12 Months - My Baby is A YEAR OLD!

{So the "be back soon" wasn't quite as soon as it should have been. :)  Sorry about that but we've been busy.}

{Also...the video on the last post was not the video that I thought it was and didn't actually include our Happy Birthday song and cake smash.   I tried to upload the real one but it was too long and wouldn't work.  I might put it on facebook because it's too precious not to share.}

ONE YEAR Stats:

Height: 30" {50th Percentile}

Weight:  19 lbs 10 oz {25th Percentile}- such a little peanut :)

Grayson Patrick Garlich turned one year old on October 4th!  He is the sweetest little one year old and I absolutely adore being his mom.  This past year has been the hardest but best year of my entire life- I can say that without a doubt and I just thank JESUS for blessing Matt and I with this little muffin of a boy.  I love him SO MUCH!

 Okay, so let's get to it! I think this will be the last monthly post I will do for little man and just do maybe quarterly or random updates on him.  I don't have anymore monthly stickers and it's getting pretty hard impossible to keep him still. :)  Our sweet little buddy's schedule is pretty much the same but with much more flexibility.  Typically, he wakes up between 7- 8, his first nap is about 2 hours after he wakes up, his second nap is about 2 1/2 hours after he wakes up, and then bedtime is between 7-8.  He's SUCH a good sleeper now (praise the good Lord above) and always sleeps 12 hours but lately has been even sleeping 13 hours at night.  I'll take it. :)  I'm not such a nazi about exact nap and bedtimes because he's much more flexible and doesn't get as fussy if its not exact.  My mom and dad came and visited us for his first birthday and weren't getting in until 8:30.  We decided to keep him up so Nana and Poppy could see him on his actual birthday, and he did SO great.  He was a little wired, played with them for a little bit, and then fell asleep as soon as his little head hit the pillow.  Such a sweet boy.  He does miss his morning nap on Sundays because of church and takes a great 3 hour nap on Sunday afternoons.  I think I'm going to love going down to one nap but I won't rush it. :)  He's not ready for that yet because he sleeps so good for both naps and at night, but when it comes I'll be ready. :)

Little buddy is now fully on table food except for his morning oatmeal, pureed fruit, and yogurt which is his staple breakfast.  He no longer gags at all and is a mostly good eater.  I can tell he is going to be kind of a picky eater though because he doesn't just shove everything into his mouth all the time.  If a put a new food down on his tray, he examines it and if he likes it he will slowly keep eating but if he doesn't, he turns his head and spits it out.  I always feel like he should eat more than he does, but he eats until he's full and then lets you know when he's done. He can sign all done now and it's pretty precious.  If he's hungry and its something he loves, though, he shoves it in like no tomorrow.  I can pretty much count on him eating all of his fruit- and fast.  He is obsessed with fruit but we're still working on the veggies.  His very favorite foods are blueberries, macaroni and cheese, and frozen peas (I know!  Don't judge :)).  Grayson is eating strawberries, green and red grapes, plums, watermelon, pears, grilled cheese, meatballs, chicken, avocados, greek yogurt, broccoli, carrots, green beans, sweet potatoes, and squash. Sometimes he really eats his veggies well and other times he acts like they are out to get him.  He loves eating with his little fork (it hasn't been mastered at all but he thinks he's a big boy with it and it helps him to eat his veggies so we are still going to use it. :))  He is now strictly on whole milk and has about 5 oz 4 times a day and water in between when he's thirsty.  It was such an easy transition to whole milk and I think he really likes it but he's not a big drinker.  Sometimes he only drinks a little bit and other times he guzzles it down.  He's such a little baby conundrum. :)

Grayson has four precious teeth and is in the process of cutting the two on either sides of his front teeth.  He is wearing all 12 month clothes and a size 4 diaper.  He's a tiny little thing and when people see him walking so well (pretty much running now) they always say "How OLD is he??"  He hasn't gained as much weight as his usual pattern but thankfully his doctor wasn't concerned because he was an early walker and literally doesn't stop moving.  He literally RUNS now- no joke.  He loves to be chased and to chase us- it's the cutest thing ever.

This month Grayson was able to understand us a lot more.  We ask him to bring us things like his blue ball, puppy, trucks, and he happily goes and gets the items and prances right over to us with them.  It's SO cute and I'm so proud of his little brain at work.  His favorite word is dada and if you ask him to say mama he proudly looks at you and says "dada"....Daddy pretty much loves this but mama, not so much. :)  He sure DOES love his daddy though so it's fitting that he loves that word so much.  He started signing "all done" and is so precious when you ask him if he's all done he starts waving his little hands in the air with a big smile on his face. He also signed "dog" for the first time and pats his little leg or next to his heart when you ask him what the sign for dog is.  He is going to be a typical boy because he loves trucks, balls, and the basketball hoop.  His favorite animal for sure is a dog because he got a little puppy for his birthday and carries that thing all around the house.  He's still OVER THE MOON OBSESSED with his furry sister, Lucy, and still torments loves on her all times of the day. ;)  He loves to put things into containers and move them from one to the next.  That is pretty much the only thing that will keep him still and entertained for more than .2 seconds.  As much as he loves his daddy, he's a mama's boy which I pretty much love.  He wants me right next to him when he's playing and doesn't like it when I am occupied with things like dinner or something else.  If I'm on the floor with him but not right next to him, sometimes he will stop what he's doing and run right up to me and put his little head on my chest for .1 seconds.  It's my favorite thing ever.  Little man has an enormous amount of energy and after dinner time he gets crazy cray.  He will get SO SILLY and run around and start laughing and want us to chase him.  This stage is SO FUN but I'm pretty sure its just going to keep getting better and better.

Likes:

To be chased by Lucy, mama, or dada

Macaroni and cheese :)

 Being tickled

To give mama some of his food (He thinks its hilarious to "feed" me)

Dislikes:

Being still for diaper changes

Being still while getting dressed

Being still ever ;)

 Grayson Patrick Garlich,

Oh, sweet boy...I can't believe you are A YEAR OLD!  I vividly remember when you were finally placed in my arms after your scary start.  I was busting at the seems to hold you and look at you and that moment will forever be etched in my mind.  I was holding your precious swaddled self, taking in your delicious newborn scent, and our eyes met for the first time.  Oh, my sweet one...those eyes.  That first look has changed my world..my life, my priorities, my everything.  You knew me instantly....you felt loved and safe and warm and I loved making you feel loved and safe and warm.  Being a mom, your mom, has shaped me more than anything else ever has.  Loving you is such a different kind of love from any other and one that came so instantly.  Just one look and I was overcome & bursting with love.  I want to protect you from everything but know that's not possible, and honestly, it's not what the Lord wants.  I want your daddy and I to raise you in a home where you know how much you're loved and because of that, you want to show that same love to others.  I want you to know just how much Jesus loves you...that he formed you SO PERFECTLY and WONDERFULLY.  I want you to come to saving faith in HIM and share HIM with others.  I want you to be BRAVE, KIND, GENEROUS, HUMBLE, LOVING, CONFIDENT IN THE LORD, STRONG, GENTLE, and a LEADER.  I want you to defend the defenseless and love the unlovable.  I want you to use your life to SERVE the Lord and others.  I want you to have friends who influence and encourage you in your walk with Christ and I desire for you to have a sweet, beautiful, godly wife someday.  These are prayers that your dad and I have poured over you and continue to do every day.  Right now you are such a sweet and spunky little thing and I don't ever want to forget how you are right now.  I know the memories will fade, but I am so thankful that I have you right now.  You are SUCH A GIFT and I am so grateful to be your mom every single day.  I love you to the moon and back and back again a million times.  

Love, 
Mom and Dad  

Cake Smash & pictures when my baby was more squishy...

Well, little man turned 1 last week.  And we celebrated and had the sweetest puppy party I've ever been to.  And he loved being the center of attention.  I've got to do his 1 year recap and a post about his party, but in the meantime here's everyone singing "Happy Birthday" and some of his cake smash.  I mean, if he's not the most precious 1 year old you've ever seen ;)....

When Nana and Poppy were in town to celebrate Gray's birthday, I downloaded all of my mom's pictures from her camera, some of which I haven't even seen.  These were taken about 3 months ago when my mom and dad stopped by and had lunch with us on their way back home from North Carolina.  Oh my squish.  I could just eat him.  Since he's started walking, he has thinned out so much because he doesn't ever stop moving and he is just looking so much older to me.  In these pictures had been crawling for a couple of weeks but was still SO squishy and ADORABLE.

 Be back soon to post all about our precious muffin's birthday shenanigans. :)  

Happy Thursday!

11 Months- 1 Away from ONE YEAR!!

Umm, can someone please pinch me? 

How is it that the precious, tiny little baby that was placed in my arms is now one month away from being a year old?  And he is spunky, precious, dramatic, and ALL BOY!  Grayson turned 11 months on September 4th so this post is a recap from August 4- September 4.  

  

Gray is wearing mostly 12 month clothes and is now wearing a size 4 diaper.  I finally had to put away all of the 9 month clothes because they were all pretty snug.  He's such a sweet little size & becoming more of a little boy and losing his baby chub.  His legs are getting longer (but they are still pretty short...look at his parents ;)) and they definitely aren't as chunky.  I know it's because he is CONSTANTLY MOVING...he's getting an all day long baby workout. 

 At the end of the last month, little man was nursing 4 times a day and had yet to bite his mama with his four cute little teeth.  Well, he turned 10 months and decided to not only bite his mama multiple times (can we all say a collective OUCH!), but that he was pretty much done with nursing.  At first I thought it was just a strike, but I continued to try and he turned away every time.  He had already been using his sippy cup with water for several months so when he threw me for a loop and decided he was done with nursing, the transition to his cup was amazing.  I started putting breast milk in his cup and transitioned to formula because trying to pump while a little monster is pulling at it got a little complicated. :)  I also was pretty ready to be able to enjoy coffee & chocolate again and kind of have my body back.  I was a little torn at first because I didn't think it would end so suddenly (I had our weaning process all planned out- start at 11 months and cut away one nursing session each week until we were done by a year) but overall, I am so glad that it wasn't a traumatic process for Gray.  He was pretty obsessed with nursing for his whole entire life (little man never took a bottle) and I was kind of worried he wouldn't do well with weaning but it turns out I had nothing to worry about.  It was a little sad thinking I would never nurse him again, but then I was very thankful that I was able to exclusively breastfeed him for 10 whole months.  It was one of the hardest but most rewarding things I have accomplished.  I have a post in the works about it because I want to remember our journey. Anyways, besides drinking formula from his sippy cup, our little man got a little more adventurous with his food this month (aka mama started trying to give him more foods).  He still had a bit of a gag reflux with real food (non pureed foods) at the beginning of the month but towards the end, he was munching on bread, grapes, blueberries, meatballs, chicken, and green beans.  His diet still mostly consists of pureed fruits and veggies but we are definitely introducing more "real food".  We realized he is an Italian food lover just like his daddy when we went out to eat and let little man "try" some of his daddy's pizza.  Well that turned into him clutching onto a piece of pizza and savoring it like it was heaven in his mouth.  We tried to take it away and he wasn't having it.  Should I be worried?!? :)

Grayson is still on the same schedule of two naps- a morning one and afternoon one.  Typically they are at 9 AM and 1 PM and bedtime is 7-7:30.  I'm so blessed by our routine because it really helps him SO much.  He knows when it's playtime/awake time and when its naptime and there is no fussing.  He happily goes down for naps and bedtime and it makes our life SO easy!   

So a pretty HUGE milestone occurred this month that I wasn't really prepared for quite so soon....we have a WALKER!!!  He took his first "steps" on Sunday, August 18 and pretty much started walking for real on my birthday - August 28.  He still crawls some and is learning how to get up without holding onto something (he can get up on his own mostly but still prefers pulling up and then walking) but he prefers walking and is SO CUTE doing it.  I feel like he's so tiny to be walking but I knew that when he started standing all the time it wouldn't be too long.  He pretty much used crawling as a means to get somewhere to pull up and stand ever since he started crawling.  I still haven't bought his first pair of shoes but we are going THIS weekend to get his sweet little feet measured so he can start walking outside of our house!  I'm so proud of my cute little walker.  Here's a video of his very first steps.  (Excuse his little diaper clad self- it was right after dinner and before bath time :))

Gray is definitely communicating more and I can see his little brain making connections to new things every day!  He can totally say "vroom vroom" in his own little way when you ask him what sound a car makes (after we say vroom vroom of course), he can point to his toes when you ask him where they are (so cute- his Nonna taught him this the other day), he said mama for the first time (on his mama's birthday), and he can point to mama and dada in a picture when you ask him.  We watch his signing time video every day and he finally signed his first sign- "milk" the other day and I think he also signed "eat".  I know he understands so much because I can just see his little brain at work, so I feel like when he's ready to talk more, he will.  He totally understands that Lucy is our dog and I feel like that might be his next sign because as always, he is obsessed with her.  So much so that I decided his first birthday theme HAS to be a puppy pawty. :) More details to share about this later but I am in planning mode now! 

Likes:

Brown Bear Brown Bear book

Baby Animals touch book

When mama says "I'm gonna get you" and chases after him

Lucy popping bubbles with her mouth (I've got to get a video of his laugh when she does this :))

Peekaboo- he loves to initiate it now.  Here's a cute video of that too. :)

 

Dislikes:

When the Ipad gets turned off after playing one of his little educational games (uh oh!)

 Staying still during a diaper change

Having his nose wiped

Sweet precious baby boy,

Every single day with you is SUCH A JOY.  Most days after I put you to bed I lay down on the couch exhausted because you flat wear me out, but I wouldn't trade a single solitary minute.  Being your mom is my greatest accomplishment and whenever we go places together, I am so proud of you I just want everyone to know how precious you are.  As happy and silly and sweet as you are, we also are seeing you have a flair for the dramatic. :)  If mommy or daddy aren't paying attention to you when you want us to, you don't like that at all and let us know.  I am trying to implement independent playtime with you so you can and know it's okay to play by yourself.  Sometimes you do very well with this and other times you just want us to play with you.  It's super cute because I will catch you playing and then look over at me just to make sure I'm looking at you.  Oh, my sweet angel, I can't believe you will be a year old in a month.  Why is time going so FAST???  I plan on fully enjoying every single day of your little life this next month because before I know it you will be a full on toddler. :(  But for now, you are definitely still my baby and I plan on keeping you that way as long as I can. :)  I love you sweet one!

Love,

Mom and Dad :)

Labor Day Weekend & The Kid Tested Mom Approved Link Up!

 We had a great labor day weekend!  Little man was pretty much showered with love, stories read to him, presents (of the toys and clothes variety), hugs, kisses, and attention.  It was wonderful to spend time with my sweet in-laws and Grayson LOVED spending time with his family. :)

Grayson went to one of his favorite little bud's birthday party on Saturday and got this little party hat.  It was hilarious because he kept it on for over an hour.  He looked so old and so cute! 

 

My sister-in-law and brother-in-law Kelly and John and Matt and I got to go out to dinner one night on a double date and Nonna and Papa babysat Grayson.  It was wonderful to get some adult time ;) and know that our buddy was being taken care of at home.  I think everyone involved enjoyed it! :)

 

Those little crossed feet kill me!  

Now....on to a fun little link up party that I'm excited to participate in!  I have just started following some of these sweet blogs and there are some fun topics as a part of the series the Kid Tested Mom Approved Link Up Party!

Today's topic is Kid Style.  Having a little boy is pretty fun to dress (even though I still believe that there are WAY more options for little girls).  Most of his clothes come from Carter's, Gap, Old Navy, Gymboree, and Target.  The main things I look for when buying clothes for him are comfort, affordability, and cuteness.  I realize that he isn't going to be wearing things for very long (and his clothes budget isn't very large :)) so I don't want to spend a lot of money but I still want him to look adorable.  (Well, that's not hard because he IS adorable. :))  Anyway, here are a few outfits that showcase the little man's style.

 Shirt- Gap (hand me down). Shorts- Old Navy.

 Overalls- OshKosh. Hat- Gap

 

 Shirt- Gymboree. Shorts- Ralph Lauren (got at a consignment store)

 Shirt- Gap. Shorts- Old Navy.

It was fun to link up today! :)  Happy September everyone!! :)

26 Years!

So today is my 26th Birthday!

 My whole little family is sick which kind of stinks but thankfully its just a little cold.  

Grayson is pretty much all better except for a few sniffles but the hubs is sick (and he doesn't really do sick well if you know what I mean.....love you babe ;)) so we will probably have to postpone celebrating until the weekend. 

I am so blessed by all the love I have already received through texts, calls, Facebook messages, cards, and presents in the mail.  Birthdays are pretty wonderful but I was telling my mom on the phone earlier that since becoming a mom, it really changes everything.  It's no longer just about me- I have this little person who is a joy to take care of.  The Lord shows me 5 million times a day through Gray that it's not an option to be selfish anymore because his needs HAVE to come before mine.  I am still very sinful and a lot of times choose myself over others, but I am so thankful that God has blessed me with a precious little reminder that my life is not about me- its all about Jesus and serving him through honoring and respecting my husband, taking care of my baby, and serving others.

I'm looking forward to a great 26th year...I am so thankful for everyone and everything the Lord has placed in my life.  Cheers to 26 years!

Monday Morning Ramblings- A little date, a sick buddy, and bread that changed my life

Good morning!  Can you believe that I am blogging AGAIN after just blogging a couple of days ago?  I can't but I'm not going to let it stop me....I think I might just be getting excited about blogging again. ;)  

 How was your weekend?  Ours was pretty low key but we had some high points and a pretty low one as well.  Friday night was pretty normal- we did have some plans with friends but they got postponed for another weekend.  Saturday was fun because we got to hang out with a pretty precious little 5 month old.  Sawyer is my sweet friend's little baby girl and we hardly ever get to see her so this was a special treat.  Grayson decided he wanted to take her to his favorite restaurant- Chic-fil-A of course. :)  She came over to our house afterwards but little man missed out on the fun because of his afternoon nap.  I was blown away by this little cutie's personality- she is SO happy, sweet, content, and literally can sleep wherever!  She was getting a little fussy and Cacey put her in her carseat in my living room, rocked it for .2 seconds, and she was fast asleep and slept that way until they left.  Meanwhile my little man pretty much loves his crib, with his black out curtains, fan, and noise machine.  At least he is pretty amazing at putting himself to sleep and doesn't need help. (Well, at least he didn't until what happened the remainder of the weekend...)

Saturday night before bed Grayson started acting fussy and not like himself.  I laid him down in his crib and usually he will fuss for maybe .2 seconds, and then roll around, stand, and play with his blankie for a few minutes before settling down and falling asleep and then sleeping 12 (or more) glorious hours.  Well, little buddy pretty much was crying the ugly cry when I laid him down, so I rocked him for a little bit and laid him down.  He woke up an hour later crying so I knew something was up.  I gave him some tylenol and rocked him a bit more and laid him back down.  Then I think 3 more times he woke up during the night except when I tried to rock him and sing for a little bit, then lay him down, he SCREAMED. :(  It was SO sad and it resulted in me getting pretty much no sleep whatsoever.  He had a 101.6 fever when I checked it in the morning and had a really stuffy nose and a little cough.  We had to skip church and pretty much did a lot of snacking on puffs, cuddling, and watching tv. (Grayson hardly ever watches tv except for our signing time video so this was a rare treat and daddy and I were kind of loving the snuggles because usually he won't sit still for more than 5 seconds.)

Praise the Lord, buddy slept 12 glorious hours all last night and woke up mostly happy with a stuffy nose and little cough still, and a very low grade fever- no longer high.  He seems to be more like himself and not quite so pitiful but we will still be laying low on this Monday.  It was 65 degrees out this morning so I took him on a short little jog.

Oh, I almost forgot- the bread that changed my life.  Don't you love the dramatic flair? It didn't really change my life, but oh my gosh is it good.  I'm not talking like homemade baked bread, but just simple everyday sandwich and toast bread.  Publix had a BOGO free sale on Rudi's gluten free bread so I thought I would try some because usually it's kind of expensive.  It's the kind thats in the freezer aisle.  I tried some yesterday and made some cinnamon toast and WOW- it was SOOO good.  I think I may have to make the switch- plus you can actually pronounce every single ingredient in it!

 I'm excited because this week is my birthday, we are celebrating one of Grayson's best little girl friend's birthday party on Saturday, and Grayson's Nonna and Papa and Aunt Kelly and Uncle John are coming this weekend for Labor Day.  

Here's to a great week! :)

Five on Friday!

I'm really excited to be participating today in this fun blog link up.  I want to start doing more of these because they are an easy and fun way to blog about the little things going on in the Garlich life as of late. :)

1. I am in the middle of turning our hot mess of a bonus room into a playroom for G.  I have been pinning like mad and have just started decorating a bit.  We already have the white expedit shelf from Ikea (see below) and I just bought this really cute duvet from Target to go on our double bed in there.  I have started making a fun little pennant banner and am planning to diy something chalkboard-y and maybe even make him a little tepee.  I just want it to be a cute (in a little boy way), colorful and whimsical space that's all his. 

 2. Some of my best girl friends have started a small accountability group and we are doing this study.  It's been so refreshing for my soul to have time away from our families (we meet in Dunkin Donuts so that's not so refreshing for my body but it is pretty delicious :)) and just talk about what we are struggling with, pray for each other, and dig into God's word together.  I am so thankful for my sweet girls and I know the Lord is using this time to sharpen me as a daughter of him, wife, and mom.

  3. Um, I think this face deserves a spot in Five on Friday.  He is such a little ham and cracks me up constantly.  We went to Target yesterday and he literally stopped no less than 10 people to get them to pay attention to him.  Once they were looking, he would bat his little eyes and smile so big that they couldn't help but smile too.  I love that he is such a little extrovert (but a little worried he may be too much of a flirt.)  According to my MIL, his daddy was pretty much just like that and used it to get out of trouble many times.  Should I be worried for my future?

4. My birthday is NEXT WEEK!  It's kind of crazy this year because now that I'm a mom, I really haven't thought about it as much as I usually do.  I've actually been thinking way more about Grayson's 1st birthday (which is in a little over a month!!! Ahh!!) than my own.  I'll be 26 and am pretty excited about it.  I feel like it's going to be a pretty great year.

5. Lastly, I have been pretty obsessed excited about this coffee creamer lately.  I have just started drinking coffee again after almost 2 years of not being able to (Pregnant for 9 months and nursing for 10 months (coffee hurt little man's tummy and now he's officially weaned)) and boy am I living it up. :)  I know this is probably not the healthiest of coffee creamers but it's pretty stinkin delicious. 

So Five on Friday was pretty fun....I think I will join in next week! :)  I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!! :)  Love, love!

Holy Cow...We're 10 Months!

Our little buddy is 10 months old...we are in the double digits!

He turned 10 months old on August 4th...just 2 days after his daddy and I's 5th Anniversary!  Life is speeding past us at record speed.  I am realizing the saying is true that the days are long but the years are short because we are really close to one entire year that our sweet angel has been here, and that just seems impossible to me.  Before I start to lose it, let's get on with our sweet little man's 10 month post which covers from July 5th to August 4th.  (Disclaimer:  these pictures are a bit of a hot mess because it is pretty darn near impossible hard to get a good picture of little G lately.  If they seem fuzzy to you, they are because is is moving constantly and it's hard for my iphone to get a quality picture.  He is all boy and SO VERY ACTIVE.  This is pretty much how he feels about staying still for more than .2 seconds lately ;): 

Grayson is mostly wearing 9 month and 6-12 month clothes.  He is wearing a size 3 diaper.  Little buddy has been eating and sleeping like a little buddy pro.  When we came home from Pensacola, his little teeth finally had broken through all the way and were growing so cutely.  By the end of this month, he had four teeth (his top front two and bottom front two).  His medicine for his tummy was working so well and I really feel like something just finally switched and life got SO much better.  Gray has been eating and loving the following foods (in pureed form still):  apples, blueberries, bananas, oatmeal, spinach, peas, carrots, squash, sweet potatoes, corn, potatoes, and green beans.  This month he finally wasn't waking up with tummy issues, hunger, or teething probs and slept 12 hours almost every single night.  Hallelujah thank you Jesus.  He still loved nursing this month but because he was eating so many more solids, we finally went down to four liquid feedings each day.  He has been using his sippy cup for water, though, and loves it!  Usually during dinner time he lets us know when he would like to have some water out of his sippy.  He is OBSESSED with his puffs.  I think he would eat a million if I let him.  I bought organic cheese puffs for the first time this month and oh my goodness, he devours those things like he's never eaten...it's hilarious.  We have to make sure he only puts one in at a time because he tries to fit like six in his mouth at once.  He Our schedule has been SO glorious and I am so thankful that he is healthy and oh so precious.  

Wake up: 7:00 AM
Nap: 9- 10:30 AM
Nap: 1:00- 3:00 PM
Bedtime: 7:00 PM

Little man has been constantly on the move this month- never stopping.  He crawls ridiculously fast but he LOVES to stand.  Usually every time he crawls he goes over to something just to pull himself up and stand.  He has started getting braver and taking one hand off, then the other and standing for several seconds at a time.  He looks over at us like the proudest little thing and it's SO CUTE.  

Speaking of cute, the obsession and love for Lucy just continues to grow every month.  She is the one constant that can make the little man laugh like no other.  I was getting his food ready a little while ago and heard him cackling up a storm while he was sitting in his highchair.  I looked over to see him teasing her with a puff.  He would put it up to her and she would almost take it and then he would take his hand away, cracking up each time thinking it was the most hilarious thing he'd ever seen.  He tries to climb up, pull on, you name it on poor sweet Lucy girl 5 million times a day.  She loves to be in the action and is such a sweet girl but really doesn't love to be pulled on all the time, so if she sees G making a bee line for her, she'll just get up and move to another part of the floor.  The funny thing is is that she will usually only move just a few feet away from where she was, so the cycle of him chasing her & her moving lasts about a billion times every day.  I love watching their interaction..it's so cute.

Grayson still wasn't a huge talker this month, but definitely started to talk a little bit more.  I have tried to get him to say mama so many times, but I think he will say it in his own timing. :)  The closest he has gotten is "ma"....I've decided I will take it. :)  He has said dada just a few times and loves making the "bahhh" sound.  He loves to say "Aghhhh" in this cute little raspy voice almost like he's grunting but he really is more of a mover than a talker right now.  His motor skills are pretty impressive...even his fine ones.  He can pick up such small things with his sweet little chubby hands, turn pages of books, open flaps, crawl under, over, around...just all like he's been doing it his whole little life. 

Likes:
 Baby animals touch book
LUCY!
When daddy comes home from work- his whole face LIGHTS up
When mommy and daddy run around the house with him and Lucy chases us
 Crawling around in only your diaper
Giving us high fives

Dislikes:
Being taken away from the dvd player/cable box in the entertainment center
Diaper changes- its getting SO hard for him to remain still

Oh my little munchkin,
You are so very dear.  I love you to the moon and back.  We read that book together a lot and I can SO relate to Big Nutbrown Hare. ;) Every day with you is so fun.  I really, really like this stage because I feel like we are seeing so much of your personality blossom.  We took you to your very first Cardinals game this month and you were SO good.  You loved it because you could socialize and get everyone's attention around us (that sounds much more like mommy than daddy but I know eventually you will care less about that and pay attention to the game :)).  After the game you were SO silly on the way home...just thinking everything I did was hilarious.  My heart pretty much was close to bursting and I told your dad how much I love you just how you are now.  But I know that you are going to continue to grow, bigger and stronger which is wonderful, but a piece of my heart gets a little sad because I'm afraid I won't remember you just how you are now.  I try SO hard to just etch it in my mind but I know that time goes on and memories fade.  I am so thankful for your life and couldn't be more filled with joy that you and not anyone else were the baby that the Lord has for us.  You are the most perfect addition to our family and your daddy and I couldn't be prouder of you.  You are my little lovey!
Love,
Mommy and Daddy