2010

So cliche, but time sure does fly when you're havin' fun. Tomorrow is Easter, summer will be here soon and that means birthday #3 for Grayson. And that means we haven't written a blog post since his last birthday. I think i've said it before, but i must say again... i certainly hope he doesn't measure our love for him in # of blog posts :(

I'd love to catch us up on all the goings-ons since June of 2009, but for now I'll just share a few favorites of 2010 (so far)

The "peace on earth" new years photo shoot ...



















An early-January day at the beach..

Grayson v2.0

Grayson 2.0 ('two dot oh') ... this version rocks! The new release is right on schedule and exceeding all expectations! (obviously I've been working too much lately, but that's a blog in itself) Seriously, Grayson is TWO! We partayed! Grayson requested (by way of the first thing out of his mouth when asked "what kind of birthday party do you want?") a bubble party. Well, there were bubbles, but not as many as planned. We certainly didn't plan on the bubble machine not working. Let's just say the mega bubble blower blew!

But fun was had by way of rented toddler bounce house. And the best part... Yummy Cupcakes. This is now tradition for us, there's just no way around it as long as we live in LA. Yummy Cupcakes are indescribable really. Of the 100+ flavors offerred, we painstakingly picked 3 ... Old School (think hoho's), Red Velvet (classic) and Yummy's signature Happy Day (sprinkles inside and out!). We ordered the jumbo size for Grayson ... as you can see he found it quite pleasing :)

Happy Birthday June Bug.

Grayson's Glossary

The first post of the new year. It's 2009! The holidays are past (more blogging about that later i hope) As we settle back into our real lives I must take some time to chronicle Grayson's ever expanding vocabulary. The words themsevles are quite simple, but the sound is oh so sweet. Let me translate...

Maaama - deliberate emphasis on the 'maaa'. This I think is the affectionate version.
Daaada - same as above.
Craka - cracker ... a favorite for sure.
Up peas - pick me up please. so very polite!
Daw - dog
At - cat
Appy - happy
Whoa - whoa (as in "whoa i almost fell off the bed again")
Outseye - outside
Ba - ball
Wawa - water (sometimes accompanied by the ASL version)
Me - milk
O - Joe's O's (aka cherrios)
Eyes - ice (and eye)
Nana - nana or banana - context is key
Gee - Gan
Eee - key
Are - star
Moo - moon (or answer to "what does the cow say"
Dow - down
ooowa - this one is actually not a word but more of a request. "Oooh Wa" is part of the chorus of one of his favorite songs "When I walk along the river" by the Lori Berkner band.

Grayson is also singing, dancing and generally loves any kind of musical instrument. Oh yea, I forgot "titar" which is toddler for guitar!

We finally got a video camera so i'm hoping to catch some of this chatter in living color. I will post again very soon.

Cheers!

Look Ma', No Hands!

Today was the day! Grayson took his first few "unassisted" steps today. It was brillant. Brad and I were both there to witness. Although I must say I got the best view since Grayson was toddling his way towards me at the time. I will never forget the look on his face. It was 100% pure joy with a dash of pride and pinch of "what the heck am i doing." I think he was most surprised. I knew that's the way it would be. We all knew he could have done it sooner but he's staying true to his track record of laissez-faire approaches to most milestones. (why should he interfere with his own development?) We were extremely excited to see him repeat the feat throughout the day and expect he'll be running laps around us in no time.

We caught a few steps on camera...

Rasberries

We finally caught it on tape ... enjoy!

A Year of Grayson

What a year. We've laughed, we've cried ... we've changed a heck of alot of diapers. My new mantra these days seems to be "i had no idea." I had no idea how amazing parenthood would be. I had no idea I could ever love so much. It's a bit like Christmas everyday. Full of anticipation, surprise and lots of reminders of how much fun life really is. And I know now that you can't even begin to appreciate it until you live it (and give it).

Grayson had several birthday celebrations this year. There was a pre-party with Nana, Gan, the White Family and Charlie & Celeste during our Florida vacation.

Then there was an LA shindig with Mama & Papa Price and our California family. Given this was Grayson's second chance at a birthday cake free-for-all, you would think he would have taken full advantage. But I'm certain Brad and I ended up with more cake on us than he did.

Since two parties just isn't enough and Grayson will only turn one once, we just had to keep the party going with one more cupcake and one last seranade at Portos ... just the three of us.

I can't end this post without a few shout outs to everyone who has been a part of Grayson's life this past year ...

To my family & friends ... a million thanks for all your help throughout the year. We couldn't have done it without you.

To my husband ... a million kisses for just being you and letting me just be me.

To my son ... happy birthday baby. May all your years be as adventurous and may all your birthdays be as joyous. I love you more.

Mom.

LUNCH

Mmm... mmm... good!

Lunch today. Februay 11, 2008.

Look who's talkin'

Grayson and I had our first true conversation today. Sure he's been babbling for months now, but the conversing has been quite one-sided. But literally overnight Grayson figured out the art of it all. And let me just say he's quite impressed with his own voice and he thrives off of our corresponding laughter. It's a beautiful thing. Check out the video down below for a brief clip.

Grayson is also very into mirrors these days. Now that he's "talking" I'm always wondering who he thinks he's talking to. I'm sure it's exciting to him to have such a great friend to laugh and play with who looks a little bit like mommy & daddy both.

And that's a debate ... who does this kid look like? While I think it changes week-to-week, the most popular opinion is that it's a striking balance of both sides of the family tree. Only time will tell.

Brad and Grayson are fast forming a testosterone alliance. I'm surprised that there is such a visible difference in Grayson's behavior towards the two of us, which could be attributed to the marked difference in our approach to certain parenting tasks. (I'm not saying one way is necessarily better than the other. Faster sometimes, more logical sometimes, yes, but there's no right or wrong. Right?) Seriously, Grayson loves his daddy and it makes me all warm and fuzzy to see them doing their thing.

New Year - New Kid

Hey! What happened to our baby?!

Yah, yah, we know, we know. It's been way too long since we last posted. Since that time a lot has changed - mostly Grayson. We just returned home from a big holiday trip that was a whirlwind family tour through Missouri and Texas to give everyone a chance to catch up with him as well as the chance for Grayson to see his cousins.



He did surprisingly well on the four flights we made and won over all of the flight attendants with his good behavior. In addition to impressing all the family and friends with his pleasant disposition Grayson also created a lot of smiles with his morning ritual of talking loudly to himself as he wakes up - thereby waking everyone else up. He's also moved into that shark stage where he's obsessed with putting everything in his mouth to explore it and he has a zen master focus that comes out when he's taking in a new room or person.


A quick stats update. Grayson is now tipping the scales at around 18 lbs and measuring about 25 1/2 inches. He's become a serious eater and after a rocky start with the green vegetables, he now enjoys pretty much anything you put in his mouth.

Be sure to check out Grayson's photo site to see his monthly progress. www.graysonprice.com
He'll be seven months in just a few days.

Ok, that's it for now. More soon.

Brad and Christina

June Bugs & Jelly Beans

Grayson is two months old today. As you can see it's been a whole month since the last time his parents updated his blog. To our defense, we've been very busy taking good care of our little june bug. That's his mom's favorite, along with jelly bean. I even have a little ditty to go with it ... Grayson Dean, my Jelly Bean ... he'll just LOVE that when he's 18.

Month 2 marked many milestones for Grayson including his 1st "real" smile (not the fake kind that we get when he's gassy) a bit of babbling and few four hour stints of sleeping during the night. Grayson weighed in at 11 pounds 12 ounces at his 2 month checkup. Although I think he lost a few of those pounds during that very visit given the amount of tears he shed when he got his first set of immunizations. Talk about a heartbreaker. I think I was even more worked up about it than he was.

Grayson somehow made time in his busy schedule to squeeze in his first trip on an airplane this month. He and his mom jumped on a flight to Texas to visit Nana & Gan, Sheri, David and Garrett. (and of course baby White still hanging out in his mommie's tummy). The trip was surprisingly uneventful, thank goodness. Grayson slept comfortably in his rockin' baby sling the entire trip. If only I could keep him in that sling forever. I'm expecting that flying won't be nearly as peaceful when he's two!

All in all, month 2 was full of joy. Somehow both fleeting and everlasting, exhausting yet invigorating. One life altering moment after another. Oh yea, and we found out that Grayson just loves the Dixie Chicks :) I swear it's the only way I can get him to calm down when he's trapped in his car seat for any length of time. To his defense, his favorite song is called "Lullaby". I don't think he's quite ready for "Lubbock or Leave It".

The Simple Life

Grayson is one month old today. We can't believe how fast the time has gone by. To our amazement he is doing extremely well. (they don't come with instructions, ya know) He weighed in at 7 lbs. 4 oz. at his two week checkup. We're not sure how much he weighs now, but he seems to be "filling out" quite nicely. Eating every 2 to 3 hours around the clock will do that.

The eating part takes up about an hour and then there's the burping and diaper changing, so he's really only sleeping about 1 1/2 hours max at any given time. Our days are basically spent eating and sleeping with a daily walk around the hood and a few lunch dates here and there. It's a simple life for us for now and we're loving every minute of it! That's us at Bob's Big Boy ... a breakfast staple for the Price family.

Despite the lack of sleep for Mom & Dad, I'd say we're all doing very well. As you can see, all that eating and sleeping is making for one healthy, happy baby and that's all we can ever ask for.

Check out Grayson's Flickr site for more photos of his first month.

Born to Dance - 80's Style

Undeniable Talent.
At only 11 days old, Grayson has mastered "the sprinkler." A clear sign he'll need to be enrolled in the gifted class when he starts school. Next week, who knows, maybe the electric slide or the running man. Parents can dare to dream.
This kid (click here) should watch out - he's about to be "dethroned."

Grayson is Born!

Week 1 update:

Grayson entered the world last Friday at a lean fighting weight of 7.0 lbs and a length of 19.5 inches.

Local Hospital Gives Away Cool Hats To New Dads!

Here's a shot of Grayson and I sporting the latest in OR couture. Although I must admit, this isn't very special... turns out all the new dads who attend C-section births get this spiffy outfit on loan. Grayson's training robe is his to keep though - pretty sweet.

Well, we've survived the first week! After 4 nights in the hospital we were kicked out due to being healthy and forced to abandon the luxurious accomodations our new family had grown accumstomed to - Chicken anyway you could want it from the basement cafeteria, the heaven-like tri-fold chair/ottoman/beds and the master bath suite with industrial shower heads and oversized toilets.

Back home to the simple life of pillow top mattresses, home cooked meals, bath towels that cover your whole body and visitors coming to your room who don't want to look at your secret parts.

In all seriousness though, thanks to all the friends and family who have helped us thus far and for making us feel like Grayson actually has a chance with us as his parents.