Height and Weight: Grayson recently had his 30 month checkup and we got his current stats. He weighs 29 lbs. and is 35 inches tall. He is in the 30th percentile for height and 40th for weight. He has always been slightly below average and that has continued. Grayson wears mostly 2T clothes and a few 3T shirts. He wears a size 7-8 shoe. He is also rocking the big boy underwear nowadays -- no more diapers for us!
Milestones: Grayson is now potty trained and has been since around 27-28 months. Potty training him was actually quite easy, so I'm very thankful for that! He was very "ready" in my opinion which made the whole process go smoothly. He still isn't night trained (wears pull-ups), but does fantastic during the day! He also transitioned to a toddler bed just recently. I thought it might be a big deal which is why I had prolonged it, but it wasn't. He has done really well in it! Grayson slept in a crib until recently because he loved his crib and had never attempted to climb out (surprisingly!), but a few weeks ago, he finally climbed out and we knew it was time. He scared me to death that day because first thing in the morning, he just leisurely comes walking in my bedroom and says, "Hi, mommy!". I was like...where did you come from?? Then he told me that he climbed out of his bed and even reenacted it for me, so that I could see. He was so graceful getting out which is why I didn't hear a thud that morning! Haha. Another really exciting milestone is that Grayson learned to swim this summer! He did a 2 week swim class and with a lot of practice, he is really catching on! He loves the water and it's been so fun to see him go from being scared to swimming like a fish! Grayson also knows his colors really well. He can count to 11, but he always leaves out 6. He loves to sing his ABC's. Grayson knows his left and right and has recently started to put his shoes on himself! He is also very good with his manners and says "Please" and "Thank you" most of the time. Grayson has also learned to climb up into his car seat and climb back out of the car by himself. At first, it was a little scary when he demanded that I let him do it himself, but now that he has the hang of it, it's wonderful! (He even buckles himself halfway in the car seat by himself now and knows how to lock/unlock the car door...a little scary!) Based on the way he writes, holds a fork, throws a ball, and grabs objects, we believe he will be a lefty. Time will tell, but his left hand is definitely dominate right now.
Grayson loved the music class that he attended this spring!
This kid has the biggest smile and best belly laugh!
Sleeping: One of the only downfalls to the toddler bed is nap time. Grayson has been struggling with nap time for quite some time now, but this just makes it more difficult. If he's not super tired, he just gets out of bed. He doesn't "need" a nap every day anymore. He can go all day without a nap or take a short cat nap in the car and be perfectly fine. It's been tough for me to accept, but I do cherish the days when he does nap! Every few days, the lack of sleep will catch up with him and he will take a nap. If he's at home, the nap will usually last around 2 hours. If he takes a car nap, it can be anywhere between 15 min - 1 hour and he's good to go. If he doesn't take a nap, we at least try to have "quiet time" for mama's sanity! Grayson still sleeps through the night and will only wake up during the night on rare occasions. He goes to bed around 9pm and wakes up around 8pm most days. His only "lovely" objects that he likes to have every night is his Ninja Turtles cup and his trucks blanket. He also loves his trucks pillow and insists on having all three at bedtime. Grayson talks in his sleep (just like his daddy) and will say really random things! He also tells us about his dreams in detail. Each night before bed, Grayson says his prayers all by himself and then requests for Daddy to tell him a story. It's a really sweet time that they share together and Grayson looks forward to it at bedtime. He loves Daddy's stories!
Visiting the fire station was a highlight for Grayson!
Hiking as a family for Mother's Day!
Eating: Grayson has continued to be a moody and picky eater as time goes on. He has never been a big eater and still isn't. Some days, he eats like a champ and other days, he barely eats. He isn't very interested in food and would much rather play. But when he does eat, his favorite foods are meat and bread! Grayson will eat pretty much any type of meat and dipping sauce (ketchup, ranch, bbq) and any type of bread or carb. He still loves milk! I swear he has to have the strongest bones of any kid I know. Grayson would probably have a liquid diet if I let him. He loves drinks and is always thirsty. He could live off of water, (watered down) juice, and milk. We also give him Pediasure to drink sometimes which he calls "special milk" and he loves it. Grayson has also discovered soda and sweet tea (thanks to his daddy) and we have to basically hide it from him or else he will drink an entire glass and ask for more! Grayson still goes through phases of being obsessed with certain foods and then losing interest. He absolutely loved watermelon at the beginning of the summer and was eating huge amounts of it. I ended up buying an entire watermelon and then he decided he didn't really like it anymore and I was stuck with an entire watermelon! Ha. His favorite place to eat is Chick-Fil-A and he can put away their chicken nuggets! He usually eats a 6 count and a juice box...he actually knows his order by heart and tells it to me when we pull in the parking lot. His favorite treats are popsicles, chips, and ice cream (although he usually only eats a few bites before moving on). Grayson loves when daddy makes waffles for the family and requests them often. He also loves pizza, chicken nuggets, hot dogs, cereal, and peanut butter sandwiches. Grayson has really started to improve with feeding himself with a fork and spoon lately! I feel like this is one of the few areas that he's a little behind on, but he's more interested now. Grayson does get frustrated easily when the food falls off or he can't quite get it, but he's almost at the point of doing it completely by himself which is so helpful for me!
Visiting the Atlanta Children's Museum!
Personality: Grayson has a BIG personality! Grayson is hilarious and brutally honest. If he does something wrong, all you have to do is ask him what he did or what happened and he will just tell you! He has no sense of hiding things or not telling the truth yet -- which is good! -- but it is funny how blunt he can be. He has told me to stop singing in the car and that he would rather hear the radio multiple times and he has also asked me what my moles are and why I have a breakout on my face. He just speaks his mind! Ha. Grayson is extremely silly and goofy. He makes us laugh all the time! He also cracks himself up which is something I've always loved about him. He can make himself laugh hysterically! Grayson speaks really, really well for his age! Verbal skills have always been his strong suit. He carries on entire conversations with anyone and everyone. Grayson is very friendly, outgoing, and definitely an extrovert in all ways. He understands exactly what we are saying and repeats everything we say. He evens calls us "Josh and Brittany" all the time because that's what he hears everyone else calling us. Grayson is a chatterbox! He is always talking and is extremely loud. He also loves to sing and is constantly making noises (typically firetruck, ambulance, and police car sounds). Grayson is extremely smart. You can't get anything past him and you can't fool him at this point. He picks up on everything and remembers everything. Grayson is ALL boy! He is adventurous, fearless, energetic, rough and tough, constantly dirty and sweaty, into anything with an engine, loves "potty talk" and repairing anything with his tools. He continues to be fiercely independent while still being a mama's boy, strong-willed, passionate, persistent, determined, and stubborn. If he wants something, he will not give up until he gets it! He can be very challenging in that way, but I know one day, he is going to make an awesome adult who works hard and fights for what he wants and believes in. At least I hope! ;) Grayson is very extreme and expressive. When he's happy, he's on the top of the world with the biggest smile on his face and the best belly laugh ever. But when he's upset, he can throw one heck of a tantrum! He is an emotional kid in that sense and his feelings tend to be extreme. Grayson has started to talk back and argue with us. He is definitely becoming a know it all and will correct us often. (I was the same way as a child! Payback, I guess!) Grayson is also quite opinionated and knows exactly what he wants. He is very specific about what he wants and what he likes/doesn't like. Grayson knows exactly what he wants to wear, what he wants to eat, and what he wants to watch on tv. It's taken some time for him to adjust (without having a meltdown) to one of these things not going his way when he has a very specific vision in mind. I will say this has improved over the past few months because we can reason with him and talk through things with him now. It helps when we can explain the reasoning behind why things don't go the way he wants and he can understand us.
A trip to Noah's Ark with Grammy! Grayson loves seeing all the animals!
Grayson had his first dental checkup and cleaning and he did surprisingly well!
Loves: Firetrucks, police cars, emergency vehicles, and anything to do with construction sites! Ask Grayson anything to do with cars (car transporters, concrete mixers, excavators, tow trucks, etc.) and he will tell you exactly what it is and correct you if you are wrong. He also loves throwing and catching a ball, playing in the dirt, exploring, going through the car wash and jamming out to music. Paw Patrol, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, and Mighty Machines are some of his favorite shows. Grayson loves Emerson and can be super sweet and caring towards her, but also loves to mess with and pester her! He can be very protective of her and tell people, "That's MY sister!", but he also gets jealous of her. He loves attention and being the center of attention and he demands our attention most of the time. He's just not one of those under the radar type kids. Grayson also speaks for Emerson a lot. He tells us what she wants/ doesn't want or what she likes/doesn't like. He even answers for her when I ask her to say "Dada" and "Mama". The poor girl can't get a word in! Ha. I've heard this is common for the older sibling and I can definitely see it with Grayson. He is very good about helping me throw away Emerson's dirty diapers and getting her up from a nap is one of his favorite things! Grayson is really starting to use his imagination and starting to play pretend. He plays better independently with his toys and loves making up scenarios about car chases. While he does okay playing with toys on his own at home, he could play with new toys at other friends' houses for hours. Any time we go to a play date at someone's house or visit someone with kids or old toys, Grayson is usually silent and well-behaved because he is in heaven just sitting on the floor playing with all the new (to him) toys. He still loves animals and loves helping take care of Cedric. Grayson loves to read books in the car and really enjoys checking books out each week at the library. He loves going on adventures and asks us each day what we are going to do that day and if there's an adventure in store. Grayson loves to ask questions these days and is very inquisitive. He is constantly saying, "What is that? Why? What happens if I do/don't do this? Where are we going? What's his/her name? What's his/her mom's name? What's going on?". Half the time, I am not even sure how to answer him! Haha. He loves to learn and to understand how things work. Grayson also says phrases like, "That's weird!", "Aw man!", and "Oh my goodness!" and uses them in correct context. Grayson loves to sing songs and catches on to the words really quickly. He currently loves the song "Firework" by Katy Perry and asks to listen to it over and over again, but his ultimate favorite song is "Wheels on the Bus". We sing it constantly and he will insert anything and anyone into the song lyrics...he gets creative! Grayson has never been big on coloring, but started drawing recently. He makes all these scribbles and then tells me about this elaborate scene he has drawn. I love it! Grayson loves helping daddy and going on little adventures with him. Sitting on the riding lawn mower with daddy while he cuts the grass is still a highlight of his summer days! I have found that Grayson tends to want to destroy things while I do chores, so instead of having him be a hindrance, I've learned that involving him helps a ton. Like I said, he loves attention and loves to be treated like a big kid, so having him think he's helping mommy is huge! He especially loves to help me unload the dishwasher or make dinner by adding ingredients to the bowl. Grayson is extremely hands on and wants to be right there in the middle of the action! He loves to help and is actually very encouraging to me and others. He tells Josh and I, "Be careful, mommy!" and "Be careful, daddy!" all the time! His "tender" moments are really sweet. He loves to play with other kids and has a lot of "friends" at church, school, and playgroups that he looks forward to spending time with. Overall, he does really well with other kids and really likes to play with them. He even has conversations with them and will tell them his name and say hey. He still struggles with sharing though (as I've heard most toddlers do), but is getting better. Grayson also loves spending time with his cousins and his grandparents! We are lucky to have lots of people in Grayson's life who love him and pour into him.
Touring the Sea Turtle Center on Jekyll Island with Grandma!
Looking forward to: Grayson really loved school (Mother's Morning Out) this past year and it became something he got excited about each time he went. He has gotten much better about being left and is really starting to understand that we always come back for him. We talk about it all beforehand, so that he knows what to expect and that helps too. Grayson is also much better about being left in the church nursery. He loves going to church and loves playing in the church nursery. He runs around like he owns the place...because it's basically his second home. PK kid for ya! ;) We are looking forward to Grayson starting 2K in the fall (no more MMO!) and for another awesome year of church activities.
Enjoying our yearly trip to Jekyll Island with our Gale family!
Grayson is officially a forward facing big kid!
Grayson always wants to wear bows and have his hair done in a pony tail like his sister! I'll save this picture for his wedding day! ;)
