Today was another fun day with G-man! We went this morning to the Southlake library and met up with Sarah and Beckett...who is already starting to crawl (I think Grayson might start getting a complex compared to this child prodigy who is hitting so many milestones early on!)! Something that I just can't grow-up about, is the fact that we keep saying/singing these poems/songs that are seriously from the 1950's in story-time! Don't get me wrong, I still love it and this isn't deterring me from continuing to take Grayson there, but when you are saying things like:
I had a little hobby-horse,
And it was dapple grey;
Its head was made of pea straw,
Its tail was made of hay.
Or...
Hot cross buns! Hot cross buns! 
One a penny, two a penny,
Hot cross buns!
If you have no daughters, give them to your sons;
One a penny, two a penny,
Hot cross buns!
I'm sorry, but I just can't say it with a straight face, or a side-ways glance at Sarah to see if she is thinking this is somewhat crazy too! I'm really mature like that.

After story-time, Sarah and I pushed our dudes to Barnes & Noble. We may or may not have pushed our little guys around the store in literal laps (10 or so?) for a while just to get them to calm down (Beckett) and fall asleep (Grayson). After riding the sweet elevator (yes! I'm a mom and can ride this sucker now without feeling guilty!) up to the second floor, we made our way to the children's book section. We had so much fun looking at books and showing each other a few faves before settling on the books we wanted to purchase (Tuesdays are so dangerous!). I got Grayson 3 new books.

Sarah recommended the cute There's a Monster at the End of this Book book (I just said book book). I had to get him the cute Valentine's books, too! Drew has been such a sweet Dad and has been reading to Grayson every night before I put him down. Grayson really stares at the pictures and I like to sit in on this sweet time too just to hear Drew's hilarious side comments to Grayson about each page. So far his favorites have been Oh David! (board book of No David!) and Mouse Makes Cookies (board book of If You Give a Mouse a Cookie). I'm excited to add these 3 new books to Grayson's repertoire.

We at least saved a little money by packing our own lunches to have a picnic instead of eating out this time! It was fun to sit on a park bench near a fountain with our precious boys and chat while we ate our lunches.

When we got home, this is what we found...

A citation from the City of Fort Worth!!! What for?!
They want us to take down these pumpkins and potato that have been out there for weeks/months!
Whoops! Ok, so the pumpkins...come on! We should be getting a medal for having the longest lasting pumpkins EVER instead of a citation! This is truly an amazing thing that we have been able to keep these suckers around so long. And the potato? Yeah, I might have tried to cook a potato in the microwave and it might have kind of caught on fire and started spewing smoke from within. So, I might have taken it immediately outside to get rid of the horrible smell...and it might have been out there ever since. The reason they give for removing these items is so that they aren't a place where rodents will reside. I guess I kind of see their point. $2,000 a day we don't take it down after Feb. 14th--that would be some very expensive pumpkins! The prize winning pumpkins and potato mishap have lived long enough on our front porch, I guess...in the trash they go!

Our sweet son has started laughing! It warmed my heart so much to hear him giggle that I started having tears running down my face...cheeseball, I know! But seriously!! Grayson gives us so much joy and happiness that I never even knew was possible. What a blessing!

 I went to my first ever Ladies' Bible Class at the Southlake campus of The Hills with Sarah Brooks on Wednesday. I am really excited about diving into the Word with these ladies and know God will teach me a lot through the women of the Bible we are going to study. The BIG FIRST, though, was leaving Grayson for the very first time in the NURSERY!! He did fairly well, although I had to go feed him one time and he kind of had a meltdown another time. I know it will only get easier and easier from here on out and the ladies seemed very sweet in the nursery there. I made Sarah snap a picture of me with Grayson before I dropped him off for the first time...thanks Sarah!
On Thursday, our family got to experience the joy of meeting Kennedy Kenyon at the hospital!!! Sarah K has been a sweet friend of mine for a long time now. We met at A&M in the Aggies For Christ (AFC), went on AFCO (mission trip to Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore) together, have skiied together, were roommates in college AND in Dallas when we were both working girls, and currently go to the same church and are in the same small group as Sarah and her hubby, Danny! It is so fun to go through this life stage change with Sarah and Danny and couldn't be happier for them and their beautiful little girl. Sarah looked sickeningly fabulous (can you tell I am dealing with a bit of jealousy about that?!) and Grayson dressed up in his tie onesie so that he would make a good first impression on his future girlfriend!
Friday night Grayson and I were on our own for the first time since he was born! Drew went on the Men's Retreat and seemed to have a great time with some other guys from our small group that went too. I am so thankful for a God-fearing husband that spends part of his weekend doing something like that! Grayson has such a good Dad who sets a Godly example for him. We had a great time just the two of us, but when bed-time came around...it wasn't just Mommy that was missing Daddy! I didn't know how to play the "throw the sheet over his head" game just right and didn't have the funny side comments that Daddy always says when he reads Grayson's favorite board books, Oh David! and If You Give A Mouse A Cookie. So, to make him feel better, I put on his new Baby Gap pajamas with the skateboards all over them so that he could feel like he was more like Dad!

Grayson,

You are 3 months old now! I can't even believe it!! It still seems like just yesterday that we were gazing at your precious face in the hospital delivery room. You can do so many new things now! We love it when you enjoy kicking your legs like crazy. It's as if you think you are going to get somewhere, and fast, by kicking like that! Anytime we lay you on the changing table, you immediately start cooing at us. Sometimes I will just stand there for long amounts of time letting you talk to me because it is so cute and I don't want it to end by me picking you up. Usually, if your Dad is home from work, he will come in too when he hears you talking so that we can both soak up the moment together. His recent nickname for you is "goob" because you make that sound sometimes when you talk. You have even let out several little laughs! You laugh by sucking in air. Haha! It is so funny! We think you sound like a pterodactyl still when you really get to talking/squealing sometimes. You have given us so much joy in these moments, Grayson.

You have your other kind of moments too, though! You usually start off by mad-talking to us. You let out several AHHH's with a frowny face like you are talking to us about something you are really mad about. Then, if we aren't able to meet your needs immediately, that mad talking turns into whining, and eventually into crying. You are kind of moody...I'm afraid you get that from me. You can go from laughing one second to crying the next. You really keep us on our toes! You have decided that you don't really like your car-seat anymore and scream cry anytime I drive us somewhere (unless Dad drives us and then I ride beside you and you are fine that way).

You have rolled over...once...off of a pillow. I was so excited; perhaps a little more excited than you. You really try hard to do it again during "tummy-time," but haven't quite figured out how to move your arm the right way so that you can accomplish your goal. You can put pressure on your chubby legs if we hold you up to where it looks like you are standing! Dad thinks you will be walking in no-time! ;)

You have blessed us with the gift of SLEEP this month! For a couple of weeks now, you have slept between 8 1/2-10 hours through the night! You take pretty good naps during the day as well. You follow a pretty good schedule during the day: wake up around 5-6am and eat, play, sleep; wake up at 9am and eat, play, sleep; wake up at 12pm and eat, play, sleep; wake up at 3pm and eat, play, sleep; wake up at 5:30 and eat, play with Dad while I cook dinner, fall asleep in your swing while we eat dinner; wake up at 7pm and get a bath, get your pajamas on, read a Bible story, eat, sing Jesus Loves Me and Jesus Loves the Little Children a few times while I bounce and sway with you by your crib, and you are out for the night by 8:00-8:30pm! I love this schedule and you have followed it on your own except for a few days when you were eating every 2 hours because you were a hungry boy and going through a growth spurt!

Dad knows a special way to hold you that miraculously stops your crying EVERY time! He realized that you like to be facing out and he has one arm under your bottom with your legs dangling over and one arm across your stomach. You really enjoy looking around when he does that. He is also a master burper! If he is home and I am having a hard time getting a burp out of you, I call for Dad to come in and it usually doesn't take much at all for him to get you to burp. One time, last week, he was burping you and you looked up and saw me watching y'all and gave me the biggest grin! It was as if you didn't know I had been there all along and were so excited to see me! Haha! That really melted my heart, Grayson.

You like to sit in your bumbo seat, swing, bouncer, lay on the floor on a blanket, or in our arms. You have started getting unpredictable at church and Dad or I usually have to take you out toward the end so that you don't disrupt people around you. I'm thinking that we may get brave soon and start putting you in the nursery. You had your first Christmas this month and we had so much joy spending it with you! You are very well-loved by all of your sweet family members and grandparents. You have discovered your tongue and stick it out, blow bubbles, drool, and sometimes make a funny wet razzing sound! You can't get enough of your hands and fingers and are constantly sticking them up to your mouth to shove them in as far as they will go...even to the point of gagging a couple of times! 

Grayson, I could obviously go on and on and ON about all the little things we love about you, Son! You are such a blessing to us and we are constantly thanking God for giving you to us 3 months ago. We can't wait to see what new things you will learn and discover next month!!

Love,
Mom

I couldn't pick one favorite picture this month, so here are ALL of my favorites! :)

I know this is a month late, but Drew and I decided to take turns each month writing Grayson his monthly letter. I wrote the first one on here, and Drew decided to hand-write his letter to Grayson when he turned 2 months old. In order to share it with everyone, I have typed it up so that you can read it before I post his 3 MONTHS OLD! letter later today.

12/20/2011

Grayson,

You have been alive for two months now; it is already apparent that time does fly by; within no time you'll be walking, talking, and drop-kicking things around the house.

So far, I am most impressed/surprised by how much I love you. There is nothing like the love a father has for his son. Words can't reflect the emotion, but you harbor so much of my love and joy.

My biggest hope for you and for myself as a father, is that you will love our God and serve Him in all that you do. I don't care about much more than you accepting Jesus and following him- rich, poor, dumb (just kidding!), or smart; athletic or clumsy- just love our God and the rest will find it's place.

Also, be nice to people, be patient, and always put others before yourself. And, be sweet to your Mom.

Well, it's 2011 and nearly 2012. I'm sure the world will be vastly different by the time you read this- maybe there will be robots and draculas battling for supremacy? Maybe USB Toasters and invisible things will be the norm? There's no good answer! I can't wait for whatever comes: I promise to do my best to lead by a Godly example, and never ask of you what I wouldn't demand of myself.

Go Robots!
-Dad

Ok, so I realize a lot of things need to be said before you view how awesome my baby is:

1. I realize this may be cheating because he is propped up on a pillow.
2. My baby is more awesome than your baby...just sayin'!
3. Please excuse my annoying high mommy voice in this video.
4. Grayson doesn't seem to be as excited about this new milestone as I do at the end of the video.
5. Yes, it does kind of look cruel that he landed on his head.

BUT...my baby can ROLL OVER!!!!!!!!!!!

• On Wednesday night last week, our family was blessed by The Hills' Baby Dedication! They had a fabulous reception with cookies, punch, slideshow of pictures of the little ones and their families, gifts of ceramic crosses, Bibles, and the Elders prayed over each family throughout the reception. The Wallaces prayed over Grayson, Drew and me. We are thankful to have such wise and loving Elders and friends in them and others at The Hills. After the reception, we went to church and were blessed all over again on the stage with a million bajillion other babies and their families! Grayson got to share this moment with his pals Emaleigh (John & Deborah's) and Beckett (Taylor & Sarah's)!

•  On Thursday night, we were back at The Hills for the Men's Mentor Reception. Drew was honored last year by being selected to be a part of a new ministry at The Hills in which the Elders and staff members select about 2-3 men each in whom they see leadership potential and want to spend time that year mentoring and praying for them and their families. Last year, Drew's mentor was Rick Work and I benefitted as well from being blessed by Rick's wife, Donna as a mentor for me! This year, Drew is blessed with Erich Robinson as his mentor. Erich is the staff member at church in charge of the Men's Ministry and has also been our class teacher. We love Erich and his wife Kendra and look forward to getting to know them better and growing from their wisdom and encouragement! (For pretty much the entire reception, Kendra stole Grayson and walked all around talking to her friends while holding him! It was so nice to see someone loving our baby and blessing us with a short break!)
• The rest of the weekend we just took it easy, but Grayson was having more and more tummy issues and being VERY fussy. I think part of it was that he hit a growth spurt as he turns 3 months old on the 20th! However, it was more than that. Our poor baby moans and groans and strains like none other. He has been diagnosed by our pediatrician with reflux, but after the day we had yesterday, I called the doctor's office to tell them that after a little over a month on his baby Zantac medicine I haven't really seen a marked change. They called in a perscription for Prevacid and we are really prayerful that this will finally help him to feel better. We've tried EVERYTHING! Here is a picture of all the medicines our poor baby Grayson has already had so far in his life:

• We've still been working on "Tummy Time" with him...

•  He sometimes gets so excited when we put him on the changing table to change him that he kicks his legs, waves his arms, smiles, and coos!

• He has cute feet (random I know, but they are so cute that they should be shared with the world!)

• Grayson and Dad having fun watching the Stars play hockey at home!

• Oh! And today I took him to his first story time at the Southlake Library! It's for babies who aren't able to walk yet. I may be taking him a little early but I can tell this is going to be so fun! We sang lots of songs, did lots of hand motions with little poems, read a book, shook a parachute, and played with small beach balls. Ok...I shook the parachute, and did the hand motions, and sang the songs, etc. He loved it though! Here he is looking cute in his penguin hat on our way to the library!

• And...something sad is happening today. I really think I might cry. Today, Grayson will be using his LAST SIZE 1 DIAPER and moving on to size 2's. This sweet baby has been wearing size 1 diapers out of the womb! It was so funny because he didn't ever fit into newborn size diapers. The nurses had to go to the nursery at the hospital to get a size 1 diaper for him because they didn't even have any of those in the delivery room to put on him when he was first born!! I know what this means. This means my baby is growing up. I look forward to the memories to come, but am sad to see the size 1 memories in the past. Here is Grayson holding his last size 1 diaper!!

I hesitate to share this great news for fear I might jinx it...but nah; I'm not superstitious! GRAYSON IS SLEEPING 9+ HOURS AT NIGHT!!!!!! The first night was 9 hours, the second was 9 1/2, and last night he slept 10 hours!!! Can you tell I am one happy mama?! In order to celebrate, I am going to include a barrage of cute sleeping Grayson pictures for you to enjoy! :)

My husband is obsessed with this dish he created in his mind. He loves chicken fried steak AND he loves anything with bread. It's kind of weird actually. He will eat everything with a piece of bread or tortilla wrapped around it. Macarroni and cheese in a piece of bread, somehow tortilla soup in a tortilla (I think he sips the soup part first and scoops out the good stuff to put in the tortilla), even corndogs...wrapped in a tortilla! Aren't corndogs already breaded?!? So, of course his invention of chicken fried steak puffs became his new obsession and he has been asking me to make them for as long as I can remember. Last night I gave it a whirl!

We've been trying to really work hard on "tummy time" with Grayson lately. He's pretty good at it and I love how he looks so proud of himself in a couple of these pictures. The first few are of tummy time with his Dad last night and the rest are of tummy time and a couple of him on his back today on his playmat (notice the awesome keyboard that he can play with his feet at the end of the playmat...love this!).