So How Was Your Flight?

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

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!

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

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

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)

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?!?

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

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!!

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!!

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!

Pool Time

Yesterday was a hot and humid day in Maryland and Grayson took his first dip in the pool at Aunt Lisa's house. He was a little hesitant at first as he cried while he was getting used to the water, but once he got his stride there was no stopping him. Especially after he discovered the basketball in the water. Right now one of his favorite toys is his ball so he loved it when Dominic would throw the ball across the pool and then they would "swim" over to it. Grayson's Aunt Lisa then remembered she had a kiddie raft and he loved it. The top of the float would squeak and since Grayson puts everything in his mouth, he chewed on it while he floated around the pool. Just another great day!

Fun in the Sun!!

Hooray, Our Final Visit!!

Yesterday was the final visit with our Social Worker. Once we receive the report from the homestudy agency, we can then finalize Grayson's adoption and we will officially be his parents in the eyes of the law. We can't believe it's almost here!!

Grayson with Candace, Our Social Worker

Dada's Day

So after a month of trying to get Grayson to say Mama (since he had been making the ma sound for a while) on Friday the 16th he decided to say Dada. It was so clear, I actually yelled for Dominic to come into the room to hear him. I would say the word and Grayson would repeat it. However, he hasn't said it since, so I'm not going to count it as his first word quite yet. But that's the reason for the title of this post rather than the standard "Father's Day," which as everyone knows was this past Sunday.

Our Father's Day weekend was a busy one, as our weekends usually are. On Saturday, Britnee watched Grayson while I took Dominic's truck to get the windows tinted. This was the biggest part of his Father's Day gift and he didn't know I was having it done. That afternoon Grayson and I went to visit my parents. While we were there, he got pretty close to actually crawling, so I think he's almost there. After that trip, Grayson and I headed over to church for dinner. Grayson sat in his booster seat at the table for the first time. It looks like we'll be retiring the Bumbo seat soon.

On actual Father's Day Dominic was off work, so we were able to spend the day together as a family. When Dominic got home from the Fire Department that morning, he didn't notice the tinted windows at first, but once I pointed them out to him, he was happy with the gift. After church, we headed to a friend's house for lunch. I got to see a bunch of my college friends. It had been way too long since we all had gotten together and it was so great to see everyone. I wish we could do it more often. They also hadn't seen Grayson since January and they couldn't believe how much he had grown.

As you can imagine, Grayson was pretty pooped by the end of the weekend but as usual he was a perfect little guy the entire time. We couldn't have asked for more.

Everything Looks Good

Today Grayson had his appointment with the Orthopedic and everything looks good with his leg. The doctor checked both legs for problems and didn't see any. Both are rotating correctly and he didn't notice any abnormalities. He also conducted an x-ray just to make sure there weren't any problems with Grayson's hips and everything looks good! It's such a relief to know. We will follow-up with the doctor in a few months just to be sure, but we don't think there is anything to worry about.

Also, Grayson is sitting on his own very, very well. I now only use the Bumbo seat when it's time for him to eat. He now sits happily on the floor and plays with his toys on his own. One of his favorite toys, thanks to Aunt Emy and Uncle Rob, is his star piano. He loves to sit and hit the keys to hear the music. We've noticed that music is definitely one of his favorite things, so it's easy to see why he adores the piano so much (now if I could just program it to play the Black Eyed Peas or Shakira, but then we would never be able to pull him away from it).

Big Boy!!

Piano Man

So Much to Talk About

Those of us who have adopted often talk about how we've been blessed with the most wonderful children in the world. Over these past few days, Grayson has definitely proven that to be true. We've kept the little guy so busy, ruining his regular schedule and dragging him all over the place, but through it all he's been such a good boy.

On Thursday, my sister and I went shopping in the Baltimore area. We left at around 9:00 in the morning and didn't get home until 9:00 that night. Grayson was with us the entire time and we couldn't have asked for better behavior. Of course there were times he got a little fussy, but overall he did very, very well. Not until the last 10 minutes of the trip did he really get upset and by this time it was an hour past his normal bedtime, so we certainly couldn't complain.

Grayson experienced his first parade on Saturday. The Memorial Day parade in Sharpsburg is a family tradition. We have lunch at my Aunt Dee Dee's house and then walk the entire parade route to sit atop the walls at the end of town so we can get a perfect view of the festivities. On the walk up, Grayson fell asleep in his stroller so he got a brief nap. He absolutely loved watching the parade, especially when the bands went by, and then on the walk back he fell asleep again.

But the best part of the weekend was our trip to Linganore Winery on Sunday for their first wine festival of the season. It had a Caribbean theme so it was perfect for Grayson as we listened to the steele drum bands and lounged most of the day. Grayson even wore an appropriate bib for the occasion, given to him by my wonderful friend Erica. He loved watching all the people, but did ultimately give in and fell asleep in the tent we had set up especially for him. Once again, he was on his best behavior and even tolerated Dominic and I having dinner at my sister's house - putting Grayson about an hour past his regular bedtime again. But that was it, and he let us know it. Once we got home he went straight to bed!

This weekend has been one of the best for me since we brought Grayson home. There have been times when I've suffered the baby blues (and I've felt really guilty about that considering how long and hard we worked to create our family), but I have to keep in mind that that's normal and when those days come again, which I'm sure they will, I just need to look back on times like this. I truly am blessed.

The Boy Just Keeps Growing

Grayson turned six months old on May 17th. The next day he had his doctor's appointment and he now weighs 19 pounds, 14 ounces (really, he's almost 20 pounds) and he's 27 inches long. He did really well with his four shots, only crying a little, and then smiling up a storm when he was all finished. I really am very, very lucky to have such a great little guy. We do need to take him to an Orthopedic Surgeon to have his right foot checked. When he stands his foot turns out and his Pediatrician showed me some exercises to help the muscle loosen up, but she wants the Orthopedic to take a look just to be safe.

Grayson also went to his first "kid" birthday this past weekend and seemed to enjoy himself. There were about 15 other children running around, ranging from Grayson's age to age seven and he loved to watch him. He couldn't eat any birthday cake obviously, but I certainly did!!

Speaking of sweet stuff, he is now eating fruit in the morning. As I mentioned before, I increased the amount of solids he gets throughout the day and I've now added a half container of fruit with his breakfast. He's enjoying it, but he's still digging his veggies.

Milestones

Today Grayson turns six months old. When Dominic and I started the adoption process last April, we hoped and prayed we would have our baby home by Mother's Day. In the world of adoption, they warn you to never set expectations based on dates and it was emotionally risky for us to do so, but it was also risky for us to switch from Guatemala adoption to domestic and I'm so glad we did. It is amazing to me to think that if we had stayed with Guatemala, we would most likely not have our baby home with us at this time. We wouldn't have Grayson, Dominic's Mom would never have met our baby, and we would not yet be a family of three. It's incredible how one key decision can change your lives forever. But enough about me and how I'm feeling right now, let's talk a little about our amazing little man - Grayson.

He's done pretty well for his first six months. He's been on a little vacation, he attended his first Super Bowl party, and he's won the hearts of many admirers. Just to be official, here are some formal milestones:

• First smile - December 23, 2005, I was rocking him and he looked up and grinned.
• First slept through the night - February 10, 2006, This was a very important milestone for me!! I finally got a decent night's sleep and have ever since.
• First laugh - April 11, 2006, Even though many people kept trying to convince me that his squealing was a laugh, I knew better and on this day he finally giggled.
• First rolled over from front to back - March 30, 2006, Of course he did it when I wasn't looking, but then he started doing it over and over again. Now he's also rolling over from back to front.

He's also practically sitting up by himself now. On Mother's Day we went to dinner and he was able to sit in the high chair without any problems. Our little guy is growing up!!

It's Finally Over!!

I was a little hesitant to post this at first, but it looks like Grayson is all better. That had to be one of the roughest weeks ever. Now I'm adjusting to his new schedule since he has decided to change his nap times, but I think the new times will work out just fine for me as well. Also, he's been rather cranky the last few days after getting better and based on his reaction to food, I believe he's hungry. So, I've increased the amount of solids he's getting. He's almost six months old, so I think it's safe to add more food to his diet.

Thank you to everyone for thinking of us as we dealt with our first baby illness. I really appreciate it!!

Poor Little Guy

This has been a very rough week for both Grayson and for me as we've been dealing with his first real illness. It started last Wednesday and appears to be a stomach flu. That day I was able to get the vomiting and fever under control, but I freaked out a bit when I saw the drastic change in his personality that afternoon. Since then I've just been changing one horrible diaper after another and giving him lots and lots of Pedialyte to keep him from getting dehydrated. He really has been such a trooper and is a very happy baby overall, but he's not taking very good naps and he's not sleeping very well through the night as I'm sure you can imagine.

We went to see his pediatrician on Monday and he's looking okay. I think things are finally getting a little better, but if it hasn't stopped by next Monday, we'll be calling the pediatrician again. To top it all off, we lost our satellite internet and are suffering through dial-up as we wait for a new modem so that means no uploaded pictures!!

Just a Picture to Share

Nothing really new to report. Grayson spent the weekend at various parties - including his first Tiki Party - and on Sunday we went out to buy a lawn mower. We've never really had a lawn before and it currently is a complete disaster, so Dominic will be mowing on Thursday. He seems to be looking forward to it, which is good since I have absolutely no ability or desire to do any type of yard work, including mowing the lawn. But back to Grayson...

Today we did a mini photo shoot in an outfit given to him as a gift from a wonderful friend. Unfortunately, since Grayson is huge, he won't be able to wear the clothes much longer so I wanted to be sure to have plenty of pictures of him in it. Especially since it has a fire truck on the front! The rest of the pictures from his fancy photo shoot will be in his album.

Sassy Boy!!

What a Busy Week!

Grayson had quite a week! On Monday, April 17th, he turned five months old. That same day, he got to try veggies for the first time. We started with green beans and he loved them. He loves to help me with the spoon and as you can see from the picture, he even tried feeding himself a few times.

The next day he attended his first playgroup with other adopted children thanks to Adoptive Families and Friends. Even though he couldn't play himself, he loved watching the other kids run around. I also enjoyed talking to other adoptive moms. On Thursday, Grayson got to take his first stroll around the Antietam Battlefield with me, his Aunt Linda, and his three cousins, Tevyn, Heidi and Brandi (and also Brandi's dog, Isabelle). He loved looking around and just seeing the countryside. He was also intrigued with Tevyn who is 18 months old. Grayson is really starting to love interacting with other children.

This weekend was also pretty busy for Grayson and for me. Friday night I attended my first "Mom's Night Out" with the other mothers from the same group that hosted the playgroup earlier in the week. It was my first night out all by myself and I had a blast. Grayson spent the evening with Aunt Linda and Brandi and he was on his best behavior, of course.

Yesterday after church, we spent most of the day in Baltimore. We drove a friend to the train station and then did a little shopping before we met our Social Worker at a coffee shop in our old neighborhood to do our third post-placement visit. Grayson was his usual socializing self - showing off his talking, as well as his standing and jumping skills. We now have only one more visit before we can finalize the adoption!!

Grayson's First Easter

Grayson definitely enjoyed his first Easter! He woke up to find that the Easter bunny had brought him a firetruck basket filled with baby food. He gets to start eating vegetables today so it was a timely gift. He also received five Disney DVD's (which his Daddy was very happy about) and a bounce and giggle cow. He was very intrigued with his new gifts as you can see.

Since both Dominic and I sang in the Easter Cantata, Grayson spent his time at church in the nursery with a bunch of other children - and some of the girls were flirting with him. Overall he did pretty well, but as I was waiting with the choir to walk into the sanctuary, I could hear him screaming. Poor little guy didn't get to have his morning nap and he seemed to be taking it out on the person watching him in the nursery.

The rest of the day was spent at his Aunt Lisa's house. Since he's still just a little man, he couldn't participate in the Easter Egg Hunt, but his Aunt Linda (who organized it) still made sure he got plenty of eggs for his basket. He also got lots of attention from the family.

At the end of the day, he was pooped!

Favorite New Toy

After reading about how wonderful the Jumperoo can be, we decided to pick one up for Grayson and I can't tell you how happy we are about it. He absolutely loves it and it's giving him some great exercise!! My favorite baby item is still the Bumbo Seat, but my new favorite baby toy (and Grayson's) is definitely the Jumperoo.

All Jumped Out!!

Grayson's Dedication

Yesterday was Grayson's dedication at our church. During this service, the congregation welcomes the child into the congregation and the service includes the consecration of the child, consecration of the parents, and the consecration of the congregation as the spirtual family within which the child is nurtured and supported. Grayson was intrigued by our pastor and wouldn't take his eyes off him as Pastor Dan walked Grayson down the aisle of the sanctuary so the congregation could meet him. During the service, Pastor Dan introduced us as Grayson's parents. He discussed that even though Grayson is adopted, we are his parents, nothing more nothing less. We then accepted the responsbility as parents to raise Grayson as a child of the church. The congregation was asked to do the same and then the service concluded with a prayer. Thank you to our family and friends who were able to attend. After church, everyone came back to the house for lunch. Poor little Grayson was so tired, but he fought sleep for hours and hours. Luckily he had plenty of loving family members who were willing to hold him!!

Four-Month Appointment

Grayson had his four-month appointment today at the pediatrician's. He's doing well and once again took the shots like a champ. He cried a little, but quickly recovered once they were finished. He was also all smiles throughout the entire appointment plus he wouldn't stop talking. Both the doctor and the nurse made separate comments about how much he was talking to them. That's my little social guy!!

I got a little bit of a "talking-to" because of his weight. He came in at 17 pounds 11 ounces, which is the 95th percentile and his height is 25 3/4 inches, the 75th percentile. He has gained five pounds since his two-month appointment and this is way above average. Evidently they don't want babies to gain more than four pounds in that time period and that is at an absolute maximum.

I now have to cut back how much he eats, which is going to be interesting since he loves to eat...obviously. We also have started cereal, but the doctor doesn't want us to start anything else until he is at least five months old. That was a bit of a bummer for me because I'm very ready to start vegetables to help satisfy him. Oh, well. At least we had a great experience with the cereal. He loved it and did a great job eating it. After the spoon went in for the first time, he was already opening his mouth for the second bite. He caught on quickly!!

A Weekend in the Pocono Mountains

Grayson took his first "official" vacation when we hung out with my high school friends and their families March 17th through the 19th in the Pocono Mountains. It was a little too cold to do anything with Grayson other than stay inside and socialize, but that worked for him. We had rented a house together and Grayson absolutely loved all the attention he received, especially from my friend's daughter Avery who is almost 18 months old. They were absolutely intrigued with each other and it was so neat to watch them interact.

Playing with Avery & Daddy

Just Talking!

Hangin' with Paul

We're so lucky Grayson has cousins around his age so they'll be able to grow up together. A few days ago, Grayson had the opportunity to hang with his cousin Paul while he was at Aunt Maria's house. They watched some TV, did some snuggling, and drank their bottles together. Maria took a ton of pictures and a few turned out great!

Chilling on the couch

Snuggling

Goodbye, Mom Mom, We Love You!

On Saturday night, February 25th, Dominic's Mom passed away after battling ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease) for over two years. She was an incredibly strong and loving woman who was determined to live her final years the way she wanted - and she did. We are so glad Grayson was able to meet her and that we have pictures of them together. We will truly cherish these memories.

I would like to share the quote that was provided to all the guests at the viewings and funeral. Dominic and his sister chose it and they believe this best describes their mother's journey.

I'm Free

Don't grieve for me, for now I'm free.

I'm following the path God has laid out for me.

I took his hand when I heard Him call, I turned my back and left it all.

I could not stay another day, to laugh, to love, to work or play.

Tasks left undone must stay that way.

I found my peace at the close of day.

If my parting has left a void then fill it with remembered joys.

A friendship shared, a laugh, a kiss. Ah yes. These things I too will miss.

But be not burdened with times of sorrow.

I wish you the sunshine of tomorrow.

My life's been full, I savored much.

Good friends good times, a loved one's touch.

Lift your hearts and share with me. God wanted me now, He set me free.

Our Second Home Visit

For those of you who may not be familiar with the adoption process, in most cases the adoptive parents are required to have follow-up visits with their Social Worker before the adoption can be finalized. In our case we are required to have four home visits because Grayson was adopted from New Jersey. The first one was conducted in the first month he was with us and then the other three are two months apart. Today was our second home visit and it went great. Grayson was a little grumpy because we had to wake him from his nap, but he still talked and smiled throughout the meeting. Candace has been our Social Worker from the beginning, including our home study process, and I'm going to try to take a picture of her with Grayson during each visit. I think those pictures will be great to include in Grayson's lifebook. Here's the picture from today.

Three Months Old Today

Grayson turned three months old today! Shortly after he awoke this morning, it was time for a photo shoot. I went through his clothes until I found some I thought would be good for pictures, took a few shots, and then changed him into the next outfit. It went okay for a while, until he got a little frustrated. But, at least I got some great photos out of it. Here are a few and the rest are in his photo album.

Lots of Firsts to Celebrate!

This weekend brought us a few firsts - Grayson slept through the night, he survived his first babysitting experience (and so did Dominic and I), he saw his first major snow storm, and he is holding his head up 45 degrees, at least, while he's on his stomach.

Friday night was amazing! Grayson slept from 9:00 pm to 5:30 am. It was just wonderful. We're so close to a full night of no interruptions. Of course he hasn't done it since, but he's only getting up once at night, usually around 3:30, so I can't complain. We're almost there!!

Dominic and I then went out Saturday night and let Grayson stay home with our niece, Britnee, who babysat him from around 4:30 to after midnight that night. He did very well, only a few crying fits, and she was even able to get him to sleep at his usual bedtime. We were a little worried that our night outing may be canceled because we were showered with snow, but the road crews did an awesome job at keeping the roads clear, so we were able to enjoy ourselves. It was a much needed night for me - the longest I had been away from Grayson - and Dominic handled that 3:00 am feeding. It snowed a little more on Sunday, but really wasn't that bad. I think we have about a foot of snow outside. Although he can't enjoy it, I'm still counting it as Grayson's first snow storm.

The final first for the weekend - lifting up that head. Dominic and I have always been amazed at how strong Grayson has been since we first met him, but he definitely demonstrated that this weekend. Every time he's on his stomach he lifts up his head and looks around. He's so alert and aware of what's going on around him. It's just so cool!!

Go Steelers!

Yesterday Grayson got to experience his first Super Bowl party. Dominic is a big Steelers fan, so Grayson and I got all dressed up for Daddy. We went over to a friend's house for a party and Grayson did very well. A lot of my friends met him for the first time and were surprised at how "well-behaved" he is. Unfortunately, due to the excitement of the game (the Steelers won, in case you live under a rock), he didn't really get to sleep much because of the crowd's screams. I thought that would mean he would sleep a little longer last night - I was wrong. But, today he seems to be making up for it as he takes his nap and giving me a much needed break!!

Not a very good picture of me, but oh well!!