半年 (6 months) !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Today is a VERY special and important day!!!!!!

Grayson is 6 months old!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

He's been with us for half of a year! What's funny is that Ray and I have been alive for almost 30 years. It makes me SO happy to think about G's life just beginning. He has so many years ahead of him to love and be loved, learn things, experience things, do what he enjoys, make memories, etc. Neither Ray nor I have had a "bad life", but both of us hope Gray has a better life than we've had. Most parents wish that for their children. I look at our son at six months old. He's so wonderful - so...dare I say it? PERFECT. :)

I cannot say enough how HAPPY Grayson is. He's ALWAYS smiling and laughing! As far as I'm concerned, there is no better sight or sound. :)

A few weeks ago, G began eating cereal. He does pretty good with it. The secret is feeding it to him making sure he's awake enough. If he isn't fully awake, he is only interested in a bottle. Our little man takes a while to get started! ;) And while he likes the cereal pretty good for the most part, I think he'll enjoy it even more when he has something with a little more flavor (more on that below).

Earlier this week, he went swimming for the very first time - in his very own pool! He hasn't yet splashed water on his own, but we helped him do it. He was very interested in how splashing looked and felt. :)

As he has since Day 1, Grayson loves the outdoors. Texas heat keeps us from going outside as much as we'd like to. We're anxiously awaiting fall to hang out in the yard with the dogs, take walks, etc. Until autumn sets in (my guess is sometime in October), we will continue looking out the window every day and talking about the sunshine, sky, wind, birds, trees, leaves, colors, etc.

Here lately, Gray finds Mya, Hobbes, Daisy, and Yoshi very funny! Yes, you read that right! He thinks they are FUNNY! He laughs at them no matter if they are playing, eating, or just sitting there!!!! Very often, when Grayson wakes up, Yoshi is curled up sleeping on mine and Ray's bed. Part of our morning routine is for me to carry G into our room so he can tell Yoshi good morning. He admires Yosh while he's fast asleep for a few seconds, and then he laughs at him!!! The first couple of times, Yoshi woke up with a look that said, "What are you laughing at? I'm trying to sleep here!!!!" Now, he opens his eyes, looks at Gray, yawns, and stretches. And I'm positive he's thinking, "I can't be mad at my little brother. He is too darn cute!!!" :)

Let's see - what else is new? Our little man still blows spit bubbles and really enjoys it! It is so funny to watch him collect enough saliva in his mouth to make lots of bubbles. When he blows bubbles, his face, chin, neck, and onesie get soaked. Not to mention the arm, shoulder, and shirt of whoever is holding him! Oh and in the last few days, he's learned he can blow out cereal and make it spray around too! :)

And of course, reaching another milestone means another doctor visit. As always, Grayson checked out perfectly! He got his 6 months shots. He did GREAT! He is such a good boy. And he actually enjoyed the liquid vaccination! The doctor gave us the okay to start giving Gray baby food. We're so excited! As a matter of fact, Ray went to Target to pick up some before he went back to work!!! :) Peas and carrots and beans - OH MY! ;)

As far as his stats go, he weighs 23 lbs and measures 30 inches long!

Now is our boy growing or is he growing?!?!?!?!

How does that translate to clothing? Well, he wears either 24 months or 2T. Onesies have always been our preference. They're great - and so easy for diaper changes. BUT it isn't easy finding onesies in 24 month or 2T size. So, we've decided it is time to start putting G in more separates. He looks so cute in shirt and pants! We've also decided it is time to start putting something on our kiddo's feet! Yeah, we've always taken our child around with bare feet like we're country bumpkins or something!!! ;) We don't put shoes on him because shopping for shoes will be an obstacle we choose face a little later (our boy has big wide feet - like his Momma!). So, we opt for cool looking socks and slippers! Grayson likes them, especially the ones that are bright in color. But if he had to choose, I think he prefers his bare feet. He loves holding his feet, using his toes to wrap around things or play with his toys, and sometimes licking his toes! ;)

On more than one occassion, someone has said, "Grayson is gonna read your blog one day and be embarrassed by the stories you tell". To that, I say: Oh well! He'll forgive me! And I can guarantee he'll find our stories WAY funnier than embarrassing. I think it is fascinating to find out things about yourself and learn about the little person you were long before you were capable of remembering such details. Our blog is kinda like a record book, but it is also a story too - a feel good story. My goal is for Grayson to read it one day (hopefully several times), laugh, and know how much we love him - yesterday, today, tomorrow and always. :)


Happy 6th months to our love a dove, our heart, Grayson Koa. :)

Taken about an hour after Grayson's doctor appointment today.

See his bandaids? :)

"My name isn't Grayson, Mom! It's Grayson, the Monkey!!!"

Gray didn't let those shots get him down!

And here's what Ray and I see every day...aren't we lucky? :)