Monday, April 30, 2012

Under the Weather :(

So last Sunday Grayson woke up in the early morning with a fever. He was miserable! I took him in to the pediatrician on Monday and she thought he had a stomach virus. I should have known better because after coming back home, his nose started running and he started coughing. I went back again on Wednesday and it was confirmed he had his first ear infection. Yikes! I got him an antibiotic that just happens to be highlighter-yellow and he spits it out of his mouth three times a day...and I get to have this fun for 10 days!
Passed out on Daddy's shoulder! :( 
And I think the worst thing is that he now has no appetite. I was so proud of his eating and then wham! he gets sick and is now back to only breastfeeding again.
The ear infection seemed to start with a horrible cold/sinus infection that Claire got after Grayson and then I got it on Friday. I am now just as miserable as they were! I guess now I know how they felt...but I think I could've gone on not knowing and it would've been fine!!
This was the first time that one of the kids was sick for a whole week. I think I would like a do-over on last week! I seemed to spend most of my time holding Grayson while in my pajamas!
So, here's to hoping that this week brings healthy, happy (and hopefully hungry!) kids!

Put the pedal to the metal!

Last weekend it was finally warm enough to venture outside and walk to the playground. Grayson had been sick all day and I think that Charlie was at his wit's end with all of the screaming he was making. We thought putting him in the stroller for a ride would be a good idea for all of us! We told Claire she could ride her tricycle to the playground and you would've thought she had won the lottery she was so excited!
I think she realized soon after she started pedaling that this was going to be a lot of work! But she did really well and was way better than she was last summer. Having longer legs does help! We are still working on steering, though. Charlie had to pull her out of the grass many times!
It was so nice to be out walking around. We have had a really weird April. It has pretty much been: snow, melting, more snow, more melting. This is a rough time of year because all you hear about from friends and family at home is how nice the weather is and I am still wearing sweaters! How I long to break out my flip flops too!
We got to a big hill and that was where Claire decided she was tired. Charlie carried her the rest of the way. Too bad the stroller didn't have a big enough basket for the tricycle!
When we got to the playground Claire took off for the swings. She wanted to sit in the "baby" swings, but Charlie told her that she was too big this year. I can't believe she wanted to try and squeeze in those!
See the guy next to Charlie? This is a typical example of how we dress compared to Canadians in the spring.  They pull out shorts as soon as the snow is gone. But really it was barely 60 degrees.
I sat down to watch Claire play and to keep an eye on Grayson. He managed to take a five minute nap, but the walk did help distract him some. Poor guy!
I am looking forward to many many more warm days with lots of walks to the playground!

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

9 months

Grayson is nine months old!
 I thought for fun I would add some pictures of Grayson throughout his daily routine. It was kind of funny to me that after taking pictures for half the day, I realized I was taking the same pictures over and over! Ha! We seem to do a LOT of the same things over and over all day!
Good morning, blue eyes!
Grayson usually wakes up around 8:15am. He is breastfeeding every four hours and just this week he started eating baby food three times a day. Our biggest accomplishment this month is actually eating the baby food! I am so happy that he is interested in eating now! (It's about time, kid!)
Mmmm....cereal for breakfast!
I have been putting him in his pack n' play to play and he likes it. He has really gotten in to playing with his toys lately. He loves anything that rattles, sings, or makes some sort of noise (especially if it is annoying!). He is still in the I-want-to-chew-on-anything-that-I-get-my-hands-on phase. He especially loves anything Claire is playing with. Watch out, Barbies!
Grayson is now wearing 12 months pajamas (still) and 6-12 months shirts. He has moved up to 12 months pants. He weighs 17 pounds 11 ounces. I have decided that this little guy is just going to be long and skinny!
Lately he has become more proficient at sitting up. Yay! He loves to pat things with his hands. I think he might clap soon, but for now he is just patting everything!
I tried to get a picture of playing with Sissy...
I have found that Grayson will watch Baby Einstein for hours on end....which helps during fussy times! Although, he will stop watching if he sees the remote and will spend the next ten minutes trying to figure out where it went!
He also LOVES puffs now. He gets so excited when he sees them on his tray!

I am hoping that he will crawl soon. He rolls all the time, but still just gets frustrated when he can't reach something. I have been really encouraging him lately. Not sure if it is working! :)
So cozy...
 We are enjoying our boy!

Sea Lion's Kiss

A couple of Saturdays ago we decided to head to the "big mall" and see the Sea Lion show. We had seen it from the balcony a few times, but had never paid for admission. We paid a bit extra to see the aquarium downstairs (under the show) and after Claire had looked at some nurse sharks and pet the sting rays we came up for the show. It was really fun! There were lots of great tricks and Claire watched the entire show with wide eyes. Even Grayson was excited, but I think it might have to do with all of the clapping! He bounced up and down every time and was squealing in delight. It was pretty funny! I wanted to get a "family pic" with the sea lion. So we waited after the show and Charlie let me get the kiss on the head..yes!!! 



Monday, April 9, 2012

Eastery fun

We had a nice Easter weekend! We started the weekend off by having some friends over to eat pizza. I was super super excited because we recently got a Papa John's in our neighborhood and I haven't had Papa John's since we moved. It was a beautiful moment when I tasted that pizza!
Charlie and  I made a bunny cake too. I remembered eating bunny cakes that my grandpa made while growing up and wanted to start a tradition with our family. Charlie and I were a little disappointed that the cake was crumbly and hard to shape (he said it looked like a kindergarten project), but it tasted good so that was a plus!
I still think it turned out cute...
We also dyed eggs and had a mini egg hunt in our living room. I just happened to get this kit that was mess-free! You put the eggs in little bags and squirted dye packets in the bags and squished the dye all over the egg. It was sooo easy! Definitely getting that kit again next year (hope they carry it in the US for when we move back too!)
On Saturday we got the kids all dressed up in their Easter clothes and took off to the mall to sit on the Bunny's lap. Claire was really excited about all the Easter fun we were having. She has made up a new song that she sings while dancing in circles around the kitchen and living room. It goes something like "I'm gonna hop hop hop like a bunny for Easter!" (Creative, huh?)
We walked to where the Bunny was and got in line. It was just our luck that after standing their a few minutes a worker told us that the Bunny would be taking a 15 minute break soon. Hmm. I decided it would be best to feed Grayson ASAP to keep him happy, so I did that quickly. Then, I told Claire that the Bunny was going to go to the bathroom which caused her to immediately say, "I need to go too!" Yikes! So we took off to the nearest potty. And when we got back we were next in line for our picture. Perfect timing!
So, I sat the kids on the Bunny's lap and got right beside the photographer so I could "assist/yell/entertain" the kids to try and get the best picture possible. And things weren't going too well at first mainly because Claire was smiling with her eyes looking away (which I call "crazy eyes") but then the Bunny started tickling Grayson which brought on the biggest smiles and I thought "yes, this is going to be perfect." But I was wrong wrong wrong. Every great picture of Grayson was terrible of Claire. So, in the end we sacrificed Grayson for Claire and got the best picture of her and poor Grayson is looking slightly away. I know, I know...so sad for Grayson. I guess getting a perfect picture of two kids in just not possible. Now I know.
The best I could get of the kids at home.
After that interesting experience we ate lunch. I will seriously miss Tim Horton's when we move. It is a Panera Bread-ish place with great donuts and I love the soup deal that comes with a drink and a donut...mmm! Claire really loves their ranch chicken wraps and eats the entire wrap!
The girl loves her wrap!
Watching us eat...
We had some tired kids after that. We headed back to the car and made it home for them to take some much needed naps. Claire started her nap early in the car...
poor girl!
On Sunday Claire was up and ready to see her Easter Bunny treats! She found eggs filled with jelly beans and then examined all of her candy. That girl loves her candy! Ha! Grayson got teething keys. He was very happy to have something else to chew on!
We went to church and had a nice sermon followed by a yummy church dinner. We had turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, bread, veggies, and cake! It was so nice that they put on something like that for those without family close by.
I think this whole weekend was a success! Time with friends, fun family time, some sort of good pictures, candy, and celebrating Jesus' Resurrection!

Friday, April 6, 2012

Seven years later...

On Monday, Charlie and I celebrated our seven year anniversary! We decided to celebrate by going out to eat. Yep, that meant loading up the kids and toting them along too! And I just thought back to our beautiful wedding day and imagined what I would have said if I could've told myself what the next seven years would entail...
But isn't it funny...I wouldn't change a thing! Each experience has come with its own set of blessings. And I know that is how God works. Even the challenges we have faced have produced their own good.
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28
We had a nice time eating together...even when Grayson started screaming and Claire was getting squirmy.
I feel incredibly blessed to have been married for seven years to Charlie. He is a great husband and daddy.
So...here's to many more years together!