26 Months and Christmas

It has been a busy few months for our household. We have jumped head first into the Christmas season and are enjoying all the seasonal things that come along with it. We have visited Santa, driven to look at Christmas lights, listened to countless Christmas songs, drank hot cocoa, played in the “snow” (shaving cream for those of us that live in Texas J), made reindeer feed, watched Christmas movies along with a multitude of other festive holiday fun that goes along with our “25 Days of Christmas”. It’s been so fun to see how much Grayer has grown and learned in a year. Last year, he fell asleep while looking at Christmas lights and this year he was talking a million miles a minute and as we passed one Santa, he would immediately begin asking when we would see the next one. He is in love with the jolly guy and affectionately calls him “Sanpa”.  So sweet J

We’ve been to a few Christmas parties already, one that was just for the ladies in our playgroup where we exchanged our “favorite thing” gifts. I got the most snuggly blanket that I sleep with at night (love, love, love being under a million blankets) and use while being lazy on the couch as well. We had a Toys for Tots happy hour that Justin and I both got to attend which was fun! I went to a “Mrs. Clause” baking party that a girlfriend hosted a few days ago, which allowed me to look like a good baker when I put together Christmas gifts for Grayer’s MDO teachers, haha! Luckily, he doesn’t tell J We have Justin’s work Christmas party on Thursday night, which I know he is looking forward to. We have some friends coming in from out of town for NYE, so I am really excited about that (but not looking forward to the end of the holiday season…).

Since it’s been a few months since I’ve updated about what our little bug is up to these days, I will take some time to do that now.

Grayer, here is what you are up to at 26 (almost 27!) months.

I’m pretty sure you are ready to be potty training, but for some reason your mom is being s-l-o-w about it. You will go pee-pee on the potty every single time someone asks you if you want to go, and you have gone poop once… I caught you in the act and rushed you to the potty. You did great, and have no fears of using the potty, I think it’s just going to be a consistency thing with your dad and I. I think in January I will just buckle down and just do it. You used to get 2 M&M’s when you would go potty, but you stopped asking for them, and I stopped offering and you haven’t seemed to notice, so maybe it will all be easier than I hoped! J

You are so funny and love to laugh. You can be such a goober sometimes, and just love to be tickled to death. Your laughter and squeals of delight never cease to make your dad and I laugh out loud every.single.time. You would be tickled from sun up to sun down if someone would appease you. You are most ticklish under your arms and on the bottom of your sweet, stinky (seriously- are you already 15???) feet.

You are very sociable and don’t ever really get shy. You enjoy going to Sunday school, Mother’s Day Out, and Wed morning Bible Study. You are always smiley and giddy while we are getting you checked in to all those places. You just love your friends, teachers and ALL the fun toys!

You’re not a super hyper little boy, but have a good amount of energy. You like to be on the go just like your mom, and ask quite often “where go next mama”. We spend a lot of time at the zoo, libraries, parks, arboretum, and just running errands. I so enjoy being out and about with you J

You know all of your basic colors and yellow, purple and green are your favorites. You can count to 10 (with the exclusion of 1… you will NOT say 1) just not in any particular order yet, haha!  You love to read, and love to do all your puzzles that we have in your room. Your newest craze is any type of “I spy” book where you have to find certain things in the pictures. You LOVE to find all the fun items and are so proud of yourself when you can find them all.

You still love to play with balls, and it really doesn’t matter which ones. You love soccer, football, golf, and baseball and the all of the sports equipment that has taken over our house is a testament to this. Kicking, throwing, hitting, dunking…you love it all!

You also are loving trains these days. We took you to the Trains at Northpark this weekend, and your dad and I had to tag-team keeping up with you. You were NOT content to watch the trains pass, you were sprinting to follow each one of them, and unfortunately had very little regard for anyone in your way. We were there for almost an hour, and were afraid there was going to be a meltdown when it was time to go, because you were really enjoying yourself, but thankfully you were hungry and french fries won out J

You used to be obsessed with your Poppa and Papa (which you totally still are), but now you are obsessed with your cousin. You ask me about 10 times a day “where is Elle?” It happens when I come to get you from your bed in the mornings, when I pick you up from school, any time a park is mentioned and lots of other random times in-between. You do love to play with her the very most. You love sweet baby Hadleigh (you call her Hadwee) and love to give her kisses from head to toe.

There are a million other things that you are up to these days, but I will stop with that. You are the biggest joy to all of us, and we love you so very much! xoxo

 

ps. couldn't get pictures to load, so I'll work on that :)

 

 

Midnight snuggles

Last night our  little awoke at 3:40am and cried out for his mama. Justin climbed out of our warm bed, walked across the cold hardwood floors, and brought our nugget back to bed. This has been a regular occurrence for us over the last several weeks. It's not ideal. No one is getting 12 hours of beauty sleep. There are elbows in backs and feet in faces. But against our better judgement, this is how our family is coping with nighttime wakings. 

Some nights there is a hint of "not again..." and a dread of being awake for the day long before the sun makes his appearance, but some nights there is a longing so strong to smell the sweet baby shampoo on the tips of his hair that I make it to his side in record time when he cries out for me in the pre dawn hours. 

Maybe we do this because we are not those parents who do everything by the book. We never have been. We make our own rules. We figure out what works for our family. We make mistakes and hopefully do some things right. But maybe we do it because we know one day too soon we are gonna miss this. 3am wakings and all. It will be over in the blink of an eye. So tonight I am thankful for the two extra elbows and feet in my bed. I am thankful for the soft breathing in my ear. And I am thankful for a sweet husband who loves the extra midnight snuggles as much as I do.

He is

faithful.

always.

even when my simple mind wavers, and my emotions take control.

it's not me, but Him, not mine, but His.

always.

He is.

after He shows me, time and time and time again, i should always trust, always believe, but I don't.

not always.

not every time.

but no matter. 

He is.

everytime.

Trick or Treat!

Trick or treating last year was a lot fun, Grayer was just walking and was an adorable little frog, but this year, my expectations were blown! It was an absolute blast! Seriously, one of the most fun things I've done as a mom thus far! I was a little nervous earlier in the day, because when I set out Grayer's costume and we started to talk about about getting dressed up, he didn't seem very happy about the idea, and kept saying "No, no, no shark!" So we talked about his costume and trick or treating throughout the day, in hopes he would warm up to the idea.

When it was time to put on his shark costume, I won't lie, there were a couple tears, and the beginning process looked like this...

But once his outfit was on and we were out the door to meet up with his cousin, he was ready to go, running around and so excited! Our first stop was to the Stavlo's elderly neighbors who always have a little something special for the kiddos. Grayer eagerly jumped out of the wagon, ran up to the door with Elle, and when they asked him what he was, he said "Rooooar... A lion!" We got quite a kick out of this! I guess I should have consulted him this year before purchasing his costume, next year I will know better :)

We spent two full hours, going house to house, eating a little candy here and there, and just having a great time as a family. Grayer was adorable! After getting some candy, he would come running down the side walk saying "Mama, oh wooooow!" haha! And thankfully his manners were good too, always a thank you and ocassionally an  "I love you" in the mix... What can I say, my boy loves candy and anyone who will give it to him ;)

What a fun time we had! Makes me so excited for all the years and memories to come!

 

I wuv eww!

I have been waiting and waiting for this moment... And my sweet boy has finally done it... He said I Love You!!!! Ahhh!! Yesterday, we were at the park with his aunt and cousin and he was happily swinging and all of a sudden it just came out... I wuv eww... What??!!?? Did he just say what I think he said?? I looked at my sister and then back to Gray and said "What did you say sweetheart?" and again, out it came ... I wuv eww!
I'm not gonna lie, he took his sweet time, but I can assure you, it made it all that much more special! I think this is one of the top moments of love and happiness I have experienced thus far as a mommy! ;)

And tonight, just for kicks, he told his daddy too before bed. Total. Bliss.

I wuv eww too my sweet baby boy!

TWO years old!

Grayer turned TWO on Saturday, September 22nd. We celebrated his birthday on the following Saturday at the Frontiers Flight Museum. I think everyone had a GREAT time, including Grayer! It was a rainy Saturday, so the play area at the musesum was the perfect indoor distraction for all the little kiddos! Justin and I made him a cake on his actual birthday, lit candles and sang to him, and from that moment he fell in LOVE with blowing out candles. Every night after dinner for the following week, when we would ask if he wanted a little cake for dessert, he would immediately start "blowing" out his pretend candles. So what we were to do? Of course, the sight was just too precious, so for an entire week, we had cake, lit candles and sang happy birthday to Grayer every evening! He loved every last minute of it! So at his birthday party, when the time came for cake and singing, he was more than a little excited! We caputured the sweet, sweet smiles, the blowing of candles, and the antimated "YAY!!!" and clapping that ensued after he was done. It was a precious memory that will stay with me forever.

Grayer- here is what you are up to at 2 years old!

You are a social butterfly! You love to play with other kids, and always seek out someone to run around and play with at the park, library, or indoor play areas that we go to. You seem to be most interested in playing with other little boys, and love to try to imitate what the older ones are doing. You say "HI" to absolutely everyone, including the mannequins at the mall, haha! You love going to the church nursery at the Village on Sunday mornings, and the nursery on Wednesday mornings for Bible Study at Watermark. Thankfully there are never any tears at drop off and you are always playing happily when I come to get you.

You started going to MDO on Tues and Thurs in September and you enjoy it! Your teachers, Ms. Carrie and Ms. LaRae love you so much, and are always telling mommy how happy you are, how easy going you are, and how well you follow instructions. We are so proud of you!

You love playing with trucks, cars, trains, puzzles, looking at books, dancing to music, helping mommy in the kitchen, blowing bubbles and being outside. You love to imitate the sounds of all your toys, so needless to say, we hear lots of "ZOOM-ZOOM", "Choo-Choo" and siren noises. It's precious!

You love playing sports, and are really good at throwing your baseballs, basketballs and kicking your soccer ball. You got a soccer goal and t-ball set for your birthday, but we haven't gotten a chance to set them up yet, but I am betting once we do, you will be quite entranced. You love to play ball with your dad in the front yard, and have fun running around and being silly. You "golf" with your left hand, and your daddy is quite concerned about this, since the little clubs we got for you are only right handed. We will see how this pans out!

You have a very tender heart, and don't like to see others upset. You like to try and console those who are sad or crying. You still do really well with sharing with your cousin and friends, but ocassionally get your feelings hurt if someone takes something from you. You have the funniest little pout/frown face that comes out multiple times a day. Even though you've done this for months, your daddy and I still get a kick out of it!

 You are very affetionate. You love to give hugs and kisses to anyone who asks, and are always up for a quick "snuggle" with mommy. Your open mouth kisses finally subsided into puckered lip kisses, which I was secretly sad to see go, even though I don't miss being slobbered on, it was a kiss very unique to you alone :)

You like playing hide-and seek and are funny when you find daddy and I, as you get a little scared sometimes, hehe! You love pretending that your sock monkey's are jumping on the bed and say "no, no, no, no monkey" while waving your little finger. You also like the book "The wheels on the bus" and do the motions of the wheels turning. You like to dance to any and all music, and have the cutest little dance moves! You like to play with your dr. kit and give everyone shots. You listen to our hearts and say "boom, boom", but your favorite patient is Hogan :)

You are talking up a storm! Your vocabulary has really increased in the last couple of months, and you are constantly talking about something. You still ask "what is that?" about EVERYTHING, but have also hit the 2 year old "why" stage, and always want to know the reasons behind something. You love your daddy so much, and any time you see a car that looks like his white tahoe, you start asking "where is daddy?" or "where did daddy go?", which usually leads into you asking about your papa/poppa (you have 2- Papa Glenn and Poppa Dan) and we talk about all the things they are doing at work. One of your favorite things to say is "I did it!" after you do something you think is praise worthy :) You also like to ask "where's the ball" or "where did it go" while scrunching your hands up by your face, so cute! When we go outside you like looking for bugs, and say "it's a bug... yuck!!" I wonder how long you will think bugs are gross? You also like when your daddy throws you in the air, and you will say "I go higher" until he is too tired to throw you anymore.

Your eating is so-so these days... there used to be a handful of things that you would eat any time, any place such as cheese, chicken nuggets, bananas, strawberries, beans etc, and now, even these items can be hit or miss, as with most other foods. We are working on finding some new favorites.
You are still sleeping good, and usually don't wake up in the night, although there are still a few occurrances of this. You are down to one nap, and usually go down around noon and sleep 1.5-3 hours. You sleep really well at MDO too, which I am so thankful for!

Any time you hear a siren, you shout "FIRE!!" I always ask you if you think it's a police car, an ambulence or a fire truck, and you are always certain it's a fire truck. I think the idea that a siren doesn't always mean fire is still beyond you :) If your love of fire trucks sticks around, I definitely want to do your 3 year old party at a fire station!

I think I could write about you for hours and hours and hours and never get tired...

You are a pure JOY to your daddy and me! We love you so, so much little boo-buns!

 

 

ps- If you can't tell from these pics- you LOVE to be naked ;)

 

xoxo

MDO

Grayer had his first day of Mother's Day Out today and it went perfectly! He seems to be a social butterfly at the age of 23 months, and the crying we experienced during drop off's at a younger age is a distant memory. He was so excited to go to school and walked right into class and started playing with all the new toys. I wondered how pick up would go, but thankfully it went just as smoothly. He was so sweet saying bye to one of the little girls in his class... He's a little charmer :) His teachers, Ms. Carrie & Ms. LaRea said he was happy and is very obedient (yay, Gray!). His report card mentioned that he was happy most of the time, but got sad during some of the transitions, which I take to mean he was probably sad to have to leave the playground... He's still obsessed with the slides! It's always a little sad to see your sweet baby growing up and experiencing independence, but we are so excited that he loves his new school, and are looking forward to all the new things he will learn.

SAHM

The Davis family has news!

As of the end of August, I will be staying home full time with Grayer, yay! Although the initial news of this was somewhat unexpected, we are taking it all in stride, knowing full well that the Lord will provide. While this means we will have to tighten our belts and watch our expenses, Justin and I both know that what we are gaining far outweighs what we are giving up. While I have been longing for this day since I saw those adorably chubby cheeks for the first time, and can’t wait to spend every waking moment with my sweet little, I would be lying if I said there wasn’t a small part of me that has some anxiety about my new role and what it will look like. While a lot of people think being a SAHM (apparently there is “lingo” that I was completely unaware of until my sister informed me this is the abbreviation for stay at home mom, ha!) is all rainbows and butterflies, I know from being at home “part time” and from lengthy discussions with many friends that stay at home that it can be very, very, challenging and is completely life changing. While there was always immense sadness when we had to decline a play date, or other fun mommy-and-me activities with friends because it was taking place on a Monday-Wednesday and I had to work, there is a certain level of freedom that comes from being able to go to work and allow someone else to wrestle with the two year old tantrums that go along with having a toddler. With that said, I am so ready and feel so, so blessed to be able to take on this new role, exploring all the in’s and out’s of being a full time mommy to my Gray. I am excited to be the one who wipes every tear, hears every laugh, and even changes every diaper :) I can’t wait to see what the future holds for our family!

With this shift, comes another change as well…Grayer will no longer get to see his sweet Granna every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, and I know that he will greatly miss this special time with her. I am so very thankful for my amazing MIL who over the past year and half has loved Grayer with a tender heart, passionately taught him about the world around him, and prayerfully lifted him up. THANK YOU from the very bottom of my heart for loving my baby like no other.

The beach and a toddler

Grayer turned 21 months while we were on our trip to Destin, FL this year. Technically, this was our family’s third year to spend a week at the Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort, since I was 27 weeks pregnant with Grayer on our first trip in 2010 (our babymoon!). We have absolutely fallen in love with this place, and hope to go back for many, many more years. The resort is the perfect balance of kid friendly and adult, and it fits us to a “t”. They have a fun, beach type entrance pool that Grayer loved. He did really well swimming with his puddle jumper on, and got pretty good at paddling around towards the end of our trip. Now that we are home, he lays on his tummy, kicks his legs, and “swims” in the bath tub, ha! He wasn’t a huge fan of the sand in-between his toes on the first day at the beach, but he warmed up to it, and loved going into the ocean with his daddy. We had such a great time, and even after a full week away, weren’t ready to come home. Already looking forward to another trip!

Here are a few pictures!

Gray, here is what you are up to at 21 months!

You are obsessed with cars, trucks, airplanes, fire trucks, school buses, motorcycles, and really, anything that makes a lot of noise! You get so excited to see any of those things, and the delight in your eyes is priceless. You saw LOTS of airplanes while we were at the beach, and you would stop what you were doing every time and shout at them, hopeful they would notice you. So cute!

Your love for stairs is still unwavering. You want to go up and down over and over, and now that you are a little taller, if there is a rail, you can go up and down all on your own. This makes you feel very proud, and it’s not uncommon to see you give a clap or two when you make it to the top or bottom :)

You are becoming much more independent and are very comfortable around almost anyone. When I take you to the play ground (mostly the indoor ones now that it’s 200 degrees outside) you socialize well with the other kids, and try to mimic what the big kids are doing. You haven’t been crying at all when we drop you off at Sunday School or other activities, and always seem to be having a great time when we come to pick you up. When we ask the teachers how you did, they always seem to have sometime funny to tell us, like you were trying to eat all the bubbles, or you wanted to give everyone in your class hugs.



Puzzles, books and cars are your favorite toys at the moment. You got a new “vehicles” puzzle in Florida, and love to put all the pieces in the right spots and make all the noises of the cars and buses. You love to “read” and usually when you’re in your room being quiet and I wonder why the house is silent, I find you sitting in your little red chair looking at books. You are also getting really good at matching the colors and shapes in your shape sorter.

You are still a fantastic sleeper! You are down to one nap in the afternoon now (our plan before our Florida trip) and usually go down between 12-1, but are very flexible with the timing. You sleep anywhere from 2-3.5 hours, and always go down easily and almost always wake up happy. You are staying up a little bit later and on some nights don’t go down until close to 8:30.



We got you a potty seat a few weeks ago, and you love to sit on it and have books read to you. You went pee-pee on your potty seat for the first time at 20 months (see pic below!), but I think it was kind of a fluke. You had just gotten out of the bath and were running around naked before getting your lotion on. You were jumping on your chair, and I looked over and you were peeing!! I took you immediately to the potty, and we read a book and you let out the rest of your pee-pee. You haven’t gone on your chair potty again, but we will keep trying. As a boy, I think you’ve got nothing but time, but it doesn’t hurt to introduce you to the potty early :)

You love to dance, and any time you hear music, you’ve got to get up and bust a move. You jump around and wave your arms all around. Precious! You also love to give high-fives, and “knuckles” to anyone who asks.



You are getting better at sitting through a meal at a restaurant, and did GREAT at all the places we went in Destin. We were thrilled with how well you sat and how well you ate new foods that you’d never tried before. We very much enjoy dining out, so here’s to hoping this just gets better and better!



You have such a sweet personality, and are very gentle and kind to others. You share very well for an almost 2 year old, and almost never take something away from another kiddo. You love animals, and are very sweet with them most of the time. You are a happy toddler, and love to give hugs and kisses to anyone and everyone. It has been so exciting and such a blessing to see your personality expand and become so unique to you alone. You make your daddy and I so very happy, and we are thankful each moment we get to be your parents. We love you sweet-tart!

18 Months!

Grayer here is what you are up to at 18 months:

You had your VERY FIRST haircut on April 6th. You did awesome! We went to see Granna’s hair lady, Barbara, and you sat in my lap while she cut your hair (and she gave you a sucker, which you loved!). Your hair had gotten a little unruly, but you had the cutest little curls in the back, so mommy was quite sad to see them go, but it was time. Everyone loves your “new do” and comments on how much older you look now. Your daddy and I are hoping that your sweet curls aren’t gone forever though.


You had your 18 month appointment with Dr. McClard last week and she couldn’t get over what a great patient you were! You sat so still and were just smiling from ear to ear while she looked you over. Everything checked out great! You weighted 24.11 lbs (30%), were 33.25” tall (75%), and your head was 18” (5%), which is how you’ve always been…tall and skinny with a small head, haha! You had your last 2 shots until you are 4 (I can’t even begin to think about that!!), and only cried for a minute. So thankful that you are such a healthy kiddo!

You went to your very first Easter egg hunt this weekend, while on a trip to Hideaway lake to see your Nana & Papaw for Easter. You were much more interested in the slide, and couldn’t have cared less about the eggs. We did a smaller egg hunt in the front yard at Nana & Papaw’s on Sunday afternoon though, and you were adorable picking up each egg with care and placing them in your basket. You wanted to share all your eggs with Elle, and didn’t seem to mind when Colton took a few too, ha! Just wish you would have let us take some family pictures of the event, but nope, not a single one! : (

Your favorite thing to do right now is to slide! You want to go over and over and over, and sometimes will start whining before you even reach the bottom on the slide, because you are angry that the ride is almost over. So we go again and again :) Climbing up the stairs and going down the slide is all you are interested in at the park, so we usually never even make it to the swings or other attractions.

You love to climb, and are happiest when you are going up and down the stairs on our back deck. You are getting pretty stable at going up and down, but have very little fear of falling, so we have to pay extra attention anytime you are near the steps, just in case you take a tumble. You also like to climb all over the couch, and the chair in your room, and have started climbing up with outside of your bed as well. Luckily, you don’t seem interested in climbing out of your bed (…yet!).

Your laugh is so funny! You have started to mimic people when they are laughing and it comes out as this deep “hah ha!”… it is precious, and makes us giggle every time you do it! You are a happy toddler, and do a pretty good job at sharing with your friends, but there are definitely times when you have your fits over a toy or wanting something your way. We are working on how to handle these situations, because we know they are probably not going anywhere any time soon…


You seem to have out-grown your love for Baby Einstein, and have moved on to real movies. Your new favorite is Despicable Me, which has a few things that I’m not fond of, but overall is a pretty cute movie. I’m still waiting for you to want to watch the Disney Classics, but so far you have no interest in Bambi or The Lion King. We do limit your tv time during the day because I think you would watch it all day long if we’ve let you.

You are eating really well, and are willing to try most of the things we offer. Some things you like and some you don’t, but at least you give everything a fair chance. I am hoping that within the next few weeks, you will be solely eating what your dad and I are eating, but for now we don’t mind making you a few sides of your own. Right now you like: chicken, avocado, pineapple, cheese, black beans, oatmeal, eggs, pancakes, bananas, yogurt, macaroni and cheese, rice, tamales, French fries, and any kind of dessert :) You don’t care for: broccoli, spaghetti, ham, pinto beans, or toast.

You are still jabbering all the time, and are starting to repeat things back to us, but your word list is still quite small. Your daily use words are: mama, uh-oh, dog, ball, toe, bubble, uh huh (yes), uh uh (no). Your sometimes words are : papa, up, clock, bird, plane, nana, Hogan, cat, and da-da (this was your first word, but it’s disappeared recently).


You went to the driving range with your daddy recently and were so cute swinging your golf club around and hitting the balls. You were in heaven! I was afraid that you would be loud and disturb the other golfers (who were surely there to enjoy some peace and quiet!!), but you did great and were surprisingly quiet! You loved watching your daddy swing and hit the ball, and enjoyed some “golfing” of your own, as well as some fun running around on the grass. We’ve decided that this should become a regular family outing for us, as we all had a wonderful time.

You are a great sleeper, and almost never put up a fight at naptime or bedtime. Usually after your bath, brushing your teeth, books and a song, you stretch towards your bed to be put in, because you are ready to snuggle with your blankies (you still have 2- a blue one and a green one) and go to sleep. You are waking up around 7-7:30 in the morning, and are going down around 7:30-8. You are still on 2 naps, but sometimes only “rest” for your afternoon nap.

Balls are still your favorite toy, and you are getting so good at making baskets with your basketball goal that Granna & Papa got you for Christmas. You also love to play with your kitchen and grill, and are so cute bringing everyone coffee and stirring in the creamer. You also have recently started playing with your cars and love setting up the tracks and pushing the cars down the ramps. You have a crazy love for books, and will sit for 5-10 minutes (an eternity in toddler time!) reading to yourself in your room. You also love to crawl up in my lap with a book so that we can read together, so sweet!

We love you sweet-tart! Happy 18 months!

Amarillo by morning!

I love traditions! And one my favorites is the girls weekend tradition where some of my college roommates and I meet up to catch up. Since we graduated, Chrissa, Jen (Jutte) Stanhope, Jen (Leonhart) Silhan and I have made it a point to have a girls weekend every year or two. This allows us to catch up on the parts of life that we miss by living several hundred miles apart. Our meet ups don’t always promise an extravagant hotel stay or a day of bliss at the spa, but they always ensure a fabulous, non-stop gab fest that always leaves me feeling rejuvenated and beyond blessed to have such wonderful women in my life! Love you girls!

We're baaaack!

Yep, happy bath time is back!! Somehow his daddy got him to sit on his bum and he loved splashing around and playing with all his bath toys again! We’ve had wonderful, fun, WET baths  ever since. Thank you Lord! J

compass needed

A few days ago, a friend posted a picture of her 17 mos old laying on the floor, face down, with arms above her head. The caption read “My 17 month old is so talented, she can throw a fit like a 2 year old!”. I thought this post was funny, and chuckled to myself, as this is our life right now too. It seems like overnight, my cooperative toddler suddenly has an opinion.  And when he wants something, he lets you know. His two obsessions these days… baby einstein and toothbrushes! When he sees the remote in our room, he starts pointing at the tv and whining until you turn it on. If you don’t, he will have a meltdown. When you go into the bathroom, he follows you, and willl point at the cabinet and whine until you give him a toothbrush. If you don’t, he will have a meltdown. You get the picture. In the two short weeks that this has been happening, I already find myself in a panic sometimes. As the mother of a baby, sure, there are lots of things to worry over, like  “Is he getting enough milk?”, “Will his belly button ever fall off?”, “Is he getting enough tummy time?”, “Will he ever sleep through the night?”, but when the toddler stage suddenly has the word DISCIPLINE ringing in my ears, it feels like I have stepped into a whole other arena. I desperately want to do discipline “right”, but I know that this is a tall order. So for now, I am thankful for those mommies who have gone through the trenches before me, and share their wisdom and knowledge with honesty and love. And for the Christ loving authors who pen books for first time moms like me to read.

So, these days you may find my toddler watching baby einstein while chewing on a toothbrush… or you may not ! ; )

16 Months

Grayer here is what you are up to at 16 mos.

You love dogs! As soon as we walk in the door from being out somewhere, you want to be put down so you can go see Hogan. “Dog” is your very favorite word, and you call most animals dogs these days, but you are getting good at pointing to the correct animals in a book, so I know you are aware of the difference. You love to give Hogan hugs (and kisses), and try to ride him, but he usually stands up and you slide off within a minute or two of climbing on. This drives mommy nuts, because you always come out covered in dog hair, (yuck!), but the love affair is very sweet!

You are fully aware of things in the sky. You LOVE looking for birds in the backyard, and will point, babble and stare at them for ages. You also love squirrels, and think they are so funny scurrying up the trees. Your favorite thing in the sky are airplanes! You get so excited anytime you hear one (which is often at our house since we are so close to Love Field) and run towards them. It’s so cute :) When we go out at night, you always look up in the sky and try to find the moon. You call it “ball”, which is adorable :)

You rarely walk these days; you are always running off to your next adventure. Your Mimi just can’t get over how fast you are! One thing is for sure, you have the cutest little “penguin waddle”. Your whole body moves from side to side, whether walking or running, and everyone in our family thinks you look like an adorable little penguin. I will remember this walk forever!

At the beginning of December your daddy went on a trip to D.C with one of his good friends, and you and I spent a night with Mimi and Papa. While we were there, we tried to put you in the bath, because you have always loved bath time, and always enjoyed splashing in the water. For some reason, this new tub really scared you, and you have not wanted to sit down in the bath tub since. This has been a little sad for mommy, since bath time had always been our little place of solace at the end of the day, where we would listen to toddler tunes, read books, and chatter on about the day. You still get excited when we turn on the water, can’t wait to take your clothes off and show off your sweet little tush, and want to be lifted into the tub, but you don’t want to sit down in the water. You will stand by the side, holding on with one hand, and splash water around with the other. Because of this, you don’t want to stay in the tub for long, so bath time is usually pretty short. I’ve put you in your bumbo a few times in the tub, but you don’t quite weigh enough, and if we put too much water in, you start to float, which you don’t like. I know this is just one of those quirky stages that will soon pass, but I am looking forward to longer bath times in the future.

The park is one of your favorite places to go. We’ve tried out a few new ones lately, but your friend Hunter showed you a really fun one by SMU, and it’s by far your favorite. You can’t get enough of the slide, and want to go up and down over and over and over. You squeal with delight each and every time, so we find it hard to refuse you another turn, even when our arms are weak with exhaustion. You like climbing up and down the stairs as well, but surprisingly usually only want to stay in the swing for a minute or two. You love to watch the big kids play, and want to chase them around. Any time there is a dog at the park, you always want to go over and pet it. You can’t get enough of those four legged animals. You also love the zoo, and when I took you this week, we went in to see the goats as usual. You kept walking over to them, wildly waving your arms to say “hi”… so funny!

Your cousin Elle got a trampoline for Christmas and they put it up in their dining room. At first you were unsure about all the bouncing, and always wanted out if Elle jumped too high, but now you love to jump, and have become much more fearless. The two of you are quite a sight jumping, squealing and laughing together, and it always brings a smile to my face. You and cousin still get along well, except for the occasional battle of wills that is bound to happen with a 2.5 year old and a toddler.


All 4 of your one year old molars are finally through! It took several weeks, and pints of drool, but you finally worked them all in. Last week, while you were working on your 4th and final molar, you were touching your right ear, so we took you in to see the doctor, because we thought you had an ear infection. Turns out you didn’t (thankfully!), and it was all due to teething. I know we will all be glad when all your teeth are in. Your sweet, toothy smile melts our hearts on a daily basis. I don’t think I can ever get enough of your sweet giggle and grin :)

You love to dance! You know how to turn on and off the CD player in your room, so this has become a fun activity for you. You turn the music on, stand up and dance, then hit the pause button, say uh-oh, and then turn the music back on, and dancing ensues. Seeing you shake your little groove thang is adorable! You also got an electric guitar from Santa for Christmas, and love to walk around the house playing it and dancing.

We went to a new church last Sunday (The Village) and you did GREAT in the nursery! There were no tears at all when we dropped you off, and when we came to pick you up, you were playing sweetly with a little girl. The last several times we’d dropped you off at Fellowship, there were lots of tears, and most times it was apparent you had cried some during the service as well. This would always break my heart, and made it hard to drop you off, knowing that you were sad, so we are hopeful that we’ve found a good church to begin going to. I’ve been listening to Matt Chandler (Pastor at The Village) for months online, and have wanted to try out the church, but for one reason or another we never did. Your dad and I both enjoyed the service, but it was very different from Fellowship, so we will give it some time before we make a permanent switch I think. Knowing that you are happy, makes us happy though, that’s for sure!

Grayer, you are such a blessing in our lives. Watching you grow from a baby to a toddler has brought us so much joy, and we are so thankful that you were entrusted to us. Your sweet spirit and exuberance for life teach us daily, and we are so excited to be on this journey of parenthood. We love you sweet munchie-moo!