SAYING "SEE YA LATER"

All of us are feeling pretty sad this weekend. Grayson's aunt Megan moved out yesterday afternoon to return to school in Greensboro for the Fall semester. We were more than sad to be seeing her go.

Megan has been living with us since I came home from Duke on May 10th. Originally we planned for Megan to come help while I was on bed rest. At the time I had an opening for an office assistant at my office and we were in desperate need for some help around the house. After the birth of Faith and Avery we encouraged Megan to keep her original plan to come and stay for the summer. Having her here gave her the opportunity to work at Southeast part-time which was nice because she is in school for Speech Pathology. It also gave me the opportunity to pull Grayson out of daycare for the summer. On the days that Megan wasn't working she kept Grayson so that I could go into the office. It was a wonderful arragement for us and I hope that Megan felt the same way.

Megan was such a blessing to us all summer. She did a fabulous job at the office (everyone LOVED her), she was wonderful with Grayson, and she was incredibly helpful around our house. I also think having Megan here really helped with the healing from the loss of our twins, especially that first week. It so was nice for me to not be home alone during that time. Not only was Megan very helpful, but she was GREAT company. We had so much fun with her. I am not sure what it will be like next week when we don't have her funny stories over dinner or her commentary during tv time. I also don't know how Grayson is going to feel when he realizes his Aunt "Ga" isn't returning on Sunday evening like she typically did.

So on Friday we bid a "See ya later" to Megan. We were sad to see her leave our house, but very happy for Megan to begin the next chapter of her life. She only has 3 semesters of undergraduate left and then grad school. Maybe after that she will find her way back to Raleigh for a new job at Southeast as a Speech Therapist. I am sure we wouldn't mind that one bit. She is a pretty amazing person and I know that God has great things in store for her, regardless of where that path leads her.

BIRTHDAY BUDDIES

Grayson has had a pretty eventful couple of weeks. He started walking on Friday, July 31st. I have been postponing posting about it in hopes that I could post it along with a video. I haven't figured out the video posting thing. As soon as I do, I will have one on here.

So, on the 31st he pretty much walked all the way across our living room unassisted. Now, he still prefers to crawl to get where he needs to go because that is much faster, but he seems to be walking a little more each day. He does have a very cute little walk with a bit of a twist in his hips. HILARIOUS!

Just tonight he also decided he prefers walking over crawling, but only when he is dressed as some sort of naked caped crusader. After bath he put his hooded towel on his head and began walking all around the upstairs part of our house as naked as the day he was born. Most of the time when he falls down he abandons walking to crawl around. Not as Gray Bear the Great. This fantastic walking machine refuses to crawl no matter how many times he falls down. It was the most funny thing ever. We do have that on video, however given the lack of appropriate clothing we will not be sharing that one.

Grayson has also been busy the last couple of weeks celebrating the birthdays of some of his bestest pals. Little cuz, Peyton, turned one on Saturday. Aunt Brooke hosted an amazing cookout for all of Peyton's friends and family. Grayson had a blast playing with all the other kiddos and family members. Then on Sunday we celebrated Rin's first birthday. Rin is Grayson's little girlfriend and he plays with her pretty often at church and when we get together with her mom and dad, Katie and Bryce. They also hosted a wonderful cookout and Grayson had a ton of fun helping Rin open her presents and eating cupcakes by going in to it face first.

After this weekend of partying and his recent streaking as Gray Bear the Great, it seems we have a bit of a wild man on our hands. I wonder which of his parents he got that from?

BOOOO HOOOO

Grayson had his 15-month check-up today. He was in such a great mood when we first arrived. He played with books in the waiting room until the nurse called our name. As soon as we walked back and he realized that he had seen this woman, the nurse, before in that same room she was leading him into, he lost it.

Grayson cried through all of his measurements, weighing, and long after the nurse was finished with him. He was able to be calmed and coaxed into looking at a book while we waited for the doctor to arrive.

He was pretty cooperative for Dr. Murnane and did all the things she asked. Well except for walking. She isn't worried. She said as long as he will walk holding one finger, which he will do, we shouldn't be worried. He is just scared to let go.

After she finished we found out that Grayson would be getting two shots. He was fine being put up on the table, but as soon as the nurse walked in he got nervous. I gave him his pacifier, hoping that would help. He got SO upset when she gave him the shot. He cried until he fell asleep in the care on the way home. Poor baby!

It wasn't all bad. We did get some good news about his weight. Grayson is FINALLY at 20 pounds. 20 pounds and 2 ounces to be exact AND he is back on the chart at the 3rd percentile. His length was in the 10th percentile. We don't have to go back for his weight to be checked until his 18-month appointment. YAY!!! I guess all that eating has finally paid off. Oh and we do know why he had some fussy spells over the weekend. He is cutting three of his molars. He now has 11 teeth total. Mystery solved!

THREE AMIGOS

Grayson hit the 15 month mark last week. As usual, time is flying by. At 15 months, he is just amazing. He has decided to keep crawling and pretty much refuses to walk. He can walk. Oh yes, we have seen him do it and he even took about 5 steps at his Granny and Grandpa's last weekend. We will see what his doctor thinks about that at his 15 month appointment tomorrow. I expected him to walk a little late after his broken leg, but now I think he has just decided that it is much faster to crawl and he likes to get around quickly.

Lots of great things have been happening in Grayson's world lately and he has even picked up some new words to talk about it. He can now say hi, bye, pa pa, grandpa, car, baaa (for a sheep or goat), fish, truck, and will attempt to imitate most anything you say.

Last weekend was spent with his Granny and Grandpa. They took him to the Ft. Fisher aquarium. We are still waiting on copies of those pictures. (Hint-Hint). As usual, Grayson came home with some treats and now has a new fish friend to keep him company in the crib (stuffed-not real).

This past weekend Grayson was able to spend some time with two of his favorite buds, Louis and Levi. The three of them were incredibly entertaining together. Louis is almost 2 and Levi is almost 18 months old. It is so nice to see him together now that they sort of play with one another. Grayson just loved watching those two bigger buddies. He had a ball playing with all of Levi's toys and swimming in Levi's grandparents pool.

Justin and I also had a great time visiting with Beth, Matt, Kelly, and Wez. All of us spent the weekend together at the Rollins' new home in Thomasville. It was a much needed vacation for me and I couldn't have spent it with better friends. We are blessed with so many great friends. The Rollins and Barrells are just a reminder of how much God loves us. Beth and Matt also shared some of their Thomasville friends with us during our visit. It was great to spend a weekend surrounded by such wonderful people.

On Saturday we took the boys and Layla, Neil and Lindsay's energetic and hilarious little red head, to the Lazy 5 farm. There was nothing lazy about his outing. Once we arrived and took care of potty visits and diaper changes we headed over to the barn. There we boarded a huge wagon, were handed a pail of feed, and began our journey into the animal habitat pulled by three HUGE horses. Our trip through the animal habitat lasted a little longer than an hour and was well worth the time and money. Grayson was able to see all kinds of animals up close and watch them eat feed out of mommy and daddy's hands. We saw all sort of goats, deer, llamas, water buffalo, zebras, camels, bison, giraffes, pigs, a rhino and MANY more animals that I can't even remember. It was amazing and Grayson loved it. He was so excited and didn't seem to be scared at all about getting so close to all of those animals.

To wrap up the weekend we traveled to Greensboro to welcome home Papa Jack. Yes, Jack is home from a two week leave from Iraq. We were so happy to get to see him and spend a little time visiting. Grayson got lots of cuddle and play time with his papa. Since it wasn't enough to make-up for only seeing him on a computer screen since January, we decided to leave Grayson in Greensboro for the night to spend more time with his Nana and Papa. We will be picking him back up this afternoon and I can hardly wait to get that little guy back home.

We have been incredibly busy lately and it looks like the rest of the summer will not slow down one bit. I guess we should get used to it. Grayson is a busy guy that likes to stay on the go.

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY

Okay, so I know it is just a little crazy, but I am me and this is another one of those me things. I like to say "Happy Independence Day" instead of Happy 4th of July. I do often say "Happy 4th", but I prefer the other. I think it is important to acknowledge that the 4th is not just about hot dogs and fireworks, but about celebrating our independence and freedom, which was not "free". People gave their life for the freedoms that we have here in our United States of America and there are many who continue to risk their life to protect those freedoms. So, I have gotten that out! Now, on to Grayson which is the reason most of you even log in to look at this website.

Grayson's second Independence Day was great and we had lots of fun with family doing all of the traditional things (cookout, fireworks, etc.) at Lake Gaston. Grayson spent lots of time with Granny and Grandpa Royal and the whole Royal/Tart family at my Aunt Audrey and Uncle Tommy's house on the lake. He had a blast swimming, playing with his cousin, fishing with grandpa, and watching fireworks.

There was one very important person who did not have the opportunity, even if he had wanted it, to celebrate this holiday with Little Gray Bear. Grayson's Pa-Pa Jack is currently deployed. Yes, Grayson has his very own hero serving and protecting our county right now. Pa-pa Jack has been gone since January. Although Grayson doesn't really understand where Jack is or why he must be there, we try to remember to talk about him often, show Grayson pictures of him regularly, and make sure he has the opportunity with Aunt Meg and Nana to talk to Pa-pa Jack via Skype. I am starting to think that Grayson thinks Pa-Pa Jack has moved into a computer.

I can't tell you how proud we are to say that we know such a fine man. Yes, it stinks to have him away for a whole year. Yes, it is scary to think that he risks his life to protect this country we call home. However, the bottom line is that our freedoms need protecting. Our Independence does not come without cost. We feel very blessed to have a such a man in our family and the opportunity to show Grayson, even though he may not fully understand, that the freedoms we often take for granted require sacrifice.

There are many families and individuals who have sacrificed a great deal so that we can live freely. I hope that on your Independence Day you took time to thank God for the blessing of freedom, time to pray for the men and women who are protecting those freedoms right now, and time to pray for the future of our country and it's leaders.

WHAT A FUN GUY

I tell ya, life just keeps getting better with our little guy. Grayson continues to grow way too fast, but boy has he turned into a character. He keeps us laughing all the time and continues to make friends every time we are out.

Mr. Personality continues to enjoy greeting any and everyone. There are now several cashiers at Target who know him by name. Now, I will admit that living right at Target means we go there way too often. However, most of you would agree that if you ran out of a necessity or if you forgot something you needed for your dinner recipe then I am sure you would run right up to that Super Target and shop away. At any rate, Grayson has several friends there and makes new ones each time we go.

He is now saying lots of cute little words. His favorite this week is "uh-oh". Since he completely understands what it means, he finds it rather amusing to drop something on the floor just so that he can say uh-oh. He is also using "ma-ma" (occasionally "mommy" which melts my heart) and "da-da" in many funny ways these days. Just last week he called down to us during our small group bible study. The kiddos stay upstairs with Aunt Meg and are blocked from joining our study by the baby gate at the top of the stairs. Grayson decided he wanted to join our party and went to the baby gate first calling "MAAAA?!?!?". When he didn't get an answer he called out "DAAAAAAAAAAA?!?!?!?" Fortunately he could not see us laughing. We wouldn't want to teach him that his inappropriate interruptions are funny. Grayson, being the friendly guy he is, also likes to say hi. We have heard other words here and there (fish, car, shoe, stop, all done, and go) but he isn't using these words regularly yet.

Grayson's favorite summer activity is the pool. We most often go to the Spray Ground and Kiddie Pool at one of the local parks. At that kiddie pool he can stand holding onto the side. He loves to creep along the side playing with any toy in his reach. We have also been over to friend's pools (thanks Matt and Kelly for our most recent outing). There Grayson likes to sit on the side with his feet in the water, be carried by mommy and daddy, or float in his baby float.

I have been very fortunate to have the opportunity to spend a lot of time with Grayson this summer. I am enjoying every minute of teaching him, taking him to play with friends, and watching him grow into a little boy.

Just today we went out to his picnic table to color. It was his first real experience with crayons and he did a wonderful job. Can you tell I am proud? Not only is he an artist in this since, but I am convinced he has amazing musical talents. Grayson can dance like no other and he is always right on beat! He also loves to sing. He often serenades us in the car and, without modesty, claps wildly for himself when he is finished. What a star!!!

Again, things continue to be amazing with our little guy. He is so much fun. At least once every day he has us in absolute stitches. It doesn't get any better than that.

OVER-DUE

I know that I have been lazy lately about keeping these postings current so this will be a long one. We have been very busy and it seems to be staying that way. Obviously there have been a lot of changes and new developments with our little fella.

Grayson had a weight check at the doctor's office last week. He is still only 18 pounds, 10 ounces, but the doctor was happy to see that he is staying on his growth curve. He has gotten a lot taller and that seemed to have happened overnight. On Sunday, May 17th, we were in Wade for our twin's burial. Grayson took a little truck he likes to stand behind and push around. It has a seat, but he was too short at that time to sit on it and push himself around because his feet were far from reaching the floor. Literally 2 weeks later his feet were easily touching the floor and he had learned to push himself around. We thought he seemed to be getting taller, but where shocked at how much he had grown so quickly.

Grayson isn't walking yet. He will walk around all day holding your hand, but as soon as you let go he sits down on his little bottom. During our visit to the doctor we were told that he is completely capable and able to walk, he is just a little afraid. AWWWWWWW! The doctor also stated that she was "fine" with him not walking until after his 15-month appointment because she is hoping he will still be maintaining his growth curve at that appointment. Walking may mean he moves more, burns more calories, and possibly trims down some. He can't afford any trimming down.

Grayson continues to have a million hilarious expressions and amazes us every day with his many talents. He can blow his nose like a big boy. He has actually been able to do that for a while now, but that is something that regularly impresses people who see him do it. He can climb all the way up the stairs with no help, but still tries to come down headfirst. He is saying ball, cup, dog, yes, uh-oh, mama, and dada. Actually he thinks all animals are dogs and makes a very cute bark noise when he sees or hears them. Any time he hears a lawn mower he says, “da?” because watching Justin mow the lawn is one of his favorite things to do. If he is mad about not getting to do something or doesn't want something he scrunches his nose. He also has an adorable surprised expression that I have yet to be able to get on camera.

Grayson has developed lots of favorites. He loves to eat spaghetti and even literally licked his bowl clean the last time he had some for dinner. That, I was able to get on camera. His favorite toy, by far, is a ball. That is pretty much what he does most of the day. He throws the ball and then crawls after it. He has an amazing arm and we are starting to think we may have a future Quarterback on our hands. Besides his ball, he really likes books and his bear. He has been sleeping with his bear blanket since birth, but only recently did he seem to really become attached to it. For the first time last week he handed it to me after nap and pointed to the door. I assumed he meant he wanted to take the bear downstairs. When I picked him up he took the bear from my hand, kissed it, put it under his arm, and pointed to the door. THAT was a priceless moment. Grayson loves dancing and music. He has even developed a bit of a preference for pop music, which is kind of bizarre. If you sing, he will try to sing with you and in the car he tries to sing along with the radio. Grayson loves to be outside and will stay in his sand box FOREVER. He still loves to be on the go and is quick to get cabin fever if mommy keeps him at home too much.

Justin and I are enjoying ever minute of our little guy. We have been blessed to have Justin's sister, Megan, staying with us for the summer. She offered her help when I was first put on bed rest. At that same time it turned out that I needed some help in my office too. Since Megan is a speech pathology student, that was a great opportunity for a summer job. It was decided then that, regardless of the outcome of my pregnancy, she would come live with us for the summer to work at my office part-time and help me at home part-time. Since I am no longer unable to take care of myself, having her around has enabled us to take Grayson out of daycare for the summer. Megan is in the office three days per week while I get to stay home with Grayson, and I go into the office the other two days while she takes care of Grayson. I am still doing full-time work, which can be a challenge to get done with only two days in the office and three days at home trying to work and be a mommy, but I wouldn't trade this time for the world. It has been an AMAZING blessing to have Megan in our house and at my office. My days are a little hectic with Grayson, but being able to be with him so much more has helped me deal with the loss of our baby girls. He is great to love on just when I need those good hugs.

Speaking of our little angels, Faith and Avery, there is hardly a moment that passes that they aren't far from my thoughts and in most moments I am thinking of them. I mentioned earlier that we had a burial for them on the 17th of May. It was just a short service for us and some of our family. Our very dear friend, Bryce, led the service and did an amazing job despite the hurricane-like rain and wind. Peyton, Grayson's little cousin, brought two balloons for Grayson to release in memory of his little sisters. It was so sweet to watch them float up into the clouds and out of sight. We are doing well given the circumstances. There are moments that seem unbearable and there are days that I can think of them and smile, which is something I prayed for. For a while it seemed I would never be able to think of them without crying.

I have gotten back the results of all of the tests that the hospital did and everything came back negative. That news was a little difficult because when you lose something, "why" is the question you want answered. We will likely not get that answer during this lifetime and that has been a little hard to accept. My OB-GYN wants to do one more test in the next couple of months just to make sure EVERYTHING has been checked and we can rule out all possible causes that might impact any future pregnancies.

Justin and I are both staying busy at work, which is a blessing in this economy. The rest of our summer looks pretty busy with lots of fun things to do with Grayson, family, and friends. Every event and activity reminds us of just how blessed we are and what a wonderful life we have as crazy as it may be at times.