Linus

Can I tell you how much I love my little man, Grayson? So much! Seriously . . . I have a stupid grin on my face as I'm typing this.

Grayson is pure delight, brings so much joy and laughter, and is ridiculously cute. He is such a content little guy, but at the same time can be fiery just like his sister . . . and maybe his mom. :) He has a myriad of facial expressions and can work his eyebrows like no other. His smile literally lights up a room and when it gets big, his eyes smile too. (All you other moms are probably thinking that I've just described your kiddo perfectly. And I'm sure I have. Let's just call it a tie in the so-cute-you-just-want-to-put-them-on-a-cracker-and-eat-them-up category!)

Adoring my little man is something I actually worried about before he made his arrival. Not like I didn't think we would love him, but I definitely didn't know how we would adjust going from our self-proclaimed princess to a boy. (If you know Ava you are smiling right now because you've probably witnessed her either dressed up head to toe in jewels and prancing around or she's given you an itinerary and told you what to do because she most definitely likes to think she rules her little kingdom. More likely, you've seen both and so much more!) I'm pretty good at the girly stuff and Chad would have been just fine to have a house full of girls that think their daddy hung the moon!

A change to all things boy made me nervous, but the pressure of raising a boy was heavier on Chad by far. At the ultrasound, we couldn't wait to find out what we were having. The girl kept wasting time showing us his bladder, lungs, nose . . . like we really wanted to know about all that. Just head south so we know pink or blue! Just kidding. We of course wanted to know that he was healthy, but she did spend a ridiculously long time hovering over his stomach before telling us the news. We both cried with joy and then I seriously SAW the weight of the world come over Chad. His faced dropped, his eyes got big and he said "I have to instill godly manhood into our son." The responsibility overwhelmed him and he was freaked out! I of course being so sensitive said "Well not right this minute so snap out of it!" Seriously though, our world desperately needs more godly men so fathers do have a huge privilege and responsibility to "train them up in the way they should go" and model Christ-centered living as a husband, father, employee, and friend. (Obviously moms are a part of this process too, but there is something special about that father-son thing.)

I'm rambling . . . Back to how much I love my son! So the past nine months with Grayson have been so fun. The differences in boys and girls are evident from the beginning, but have been so great to discover . . . he loves to snuggle with his mommy and play rough with daddy . . . just how the world should be! He is very determined, usually trying to get food in his mouth or army crawling as fast as he can as he chases Ava around the house. The only time Grayson gets really mad is when it is time to eat and you don't quite have it ready yet. He'll let you know that you better be on the ball next time!

Regretfully, Grayson has experienced the typical second child syndrome. Until this week, all the pictures of him in our house were from his first month . . . he looks so different that you wouldn't even know they were pictures of him. Poor kid. He has learned to go with the flow mainly because he has no choice. Ava (and mommy) would go completely stir crazy if we were at the house every moment he needs to sleep so naps out and about or no nap at that point in time is working okay for him.

One of my absolute favorite things about Grayson is that he's a blankie kid. I don't give pacifiers when they are really little because I hate having to put them back in every 4 seconds. Ava just waited until I finally gave her a pacifier. Grayson decided that his finger would work just fine. But not just his finger . . . he needs a blankie too. The funniest thing, though, is that he doesn't have a certain blanket he loves and you can never leave the house without. He just wants something to hold before he will put his finger in his mouth. He isn't picky at all. In fact, the only requirement is that it be some sort of fabric. A blanket, a burp cloth, Ava's clothes that are flung all over the house . . . we've literally thrown a sock at him out of desperation and that suited him just fine! I think he looks like Linus from Charlie Brown . . . cuteness like you wouldn't believe!


















Today I followed him down the hall as he crawled away from all his toys. His mission: I'm sleepy. Must. Find. Fabric. Now. He made it to the bathroom and decided that a towel hung on the doorknob would do. I love this kid! And maybe I have a slight lead in the put them on a cracker contest!