do we have a sick puppy on our hands?

NO!

Ladies and gentlemen, what we have here is a case of

"the fake cougher".

Grayson coughs like everyone else. Usually, it is because he drinks his bottle too fast. We feel so bad for him. It is truly sad to see. He coughs deep, gets red, and even gets teary eyed. We talk to him, telling him to slow down and breathe.

But here lately, Gray has been coughing quite a bit. It starts off as a real cough. But as he continues to cough, it begins to sound a little fishy. It sounds as if there is more effort behind them. And then when Grayson forces out a big cough and then smiles, he has given himself away! But we have to give it to him - he is a good faker! He even gets a red face and teary eyes for the fake ones! He might fool others but not Mom and Dad! He might one day be a successful actor - if he learns to not smile when he needs to wear a straight face! But honestly, I think he can do it. He just throws in that cute smile of his for Mom and Dad - to get a smile or a chuckle in return! :)

We don't mind G's coughing. The real ones are what they are. And the fake ones are...well, what they are too (fun for Grayson)! He can continue them both for now. We will try to help comfort him when the real ones come about, and we'll probably continue getting a kick out of the fake ones. But as soon as he gets old enough to understand, Gray will have to learn to cover his mouth, say "excuse me" or something for every single one since he's so good at making them all seem real. ;)