turning it all a loose

In the last week or so, I’ve only been able to jot down topics I wanted to blog about. Until now, time has not allowed me to actually type them up. Well, maybe a little time was available…I just had better things to do! Life is about priorities, ya know. The important things get done and the important people get my time. The things and people that don’t get tended to can come or go. I don’t care.

So much has happened in the last few weeks! As you can imagine, Grayson keeps my “to be blogged about” list growing! For months, we’ve been saying how much Gray looks and acts more like a little boy rather than a baby. But now, we feel it and see it more than ever before. Of course, he isn’t yet talking or walking like a little boy. However, he is happy, interactive, playful, curious, etc like a little boy!!! From Day 1, G has been hard work but much more fun! And 7 months later, he’s still lots of work but MUCH more fun! It is still hot in Texas, but in the last few weeks, we’ve gotten a slight break from the heat (and I do mean slight). But it has been enough for us to take Grayson out more often. We’ve taken him to the mall, grocery shopping, to the park, etc. He LOVES being out and about.

My mom and I took him to Target yesterday. He was so interested in the colors surrounding him, particularly all the red! When it came time to check out, I didn’t pay attention to the line I was getting in (until it was too late). I cannot stand the cashier. Ray and I have had her before. She seems lonely or maybe she just doesn’t know how to appropriately socialize with people. Therefore, she tries really hard to be funny (and she SUCKS at it). Instead, she is VERY annoying. She has this annoying, freaky laugh. She tries to meddle in your business. And the worst thing – she constantly says, “Mama Mia”. No, I’m not kidding! It might sound weird, but it’s true. I seriously want to punch her in the nose. Even when I’m not in her line, I can hear her annoying ass from 15 feet away. Anyway, Grayson is usually nice to everyone he sees. He gives away his smiles pretty freely. That stupid woman started talking to him with her annoying voice, throwing in a grinding laugh and a “Mama Mia” every now and then. I don’t know how many smiles she gets from adults (she never gets one from me), but it looked as though she was counting on a smile from Grayson. As I listened to her, I wondered what Gray’s response would be. Before she could even finish her “act”, Grayson opened his mouth, lifted his eyebrows with one being slightly higher than the other, and gave me a look that said, “She’s weird, Mom”. I couldn’t help but laugh!

And 2-3 weeks ago, Ray and I took Grayson to the mall to shop for a birthday gift. The lady who was helping us was so interested in our little guy. For some reason, she didn’t ask his name until right before she left. So, the entire time we were there, she kept calling him “little baby”. She’d say, “Hi little baby!” and “You’re so sweet, little baby”. It was cute. Even though she was very nice, Gray studied her because she was a stranger (and she was a little different looking – a middle aged lady who could probably be good looking but just didn’t put forth much effort towards beautifying herself in the least bit). G loved the attention and gave her many big smiles. Instead of simply smiling back or giving some common response, she’d say, “Oh, thank you for that beautiful smile, little baby!” She thanked him for his beautiful smile every time he gave it to her. It was sweet. Did I already tell this story once? If not, I didn't think so. If so, it was worth hearing again! ;)

Speaking of my mom being out and about with us, there are some things I’d like to note about that. Mom likes to come along anywhere with Grayson and I or Ray, Grayson, and I. It doesn’t matter if it is a cool festival or just a trip to the grocery store. What’s cool is that she’s always liked hanging with us even before Gray came along. But needless to say, since February, I think she enjoys it much more! She definitely enjoys adult conversation with Ray and I, but I have no doubt that she enjoys looking at, listening at, and talking to Grayson MUCH more. Proof is when I ask her something, wait for a response, and get nothing. I look her way and see her tending to Grayson, smiling at him, playing with him, etc. By the way, this happens often! ;) I say, “Mom! Did you hear me?” She’ll say, “Huh?” I’ll say, “Did you hear what I said?” She says, “No, tell me again. I was playing with Gray”. Because she is so into Grayson, I cannot be aggravated. I find it funny! I’m so glad she’s so into him. That’s how it’s supposed to be. And 2, he is CRAZY about her.






After all, here’s that well-known famous quote about grandparenthood:

If I had known how wonderful it would be to have grandchildren, I'd have had them first. ~Lois Wyse



Since I wasn’t sure about the exact wording of that quote, I had to look it up. When I did, I found other cool quotes about being a grandparent. They are below:




The reason grandchildren and grandparents get along so well is that they have a common enemy. ~Sam Levenson



What a bargain grandchildren are! I give them my loose change, and they give me a million dollars' worth of pleasure. ~Gene Perret



Perfect love sometimes does not come until the first grandchild. ~Welsh Proverb



When a child is born, so are grandmothers. ~Judith Levy



Never have children, only grandchildren. ~Gore Vidal



Grandma always made you feel she had been waiting to see just you all day and now the day was complete. ~Marcy DeMaree



They say genes skip generations. Maybe that's why grandparents find their grandchildren so likeable. ~Joan McIntosh



My grandkids believe I'm the oldest thing in the world. And after two or three hours with them, I believe it, too. ~Gene Perret



Do you know why grandchildren are always so full of energy? They suck it out of their grandparents. ~Gene Perret



Grandchildren are God's way of compensating us for growing old. ~Mary H. Waldrip



An hour with your grandchildren can make you feel young again. Anything longer than that, and you start to age quickly. ~Gene Perret



Few things are more delightful than grandchildren fighting over your lap. ~Doug Larson



A mother becomes a true grandmother the day she stops noticing the terrible things her children do because she is so enchanted with the wonderful things her grandchildren do. ~Lois Wyse



I wish I had the energy that my grandchildren have - if only for self-defense. ~Gene Perret



The simplest toy, one which even the youngest child can operate, is called a grandparent. ~Sam Levenson, You Don't Have to Be in "Who's Who" to Know What's What



Grandparents are there to help the child get into mischief they haven't thought of yet. ~Gene Perret



It's amazing how grandparents seem so young once you become one. ~Author Unknown



If your baby is "beautiful and perfect, never cries or fusses, sleeps on schedule and burps on demand, an angel all the time," you're the grandma. ~Teresa Bloomingdale



Grandparents are similar to a piece of string - handy to have around and easily wrapped around the fingers of their grandchildren. ~Author Unknown



A grandmother is a mother who has a second chance. ~Author Unknown



No cowboy was ever faster on the draw than a grandparent pulling a baby picture out of a wallet. ~Author Unknown



I like to do nice things for my grandchildren - like buy them those toys I've always wanted to play with. ~Gene Perret



A grandmother pretends she doesn't know who you are on Halloween. ~Erma Bombeck



Grandchildren: the only people who can get more out of you than the IRS. ~Gene Perret



Just about the time a woman thinks her work is done, she becomes a grandmother. ~Edward H. Dreschnack



"You're more trouble than the children are" is the greatest compliment a grandparent can receive. ~Gene Perret



Have children while your parents are still young enough to take care of them. ~Rita Rudner


Aren’t those GREAT?! :)


Okay, on to more stories. Grayson is always finding new things to be interested in. Right now, two of the funniest things are lint rollers and the nipple of his bottle! One time, I noticed that Grayson’s navy colored onesie had picked up quite a bit of lint from the wash. I picked him up and carried him to the closet where we keep our lint roller. Instantly, he seemed interested in how it looked. I peeled off the top sticky sheet to get to a new one. His eyes widened as I lowered the roller down to his chest. As I rolled it back and forth, it made a creaky sound that cracked Grayson up! Needless to say, I rollered off every dot of lint off of his outfit and even moved on to his legs and arms! He LOVED it! So now, anytime there is lint rolling to be done, Ray and I always involve Grayson! And a few times, when Grayson was a fussy from fighting sleep, our 3M lint roller was our secret weapon! :) We’re seeing firsthand what parents mean when they say their kids are most interested with the simple, unexpected things (i.e., the box rather than the Christmas gift)!





It is so funny to watch G examine the nipple of his bottle. When you put his bottle to his lips, he grabs onto it, pushes it away, and lowers it to the perfect level to check out everything about it. He studies it from different angles, pinches it, and gnaws on it. And this isn’t a quick thing. The longest I’ve seen him to this is about 15 minutes. Honestly, I think he would’ve kept going, but I suggested we play with something else! Well, I say play, but he doesn’t squeal with delight the way he does with all of his other toys. He is very serious as he studies it. Usually, when someone laughs, Grayson does too. But when he’s in his bottle lab, he will NOT smile. He is very serious about what he’s doing. You have to see it to believe it!!!











As I already mentioned, Grayson is VERY curious…and he’s VERY fast. Even if you’re paying attention to his every move, he is still faster than you! He can set his sights on something and grab it before you realize what happened! It has happened to Ray and I a countless number of times! A few days ago, I was fixing his breakfast and carrying it into the living room. He likes to eat his meals in there in front of the doors where there are lots of sunlight and a great view of our backyard. Within seconds, he dipped his fingers into his peaches, took them out, and sunk them into his rice cereal. I started walking faster towards his chair so I could set him down and get him cleaned up. As I was lowering him into it, he grabbed the plant (yes, with his peach and rice cereal covered hand)!!! Ga lee! He keeps us on our toes I’m telling ya!!!!!!

No baby is “bad”. I refuse to hear anyone else’s opinion on that. Babies are just curious. And they are absolutely adorable even when they are doing something they shouldn’t be. Of course, something major like sticking their finger in an electric socket is NOT AT ALL cute, but it doesn’t mean the child is “bad”. I DESPISE hearing people refer to a baby as “bad”! Anyway, if a baby does something they aren’t supposed to, it just means they are curious. And they do it again (and again) because they are not yet capable of remembering they aren’t supposed to do that particular thing. Well, G is already hearing the word “no”. We don’t scold him of course. We just tell him no when he does things he shouldn’t. For example, last night, I passed the bar where our camera was sitting. Grayson grabbed the camera strap and almost pulled the camera off!!! As I told him, his dad would not have been happy! Even Ray smiled and said, “No I wouldn’t!!!” One thing he really likes to do that we don’t want him doing is chewing on the computer toy on his exersaucer. There is a book with pages he can turn (made of hard plastic). On each page are pictures (of numbers, animals, fruit, etc). Each picture is basically a sticker (made of PAPER). Why it is made of paper I don’t know! Grayson LOVES stripping the paper off with his TEETH (the only 2 he has)! Yikes! And as you can see, he’s done a good job!!! :)





When I talked to our pediatrician’s nurse the other day about teaching Gray to hold his own bottle, introducing him to juice, etc, she shared a story with me about her grandson who is a month older than G. She said her grandson is lazy and absolutely refuses to hold anything by himself. He wants someone else to hold his bottle, chew toys, etc for him! That is not the case with Grayson. He wants to hold everything himself, and he tries to. Sometimes he does a GREAT job! Well, with his toys and chew toys, he ALWAYS does an AWESOME job! But with his bottle, he tends to be a little rambunctious! Sometimes he holds it just right so that the milk flows out. But often, he bends the nipple down when he pulls it to his face real hard, he knocks the bottle and shoots milk everywhere, and even KICKS the bottle away! He is just ALL BOY. I cannot say that enough!



When Grayson shows his strength by kicking, punching, etc, we are amazed! And for fun, we say things like, “With that kick, you can play soccer, boy!!!” I know I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again…this isn’t newfound strength Grayson has! When I was pregnant with him, his jabs and kicks would stop me in my tracks! Well, here recently, I started declaring that Gray would make a great baseball player – specifically, a pitcher. Let me tell you why!







Sometimes Grayson wakes up in the morning or from his nap yelling for me and/or Ray. But usually, he wakes up and starts talking. It is so fun to listen to! But you can always tell the second it goes from lighthearted conversation to a request for his Dad or I to come get him. A few mornings ago when he woke up from his nap, he was jibber jabbering. He was having a good ole time. I decided I’d go to his room before he got impatient waiting on me to get there. I quietly turned his door knob and peeked in. I wanted to see and hear him talking before I let him know I was there. That’s when he took his pacifier out of his mouth and threw it out of his crib! I don’t mean that he stuck his arm out and dropped it onto the floor. He took it out of his mouth, leaned his arm back, and pitched it through the crib slats! It hit the wall and landed on the floor underneath his crib! I saw the entire thing before my eyes! It was so funny! I stood there with my jaw dragging the floor! Again, another example of G Monkey being ALL boy!!!

Ray is without a doubt THE SINGER in our family. Well, unless Grayson ends up being able to carry a tune like his dad can. I love to sing, but I’m not good at it. That doesn’t stop me from doing it though. I sing along to the radio, make up words to popular songs for fun, sing kiddie songs (leaving out words I can’t quite remember), belt out Christmas carols, etc. But when it comes to singing TO someone (even Grayson), I didn’t do it often. Instead, I hummed or whistled. For the umpteenth time, I read an article that talked about the benefits of singing to your child. The author stressed how important it is not to hold back just because you don’t sing well. He/she talked about how your child will love your voice simply because it is yours. So, I’ve been singing to Grayson when he eats, is going to sleep, while I’m changing his diaper, etc. It has worked wonderfully! He likes it, even though I’m off key and my voice sometimes cracks! He’s my ONE and ONLY fan! ;) And my singing is a great distraction from his gums that are sore (from teething) and cause him to eat real slow.

Gray and I both enjoy listening to the radio. We turn it on every day. It is a great help to my not so good singing too! I can be a background singer rather than a lead singer. :) Yesterday, Kelly Clarkson and I sang “Because of You”. This morning, Natasha Bedingfield and I sang “Unwritten”. When I forgot a word, it was okay because Natasha covered for me! ;) But at G’s last feeding, we were listening to the d.j. talk. He and I both were yearning for some tunes! Finally, a song came on! I was glad because I needed to perform so he would focus on me rather than his gums! At first, I didn’t recognize the song. I wondered if I’d be pulling out some dusty lyrics that’s being stored away in my brain for years and years. All of the sudden, I recognized the tune…it was “Dream Lover” by none other than Mariah Carey! I don’t need to tell you how bad it sucks to sing any song when you have no talent, but MARIAH CAREY?!?! I thought about that stupid d.j. who wouldn’t shut up when I needed him to must be playing a joke on me! I thought, “Well, what the hell?!” I remembered what the article said, “…your child will love hearing your voice despite your ability to carry a tune because it is yours”.

So, I gave it a go: I need a love to give me, The kind of love… I saw Grayson’s eyes sparkling from behind his bottle! I thought, “He likes it!” That’s when his mouth loosened from around the bottle, the corners of his mouth turned upward, and he laughed! :) I couldn’t keep singing because I was laughing so hard! Of course, I smiled and said, “What’s wrong, boy?! You don’t think your mom can sing like Mariah Carey?!?!” Again, he smiled and laughed! I agree that I don’t compare to Mariah Carey, but I really think he appreciated my efforts! So, I continued to sing! He stopped eating altogether but he continued to look my face over and laugh throughout the entire song! I laughed with him! We had so much fun! Then, after that song was over, a more doable one came on…”Go Your Own Way” by Fleetwood Mac. I must have done a good job because G just watched and listened to me sing as he drank all but 1 oz of his bottle! :)

When I go online in search of clipart for my blog entry, I find so many cool things. I found the one below. It is the cover of a book. The clipart kinda reminded me of Grayson, but of course, Gray is SO much cuter! :) Also, the title was eye-catching…”How a Baby Grows”. That’s a thought huh? How a baby grows is indescribable, unexplainable, and stunning. It’s just a simple, warm, beautiful, peachy miracle. :)

Peace out people,