Um...'scuse me, but where's mah behbey?

I think it's official -- my baby is no longer a baby. He's a toddler. Because, well, he TODDLES. EVERYWHERE! When you put his coat on, he toddles over the to door to the garage and reaches for the knob. If you open that door, he toddles over to the door of the car and waits for you to lift him into his carseat. He toddles through malls, parking lots and into daycare holding your hand. Just like he's, you know, alittleboyandnotababymama. Sigh. So sweet and so exciting to watch him grow up, but so sad to see the little vestiges of babyhood slowly disappearing; his little leg rolls, his chubby fingers and clumsy hands, the way he looks to mama for everything - they're all more of a memory than a reality now. But really, I can't complain too much, because I get to see this goofball every morning:

We had Graham's 15 month appointment with the pediatrician earlier this month, and as usual, Graham was more fascinated with playing with the paper on the table than being examined. But for once, it wasn't all "Yup, looks great, see you in 3 months." Don't get me wrong, it wasn't awful, but we do need to keep an eye on his weight for the next few months. Graham only gained 0.75 pounds over the last three months, throwing him off his growth curve, so we need to work on getting him to eat more, or at least more often. His stats this appointment were:
length: 31.25" (55 percentile)
weight: 23 lbs (30 percentile)
head circumference: 47 (45 percentile)

So, project "Fatten Graham Up (the healthy way)" has begun. And so far, the most success we've had is by getting him to dip his food - ranch dressing with breadsticks, carmel dip and apples, and ketchup with...well, anything. I'll save those pictures for another blog post, but trust me, it's adorable. And so very grown up looking. Again...Sigh. Bye bye baby. Hello, ketchup dipping toddler.

Grateful

It's February 8, 2010, and I'm sitting here amazed and oh so grateful for everything I have. Two years ago today, Erik and I were sitting in the doctor's office with our fingers crossed, hoping and praying that our IUI would work. We'd undergone testing, injections, and numerous ultrasounds to get to this point, all in hopes of starting our family.

Through it all, Erik's patience, his optimism, and his concern reminded me how incredibly lucky I was to have such an outstanding partner. And today, two years later, I am still so grateful that I get to share the rest of my life with such a wonderful man.

Two years ago today, as we were sitting in that procedure room, I knew there was the possibility that I might never be a mother. And yet, I'm sitting here today watching my toddler waddle around the family room, pulling his wooden puppy behind him and jabbering excitedly to his daddy. My adorable, goofy little boy, the little miracle I prayed and hoped for so desperately two years ago, is more perfect than I ever could have imagined, and I am so proud and grateful to be his mommy.

I'm grateful for my family, even the pain-in-the-butt dogs. And today, I have one more thing to be grateful for. Two years ago today, I didn't know if I was ever going to be a mommy, and today, I can say I'm so profoundly grateful to be mom to one incredible little boy, and his gorgeous little sister.

It's a GIRL!

My dryer has balls... does yours?!?!?

Laundry. It's my nemesis, my never-ending story, my dreaded nightly chore, and oddly enough, something that gives me a sense of accomplishment (however short-lived) with I'm done.

When we started cloth diapering Graham, I really began to pay attention to the chemicals and additives that are in cleaning agents - laundry detergent included. It's amazing how many harsh soaps, fragrances, additives, preservatives, brighteners, well, GUNK is in so many of our day-to-day products. So I started trying to cut down. We try to use more earth-friendly, biodegradable detergents to protect our water supplies. I've eliminated fabric softener, opting instead for vinegar in the rinse cycle, which does a fantastic job (and no, there's no acidic smell when it's done).

Dryer sheets were another obvious chemical-leach that we needed to cease. As an alternative, I made these felted wool dryer balls. They roll around in your dryer, and reduce the static buildup. And They.Are.Awesome! My first load of towels came out so fluffy and soft! The next load, down blankets, were bouncy and downy and snuggly. Seriously. These things rock!

You can find instructions on how to make them here. Probably the hardest part of the whole process was picking out which yarn to use. I would say my first two balls took about an hour each to complete. Once I got the hang of it, the other two went quickly, maybe 25 minutes each?

If you don't fancy yourself a Martha Stewart type, you can always purchase some Fuzzy Wuzzy Dryer Balls here. They'll run you around $12 each after S&H.

Erik even thinks that our laundry smells better now, as we think the wool absorbs any residual skinkies left on the clothes. Or you can add a few drops of essential oils (lavender, almond, lemon and orange) to the balls for some real, non-synthetic frangrance.

Seriously, for $5 each, why not give them a try? Of course, you might become the addict that I am and start scoping out prettily colored wool skiens everywhere you go, but hey, wouldn't three (or seven or nine) more just gorg all stacked up on top of the dryer?

Another perk to having these around the house? The dryer's not the only one happy to have a few spare balls laying around :-)

Hell on two wheels feet...

Shortly before Christmas, Graham's Oma generously purchased him his very first pair of real, big-boy walking shoes. Prior to getting these walkers, which are the "next best thing to barefoot walking," G had been in soft-soles shoes like his PediPeds, which I don't think were offering him quite enough support. Once we got him in the StrideRites, the improvement in his walking skills were near instantaneous. Which is great, I love watching Graham improve and develope new skills, but yeah... he's EVERYWHERE now!!!

He gravitates to cabinets and their contents. The more breakable/spillable/crumb-producing, the better:

@ Oma's house, getting into her baking goods

He has a newfound love of toilet paper, tissue-filled trash cans, and that little porcelain "pool" in the powder room:



Shoes? I don't need no stinkin' shoes now, I'm a professional walker! (And yes, those ARE mini-Saucony trainers! Aren't they just too freaking ah-door-ah-ble?!?!?)


He's not even safe in his little "baby jail" anymore. He just wants to get out and RUN.



Who knew these little things could cause so much trouble?!?!



So yeah, a big ol' huge THANKS MOM for getting him those walking shoes. How ever will I repay you?!?!?

Oops, gotta go, *someone* is getting into the entertainment center. Again....

Go Ahead, Be Opinionated....

Please use the poll on the left right to cast your vote --->

We'd love to see what you think, are we having a boy or a girl? We're less than 30 days from finding out, and we are so excited!


I can't wait to meet you in July!!!

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Currently, I'm just reserving this blog address... please check out Graham's blog for all of our happenings!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas, we hope Santa brought you everything you wanted!!


A quick look at how Graham spent his Christmas Day:




And just for fun, a look back at G at Christmas last year - what a difference a year makes!!!