The Incredible Inedible Egg

We've discovered that Grayson has an allergy to eggs. He seems to be able to tolerate them as a minor ingredient inside other foods, but in large concentration it upsets his stomach.

You may recall the red blotches and vomiting that occurred after his birthday ice cream and cupcake. We thought maybe it was too much sweet stuff, but after eating quiche for lunch at school last week he had another vomiting episode. After he cleaned out his stomach, he took a nap and kept food down the rest of the day (just like on his birthday) so it had to have been the eggs.

It's quite common for kids to grow out of an egg allergy at this stage in life, I just hope it isn't a precursor to Michael's poultry allergy. Right now, Grayson seems to be able to tolerate chicken and turkey, but so could Michael at his age. It wasn't until adolescence that he would go into anaphylactic shock. Michael can still eat eggs, so maybe there's no correlation.

Only time will tell, I just hate the idea of Grayson having a dietary restriction that's such a common ingredient. A life without ice cream and scrambled eggs and most baked goods would be a hard one.

Yes Man

Grayson is making progress with his communication skills and it's so much fun to watch as a new word "clicks." Today it was shaking his head yes.

As we were eating dinner, Michael was feeding him the end of his meal and held up an applesauce cup (aka dessert). He asked Grayson, "Do you want some applesauce?" and Grayson paused and shook his head yes. Then he got the biggest, most adorable smile on his face and my heart melted on the spot. (But you already knew that part)

Later when we were playing, we tested out the head shake again and it wasn't a fluke, he really seems to know what it means. Watching him walk around the living room and "talk" makes me realize how fun it will be when we can carry on mini-conversations. We'll soon know more about what's going on inside that little bald head of his.

Celebrating Life

We received a call today that we've been expecting for quite some time, but were still not ready to hear. Michael's Grandma passed away this afternoon.

Although she never really liked having her picture taken, I'm so glad we were able to steal a few shots of her with Grayson. He will now have to remember her through photos and the stories we tell him, but she will never be forgotten.

Grandmas are supposed to love their grandchildren, but this one's cup runneth over like nothing I've ever seen. She always wore a necklace with the birthstone of each of her "precious grandbabies" (and great-grandbabies), never holding back her pride when anyone asked about them.

She loved to sing to Grayson for hours and we'd often have to force her to hand him over so she would eat a meal, otherwise she was content going hungry just to hold him.

Her life was all about her family and now her family will celebrate the life and love of this strong, generous and compassionate woman.

Whew

I've been nervous about introducing Grayson to peanut butter because of all the peanut allergies you read about these days. But this weekend I decided it was time to bite the bullet and just get it over with, so I fixed him a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch on Saturday.

I wish I had the video camera going when he took his first bite. He rolled the peanut butter around in his mouth, examining the texture and flavor. After immediately deciding he liked it, I fed him a little more and waited to see if he was going to have any allergic reaction.

Thank goodness he didn't and instead proceeded to take down almost the entire sandwich. I have a feeling the PB&J will be a household staple for many years to come.

More Blog Fun

In case you haven't noticed, I recently posted some new blog links in the margin. The one by my little sister Emily and her husband Levi (The Wilkins) includes some new pictures of their weekend trip to the park with Grayson.

Is there an echo in here?

Grayson continues to work on his verbal skills daily and has begun mimicking Michael and I when we least expect it. He doesn't always get the letter sounds just right, but it's a startling reminder that we need to get used to little ears listening.

Not that we curse like sailors or anything, but we are used to using our daily commute to catch up with each other and vent if necessary. Eventually we'll have to be more aware of our conversation topics, but this mimicking is a reminder we should start thinking about it now.

Mike's also decided that he needs to create a Grayson-friendly playlist on his iPod, that way we aren't surprised by any lyrics while in the car.

On a related note, this week I witnessed the television mesmerize my son for the first time. Other than showing him about five minutes of a Baby Einstein DVD and some football coverage, we make a conscious effort not to have the TV on while Grayson is in the living room. He's never really paid much attention to it, but we figured it would be better to play music instead.

When I took Grayson to the pediatrician this week to check out his ear infections and fever, they were playing a children's movie on the waiting room TV. It was animated and he was instantly transfixed on the screen. It was actually a bit scary how powerful of a draw it had on him. He sat perfectly still watching the screen for our entire wait. Part of me didn't mind because it meant he didn't want to explore the germ-infested waiting room.

We'd never planned to withhold television from him forever or anything drastic, but we'd rather he entertain himself with toys or using his imagination. I'm sure Saturday morning cartoons will come soon enough, it was just eye opening to me how strong of a pull that movie had on him. Guess those children's movie producers know their audience.

Our Picky Eater

We've had a lot of culinary changes in our household lately. Grayson has transitioned from baby food to table food, formula to milk and bottles to sippy cups. Meanwhile not to be outdone, Roxy has also undergone a change in her brand of dog food.

Surprisingly, throughout this process Roxy is the one that's revealed herself as the picky eater in our family. We decided to mix her old and new dog foods together so it wouldn't upset her stomach and instead she decided to pick out every piece of old dog food from her bowl and discard it on the kitchen floor. She refuses to eat the old stuff (which she's loved practically her entire life) and now will only eat the new brand.

I swear, that dog...

She's not even the slightest bit apologetic.

Sit Boo Boo Sit, Good Dog

I've come to the realization that teaching our toddler lessons like vocabulary and discipline is strikingly similar to training a dog. Maybe that's why so many people get pets before they have kids.

I know Grayson's intelligence will quickly spike beyond that of a canine, but right now I find myself talking to him in a similar way we speak to Roxy.

No touch, Grayson.

Wave and say bye bye

Be easy, Grayson (typically when he's trying to pet Roxy)

No bite (you get my point)

Short phrases, repetition and consistency are key, whether you're teaching your dog to sit or shake, or teaching your toddler to wave and say bye. They both look at you and either obey or ignore at approximately the same success rate.

My only hope is that our son will be better trained than our dog. No offense to Roxy, but if you've ever stepped foot in our house you know she is primed for 15 minutes of fame on the Dog Whisperer. Not that it's her fault...it's totally ours. I just hope Grayson doesn't become primed for an episode of Super Nanny.

Easy Like a Sunday Morning

A few weekend pics captured through Popper's camera lens:

Making friends with his sock elephant from Aunt Kristin & Uncle Jared

Enjoying his new tunnel from Nana & Popper

Showing off his teeth

The Big Birthday Bash

Michael & Grayson's birthdays are only a couple days apart and both boys celebrated major milestones this year - 30 and 1 respectively. We threw an official birthday party this past weekend and Grayson enjoyed eating cupcakes and homemade ice cream for the first time...right up until the moment he puked.

Yes, not only did the mix of sugar and icing not sit well in his stomach, but something also gave him red blotches around his nose. We still haven't figured out what he was allergic to, but he recovered quickly and was fine in time for dinner.

Despite the minor emergencies, we enjoyed celebrating with our friends and family and feel so blessed to have such wonderful people in our lives.

Here are a few pictures from the birthday bash (minus the puke and blotches):

The birthday boys

Not sure what to think about the candle

Gray's first cupcake (he actually stayed relatively clean)

Michael's beloved strawberry cupcake (Was he wishing for more babies? I highly doubt that. I bet it was for a new Playstation game)

All about the toys and wrapping paper

Our friends and their kiddos. So many new babies! It will be fun to watch them grow together over the years.

Birthday Fun

On Grayson's birthday we took him to the park to enjoy the gorgeous weather and his new love of swinging. His Auntie Emily and Uncle Levi live close by the park and joined us for an impromptu birthday celebration. He was so tired by the end, he just sat very still and didn't make a peep. I think we finally found a way to wear him out!

1 year check-up

Grayson had his 12 month check-up this morning, so I thought I'd share his stats. He's dropped a little in weight and is back down to 22 lbs. The doctor said this is normal because he's so active at this stage and we've been able to tell lately that Grayson is starting to thin out a little.

His weight was around the 40th percentile and his length, at 30 1/8 inches, is in the 80th percentile. If he keeps this up, he'll be one tall and skinny boy.

In other developmental news, last night Grayson took his first unprompted steps. We usually have to prompt him to walk between Mike and myself, but last night he went from a chair and walked to Mike. It was like everything clicked and he realized he could do it on his own.

I finally gave in and began fully transitioning him from baby food to table food this week. He started the meal plan at school yesterday and seems to love feeding himself. I knew he would, I was just used to our feeding routine and reluctant to give it up.

The doctor recommended we also wean off the bottle by 15 months, which we're working toward, but it seems like there are a lot of changes going on right now. He drinks his morning and lunch milk out of a sippy cup, but still has a small afternoon bottle before nap time and one before bed. Guess we'll tackle that next. Always something.

Playing Forts with Daddy

These days Grayson is all about getting into things. He loves emptying out his toy cabinet and sitting inside while opening and closing the door. Michael has been anticipating this day since we first learned we were pregnant because it means it's time to build forts!

Mike took Gray's old floor gym and draped a blanket over it for their first make-shift fort. At first, Grayson was content standing and pulling off the blanket, but he soon realized the fun of being inside the fort (especially when daddy's inside too). I'm not sure who enjoys this more...Grayson or his daddy. Roxy also likes to get in on the action, but as you can see, space is limited.

Look how skinny my rolly polly boy is getting! Still has some nice thighs on him, though. See below.

We've also discovered a new-found love for this chair. We used it as a bouncy seat/rocker when he was a baby, but it also converts into a rocking chair as the child grows. Grayson thinks he's a big kid now that he can make it rock himself.

Happy Birthday Grayson!

Wow, can you believe this kiddo is 1 today? This year has been a whirlwind of drool, diapers, learning and flying by the seat of our pants.

I think back to a year ago at how miserably big I was, so ready for the birth and excited to finally meet our son. It's truly amazing how much can happen in 12 short months. Gray's gone from no head control to crawling and now even stumbling around a bit, perfectly maneuvering his pacifier while opening and closing the door to his toy cabinet.

Not only has he changed, but Michael and I have as well. What "we" learned from books (i.e. what I relayed to Michael from the books I read) became reality and then we forgot the books altogether and found our own way. We went from awkwardly bathing and diapering a fragile baby to wrestling a chunky toddler after splashing in the bathtub.

When I was pregnant, Michael and I used to wonder about what traits our son might have. Over the last year we've learned a little bit about this amazing person, but I'm happy to say there is so much left to still discover. This is probably just as true for ourselves as it is for Grayson.