old friends and new tricks

On Wednesday, we had our nine month doctor's appointment. We were not at all surprised to learn that Gray is developing right on target. Height was 29.5 inches, landing him in the 90th percentile. Weight is holding steady at about twenty pounds (50th percentile), not surprising since he burns a ton of calories with all his physical activity. We've been a little worried about the Goose's verbal abilities, fart noises not withstanding. But our old- school, southern pediatrician put our minds at ease. He said that Graydon is physically and socially advanced for his age, and the speech will come, and not to worry. In fact, he told us in his North Carolinian twang, "Y'all are gonna have your hands full with that one." True that, Dr. Shearin, true that.

Saturday night we went to Amy's house because our friend Stacey and her family were in town for a quick visit. It was the first time that Grady and Stacey's adorable daughter Abigail had met. They got along famously, and even had an impromptu dance party with Stacey's husband, Frank:

Abigail was happy to hang out with the Goose (Graydon) and the Moose (Bobby). Bobby is one of the funniest babies ever. He is soooo cute, and sooooooo big. He is 4-5 pounds heavier than Gray, even though he is 3 months younger. He rarely moves; he just sits there and gives you drooly smiles, and gurgles non-stop. He's the best!

Abigail took a little longer to warm up to us, but once she did she was a delight. She loved the babies, and was more than happy to share food and toys. Everything except her bunny rabbit, which she carries with her everywhere. She gave us a glimpse into what our future holds, and we're excited! She's awesome!

All three kids (and more importantly, all three sets of parents) had a great time hanging out.

After our get-together, we headed home to put Gray to bed and then were off to meet JC's sister for her b-day celebration. JC's parents came over to babysit. Unfortunately, I guess Graydon had eaten a little too much at Amy's house (he had goldfish crackers for the first time, as well as avacados, banana, cheese, milk, a few tater tots, and some oatmeal). So I guess I shouldn't have been surprised when I took him up to bed and he started PROJECTILE VOMITING! Seriously, it was straight-up exorcist shit! I'm surprised his head didn't spin. Needless to say, we skipped the birthday hang out, sorry Kate. He's been fine today, so I think we're back to normal. All in all, an exciting end to an exciting week.

like a bat out of hell

ahem

Well, possibly that last post was published a trifle bit prematurely. As I'm sure you are all aware, the Terps were not victorious. Instead, they were literally trounced by the Hokies. It was a hellacious game. Graydon and I both cried into our bottles (his milk, mine beer), and I'm sure Scott Johnson was drowning his sorrows too, coastal NC-style. Not our finest hour. But never fear, we still have a chance to win the ACC. And we will! Maybe. (Probably not).

Gray shook off the loss like a man and spent the next day rolling around his Grandma's front lawn. It was his first experience with the fall foliage, and he took full advantage. We only managed to get a few pictures before he started trying to eat the leaves and we had to pluck him out:

Look at that face. Is that the kind of face you want to disappoint? I didn't think so. Get it together, TERPS! Or else, JC might become REALLY insufferable.

this one's for scott johnson

Graydon is really showing us his personality these days, and if one thing is certain, it's that he is all boy. I never was one for gender sterotypes, but he certainly is playing into them. He doesn't touch things, he smacks them. He doesn't just eat, he shovels fistfuls of food into his mouth. He is constantly on the move, crawling, cruising or walking/lurching. He is usually communicating via laughter or fart noises. And lately, he has been acting totally fearless. In the past 48 hours he has tried to hurl himself out of the bathtub, launch himself off the couch/bed/down the stairs, and ride the dog. He's seemingly not afraid of anything. Even when he hurts himself, he usually only cries for a few seconds and then he's off again.

Actually, though, there might be one thing he's afraid of:

That's right. FEAR THE TURTLE! Maryland plays Va Tech in football tomorrow night and clearly the Goose is rooting for the appropriate team. What a highly intelligent baby!

Go Terps!

el diablo

Here is the little devil dressed up for halloween as exactly that. We didn't take him trick- or- treating, but he was in a semi-costume in case we got any trick-or- treaters at our house. Which, we didn't. Not a single one. We didn't get too worked up about this holiday, since he can't eat candy yet and we're still not sure he knows what's up on a normal day, nevermind a holiday. But he looks cute. Thanks to Grandma for the outfit!

In further diabolical news, Graydon was BITTEN last week by another baby at the indoor playroom we frequent. This little girl looked sweet and innocent, but believe you me, there was a razor-toothed bully underneath that frilly pink dress. She bit him through his onesie and a sweatshirt, and broke the skin. He howled. She didn't look the least bit sorry. What happened to sugar and spice, and everything nice, yadda yadda yadda? Kids these days!