Walker, You're a BIG 5 Months!

18lbs, 1 oz
6-9 month clothes
Size 3 shoes
Moving into size 4 diapers soon

Walker baby! Everything is happening so fast! You started rolling over from back to front at 4 1/2 months. You then began rolling from front to back at 5 1/2 months! 30 days of that "stuck" limbo stage where you didn't know how to roll back made you very angry and had me up many times a night when you'd wake up realizing you couldn't fix yourself. :)

The laughing and giggles and smiles, oh my! I love when people get to see you in person - they see what I mean! Our dear friend Carissa spent the day with us a couple of weeks ago and got to see first-hand how content you are. We are just so lucky....

Until you get hungry! Can your cries and screams actually be getting LOUDER? I think so! Goodness.

I had a zillion videos of Grayson's every move by this age. I hardly have any of you and it stresses me out that I'm missing it all! (sigh)

You now grab at everything in front of you and bring them towards you, mostly directly in your mouth. You can hold your skinny bottles and can almost hold your Dr. Brown's bottles by yourself.

You are so good with just going with the flow. I've heard 2nd babies and beyond just have to be. And you have proved this spot on.

Because I'm doing this update so late, I can report that you have your TWO bottom teeth! Out of nowhere the other morning, I felt them. And they are SO CUTE. I knew you'd be an early teether. Grayson was like 8 or 9 or 10 months old but your incessant chewing/drooling/etc was a good indication that this was going to happen soon. You're even more adorable now. Like that's possible.

Your sleeping is CRAZY. Now you're up 2x a night - starving both times. I need to ask the doc at your next appt. You take solids like a champ and still take those and a bottle every 3 1/2 - 4 hours so WHY are you still hungry at night?

Outtakes:

 I'll say it again, you ADORE your big brother. You watch every move, smiling throughout, just hoping he'll engage with you. And when he does, you are beside yourself. The giggles are just too much!

Grayson turns 3!

Your stats from your 3 year well-visit:

(I need to locate the print out from the doc for these)

40lbs

Size 4T tops and 3T and 4T bottoms

Shoe: 9.5W
No diaper size - big boy undies!

My BIG boy! I wish time would freeze. Grayson, you light up our days and our lives in so many ways. You are the funniest person I've ever met, the most athletic little thing that I never dreamed I could produce, the most helpful big brother - Walker seriously adores you.


I love the perfectly imperfect way you talk, your bigger than life imagination and the way you know to laugh so hard when we make adult jokes that you aren't even supposed to get yet! You are so smart and I love watching you put new things together every day! It's just so cool!

You bake with Mimi quite often. Now, you bring me things at our house like flour and sugar and say, "Here Mommy. Make cookies." (You actually pronounce them "tooties")

I just think you are SO beautiful! I try not to tell you TOO often. I want you to know how much you are adored and how special you are but not be spoiled and become numb to praise. It's a difficult balance! 

You are such a big guy already. I can so see you as a teenager. You're 3 going on 16 - eek!

You and your Daddy are closer than ever. You have so much in common - the outdoors, rough housing, same comic cartoons and foods. I'm so content sitting back and watching it all. You guys make my heart so full!

Face Timing with Daddy. You two have so much fun trying on the different faces and hats. We all laugh so hard together!

 One time, and only one time, I found you taking interesting in MY things! Here you're wearing my slippers and purse. I had to take a photo since it's so rare :)

You get so proud of your achievements and you really have a lot at this age! I never could have guessed. Like how do you have the most perfect golf swing still? And hit the baseball like 9 out of 10 times? I'd like to credit my rockstar pitching skills. Ha. ;)

Your sentences are almost complete -only missing the tiny words like to, and, or, am, etc. Which makes your conversations adorable!You are rarely quiet - so much chatter! I don't want you to ever lose this cuteness and I wish I could video every single sentence! 

It's not just the language that amazes us but the thought behind it. Your ideas are big, creative, beyond your capabilities or know-how but this doesn't stop you. 

OH MY, the things you build and the things you come up with to tie together, tie up, attach, fuse together. These are other things that I really want to photograph more of but just don't take the time. You are leaps and bounds beyond where you were just 6 short months ago. 

Your bed head gets better with age!

Your Dad and I had to get you a crane - your latest favorite piece of machinery. It is so real that your Uncle Todd
(a crane operator) spent hours the following day playing with it! 

You made so strange things with these manicure items....as Newborn Brother slept in the background :)

We had your birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese this year - your first that we had outside of our home and it was a hit! We kept it very small and kept the celebrating with your play group to a separate during-the-week play date. I wasn't trying to have a party of 60 up in the Chuck E. Cheese, you hear? :)

You and Pop in a fierce competition

With Emily, Seton and Fox

Mimi and Pop scored a last minute invite when we realized that we wouldn't see them for Father's Day the following day (we spent the day with the Reynolds side) or at any other point on your Birthday weekend. And that just couldn't happen!

Such a Dude already!

Let's just say that Mr. Cheese should NEVER sneak up from behind a child that has never seen him before.
There were tears!

Grayson wanted Mommy to wear the Birthday Crown

Cake

Blowing out THREE candles. My big boy!

With your buddies Joseph Phillips and Fox Quirin

Love you BIG, Grayson Luke Reynolds!! Happy 3rd Birthday and here's to many, many more!