One Year

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Graysen had his one year well visit today. He is doing great! He weighs 20 Lb 2 Oz (15th percentile). The antibiotics are working and he is feeling better. As always, there were a few concerns, but everything is very good for the present. With Graysen, I have learned to live life one day at a time and enjoy the blessings that I am given. He is a fun, happy, and beautiful boy!

Happy Birthday Graysen!

Graysen turned one year old this morning. It is amazing to see how much he has changed in the past year. He is very active and it is a joy to see him grow up. This morning, Lee and I reminised about our life one year ago. It reminds us what a blessing Graysen is.

Blog Entries From Graysen's First Days

Whole Foods

Lee and I picked up dinner at Whole Foods on Saturday evening. We let the boys ride together in the cart. They both had a blast driving the truck around the store. Near the end, we noticed that Caleb was holding a "Chocolate Chewies $4.99 ea." sign. He looked very distraught and was scared that they were going to get in trouble. It was evident that he had just taken it away from Graysen, who was the one who swiped it in the first place. Caleb follows all rules and never touches anything at a store. Graysen does not have the same conscience.

Also, on Saturday, Caleb said his entire alphabet from A to Z and counted to 20. Lee and I are amazed by how much he teaches himself. We do not push him at all. He spends a lot of time at night and in the morning studying books. Our rule is that he has to go in his room at night, but he does not necessarily have to go to bed. He can't play with toys, but he can read and spend time with all of his books. Through this process, he has taught himself many things.

Change of Plans

Mmmmmmmmm... Target makes the best lunches!!!

We were supposed to go to Gastonia today to spend the day with Lisa and Emily. Unfortunately, Graysen woke up sick and had to go to the doctor. Since he was on amoxicillin earlier in the month, the doctor prescribed a much stronger antibiotic. She thinks that he has a bacterial infection and just needs extra help fighting it. We go back on Wednesday for his well visit, so hopefully he will be better by then.

Caleb was distraught, so to cheer him up I took him to Target for lunch. (Target is my favorite lunch place right now. I LOVE their pretzels.)

Chuck E Cheese

Today we went to Chuck E Cheese and spent time with Alisha and Katelin. Caleb had a really fun time. I am pretty sure that Chuck E Cheese is one of his favorite places.

Snow Day

We woke up to snow on the ground this morning. Caleb was fascinated by it. He talked about it and looked at it all day long. ("Snow over there, snow on tree, red car white, truck white, blue car white, ...") However, as usual, Caleb was scared of the snow when it was time to go out in it. I had to carry him through it. Even when I plopped him down in it, he would not walk. I heard the usual, "Nooooooo" when I asked him if he wanted to touch it.

Graysen's First Birthday Party

Graysen's first birthday party was yesterday. We had a fun day with friends and family. Erica and Kevin were even able to join in the festivities via webcam.

Morning Photo Shoot

Lee and Caleb woke up early this morning, so they did a morning photo shoot while Caleb ate breakfast. (Mommy likes to sleep in.)

Elmo Live

Last night Lisa and I took Caleb and Emily to see "Elmo Live." It was the first time that either of them had been to a big production at the theater. They both loved it and watched intently the entire time. Poor Emily was very sad when the show was over. She wasn't ready for the fun to end.

Trip to the Dentist

Yesterday was Caleb's first dentist appointment. Lee and I were amazed at how well it went!!! Never in a thousands years did we think that our little boy who is afraid of everything, would let the hygenist and dentist work on his teeth. The plan was for him to watch mommy and daddy yesterday, and his first appointment was scheduled for today. The hygenist (who has been cleaning our teeth for years, and is wonderful) mentioned that she could do Caleb's teeth while we were all there. He was very hesitant, and for a moment I thought that we were going to have to reschedule for another six months. But, before we knew it, Caleb was in Lee's arms in the chair and was opening his mouth. He sat through the entire procedure and even let them use suction. They definitely have their tricks!!! He was proud of him self afterwards and was rewarded with many presents from the dentist (stickers, 3 toys, toothbrush, sparkle toothpaste, ...).

Mommy's dentist appointment didn't go as well. My teeth are in great shape, but the dentist and I had a discussion about removing my wisdom teeth. I am the biggest scardy cat when it comes to medical procedures. I am going to go to a consultation with the oral surgeon, but am hopeful that he will give me lots of reasons not to do the procedure. (Although I know that he is going to recommend to do so.) Lee says that I need to be brave.

Play Time

Caleb goes to Aunt Kim's on Wednesdays so that he can play with his friend. Here are a few pictures that Aunt Kim sent.

Date Night

The Taylors kept Caleb and Graysen so that Lee and I could have a date Sunday night. It was very kind of them, and the kids always have a blast there.

Uh Oh!

Graysen likes to throw items on the floor and say, "uh oh." He thinks that it is pretty funny.

We Bought A House!

Lee and I made an offer on a house yesterday, and it was accepted. The closing date is set for January 30th. So, assuming no glitches, we will have a new house by the end of the month! We are very excited about the move.

Graysen crawling...on his knees!

Potty Training Abandoned

Operation Potty Training

Today was the first Saturday of the new year, so it was also the first day of our effort to potty train Caleb. It has been a long day. Even Geoffrey was a casualty of the operation and had to be washed along with other casualties. In all, Caleb has been through nine pairs of big boy underwear. On the positive side, he has earned many m&m's throughout the day. He is rewarded with one for sitting on the potty and three for peeing in the potty. Lee has been a great big help today and I am very thankful for his help!!!

The bad news is that this process is not going well. Lee and I are going to give it one more day. If we do not see progress by tomorrow evening, we are going to stop and wait until he is 3 1/2 years old.

Happy New Year!

We spent New Year's with Kevin's family at their cabin in North Carolina. We had a great time with them! We woke up to Caleb saying, "trees, trees, lots of trees."