New Beginnings

After church hopping for a few years, we finally found "home." We have officially joined the church that we feel God has led us to be a part of and raise Grayson in. We are so excited and blessed to be a part of this great community of people. 

This was partially the reason I asked for prayer and guidance for our family on Facebook recently. The rest will be revealed and come to be when He reveals His plans to us in His time, but please keep praying. I have felt The Lord closer than ever lately and He is answering prayer faster than ever before in my life. I know He is close all of the time, not just when He is rapidly answering me, but I am really blown away and in awe. It is encouraging to me that I have come to a point in my life where I am following the path He wants for me. 

Molars. For anyone who has recently joined me in trying to figure out why my 16 month old has reverted back to the nighttime sleeping habits of a 2 week old for the past month, the answer is molars. I had a feeling. 

The poor guy seems to be uncomfortable, but at least it's a discomfort that will fix itself with time. I can handle that. 

Bring on the new teeth! 

On kind of the same note but also kind of a completely different note...

I have to share some pictures of little man snoozing this morning! He maybe up all night, but just look how zonked he is in the mornings! 

I love his squinty face when the flash goes off.

Connecting the Dots

Today my little guy is sixteen months old. It seems like people always ask others if they feel any older on their birthday. I am going to answer on Grayson's behalf. The answer is yes.

Month 15 was a month full of changes and growth. On February 24, I received my monthly newsletter regarding what to expect during month 15. It read that month 15 is a "month full of milestones." I'm in awe at how accurate they were. 

From the time Grayson was very young, he has been a talker. His first sentence was "I want my mama" at 8 months old. I thought it was coincidence until he said it again shortly after and others heard it. He learned how to say things such as "here you go" and "I want to get up" right around his first birthday. Lately, he has been adding more short phrases into the mix. This isn't to imply that he doesn't still speak a lot of jibberish as well. I'm still trying to decipher what "neh" and "meh" mean. 

This month, he has really connected the dots on verbal combined with nonverbal communication. He has mastered the task of letting me know exactly what he wants most of the time. He is actually a little bossy, another toddler trait he has acquired this month.

Just tonight, I posted this photo to my Instagram and Facebook accounts with it's back story. Grayson threw up for the second time today at my in-laws house this evening. Shortly thereafter, he began saying "bye-bye" repeatedly while violently waving his hand, followed by his entire arm. When we arrived home, I unbuckled him from his car seat and carried him inside. As soon as I put him down, he took my hand and led me upstairs to his bedroom. He beelined it straight into his bathroom and stood directly beneath where we keep his toothbrush and toothpaste. He then pointed upwards persistently and began saying something repeatedly which obviously meant toothbrush. Of course, I responded by helping him put the paste on the brush and brush his teeth. I was blown away by his entire thought process. The fact that he put all of that together amazes me.

A few weeks ago when he was at my mom's house, she gave him some Fritos to snack on. A few days ago, he went back over there to play. At some point he walked over to where she keeps the chips and said "Fritos" asking for more. It's crazy to think that he is now at the age where he can remember things for weeks. 

Before he went to bed tonight, I asked him if he was thirsty. He then walked over to the refrigerator. He pointed up at the ice and water dispenser and said "more" which means he wants some.

More random Grayson-isms:

•He now insists on eating with utensils. There are no such thing as finger foods in his world.

•Up means up or down. Down means up or down.

•He refuses to say please. He has never said it. I try daily.

•Instead of saying "no," he says "nuh uh." (Which is kind of irresistible!)

•When he says "all done," he isn't. What he means is he ran out and wants more.

•The kid loves being outside. He will bring you your shoes when he's ready to play, followed by his shoes and you will put yours on yourself and his on him... or else!

•Don't let him get hangry. Just don't. 

•Hello 2 year old temper tantrums, I thought we had several more months.

•My name is Mama, but yours probably is too. All females are named Mama. That or all females are constantly being asked where Mama is. We aren't sure which.

•Whoa stage 3 clinger. This is a phase Mama is secretly LOVING. He doesn't hate you, I promise! 

•Dude is a FLIRT, but nothing new there.

•He has some seriously rhythmic dance moves. If it has a tune, he's dancing. Bet on it.

•Coordination, check! His daddy is happy. 

•He loves other kids, specifically older kids, more specifically girls, even more specifically, girls with big bows. 

•He rides his 6V quad in a straight line right into the wall. He gets off and throws a fit because he is stuck. Maybe we will nail steering this month... 

So as a wrap to my ramblings, month 15 proved to be a milestone month for my baby. He really blossomed in his speech and motor skills. He is really putting two and two together and beginning to understand and grasp life and daily tasks.

I don't keep up with whether he is "ahead" or "behind" for his age, because I know all kids develop at different paces and have different strengths and weaknesses. All I know is I couldn't be more proud of this little angel baby of mine. He was worth the wait and I would've waited five more years just for him if I had to. Hindsight is always 20/20. It's so special to me to know that God hand picked Grayson to be my son and blessed me with the privilege of being his Mama! 

...even if that means being woken up on a Monday morning to someone puking in your face and your hair. True story.

Misleading Photographs

I was laying in bed on my phone "Pinteresting" fun activities and ways to play with my kiddo. It then occurred to me... He's one. 

Why on earth am I looking on Pinterest for ways to play with my one year old? I'm pretty sure I can simply follow my instincts on this one. 

We tried an art project the other day and 90% of it was him screaming because he couldn't mix all of the paint together and me frustrated because we were supposed to be having fun.

We made Fruit Loop necklaces at Momtourage last week and by "we," I mean he ate the Fruit Loops and I made a necklace out of them. (I may have also eaten a bowl of them, but that's beside the point.)

I tried letting him play with this amazing sensory "cloud dough" and all he wanted to do was throw it off of his high chair tray and watch me play fetch.

Last night we did a glow bath. I'm not sure he even realized the point of what we were doing, but the glow sticks sure did make awesome drum sticks.

I managed to snap some pretty adorable pictures of all of the above. That makes them a success, right? 

The photos themselves would be misleading to someone who didn't know better. They will forever be treasured memories to me. They will remind me of my son's strong willed personality, the time he discovered his new favorite cereal, his strong pitching arm and pretty impressive musical skills. They will remind me of a time where we are still getting to know each other day in and day out. They will remind me that things in life rarely go as planned. They will remind me of a time so precious in our lives that I need not waste it searching for activities to do together. The world is ours to discover together already. 

It's time to Pinterest less and explore more. 

Little for a Little While

Do you ever just do something on a whim and hope for the best? That's what I did yesterday. After dragging Grayson around all morning and then taking him to his first hair cut at 2, I knew we'd arrive home right at nap time.

As we arrived home, he had that sleepy look in his eyes. I looked outside the window into the backyard and it was sunny and beautiful. He walked to the back door and stared longingly at his swing set. He proceeded to go get his tennishoes and bring them to me along with saying what I think was supposed to be the word "outside."

It was settled, we were skipping nap time and going to play outside instead.

When I opened the door to freedom, his eyes lit up and a smile appeared on his face. He ran around for a half hour crunching leaves while I chased him. He ran the entire perimeter of the yard mesmerized by how the ground looked through his sunglasses. He played on his slide. He climbed up his slide and I let him because I understand sometimes it's fun to be a rebel. I pushed him on his swing and then we swung together. We snuggled on the hammock. We watched the birds fly. We listened to dogs barking. We sang and we talked to each other. We lived and we loved.

Schedules are great, but sometimes life requires adaptation. We skipped nap time and we made memories instead, because they're only little for a little while.

 

Desire for Independence

Independence is huge to me. I want my son to have the desire and ability to try things by himself first. I love helping him complete a task, but it's imperative to me that he learns early on that Mama isn't his slave. 

Right now I have to fight my instinct to do everything for him. My job is to love, guide, teach, play, encourage and support. My job is to kiss his boo boos now and it will change throughout the years, but never will it be slave. Never will it help him if I do everything for him and he does nothing for himself. 

He is very receptive to this approach. His personality is a lot like mine, and part of that means he has to figure things out for himself. It's my job to give him that opportunity. 

Lately he has been surprising me left and right with his abilities. The most recent of which is when he grabbed his toy vacuum, turned it on, and "vacuumed" most of the house. 

I'm talking under the furniture, against the walls, not missing a spot vacuuming. I don't know where this out of the blue skill came from. Since he first learned to crawl he has followed me around mesmerized while I'm vacuuming, so all I can think of is that he must have been taking serious mental notes. 

The next day, he was picking up clothing and placing it in the laundry basket. I'm not sure if Jason's shoe was particularly dirty or if Grayson doesn't quite have this skill completely sorted out, but he thought this is where it belonged... 

This morning at our Momtourage group play date, he kept grabbing the broom and sweeping Fruit Loops off of the floor.

This was one of those times he was showing me he was ready for some independence in this area. I instantly made a mental note that I needed to encourage this particular skill and help him grow in his abilities. 

Tonight I went to the store and bought him an entire cleaning set. After he went to bed, I set them up in the laundry room hanging underneath my own. I plan to add a little shelf above them soon for a few more products. He is going to be so excited when he wakes up in the morning and that makes me excited to wake up in the morning! 

My baby boy is growing up so fast. This age is so much fun. He is saying and doing something new each and every day. I am so amazed by what a brilliant child I have. I'm also a little afraid, but don't tell him that! I may also be slightly partial, but I don't know... 

Becoming Minimalist

Recently I have been sorting through Grayson's baby clothes and toys because my spare closet is exploding with them. Originally I expected to hold onto everything in case we ever have another son. I realized this isn't possible, so I've decided to limit myself to one bin of special clothing, pricier items and my personal favorites sized NB-12 months. 

I've realized how grateful we should be and are. My son has had so many clothes throughout every stage that there are several he has never even gotten the chance to wear. From hand-me-downs, to gifts, to my own shopping expenditures, I am drowning in clothing when I walk in that closet. 

We have to simplify. Slowly but surely, we are cutting down on some of the extras we don't actually need. I've used the excuse that I may never be blessed with another baby in order to justify buying Grayson any and everything that my heart desires for him. I've also used the excuse that I waited so long for him that I should be able to get him whatever I want. I even enjoy the excuse that he is so little that he doesn't yet realize therefore can't be spoiled. 

It's wrong, but it's something I will continue to struggle with. Simply put, I want him to have the best of the best. There's nothing wrong with me wanting what's best for my child, but flooding him with material items for my own selfish fun is not the way to go.

I can't stand the thought of an entitled child who expects the world to be handed to him on a silver platter. If I have to learn to become minimalist in order to teach Grayson a strong foundation of working hard and having faith in God, that's what I'm going to do. The world has enough lazy, entitled and greedy people. 

Unspoken Words

A couple of days ago I went to the mall. Grayson was being whiney because he wasn't able to finish his nap that day. It's unusual for him to be anything but happy and it's frustrating for me when he isn't. We walked out of Dillard's and there they were...

There was a little boy with who I assume to be his mom. The little boy was probably 8 and was in a wheelchair with an obvious physical and mental disability. As we approached, I realized that the boy was having a seizure. As he was shaking uncontrollably in his chair, his eyes we rolling back. I wondered for a second if there was anyway that I could help, but when I looked at his mother she was so very calm and collected. She was holding his head gently in her hands. She comforted him by calmly whispering in his ear. I quickly gathered that this was not an unusual occurrence for them. The way this mother handled such a serious thing for her son so charismatically brought a tear to my eye. As they walked away all I could do was flash her a smile, but behind that were so many unspoken words. To see such an intimate and beautiful display of love between a child and his mother was breathtaking.

So often, we see parents so short tempered and impatient with their children. This was such a refreshing thing for me to witness and a perfect reminder to be grateful in all circumstances.