Grayson Year 3

Oh, my baby boy. You've grown up so, so much.

He's now 25 lbs, and about 3 ft tall. He's got sass, is extremely well spoken, and hardly ever shuts up ;). He's got a crazy awesome imagination and tells us stories, engages in imaginative play, and comes up with crazy ideas. He's my little tornado, has the energy of a hummingbird, and never holds still, even in his sleep. He's mastered potty training, which I'm thrilled with. He's obsessed with Mickey Mouse, and we've ended up with a DVR full of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. He still loves cars and trucks, and boats and trains, and anything else with an engine. He loves being outside, regardless of heat or bugs, and especially loves water, whether it's the Gulf, the bay, a beach, the splash pad, the hot tub, or even baths. He's wearing 3T shirts, but is still in 18-24 months pants, with size 7-8 shoes. He's been moved up in school, and is loving the more school-like environment. I still can't get over how grown up and intelligent he is. He talks constantly and comes up with crazy stuff: saying Gaga is "nervous" instead of "hilarious," congratulating the pilots on driving the plane well, and the absolute hijinks he gets into with his little girlfriend L. <--Seriously, they kill me with their cuteness. I've loved the last three years getting to know him, even when he's as stubborn as me and we butt heads. I can't wait to keep watching  him grow and see the kind of man he becomes.

3 years silly

Park time with the baby dinosaur

Birthday party

Dolphin cruise; we told him to look at the camera

Caught a crab

Hawaii

Napping with Gaga

Sibling love

First baseball game

Feeding his cousin

Battleship selfie

My silly goose

<3 <3 <3

Helping to clean up sticks

Summer G Update (pic heavy)

My baby boyo is growing up so quickly I can't even stand it sometimes. Of course, once he manages to potty train successfully, I'll be even more impressed. It's an ongoing process.
AND UGH TODDLERS. Threenager is not an exaggeration. We've gotten some "leave me alone!"s and some "get out of my room!"s. These tantrums are making the terrible twos look like, well, kids' play! I'm hoping this is the threes kicking in because I don't want to see how it can get worse. Though, in the last week, it seems to have gotten better, so I have some hope.
Some Little Moments:
-I took a shower with him, and when we got off and I'd dried him off, he started hopping around the bathroom saying "ribbit! Ribbit! I a fwog!!"-Pat my toe! No, faster!-Knock Knock! Me: Who's there? G: Stinky sock! Hahahaha!-I Gwayson Lawrence. Your name Mama Lawrence. And and and Baby Lawrence.-We were reading his animal alphabet book, and we got to the elephant and he says "Roll tide!" complete with hand motions. I tried to move on, and he continues saying "Elephant! Roll tide!" He did NOT learn that at home!-"I need cheers Mommy!" And made me clink my water bottle against his sippy cup-I had the perfect opportunity to talk about consent with G. He has a friend at our church who he absolutely adores. They're so flippin' cute together. His friend gave the "teacher" a kiss and I asked G if he wanted to give her a kiss too. He said yes and walked right up to his friend, lips puckered, face up. I don't know if she didn't realize it, but she walked away. G said "I want to give kiss her!" And I told him "You can kiss her, but you have to ask her first, and see if she says yes. Sometimes people don't want to be kissed, so ask her first." He wouldn't ask; I think he was too shy, but he kept saying he wanted to kiss her and I kept responding that you have to ask someone if you can kiss them before you actually do. Repetition is great in this case. He did eventually get his kiss when they said goodbye. She's at least 2 inches taller than him; it melts my heart to see them together. And I'm so glad that this opportunity presented itself so we can start these conversations early!!-Me: What are you counting? G: Fingers! Me: Fingers? G: On truck! One, two, free, fowr, fibe, six, eight, nine, ten, eleben, twelb, tirteen...one-teen, two-teen, free-teen...-Me: "Do you want your sister to sit in the cart with you?" G: "Ya!" Me: "Ok, but you have to promise to be nice to her." G: "I need to pet her!!"-Just last Sunday at church, he and his friend were playing around, and when it was time for communion, they both ran between the two lines, up to the railing and started yelling "Mommy! Mommy!" Luckily, our church is very kid friendly and we were allowed to skip the line too, standing behind them. They continued to play during coffee hour, doing their usual run between the parish hall and the sanctuary. Eventually, I had to take G home, and when he said goodbye, he walked up to her and (umprompted) said "Can I gib you kiss?" Before he even finished, she'd full-on kissed him. It was so cute. On the way home he kept saying "[Name] kissed me on lips, Mama." So freaking adorable!

Pictures

The first and only time he's enjoyed making a mess. It lasted about 15 seconds. (It's an ice cream sandwich)

We made Peeps play doh. It didn't work, but he had fun

Taking care of his baby

Bathtime fun

See-saw on the beach

Easter 2015

I can't take my heels out of the closet without him wanting to wear them

Sibling sweeties

Ready for camp with his sunglasses and his "pack pack"

His fashion sense could use some help

Mermaid tail from a friend's birthday party

Minion ice cream

With Gran Gran and homemade Fourth of July shirts!

I'll take the extra snuggles when I can

Take my picta Mommy!

I've started taking photos of things that may be our "lasts" soon, like the last time he falls asleep on me

Disneyland

When I tell people I want to go to Disneyland or DisneyWorld, they always tell me to wait until my kids are older. If you have told me this, I'll try to put it gently: this is when I want to slap you. My kids aren't the reason I want to go to Disney. I want to go to Disney for ME. I love Disney. I love the fantasy, the movies, the songs, the rides, the food. So when my parents suggested Disneyland while we were in California I jumped! OF COURSE.

It was our second trip to Disney with kids. Our first had been right before G's first birthday, and had been a success, in my opinion. We met Mickey, went on a few rides, saw World of Colour, and I even rode my favourite ride (Indiana Jones). This trip went even smoother despite the addition of a second child. Ainsley was only 6 months when we went, so she was even more flummoxed by the sounds and sights than G had been the last time. But G. Oh G was old enough to enjoy himself this time. It was SO much fun to see him enjoying the rides and meeting characters and exploring.

Here's what we did:
-Realized we had no SD card in the camera and were held hostage for one on Main St
-Grabbed pins!
-Went to the firehouse and played on the horse drawn fire engine
-Rode the train to Toon Town (no room left on the Lille Belle car) This was by far G's favourite part. He was so excited to ride on the train and hear it whistle. It was so fun to see his face light up.
-Met Pluto. G loved getting hugs from Pluto.
-Met Mickey. G enjoyed exploring the house while we waited in line, but got really shy when actually confronted with Mickey.
-Played in Toon Town, exploring all the vehicles and the jail.
-Headed to the teacups, which he had a BLAST on. James and I (with Ainsley strapped to me) rode in a teacup with G, while my parents were in the neighbouring one. G loved looking for them and spinning around and around. PS: I am super proud of myself for managing to nurse A in the ergo while we were in line.
-Rode the carousel, which was closed last time. G had fun, and my dad wore Ainsley, though I'm pretty sure she slept through her first carousel ride.
-Stopped for lunch, and G crashed in the stroller. So we had a grilled cheese that wasn't eaten, but oh my gosh, he was so cute because he just curled up in the stroller to sleep.
-Went on Dumbo. I stayed off the ride; 5 people doesn't split up well. James rode with G, and my parents rode together, with Dad carrying A.
-Met up with my little Joy and her boyfriend and another friend of theirs as we stopped for snack since someone was hungry. Not surprising, since he didn't eat lunch. We got him a hot dog and I got my delicious cream-cheese filled pretzel. YUM.
-We all rode the train to Toontown again, and went on Small World. G seemed mesmerized by it, but I enjoyed riding it with him.
-Joy and her friends had to go afterwards, though we saw part of  the new parade. G enjoyed seeing Donald Duck.
-We decided to head toward Jungle Cruise, which was RIDICULOUSLY busy! It took forever to get through, but everyone seemed to enjoy it. G obviously didn't get the jokes, but he did seem to enjoy the boat ride, the people laughing, and the surprises (like the hippos)
This is where my mind goes fuzzy on what happened when.
-We went on Pirates of the Caribbean. We waited for a front row seat for G. Incidentally, I was wearing A and we found out that when I wear her, we count as two people, so James and my Dad sat with G in the front and my mom and I were behind them. And we all got splashed. G seemed to enjoy it, though he was a smidge freaked out by the drops. James said he grabbed on to him, but he wasn't scared enough to say anything, and seemed to enjoy them by the end.
-We ended up in Downtown Disney for dinner at the cajun place. Definitely not where I thought we were eating, but the shrimp and grits were good. And yes, I traveled halfway across the country only to eat traditionally Southern food. I recognize the irony.
-We were planning on leaving after dinner, but G fell asleep in the stroller again, and A was perfectly happy to be sleeping on my Dad's chest, so we decided to take advantage of that, and James and I got to ride on Indiana Jones, and the new Star Wars, which was awesome!
-We headed home on the bus, which G loved :)

Firetruck

Train time!

Pluto hugs

Pluto

He was totally shy in front of Mickey

In front of the castle

Waving at Daddy

Being silly

Hugs

Train again! With his "looking eyes" on

Worn out

Grayson Update

This update has been a work in progress for a few months now.

April 14 G officially turned 2.5. Boy is he a handful. I sincerely hope that he's going through the "threenager" stage early, because I honestly don't see (and don't want to know) how it could get much worse. His favourite word is NO and he likes to deliver it with gusto and volume, frequently. We're working on manners and being nice, and using words like "frustrated," "angry," or "upset" instead of hitting or screaming "no." It's hit or miss, though tonight he said he was frustrated that my show was on instead of his, so that's improvement.

We switched schools shortly after the new year. When we got back from Christmas, he was adamant about not wanting to go to school and pitching fits in the morning. We noticed in the 5 days he was at his old school his vocab and diction dipped. Unsurprising considering he was almost 2.5 and in a 1 year old classroom. They did nothing but sit them in front of the TV and allow independent play. He was bored brainless. We found a great place that put him in the 2.5-3yo room, and he loves it. They teach him letters and numbers, do worksheets, colouring, fingerpainting, play outside every day, provide breakfast, lunch, and snacks, and he has a blast. His vocab and diction improved immediately and he now tells us about what he did at school, and what he learned. He is so much happier. They're even working on potty training him (though he doesn't seem to care if he's wet or dirty, and I'm not sure how to get him to care while taking care of Ms Velcro). He hasn't had a single biting incident since he switched schools because he's in the appropriate level. He's even starting to engage in imaginary play, telling us he's going to the store on his trike, or having a tea party with his play kitchen.

Noises are freaking him out lately. Not all loud noises, but thunder, and garbage trucks. We even waved at a truck driver at a rest stop, and he blew the horn for G, but it just freaked him out. After waking up to him out of his bedroom, screaming at the top of his lungs from the top of the stairs at 3:30 am about the "loud noise garbage truck" we made a few changes. We switched out his door handle for  bathroom one, lock on the outside. It seems mean, but if he gets out of his room without us knowing, he can mess with the gas stove, knows how to turn on the fireplace, reach the knives, etc. I wouldn't put it past him to figure out the gate on the stairs either. So we lock him in at night. He also knows all about the video monitor and that if he gets scared he can call for us to the camera and we'll come up and get him. He's a smart kid, that's for sure, but I do miss the days when he couldn't open his door.

He still loves trucks, trains, and anything else that goes. Dump trucks and garbage trucks are pretty big, though he gets excited about the mix trucks (cement mixers) we see on the way home from school. He also loves water towers. He will yell out "water tower water tower!" whenever he sees one from the car. He was so excited when James took him to one and they got out to touch it and walk around it.

We did have one really super scary incident recently. We were at Sam's, having hot dogs, and he fell off the bench and smacked his head on the concrete floor. James was sitting right next to him, holding Ainsley while I put the carrier back on. I ran around to get him and he actually lost consciousness for a second. He revived immediately, and seemed ok; he wasn't even crying that hard, but it was petrifying. We called his doctor, and when the nurse called back she said to take him to the ER. James took Ainsley and I home, and headed to the ER with G. He said every nurse in there must have asked what happened, and every time would almost accusingly ask where he was. What are you supposed to do to prevent something like this? Have him wear a helmet 24-7? Never let him sit on a bench? By the time the doctor saw them, he was fine, laughing and smiling, and even told the doctor "my head feel much better!" He was mostly concerned with watching Nascar apparently. He did really well for the CT scan, and they found a hairline fracture on his skull. They sent James and G home with an appointment with a pediatric neurosurgeon the next Tuesday. That was probably the scariest part; waiting all weekend knowing that we were referred to a specialist in neurosurgery. But, he was really nice, and very unconcerned. He said any symptoms that G experienced from that point on were unrelated, there was nothing he could do to make it worse (even hitting his head again), and that it would heal on its own in 4-6 weeks. This happened the Saturday after my kidney stone surgery, so it was a busy, busy week. The next weekend he ended up with a horrible fever (it reached 104F) while we were out of town. Since we were in a condo on the beach, he wouldn't slow down, even when he was throwing up. It turns out he had an ear infection, and he's doing much better now. I hope we get a break from doctors for a while.

Overall, he's a happy, healthy, typical toddler. He has the sweetest smile, dotes on his sister and loves to eat cous cous, yogurt, rice, and chicken nuggets. He's intermittently sweet and terrorizing, aggravating and adorable. He's smart as a whip and stubborn to boot. Most of all, I can't imagine my life without my little G man in it. (Especially the heart melting moments when he asks for mommy.)

He has started saying hilarious things, most of which have been shared on facebook. For those without facebook (hi Auntie Van!) here are some gems:
-G: I tired. Me: I'm tired too. G: Mama, me too too!
-Go to chicken nugget store!
-Good job turning into driveway, mom!
-Find hidden treasure! (While chasing after his friend Lilly after church)
-Be be back (be right back)
-We bought him water sandals at Nordstroms. He was so excited, and wanted to wear them immediately. He put them on, walked over to the fish tank and said "need swim fish tank!"
-He now gives kisses when something is hurt. When I said my head was hurting, he came over and gave me a kiss on the forehead
-I miss you gone Daddy (to James, constantly. James likes to say G misses him being gone because he'll say it even if he hasn't been gone recently)
-Sweetheart mama
-Backhoe is good stuff. How cool is that?
-I fwear Daddy (I swear Daddy, delivered like an exasperated teen)
-Go hostal. Get surgy. Go hostal, feel much better. Feel much better, mama.
-Wrinkle...I eat it! I like wrinkle! (re: his wrinkly fingers after a bath)
-G: Knock knock. Me: Who's there? G: I'm here!!
-*sneeze* Me: Bless you. G: I bless you too!

Showing off the eggs he found at church

Cous cous

Take my picture!

Pluto hugs

The face of concentration

Highlight of his life? Bus rides

Loving older brother