving me a little crazy, so I don't get much downtime. C'est la vie!

It's Not For Halloween

2006-10-27T16:51:00.000-04:00

Today I pulled out some of the clothes I've had stored for Grayson to wear once the weather got a little cooler. Included in that stack was an outfit that was given to me when Dominic and I had first started trying to have a baby. My sister gave it to me one day when the family had all come together for one of our many get-togethers. She had seen it and thought of me - it was a Snoopy one-piece pullover. She thought of me because I used to collect Snoopy (I still have a bunch of stuff to pass down to the kids) after I played him in a school play.

So today I washed the outfit and took a few pictures of Grayson wearing it. This was the first gift I had ever received for my future baby. Unfortunately it's already a little too small for Grayson (and it's an 18 month size!!), but I'm glad he got to wear it at least once. I'm sure it will fit the next baby since we'll be pulling for a little girl. I would hope she won't be quite as big as Grayson!! Oh, and as for the title of the post, this isn't his Halloween costume, those pictures will come soon enough.

And now for the pictures...

Baby Snoopy

Yes, that's a tail on the back!!

Could I get any cuter??

Eleven Month Update

2006-10-19T10:32:00.000-04:00

Our baby turned eleven months old on Tuesday. Honestly, he hasn't been a baby for quite some time really. He stopped eating baby food over a month ago and now eats pretty much everything we eat. And he prefers it. For example, his favorite vegetable seems to be zucchini flavored with basil and garlic and he loves red and green peppers.

He's also kicked the bottle habit. I think his last bottle was about two weeks ago. He was already down to only one bottle in the afternoon by that time and I decided to drop it a little earlier than I had planned. He's not having any trouble at all and I love not having to wash those things and then put them back together!! We've also slowly been introducing milk with his formula. He's up to three quarters milk and only a quarter of formula in his mix. I can't wait to purchase my last can of the stuff.

He's added another word to his vocabulary...cat. It comes out as a very strong "KA" and then he occasionally throws the "t" at the end. He definitely knows what he's saying because he says it every time Rudy, our cat, walks in the room. Unfortunately he seems to be mistaking our dachshunds for cats now, but who can blame him? They weigh less than our cat does.

As for his personality at this age, he's as happy and as social as he's ever been. He loves people and really enjoys socializing. Although he tries to play the shy boy at first it doesn't last very long. He's also incredibly curious. So curious that after Dominic installed the baby lock on the cabinet under the kitchen sink, Grayson figured out how to open it within ten seconds. All this drives me crazy because he's into everything, but I encourage it. It helps him learn more about the world around him when he's exploring and helps me learn a little bit of patience. He's also constantly on the go. He very rarely will sit still. This also tests my patience, but I'm surviving.

I'm now busy planning his birthday and steadily counting down the days until I can turn his carseat around. The poor kid has been 20 pounds since he was six months old, but he's still facing the back of the car. Soon, very soon, little guy!!

Oh, What Fun!

2006-10-12T17:36:00.000-04:00

One of Grayson's favorite pasttimes is getting into the cabinets. I don't really have a problem with him exploring, as long as he can't hurt himself in the process. I recently emptied a cabinet in the office, where we spend a lot of our time, and I now store a bunch of Grayson's toys in it. He has since discovered that when the cabinet is empty, he can fit into it. You can see by the pictures he seems very proud of himself. And that he thinks he's getting away with something!!

A Visit to the Pumpkin Patch

2006-10-03T20:45:00.000-04:00

Grayson had a great time at the pumpkin patch at Summers Farm yesterday. We are so lucky to have found such a wonderful playgroup!! The moms and I decided to try the corn maze first and we made it out in about 15 minutes, not too bad. We then took the kids for a trip around the farm as we went down some of their slides and took a hayride to the pumpkin patch. Grayson really enjoyed walking through the patch and was amazed that I didn't stop him from getting into things. He had such a good time that Dominic and I plan to go back again at the end of the month for their Harvest-Ween with Grayson in his costume. I'm sure he'll enjoy it even more then!!

Teeth, Teeth, and More Teeth

2006-10-01T20:43:00.000-04:00

Poor, poor Grayson. These past few days have been pretty rough on him, but he's surviving (and so are we). His first tooth came in almost two months ago, on August 5th. On Friday, September 29th, we finally saw another one break through. It's right next to his first one, on the bottom left. He now has two coming in at the same time on top. We've seen the white slowly emerge, but I could finally feel them breaking through today. I hope he gets a little bit of a break after these three come in. It has to be painful for him. I don't have any pictures of his teeth quite yet, but we're heading to a pumpkin patch tomorrow with one of his playgroups, so hopefully I'll have some great shots to share with you!!

All These Big Boy Things

2006-09-26T09:47:00.000-04:00

I guess it's official, Grayson is no longer a baby. We purchased his walking shoes yesterday and he really looks like a toddler now. I don't think the women at Stride Rite believed me at first when I told them he had been walking for a month because they seemed reluctant to sell me the shoes, but once they saw him walk in them, they were convinced. He got two new pairs - some Nikes and some Eccos, which are his dress shoes. It was A LOT of money to spend on shoes he may wear for about two months, but I want to make sure his feet get the right support (especially if he's going to be our little athlete!).

His new toy chest arrived yesterday as well. I ordered it back in June and it has taken forever to arrive, but it's beautiful and exactly what I wanted. I'm hoping it will be a nice keepsake throughout the years.

Ten Months Old

2006-09-23T09:08:00.000-04:00

Grayson turned ten months old on Sunday, September 17th and I've tried a few times to get on-line to update the blog, but it's been a pretty hectic week which included going to the Baltimore Aquarium with one of Grayson's playgroups, meeting with our potential home designer, going to an AFF meeting, and celebrating my birthday. The week was jam packed!

Playing with New Bath Toys from the Aquarium

So here's a full update...

Grayson is really on the move! He is now walking everywhere and doesn't crawl much at all. This is also making it much more difficult to take pictures. We went to Stride Rite to buy him some nice snazzy walking shoes, but they didn't have his size (4 Extra Wide, by the way) in any of the shoes I wanted. I guess I'm going to check them out on-line or try the store again next week.

He's also really starting to say some words. Of course he's been saying Mama and Dada for a while now, but he said his first real word while we were in Colorado - Dog. It's really no surprise that is his first word considering we have four of them. It comes out with a funny accent, but it's definitely dog. He's also saying "bye bye," "uh-oh," and "no no."

Finally, he's working on some new teeth. He's been teething all week which means he's also been really cranky (my Mom saw the worst of it on Thursday when she was visiting). It looks like he has one coming in on the bottom and one on the top. I feel so bad for him but he's doing well overall. He also got a haircut yesterday. It was his fourth one, but he still hated it. He screamed most of the time but luckily the barber wasn't phased.

We're Home!

2006-09-14T22:35:00.000-04:00

We made it back from Colorado Wednesday night in one piece. It was a wonderful trip overall. The plane rides were a little rough (as I mentioned in the previous post), but the rest of the vacation was terrific!! Grayson was a trooper the entire time, like he usually is. He adjusted well to the time change, which also made life much easier for us.

Breckenridge was the first place we stayed. Our friend's wedding was Saturday night and it was gorgeous. The weather had been horrible during our entire visit. And when I say horrible I mean it was very, very cold, it snowed Friday night and sleeted and/or rained most of the day on Saturday. But during the wedding it was beautiful. The ceremony took place on the deck overlooking the mountains and I really can't explain how breathtaking it was.

A Family Portrait Before the Wedding

Speaking of the mountains, did you know that Breckenridge is 11,460 feet high? Just for comparison sake, the tallest mountain in Maryland is Backbone Mountain which is 3,360 feet high. This is a BIG difference. I didn't really believe in the whole "mountain sickness" thing until I felt it. It was almost impossible to breathe and I started to feel a little down and miserable by Sunday. We could even notice the impact on Grayson as he started to breathe a little heavier. When Monday hit, we were all ready to leave and go to Ft. Collins and we could tell the difference in the altitude almost immediately.

A few friends joined us as we headed toward Ft. Collins and we tried some Colorado wine in Georgetown from the Canyon Wind Cellars. (We also bought a few bottles.) We then decided to tour a tunnel which serviced a large number of gold mines in the early part of the 20th century. Grayson even got to walk into an old mine. Of course it rained on us as we were "searching for gold," but we found a few pieces in the little baggies they provided us. That evening we spent with the newlyweds who were kind enough to share their home with us for the rest of our stay. It was so nice to actually hang out with them for a few days.

On Tuesday we visited the Anheuser-Busch Brewery in Ft. Collins. That was definitely a lot of fun. After that we took a hike at Poudre Canyon and saw some great Colorado scenery. This was our last full day in Colorado and we finally had some beautiful weather. We were so glad we could take advantage of it!! Grayson spent the entire hike on Dominic's back and really seemed to enjoy himself.

On Wednesday, we visited Anne, a childhood friend of mine who now lives in Denver. Anne and I went through elementary, middle, and high school together and haven't seen each other since our 10 year reunion a few years ago, so I'm glad she was able to take a break from work so we could catch up and also see her house. Grayson wasn't on his best behavior when we were visiting, but we all survived.

Hiking at Poudre Canyon

I think it was just a precursor to the rest of the trip home - once again our plane ride was a nightmare. He wouldn't fall asleep and he just wanted to run around and play. Oh, and talk very, very loudly with an occasional squeal thrown in. Once he was tired, he cried. And cried some more. He slept for the last hour, first in Dominic's arms, then in mine. He luckily slept through the landing as well. When we arrived at the airport, they couldn't find our luggage. Not just ours, but the luggage for the entire flight. We waited for an hour and 20 minutes. Luckily Grayson slept in my arms while we waited, otherwise it could have been much worse.

Grayson Watching our Plane Arrive in Denver

All in all it was a wonderful vacation!!

So How Was Your Flight?

2006-09-09T12:32:00.000-04:00

Well, we're here in Colorado and that's probably the most popular question from everyone and the answer would be...it started out great, turned into a nightmare in the middle, and then ended just fine. Our flight originally wasn't delayed, so we got on the airplane and Grayson fell right to sleep. We then sat there. For about 45 minutes while they added more passengers onto our flight from another one that had been grounded. Grayson slept through take-off and then for about another hour, but then he was up for the rest of the flight. Two and a half hours. And we were miserable. He didn't want to sit in his seat. He didn't want to play with his toys. He just screamed. We were "those people." You know, the ones with the screaming kid on a tiny airplane. I walked with him up and down the aisle and he was happiest at the back of the plane, so I stayed there for as long as the Flight Attendants would allow me. I can't even tell you how happy I was to land!! Here's a picture of him when he was sleeping peacefully.

As for Colorado, it's gorgeous. It snowed last night so the mountain tops around us are capped with snow. Our hotel is beautiful and the wedding is tonight. Unfortunately, the weather is a little damp, but it's supposed to clear up tomorrow and we're looking forward to getting out and about.

It's Been a Busy Weekend, As Usual

2006-09-04T08:58:00.000-04:00

We've been pretty busy this weekend. On Saturday we all went down to Anne Arundel County to hang out with Dominic's family. We celebrated Grayson's cousin Paul's second birthday that night. Grayson and Paul had a blast running around together. Now that Grayson is mobile, he loves to push things around and Paul accomodated by riding on the little car and helping Grayson move it.

Yesterday was spent visiting with Auntie Shannon and Auntie Mina. Unfortunately, none of the pictures I took from the visit really turned out well so I'll have to do better next time.

Today Grayson is spending the day with Britnee while I head to Virginia to visit with a friend who just brought home her son!! My other friend Erica will be there as well. I can't wait to have a little "alone with friends" time and I'm sure Grayson will love hanging out with Britnee.

This week we head out for our first official family vacation. We're traveling to Colorado on Thursday to go to a friend's wedding and we've turned the trip into a vacation. Dominic has never been to Colorado and I'm already thinking of the great photo opportunities for Grayson. We've been planning this trip for well over a year (our first real vacation since our pre-IVF days) and I can't wait!!

Welcome to the Family!

2006-08-25T14:43:00.000-04:00

It's official, Grayson is now our son under the eyes of the law. The court hearing for his finalization was this morning and we now have the documents to happily say he is our little boy. The judge was wonderful. He had obviously taken the time to read our paperwork because he knew about our wedding (which had been discussed in our homestudy) and he knew we wanted a more "official ceremony" documenting Grayson's finalization. As a result, he said the hearings are usually conducted in the judge's chambers, but since we had wanted something more formal, he had arranged for our hearing to be in an actual courtroom. He talked about how unique adopted children are in that a family chooses to love them even after getting to know them and learning all about them. He also talked about how especially unique adoptive parents are and how special the family relationship is. We were very touched by how much the judge truly seemed to care about the whole process. After the formalities, we were able to come up behind the bench to take a few pictures. We then went to pick up the official documents proclaiming the adoption.

By the way, Grayson is also taking a few steps. He started this morning at my parents' house and has taken a few more since we've been home this afternoon. All in all, it's been a wonderful day!!

Nine Month Update

2006-08-22T20:10:00.000-04:00

So Grayson turned nine months old last Thursday and Mom and I went shopping the next day to find clothes that will fit him in the fall. He's already starting to outgrow his 12 month clothes and I don't want to be stuck with nothing for him to wear as it starts to get cooler. Plus we're heading to Colorado in September and where we are staying for the first few days only gets up to the 60's during the day, so the little guy is going to need some warm stuff to wear. Since fall weather is unpredictable in Maryland, he's also going to need some shorts that will fit, so I was hoping to find some good deals but didn't have too much luck. I did get a few cute outfits and Grayson wore one of them at the Adoptive Families and Friends (AFF) annual picnic on Sunday. I've included a few pictures. Oh, and by the way, I am now working with AFF on publicity and outreach (my mother will be happy to know I am using my Masters Degree) so if you are interested in joining, please let me know. It's a great way to network with other adoptive families!!

They Tell Me It Counts

2006-08-15T09:03:00.001-04:00

On August 5th, toward the end of Heidi's birthday party, I reached my finger into Grayson's mouth and finally felt it...his first tooth!! After months and months of slobber and chewing, he was finally cutting a tooth. A couple days later, we could see it peaking through. I hadn't planned on counting it as "his first official tooth" in his baby book until the thing came in completely, but according to my sisters, you record it as soon as you notice. So, I'm counting it. You can barely see it in the pictures, but if you look really close (and I mean close), Grayson now has a tooth on his right side of the bottom gum.

Nine Month Appointment (A Little Early)

2006-08-02T18:01:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I called Grayson's pediatrician to schedule his nine month check-up. Since they had a cancellation, they said we could come in today even though Grayson won't be nine months old for another two weeks. He did very well, he only cried a little when they gave him his Hep-B shot, and we got his new measurements. He now weighs 22 pounds, 8 ounces (88th percentile) and he is 29 inches long (75th percentile). No wonder he's barely fitting into some of his 12 month clothes!!

Isn't It Too Soon?!?

2006-07-27T21:00:00.001-04:00

Well, yesterday Grayson started pulling himself up to a standing position. All by himself. He just started crawling for goodness sake!! Isn't it too soon for him to start standing and trying to walk?!? Yes, I said trying to walk. He's already maneuvering himself around things after he stands. He's even let go a few times and stood on his own. My Mom said my brother walked at nine months. I know it's possible but I guess I just didn't think it would happen. Everyone kept telling me he would probably walk late because he's so big, so that's what I expected. I guess they're wrong. We are so not ready for this!

Beach Baby

2006-07-24T19:43:00.000-04:00

Well, it's official, Grayson absolutely loves the beach. We just got back from spending a weekend in Ocean City, MD and he really enjoyed the ocean. The first day we took him out at about 4:00 pm. It was a little cool and the water felt cold to me, but he didn't cry once. As a matter of fact, he did the complete opposite, he screamed in delight. He enjoyed some beach time with his cousin Paul, his Aunt Maria, and his Uncle Jay. Thanks to Maria, we have some great pictures of his first time on the beach (I managed to leave my camera in the hotel room).

Unfortunately, Saturday was pretty miserable, so we didn't want to take him out. We spent the day on the boardwalk and then went to dinner with a friend of mine from Grayson's playgroup. As a result, he got to "hang out" with his friend Griffin a little at Seacrets. The next day I was determined to get some pictures of him myself, so even though the day was still cloudy and a little cool, we went back out and stayed on the beach for about an hour. He still loved it!

Of course when we left today, it was nice and hot with not a cloud in the sky. We took a walk on the boardwalk before we left and took some pictures of Grayson in his hat from Seacrets (thanks Amy and Doug!). Overall it was a great weekend!!

Pictures, Pictures, Pictures!!

2006-07-20T20:40:00.000-04:00

We are officially up and running again on highspeed internet. Oh how I do NOT miss dial-up! Anyway, I've updated Grayson's photo album and you can check it out here. We're heading to the beach tomorrow so there will be plenty to report next week, I'm sure!!

He Finally Said It!!

2006-07-14T12:25:00.000-04:00

After weeks of having to hear Dadadada over and over again, Grayson finally said Mama. Yesterday while he was eating, he made his usual "mmmm" sound and then started saying "mamamama." Yes!! Finally!! I still had to wake up to Dada again this morning, but he's said mama a few times today, so it's all worth it.

In other news, he's doing a great job at feeding himself. With his hands, that is. We haven't attempted it with him holding the spoon yet, but he's showing interest. He loves eating his veggie puffs and is chewing them really well. He's also now doing the commando crawl all over the place. Dominic and I will have to go through the house to get it fully baby-proofed as it isn't even close right now. It won't be long before he's going full force on his hands and knees and I'm going to need to be ready. This little guy is a ball of energy!