Cousin Lovin' Time

They were inseparable....

 

 

  

Happy Thanksgiving

Our 6th Annual Orphaned Thanksgiving with Brooke and Adam was a success!  My brother, Adam, was also able to join us this year.  It was fun to have him join us - it's been about 8 years since I've had a Thanksgiving with him.  We continue to make more feed then we can possible eat in one night, or 8.  But, at least we all get to have leftovers for days :)

Graycen was able to enjoy dinner with us - turkey, sweet potatoes and cauliflower. 

9 Months

Oops...we're a little late with this post.  We've been battling the flu bug and then Thanksgiving prep :)

9 Months Old!!!  Seriously, where is the time going? 

Weight - 15lbs 12oz (8th percentile, so we are supplementing with formula)
Height - 26.75" (25th percentile)
 

Still eating her socks :)

 

Our quiet, little angel baby is no longer...well, she is still little and still an angel, but DEFINITELY not quiet!!!!  Graycen continues to believe that louder is better. 

Now, that Graycen is mobile, she is also keeping us on our toes.  Our living room can go from organized to cluttered in about 10 seconds - she likes to have all of her toys out on the floor where she can see them.

We can't baby-proof fast enough, but at least she is helping by "showing" us what needs to be done :)  Thanksfully, Grandma and Poppa are coming for a visit so they can help us install gates, cabinet locks, etc.

Helping me get ready...

Although she's keeping us busy, we are having so much fun with this stage.  Her personality is joyous - it is contagious and impossible to have a bad day or bad mood when she's around.  She is such a happy baby....and, I think probably the "favorite" at her daycare.  Her teachers always tell us how much they love her and want to clone her.  I love hearing this, and it makes the "daycare struggle" a little easier for me.  I know she's happy and very well taken care of.

Graycen loves to laugh.  She loves to hear herself laugh and tries out many different styles, volumes, etc.  One of her favorite games is the "fake laugh game."  We fake laugh and then she mimicks our laugh.

She's already working on her next trick - pulling up on furniture:

One crawl at a time....

Graycen is officially mobile! 

It took her awhile, but she FINALLY figured out how to make her arms and legs work together.  She went from spinning herself around in circles when on her tummy, to rocking back and forth on her hands and knees, then a slithering military crawl and now....crawling!!!!

 

Crazy Eight!

Look who's 8 months old...

 

 

Time is going so fast....too fast these days.  There have been so many moments that I wished for a pause button.   I'm not sure if has always gone this fast and just didn't need to notice it, or if in the last 8 months time has decided to speed up.  But either way, I cannot believe that Graycen is already 8 months old.  She's becoming so independent in many ways - it's a sad and happy time for us.  We're sad that our tiny little baby isn't so tiny anymore, but it is SOOOO much fun to watch her learn, grow and be a little person now.

Graycen has been entertaining us with her new "tricks" and quirks:

She hates wearing socks.  This trait may have come from me - I don't like wearing socks either, I like my feet to be cold.  She is obsessed with her toes and socks, but not when they are together.  I'm not really sure why I put socks on her - she pulls them off within seconds.  Most babies go through a few outfit changes a day, but Graycen goes through several sock changes - mostly because she likes to pull them off and use them as chew toys.   

"Eating" her toes



Sock = chew toy

Graycen loves to make noise - lots of noise.  The louder, the better in her opinion.  Lately, she has been spitting/making bubbles.

 

Other updates:

• Graycen is able to get into crawling "form" but hasn't quite figured out how to move her arms and legs in order to move.  So, for now she does her army crawl, or spins in a circle.
•  Graycen LOVES the dogs, Halen in particular.  I'm not sure that the dogs are feeling the love back, though.  She wants to touch them whenever they are near, which usually means pulling on their tails, legs, and ears.

Happy Fall

Pumpkin Patch Adventures....

Making friends with the goat

Graycen's baby pumpkin

Searching for the best one....

My baby is what????

7 months old!?!?!

I have a 7 month old - where has the time gone?  We have been saying, multiple times a day, "remember when she couldn't..."  It has been awesome watching her change, grow and learn to be more independent.

This photo shoot was a little more challenging - she no longer "just sits there" - I have to be quick if I want to capture her sitting still.

Trying to help take the photos

Grabbing the camera from me

Eating the wrist cord

Trying to roll/flip over

Eating the "seven"

Playing peak-a-boo

Photo shoot = over

Graycen can now:

• sit unassisted
• roll and flip over
• sleep on her tummy
• roll up and down her crib and our bed
• move toys/things back and forth between her hands
• learning to go from sitting to laying down
• wants to crawl, but can't quite figure out what to do with her arms and legs
• eats "solids" 3 times a day
• LOVES bananas
• drink water from her sippy cup by herself