Sizzling Summer Days

Where shall we begin? Saturday Grayson and I went to the YMCA to swim for a bit. He just loves the water. He likes to go in the big pool so he can stretch out while I hold on to him like he is swimming. He moves his arms and kicks his feet. After his nap, he had some visitors, Grandma and Grandpa Lyons, Aunt Julie and Great Grandma Callaway. He showed everyone how he crawls and plays, going from toy to toy. What Fun!!! Macie, our dog, was excited to see everyone too.

On Sunday we went to Circle Centre and walked around. We ate lunch at Johnny Rockets! Grayson really enjoys getting out and about! We always try to get out each day between 11:00am and 1:00pm. Sundays are always fun too since we spend time with daddy!! Grayson's new cute thing he likes to do is play the chasing game. If we crawl after him and say, "I'm gonna get you," he just laughs and crawls away as fast as he can. Then, he will turn around and get us! It's amazing to already be playing little games like that with our baby boy!

Today, we went swimming again with Jack and Kriste before the sun began cooking every thing. We skipped walking today because the humidity was so bad. Hopefully it will cool down by the end of this week.

Daddy Days!

Thursdays are always lots of fun around here. Marc is off and we spend the day hanging out with him! Grayson just adores daddy. When daddy gets home ( the highlight of the day), he lights up and just laughs! I guess after seeing me all day, I'm boring after awhile. They have the best time playing together. Yesterday Grayson and daddy played with Lamb Chop. We had lunch at Charlie & Barnies and that was Grayson's biggest mess yet! I was embarrassed. What's a mom to do? Grayson also got to ride the pony at Meijer...exciting!

Today we went to visit daddy at work and eat with Kriste and Jack! We love meeting them for lunch! Afterwards, we went shopping for a bit and off toward home for our afternoon nap!

Finger Painting

Today was such a busy and exciting day for everyone! Grayson and I went to the store today after dropping some items off at the library. We had to grab a few things before Jack and Kriste came over. We picked up some watermelon! Grayson loved it when I gave it to him today. When we got home our friends had arrived for lunch. As usual, the boys ate first and then Kriste and I had our lunch. After lunch, the boys played for a few and then it was time to finger paint!! Yea! They made such a mess!!! Toward the end, they started having melt downs(I had to laugh). It was just too much fun. They looked like 'Little Indian Boys.' They were grabbing the paper, eating the paint, screaming and yelling and smearing it every where. I'm sure the textures felt neat to them. They were both quite the artists! We put them in the pool for a bit to splash around and remove any paint that was left over. Take a look for yourself! Jack looks so cute playing with Grayson's new toy! He had to test it out for himself.

Nine Months and Counting

Wow! Today our boy is nine months. Grayson had a big day today. We took our regular morning walk and ate our morning snack out on the patio after we swang for a bit. After taking our morning naps, we went to visit Grandma Lyons and Great Grandma Callaway for a bit. We had lunch with them and then came back home. Grayson was getting tired again. Grayson is becoming demanding while I am eating. He wants what ever I have. He isn't allowed to have to many things I eat yet so I try to find something he can nibble on that fits in his diet. He wants to be like mommy and eat. Today Grayson said bye-bye. I truly believe he knew what he was saying. We have been working with him on waving and 'hi' and 'bye.' He has been saying mama and dada for awhile. He said mama before dada. He also love patty cake and peek-a- boo. He is so much fun!!! Grayson got a new toy when daddy got home. It is called 'monkey chase.' The monkey moves all around the floor, once Grayson catches it, the monkey spins around in the other direction.

Keeping Busy

Grayson is still feeling a bit under the weather. I feel so bad for him even though he has passed on some of his illness to me. I guess this would be his first time being truly sick. I would say we are very lucky! On Friday we went to McAllisters and ate with Jack and Kriste, fun as always! Grayson wanted to read a magazine and destroyed it. He loved every minute! He is really on the move. He has gotten so fast, you can't take your eyes off him. We have the loft set up just for him and we keep in gated off but he can still bump that head of his! We stayed around the house a lot this weekend, enjoying the nice weather for once. We played outside, walking and swinging. We tried a new restaurant for lunch on Saturday. It was very good Italian food. Grayson enjoyed it also, leaving his trade mark of food all over the floor. I can't believe Grayson is going to be 9 month tomorrow! I am so sad that he is growing so quickly. Another reason I am so thankful I get to stay home with him. I can't imagine missing out on all of that!

Doctors Visit

Grayson went to the pediatricians office yesterday. He is still small for his age compared to other babies. His height is 27' and his weight is 17.15 lbs. We think he has lost a little weight since he has been sick. His appetite has greatly decreased with solids. He is in the 10th percentile (tiny). His head is larger though, in the 75th percentile. The Dr. said it was so large to hold his growing brain. She is pretty funny. This was a nice visit for Grayson... no shots!!! He was relieved! and we were too. He loves playing with the paper on the table, crumpling it and tearing it, oh what fun! We don't go back now until he is one, October 26. We are already starting to plan for his first birthday! The Dr. said Grayson looked healthy and is developing great, mentally and physically. Yea!

Go Away Bug

Grayson is still sick, I am sorry to say! Last night I didn't sleep very well even though he did. I heard him coughing and sneezing. He has a runny nose today and is sneezing a lot therefore, we decided to postpone our play date with Jack. His bug seems to have gone from his belly to his head. I am just trying to do things he enjoys while not leaving his side. He wants me right there. It is always comforting to have mommy and daddy when you don't feel good.

Yesterday Grayson and I went to Meijer for poster board. I took a picture of him in the cart with his seat cover. He looked just adorable. While we were in Meijer, he decided to eat his book we had just gotten at Barnes & Noble. Like I said, he loves those board books!

Feeling Better at Last

Yea for Monday! Our monkey boy is feeling better! We are so happy. We have a play date with Jack tomorrow and we didn't want to have to reschedule if Grayson was still sick today. We don't want Jack to catch his bug. The boys are going to finger paint tomorrow! I can't wait. It will be so fun! I am looking forward to seeing them play together.

It has been too hot lately. Grayson and I are only able to walk early in the morning due to the heat! We are keeping busy playing inside. He hasn't been on another bike ride or in his swing outside. Hopefully it will cool down for the weekend! Today we will try to swim for a bit on the back patio before the sun comes over the house. Marc and I actually get a date night this evening! Kriste is coming over to sit with Grayson. We are so thankful. We are going to see Pirates of the Caribbean! The excitement!

Boys Will Be Boys

On Friday Grayson went over to his friend Peyton's house. The boys had so much fun playing together. The two of them have not seen one another since they were very young, about 3 months. Sue and I had fun just watching the boys play. They are at that age now where interacting with one another is a whole new game! They would stare at one another and talk and reach out. Peyton had a table by Leap Frog that Grayson loved. I guess we will have to look into getting one of those now that Grayson has begun to pull himself up to things.

When we got home yesterday, Grayson had projectile vomiting. It was very scary. I didn't know where to begin with clean up. I was covered, the floor was covered and Grayson. It didn't seem to scare him though. We had to call the pediatrician to see if we should bring him in. The nurse said it sounds like he has a tummy virus. Our poor baby! Today has been a challenge. He is extremely fussy. He is happy one minute and crying the next. He loves the water so we took a couple of baths today. I know he just feels awful. We did venture out for a bit today. Huge mistake. Thank goodness we were close to home. We came home and put on our Spider Man pajamas. We went shopping for a bit and came home quickly. Grayson got another new book though. He loves the cardboard books. He can put those in his mouth. Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day for him.

First Bike Ride

Today was also Grayson's very first bike ride!!! Wow!! What fun he had. We got him a seat for the back of the bike and a helmet to wear. He looked so cute. Daddy put it together and then our adventure began! Grayson seemed to really enjoy himself. It is kind of scary having your little baby on the back of your seat. He seemed so far away and so independent. He kept grabbing the hand rail on his seat and tugging on Marc's shirt. We will have lots of fun taking family bike rides now! Grayson is also starting to pull himself up. He loves his exersaucer! He likes to play with the balls on the side of it. He is not quite strong enough yet but it won't be long!

Two Little Monkeys

Grayson found another new friend today. They had fun playing upstairs in the loft. Grayson thought he looked a bit strange though. His friend had lots of hair, big ears and carried around this banana. He decided he wanted to try out his new friend's banana and then he had to taste his ear. Their play date was filled with too much monkey business. I think the friendship will only grow stronger from here. Grayson also got a new book today when we were at Target. He got 'Five Little Monkeys.' He enjoyed the book at nap time and bed time. He loves to be read to.

More Teeth!

This morning was a surprise. I went to brush Grayson's tooth today and another tooth appeared. Number 24 (or O for primary teeth) is coming in now and 25(which is letter P) has gotten even bigger so we had to brush the new tooth also. Grayson wanted to show daddy his new tooth. Grayson watched daddy brush his teeth and then he had to try brushing his own teeth.

Lullaby and Good Night

For those of you who have not seen Grayson's nursery, I wanted to give you an opportunity to see his dream land. We chose neutral earth tones since we did not find out what we were having prior to his birth. We wanted to be surprised....the best present ever! His room has little lambs all over it. I remember when I would spend a great deal of time in there in the evenings, wondering if I would ever get a good nights sleep again. He at one point, ate every other hour. When Grayson finally slept through the night I was actually sad because I would not see him until the next day. My favorite CD I would listen to when I would feed him in his room in the rocker was 'Miracle' by Celine Dion. It is beautiful! I also played it for him when I was still pregnant.

Snacks Anyone!

Grayson loves his snack time which comes at 10:30am and 3:00 pm. He loves his 'Yo Baby' yogurt. He has so many snacks to choose from. It is a hard baby life as Grayson would tell you. Our little monkey has been extra sleepy lately. Instead of sleeping his normal 11 hours at night, he has been sleeping about 13. I think now that he is on the move, he is requiring more sleeping time. His naps are expanding also. He usually takes 3- 45min. naps and now he is taking 2-1hr & 45 mins. I would rather him take 2 long ones instead of the 3 shorter.

Am I Cute or What!

Today Grayson and I went to the library to drop off some things and pick up new ones. We went and looked at the salt water fish in the children's section. He was fascinated. He has been a bit fussy lately. I think his teeth are really beginning to bother him. He also hasn't had his normal appetite today. Poor guy!!! Here are some other photos we wanted to share. I can't believe our boy will be 9 months soon! He has his check up next week. We will let you know how it goes. I guess this is the only time that he will not receive shots. Yea!!!

Visiting Daddy at Work

Today we went to Marc's work with Jack and Kriste. It was fun watching them make a mess of themselves. Grayson always wants what Jack has even though he has the same snacks at home. Usually he wants what he refuses to snack on here. It makes me laugh. Thank goodness Jack likes to share! On Sunday we took Grayson for his eighth month photo. He did great. He had to warm up at first though. On Saturday my friend Kim came by to see Grayson for the first time. Grayson couldn't take his eyes off of her! We had a nice visit. Grayson loves to play peek a boo! He was playing on our bed with Marc and the Spider Man blanket.