Sleepless Nights

Dear Greyson,

I thought the nights of us having to get up throughout the night were past us. Your molars and other various teeth coming in plus your cold/cough had other plans. We spent about a week of not sleeping, which was awful for all of us. Thankfully you are finally back to sleeping better, but I have a feeling we aren't completely out of this yet. I will say, you now have a mouthful of teeth!

Speaking of teeth, your new favorite thing is a toothbrush! You won't let me help you brush your teeth though, which has become an issue. You need to have your teeth brushed!! Whenever I go into the bathroom, you follow me. So I set you on the toilet (lid closed) and get a toothbrush wet with water and give it to you. You will sit there are long as I let you just chewing on that toothbrush. I brush my teeth quite a few times a day now so I can model for you how to move the brush around in your mouth. You are getting much better about it. You don't just chew on the bristles anymore! We still have quite a bit of work to do on it though!

I now keep a toothbrush in the freezer. Sounds strange, but between your awful teething plus your mild obsession with toothbrushes, I figured a frozen toothbrush would be the best thing for you! Boy was I right! You can put the cold bristles right on your sore little gums. The only bad thing about it is, it doesn't stay cold for very long. You don't seem to mind too much though.

Words!! My oh my do you say a lot now! Not only are you just jibbering, but you jibber with purpose! You know where your nose is, and say "nooooooooose" while pointing. Something funny you do, we ask you where your eyes are and you would point to ears and say "iyyyyyyyys"! EVERY.SINGLE.TIME! It's really funny! Hopefully you figure out soon that your eyes are on the front of your face and your ears are on the side! You can say Sami (Mimi) and you say "eee eee eee" for a monkey. Your favorite thing to say is Big B! If you see a picture of Brenden you get so excited and say "Big B!!!" You also say eat, kitty, Digger, down, powder, what did you do, what dat (what's that), there, out and even more that I can't think of off the top of my head. It's so fun when you learn new words!

Bath time continues to be a favorite past time of yours. After dinner I'll say, "Greyson do you want to take a bath?" and you take off running for the bathtub! You love to dump water on your head, stick your face in the water and blow bubbles. You laugh so hard when we squirt you with water with the bath squirters! You have finally figured out how the bath squirters work and often get us back! But you always hand us one, too, so we can squirt each other. Getting you out of the tub is not so easy though. Literally you will play in that tub until all the water is completely gone, and then we have to wait a few more minutes while you flop around in the empty, slippery tub.

I love you buddy, forever and longer!

Love, Mama

Jibber Jabber Jibberish

Dear Greyson,

HSJdjwnodhfakjdnajkdafhejcnc;asjdfhnfnfakjsdn...This is what you sound like, all.the.time. And when you do it, you do it in the sweetest little voice. It's so cute! Dada swears you are trying to tell us something because a lot of times you will repeat yourself over and over, same random consonant- vowel combinations. This evening, Grandma was laying on the floor and you crouched down in front of her and got inches from her face and started "talking". She laughed so hard because you were so serious. When Jason and Libby took Brenden upstairs to feed him dinner, you went up to the opening from the basement and started yelling up at them. I can only assume you wanted your buddy to come back down to play.

Holy lots of teeth! On the top you have your left and right central incisors (front teeth), left and right lateral incisors (teeth next to the front teeth), and the left and right first molars. On the bottom you have the left and right incisors, the right lateral incisor is in the process of coming up and the left lateral incisor has broken through. You also have both left and right bottom first molars coming up. Poor guy! I don't know when all this happened, but it sure explains your mood swings lately. Here I was under the impression that teeth came up one at a time. You sure proved me wrong.

Hi! Hi! Hi! This is probably my favorite thing you do now. You say "Hi!" in your sweet little voice, lots of times waving when you do it, and with a big grin. We say it back and it becomes a game, saying it to each other over and over. We know when you are ready to get up from a nap or in the morning because instead of crying (which means you need to sleep longer) you give us a big grin and a "Hi!"

Go? This is also a recent thing you do. When someone leaves the room or you can't find something, you hold your hands out with your palms up and say, "go?" We are trying to get you to fill in the blanks by saying for you, "where did Dada go?" or "where did sippy go?" to help give you the words you need. You are learning so much so fast! It's so fun and exciting when you learn new things. We decided that you are ready to learn more signs, so we are going to teach you eat, which you are already starting to pick up. I think the next sign will be please.

Ohhh the bink. I cannot get rid of that darn bink. You want the darn thing all the time. You have even started getting into the diaper bag, where we have a paci pod, open it up to get one. When it's diaper time, as soon as we walk into your room you say, "beeeeenk!" I have no idea how we are going to stop using one.

Oh, something really exciting happened today! 2 out of the 3 times you pooped, as soon as it happened you pointed to your diaper and said, "uh-oh". Yes, recognizing poop is very exciting! Dada and I are toying around with possibly getting you a potty chair for Christmas. Not that we have ANY expectations of you using it yet, but we can have it around and you can practice sitting on it.

Cute story, you have been so goofy lately! Thanks to Dada, you think (and so does Dada) it's hysterical when you smack the sides of your head saying "ow ow ow". Awesome, I know. You also make us laugh when you walk around, waving your hands in the air, shaking your head from side to side, jabbering and yelling "baaabwaaaabwaaabwaaaa"! It's pretty cute!

I love you buddy, forever and longer!

Love, Mama

Belly!!!

Dear Greyson,

"Where's your belly!?" This is a new game we play and it is hysterical! We will say to you, "Where is your belly?" and you will get a huge grin on your face and lift up your shirt. Often times you want us to tickle, kiss or blow raspberries your tummy. I think the picture pretty much sums up how much you love this game!

I have officially accepted your sweet little head. It looks so much better than when we started. Some days I look at it and think it looks perfect and that there is nothing different about it. Other times, I still notice the slight irregular shape. Everyone tells me they don't notice anything, that I'm over-analyzing. So, I have decided to do my best to stop focusing on your head shape. I have decided to accept you just the way you are, which is absolutely perfect!

"NO" is still your favorite word. We can ask you pretty much anything and we always get the same response, which is no. Sometimes you mix it up and say, 'uh-uh". Regardless, it's pretty much 'no' to everything, be it a bath, snack, kiss, or drink.

We bought you an actual toothbrush. We couldn't use the one that fits over my finger any longer because you kept biting me. You love having your teeth brushed. Well, it's more you love holding and sucking on the toothbrush. You always follow me into the bathroom and demand a toothbrush. I gave you an extra toothbrush for you to play with in the bath tub, which you thought was terrific. You played with that more than you did your actual bath toys. You don't like it much when I take the toothbrush to actually brush your teeth, though. You got pretty upset with me this morning, but I will say, it was much easier to brush your teeth when you were yelling at me! I could actually see your teeth and what I was doing. I try and brush your teeth pretty quickly because I want you to enjoy this good habit. I definitely don't want to discourage your enjoyment in brushing, which is why I usually give you a toothbrush when we are in the bathroom. I let you watch me brush my teeth, too, while you are playing with your toothbrush. I'm hoping you'll mimic me the more you watch me.

You become pretty frustrated when you can't do something and when we can't understand what you want/need. I feel so bad, because I can tell you know what you want, but you don't have the words to say it. We try our best to help you out and give you the words, but sometimes we just can't help you. When this happens you get so mad. You throw things, hit, and cry. It's so sad. Luckily for us, you don't dwell on things, so most times we can put you in a good mood fairly quickly.

I love you buddy, forever and longer!

Love,

Mama

Holy Moly!

Dear Greyson,

Holy moly am I really bad at keeping this up to date. I think about topics and things I want to add all the time, but then I don't! Sorry bud!

Anyways, let's see...you have a whole host of new words! You can now say, go, hi, bye, ball, no, yeah, banana, more, done, milk, gone, bink, nigh nigh, woof, meow, peep peep (chick), snort (pig), mmmmm (cow), mama, dada, papa, and a few more that I just can't think of right now. It's so exciting and fun when you learn a new word. Gramma and I taught you peep peep just the other day, and when you say it, it's in this really high pitched voice. Sooo cute! Not only are you talking more, but you understand some sign language and use it yourself. Granted, you didn't really start using it until you were saying the words, but still! You know the signs for more, done, and milk. We use milk and any drink interchangeably. I don't know if that if correct, but it works for us.

You also got two molars in. Those were fun! You were a drool-y, crabby, feverish, mess. My last post was about having to pick you up from Cindy's because you were sick. I thought you had the flu, but the next day you were perfectly fine and that was when we noticed the new molars. I think you might be teething again, because you have been really drool-y again this week. Luckily there haven't been any fevers for you this time around.

We went down to Cincinnati for one weekend. We baby-sat cousin Brenden while Aunt Libby and Uncle Jason went to a wedding. That was lots of fun! You and B took a bath together. It was the first of many, I'm sure. We also got to spend some time with Uncle Dave and Andy. You just love them! They couldn't get enough of your cute little, "bye" and kisses. We'll get to see them again next week! The trip down and back from Cinci was probably the best road trip we've ever had. You watched Yo Gabba Gabba the entire time. I don't think we heard a peep out of you! Mama and Dada got pretty sick of listening to it, but you were so happy so we just dealt with it.

Gramma and Papa were gone most of October visiting Aunt Lindsey and baby Isaac. You missed them very much while they were gone. When they got home you were so excited and did a little happy dance and squealed when you saw them. You are very much a Papa's boy (sorry Gramma). Yesterday Papa was raking leaves out back when we got home from Cindy'sand you saw him and made a bee-line for him. I picked you up and carried you to the front steps and once I set you down you turned around and booked it towards him. I gave in and followed you to him. You kept picking up leaves and throwing them in the air. It was cute, but of course I couldn't get a cute picture because every time I would try you would stop.

Grandma and Gampa came to visit 2 weeks ago. They picked you up from Cindy's, at first you were a little unsure but you warmed up pretty quick. Once you did, you were Gampa's little sidekick. He would take you for walks, pick you up whenever you wanted and overall spoiled you rotten. Grandma tried to spoil you too, but unfortunately you pretty much only wanted one person.

You went through a phase of being terrified of the bath tub. It came about because you were in the tub with KB one night and he pooped in the tub. Of course it happened right after I had already lathered you all up, so Dada took you into Gramma and Papa's bathroom and put you in their shower. Bad idea. It was apparently a very traumatic experience with you because we went about 2-3 weeks of being terrified of the bath tub. That was a long 2 weeks because we still had to bathe you. Bath time went from being the most fun part of our nights to the most dreaded. We finally got you over it by Dada literally getting into the tub with you a few different times. It was so cute and I of course had to take pictures (don't worry, Dada was clothed, he just knelt down while wearing shorts). You still glance at the shower head sometimes with a weary look on your face, but overall you are back to enjoying the tub.

Halloween came and went. You looked so cute in your little lion costume. Grandpa Jon came trick or treating with us, which was really special. Dada and Grandpa took turns taking you up to the houses with your bucket. Lots of people commented on how cute you were and many many times you would wave bye and blow kisses as you were walking away from the houses. We also went to a Halloween parade in Rossford with Aunt Jenn and KB. That was just OK. It was right in the middle of your nap, in hindsight, we'd have skipped the parade and let you finish your nap, but what can you do? Needless to say, you did not enjoy the parade as much as I had hoped, but at least you got to wear your costume more than once!

Roar! That's also a new word/animal sound you do. We thought that since you were going to be a lion for Halloween you needed to be able to roar. You caught on really quick and love doing it. You laugh so hard at the exaggerated scared expressions we give you after you roar. Often you and I go back and forth, just roaring and giggling at each other.

One more quick story! Last night, you, Dada and I were playing on the bed before bedtime. You kept jumping on Milo and hugging and kissing him, which was adorable. At one point you reached out to kiss Milo on the nose and Milo sneezed right in your face as you were leaning in. You laughed so hard! It was disgusting and hilarious at the same time!

I love you buddy, forever and longer!

Love, Mama

MaaaaMaaaaa!

Dear Greyson,

Today I got the best thing ever from you. Today, for the first time when I walked into Cindy's to pick you up, you ran to me while yelling, "Maamaaa!" I was so excited! Best. Feeling. Ever. Sure, you always smile and run to me, but nothing beats hearing you say my name, too!

On that note, you have been all about Mama lately. I won't complain, though. I am totally eating it all up. Dada on the other hand, I think might be getting a little jealous. He got so used to you being all about him, and wanting nothing to do with me. He doesn't mind too much though, because he knows how much I am loving it. You reach for me, you wrap your little body around my legs, you say Mama all the time, you snuggle with me, I get lots of kisses, and when I'm holding you and Dada comes up and holds out his hands, often you say, "NO!" and turn towards me. I can't help it, I enjoy every second. It's been a long time coming!

Yesterday I got the dreaded phone call from the baby sitter. You had a fever and were throwing up. My poor baby! I rushed home and picked you up. We snuggled on the couch and took a nap. You didn't throw up again, but you did have a fever all evening. I was so worried about you. You woke up perfectly fine this morning and had a great day. Must have been a 12 hour bug.

You are now interested in the television. You have become obsessed with the show, Yo Gabba Gabba. When you hear the TV turn on you start shaking your fists and say, "gooooo" You also bring us the remote and shake your fists, or if the tv is on at all, you start shaking your fists and say, 'gooooo'! It's really funny. I am now slightly regretting wanting you to show interest in the TV, though because you want to watch it all the time. On the plus side, when it's on, you like to sit in my lap and lean back into me. We sing and dance together, which you finds hysterical. Dada and I get the silly songs stuck in our heads, so even when it isn't on, we're still singing the songs. It's really cute because I often hear Dada singing the songs either to you or along with the TV when no one else is around.

Gramma and Papa are in NY right now. Baby Isaac, your new cousin will be arriving hopefully tomorrow, so Gramma and Papa are with Aunt Little and Uncle Aaron to help them and play with Baby Isaac. You miss Gramma and Papa, and it's hard to remember you need to share them with your cousins!

A few weeks ago, you were looking through your photo book. You were pointing to everyone and jabbering (when we look at it together I point to everyone and say who it is), but each time you'd get to the picture of Grandma and Grandpa Williams, you'd point to Grandpa Brent you smile and say, DooDa. It was adorable. You did it probably 10 times. I had to call Grandma right away to tell her about it.

I love you buddy, forever and longer!

Love, Mama

Dipa dipa dip

Dear Greyson,

Dipa dipa dip, that is one of your many new words. Dipa dipa dip is ketchup, randomly enough. We gave you ketchup for the first time the other night and you loved it! I showed you how to dip your chicken in the ketchup (which is where dipa dipa dip came from, we sang it as we dipped) and then eat it, which you thought was the greatest. After you ran out of chicken you just started spreading the ketchup around with your hand and then licking the ketchup off. Tonight we had hamburgers. Normally you won't eat hamburger but I got out the dipa dipa dip and you chowed down. Granted, you probably ate more dipa dipa dip than hamburger, but it was more hamburger then I've even seen you eat. We have also been giving you a fork when you eat. You don't really know how to use it, but you sure do like having it!

You have a few more new words! A favorite of yours is NO! It sounds more like "naaaa" but you sure get your point across! We ask if you want to get out of the tub, "no," we ask if you want a sippy, "no", we say, It's bedtime Greyson and get, "no!" It's been fun! (Please sense the sarcasm). It's actually quite humorous this sense of independence you have gained. I have to walk away quite often because I start giggling. This isn't really a new word, but when we ask you what a dog says, you go "uff uff" and then start panting. It's really cute! We started working on kitty now. You were starting to catch on! You would stick your tongue out and make a high pitched "oooow".

Bedtime was really sweet tonight. Dada gave you your bath tonight and boy did you love that! You splashed and splashed as hard as you could! Dada and the floor were soaked. After you got out we let you run around naked for a bit. That always puts you in a goofy mood. Aunt Libby and Uncle Jason stopped by and you greeted Libby at the door, butt naked! She laughed and laughed at you. You ran out the door and waved to Uncle Jason, who also laughed at you being naked. When we made you go in you got mad at us, which made Uncle Jason really sad. They don't like hearing you cry. When it's a temper tantrum Mama and Dada just laugh though. Anyways, about your sweet bedtime...we got you in your jammies and then got out a few books to read in bed. You snuggled up against Mama while we read three books. The one book we ended up reading three times because you loved it so much. The book is called First Words and it has one picture on each page with the word written. When I turned the page to a ball, before I could say it you said, "ball". Same with orange and apple, which were both balls, and the car was a "brrrrrrrrr"along with the truck and boat! It was so neat. We showed the picture of the cat and dog and practiced our animal noises with those pages and Dada tried to get you to quack like a duck. That's a tricky one, but I think you'll get it pretty soon! Mama and Dada agreed that we really need to read to you more. You love looking at books, but normally you don't want us to read to you. Tonight you enjoyed it though! So we'll keep trying because it's so important for us to read to you and it's good bonding time! I loved that you snuggled up with me, that doesn't happen very often!

Dada is not going to like me calling you this, but you are turning into a little monkey. It's true and he cannot deny it. You climb on EVERYTHING! The couch, chairs, tables, stools, laundry baskets, boxes, you name it, you are climbing it! Cindy, your baby sitter told us that she can't leave you for a second because as soon as she does you climb onto the kitchen table! Crazy boy! What's worse is, once you are up there, you have no fear. You jump from the couch to a chair. If there is a stack of pillows nearby you just can't resist and jump on them! Mama doesn't help matters either because when you get on top of things, like the coffee table, I laugh and count to three and you jump to me. It's our favorite game! You are so smart too, because you always wait until I get to three before jumping! Sometimes you count after me and then jump on three. (No, it's not really counting, it's more of a high pitched, uhhh uhhhh huhhhhhhhhhhhh")Everyone keeps telling me, boys will be boys, welcome to the life of boys, but holy moly buddy! You don't need to climb on everything! Another super cute thing you do is when I pull out the camera to take your picture you get this goofy "cheese" smile and hold it until I snap the picture. You also like to see the pictures on the camera now after I take them and then laugh when you see the images. Silly, silly boy!

I am loving this stage you are in right now. You come up and give hugs, wrapping your whole body around my legs, you blow kisses on command, you give actual kisses and babble all.the.time. I love our little conversations we have on the way home from Cindy's. You 'talk' and then I talk back, you talk more and then laugh! Sometimes we just blow kisses back and forth the entire way home. It's the best! A super cute thing you do is when I walk in the door to pick you up, you run over to me and as soon as I pick you up you start waving and saying, 'bye' and blow kisses. It's so cute! I always laugh and tell you I need to still get all your stuff and ask Cindy about your day, but I love that you understand that it's time to go and to say bye!

I love you buddy, forever and longer!

Love, Mama

What goes in must come out...

Dear Greyson,

For dinner tonight you ate a chicken patty and cheesey rice and broccoli. You ate a ton! I will admit, it was pretty tasty. Well, after you finished up I grabbed a wipe to clean you up. As usual, you grabbed the wipe from me and stuffed it in your mouth. You do this to be silly and make us laugh. Well, to be even funnier you started breathing really loud out of your nose. I was laughing because you were making so much noise and making a silly face, which of course just eggs you on when all of a sudden a piece of rice shoots out your nose! It made the whole situation even funnier, which of course you just loved!

For the most part you have figured out how to climb up onto the couch. This is great for you, not so much for Mama, Dada and Jinx. Well, this afternoon you climbed up onto the couch and kept climbing over to the end by the record player, which of course had some things on top that you wanted to get. I grabbed the stuff and walked it over to set it all on the piano, which is probably only 20 feet away. When I turned around after setting the stuff on the piano you were no longer sitting on the couch. You were on top of the record player! Rotten little boy! I ran over quickly to get you down and you thought it was hysterical. We have our hands full with you, that's for sure!

Ok, one more funny story! I was sitting on the couch with Dada's computer sitting on my lap. You realized what I was doing and came over to check it out and then tried to pound on the keyboard. I put my hand up to keep you away and you kept slapping my hand and grabbing it. I thought you were trying to move it, which is typical for you. Well you kept persisting so I let you grab my hand. Lo and behold you weren't trying to move my hand, you grabbed my hand, turned it over to give me a high five! Oops!

The picture today is of you wearing Papa's motorcycle helmet. Papa left it sitting by the door and you of course had to check it out! You loved having it on your head, watching me put it on my head, and slapping the side of it.

I love you buddy, forever and longer!

Love, Mama

Holy Wow

Dear Greyson,

I have been so awful about keeping this up-to-date. Sorry, buddy! My work schedule has changed and it has been difficult finding time to write. Let's see, I have a lot to update, but funny stories about you first!

First, you were sitting on the couch playing and Mama was watching TV. A New Kids on the Block song came on and of course Mama HAD to sing along and keep the song going. When I finally stopped singing, you were looking at me like I was crazy and then started smacking yourself in the face and shaking your head no. I don't know if you were really offended by my singing NKOTB or if it was just really good timing, but it was really funny regardless!

Second, you have learned to tackle us. It is probably my favorite thing that you do right now! I will sit on the floor and you will charge at me and then lunge. I always fall over when you get to me and you always giggle! The only not so funny part is when you start head butting me, which always comes once we are on the floor. We're working on that. Earlier today, you tackled me and when we were on the floor you gave me a HUGE kiss. It made my day! I love your kisses.

Ok, now on to the big stuff. You are out of your helmet. We went last Monday for your monthly headscan and as always we go in super excited and leave upset or discouraged. This month was no different, it was actually worse. We were told this time you had a growth spurt (which is what we've been waiting for) and that almost all the growth was on the opposite side. I was dumbfounded. How could this be? Dr. Cole basically said it was one of two things, either a) he's not wearing the helmet enough or b) his sutures have closed up and the helmet is not going to change anything. We all know that you wore that stupid helmet all the flipping time so there was no possible way that was the reason. We have to schedule a CT scan in order to determine whether or not your sutures have closed. I'm not too sure how I feel about this. You cannot stand getting your 3 second head scan once a month, I can only imagine how you would react to a CT scan. We can't do anything until we get our insurance stuff figured out though. We put you on my health insurance, but now that Dada got the job at Huntington (yay!!) we decided to switch you again to be on Dada's. I would like to take you to Cleveland to Cranial Technologies and have them do an evaluation on you. They make a different type of band called a DocBand. I would like to at least get another opinion, but I am also ready to just put this all behind us, too. I just don't want to have any regrets either. Not when it comes to you!

We have to schedule the appointment with your doctor and then go from there. I am not sure when that will be though.

I love you buddy, forever and longer!
Love, Mama

Vacation!

Dear Greyson,

We had such a busy week this past week. We went to visit Grandma and Grandpa out in Illinois. We left Friday after Mama got off work. Dada packed up the car and boy was it packed! You could barely see out the back window. We were all so anxious to get going! We ate dinner on the road, you of course had your favorite, chicken nuggets! You did not sleep the entire ride out! That isn't necessarily a good thing, buddy. Mama had to ride in the back with you most of the way because otherwise you would get very cranky. Mama got a video of you cracking up and laughing on the way. I was trying to check your diaper, and apparently was tickling you! Of course I couldn't stop because your giggle is just too funny! We sent the video to everyone. Aunt Emmy told us that whenever she is in a bad mood she watches/listens to the video because it instantly cheers her up. She also sent it to Aunt Dana, who was having a bad day that day and she said it made her bad day much better.

Saturday we hung out and waited for Aunt Libby, Uncle Jason, and Brenden to get there. The whole family together, yay! Sunday was more hanging out and relaxing. Swimming and playing. All week you were bound and determined to make friends with Kasey, the cat. He wanted nothing to do with you, though. A few times he hurt your feelings and hissed at you.

On Monday, we all packed up the cars and headed to the Brookfield Zoo. It was an hour and a half car ride, but you had your Grandpa in the back with you so you were a happy guy. The zoo was so nice, it is a European style zoo, so there were no bars or cages around the animals. You really liked seeing the monkeys. Dada and Grandpa took turns carrying you when you weren't in the stroller. Their arms had to have been sore by the end of the day! The last thing we did at the zoo was ride the tram around. That was definitely not the best idea we had. You were exhausted (no afternoon nap) and decided that would be a great time to be Mr. Independent and not want to be held. Not by Mama, Dada, Grandma or Grandpa. You pulled some lady's hair (twice) and managed to get her to move, cried, tossed your sippy and crackers (almost losing your sippy over the edge) and were overall not a happy guy. We all dashed for the cars as soon as the tram stopped. You ate chicken nuggets from BK on the way home and fell asleep about 15 minutes from pulling into the driveway. Not the best timing! We put you straight to bed and you were out for the night.

The rest of the week was spent hanging out with the family. You spent a lot of time in the pool, which you loved! Grandma bought you some bubble bath, so at night you got to experience that. You weren't too sure about it at first, but by the end of the week you were enjoying it. Mama taught you how to put the bubbles in your hand and blow them off, and you found it very funny to put the bubbles in your hands and then clap. You would get the biggest smile on your face as the bubbles would go flying. The only problem with the bubble bath was that the bubbles made it hard for you to find your toys.

On Friday you got to do something really special. Grandma and Grandpa took you, and only you, to the Discovery Center in downtown Rockford. Mama and Dada were not invited! You got to be a weatherman, you sat in a big tractor, and you loved the balls that were floating. There was an area just for kids 18 months and younger that you played in. You and Grandma kicked off your shoes and ran all over the place. You rolled balls, climbed, and slid. Grandma and Grandpa are already looking forward to taking you again and again and again!

You were so unbelievably spoiled this week by everyone. Whoever was nearest you'd run to and put your arms up to be held, unless Grandpa was in the room, because then no one else mattered. He would take you all over the house showing you things, he'd walk you outside and you'd look at the birds, he'd tickle you, take you swimming, read to you and give you lots of hugs and kisses. Grandma made you lots of yummy dinners. You especially loved that she had grapes in the house! She'd cut them up and you would devour them. Grandma was full of kisses for you! You even returned a few of those kisses, which made her so happy! Mama and Dada are in for a treat trying to de-grandma and grandpa you.

Overall, it was an awesome trip. We were all so sad that the week went by so fast. As always, good-byes were tough, but we made it through and are counting the days before we get to see them again.

The trip home was pretty uneventful. Chicago traffic wasn't too bad, not great, but not awful. You slept for about an hour and then played, snacked, watched movies and whined. Instead of going straight home we went to Aunt Emmy and Uncle Kevin's. Uncle Kevin threw Aunt Emmy a surprise party! We missed the surprise part, but made it for the party! You loved running around the backyard. You danced a little, chased the big kids and climbed up the big hill (and then proceeded to fall down the big hill). You ate lots of frosting and cookie cake that Sami and Devin snuck you. You were full of hugs for Uncle Greg and gave Uncle Kevin high-fives. Aunt Emmy and Aunt Jenny were lucky enough to score a couple of kisses from you! Happy birthday

party day, Aunt Emmy!

You had another tooth erupt this week, you now have 4 teeth on top and 2 on the bottom! You still walk on the sides of your feet, but we are noticing they aren't as bowlegged anymore. Yay progress!

I love you buddy, forever and longer!

Love, Mama

PSA: Swim Diapers

Dear Greyson,

Mama and Dada learned a valuable lesson this weekend about swim diapers. Never ever put a swim diaper on a baby that drinks like a fish until he is ready to get right into the pool. We went to Pam and Ed's on Friday night to go swimming and learned this lesson the hard way. For some reason, Mama and Dada thought it would be a good idea to get you ALL ready to go swimming before we left for Pam and Ed's. The thing is, swim diapers are not absorbent buddy, they are there strickly to catch the poo. You poor thing were soaked by the time we got to Pam and Ed's. Dada's shirt was soaked because he picked you up, your carseat was soaked, and your legs were soaked because it was literally dripping down your legs. I couldn't help but laugh!

On a side note, swimming was so much fun! You just love Pam and Ed! Dada took you into the pool and you showed off for Aunt Emmy. You splashed her, threw a ball at her, and showed her how you can blow bubbles. We took you down the slide, which you loved, and played with the balls. Ed took you out back, too and you had some boy bonding time. You loved that! Ed pushed you in the swing and took you around the backyard. We are so lucky to have such an awesome extended family!

On Saturday we went up to visit Gramma and Papa up at the campground. We got to celebrate Christmas in July and see Santa Claus! You gave him a high five but you were not happy when you sat on his lap. It was really hot that day, so we actually spent most of our time in the camper. You were so happy to see Gramma and Papa. You were showing off, jumping from Gramma to Papa and just loving all the attention they were giving you.

Sunday was a really fun day. We went to the zoo with Uncle Jason, Aunt Libby, Big B, and Grandpa. It was so fun to see you looking at the different animals. We let you run around in the aviary and you loved it. At one point you were chasing a bird who was walking around his cage. It was a fun and exhausting day! When we got home we ate dinner and played. You went from toy, to toy, to toy! We finally put batteries in the ball popper, which you thought was hysterical! You kept trying to catch the balls as they would pop out.

Something really fun that you just started was dancing. When you hear music, you get a huge smile on your face, bend your arms (like a chicken) and twist your hip. It cracks me up! Another huge deal, you have ANOTHER tooth coming in! Your left inscisor is coming in already and the right is bulging! You didn't start teething until so late, and now I feel like your poor little gums aren't getting a break. I also have to brag about you, because you started kissing! It's the absolute best. You did it before, but now you make a kissy noise, too!

On Wednesday we had your 12-month well check. You did awesome! You flirted with the doctor and only cried for a minute or two. We have to take you up to Toledo Hospital to get a PT evaluation, she doesn't feel like the PT we are getting at Wood County is enough anymore. That darn head tilt just won't go away! We were also told that we need to take you to an eye doctor as soon as possible to make sure your head tilt isn't because of vision problems. Lastly, the doctor also wants us to take you to an orthopedic surgeon to get evaluated. She isn't too concerned with it, but told us it's not a bad idea to go and get your hips, knees, legs and neck checked out. This is all because we brought up your bowed legs and head tilt! I'm so ready to be done with doctors, and I know you are, too! I can't complain though, I'd much rather deal with these types of medical issues than something else.

I love you buddy, forever and longer!

Love, Mama

Birthday Party!

Dear Greyson,

We did it! Yesterday we had a very successful birthday party for you. Thank you so so so much Aunt Emily and Uncle Kevin for hosting the party at your house and thank you so so so much to everyone who helped pull the party off! Grandma and Papa brought all the corn, Uncle Dave and Andy helped set up and brought the incredible cake, Grandma and Gampa brought the small cake, ice cream, oreo dessert, and other misc things, Aunt Jenn and Uncle Greg brought two different salads, Great Grandma and Grandpa brought the chips, Aunt Dana brought her yummy potato salad, and Aunt Pam brought her yummy salsa.

You were in such a great mood all day and loved having lots of people around to smile at. I was so amazed at how many people came out to celebrate. I had so many people comment on how happy you are and what a sweet smile you have. You loved showing off to everyone. At one point you were in the living room surrounded by people and you were covering your mouth and doing your fake laugh. All to get a laugh out of the people around you.

We had baby pools and sprinklers up for kids to play in. You really enjoyed splashing in the water and playing with the splash balls. The smash cake was fun. At first you just kept sticking your fingers in the cake and eating it that way, Dada helped you a little bit and then Mama did, too.

It's still hard to believe that you are already one. I thought it would hit me at the party, but it didn't. One of these days it will...

I love you buddy, forever and longer.

Love, Mama

Happy 1st Birthday!

Dear Greyson,

Well, it happened. You turned one year old today. We had a busy morning of running around, but between that we had some time for fun. We went and got our hair cut today. You look like such a big boy with it cut! Mama looks different too, with a new short hair cut!

We went up to the campground to see Grandma and Papa and eat dinner. We picked up Cousin Sami on the way up because she just had to see you on your birthday! Grandma made yummy steaks for dinner. You couldn't eat it though because you are too little, so you had grilled chicken instead. You loved getting to run around outside. Sami picked out some new little trucks for you which you loved rolling around the ground. Between those, the ball, and rocks, you were in heaven! Grandma made you birthday cupcakes too. You really really enjoyed those. At first you would just stick your finger in the frosting, but by the end you picked up the entire cupcake to take bites out of it! Papa went and filled up a bucket with hot water to help clean you up. Once we were done he set it on the ground for you to play in. Boy did that make you happy!

Now, I figure I'd take a bit of time to describe just how I'm feeling today. I've been thinking a lot about what I want to write to you today on your first birthday. And now that it's here I am at a complete loss. You, little boy, make me so unbelievably happy. A year ago today, my life completely changed. When I first laid eyes on you, I looked and thought, "hello there little stranger." I loved you then when I first met you, but little did I know that that would be a love that would grow and grow and grow. I had no idea just how much more I would love you the more I got to know you.

Here are some things that I miss about you when you were itty bitty:

1. You would smile in your sleep. It was the cutest thing ever!
2. While sleeping, you used to make a little humming noise. (You used to sleep a lot, so a lot of my memories are of you sleeping).
3. Before you learned how to giggle/laugh, the noise you made when you were happy/excited was hysterical. I have no idea how to describe it, but I loved it and miss it.
4. You used to fit in my arms. I could lay you down across me and you'd fit. Now you hang all the way across me!
5. The swaddle. That thing was a miracle worker.
6. The playmat. You could lay under that thing for what seemed like forever. You could stare at those toys hanging from above for so long, and your favorite was the toucan.
7. Non-mobile. I used to be able to set you in one spot, walk out of the room, and when I came back you'd still be in the same spot. Now when I leave a room, chances are it's because I'm coming to find you!

It's amazing how fast a year goes by. At the time it didn't seem like it was going by all that fast. Mama and Dada made some big changes is our lives after you were born, changes that were for the best for our family. Looking back, it seems like such a long time ago, but in regards to you, it seems like just yesterday. I remember bringing you home and the first night we were alone with you, Dada and I looked at each other, shrugged our shoulders and said, "now what?" I remember calling both your Grandma's on the phone crying so many times because I had no idea what you needed. I remember the first bath we gave you, and I was too scared to do it so I just took pictures. I remember the long nights of getting up with you. I remember being so scared and excited when you started crawling. Then walking...and now here we are. One year old. If this past year went by this fast, I don't even want to think about how fast this next year will seem.

I love you buddy, forever and longer.
Love, Mama

Last Day as a Baby

Dear Greyson,

This is is, your last day as a baby. Tomorrow you enter toddler-hood. Wow. While I watched you play today all I could think about was just how big you looked. You were in an outfit you've worn many many times, playing with toys/balls that you've played with many many times, but something was different about you. I honestly have no idea what was different, but I have a feeling it was you preparing me for all the emotions I am going to be feeling tomorrow.

We bought a bubble machine for your birthday party and decided to get it out and make sure it worked for Saturday. While Dada worked on the bubble machine, I took the bubble wand out and blew bubbles for you. Holy moly did it make a lot of bubbles. You thought it was pretty neat and had a huge smile on your face while popping bubbles. I got pretty excited to get the bubble machine up and working, thinking you would be so into it. We turned it on and quickly realized we needed to get it outside because it was producing mass amounts of bubbles. We grabbed you and the bubble machine and ran outside all excited. I set you down in the grass, Dada turned on the machine and you...took off for the basket of balls. You lost all interest in the bubbles when we got out there and you remember there was a basket of balls under the gazebo. We could not get you interested in the bubbles again after that.

Your fourth tooth (the right top tooth) broke through today. No more 3-tooth grin. I loved your silly 3-tooth grin. It was so cute! Once the fourth tooth is all the way in you are definitely going to look like such a big boy! I can barely remember you without any teeth!

I love you buddy, forever and longer!
Love, Mama

One year ago today...

Dear Greyson,

A year ago today was my due date. Today could have easily been your birthday. At the time, I was ready for today to have been your birthday, but right now I am so glad it isn't. I have so many things running through my mind right now regarding the next few days. A year ago tomorrow I spent the entire day having mild contractions. I didn't know they were contractions at the time, but now I do. Buddy, I honestly do not know how in the world the time went by so fast.

We had a super busy weekend, this past weekend. I didn't get to see you very much because I was in my good friends wedding, but you got to spend a lot of time with people that love you very much! On Friday you spent the evening with my best friend Jess and Anthony, Brady, and your future wife Emma. You don't know it yet, but you like older girls and lucky for you, Emma is older! Jess told me that she kept baby-ing you and tickling you.

On Saturday you spent the morning with Dada and then the afternoon/night with Grandma Med and Ken. She loves you so much! You are so lucky to have such a big extended family with extra aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents! They might not be related by marriage or blood, but we are related in our hearts. You got to try some of Grandma Med's famous cookies. They are absolutely amazing and I'm sure you loved them! It took you a bit to warm up to all the puppies, but Grandma Med told us that after awhile you were hugging them and throwing toys at them! Mama missed you big time all day Saturday. Lucky for Mama, Grandma Med was so thoughtful to send pictures of you throughout the night and text messages to let us know how you were doing.

Sunday we got up early to go home. We dropped you off at Maumee Bay with Aunt Emmy and Uncle Kevin and your cousins Sami and Cole. You got to have a sleepover party with them! Aunt Emmy put up Cole and Sami's tents in the living room and you loved playing in them! You were in and out and in and out! She felt bad bc you were stuck in the car so much so they stopped at McDonalds and you got to have chicken nuggets and french fries! You love chicken nuggets you lucky boy! Aunt Emmy could not stop gushing over how good you were for her! This doesn't surprise me because you are the best baby ever! I called quite a few times to check on you, even though I knew you were perfectly fine. You love Emmy, Kevin, Sami and Cole. I just like to hear what you are doing!

Even though Mama missed you like crazy, it was nice to get to spend the day with Uncle Dave and Andy. We miss them a lot and I know you do, too! We went to Cedar Point and rode a bunch of roller coasters. Throughout the day Dada and I would make comments about you, like how excited we were to take you to Cedar Point one day. It'll be awhile though, because you have to be a really big boy to ride the rides. There are some fun rides for little kids, but you have wait until you are at least 3, maybe 4. We'd often see a little boy or girl and think of you. One little girl was sitting in her stroller, holding onto the stroller tray and yelling while shaking the tray. It was something that I could totally picture you doing! When I pointed it out to Dada he laughed and thought the same thing!

Two more days buddy, and you will no longer be a baby! I cannot believe it.
I love you buddy, forever and longer!
Love, Mama

Mr. Personality

Dear Greyson,



Anyone that meets you would have to agree; you are not lacking in personality. You have always been so animated and expessive, and as you get bigger, even more so!

You find yourself so funny and you do anything you can to make us laugh. For instance, last night in the bathtub. We have a big cup that we use to get your hair wet/wash you off etc. We fill up the cup and dump it on you. You don't mind us dumping it on your head, thank goodness! Well last night I was doing just that, but when dumping the water on your head to get your hair wet, you kept looking up into the cup/water. You'd sputter water out, look at me and grin and wait for me to do it again. After I was done I handed you the cup so you could play with it because you love doing that! Well last night after I handed you the cup you filled it up, stood up and tried to dump it on your own head! I laughed so hard, which of course you noticed so you would try and do it again but this time with a grin on your face!

I love you buddy, forever and longer!

Love, Mama

Temper temper temper

Dear Greyson,

Holy temper tantrums! We have seen glimpses of your temper tantrums before and I have always thought they were really funny, but today you let loose! You crawled on top of the fireplace, which you aren't allowed to do because it's not safe, and you let us know that you did not like us saying no. You screamed, cried, plopped your butt down and then would roll over onto your back. Dada would use that opportunity to tickle you and make you giggle. Then you continually got mad at me bacause I was sitting on the floor blocking your way out of the family room. You were getting so frustrated with us and would slam your hand down on the little white table! I was shocked by you. I was honestly a little scared by you because you have always been so happy-go-lucky and now all of a sudden you are hitting, screaming, and throwing yourself down! Granted we could turn it around and make you smile and giggle pretty quickly, but still! How much longer will tickling you work? I had no idea what to even do with you. Is it possible to enter the terrible two's before you even turn one?

I remember something funny from this weekend that I didn't want to forget! Gampa, Dada, and Uncle Jason had you in the pool and were trying to get you to blow bubbles. You were watching them so intently! After a bit you stuck your face down low by the water and started sticking your tongue out over and over and over! It was so cute! I wish I had gotten a video of you doing it.

The picture is of you and Dada playing this evening. You were SUPER grumpy so Mama got you a snack, Mummums! Normally I only give you one at a time, but tonight I gave you both. You thought you were something else! In the picture you kept trying to share with Dada. You are so thoughtful buddy!

I love you buddy, forever and longer!
Love, Mama

Looooong Weekends!

Dear Greyson,

Long weekends are the best! We got to spend so much time together it was awesome! We went to visit Grandma and Gampa in Rockford. We left Friday after Mama got off work and didn't come home until Monday! You were such a good buddy the whole weekend!

The car ride there was interesting. You were driving Mama crazy with "uh-oh" over and over and over! Dada thought it was funny, but I think he thought it was funny because he was driving and wasn't having to turn around to pick up whatever you dropped. Previously, if you dropped something you'd say, 'uh-oh' and that would be the end of it. Not anymore! You would 'drop' (and I use the term loosely because you'd actually throw it or drop it intentionally)and then say uh-oh over and over and over and over. After a bit, if we tried to ignore you, you'd scream. Yes, buddy, scream. It was not fun. Mama started getting car sick after awhile because she'd have to keep turning around. Eventually Mama crawled into the back because you wanted some company. We ate snacks, drank water, looked at books and played with your toys. When we finally made it to Grandma and Gampa's, we had to sneak in because Grandma didn't know we were coming! We LOVE to play this trick on her! We set you down in the kitchen and you walked right up to Grandma with your little arms raised up high wanting to be picked up. She got a big smile on her face because of that! You stayed up late because you had lots of energy from being in the car so long. Grandma and Gampa loved that! They think you are so funny.

Saturday we slept in really late! It was great! Grandma and Gampa had friends coming over so we just relaxed and caught up with each other. Mama and Dada had to run to the store to get some milk for you and a few other snacks. Then, Uncle Jason, Aunt Libby, Baby B, Mama, Dada and you ran a few other errands before people came over. We ate a late lunch and then you took another nap. After you woke up Dada and Gampa took you into the pool! You loved it! You and Gampa are good buddys. Mama even started to get jealous because you would sit with Gampa and play for a long time. You never do that with Mama! But that's ok, buddy! I love them too!

Sunday was the 4th of July! Happy Independence Day! Mama, Grandma and Aunt Libby went shopping Sunday morning to check out some sales! Boy did you make out! One of the things Mama got you was a hat for in the pool. Dada thought you'd never keep it on, and I almost thought so too, but you surprised us and did! We swam in the afternoon and Mama even got in the water! You didn't really want a lot to do with Mama and Dada though until it was time to get out. You were too busy playing with Grandma and Gampa. We skipped the fireworks, too difficult with two babies. Hopefully next year we'll get to go!

Monday came waaaaaay too fast for all of us. We played all morning and packed up and left after lunch time. You were AWESOME on the ride home! You ate lots of goldfish crackers (a new favorite that Gramma Bruns discovered) and Cheerios, Mummums, drank ice water and watered down crystal light (thanks Grandma Williams!). You laughed your silly fake laugh, said uh-oh over and over, and blew us kisses. You slept for about an hour after we got out and stretched our legs 2 1/2 hours into our drive and shared Mama and Dada's ice cream.

Gramma and Papa were so happy to have you home! They missed you bunches. You ran right up to Papa, who was outside and Gramma once we got inside. You ran up to your toy boxes and pulled stuff out, crawled into Milo's cage, tried to empty the recycle bin, and showed Gramma your new trick, screaming. We all thought you were noisy before, well you have topped it off with discovering your screaming voice. Awesome!

You make me laugh buddy!

I love you, forever and longer!

Love, Mama

July

Dear Greyson,

It's happening. July is here and that means you will be turning one in 13 days. I cannot believe it. How in the world did that happen? In 13 short days you will not be a baby anymore, you will be a toddler. I'm so not ready for this. I love your personality and watching the little person you are becoming, but I cannot help but also think back on the days where you would just lay there and look at us. You were such a good baby, just content to lay around and stare. You hated tummy time and you did not like being held too much. You would lay under your play gym, listening to the music and talking to the toucan. Now, you are not content to sit anywhere! Well, I shouldn't say anywhere. You are usually quite happy when you are in your highchair and there is food involved! :)

Speaking of food, you have a new favorite food. Blueberries! You would probably eat an entire pint of blueberries if I let you! As soon as you see them you get all excited and can't eat them fast enough!

We went to Perrysburg this evening to the Farmer's Market. That was pretty boring but on the way there you were sooo funny! You were being silly in the car. Everything little noise Mama or Dada made you would laugh, but it wasn't your normal laugh. You had this goofy fake laugh, which made Mama and Dada laugh, which made you do it more. You are such a ham! Hopefully next time you do that Mama can get a video of it.

I love you buddy, forever and longer!

Love, Mama

The Bud

Dear Greyson,

The Bud, Buddy, Budders, Monster, Monster Mash, Greyson Monster, G-Man, G-Money, G, Kiddo, Stinkbug, lovebug, kiiiiiiiiiiiiiidapotamus. It's amazing that you even know your actual name considering we very rarely call you Gresyon. It's not that we don't love your name, we do and it fits you and your personality. We just really love your nicknames too! I'm not really sure how some of these names even came about, but they did and have stuck. Buddy and The Bud are probably the names that we use the most and other people use too.

We went over to Aunt Jenny's house tonight. We originally went over to swim, but we never quite made it out there! We played inside and just hung out. I think you were disappointed a little because Uncle Greg was out of town and you just love your Uncle Greg. You two are definitely buddies. Aunt Jenny spoils you rotten though, just like your other aunts do! KB, well, he'll come around! :) I have no doubt that in time you two will be great pals. Until then, we'll keep your helmet on whenever KB is around.

We brought you pasta pick-ups (a gerber meal) but you wanted none of it. So I grabbed one of KB's green beans packs and heated it up and you devoured it! This amazed me because normally you don't like green beans. I'm not sure what changed in you today, but you loved the green beans! Then you ate some blueberries and raspberries and mac-n-cheese. When we first got there I didn't think you were very hungry, but apparently I was just feeding you the wrong thing! Crazy boy!

I love you buddy, forever and longer!
Love, Mama

Uh-ohhh

Dear Greyson,

Your vocabulary is developing! You now know how to say ball (bah) and uh-oh (uh-uh). You started this one just yesterday! You drop something or fall over and you say, uh-uh. It is hysterical! The only thing that isn't so funny about uh-uh is when you deliberately throw stuff on the floor, like your sippy from your high chair and look at us and say "uh-uh". Mama doesn't mind so much, but it drives Dada crazy. Gramma and I also think you are starting to associate milk with 'ba-ba". You see a glass of milk or your bottle and you say "baba". You amaze me everyday! You are so smart buddy!

We went out for breakfast this morning in Wayne. We, you, me and Dada, met up with Gramma and Papa, Great-Grandma Bruns, Great Aunt Judy, Uncle Kevin, Aunt Emmy, and Cousin Cole. You were such a hungry buddy! You are 2 1/2 pancakes (they were small) and Gramma shared some of her ham with you. You could not get enough of Cousin Cole. You kept watching him roll his Monster Jam around the table. This made Aunt Emmy sad because she just loves you so much and she wanted all your attention for herself. You just kept looking right past her to see Cole. Don't worry though buddy, she still loves you. Just like everyone else that you meet, Emmy is so in love with you that she's ok with you not paying her any attention. Just like Mama, she just wants to see your smile and hear your giggle, even if it isn't intended for us.

You didn't nap again today very well. I'm not sure what is going on with that. I'm thinking today is because you woke up really late this morning. You slept in until 8:20 and then played in your crib until 9:20! An entire hour! Holy moly was that awesome for Mama. The only bad part about that was when I finally did go and get you, I realized very quickly that you had a major explosion. There was poop EVERYWHERE! Normally you hate to sit in poop, but apparently this morning it didn't bother you one bit. We had to take everything out of your crib and throw it in the washing machine, sheet, quilt, purple blankie, and stuffed animals. All your other toys had to be taken out and washed, too. G-R-O-S-S! Milk is doing some strange things to you, buddy! Hopefully it gets better soon!

I love you buddy, forever and longer!
Love, Mama

Best Gift Ever!

Dear Greyson,

This morning you gave me the best gift ever. Quite a few of them actually. You were playing around and all of a sudden walked over to where I was sitting, leaned over and planted a big wet kiss on my lips. You looked up at me, then Dada and then did it again! You did it probably 4-5 times. It totally made my day! When we were over at Aunt Libby and Uncle Jason's you did it to me one more time through the slats in the baby gate, you on one side and me on the other. I love your kisses! I don't get them very often but this morning you were full of them. I'll take them when I can get them!

The rest of the day you were very grumpy. I'm not sure if it's because of your teeth or if you aren't feeling good due to the milk, or what. But it made for a pretty long day. Your naps were pretty messed up, you got up early, and every thing made you upset. When it was bedtime, you pretty much passed out right away, which is why I had to take a picture of you! You are sleeping in that picture in the same position I laid you down. That never happens. Just goes to show you exhausted you were.

Last night we went for a walk. We walked from our house to the city park and around the loop. It was really nice out and you were so good! You sat in your stroller and just enjoyed the ride. Mama and Dada took turns pushing you and talked pretty much the entire time. I love our little family.

I was thinking today about how lucky you and I are to have Dada. He is the best. He is my best friend and I love being able to talk to him about everything. I hope that one day you are able to talk to his as openly and freely as I do. He is full of great advice and knows so much about lots of different things. He is always teaching me something new, whether I want to learn it or not. He is so helpful and I really don't know where he gets his energy from. We are so lucky to have him. He helps with diapers and feedings and never complains. He puts up with my double standards when it comes to what you can eat, ok, he complains about that but he does it anyways. And ever since you were born, he has taken turns with me getting up with you at night. Even though you sleep really well at night, we still switch sides in the bed, just in case. We are the definition of team when it comes to taking care of you. I don't know how in the world we got so lucky, but we did and I am so grateful for him. You are, too! I can tell by the way you look at him.

I love you buddy, forever and longer!

Love, Mama

You're so vain...

Dear Greyson,

You love to look at yourself in the mirror. You smack the mirror, laugh, and lots of times try and kiss your image. It's too funny! We were playing on the bed last night and you were in the silliest mood. You kept walking up to the mirror, well, bouncing is more like it, and screaming. I have to admit though, I can't really blame you for wanting to look at yourself. You are the cutest buddy and I cannot get enough of you!

When I got home from work tonight I once again got the amazing little smile that you give us. It makes my whole day! You walk right up to me with your arms raised up and I cannot resist. On the off chance that I don't pick you up, you plop your butt right down and start to cry. When you do that I can't help myself and I pick you up right away. Dada says I shouldn't do that because I'm creating a bad habit, but I think he's just as guilty as Mama.

We had BBQ ribs for dinner tonight. You probably ate more than Mama. As soon as I could put some on your plate you were grabbing it right up and shoveling it in. You were also slurping the BBQ sauce off of your hands. They were very yummy but your reaction was awesome. Gramma loved how much you enjoyed them and Papa laughed each time you'd slurp up your hands.

I love you buddy, forever and longer!

Love, Mama

30 Minutes

Dear Greyson,

30 minutes. That's it. That is the total amount of time I got to spend with you. Doesn't seem fair, does it? 30 very short minutes. I didn't get to play with you at all. My time with you today was getting you ready for the day and putting you to bed. No exaggeration. It breaks my heart to think of how much I missed today. I have gone in just to look at you so many times this evening. You were so tired this evening that you went down without a peep. Normally I would be jumping up and down about that. Today, not so much. You drank your bottle, Dada went and refilled it, finished that, I popped the bink in and you were out.

Aunt Jenny and Uncle Greg picked you up from Cindy's today. You went home with them and they fed you dinner, but Jenny said you didn't eat a lot. You haven't had a very big appetite the last few days, so that didn't surprise me very much. Then, you went to the swimming pool with Aunt Jenny, Uncle Greg and KB. They said you had so much fun. Unfortunately, with 2 little ones they weren't able to get any pictures of you. That bummed me out, but I'd much rather you be safe. I cannot wait to go to the pool with them another time. I will get so many pictures to make up for the first!

I love you buddy, forever and longer!

Love, Mama

Worry Wart

Dear Greyson,

So, I was a big worrier before you ever came around, but now that you are in my life I am so much worse! I worry about anything and everything you can imagine. I actually drive your Dada crazy with how much I worry about the two of you. After reading an article in the Washington Post this evening I am so grateful for how much I worry about you and how often you are on my mind. It was an article about people forgetting their children in their cars. I cannot imagine how heart-breaking that would be for a parent. What is worse, the parents in the article, were not bad people. They were loving, adoring parents, who made a mistake. Things like this make me crazy with worry! This is one of the reasons I always ask Dada to send me a picture of you when you wake up, or if I take you to Cindy's I call him after to tell him how it went. You have been sleeping through the night for a few months now, but I haven't actually slept an entire night since before you were born. I still get up and check on you throughout the night. I stand over your crib and watch you breathe. You are so amazing and full of life. You are my whole life, and I have a feeling that as I watch you grow, my worrying is only going to get worse.

I love you buddy, forever and longer!
Love, Mama

Happy Father's Day!

Dear Greyson,

Today was our very first time celebrating Father's Day. You, buddy, have the best Dadders in the entire world. He is the most loving, funnest, caring dadders. He can make you giggle just by looking at you. Sometimes I get a little jealous of the relationship you two have, but then I think to myself, how lucky are you? You have a Dada that cannot get enough of you. Your eyes light up as soon as you see him. It's the sweetest thing! The picture shows how much you love your Dada.

We spent this past weekend camping with Grandma and Papa, Aunt Emmy, Uncle Kevin, Sami and Cole. Aunt Jenny came up for the day on Saturday with KB and Evan. It was such a great weekend. Friday night was a little scary because of a windstorm/thunderstorm. You slept through me running across the campsite into Gramma and Papa's camper, thankfully. Saturday we went to Maumee Bay's beach. That was a lot of fun! You just loved splashing in the water. Sunday was Father's day, so we spent some time just the three of us before heading out to Jamie's grad party and then dinner with Grandpa Jon and Aunt Libby, Uncle Jason and baby Brenden. You just love getting to spend so much time with your big family! Dada and I do, too!

I love you buddy, forever and longer!

Love, Mama

Busy busy busy...

Dear Greyson,
Busy is probably the best word to describe you. You are not content to just sit. You are constantly moving, looking at things, throwing things, chasing the kitty, eating cheerios and just walking up and down the hallway. Today you and I went out to make Dada's Father's Day present. I won't go into much detail, but let's just say your busy-ness did not make it easy!

Dada and I have started discussing whether or not to continue occupational therapy for your torticollis. We don't notice your head tilt unless you are really tired and we aren't sure you are making any more progress being there. So what do we do? We aren't really sure. You can turn your head really well both ways now which was our biggest concern when we started, (that is what caused your flat spot to never round out). I am so afraid of making the wrong decision for you. We're probably going to at least take a few weeks off and work with you on our own and then go back and have you re-evaluated.

I love you buddy, forever and longer!
Love, Mama

11 Months Old

Dear Greyson,

I have come to dread the 14th of each month. It means you are getting closer and closer to being 1 year old. Where in the world did the time go? I felt like the first 3 months of your life were the longest months of my life (having a newborn was hard!) but after that they have just flown by and it's time that I just cannot get back! I dropped you off at Cindy's today and left pretty much in tears. Yes, I still do that. Pathetic, I know. 11 months is a pretty big deal! I'm going to be a mess next month I'm sure!

We decided to start transitioning you to whole milk. We were going to start today, but we didn't make it to the grocery store until this afternoon. So you'll start tomorrow. Unless I just can't bring myself to do it, and then we'll push it back again. :)

We spent the evening over at Aunt Jenny and Uncle Greg's again. Mama and Dada had to work late, so Uncle Greg picked you and Kaleb up. When I got there you were running around the backyard with your crazy cousins (KB, Evan and Cole!). Having all these boys together is so much fun! You were very snuggly while we were outside, which I loved! You would run and run and run and then walk up to me with your arms up. How could I resist? I think you knew that I was needing you, too. The only thing was, you were usually wanting to be held after getting into the pool.

I love you buddy! Forever and longer!
Love, Mama

Lazy Sundays

Dear Greyson,

I love Sundays! We had a very lazy day and it was great! You didn't wake up until 7 and then played in your crib for an HOUR! Dada brought you over to our bed and we played in bed together for another hour! Mama was really tired so she went back to sleep and you and Dada went into the family room for breakfast, to play and a bath. You and Dada came back into the bedroom for a diaper change and then naptime at 10. You were so snuggly and slept for two hours. I love watching you sleep.

We finally got up around noon. We ate lunch and played and before we knew it, it was time for another nap! All three of us crawled into bed and snuggled. You and Dada slept, while I read my book. I don't know how many times I would put my book down and enjoy the warmth of the two of you on either side of me! I am one lucky Mama!

We went over to Uncle Jason and Aunt Libby's for a cookout tonight. You were your usual happy self. Chasing a ball around and making everyone laugh. At one point, Brenden was in his bouncy seat and you went up to him and crouched down in front of him to take a peek at him. It was so cute seeing you act all big, looking at the little baby. It was hard for me though, to see you like that because you are still my baby. You also kept trying to steal Brenden's bink. It was too funny!

You have developed a not nice habbit of hitting. I don't know what to do about it. You don't do it to be mean, but it's not nice regardless. When you do it, we take your hand and show you nice touches, but so far it hasn't done much to stop you. We're working on it and I'm hoping it eventually helps. I don't want you to be a bully!

I love you, buddy! Forever and longer!
Love, Mama

The weekend is here!

Dear Greyson,

It's Friday! Friday's are the best because it means we get 2 days together. Lots of Mama/Buddy/Dada time. Tonight we went over to Aunt Jenny and Uncle Greg's. We went over because Jenn and Greg got a new pool for KB and wanted us to come over. Of course we wanted to come over, you love swimming! Unfortunately, the water was too cold so you didn't want a lot to do with it. You and KB had fun playing outside though!

We went inside to eat after awhile and then you and KB ran around in your diapers together. You both kept raising a big green ball around. I kept throwing the ball and bouncing it off your your heads. You laughed every time I'd do it.

Dada picked you up from Cindy's today and brought you home. Dada got out the Blue's Clues microphone/radio and showed you how to talk into it. Dada would hold the microphone up to your mouth for you to talk and you'd put your mouth on it and kind of grunt an "oh." You talk non-stop all other times of the day, but into the microphone all you'd say is, "oh."

I love you buddy! Forever and longer!
Love, Mama

Bed Time

Dear Greyson,

I love bedtime. I love it when you are snuggly. I love it when you are taking your bottle and can barely keep your eyes open. You are so sweet at bedtime. We have a pretty set routine for bedtime. Somedays it goes off without a hitch, other days we aren't so lucky. Regardless of the outcome, I look forward to bedtime and this usually quiet time together. At around 7:30 we make a bottle, where you, me and Dada head to the bedroom. We lay you down on the bed, usually propped up on a pillow and Dada and I lay on either side of you. You hold your bottle and Dada and I talk to you, rub your forehead, play with your hair, sometimes rub purple blankie on your face and kiss you. When your bottle is gone we give you your bink and one of us picks you up. We rock your for a minute or two, kiss your face and then lay you down. You like to fall asleep on your side, so we lay you down that way and give you one of your stuffed animals. Lately it's been your alligator, which is almost as big as you are! You wrap yourself around his and we cover you up with purple blankie. Then Dada and I bolt for the door.

We can usually tell when you are sleepy. You yawn really big, and you are NOT quiet when you yawn. You actually have started yelling while you are yawning! You also rub your eyes a lot and get a bit snuggly. When you are laying down and sleepy you pull/play with your hair. This isn't easy to do because of your helmet, but you make do!

At dinner tonight I could not get over how much you ate! You had a crazy amount of chicken and peas. I didn't think you were ever going to finish. You just kept going and going! A lot of times you drop a lot of food or throw some of it on the floor for Milo. Not this time though! Not a lot was wasted and poor Milo had very little to clean up. You must be growing!

I love you buddy! Forever and longer!
Love Mama

The Happiness of Cheerios

Dear Greyson,

I am pretty sure that you would do pretty much anything for a cheerio. You literally followed me from the kitchen, through the dining room and into the family room all because I had cheerios in my hands. We keep cheerios stocked in your leapfrog play table. You know exactly where they are kept and you let us know if there aren't any in there. You look up at us while opening and closing the lid. You are so smart!

You had peaches and veggies for dinner today. You could not get enough of the peaches. They were pretty slippery so I was cutting them up and then helping you eat them with a spoon. The problem was, you were not patient enough for me! You would slurp down a peach and then lean over to meet the spoon that was cutting up another peach on the tray. You were practically licking the tray you loved them so much! I will definitely have to remember to give you peaches more often!

We had swim class this evening. You love swimming. You splash and yell pretty much the entire time! Dada and Mama were both in the pool with you tonight. Dada dunked you under the water and you didn't even cry! You didn't seem to mind, but I sure did! Jeanne got out a big beach ball for you to play with. You kept saying "bah, bah, bah," even when you didn't have it. Dada and Jeanne kept throwing it up really high and you would never lose track of it! Smarty pants!

I love you buddy, forever and longer!
Mama

Giggle Guy

Dear Greyson-

I love your laugh, I've said it before and I'll say it again. Your laugh just makes my heart smile. Tonight, while Dada and I were snuggling you in bed and giving you your bottle, you kept looking at me and grinning. So, of course I have to do something to make you smile bigger! What did I do? I licked your hand. You started laughing, so I did it again, which made your giggles louder and longer. It became a huge ordeal of me puppy kissing your feet, hands, face, belly, legs, anything I could get to. Your laughs and squeals were so funny! Dada and I aren't very good at making bed time relaxing because we just love listening to your laughs.

You did the cutest thing while snuggling with us. Gramma came in to say good night and get after Dada and I about not being quiet for you (she loves to hear your giggles, too though so don't let her fool you!) and you had to sit up and get a hug from her. She gave you one and then put you back down and you jumped up quickly and whimpered a pathetic little whimper while reaching out to her. Haha, Little boy, you have us all right where you want us! We are all suckers for you.

I took you to the doctor today to follow up from when you got pneumonia two weeks ago. Dr. Lemon said your lungs sound nice and clear but the heavy breathing will take 4-6 weeks to go away. We are keeping you on the Singulair and will try and wean you off it in July, that way it's nice and dry with no seasonal changes. He said with your history of bronchitus and pneumonia you are considered pre-asthmatic, and weaning you off the Singulair will tell us if you just have really bad allergies or something else.

I love you forever and longer buddy!
Mama

"Bah"

Dear Greyson-

Bah- your very first word. Yes, you did say mama and dada, but you still haven't associated those two words with us yet. But balls, you know balls. You love balls, or "bah" as you say. It's so cute. I love repeating you when you say it and then you repeat it again and again.

This afternoon we played outside with your cousin Kaleb. We got a bunch of balls out and played before dinner. You went from ball to ball, picking up each one and throwing them as far as you could.

I love you buddy! Forever and longer!
Mama

Days Like This...

Dear Greyson,

I hate days like this, especially on the weekend. I saw you for a whopping 3 hours today. I hate missing you. I missed breakfast with Grandma and Papa and lunch with Grandma and Grandpa Williams. I missed your morning and afternoon naps. I missed your grouchy afternoon. I missed your bath. I missed dinner with you. Daddy kept you up later so I could see you and play for a bit before bed. Being a mama can be heartbreaking.

You were so funny this evening though. You were slap happy and making everyone laugh and laugh. You would take Papa's cell phone and hold it up to your ear and talk. It kind of sounds like you are starting to say hi! You would get really excited and literally walk in circles screaming your short, high pitched little squeals. I loved it! Then it was bedtime. I laid down with you and gave you a bottle. Rocked you for a few minutes, kissed your cheek and then put you in your crib. Instead of rolling over and sleeping you popped up and played. You yelled at us, threw binks out and all your stuffed animals. I finally went back in after 30 minutes to get you. I attempted to rock you a little more but you got the giggles. I still have no idea what was so funny, but the I got the giggles and it was a viscious cycle, so I gave up. We came back out and played some more in the family room for another 30 minutes. I can't say that I was upset about this, because I missed you so much and wanted to spend more time with you. I think you wanted the same thing.

I love you forever and longer buddy!

Baby Book

Dear Greyson-

I love being a mama, and I have to admit that I'm actually pretty good at it. But there is one thing that I'm not so good at...the baby book. I love baby books, I really do, but I am awful at remembering to fill it out. Yours, I am embarrassed to admit, is completely empty. Not a single memory has been recorded in it. I know most of the important things, you sat up unassisted at 4 months on November 12 (I have a picture!), you took your first steps on April 7 at 8 1/2 months (I have a video) and walked across the room for the first time on April 22, you had your first solids (green beans) at 4 months on November 30. I could go on and on, actually, I probably should because one day I won't remember these things.

Hmmm, what else can I add? You got your helmet on January 26th, which is also when you started crawling! And you got your first tooth (both bottom teeth came in together) on April 8th. Your first trip to the emergency room was March 9. We took you because your fever was really high, it got all the way up to 105. You were diagnosed with pneumonia. Your first road trip was out to Iowa when you were only 3 weeks old.

There are things I've already forgotten, I don't know when you were able to wave, well I do, but I don't know an exact date. It was early May or late April. Or the date you started saying your first word, which is ball. That was just last week, but I don't know when we decided that you actually knew what it meant (you say 'bah'). I have no idea when you first smiled at us or laughed. I know you were smiling when we went out to Iowa and haven't really stopped since. For the longest time you made the cutest noise when you laughed, I have pictures of you and your first laughs from September, so it must have been around then that you started doing that. THe noise was like a deep breath in while making a noise in the back of your throat and holding it a long time. It was adorable.

Here are some of my favorite things about you:
1. Your silly laugh. You laugh at anything and everything. You walk around just laughing for no reason. And a lot of times, when you do it, you slap your belly. No matter what mood I'm in, your laugh gets me giggling.
2. When you are being silly, you often walk around and look up as high as you can, tilting your head waaaaaay back. It often knocks you over which makes you laugh, too.
3. You always look around to see who is looking at you before you do something funny.
4. You absolutely love Milo and Jinx. You go up to them and lay your head on them and say 'awwwww'.
5. Your smile is so big! And you also smile with your eyes.

I could go on and on and on.

Today, we went garage saling with Aunt Libby and Grandma Michelle. It was really hot and I eventually took your shirt off. You were miserable, but still had smiles for anyone that talked to you or looked at you! I got kind of offended today while we were out. Some lady at a garage sale said, 'oh poor guy' for no reason. I can only assume it was about your helmet. I don't normally get upset about that, I love it when people ask about it because I want people to know, I like educating people about plagio. What I don't like is when people assume the helmet is a bad thing. You are the happiest little bud and there is no reason why ANYONE should feel sorry for you.