a rhyme and a melody

My little man woke me last night, and since he's been sick this week, I got up and rocked him back to sleep.  I didn't go back to sleep so quickly, as I was thinking and praying for a dear, dear friend of mine. 
Unfortunately this week has not been a good one for her, as she suffered a miscarriage with their sweet second child.  I know that God will give me the words when I can't find them, but in this case, "I'm sorry" seemed so puny, I could hardly bring myself to utter it.  I am devastated for her, and I'm sure on the outside she is trying to be strong, but I know her heart is hurting.  It's so easy for Satan to attack us when we're down, and I know that there's a million 'what if's' going through her head...  I hope she knows that there is nothing she could have done better or different that would have saved that baby...  and even so, God has a plan and it is to prosper us, and never to forsake us.  He knitted that baby perfectly inside your womb, and through Satan's guile, something went wrong.  Satan has so many devilish ways to stab at us--it isn't fair that something so terrible should befall someone so innocent.

A friend I was introduced to in college had the misfortune of this happening to him and his wife with their first pregnancy and he wrote a song for their angel baby.  It was playing over and over in my head last night and I just wanted to share it, as he's now pretty well-known in the Christian music world and this song is on his little known, very first album, "Walk."  His name is Andrew Peterson and this is his song, "Lullaby".

Well, I haven't got a lot to offer
Just a rhyme and a melody
But I promised I'd write if it took all night
A lullaby for thee

  And they say there ain't no sleeping in heaven
But baby, that don't mean that you can't dream
So when you close your eyes
Know your mother and I
Pray the Lord your little soul to keep
And we never got a chance to hold you
And we never got to tell you goodnight
So we hope you can hear as Jesus cradles you near
Baby, this is your lullaby

So are you running with the angels?
Are you singing with the saints?
Are you throwing a ball against a heavenly wall
Maybe swinging on the pearly gates?

Well there's so much love between us
And so much that I wanna say
I wanna ramble awhile with my beautiful child
Baby, I can hardly wait... 

And they say there ain't no sleeping in heaven
But baby, that don't mean that you can't dream
So when you close your eyes
Know your mother and I
Pray the Lord your little soul to keep
And we never got a chance to hold you
And we never got to tell you goodnight
So we hope you can hear as Jesus cradles you near
Baby, this is your lullaby

Yes, we hope you can hear as Jesus cradles you near

'Cause Darlin, this is your lullaby...
 

Of course, last night, as I lay in bed, my thoughts were so eloquent and I knew exactly what I wanted to say, and now, I can't remember any of it.  Guess I need a notepad by the bed.  So now, even as my words are not a rhyme and a melody, I hope she knows that they are sincere.  She is the best friend I've got, and I'd do anything for her.  I will hold your head up when you can't...  I will paint your walls and feed your little man...  We will run and not grow weary... and face this world together.  I love you Sister.  Praying for you and praising God for your life, Mama.

Many blessings.

I know it's been a while since we last posted, so I'm gonna try to catch up.  Grayson's birthday party was a blast--and we were exhausted when it was over!  Who knew a 1-year-old's party would be so much work!  We were so happy to be able to spend the time with everyone.  I think Grayson had a good time too--he slept really well that night after he got a bath to wash off all of the icing!  We still can't believe that he's a year old...  time flies fast when you're having fun I guess!

A couple of Sundays ago, our life group went down to the lake at Crane (where Brandon works) and rented a boat for the day.  Kelly (the nursery coordinator from church) volunteered to watch Grayson all day for us, bless her heart, so we had a really nice time with the group.  We met early and had 'church' on the boat after we got there.  Everyone brought wonderful food, so we at all day long and just swam.  We even saw 2 bald eagles--it's not every day that God blesses you with that much greatness!   I had never seen one in the wild before.  Majestic is truly the right word for it--you just can't take your eyes off of them.  We picked up Grayson that night from Kelly's and he had picked up a new trick from someone--spitting!  Not like, actually spitting on you, but blowing his lips and making noise (and a bit of slobber) out them.  It was funny at first, but now that he does it with food in his mouth...  not so much!

This past weekend, Brandon and I decided that we would drive up to Greenwood to Ashley Furniture and look at a new sectional for the living room.  We had received a good coupon in the mail, and our 3rd Anniversary was September 8, so we decided to get it for our anniversary gift to each other.  The traditional 3rd Anniversary gift is leather, so we figured this would work.  We ended up getting a good deal and it will be delivered in a few weeks.  It's nice and comfy, so I can't wait!

This week, Grayson had his 1-year checkup with Dr. Laughlin and thankfully, he's growing!  He's now 29.5" long (up to the 50th percentile) and 20 lbs (up to the 10th percentile).  At his 6 month and his 9 month checkups, he was in the 5-10th percentile for both length and weight, so we're pretty happy with his progress.  He's just going to be long and skinny, and we shouldn't expect much else with my genetics!!  Dr. Laughlin was very happy with his progress and said he's a healthy little guy!  Unfortunately, this week he's picked up a cold and has a super runny nose and watery eyes.  Poor guys is sneezing a lot too. 

My Bible Studies (Roof Crashers and MomBuilders) at church have started up again this week, and he probably got his cold from the nursery kids.  Hopefully he'll feel better before we leave on the 19th for OBX for vacation.  The plane ride won't be much fun with a sick boy.  I'm really looking forward to Roof Crashers this year--my study is called Every Woman's Marriage, and we're studying the book by Shannon and Greg Ethridge.  I think it will be a great semester.

Thursday, Alyssa and I traded houses for a while.  She and Brian had started some painting in their house before they found out she was expecting and she needed someone to finish the job for her and I volunteered.  So, she and Carter came over to play with Grayson while I finished up the painting at her house.  Grayson and Carter had a fun time taking a wagon ride through the neighborhood and Grayson took a good nap that afternoon, so I know they wore him out!  After they've helped us so many times moving and whatnot, I figured painting was a start on repaying them! 

God has definitely blessed us lately--not only with great friends and a healthy, growing boy, but with a wonderful church family and small group.  Can life get any better?!  :o)

365 days of sweetness

My sweet boy Grayson,

I can't believe you're a year old.  I can not believe it.  And though I felt like a Mommy while you were in my belly, it wasn't really real until I held you in my arms and looked into those beautiful blue eyes.  You were sooo tiny.  And yet, I couldn't fathom how all 6 lbs 2oz, 18 3/4 inches of you was inside my belly...  you must have been really curled up!  Right after we brought you home, I missed having you in my belly, kicking me.  Now, you kick me when I'm changing your diaper and your legs are MUCH stronger now!!  You have Daddy's strong legs for sure.  I also missed knowing that you were okay, safe and warm inside.  Now, you are out in this cold, dangerous world and I was (and still am) always worried about you.  In fact, I just yesterday slept through the night for the first time since before you were born.  You have been great about sleeping on your own for a while, but Mommy just worries about you I guess...  That's just what Mommies do, so you'll just have to get used to it.

When you were born, we were mesmerized by you.  Every yawn, every breath, every curled, little toe--you were our little miracle.  It amazes me what God can do with love.  Still, even now, a year has gone by and every time you smile, you just make me melt.  Son, you could get away with murder by flashing that smile and those sparkly blue eyes!  I am amazed at how smart you are--you figure out how things work very quickly and get into more things than I'm ready for you to!  You do things in your own time, on your own schedule.  You definitely assert your will whenever you get the chance!  You will grin and shake your head 'no' or slap the spoon right out of my hand when you're done, or when you just want to get down and play instead of eat.  You have me wrapped around your tiny fingers!  Very tightly.  I love holding you and squeezing you close--something I miss now that you just want to pull my hair or my nose and then get down and play.  Sometimes I wish  for teething, because you always want to cuddle when you get new teeth!  I guess that's how it goes with your children...  I'm sure God wishes we'd come running back to him more than we do too.

You are such a good boy, Grayson.  Everyone loves you everywhere we go.  You are always happy and smiley, and you rarely cry.  You're so easy-going...  You've never been that baby that needs to be held 24/7 (though I do hold you a lot because I love cuddling you!).  You're rarely cranky--only when you're not feeling well, you are tired, or you're hurt.  You have been such an easy guy that I'm a little afraid to test our luck again.  I want you to always be my baby boy. 

As you've grown, I have loved watching you explore.  I love watching you learn new things.  One of my favorite things now is to lay beside you in the floor and watch you play with a new toy...  you explore with your chubby little hands and roll it over, back and forth, until you've experienced every last inch and mastered its tricks.  You never give up.  Never lose that tenacity, that drive to learn new things... never stop learning. Always ask for help when you need it and even when you think you don't need it.  I will always be here ready.

You are my beautiful boy.  I have loved you from the start and will love you until the end.  God blessed my life when He gave me you and I will always thank Him for you in my prayers.  Because you were God's son first, I will trust God to lead me in raising you right.  He is the maker of love--who better to teach me how to love you?  I will love you the way He loves me--unconditionally, unswervingly, never ceasing.  I will lead you, I will watch over you, I will protect you and I will pray for you.

I will pray for your present and your future.  Already, I pray for a future wife for you--that she is being raised by loving parents who love her as much as we love you.  I pray that she will be a Godly woman who loves you more than she loves herself and loves God more than you.  I pray that you will be a strong, God-fearing man--that you will lead your family the way Christ leads the church--with honesty, integrity and love.  I pray for God's hand of protection over you, everywhere you go, in everything you do.  I pray he will grow you into a healthy, strong, smart boy who cherishes his family and friends.

You are my special boy.  I love you more than life itself.  I love Daddy more because of you.  And, I love myself more because of you.  I am proud that we've made it this far.  I am proud of myself, and I am proud of you.  You are healthy, you are happy and you are smart.  More than any of those, you are loved.  By me.  Always.

I love you, my sweet boy Grayson...

-Mommy

WOO HOO!!!!!!!!!!!

I just slept through the night for the first time since WAY before Grayson was born!  How refreshing!!  You don't realize how badly you need sleep to thrive until you don't have it.  I hope this continues.  Grayson has been sleeping through the night again for a few weeks, but I guess my body hasn't figured this out yet!  It's so, so very annoying to lie awake in the middle of the night knowing that you're going to be exhausted the next day.

I'm glad I feel refreshed today because I'm going to watch Ephraim again today (I watched him Tuesday too).  He's 7 months old, but is crawling and pulling up on things like Grayson is already!  Grayson is teaching him how the toys work and Ephraim is *hopefully* teaching Grayson how to crawl on his knees!  He's ruining his clothes because he stretches out the collars when he army-crawls on his belly!!  Several of his one-piece outfits have head-holes large enough for me to fit my head through!  Silly boy!

I thought I'd share some more pics today--They are from the day Daddy (and me a little bit) put together his swingset for his birthday.  Grayson and I sat on a blanket and watched mostly!  Grayson had his little hammer and 'helped' Daddy from a distance!

Amazing!  Daddy does read instructions!

Got my hammer ready to help!

UNEDITED IMAGE!  Yes, his eyes really are that blue! (We get asked that a lot!)

I LOVE the camera!!

Seeee???  (And now you know why there are fingerprints on my lens!)

Almost done!

Hi everyone!  I'm pushing Mom over!

I love sitting on Mama!

I also love driving my new firetruck!

Sweet, little foot...  driving the car?!?!  He better not do this when he's older!

All done!  My first ride in the new swing!

I LOVE it!!  Thanks Mama & Daddy!

An unexpected play-in-the-water day with my buddy Carter!

We LOVE splashing in the sand/water table!  (Thanks Uncle Trevor for this great bday present!)

We also love running around 'nekkid' afterward!

Oh, and I don't think I told you everyone about Grayson's last stunt!  That last picture is the 'after' picture from the morning of Aug 11.  I went in to get Grayson out of bed and he had pulled off his disposable diaper (I know, argh, I had changed him out of his cloth diaper during the middle of the night and just grabbed a disposable because it was laying out and convenient) and he had POOPED all over his bed!!!!  There was NO poo on the diaper, so I know he pulled it off and THEN poo'd everywhere.  What was worse--he decided to play in it and it was in his hair, all over his body--including his hands and face, and all over the bed!  Thankfully he didn't 'paint' with it on the wall.  Once I got over my complete disgust, all I could do was laugh and *of course* take pictures so I can embarrass him later!!!  I won't post the 'before' pictures because they contain complete nudity and the disgusting mess, but rest assured, they are going in the scrapbook!  Whenever one of his kids does that to him one day, I'm going to pull out those pictures and say "KARMA!"  He just looks mischievous doesn't he?!

Well, tomorrow is his birthday, so Daddy and I are going to Indy with him to the Children's Museum.  I'll make sure and take lots of pics and video to commemorate the occasion.  Love you all and hope you have a great weekend!

Cloud 9

Hello world.  Just as I promised, we have some wonderful, funny videos to share with you from the past few weeks.  We've had a lot of Cloud 9 experiences in this last month and we wanted to remember them, so we figured video would be a good idea.  We are very thankful for our little Flip video.  I just wish it was HD so it was a little clearer, but it gets the job done!

First up is Grayson's new toys--Grandpa & Gigi got him a new slide tumbler for his birthday and we decided to try it out a little early!  He LOVES it!



And, can even do it by himself now if we sit him up top!



Grayson also got his first car for his first birthday--a bright red firetruck!  Hopefully when he turns 16, he'll get something slightly classier than a fire engine!  We'll see...



He also LOVES this toy!  He can ride in it for hours I think--only Mama & Daddy get tired of pushing him.  His legs aren't quite long enough to push himself, so he ends up sliding down to the ground through the floorboard.  Brandon and I think this guy needs a seatbelt!  He crawls to it whenever it's in sight....  You hit a homerun with this toy, Grandma!

Grayson also learned a new word this week:  NOSE.  Check it out:



True to his usual self, he's more interested in the camera than anything else, but at least he did it for me on camera once! He also had his first 'crush' this week--we went to a new Mexican restaurant and he was completely enamored with the waitress.  She was young and pretty (he has good taste! haha) and he watched her every move from the time we got there until we left.  When she would walk by, he would reach for her and grab at her!!  Daddy told him he needed more tact if he was going to succeed!  She would stop occasionally and play with him and he was on cloud 9!  Oh Grayson... I thought you would be Mama's boy for a while longer!!!

Grayson will finally feed himself now too!  He could do it before, but he was just lazy and he knew that I would do it for him!  Now that I have (finally) put my foot down, he will hold his own sippy cup and feed himself puffs.  Silly boy.  Mama's spoiled you rotten.  :o) 

overdue.

First off, I want to do something that is long overdue...  I want to thank all of you who diligently and patiently wait for me to blog...  It's really cool to me that you all take time out of your day to 'check in' with our little family.  It means the world to me!  PLEASE drop us a line in the comments from time to time and let me know how you are, or if something makes you laugh (or even cry!), I'd love to know! You all are our dearest friends and we love and appreciate you all.  God has truly blessed us.

Finally, I'm going to post tonite!  And that's WAY overdue!  I don't even know where to start, but you better get comfortable because it's probably going to be a long one!

First, Grayson is doing great now!  Many of you expressed your concerns over his allergic reaction to the puppies--he is 100% better now.   Just to give you an idea of how bad it was, this picture was taken 3 days AFTER the dogs left and 90% of the rash and swelling had gone down thanks to the Benadryl and cortisone...

His eyes were very swollen during the worst of it, but were still a bit swollen here.  He had the red hives all down his back and belly too.  It was really hard seeing him like that.  He was clearly miserable.

Thankfully, he's back to his usual, chipper self and has enjoyed the heck out of playing with his little buddy Carter the past 2 days.  Alyssa and I are having a big yardsale tomorrow, so she's been over helping get everything sorted and marked.  Having a yardsale is a lot of work!  Hopefully it pays off and we get rid of a bunch of our junk!  Otherwise, Goodwill here we come!!!

I went into his room a couple of days later and found this:

He can easily get himself to sitting from any position now and Daddy had seen him do it before, but I hadn't.  Now, I go in there and he's pulling himself up the bars!!!  It's funny how he's taken his time starting to do this stuff, but now that he's figured a little out, he's coming along rather quickly! 

I can't believe that Grayson is almost a year old.  It makes me happy and sad to realize he's growing up.  Gone are the days when I could change him easily, feed him easily and even hold him easily--he's getting bigger, stronger, more rambunctious and definitely more strong-willed.  I don't know who he gets that from!  ;o)  Tonite, he had his first crush!!! lol  Seriously, we went to a mexican restaurant downtown (El Norteno) and he watched our waitress like a hawk the entire time we were there!  He was even reaching for her as she passed by our table!  The food was fantastic and the bill was cheap--we'll go back for sure!  Grayson also stood by himself yesterday for about 3 seconds.  He doesn't take steps just yet, but it's not too far off I don't think.  He's still army-crawling and rolling to get everywhere, but he can and does pull up on things.  Our little monster is getting into EVERYTHING now!!  Just yesterday he destroyed 3 pages of scrapbook paper and unscrewed the doorstop from the wall while I worked.  I can't take my eye off of him for a minute unless he's sleeping! 

I just realized that I haven't shown you all the pictures from Gray and Carter's finger-painting playdate--it was a riot! 

And yes, I have a video too!  I might have to upload that this weekend, as Brandon is working on our desktop right now and that's where the video is.  And yes, Grayson is eating the fingerpaints.  They are non-toxic and homemade though, so it's okay!

Speaking of Daddy, he celebrated a BIG birthday this week!!!  He turned 30!!  And yes, I am careful to tease, because December isn't too far away (when *eek* I turn 30).  We traveled down to Louisville and spent the day with his family and celebrated by eating out and having birthday carrot cake (his favorite).  He got the new Nook (Barnes & Noble's version of the Kindle) and a fancy carrying case for it for his birthday--I think it was a good one for him.

I think this was quite possibly all of our favorite things of the week though:

JUST PLAYING!!!  Grayson got some early birthday presents from Grandma, Gigi and Papa and he LOVES them all!  We've been playing and playing and playing.  His new firetruck (thanks Grandma!) is a favorite, and he's already figured out how to slide down his new climber (thanks Gigi and Papa!).  Even with all of the new toys, he still LOVES for Brandon to swing him around the most!  He's definitely going to love the crazy carnival rides when he's older!

Okay, well there's lots more to tell you about, but since I have to get up really early tomorrow for the yard sale, I'm gonna sign off!  I promise it won't be as long of a wait next time!  Hope the pics made up for it!

all better now!

Just wanted to let you all know that Grayson is 100% better now!  No rash, no fever--happy, happy baby!!  Brandon and I cleaned, cleaned, cleaned this weekend and it paid off!!!  Hopefully our little guy will outgrow this allergy like he has the others, but only time will tell.

Speaking of time, Grayson has decided it's time for him to only have one nap a day now.  He's done this for the past 2 days.  We'll see how long this lasts!  I'm definitely going to miss the second nap if this sticks!

Well, if this house is going to be completely finished by Grayson's birthday party (Aug 21), I gotta get crackin on the finishing touches.  Hope you all have a good week! 

until we meet again...