11 Months! My Baby Is Growing UP!!!

I promise to post a picture of Grayson from today soon in this spot. However, my card reader appears to be MIA so I was not able to load and edit the picture.

I can hardly believe that Grayson is already 11 months. Next month he will be a year old! I can't believe it has already been that long! I am excited and sad all at once.

Grayson had to go to the doctor Monday to follow up from his being discharged from the hospital so I know a few stats. (I am working on a post on that entire ordeal)

Weight: 16 lbs even- this is actually up a few ounces from his last weight at the hospital. He lost a lot of weight last week for a baby that is already small. He was already not on the CDC growth charts and only in the 1-2% for the WHO charts...now....he is not on either (by age). The WHO chart he fell from 75% by height clear down to the 25% by heightt. OUCH! The pediatrician said it will come back slowly and will be happy as long as he is back up to 17 pounds by his 1 year check up.
Height: My lil guy is still short (as is manifested in the fact that any pants that are larger than 3 mo are usually too long) at 27.5 inches. But we can tell how much he has grown. We need to really adjust his exersaucer height because he can easily lean over the tray that goes around the seat where before it hit his armpits.

Grayson is taking to solids slowly- partially my fault as I have no clue what to make for him and I to share for lunch. I have tried to do better though, and actually, I have had to hide his medicine in applesauce, etc to get him to eat it (unlike the meds for common illnesses that are bubblegum and cherry flavored- this one is VERY BITTER) so he now gets that- or some other pureed food 3 times a day. His favorite foods are bananas, ritz crackers (which is better than those puffs and crunchies by gerber in my book), veggie crackers, toast, applesauce, and his favorite meat is chicken. He usually gets whatever we have for dinner chopped up a little more for him. I don't know why I am okay handing him a whole ritz cracker but giving him anything bigger than a pencil tip size of meat to feed himself makes me nervous. Maybe because I know they are harder to chew?

He has been walking, although his illness and lathargia seemed to set him back some and he is back to only walking to make a short cut from one item to the other.

He loves to make people laugh, and if you laugh while he is "telling a story" he will really get going using his hands and all- and then laugh with you. It is super cute.

He knows the sign for "all done" and says it at the same time he signs it. He can say banana, all done (as mentioned before), and he says mama and dada on occasion. We aren't sure if he actually knows what he is saying or we just think he does because he happens to be looking in our general direction when he says it.

He is still wearing mostly 3-6 clothing. I did find a Granimals Onesie the other day I liked, and I know they have to run really big, but he is wearing a 0-3 in it. His Gerber onesies are 6-9 months. Some of his shirts and outer items are even 12 months. It just goes to show that sizes are off depending on brand, style and how a parent likes them to fit.

Grayson loves to dance. We tried out markers (the Color Wonders that only color on specific paper) the other day, but he just wanted to hold a marker in each hand. He like bubbles when we tried them too. We are excited for nice weather to go and do a lot more. He loves fish, books, blocks, and making a mess with his toys by putting every toy on the ground.

I can't believe that in just a month he will be one year old! He has blessed our lives so much! It took us so long to even feel like having him was even real, and now he is already a year! I am so grateful that I have a wonderful Heavenly Father who knew that this precious little one was just what our family needed and when the right time to send him down to us was. I am so grateful for Him watching over Grayson this last week...but I will post more on that later.

I am excited for his birthday party, one year old pictures, and all the new milestones- but I miss my lil baby that I could just sit and hold in my arms all day.

Quick Update

I haven't posted for a bit and I just wanted to pop on and let everyone know what has been going on-

Grayson was ill last week, really ill. We spent the week at Dr's appts and eventually, on Friday, he was admitted to the hospital. We were there until Sunday. Luckily he is on the mend and doing much better.
He was so sick last week he would do nothing but sleep 24 hours a day so it is nice to see him playing, eating and making a mess.

When I get some time I will do a post about it.

Other than that- we are not doing much. The weather is starting to get nice and we hope to be able to enjoy the great outdoors a little more in the near future.

California!

Well, as most of you know from earlier posts- we went to California last week. Mike had to go for work and we made a vacation of it.
We took Sienna- Mike's niece- with us. Since she doesn't get to go to California all the time, we surprised her with Disneyland....So the ticker for Grayson's first trip is now for his second trip.
We enjoyed great weather and I got to meet a great online friend in real life.
We got there Monday afternoon. (We left Sunday at bed time) and we relaxed a little, went to the beach, and just bummed around.
Tuesday we were surprising Sienna with Disneyland. Unfortunately, while I was showering, Grayson fell off the hotel bed while playing and was bleeding and pretty bruised up on his head. We called his pediatrician in Boise who suggested we take him in to get him checked out because we would be so busy that we may not catch any signs that something was wrong. Luckily, my friend down there told us a decent hospital was right down the road. We spent less than an hour in the ER and then we were on our way to Disneyland.

It was 80-90 degrees the entire time we were there. We spent 3 days in Disneyland and Disney's California Adventures. We got to see their new "World of Color" show. It was good but the waiting around for it to start SUCKED and you can't sit. If you are not lucky enough to be in the front of your viewing area it is hard to see- at least for us short people. Luckily the people in front of us were nice and let Sienna up to watch.

Here are some pictures from our time in Disneyland and DCA:

Grayson LOVED Pooh. A Disney Employee offered to take all our picture and realized what a great moment this was and caught tons of photo opportunities.

He wanted Pooh to hold him.

Sienna on the Jungle Cruise

We went to the beach 2 times while we were there. Monday night we went to Newport Beach (see post below for an awesome picture of Mike and Grayson). Friday we met up with my friend Wiski, her mom and her 2 daughters at Seal Beach. It was amazingly un-crowded. Every other beach we passed that day was PACKED! Grayson loved the sand.

Enjoying the water

Buried at the beach. He loved being in there and playing with the shovel.

Grayson and I at the beach

My friend Wiski gave me permission to post the pictures with her girls in them- so here are a few more pics for you all.

Grayson was smitten with her daughter that is only 3 days older than him

Here he is with both her kids. Her oldest is 3 1/2

Here is Wiski's oldest, Sienna, and Grayson- all buried in the sand.

We came home Saturday and took Sienna home on Sunday. It was a great trip and I am glad we were able to do this, and with Sienna. It was a lot of fun and it reminded me how grateful I am to be able to stay home with Grayson because it allows us to tag along on Mike's work trips. We tagged along on my dad's business trips when I was a kid and so it reminded me of the good ol' days.

Review of the Challenge

Like many others who took on the 30 day blogging challenge, I enjoyed it, but am glad it is over. It felt like a chore at times, the topics didn't always apply to me, and more. However, it got me back into blogging more often which I suppose is good. Made me think about what direction I want this blog to take.

I have thought about taking on a few "rituals" for this blog....I have not decided for sure yet, but I am thinking of a few. I will announce them if I decide to do it.

30 Days of Blogging- Day 30

A picture of me today- Well, we just got back from vacation and my cameras are packed up and I am not unpacking them just for that....so here is a picture of me on Friday at Seal Beach with Grayson.

Five good things that have happened since starting this challenge:

1. I learned how to make flower clips for hair and sandals.
2. We took a family vacation
3. I got to meet a good online friend in real life.
4. I stuck to the challenge- only missing one day- during vacation.
5. I went down a pant size!!!!

30 Days of Blogging- Day 29

Today I am supposed to put 3 wishes. I thought about this, and there are a lot of things I could wish for from serious- World Peace, to goals- Be a great mother, and more. But, I decided to have fun with it.... SO, seriously, if I was granted only 3 wishes, I would most likely not chooses these things, but these are some fun things I would do if I had unlimited wishes and got my serious and goal oriented wishes done....

1. I would wish to live IN a Disney theme park
2. I would wish that dishes would do themselves magically
3. I would wish that there really was such a thing as a money tree that I could plant in my backyard.

30 Days of Blogging- Day 28

I have a bit of anxiety- so what stresses me out? The unknown. Seriously! I stress about things that could go wrong.
Right now, we are on a vacation in California....well, Mike had to do some stuff for work, but the rest of us are vacationing. It was pretty last minute....
SO- I stressed about it. Really stressed about it. We only had 3 weeks notice, decided to bring Sienna (Mike's niece), rent a car, and then decided to go to Disneyland. It was wonderful, but my mind went crazy with different scenarios, etc.
I have been lucky- having a child has helped me let go of some of my anxiety. Realizing there is a lot that I can't control. But it still is the thing that stresses me out the most.

30 Days of Blogging- Day 27

Well, with vacation- it was bound to happen! I missed a day! I missed yesterday because we spent most of the day in DISNEYLAND!!!!
WOOHOO!

So, today I am picking up where I left off. An original picture of the city where I live...which I don't have. SO- After I get home- and get my other memory card, I did take a picture of the city that I will post.

30 Days of Blogging- Day 26

Today is supposed to be my dream wedding. Since I am already married, I thought I would get a bit more personal and talk about why my wedding day is not the most meaningful day of mine and Mike's marriage.

Mike was not an active member of the church (LDS). Because of this, we had the typical, family and friends wedding.

Years down the road, Mike had decided to go back to church. He approached me about preparing to attend the temple and be sealed together.

The LDS church believes that the Lord wants families to be together forever. Through the power of the priesthood, the Lord allows us to be sealed to our spouses and families for eternity in the temple. Unlike your typical civil marriage- there was no "til death do you part" read during our sealing.

Our sealing not only made our marriage eternal, but now, our FAMILY is eternal. Grayson was born within that sealing and will be sealed to us for eternity as our son.

I am so grateful that Mike and I were able to go together to the House of the Lord and make our union eternal.

California Dreamin'

We made it to California today. We are enjoying our time here already. We had to go through a snow storm between Twin and Jackpot, elk, and more, but we got here safe and we are excited for what is in store this week.

Here are a few pictures from today. Grayson had his first adventure in a pool-

AND he had his first experience at the beach/coast.

We are tired from driving all night last night and today so we are heading to bed. Sienna is getting a big surprise tomorrow....

30 Days of Blogging- Day 25

Put my Ipod on shuffle and list the first 10 songs....
Well, my ipod is stored somewhere secret in the rental car right now so I will use my itunes....

1. Let My Love Open the Door by Peter Townsend. I fell in love with this song after watching Dan in Real Life. I actually prefer how he sings it in the movie....but this is what is on my ipod.
2. Pour Some Sugar On Me- Def Leppard. Who doesn't like this song! Now it has the memory of seeing Taylor Swift perform this song with them at the CMT Music Awards in 2009
3. That's What I Love About Sunday- Craig Morgan. I love how this song focuses on the simple church and family memories created on Sundays.
4. Paralyzer- Finger Eleven. Have you noticed I like all kinds of music yet? This is about as "heavy" as my music gets but I thoroughly enjoy this song.
5. Big Yellow Taxi- Counting Crows. The message in this song is so great.
6. Summertime by Kenny Chesney. This is the perfect song for vacation! I can't wait for summer.
7. You're Gonna Miss This-Trace Adkins. What a great message for me as a new mom. On those hard days I try and remember that I will miss this....and I do. I miss the days spend nursing Grayson all day on the couch, being able to just cuddle all day- even though back then I wished for a little time where I could put him down.
8. American Pie- Don McLean. A favorite of many people
9. Inside Out- Eve 6. Nothing special really, just like the song.
10. My Immortal-Evanescence. This gal's voice just gives me chills. LOVE IT!

That is my first 10- well, I skipped over holiday songs and then bits of comedy CDs by Bill Engval, etc.

We are in California now. I am going to try and enjoy this beautiful weather. Tomorrow we are giving Sienna her surprise! So EXCITED!

30 Days of Blogging- Day 24

Something I have learned-
I have learned a lot, and some of it is amazing (to me anyways) and other items are trivial. I have learned a lot about life, our Heavenly Father's plan for us, love, and more.
BUT- today, I have learned that I no longer am a pro at packing for vacation.

Mike and I were married for over 8 years before Grayson was born. In that 8 years, we traveled quite a bit. I had it down to a science on how to pack, organize and get us ready for a trip using the least amount of space and making it quick and simple. Being the "planner" (read suffering from anxiety) that I am, I even would always have more than enough clothes, things we may need if such-and-such happened and more.

Well, now I have a little one to pack for. You would think that since we have taken several trips with him I would be starting to get it down. Problem is, each trip he is at a different age/stage in life....so I have to re-learn everything that he needs every time.

So, I guess I have learned that traveling is a lot more complicated, and takes up a lot more room with a baby.

30 Days of Blogging- Day 23

Something I crave- SLEEP!
This morning, we woke up at 3 am to head to Lewiston to pick up Mike's niece Sienna. We wanted to leave so that we could get to Lewiston by the time Grayson would wake up for the day. Of course- the night Mike and I wanted to be able to go to sleep early- we found ourselves wide awake. Normally, nights Mike needs to do stuff, he can't stay awake while putting Grayson to bed....
So, we drove to Lewiston at 3 am, we just got home at 4 pm....we are TIRED!!!!

Sienna is going to California with us. We hope to leave tomorrow night and drive all night so that Grayson and Sienna can sleep that time frame. So, Because of that, Mike is napping right now (5 pm) and then he is going to stay up late tonight, doing the last of his homework, then he will wake up normal time and go to bed tomorrow afternoon so he can be well rested to drive most of the night. I will take over driving in the morning.
We are super excited for vacation! We have a special surprise in store for Sienna.....but I can't share it yet because that would not be fun.....

30 Days of Blogging- Day 22

What is in my purse? Most moms answer (well at least when they have a child Grayson's age) that they don't have a purse- but a diaper bag....
Well, I HATE diaper bags. I can't bring myself to spend a ton on the ones I do like, and I hate the plastic, huge ones.
SO- I have a purse that I use as a diaper bag.
In it I have:

• a fold up changing mat that has diapers and wipes in it
• an extra outfit for Grayson in case there is a blowout or something
• those ring/link toys
• a board book
• hand sanitizer
• lotion
• painkiller for me- in case I have a major headache
• heart burn medicine
• a few pens
• a pack of gum

That is it. I have a little zipper wallet/coin purse that fits all my ID and cash and stuff that I keep in my back pocket. Pretty simple stuff.

I am going to try and not miss a day- however, we are heading on vacation soon- so I might....IF  I do- I will just start where I left off.