Guess what Graylon tried...

"Rice cereal is sooo good!"

So we have spent the weekend in Winterville, GA and have enjoyed every minute of it. We started our Friday night by watching a movie at home and giving Graylon his first taste of rice cereal. He is not really sure about the whole eating with a spoon thing but hopefully he will catch on soon. I think we will take a few days off and try again.


Mike feeding Gray rice cereal while Gray thinks about if the Chicago Bulls will win a championship next season.

On Saturday, we slept in. Yes, Gray slept until 10:30 a.m. just like his dad. However, the past few nights, Graylon has not been sleeping too well. He wakes up to eat a couple of times where he used to not wake up at all once he was down for the night. He must be in the middle of a growth spurt or something. We headed out to eat an early lunch at the Marigold Cafe in Winterville. Mike and I both had the best cheeseburger around while Graylon sat with us and watched our every move. We had really great intentions of cleaning the house but we were somewhat lazy. Mike went outside to mow and Graylon and I held down the fort inside the house playing and eating and taking a bath. We had so much fun!


Gray sitting with us at Marigold Cafe. He can't wait to get teeth so he can try one of the best cheeseburgers ever.


Gray and mommy played while daddy was out working in the yard.

We woke up today and started cleaning. We had the music going loud in the house and I think Graylon really liked it. We had him in his blue bouncy chair with us in the kitchen and living room while we cleaned.


"I am so proud of mommy and daddy. They have worked hard this weekend."

All in all, we had a great family weekend. It feels good to have one of those every now and again. We are definitely looking forward to next weekend already. Our niece, Averie Raye, turns two years old and Graylon gets to go to her birthday party on Saturday. I am sure that there will be lots of fun pictures from next weekend to show.

Have a great Monday tomorrow!

Videos of Graylon and His Hands

I promised video, and videos I'll provide. Gray is learning to use his hands as evidence will show in both clips. He grabs his toys and our fingers, but he doesn't limit himself there. He has been known to accidentally grab chest hair off me and head hair off of Mommy. The bottom line is he is figuring stuff out. It is truly amazing watching him grow right in front of my very eyes, and I wish you could all be here to witness it with me. In lieu of you all being here, I've posted a couple of short video clips. The setting is our living room, and the main character is Mr. Graylon LaBarbera. The first clip takes place Wednesday morning and the second was filmed just moments before this post. Making a guest appearance is Mommy, aka Heather, and the occasional narrating was done by Daddy, aka Me. Grab your popcorn. The clips aren't that long, but for the first time EVER there are 2 of them! Enjoy.

Video #1



Video #2

The Longest Blog Entry of All Time

Once again, sorry for the delay folks. Six days between posts is unacceptable. In my defense, we've been busy since the last post. Many of this blog's followers know we've been busy because we were busy with all of you. Last Friday we headed to Dalton for the second weekend in a row. On Saturday Heather helped throw a wedding shower for her cousin Jonathan and his fiance' Becca. Graylon was fashionably late and was a hit. Most of the people there had met Gray before, but they still got in some Gray love.



Grandma Frances and Grandma Ophia with Graylon at the shower.


Becca and Jonathan at their wedding shower. Graylon told me to wish y'all a very happy marriage.


Once we left the shower it was on to a cookout at our good friends, Jim and Nancy Stevenson's home. Several high school friends were there. Included at the party were Andrew and Brooke with their daughters Emma and Lila. Steven and Ember were there with their son Emerson. Katie brought all three of her children, Gage, Lexi, and Abel. Bret and Alicia came by with their 3 month old daughter, Delilah. Also Michael and Shana Guess as well as Jeremy Shuler came by to see all the kids and catch up with what everyone has been up to. All in all, eight children from the age of 6 down to 3 months were in attendance. We all talked about how things have changed and really enjoyed catching up. We usually meet up each Christmas, so it was great to mix in an extra get-together. Any time we are allowed the pleasure of all being together as a group, it never disappoints. Thank you to Jim and Nancy for hosting, and another thank you to everyone else for coordinating their plans to allow us to get to see you all. We had a blast.



Emma, Delilah, Gage, Graylon, Lila, Emerson, Abel, and Lexi...whew...what an awesome group!


Gage, Mike, Gray, Steven, Emerson, and Emma enjoying a wonderful party on Saturday.


Brooke called dibs on feeding Graylon. Her youngest daughter, Lila, approved her Mommy's technique.

We spent the night in Dalton Saturday night with Grandma Sharon who got to love on Gray, and then we were on to White, Georgia on Sunday to see Granna, Pop, Aunt Caryn, Uncle J, Aunt Kelly, Uncle Rick, Averie, Jon, Ashley and Henry. We enjoyed a steak dinner courtesy of Granna, Pop, and grill master Jon. We also got our first glimpse of a crawling Henry. He was a very active crawler, and it was a real eye opener for Heather and I as to Gray's next phase. Henry was also chomping down some real food which was another next phase moment for us to witness. It was great to see everyone there. It seemed like it had been a very long time since our last time together.



Grandma Sharon and Graylon lovin' life.


Oh boy! Grandma Sharon has some pretty cool toys too.

Uncle J holding Graylon. Gray has had better hair days.


Aunt Caryn with her niece, Averie, and nephew, Gray.


"Hey Graylon, baby food is soooooo awesome dude."


Tuesday was Graylon's 4 month doctor's visit. He was to get 3 more shots and get a head-to-toe inspection from Dr. Aldridge. Graylon weighed in at 14 lbs 14.5 oz. His weight put him in the 50th percentile of babies his age. His length was up in the 75th percentile. He cried during the shots, but I thought his recovery was very impressive. We were so proud of him.



Graylon back at home playing with his new toy and showing off his new trick. He grabs everything now, and that includes his toes.


Gray taking a bath on the night before his big trip to see Dr. Aldridge.


"Hey everybody. I'm just sittin' here, shirtless, waiting to get needles stuck in my thighs. I'm pretty tough though, so don't you worry about me."


Gray seemed to fully recover fine. He woke up from his nap after the shots with what seemed to be a little discomfort, but he has been his normal, playful self ever since. He is really getting some serious neck strength and is able to play comfortably in his Bumbo seat. The kid seems to hit a growth spurt every day. You can tell he is growing a lot when a six day gap between posts requires the next post to be as long as this one has been. Enjoy all the pictures, and I'll try and put some video up the next time.



"I think these bandaids make me look tough."


Graylon alllllllll better late yesterday evening.


A worm's eye view of Graylon playing in his Bumbo chair. Look at how his feet have grown!

Gray...He's Growing Like a Weed!

Well it's been back to Daddy & Graylon Days here in Winterville as Mommy went back to work. We have developed a nice routine for play time, feedings, naps, and diaper changes. Gray is growing both physically and mentally at what seems like a much faster rate. Mentally, he is grabbing more and recognizing things more. We used to sit him in his laying down bouncing chair and simply bounce him with our foot. Now, I can't put him in it without a teddy bear or a rattle or simply his burp cloth. Physically, he IS a weed! Just today I marveled at the growth in his head alone. He is super long, and currently is sleeping in a 6 month sleeper. We are so proud of him, and we're really anxious to get Dr. Aldridge's opinion on Tuesday.

Heather and I have been on a fit kick. We're trying to eat better and Tuesday and Wednesday we incorporated a family walk around the block. Gray was a champ both days and is a great motivator for his Mommy and his Daddy. He seems to be increasing his energy level too. Just today I walked in to check on him in his crib, and he had back-shimmied himself into a corner (pictured below). We are reminded often to always be on our toes as a Mom and Dad. We are aware he is growing, but we have to make sure to grow as parents with each change Graylon encounters. I am proud of our parenting evolution thus far, and I can't wait to see what the future holds. Once again the latest pictures are posted. The first two are from last weekend's trip to Dalton. The others are just from random nights around the house. Until next time...



Graylon is taking notes on what to do next March on his special day.



Grandma Sharon had all three of her grandchildren together for the first time. Can you tell she's a tad bit happy about that?



"Boy, that walk in the stroller was exhausting!"



"Look how far I can squirm!"



Look at Graylon in a 6 month sleeper. He's HUGE!

Happy 4 Month B-day My Sweet Baby Gray!

Dear Graylon,

Happy 4 month birthday! I can’t believe that four months have passed since the day that I first met you. You have grown so much and continue to change right before my eyes. This past month, you have become more vocal. I feel like you are telling me stories each time I lay beside you and talk to you. You start talking the minute you wake up in the morning. You play in your crib and only fuss when you are hungry. You have also starting laughing which makes me laugh too. It is the sweetest sound I have ever heard. You are so good at your tummy time. I can lay you there for a while and you just look around like a little turtle with your head popped up. You really enjoy your bath time too. You have started kicking your arms and legs and splashing in the water. We have so much fun. One of your new favorite things to do is to jump. You love your jumperoo toy and when I am holding you, you start trying to jump yourself. I help you out of course. You still love your time with your daddy. You love to lie in his lap and talk to him. You have started using your hands more too. You are reaching for my face and your daddy’s nose now. You know what your pacifier is and when I show it to you, you grab my hand with both of your hands and pull it to you so that the pacifier goes right into your mouth. When you are hungry and your daddy or I are shaking your bottle getting it ready, you look at it in amazement. You know that you are getting ready to eat when you see your bottle. Your daddy and I keep up with your poopie schedule and we start getting concerned when you haven’t gone in two days. You always surprise us and put us at ease when you have a major blowout! I know it’s silly, but I love changing your poopie diaper and believe me your daddy let’s me change every single one I want…haha! I love watching you sleep in your crib. Your daddy and I only wrap your legs now and leave your arms out. You sleep with your arms above your head most of the time. It is so cute. You spit out your paci sometimes during the night and sometimes, we have to come put it back in. You are getting better at putting yourself to sleep in your crib when we lay you down awake. You are still not on a structured schedule, but we are getting there. At night, we have tried to get you into a routine of bath time, bottle, and then bed. You are pretty good at it too. You go to sleep around 7:30 p.m. and sleep until 5 or 6 a.m. This isn't every night but most of the time. I can’t wait to take you to your doctor’s appointment next Tuesday to see what your official weight and length are. I know you are going to do great with your shots again. You are such a big boy! I love you Graylon!

Love,

Mommy

Dalton for a Wedding, Pictures, and a Birthday Party

Dalton was our host to another fabulous weekend of our family getting to know our son, Graylon. We headed out late Thursday to make our weekend feel longer, and it worked. We got in a bunch of stuff. Granted, we still be-bopped around constantly, but we had a great time!

On Friday, we got to see Granny Franny and Paul during the day. We ate at Ryan's and it brought back pregame meal memories from high school basketball. Later that evening Uncle Brandon, Auntie Heather, Michaela, and Jocey Lynn arrived at Grandma Sharon's from Clarksville, TN. We played some cards and caught up with each other. It was a blast. We woke up the next morning and headed to Pop Pop and Mee Maw's house. We were taking family pictures and then heading to Rome later to attend the wedding of Cousin Allen. The wedding was beautiful and we always have fun when all those Byers' get together. Uncle Steve caught the garter that his son threw, so one would think he'd be the next to get married. But he caught the one I threw too four years ago. I'm guessing the superstition might not come true. Gray was well behaved during the ceremony and hung in there like a big boy. Apart from a little spit-up mishap with Cousin Melinda, he was the man! Sunday was birthday time for Jocey Lynn. She turned 2 on the 7th of July, and this was our time to get together as a family and celebrate her. She is so beautiful and full of love. Graylon has some pretty awesome girl cousins on both sides of the family. **And we're getting really excited for that first boy cousin coming from Uncle Rick and Aunt Kelly in a couple of months.** We headed out Sunday evening, and we've spent this Monday catching our breath.

Enjoy the load of pictures. This is the tip of the iceberg. There are several of the Sunday pictures that I haven't even put on the computer yet. There will be more. Tomorrow is Gray's 4 month birthday, so Mommy should be writing another letter to Graylon. Stay tuned.


Graylon loved all the love. Can't you see all that excitement on his face?


We told Michaela not to pinch, but she wouldn't listen. Gray will get his revenge when he gets older...jk Michaela.


Grandma Sharon put the magnet in her cheek and the piece of metal in Jocey's mouth.


Brandon took the time to pose with Graylon, but then went back to trying to "make him meaner than a striped snake."


Granny Franny was explaining to Graylon that "E" in fact, does equal MC squared.


Family portraits drove us crazy! We took serious poses too.


Graylon is a great flier, but Pop Pop was the one on cloud 9.


Mommy and Gray were getting ready for the wedding. Umm...they look kind of like mother and son don't ya think?


The bride and groom, Allen and Alex, posing for their 500th picture of the day. It was a wonderful wedding. Thanks for allowing us to take part in your special day.


Melinda and Gray were good at this point. A few moments later came the spit up. Melinda handled with grace and sophistication though.


Uncle Ronald got his first taste of Mr. Graylon. Needless to say, Gray charmed his socks off.

Our Trip to Funroe, Monroe!

Yesterday, Gray and I took a trip to Monroe, GA to visit our good friends Katie, Brook, and Mack. We had a great time. Katie gave me some pointers on making my own baby food for Graylon once he starts eating food and we caught up on everything. Mack is Katie and Brook's 7 month old little boy and he is adorable. It is amazing how fast these little ones grow.

Katie, Brook, and Mack treated Gray and I to lunch at the Monroe Country Club and then we went to the pool. Gray actually stayed in the pool for about 10 to 15 minutes. I was so proud of him! Thank you Katie, Brook, and Mack for such a great day! Here are some pictures from our day in Monroe and also some from today at the house.

We leave for Dalton today! When we get back from our weekend in D-Town, there will be more pictures to see.

By the way, we finally received Graylon Michael LaBarbera's official birth certificate today in the mail!



Gray and Mack hanging out after playing in the pool.



Look at Mack with his beautiful blue eyes and sitting up like a big boy.



Katie had to get some Graylon love before we left.



Gray's first time in his high chair. We just wanted to try it out.



Graylon having play time with his daddy after his bath last night.



Gray checking out his birth certificate. He is official. :)