I’ve had an inkling for awhile that I would enjoy this Thanksgiving slightly more than last year. Although, last year was very special in its own way, since it was Grayer’s first Thanksgiving, it wasn’t quite the relaxing, fun, family-gathering that it normally is… and well, I guess this year wasn’t particularly “relaxing”, but it was a bit more fun.
Last November, we had an 8 week old who wasn’t anywhere near sleeping through the night, who was cranky in the evenings, was breastfeeding, pooped 6+ times a day, and just over-all very mommy needy… ALL the time. It was quite an exhausting time in our lives, as all new parents remember. And to make matters worse, I was definitely suffering from new-mommy-syndrome. I was petrified to let anyone else hold him, because I knew the moment I passed him over, he would scream bloody murder and then everyone would think we had a horrible baby. Which wasn’t at ALL the case.. but it definitely went through my mind (like a million times).
This year, our little bugga ate his first turkey and ALL the fixings! He loved every single thing we put in his mouth, and then some! I am so glad that he is not a picky eater and is willing to at least try most things. Thanksgiving with the Davis’ is by far my favorite meal of the year, and it was so fun to see Grayer enjoying the corn casserole, cheesy potatoes, green bean casserole, and turkey that we all love so much. I didn’t get any pictures of him eating his Thanksgiving meal, but just imagine those chubby cheeks chomping on food by the handful :)
This time of year always gets me a little nostalgic. It’s exciting, but also a little bittersweet to see how much Grayer has grown in the past year, and it’s eye opening just how different life is when you have a tiny baby vs. a toddler. Although I have thoroughly enjoyed ALL the stages that Grayer has gone through, I really, really love having a toddler. He is so much fun to play with, talk to and sing with, and it’s amazing how all of a sudden he comprehends things and is able to communicate what he wants through pointing, grunting and babbling. I can’t believe how quickly he is growing up, but his sweet temperament is still shining through, even as a 14 month old little boy. People have forever been telling me what a mess little boys are... and I know I have not even touched the tip of the iceberg yet, but it is already very evident that Grayer has a very sweet personality. He loves to roughhouse with his dad, rarely cries when he falls down or pumps his head and is the happiest when he’s got ANY kind of ball in each hand, but he also loves to cuddle with his momma and blankie, give big, slobbery, open mouth kisses, still lets me rock him any time I want (melts my heart!), and is the most obedient child I’ve ever known. He doesn’t get into things he’s not supposed, and when he is told not to do something, he doesn’t do it. We are so blessed to have such a sweet little boy, and although I know I will miss all the kisses and cuddling he gives me now, I am thoroughly looking forward to being the mother of a rambunctious, dirt covered, little stinker! :)
Grayer, here is what you are up to at 14 months:
You are on the verge of running! You have been walking for quite some time, and now when you get really excited, or see something across the room that you want, you take off! It is so cute to see the delight in your eyes when you get going really fast. My favorite running moments happen when I walk in the door from being out somewhere and you come running to me for a hug, absolutely precious!
You are doing lots of babbling, and have “da-da”, “uh-oh” and “dog” down flat, but we are still working on other words like “up” when you want up on the couch, “milk” when you want something to drink and “night-night” when it’s time for bed. You do a great job of communicating through pointing and grunting though, and we almost always know what you are trying to tell us. I think you will really be talking in the next couple of months, and until then, “uh,uh, uh, uh” will just have to do! :)
On December 4th you got your very first molar! You’ve been working on it for awhile, but it finally pushed through the surface. You now have 9 whole teeth! 4 on top and 5 on the bottom. You’ve always been a big droller (sorry, but it’s true!) but I think it has lessened since one of your molars has come in, so I am hoping that once the other one comes through that we will see a considerable improvement, ha!
You new favorite activity gives everyone in the room a heart attack! You LOVE to put your blankie over your entire head and run around the room blind-folded. Why? We really have NO idea. You put your blanket around you like a cape, pull it over your head so that you can’t see and take off running. You’ve had a few minor accidents, like running into coffee tables and dining room chairs, which have resulted in some bruises on the forehead, but luckily nothing major has happened…yet! You also love to be pushed around our tiny house in this car that we bought you for your birthday. It has a long handle so we don’t have to bend down, but you are content to ride around from room to room for as long as your daddy and I will push you. We usually get tired of the seeing the same scenery after 5 minutes, but I am convinced you would ride for hours if we would let you.
You still love to watch your Baby Einstein movies, and I have recently discovered you can watch them on youtube with my iphone. This has been a lifesaver on longer car rides recently, as riding in the car is not your favorite thing to do these days. Since we don’t have a fancy car that has TV’s in the headrests, I hold up my phone so you can see the screen until my hand goes numb :) You love it and are quiet the entire time. Praying my next car has TV’s in it though, ha!
You’ve been a great sleeper for a long time, but when we took the morning bottle away at 12 months, you started to wake up very early. This has since resulted in you coming into our bed some mornings, which your daddy just loves! I think it reminds him of when you were a little baby and would nap on his chest, and he is always more than happy to go get you at 5am and cuddle with you for a couple hours in our bed. The sight of you two sleeping always melts my heart :)
We love you sweet bugga, happy 14 months!
