Separation Anxiety

This Saturday marks our first out-of-town trip without Grayson. He will be getting spoiled rotten with his grandparents, meanwhile I'll be forcing myself not to call to check on him 20 times a day.

Michael and I are going on an overnight trip to a cool community called Medicine Park , which incidentally was Oklahoma's first planned tourism resort. It has historic cobblestone structures, eclectic artist studios and shops, plus several restaurants run by culinary masters that have returned home to a quieter life. I'm writing about the area for two columns I contribute to at work and since I haven't been there in about 10 years, I thought it would be fun to plan a little getaway and check out the area first-hand.

This all sounded like a great idea several weeks back, but now that the trip is here I'm second-guessing my decision. Is Grayson too young? Will my parents be completely worn out and never keep him again? Will I remember to pack everything he needs?

I've been so wrapped up in worrying about Grayson's night away from us I didn't even think about making arrangements for Roxy. It finally dawned on us last night that we hadn't made any plans for her. Luckily my little sister is staying in town for the weekend and can check on her, but I can't believe she was an afterthought! So sad.

Anyway, I'm sure we'll all make it through just fine as long as I can find a way to shut my mind off from the unnecessary worrying. Is it happy hour yet?

Talking T-shirts

Grayson may not be able to form words or sentences just yet, but he's not afraid to make a statement through his t-shirts. You might have to click on these for a better look.

Okie pride!

A shout out to Auntie Susannah in our nation's capital!

Helvetica Rules: Design appreciation starts young

(but it helps when the jeans aren't cutting off circulation to your buddha belly)

That Outside (boy) Smell

As boys (and girls) grow up and learn how to play hard outside, they acquire that "outside smell." If you've been outside too you don't seem to notice it, but if you've been inside when the offenders come in, you know exactly the scent I'm talking about.

Today, Grayson had his first case of "outside smell." We took advantage of the 60+ degree weather to go on our first family bike ride. Roxy's spot in the bike trailer was taken up by Grayson and his car seat, so she didn't get to come along for the ride this time. Maybe once Gray doesn't need the carrier, they can ride together in the trailer built for two.

As you'll see from the pictures and short videos, Grayson seemed more interested in getting his entire toy inside his mouth than taking in the scenery, but that didn't seem to dampen his daddy's excitement.

All strapped in and ready to go!

Stopping to check out the daffodils.

Fingernail Wars

It seems we are in a constant battle against Grayson's fingernails. We trim them practically daily, yet he always seems to find a way to scratch his face. We've tried using different kinds of clippers, as well as filing them instead of cutting. Nothing seems to make a difference. 

We're getting his 6 month pictures taken in two weeks and I'm willing to try anything to get his face scratch-free by then. We've tried putting mittens or socks over his hands, but that only works for a little while and then they get soaked from him trying to stick them in his mouth. It's not really a problem during the day when we're watching him, but I don't trust him to have them on at night (and most of the scratching occurs when he's tired and rubbing his face). 

So, this is the part where you write in with all kinds of brilliant suggestions and I am eternally grateful. 

Tolerating Strange Parents

Boy clothes have come a long way over the years. While there are still WAY more adorable clothes available for girls, I have to admit that Grayson has some pretty cute wardrobe choices. Luckily he's a good sport about us playing dress up.

This adorable Super Kung Fu Grip onesie was a gift from Auntie Agatha and Uncle Mark. (Try to disregard the bright red face. I took the picture a while back and can't believe how bad Grayson's eczema flare up was then.)

It's hard to compete with the cuteness of these doggie overalls courtesy of Great Grandmama Solomon, but the bunting outfit below is close competition.

In other random updates, this is what happens when daddy feeds Grayson...the bottle gets rigged to result in as little work as possible.

Got milk?

Happy Valentine's Day

Baby Food Binging

Grayson's appetite has been off the charts this week. I've been making all of his baby food which typically only requires an hour or two on the weekend to make enough to freeze for a week or longer. That was, until this week.

All of a sudden he's gone from eating one serving (a large ice cube size) of one type of food at a sitting to eating 1-1 1/2 servings each of two types of food and then crying for more. It doesn't matter what you feed him -- zucchini, sweet potatoes, pears even peas -- he just can't get enough.

I'm headed to the grocery store tonight to stock up on apples, carrots and bananas to try out a few new tastes. Apparently I need to grab a few more ice trays as well so I can make a big enough batch to last us through the week.

This weekend I think we'll also experiment with changing his feeding schedule. He's right on the verge of moving from five bottles down to four, so maybe adding in another food feeding would help get us over the cusp.

It just seems to me that this is a lot of food for a little guy. Then again, who really knows? Maybe he's hitting his 6 month growth spurt a bit early. It's all a big guessing game anyway so we'll just stock the fridge and see how it goes.

Tornado Dodging

Tornado season made an early visit to the OKC metro area yesterday, but luckily we escaped without any bodily or home damage.

The storms hit in the middle of the afternoon and my office building was evacuated down to the basement (which is a seriously creepy old bank vault). Grayson's nursery is located in the basement of a church, but since they have ground-level windows, the teachers moved them to the center part of the building.

While Grayson and I were hunkered down in our respective shelters, Michael and his coworkers were on the roof of their two-story building, watching the storms blow by. Not their smartest hour.

Even though we were not in immediate danger, my mom's elementary school was very close to the tornado's path. They all ended up okay, but it made me realize that we have no emergency plan for our family. Guess we should add it to the list of must-dos, right next to other fun things like creating a will.

I also realized that the last time we had some crazy weather (i.e. a few snow days a while back), Grayson and I got a little cabin fever and took these pictures. I posted them on my Facebook page, but forgot to do so here as well.

Eerily Quiet

Our house is strangely empty and quiet this morning. Grayson spent his first night away from us at Grandmother & Grandaddy's house (my mom and stepdad). They were going to take him at the end of this month when Michael goes with me on an overnight work trip, but decided to do a "dry run" before we were hundreds of miles away. 

I called my mom around 8 a.m. and it sounds like Grayson didn't have the best night ever.  Hopefully he can spend the morning charming his sleep-deprived grandparents so he'll be allowed back in a few weeks. 

With Grayson gone, our day isn't divided into three-hour increments making it seem like we have so much time on our hands. I'm not sure what we used to do with all of this time. Blogging and laundry are top on my morning to dos. I'm sure our lives used to be more exciting, I just can't seem to recall what filled the hours. It also seems like way more than 5 months that Grayson's been a part of our daily lives.

Roxy keeps going into the nursery looking for the baby. Little does she know the peace and quiet won't be around long. Her pesky little brother will soon be returning to soak up all our time and attention.

"If Mama isn't happy, ain't nobody happy!"

It's been a rough week in our household. Michael kicked things off with a stomach bug on Sunday which I picked up on Monday. Well, it's now Thursday and I'm just getting around to having the strength to shower and make it nearly through a day back at work. 

Yes, what was a quick-to-pass stomach "bug" for Michael was the full fledged stomach flu for me (plus a urinary track infection thrown in for fun). It reminded me of my first trimester pregnancy days when I was constantly scoping out the nearest trash can or toilet should the urge arise at a moment's notice. 

As if these violent episodes and dehydration weren't enough, my illness meant I couldn't touch or hold Grayson. Not only was that rough on me, but it meant that Michael had to be a full-time working, single parent. No easy task! He'd come home after working a full day and between feeding, entertaining or rocking our son, he also had to nurse me back to health. 

I'm feeling a lot better today (finally), but am still very weak and the medicine I'm on compounds the problem with a serious dose of drowsiness as a side effect. In addition, I'm working up to eating a full meal beyond my newfound staples of Gatorade and dry toast.

When we went to drop Grayson off at daycare this morning his teachers asked how I was doing and noted he's been acting a little different lately, almost fussy, like he missed his mama. Well, that certainly makes two of us! I know he was in the best hands with his daddy, but the sudden routine change was wearing on us all. 

Hopefully the worst of it is behind us. Michael "let" me put Grayson to bed this evening (as long as I promised not to kiss him) and I think all three of us enjoyed it.

Five Months

Dear Grayson,

Today marks your five month "birthday" and our five month "anniversary" as parents. Your personality and independence develop more each and every day. It's so fun to watch and see the things you like or dislike and what makes you laugh or smile.  

Milestones come and go on a regular basis, but we don't take for granted your health or developmental progress. Your sunny disposition brings laughter to our lives in small, everyday moments that I never want to overlook. 

You're not the only one that's changed over the last few months. Since entering our lives,  your dad and I have attempted to entertain you by making more silly faces and crazy voices than I care to admit. We now prefer quite nights at home with you to the live music venues and art openings that once filled our nights.

Don't get me wrong, you bring challenges to our lives as well. Did you read the swaddle blanket posts? But even after a sleepless night, you manage to melt away our frustration with a simple gummy smile and silly coo. It's a good thing I'm a fan of problem-solving, because life with an infant seems to be a constant guessing game. Right when we figure out a few things, you throw us a curve ball to keep it interesting. 

Speaking of changes, we're about to celebrate your cousin Luke's second birthday. He seems like such a big boy now, yet I vividly remember meeting him for the first time at the hospital. It makes me realize how quickly you will be big too and pushing away my hugs and kisses. So for now I focus on sneaking them in as often as possible. I've got to stock up on enough Grayson sugar to last through the teen years. 

XOXO,

Your Mom