Grayson's Dino-Mite 2nd Birthday Party

This past weekend we celebrated our littlest turning 2! His birthday is actually this Friday (27th), but due to some of our schedules we decided to have his party early. We will be going to meet his new cousin (yay!!!) and to the lake on Friday, so it was just easier for everyone. 

Grayson has been obsessed with dinosaurs lately (he says RAWWWRRR any chance he gets), and I loved the idea of incorporating them for his party. I kept the food simple and bought a mac and cheese platter from GFS and did sliders and some other dips and Billy made a dinosaur head out of a watermelon (turned out so cute!) that we stuffed with fruit. 

(my stepmom once again made the cutest cake for him off of a picture template that I sent to her!)

I put the boys in matching dinosaur shirts (from Gymboree!) and I bought Grayson some pretty cute shoes that I found on clearance a few days prior!

(I bought that dinosaur off of Amazon)

No surprise that he loved his cake and wasted no time eating it all... :)

I filled up a baby pool with sand and had plastic dinosaurs and shovels for the kids to play with and we also set up a bounce house in our backyard. It was supposed to rain all day but we got lucky with not having any and it ended up being on the cooler side which was a plus!

Billy's friend let him borrow his adult sized dinosaur costume (that he used for his nephews party recently) to surprise the kids with and it was absolutely hysterical watching their reactions! Some of them were scared and weary in the beginning (Grayson clung to me for a few minutes) and some (aka Camden) were jumping up and down excited! It didn't take long for the kids to warm up to T Rex (especially after some dance moves) and soon enough they were all giving high-fives and hugs. I got some really great videos that I can't wait to show them when they're older! Grayson was smiling from ear to ear the entire party - we know he had the best time. 

And here's some more pictures from the day with our families and friends... :)

To add to the excitement that day, Billy's brother and his wife had their baby boy DURING Grayson's party! We were all so happy and excited. 

Only a few more sleeps with a one year old...le sigh. Grayson has been the biggest blessing to our family, I can't even talk about it without wanting to sob my eyes out. He is truly the sweetest, most gentle, silly, lovable little boy out there. We are beyond thankful that he is ours and to for the opportunity to watch him grow every single day. I cherish every moment I have with him. Can't wait to celebrate him on Friday, too! 

We love you SO much, buddy! 

Grayson William: 12 Months Old

If you can't tell, getting pictures of Grayson sitting still has become close to impossible! Baby (not so much anymore) boy doesn't have time for photoshoots! Life is MUCH more busy with 2 very mobile active boys, but even so I still think one year old is one of the greatest ages. 

Since I've done so many other posts for his birthday, I'm going to try to keep this short and sweet. The monthly updates like this are so much fun to look back on and see how much he's changed over the months! Grayson is gentle. sweet. happy. silly. sensitive. and fiesty (when it comes to his food!) He isn't quite walking on his own yet, but boy can get around and has perfected getting around the house with his push toys, so I'm sure walking will be soon enough. It's funny how with the first (at least this is how I was with Camden) you are so anxious for these milestones to come, and then with the second you're so much more laid back about it all and not wanting them to grow up! 

Milestones//Special Moments: Completely off of bottles and is drinking whole milk at breakfast, lunch, and dinner (with a Nuk sippy) // First real word besides mama, dada, and baba (for bottle) was BALL!! :) (Go figure!) // Can crawl up the steps // Standing on his own without support // Trying to take steps! // 8 teeth

Weight/Height: 23 lbs, 31 inches tall (95th percentile for height, 40th for weight)

Hair: Brown

Eyes: Brown 

Clothes: 18-24 months 

Diapers: Still 4's

Sleeping: 2 naps still- 1st is 9-10am, 2nd is at 12pm-3ish, I think we may be getting close to dropping that first nap.

Likes: His push toys (he loves to push Camden around on this airplane that we have) // He loves drinking water // Music // Stacking cups or bowls // Animal books // Crawling up the steps // Trying to get into cabinets :) // Being rocked to bed

Dislikes: Having his diaper changed and when his food is all gone (nothing has changed there!)

Thank you, Grayson, for being patient with us this past year as we navigated life as a family of four and for being the absolute sweetest, cutest, most lovable addition our family could have ever imagined or asked for! WE LOVE YOU so so much!!!

12 months of Grayson:

Grayson William: 11 Months Old

Only one more month until my second baby boy is ONE! So crazy. I hope this next month goes as slow as possible!

The biggest change this month is that we're currently transitioning Grayson off of bottles and it's going really well. He is drinking out of Nuk cups now that have a spout and the ones Camden always loved. I'm also going to start switching him to whole milk soon!

He is taking steps with the push walker toy that we have, so I don't think it'll be much longer before he's walking! The boys grow closer every single day, which obviously makes me so happy. They love to cuddle, read, and get baths together. Cam lets Grayson crawl all over him too and they think it's so funny. We all can't wait to celebrate his birthday soon-he has brought our family so much love and joy this past year!

Milestones//Special Moments: First time on the boat at the cottage // Taking steps with the help of the walker // 8 teeth (4 top, 4 bottom)

Weight/Height: 22-23 lbs, not sure on height

Hair: Brown

Eyes: Brown (one of my fav features-he has very expressive and sweet eyes!)

Clothes: 18-24 months 

Diapers: 4's

Sleeping: 2 naps still- 1st is 9-10am, 2nd is at 12pm-3ish, I think he's been growing through a growth spurt because he's been wanting to go to bed at 6:30pm lately! (and is still sleeping until 7 or 730)

Likes: EATING // Playing hide and seek with Cam // Music // Being tickled // Shaking his head no // Giving kisses // Clapping // Crawling on us // Baths (he is always trying to stand during them now!) // Moana (this is literally one of the only movies/shows he will pay attention to) // Is more interested in books now (Brown Bear Brown Bear and Touch n' Feel books) 

Dislikes: Laying on his back to have his diaper changed (too busy for that now mom) // When we take something away that he can't have

We love you immensely, Gray! Happy 11 Months!

favorite pictures this month: 

and just for fun, both boys at this age :)

Grayson: 9 Months Old

(those cheeks!)

Here we are...9 months old and mama is getting ready to start planning his big first birthday party. Actually I've already come up with some ideas in my head but that's neither here nor there. What's wild is that soon I will have a 2.5 year old and a 1 year old. HOLD ME.

So, Grayson is now crawling across rooms like he's been doing it his whole life, and has also added some yoga moves that resemble downwards dog to his resume. He is trying to pull up on everything now, so basically my days of him being a little baby are pretty much over. Insert mini sob fest here. He reminds me a lot of Camden when he was at this age...I think it's because he looks a little more like him but also because they have the same exact laugh!

Here's what else has been new with baby Gray (I WILL continue to call him this forever, obviously) this past month...

Milestones//Special Moments: 2nd trip to Florida (and 2nd time on a plane!) // 1st haircut this past month! // Can sit up and pull up from a crawling position // 1st time sitting in the front of the shopping cart! // Interested in drinking out of a sippy cup and does pretty good at it // Has been a little more clingy this month // 1st time eating Chik-Fil-A :)

Weight/Height: 9 month apt is this Friday, will have to update once we find out! He has the most delish thighs though! I just want to eat them!

Hair: Brown

Eyes: Brown

Clothes: 12-18 months (he seriously grows out of clothes so fast!)

Diapers: 3's 

Sleeping: Down to 2 naps per day now! If we're home and I see he's a little tired, I will put him down for a little cat nap around 330 and he will usually fall asleep for about 30-45 mins.

Likes: Bath time with his brother // Shape Sorter (he's gotten really good at finding where each shape goes!) // Swinging // Eating (boy can DOWN some food!) // Being goofy at bedtime // Playing with balls (I think he sees Cam playing with them all the time that he is even more interested in them!) // Trucks and playing with their wheels // His wubbanubs (the love is STRONG!)

Dislikes: When people are eating and he isn't and when his food is all gone!

Eating: Down to 3 bottles per day and is mainly off purees (I will give him a pouch out of convenience when needed) I'm a little nervous how I will get this child off of bottles because he is obsessed with them.

Health: We are so thankful that he hasn't been sick at all these past few months! Phew!

favorite pictures this month: