Grayson loves Aunt Rebecca!

 Daddy and Grayson being silly!

Yesterday I had some friends from high school and their babies over for a playdate (I love reconnecting with old friends). My sister is in town and snapped some really cute pictures of the babies- check them out  on her blog here.

I love in her post that she said, “My sister and I definitely live in different worlds.” It’s true. Rebecca is 20, smack in the middle of college (art school) where she spends her days photographing fashion models and creating absolutely amazing pieces of art from things like insulation foam and recycled water bottles. I know she was a little out of her element yesterday with over an hour of nonstop talk of all things baby- how is it we can talk about the sleeping and eating habits of our children ad nauseum, and yet still find it riveting conversation? Anyway, the world Rebecca lives in seems so foreign to me- in 9 months, apparently I’ve completely forgotten what it feels like to wake up when I want, go where I want, even be out past-gasp- 7 pm.

My college days, and even my childless days, feel like a lifetime ago. I am working a few days a week this summer while Ryan is home to be with Grayson. Today I had to wake up at 5:30 am in order to be at work at 7, something that I did regularly for years before having this baby. Yet this morning it felt so weird. I LOVE my job and it was great to be there today, but it felt weird. Yes, I’ve been working on the weekends since January, but there was just something different about leaving the house before Grayson had his breakfast, or even his first diaper change. And I missed him- oh I missed that baby. But when I got home, I was tired. Really tired. And I really didn’t feel like working on G’s sitting, or feeding, or tummy time. All I wanted to do was sit on the couch, read blogs, and have a glass of wine. But Grayson didn’t want to veg with me. So we worked on sitting, we ate green beans and peas with our oatmeal for dinner, and we did a little tummy time. And we went to the park and swung to kill those last 30 minutes before bathtime.

Working moms- you are amazing. Those of you who give 100% to your job and then 100% to your children day in and day out have to be utterly exhausted. And yet you do it.

I am so, so happy that Ryan decided not to teach summer school this year. He’s been home a week, and I can already see a dramatic change in the way Grayson relates to him. G’s face lights up when he hears his Daddy’s voice and they have discovered a common love of farting noises (they both laugh hysterically when they hear one). I love how Ryan calls G his Little Monster and how Grayson uses Ryan’s thumb as a teether. Those two are two peas in a pod. And I think Ryan is relieved to get a break from his world and step into our world for a few weeks.

I know you are thinking, “Don’t you have anything more exciting going on to write about?”

Nope. I don’t. Just keepin’ it real. So you’ve been warned. Keep reading if you want, but I’m not offering any refunds on the next 2 minutes of your life.

So Grayson is eating much better these days. Hallelujah. I’ve finally discovered something he has yet to refuse- baby oatmeal. I was hesitant to buy a box at first because of his most-unimpressed attitude towards rice cereal, but he LOVES it. And he will eat it mixed with anything- sweet potatoes, pears, apples, prunes, wasabi (just kidding).

Here’s the problem- he loves it so much, and he’s such a big boy now what with his new grabbing skills and all, that he wants to feed himself. Yes, I know in this post that I said I am so thankful that he is grabbing stuff that I don’t care that he’s grabbing the spoon while I’m trying to feed him. Yeah, well, I am, but it’s now driving. me. insane. He’s not coordinated enough to grab the spoon by the handle- he has to grab the biggest, easiest part to grab- the part with the big bite of food on it. And then he smears, flings, or wipes that oatmeal all over himself and his momma. Any food that does actually make it in his mouth is quickly swallowed and then he’s impatient for his next bite. So the whole feeding process consists of me dodging baby arms flailing in an effort to grab the spoon, while at the same time trying not to fling the food myself, and at the same time trying to hit the intended target- his mouth. Never mind trying to stay clean- not gonna happen (remember, I am still feeding the little booger on my lap).

Most days Grayson now gets 2 baths- one after breakfast and one after dinner. And if I’m feeling lazy, I just let Izzy lick the food off him in the morning. Why else to we keep that little devil around? Yes, in fact I AM the Mother of the Year.

Side note- Friday Confession- I LOVE baby food. Really. I think all of it is so yummy. Ryan thinks I am bizarre. This morning I tasted G’s oatmeal/apple/blueberry concoction and seriously contemplated making a bowl for myself. I wonder how much weight I could lose if I switched to all baby food. Hmmm. Oh, and I do plan at some point to start making my own baby food, but I know it won’t be as yummy as that stuff in those delicious little jars. Mmmm.

Ok- end of baby food portion. If you are one of the 3 people still reading, be warned I am about to start the poop portion of this post.

Grayson is pooping A LOT. Like really, really, really a lot. Like no less than 5 poopy diapers/day the last week. No, I haven’t called the doctor- he’s fine. But I am really kind of getting tired of changing so many poopy diapers. And to be honest, cloth diapers are fabulous (still lovin’ them) but they are a bit more high maintenance than disposables when it comes to #2. And also oatmeal poopy diapers are not quite as pleasant as formula poopy diapers. They stink.

That’s all- I mean, what more is there to say about baby poop?

And it’s not like anyone is still reading this garbage anyway.

The end.

I haven’t posted in a week- we’ve been busy, but really it’s because I haven’t had much inspiration to write this week. But (mostly for me to remember, read if you want) here’s a recap of our week.

My goofy boys

Monday morning- we braved the dog park for the first time with all 4 dogs and Grayson. Yes, we looked like a circus act going and coming, but it really worked out well- Ryan and I got some excersise, Hank did his thing, and the girls followed us around the track like little ducklings. We are planning to make it a regular thing this summer. Monday afternoon I worked at Waggin’ Tails, and the boys and the dogs hung out at the house.

Tuesday- Grayson had an appointment at Texas Children’s with the neuro-opthamologist. I was pessimistic going into the appointment, but was pleasantly surprised. She took us seriously and seemed to really be interested in figuring out what’s going on with him. The problem is his nystagmus (his eyes shifting) doesn’t fit with the other possible diagnoses. She thinks he may have ocular albinism but isn’t sure. She’ll see him again in 6 months- wait and see, just like every other specialist. But, it was better than I expected. After our appointment, we went over to my parents’ house and got to see Peter and Megan who drove in the day before from Nashville. We miss them so much and it’s so much fun when they are here!

Wednesday- we had a great playdate in the morning with some friends from church, then in the evening I met some other friends at Pinot’s Palette, a painting studio where you bring your own wine and paint a canvas to take home. It was a really fun atmosphere- wine, friends, and painting- I’m all about it! I painted this for G’s playroom:

Today- we finally broke out Grayson’s swim trunks and got in the pool at my parents’ house. G was a little hesitant (scared?) at first, but I think he liked being in the water once he got used to it. Good thing we went swimming early, because the thermometer in my car said 102 degrees when we headed for home about 3:00. Welcome to summer, Houston. Oy.

Ryan and I both love softball, and the Women’s College World Series started today, so when we’re home this weekend, we’ll be glued to ESPN. We’ve watched 3 games already today. I am not a big sports-on-TV watcher, but I do love watching the WCWS and it’s our kick-off-the-summer tradition. We have 2 birthday parties this weekend- Grayson’s sweet friends Sadie and Sophia are both turning 1, and Sophia’s big sis Tessa turns 3 this week! We can’t wait to help them celebrate. Here’s a picture of the birthday sign I painted for Sophia using her teeny-tushy as the top of the cupcake. I can’t wait to make G’s (blue) cupcake in a few months!

Big sis Tessa did her handprints (with only 3 fingers painted) for her birthday sign:

We love when Ms. Marybeth, Grayson’s vision teacher, comes to visit. She always brings really creative ideas and craft projects for Mr. G to do. Today’s project: Finger Total Body Painting on the driveway!

By the end, both Grayson and Mommy were covered in paint (although if you know me, it’s not unusual for me to be covered in paint, so it was no big deal.) We did a quick rinse in the sink, and then when Ms. Marybeth left, Grayson went “swimming” in the bathtub to get the rest of the paint off. He loved it!

Grayson’s Masterpiece- I think I’m going to frame it and put it in his playroom!

 

Grayson has eaten THREE solid food meals in a row! He loves….wait for it…pear yogurt mixed with sweet potatoes- cold, out of the refridgerator. And it should have been so obvious what he would like, since pear yogurt and sweet potatoe is such a compatible combination and this child acts like I’m poisoning him if his bottle isn’t at the perfect warm temperature.
And I have a confession- in desperation to get him to eat something, anything- last week at Walmart I bought pretty much every kind of baby food on the shelf, including pear yogurt. Off the shelf. Not refridgerated. How does that work? Yogurt that doesn’t have to be refridgerated can’t be great for you. But I give myself points because the sweet potatoes are organic. He’ll live.

And because what goes in must eventually come out, I’ve been changing quite a few dirty diapers. Which brings me to the topic of diapers. Several of you have asked me why we’ve switched to cloth. Here’s my second confession: when it comes to diapers, I could care less about saving the earth (not that I’m opposed to the earth being saved). I do, however care about saving money, and that my kid is cute, which basically are the two superficial reasons why G is now sporting a fluffy bootie. Plus, it’s good that he’s not being exposed to the 43,567 chemicals that are in disposables, but let’s be honest, I’ll give my kid yogurt off a Walmart shelf, so who am I trying to fool?

I read several blogs of women who cloth diaper, including Esperanza’s, and I always thought, great for them, but NO THANKS! Then I met Sarah in real life and watched her actually diaper her son and it looked so easy. So thanks to her mentoring and answering my million questions, we are now saving money and looking cute! So yes, I am a Cloth Diaper Doubting Thomas. I have to see, not just read your fabulous blog, to believe.

Which brings me to another topic- the name Thomas. I LOVE the name Thomas for a little boy. In fact-Confession #3- if I had it totally my way, Grayson most likely would be named Thomas. I talk to Grayson all the time about his future little brother Thomas and Ryan just rolls his eyes (he is not a fan of the name). But I did get him to agree that if we can’t have a human child named Thomas that our next bloodhound could be Thomas. But that would require actually getting another bloodhound someday. And the idea of that just makes me tired, and jealous of my son who sleeps about 15 hours a day.

In fact, Grayson has been asleep now for about an hour, so my get-stuff-done-around-the-house time is probably more than 1/3 gone. And yes, I really do have a lot to get done today- I’m having a Farewell Oprah party tomorrow because 1.If I watched Oprah tomorrow by myself I would probably bawl my eyes out (yes, I’m that person who is very sad the TOWS is not returning) and 2. When I was watching the Royal Wedding the thought occurred to me that it would have been fun to have a viewing party. And I like Oprah more than the royals, sorry. So back to my point- I have a lot of shoving stuff in closets so people won’t see our junk cleaning to do. So I better get to it, because once that little monkey wakes up, he might be hungry. Good thing there’s plenty of pear yogurt preserving very nicely in the pantry.

G was not interested in taking any pics with his foot out of his mouth

I know I say this every single month, but this month flew by faster than any other. I’m still mourning that Grayson is no longer 6 months old, and poof! he’s now 8 months! This month was fast, but GOOD! Grayson packed in a lot of development and new skills into 4 short weeks.

New stuff:

• TEETH! 2 sweet little pearly whites have poked through on his bottom gums. We had a weekend of low grade fever and fussiness, but other than that, it hasn’t been bad at all.
• Grabbing! Yay!
• Grayson is now noticing and is somewhat interested in the dogs. He even giggled at grabbed at Izzy the other day!
• New sound- ga ga ga- it’s so cute and funny and I know he’s trying to say something very important when he makes it.
• THIS funny little position (hee hee)

This can’t be that comfortable

Clothes: 6 month and 6-9 month. I love cute summer rompers and floppy hats! And yes, sometimes Grayson’s clothes make him look 8 months going on 80.

My sweet little old man

Diapers: Size 2 in Pampers, but we are now doing cloth diapers during the day!

Love that fluffy tooshie!

Food: Hit or miss. Some days, G is all about his sweet potatoes, applesauce and peas. Other days, not so much. I’m trying not to stress, but I’m worried. He’s still taking about 4 ounces of formula every three to four hours.

Prunes? My mom not only dresses me like I’m 80, she feeds me like I am too!

2/3 of a year down! Seriously, this little dude just gets cuter and cuter every day and even with all the not-so-fun stuff, he makes every day and absolute joy. I am so honored and blessed to be his mommy. I mean, who wouldn’t want to start the day like THIS:

We’ve had a few weeks where we haven’t seen any doctors or had to deal with anything medical, other than therapy. It’s been nice. We’ve been working hard on motor skills, but diagnosis, bloodwork and doctors had been pushed to the back of my mind.

Feeding (solids) hasn’t been going great, but I haven’t been really stressing about it. Grayson ate some applesauce somewhat enthusiastically on Monday, but other than that, has barely touched his twice a day “meals” this week. I’m still giving him as much extra calorie formula as he will take, but he only actually finishes a few bottles entirely in a day.

Wednesday I got a call from the nurse at his pediatrician’s office. They had been sent some of the bloodwork results and wondered if our neurologist had called me. Umm…nope. Well, the chromosomal tests came back normal, but there were two things that were high, but the nurse didn’t have an explanation for them (not that I expected her to know what all this stuff means). So I called the neurologist and they called me back yesterday- with no explanation- that nurse didn’t even see the same thing on her report. Oh and the doctor STILL has not read G’s EEG, even though they billed insurance almost $3000 for it. Frustrating.

The pedatrician’s nurse asked me about how eating was going, and I told her not great, and I didn’t think that he’s gained much or any weight in the last month since our weight check. So then she called me back today, and Dr. D is referring him to a GI doctor. So here we go again- another specialist.

I weighed Grayson tonight right after his bath-we have a baby scale- 14 pounds, 4 ounces. This is 5 ounces less than he weighed a month ago. 0.3 percentile. So obviously something is wrong. An 8 month old should not go a month and not gain any weight, much less lose weight. An 8 month old should not be under 15 pounds. An 8 month old should eat more than 4 ounces from a bottle at a time.

So that’s it. I’m worried. Stressed. Sad. There are so many pieces to this puzzle but none of them are fitting together right now to make a complete picture.

AAAAAA! That’s it- my Friday night vent. Thanks for reading.

In my last post, I asked for suggestions for blogging topics. I plan on writing on all of them at some point. My sister in law Megan asked me to write on what I am learning about motherhood. Here goes…

I’m learning to live in the moment. I’ve always been one of those who’s guilty of looking towards the next big thing in life, and right now, I just want to stay put. Grayson’s developmental delays have in some ways been a blessing- I am cherishing that he is staying in each stage a little longer, and yet, it still seems to be racing by so fast.

I’m learning to ask for help. No one can do this job alone, and no one should. Grayson does not benefit when I’m totally stressed out and/or resentful. Whether it be asking a friend to go with me to a doctors appointment or my mom to babysit on a Friday night, I’m learning that people are willing to help me and it makes life so much easier.

I’m learning not to judge. My breastfeeding experience taught me this more than anything. There’s no right way to parent, and there are always reasons behind people’s individual choices. I do what’s right for my baby and family, and it may not be what’s right for yours. That’s ok.

I’m learning the value of friendship. My life is so richly blessed right now because of my wonderful friends. Since having Grayson, I have grown so much closer to my friends who are on the same journey of motherhood, and have also made some new friends (both in real life and in the blogosphere) as a result of this new stage of life. I am being honest, I have the most wonderful friends in the world- funny, caring, and real.

I’m learning that life will never be perfect. I am doing the job I’ve always wanted- I have a husband, a house, and a baby. And yet, there are things in my life that are not ideal that I struggle with every day. I am frustrated that Ryan is gone so much, that Grayson is not sitting up yet. It makes me crazy that Gabby barks her head off at 5:00 every morning and Izzy poops in the house. I don’t like my body or the fact that I can’t afford to buy new clothes. I wish I had a bigger laundry room and shower. But there is more good in my life than bad, more perfect than imperfect. I am thankful.

I’m learning to be open to new ideas. These days, I don’t knock any idea until I try it. Babywearing- tried it, not for me. Cloth diapers- experimenting now, and so far I’m loving them. Grayson has three therapists who we absolutely love and all three of them have fantastic ideas and techniques to help him develop. I’m learning to rely on others’ experience and expertise.

I’m learning that I was right. I always thought being a Mom would be my “thing” but feared quitting my job to do it full time might make me bored and/or crazy. So far, I was right- this is totally my “thing”. I may be a little crazy sometimes, but I’m definitely not bored! Some days are hard, and there’s been a lot of tears and worry the past 8 months, but for the most part, I LOVE my job.