grayson says... snow = icky

 Grayson says...

It snowed today. We got four inches, and the 'rents didn't have to go to work.

Daddy balled up some of the white stuff and put it on my tray. I immediately reached out to touch it (cuz I'm nosy like that). Mommy said something about building a snowman.

 Hey Daddy...

How come my snowman is only one ball? I mean, come on.

That's better. Hmm. I must study this small specimen of a snowman you've brought me.

 Yeah, I guess that'll do. So I just touch it, right? That's all you do with snow? I like grabbing things, so I guess that's okay.

 OMG what is THAT?

 I think it's... BITING ME. Why would you give me something that would bite me, Daddy?

 Do I just keep touching it? What's the point of snow?

 I don't like this very much...

 You suck, snowman.

I don't think I'm going to touch it anymore. I'm keeping my paws well away! You can't make me! You two have the dumbest ideas sometimes.

 But wait...

 Maybe I could eat it?

AHAHAHAHA!

 ...No, really.

 Mr. Snowman is happily living outside on the deck railing now... away from gummy baby mouths.

10 Things of the New Year

What have I been up to the first week of 2011? Nothing terribly exciting, I'm afraid. Really, you can't even tell that it's all that different from 2010.

1. The hubs and I celebrated our second anniversary by going out to a quick dinner. I had filet mignon. He had fries drenched in cheese and bacon. All was well.

2. I had to adjust to the hubs going back to work on Monday. It's just been g and I during the day. I'm more exhausted than when I have Dave to help me out, but I love having g all to myself. We've been having a grand time.

3. Dealing with g's refusal of sleep. He fights naps, even on teh boob. He wakes up more during the night than he has in a long time. It's rather exhausting. I'm just not in the mood to wake up to my seven-month-old happy-screaming through the monitor at 3 am.

4. On the plus side, G has learned how to pitch himself forward while sitting to grab onto a toy or onto us. It seems like a precursor to what might eventually be something mimicking crawling. Maybe. In any case, he's often successful at grabbing said toy. Sometimes he falls down a lot. Onto his face. He doesn't seem to mind, though, as he's fantastic at rolling back onto his back.

5. He's also wrapping his arms around our necks and smooshing his face into our faces/necks/chests/shoulders. I can't figure out if he's trying to kiss/hug me or eat my face off.

6. We took G swinging for the first time. It looked something like this:

He rather liked it, as I thought he would. This is the kid who loves for his daddy to jostle him about. He's going to love some wrestling later on, I can tell. He was all smiles. (And yes, my kid is not wearing socks outside in January. It was really warm that day!)

7. I started a reading challenge. You can follow the progress here. I didn't really like any of the other reading challenges I'd heard about, so I made my own. My goal is to read all of the Newbery Award winners of each year since the year I was born. 30 (counting this year's winner) middle grade books in a year. I can totally do that. I think.

8. I go back to work on Monday. BOO, HISS. I'm mostly prepared, though I need to finish my second syllabus this weekend. I'm teaching three classes, which is one more than last semester. Teaching a full load (and finding the time to grade) while watching after G almost full time is going to be difficult. I can totally do this too! ...Maybe.

9. Lots of daydreaming is happening around here. About the summer with a one-year-old and oh, all the things I want to do with him. About the beach of Gulf Shores and my cousin's wedding in Miami. Flying with G for the first time. Dipping his toes in the ocean for the first time! Going to the pool. Getting his own kiddie pool. Going to the park and zoo. Is it Spring yet? It really needs to warm up around here already. I'm done with this winter business. My baby needs to go outside!

10. Okay, ten. Let's see. We're taking G to a restaurant for the first time tomorrow. Oh my gosh wish us luck.

i carry your heart with me

i carry your heart with me (i carry it in
my heart) i am never without it (anywhere
i go you go, my dear; and whatever is done
by only me is your doing, my darling)
i fear
no fate (for you are my fate, my sweet) i want
no world (for beautiful you are my world, my true)
and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows
higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart (i carry it in my heart)

by e. e. cummings


Dear Grayson,

You're seven months old today. SEVEN whole months!

I think you had another growth spurt. You seem so long and lean. You've done a ton of growing, and even your hair has grown a lot. That giant head of yours is actually covered in hair. In fact, it sticks up every which way now. I try to pat it down and boing there it goes up again.

You've become a fantastic unsupported sitter. You'll sit for a long time all by yourself until you get tired of sitting and let yourself fall backward. Falling makes you laugh. You'll lean forward to get toys, and when they're too far away, you'll raise both arms and grab your ears in contemplation. We've been taking you out on grocery trips and you'll sit in the cart all by yourself.

You're more accepting of tummy time... at least a bit anyway. Right now you try to roll over pretty much as soon as you're on your tummy. At least you're pushing yourself onto your hands again, getting that head way up. Rolling is easy-peasy for you.

You're doing a bit more giggling. Not a ton, but it cracks us up when you crack up. You still scream all the time (your favorite happy noise), especially if we put you in the exersaucer. You smile freely, and you've gotten more comfortable around other people. You did SO well during Christmas with all of the family events and getting held by lots of people.

We're very thankful that you're sleeping great, too! You had a few rough nights, but overall you keep improving all by yourself. Daddy can even put you back to sleep with a little rocking and paci time. You're fighting naps a bit, but I think you're trying to convince us that you're not tired even though you can't keep your eyes open.

We started you on two meals a day a few days ago. You're really loving the solid food as long as we keep it smooth. But you'll eat it pretty chunky too.

But... BUT... my favorite development this month is that you're...

REACHING!

We'll hold out our hands and you'll reach for us to pick you up. Sometimes when I put you down, especially in your highchair, you'll immediately reach for me to pick you up again. My heart feels so full every time you do it. I just love it! I don't think you've made me that giddy with joy since that moment when you were exactly six weeks old, when I put you on the changing pad, you looked at me and broke out into the hugest smile and cooed at me for the first time.

Gah. Gush. Love that so much.

You make the best faces, G.

You love to nom things.

You give me That Look.

But most of all, I love your freely given smiles.

happy belated

Our two year anniversary was yesterday. Happy belated, beloved!