Baby Gray/birthday/cake/party/Shooby

Free to be Three!

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Shooby turned three (yes, three; I think I might cry) July 1st. She’s a great big three year old! We celebrated this weekend at her joint birthday party with CW. 

Baby Gray was asleep when we got there, so we set up the pack ‘n play in Shooby’s room for him to finish his nap. Ha. Yeah, right. He knew there was a party goin’ on out there. No nap for this guy… 

Instead, Baby Gray turned into Mr. Grumpy Pants for the beginning portion of the party. Maybe he was crying because I let him be white trash and swim in only his swim diaper (at least it was a swim diaper, right?). I guess I’ll never know. 

White trash or not, once he got his pink towel and some milk from his new Podee bottle (thanks, Honey) he was good to go for the afternoon! He had a blast!

Shooby and CW had the cutest dirt cake! If you look really closely, you can see the flames on Shooby’s candles starting to bend from her blowing–so cute! Poor CW was too far back, in the photos that follow this (yes, I snapped the whole process with Sport Mode and have 10-15 photos of the birthday cake portion of the party, your point?) CW gets up on his knees to reach the candles and blow them all out! 

Not only was the cake cute, it was delish! Baby Gray even got to try some (Bean owes me a few sneaky dessert bites from the past three years). I wasn’t fast enough with the photo of the chocolate mouth; Baby Gray pushed and wiped all the crumbs into his mouth! 

Jax enjoyed the ice cream sandwiches! (Aren’t his glasses the cutest?)

We don’t have many photos that actually have all three of us, so when Bean was borrowing my camera to snap a few shots, I enlisted her for a family photo as well. I’m lovin’ Baby Gray’s white trash look–and his mouth full of cheese! 

I tried to get Baby Gray to go into the bounce house with Mr. Gray, but he wasn’t having any of that! He started screaming before I even got him to the door. Instead, I snapped a few photos of Shooby and her daddy having a blast at her birthday party. This was one of my favorites! 

Happy, happy birthday, Miss Shooby! I love you TONS!
Baby Gray/teeth/teething

Teeth, Plural

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This morning at church, we went from a tooth to teeth! Baby Gray is now the proud proprietor of two pearly whites. He woke up with only one tooth, in a pretty good mood. We got to church, and the fun began. 

He was a little grouchy when I finished feeding him, but nothing too bad. He cried off and on throughout first service. When I went to check on him at the beginning of the second service, he was fighting a nap, not wanting to eat, and wailing at the top of his lungs. His gums were puffy previously, and they were definitely still inflamed. 

A while later, the same thing happened, I went back to check on him, rubbed his gums, and he finally calmed down. Not much later, he did it again. I rubbed his gums, and there was a brand-spankin-new tooth! It caused him some pain the rest of the day, but I’m hoping it’ll make a move tonight so he’ll have relief tomorrow.
allergies/Baby Gray/Rooster/vomit

Is It Noon Yet?

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I’m ready for the cross over from morning to afternoon today. I’m not usually a whiner or complainer (publicly anyway), so I let this one sit long enough to be funny before writing. It’s 11:26 am, and I’ve already called and texted Mr. Gray to see when he will be home. 

(All times are approximate)
6:00 am – Mr. Gray wakes me to say good-bye. Feel like I’ve been run over by a semi; contemplate getting up and taking medicine so that I might feel better when Baby Gray wakes up. Decide against medicine. Who can walk in this state? 
7:00 am – Baby Gray starts to stir. I wait a minute, hoping he’ll fall back asleep, before trying to get out of bed. 
7:15 am – Baby Gray isn’t fussy, but he isn’t asleep. Decide to go get him. Eyes are almost swollen shut from allergies. Try to focus before walking. Put Baby Gray in my bed and lay back down to play. Medication doesn’t cross my mind. 
8:00 am – Take Baby Gray into kitchen for breakfast. He eats yogurt, applesauce, oatmeal, rice cereal, and cries for more in between each bite. I try to fix third (fourth?) bowl of applesauce, and Baby Gray vomits. All of aforementioned breakfast is now on him and in his high chair (let me pause here to tell you how badly I wanted to take a photo; be grateful this is a photoless post). Must still be hungry; tries to eat what he’s now wearing. 
8:30 am – Commence bath in sink (fully clothed and diapered). He’s back to his normal self playing and laughing. I’m still wondering when the truck will come back to finish me off. (Took medicine somewhere along the way. Not working.)
8:45 am – Commence high chair clean up project. Baby Gray is in his “satellite” jumping and laughing like there’s no tomorrow. Yay. Happy baby.
9:15 am – Finally get high chair clean. Get clothes, high chair straps, towels, etc. into washer. Remember Rooster has a groomer’s appointment at 10:00. Hurry through getting Baby Gray and myself cleaned up and dressed. 
10:00 am – Tell Rooster to “load up” and open the garage door to get ready to leave. Rooster darts out the open garage door (presumably to go to the bathroom). When I start calling him, he doesn’t come. I look out the garage door. Don’t see him. Walk around sides of house. Nope. Finally see him across the street in the neighbor’s yard. He runs back when he sees he’s been found. (Did I mention he hates the groomer?) 
10:05 am – Arrive at groomer. No leash. Rooster runs all over the car trying to get away.
10:10 am – Wrangle Rooster and Baby Gray into the groomer. No leash. No stroller. No hands. 
10:15 am – Walk into cute new gift shop in town. So cute. No wallet. 
10:20 am – Pick up lunch and head home. Cupcakes. Yes, plural. 
10:35 am – Try to feed Baby Gray. Earlier than usual, but don’t want him to dehydrate or be hungry since he threw up all he ate this morning. 
10:45 am – Baby Gray falls asleep. Not eating. Take him to his bed. 
10:50 am – Arms to bed transition goes awry. Baby Gray plays instead. 
11:00 am – Lunch! (Breakfast!) Finally. 
11:10 am – Baby Gray realizes I’m not coming back. Commence crying. 
Think Mr. Gray will mind if I call again? 
boutique/clothes/shopping

[High] End Rant

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At this risk of sounding snooty and maybe even a little superficial, I’m going to post this anyway. 

I like clothes. I love to shop. If I walk into a “boutique” to buy pricey clothes, I expect to have some customer service. Actually, I expect to have good customer service.
First and foremost, when someone walks in, greet them! Greeting them involves more than spouting off a memorized greeting from behind the desk, register, or computer. Greet as if a best friend or close family member just walked in. Get excited; take an interest. A small boutique can’t afford not to build relationships. Nordstrom can sell those lines a lot cheaper (plus, a lot of their sales people work on commission, so they talk to you). Put a little effort into it. I walk into too many super cute boutiques and get absolutely no greeting. I walk through, make sure there isn’t anything I can’t live without, and walk right back out.

Sell the product. Nice things are in the boutique for a reason. Tell me about those reasons. Suggest something I might not have seen; the associate should know the floor better than I do, I’m sure I missed something. Put things that coordinate, are similar, or match in the fitting room (that is offered to me before I lug a ton of clothes around the store) for me. Chances are, not everything I pulled off the rack the first time will work; it’s nice to have options. Again, the key here is interaction. Relationship building. Find out what I’m looking for, where I’m going, what I need. Pull things that fit the criteria as options, not as high pressure sales mechanisms. High pressure doesn’t get you anywhere, either.

This can be done. I have a place or two who are really good at it. I don’t expect everywhere to know me by name, but at least pretend like you’re glad I’m there. Especially when I walk in and the store is completely empty.

End rant.
2011/books/goals

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If you remember, one of my goals for the year was to read at least one book per month throughout 2011. I’ve been keeping track of them through the tab, Bookin’ It in 2011, at the top of the page.

When I initially set this goal, I knew I wasn’t reading as much as I would like to be. I thought I would blow one book a month of out the water, though. I’m meeting my goal, but I am sort of sad I’m not doing more. I’ll have to up the ante for next year.
Baby Gray/firsts/Salt Lick

Salt [Lick] to Taste

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Every now and then, Mr. Gray and I like to take a little drive out to the Salt Lick in Driftwood. I love their potato salad, pickles, and the little lemonade boy outside! We took Baby Gray for his first Salt Lick experience yesterday. 

As usual, there was a little bit of a wait, but we found a shady spot with a fan to hang out. Baby Gray played in his stroller (this particular stroller, the $20 variety from Babies R Us cracks me up) and ate Cheerios to pass the time. 

When we were seated, we were on one end of a larger table. The host told us they would likely put someone on the other end (which made perfect sense; it was a huge table). A few minutes later, they did. It was a couple older than Mr. Gray and I who sat down at the other end of the table. The woman immediately gave Baby Gray a “look” when she sat down.

I am always very conscious of Baby Gray’s noise level when we are eating out. Who wants to sit next to a screaming kid? At the same time, he is nine months old. I am realistic. Baby Gray was pleasantly eating his Cheerios waiting on our food to get there. Mr. Gray went outside to get me some lemonade, and Baby Gray went as well. 

At one point, I was a little slow with the Cheerio refill. Baby Gray let me know. The lady at the other end of our table scrunched her hair in her hands and got up to go speak to the host. She returned with him, and they took the couple to another table. Mind you, this couple was not wearing wedding rings, so they probably (I’m using that term loosely in today’s society) don’t have kids. Really, though? Baby Gray not doing anything obnoxious or worth moving to a new table. I couldn’t believe it. I guess you just take it all with a grain of salt, though.
Baby Gray/firsts/Fourth of July/parade

First on the Fourth

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My hometown did not have a Fourth of July Parade. Still doesn’t. I’ve never been to one. Until this morning. Baby Gray and I got to share a first. I love it! 

We sat with our good friends, the Fix-It Family, and they have this parade business down. They put up a canopy on the shady side of the street Saturday evening to stake out their spot for this morning. Great idea!

The parade was filled with the usual suspects: local businesses, kids’ teams, high school organizations, thug cars, and tractors.

This guy was definitely one of my favorites, though. I would love to have enough balance to ride a unicycle–much less to ride a unicycle with a waving, wind-blown flag in one hand! Wow. I can barely wear a backpack and ride a bike. 
When the fire trucks came by with their sirens on, I tried to cover Baby Gray’s ears (I didn’t think to bring his ear muffs) to keep them from being so loud, but he cried and wiggled until I took my hands away from his ears. He just wanted to sit and watch like a big boy. 

Baby Gray was wonderful as usual. He played on his blanket (thanks, Nonna for always outfitting us in quilts that match any occasion), ate, and got passed around. He’s always quite the social butterfly. 
I love the photo of him and Littlest Fix-It! I wish I had better photo editing software so I could play with some of the great colors in that photo. Her pretty blue eyes and those rosy lips. So cute!
blessings/family/friends/future/love

I Wouldn’t Change a Thing

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Some bloggin’ ladies that grew up in my hometown started posting comparisons of their real life to the life they thought they’d have. I love the idea, so I’m going with their encouragement to write my own. They broke it down into love, family, and career, so I will do the same. 

LOVE
Prediction: I started dating Mr. Gray in high school. He was a freshman; I was a sophomore. I was convinced we would get married. I just knew. I thought we would go to college, graduate, and get married. Everyone thought I was crazy.

Reality: Mr. Gray and I dated through college. When I graduated, we got married. Not so crazy now, huh?

Breaking it down: We have grown so much from the relationship we had in high school, but we have never grown out of love or lost the spark that unites us. So many people think high school relationships don’t last; most of the time they don’t. I am grateful we had family and friends who supported us instead of fighting us through it.

FAMILY
Prediction: Growing up as an only child (mostly, but that’s another story for another day), I only wanted one or two kids. I liked the amount of family time and attention my parents were able to give to me. I thought I would start having kids by about 22 or 23; I wanted to be the young, hip mom.

Reality: I was 25 when Baby Gray came along. Between degrees (I was 21 and 23 when I graduated; Mr. Gray was 22) and life, the young, hip mom wasn’t in my cards. HAHA! I’m still plenty young and hip! For now, we’re enjoying Baby Gray and spending time with him. We definitely have plans for him to be a big brother one day, we’re just not quite sure what that will look like.

Breaking it down: In all actuality, I’m glad we waited to have kids. We were able to enjoy each other and enjoy our marriage before adding a new little person to the equation. Baby Gray has been a great asset, but the memories and times together as just us are irreplaceable. God has perfect timing, even when I being patient isn’t exactly what I thought it might be.

CAREER
Prediction: Wow. I was all over the place with this. First and foremost, I wanted to be a mom. Really. I did not want to waste my time or intelligence just sitting around waiting to get to that, and I didn’t want to be stuck if, in fact, I wasn’t able to stay at home and be a mom as my sole career. Lucky for me, I love going to school. Love it. 

Starting in about third grade, I thought I wanted to be a teacher. I dabbled around with psychology, but ultimately decided to go into teaching. I never thought I would do that as a life long career, though. My biggest fear was being the teacher who had been in the same classroom for all 50 years of her career (we need those people; I just wanted to have a little more variety than that). Then I went back to wanting to be a counselor or psychologist; then I moved on to wanting to be a college professor so I could teach teachers and reach more kids. All the while, I just wanted to stay home with my own kid(s). Really, all over the place.

Reality: My reality is sort of as all over the place as my prediction. I got my undergrad and my teaching certificate in three years. I starting working on my masters the same August I started teaching. I wanted to be able to teach college-level education courses or do workshops and trainings to help teachers do their jobs better and more effectively. As soon as I finished my masters, I applied to an LPC program to get into counseling. I was accepted to the LPC program and scheduled to start the fall after I graduated with my masters. I decided I wouldn’t have the time to devote to a practicum or internship so I didn’t even start the program. 

I left my job teaching (my fifth year) when Baby Gray arrived to stay home and be a mom. On the side, I help my friend with advertising, marketing, and accounts payable for the boutique she and her mother own. Oddly enough, I love it. I never thought I would like doing anything like that, but I love it. I am able to do most of it from home. Also, I’m currently shopping PhD programs. I’m more than ready to go back to school. I just have to decide what I want to be when I grow up. (I have also been accepted to, and decided against, a library science program in the meantime.)
 
Breaking it down: Once again, my reality is a little crazy and all over the place, but I have loved every step of the way. I have learned so much about different school districts, some of the politics behind it all, technology and the way its helping to shape the new generation, and so much more. I can’t even begin to compare what I thought would be versus what is. What is is perfect for me. 
FAITH
I’m going to take the liberty to add a little about faith here as well. 

Prediction: We would be a family who went to church most Sundays. We would celebrate Easter and Christmas because of what Christ did, not just because of candy and gifts. We would do our best to raise our kids as Christians. 

Reality: What I wanted from our family is so far below where we are now and where we are striving to be. I have so much to learn, but I know I don’t want to be known simply for my attendance at church. I want to be a walking, talking, living, breathing example of a Christian life for Baby Gray. I want him to grow up not knowing anything else, but still longing to know Christ more, love Him, and do His will. We were placed into the hands of a wonderful church, and I couldn’t be more grateful for what it has taught us about what we need to be as Christians. God also hand-picked a Heart Group for us when we initially moved to the area. These have become some of our very best friends and great examples of marriage and family for us. 

Breaking it down: I have a lot of work to do to go from my prediction to my predicted “reality” as stated above. It’s worth the work, though. 
Baby Gray/doctor/vaccinations

Checkin’ Up

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Nine months. I still can’t get over it. Yesterday was Baby Gray’s nine month well check. I was so looking forward to finding out his height and weight. It is far too long between appointments! 

The nurse checked all his developmental tasks when we got there. In the meantime, Baby Gray shredded the paper on the examining table. He wanted to show off his pincer grasp as he pinched every square inch of the paper. He mimicked the nurse, “talked” to her, laughed at her, and enjoyed his time with her. He is so friendly! 

Finally, we got to go out to check his stats. He weighs 20 pounds, 8 ounces and is 27 3/4 inches long. His head is 18+ inches–plenty of room for that big ol’ brain! Dr. Miller was very pleased with his weight this time around. As much as he eats, I don’t know how we would do anything any differently! 

They gave me the option of checking him for anemia, which I decided to do. I am borderline anemic a lot of times, so I wanted to be sure he was getting enough iron. His initial scan came back fine. They put some gauze and a band-aid on his finger where they did the poke. Big mistake! He wanted that band-aid in his mouth. When the blood stopped, Dr. Miller kindly threw away the alluring band-aid. 

He had to get one vaccine while we were there, so he had another band-aid for that on his thigh. This band-aid was under the leg of his shorts, so I didn’t think much of it. We went to run errands for part of the afternoon, and I noticed he was chewing on something. I hadn’t given him any snacks in several hours. I could see it was a white-looking rectangle; when I fought it away from him, it was the band-aid from his thigh. He pulled it off and ate it! It took some work, but he got it. Thank goodness I found it before he swallowed it.
Baby Gray/birthday/nine months

The Home Stretch

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Yesterday was Baby Gray’s nine-month birthday! WOW! He’s already three-quarters of the way (insert bad LeBron joke here) to his first birthday. I can’t believe it!

We spent most of his “birthday” in the car, so I didn’t even get a photo. I’m hoping to take some photos today because it’s beautiful outside. I know, I know, I’m up for mommy of the year again… 

Just to recap, at nine months old, Baby Gray is: 
  • army crawling.
  • pulling up.
  • babbling (he uses /m/, /d/, /b/, and the vowels).
  • eating finger foods with an almost-developed pincer grasp (he still grabs fistfuls when he gets in a hurry).
  • sleeping from 8:00 pm to about 7:00 or 8:00 am.
  • laughing at those around him.
  • very interested in all things electronic.
  • experiencing some separation anxiety, especially when I am close enough for him to see.
  • so excited when Daddy walks in the door each evening.
It’s so fun to watch him grow, learn, and explore! I can’t believe we’re so close to the one year mark!