Monday, January 31, 2011

Making & eating baby food.

Making sweet potatoes with the Beaba.

Wash and chop your veggies.

Toss them in to steam.

Add a little milk or formula and puree.

Fresh baby food only lasts 2 days in the fridge so I divided it, froze it and popped the individual servings out of this awesome tray. In to freezer bags they go for a later date.

Delish.
PS. I love these colors together. They are my 2 favorite.



Here are some cute shots of the introduction....





We tried the brown rice cereal.

It. Was. Gross.

I tasted it after Gray refused to eat it and I quickly realized why. So, we decided to move on to vegetables....more specifically sweet potatoes. My mom and dad gave me the Beaba (baby food maker) as a shower gift and it is amazing. I had decided since I was going to be staying home, I had no excuse to NOT make Gray's food. Hopefully I can continue on with this, it's so easy I see no reason why I shouldn't be able to.

I have uploaded a few videos of Gray eating his beloved sweet potatoes. Enjoy!

sweet potatoes day 2

Sweet Potatoes Day 1

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Ellie & Gray


This was when Gray was about 1 month old. Out of about 15 pictures, this is the only one where Ellie wasn't trying to get away!
Not sure if you can tell, but Ellie is really nervous and ready to jump up and get out of town.
Gray took Ellie to the park to play fetch.
Again, nervous and ready to jump.
Ellie was nice enough to share her chair with Gray. She didn't like it though.
Now she will actually sit with Gray as long as he is on her level. If Gray were standing up here, Ellie would get up and leave.
Nervous yawn.....Gray was "talking" to Ellie very loudly and she wasn't sure what it meant.
The stare-off.
Gray=happy
Ellie=suspicious


Ellie was our #1, until we had Gray. She is still a very spoiled dog, but doesn't receive the constant attention that she was used to. She really didn't care for Gray much in the beginning, but is slowly starting to enjoy him more. She has even started crying when Gray has a major break down. We aren't sure if this is because she is nervous, she wants attention or she feels bad for her brother.

I have been placing little treats for Ellie in Gray's fingers, knowing he would drop them. This is enough for Ellie to soften up a little. I also make sure we sit down with Ellie every day and pet her together. Gray LOVES petting Ellie and Ellie has started to paw at Gray when he stops petting her. It is so great to see her starting to like him and to see him fall in love with her. He smiles whenever he notices her. It's pretty sweet.

Friday, January 21, 2011

In the last month.....



...Gray started cracking up.

I was trying to get a picture of his 2 front teeth to share and got some cute shots but nothing that really showed his teeth. When we were done, I put Gray on our bed to put some pants on him and he started cracking up. I have no idea what he was laughing at. Maybe he liked his new pants, maybe he was laughing at my terrible hair....whatever it was, it made him laugh and made my day.

Here are a few photos from our "2 teeth" photo shoot...





Thursday, January 20, 2011

In the last month....

...Gray celebrated his first Christmas.

...Gray had his first flight.

Gray celebrated the end of his best year yet! What an amazing year it was!


Wednesday, January 19, 2011

In the last month....


Gray saw his first Phish concert, via webcast. Although he had been to 2 shows in Telluride the week before he was born, this was the first one he actually saw. He was loving every second!
Gray started sucking in his lower lip all of the time. Not sure if it has to do with the teething or not, but it has given him an extremely chapped lower lip and chin. He doesn't take a pacifier, so maybe this replaces it.
Gray was crowned "Frog Prince."
This little Angel Dear frog blankie is a true love for Gray. Drew plopped it on his head the other day and I thought he looked like a little prince with his turban on. We were laughing so hard because Gray didn't even know it was there. He must have sat with it on for 20 minutes. It's hard to remember what we found entertaining before Gray...oh yeah, Ellie.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

In the last month...Gray started solids (sort of)




So, obviously we decided to get Gray going on his cereal a little early, or a little late....whichever way you want to look at it. The doctor told us that he could start eating between 4 and 6 months. We decided to start him at the halfway point. He has been showing a lot of interest in what we are eating, so we thought he must want it! Well, I'm not too sure that is the case. I actually don't know if he has swallowed any of it. I think most of it ends up on his chin and cheeks.

Monday, January 17, 2011

Give me 5...


HOLY MOLY!
I can't believe I'm 5 months old!
Can you see my two new teeth?
Love him!

So grown-up.
"What do they call this, a spare tire?"

"Mom, STOP trying to make me laugh by singing 'Happy Birthday' to me. It was hilarious the first time but after 5 times I've had enough."
"I'm totally exhausted, can we call it a day?"
Getting bigger.
I've never seen a baby so in love with their dad. Anytime Drew walks in a room, Gray gets the biggest smile on his face, then hides his face in my shoulder and then turns back quickly to make sure his dad is still there. It is VERY sweet.
HAPPY 5 MONTH BIRTHDAY GRAY!

What a fabulous 5 months it has been. Gray has done a lot in the last month that I know you are dying to hear about. I will take the next 5 days to share with you some of his accomplishments from 4-5 months....assuming I can get some of the videos to load. After all, a picture of Gray's first bite of cereal is not as exciting as a video!



Wednesday, January 12, 2011

High hopes.

I love this little man.

Something about this picture makes me laugh. I don't think it will help with his cool factor.

These two however, will bring in all the ladies!



Mike and Toni gave Gray this onesie. Like all of us, they have high hopes for Gray.

Friday, January 7, 2011

These are a few of my favorite things......


The #1 favorite toy of all toys is this silly looking thing. Gray is basically obsessed with it. It's almost as if he finds it more interesting the longer he stares at it. Don't most kids get bored the longer they stare at something?

My Dad and Mom gave Gray this stackable car thing. When you push on the top it plays music and lights up. We hadn't given him anything like this, so when he saw and heard what it was capable of, it was true love. On NYE when Gray was having a break down before he went to bed, this was the only thing that would make him stop crying (for a second, at least.)

For those of you that are hard core, "only wooden toys for my baby" advocates, you may not be interested in this toy, but it has helped Gray learn cause and effect. He knows that if he pushes the big button, the music will play, I know it sounds like a minor accomplishment, but I was pretty impressed. Don't get me wrong, we have plenty of wooden toys too, they just aren't on his "favorites" list, as of yet.

Santa brought this one for Gray and he has been loving it. When you open the mouth there is a mirror inside.

This toy and Gray go waaaaaayyyyyy back. All the way back to the beginning. This was the first toy I bought for Gray after I found out I was pregnant. It is the COOLEST rattle. The rattle sounds like an ocean wave. He has always loved it.

Gray's Great-Uncle Bob and Great-Aunt Lorraine sent this for him shortly after he was born. We clipped it on the side of his (wheel-around) bassinet. He loves it so much, he is often found "talking" to it.

Gray loves this for 3 reasons: the loops are really soft and fit easily into his mouth, the box in the middle is a rattle and the whole thing is really lightweight, making it easy for him to lift.

Mike and Toni gave this to Gray. If you push the heart it plays a song and the boarder on the mirror lights up. Gray loves the music, but more so he LOVES looking at himself. I have been putting him in his highchair with this on the tray and he will sit there for a LONG time just staring at himself, and then tries to get that little bear on the bottom right corner in his mouth. Can you see the smears on the mirror from his spitty little hands? Drool baby.


Toys are not just for fun. They play a huge roll in babies development (social, emotional, physical and educational.) They also give mommy a much needed break when your baby doesn't take too many naps.