My Little Turkey

We did all the traditional Thanksgiving day things this year. And they were lots of fun, but I most thankful for some extra family time we had last week.

We started by celebrating the cold weather at my parent's house. We decided the only appropriate thing to do was to build a fire outside, roast marshmallows and make some s'mores! Grant started off by sitting in Uncle Mike's lap. He didn't quite know what to make of the fire yet. Then he moved to Aunt Robin's lap. Still not quite sure...

By the time he made it to Grandpa, he was an old pro! He loved those toasted marshmallows!

Greg and Jen were able to come down for Thanksgiving this year for the first time. We had a great day of fun including a yummy brunch and fun games. Later that evening, we drove down to the beach and had some yummy Mexican food. Apparently, my son still needs a bib!

After dinner, we went to the Festival of Lights. PawPaw was in charge of pushing the stroller and Grant was just entranced by all the lights. Of course, we had to stop to see the train.

Jen and Greg in front of the Christmas tree.

Next time we see Jen, we won't be able to take a belly pic together. Jen -26 weeks. Me - 34 weeks.

How'd He Get There?

A few days after Grant started sleeping in his big boy room, a light bulb went on... "I can get out of my bed now and go wherever I want!" We have been having to take some drastic measures to get him to stay in bed at night. I take away his blankets if he leaves his bed. Not just any blankets. His special-has-to-have-them-everywhere-we-go blankets. I know. I am a horrible mom, but it works. He goes straight back to bed and falls asleep.

After Grant falls asleep, we don't have any problems. He stays in his bed all night and he is waking up at a decent hour. When he wakes in the morning, he climbs out of bed and usually heads towards the living room. He sits in his chair and waits for me to let him watch a show. I'm usually already awake or he makes enough noise that I hear him.

Well, poor thing, I must not have heard him get out of bed Saturday morning because I woke up at 8:00, walked by his room to find it empty, then found him passed out in his chair. Who knows how long he waited for me to turn on one of his shows before he passed out! Notice that he is clutching those previously mentioned blankets. My sweet boy! He is just so cute!

Showering Baby Grayson

First, I would like to apologize for not blogging as of late. It has been a hectic week! Plus, the medicine the doctor prescribed for me makes me feel like I am about to go into hibernation for the winter. I have zero energy during the day, but the ironic side of that is I sleep like a baby at night because I am just exhausted.

Grayson and I had another appointment at the doctor's office this week. I have been scheduled for induction on December 28th as long as my cholestasis stays status quo and baby Grayson is moving well. Since we now have to keep up with Grayson's movements, I headed over to the hospital after our appointment to do some fetal monitoring. With Grant it never took more than 20 minutes for them to see the movements they needed. Grayson took over an hour. But it was his lazy time of day... so after they gave me some juice and ice, he perked up a bit. We'll be doing this weekly.

Onto some exciting news... our church gave a beautiful baby shower for Grayson and I last Sunday (with some extra yummy brownies for dessert... yummmm)! It's so nice to know that everyone is showering our son with love already.

The gift table. We were blessed with nearly everything a baby could need, including about three months worth of diapers. Thank you all for your thoughtfulness!

My good friend, Leigh Ann, and her little boy made the 2 1/2 hour trip to come to the shower. It was so great to see her and pinch Eli's enormous cheeks!

The moms and I. Our little boy has some fabulous grandparents! Grayson's Aunt Robin even made the journey to the shower. He won't be loved on at all... ha!

The hostesses. Jen, Joyce, Cathy, Lynn and Dee (not pictured).

Day of Fun for Grant

With the upcoming birth of our second son, we decided it would be nice to have a 'day of fun' with Grant. We didn't do anything lavish or over the top, but included everyday activities that Grant just loves into our day. Gary took the day off in honor of the event and we started the morning with a yummy breakfast casserole.

After breakfast, we headed to the 'train park.' That's what I call it because it is right next to the train tracks. We were hoping that we may get to watch a train pass by while we there. We knew that would put a smile on Grant's face. While we waited for a train, Grant played on the playground. He had a great time playing 'chase' with daddy.

"You can't get me!" After playing for a while, we walked over to the old train depot. We were still hoping we would see that elusive train, but no such luck. We were there for over an hour and no train passed (Which I find ironic because every time I am trying to leave town in a hurry, I get stopped by a train!).

Next, we walked over to the library. We, of course, found a book on Thomas the Train. Grant had a great time exploring the bookshelves and finding just the right book.

We finally went home to take a break for lunch and naptime. Then we made homemade cookies and went on an excruciatingly long walk (well, for me). I know my boys would have loved to walk at a more human pace, but I was set in snail mode.

We played in the backyard, watched The Polar Express and then took another walk to a friday night playoff football game. Phewwww... what a great and busy day! I am going to miss it being just the three of us, but we are so looking forward to meeting the newest member of our little family!

Christmas Baby???

Grayson and I just got back from another dr's appointment. My cholestasis is back, so I will start going to the hospital once a week for fetal monitoring. Plus, Dr Klein wants to start seeing me once a week. BUT the big news is... he said he won't let me deliver after 38 weeks, which is December 26th. So we could very well be looking at a beautiful baby boy before Christmas!!! YIKES! All of sudden, I have a huge to do list and am starting to wonder when I will get it all done. Not that two or three weeks should make that big of a difference, but it does! Especially during the holidays. Keep us in your prayers.

Can You Say 'Big Boy?' Grant Can!

It's official! Grant is in his big boy room! We bought him a new book to read before we went to sleep. We all snuggled on his bed and read "Good Night Train." Then we read it again. Grant loves anything to do with trains, so his new room is perfect for him! Grant went to sleep without any problems. Good news for us! He did wake up quite a few times last night, but I think that has more to do with his stuffy nose and cough than being in a new space. This morning was interesting though... he woke up at 6:30 and Gary found him crying in the hallway. We're going to have to work on that.

Grant fast asleep in his big boy bed. I just put him down for a nap and so far so good. Looks like this might turn out to be a pretty easy transition! Knock on wood...

No... We Don't Like These Words!

Grant is like a little man now. He understands almost everything you say to him, and he is adding new words daily to his expressive vocabulary. Most recently, though, we have picked up on a few words and phrases that aren't so flattering. While I think my child is the most polite boy on earth (He uses please and thank you all the time. We are working on sorry and excuse me.), we have started to learn that there are some not so nice ways to say things as well.

He came home last week from MDO saying, "Mine." I never use that word in the hopes that he won't. But in light of the increasing frequency in which he describes the possession of his objects, I think that strategy has failed. The other two phrases he is using on a more regular basis are 1.) No way! 2.) Go away! Now, these two sound really similar, so it may be that he is saying just one of them, but I swear he tells me to 'go away' sometimes. I'm hoping all the pleases and thank yous are going to overshadow his momentary lapses into rudeness.