Where We Are: Graydon at 5 months

This blog serves a few purposes...random catch-all for my musings, easy way to keep the family posted, and of course, virtual baby book. But it's a poor baby book that doesn't record any milestones, so I guess I'd better get cracking on that.

I'll switch it up a bit and tackle Graydon first. Tomorrow little GrayJay is five months old and I am so smitten. This little man is pure sweetness. I would say his two most defining characteristics are his easygoing nature and his chubbiness. He is huge and happy.

At his four month appointment, Graydon was in the 95th percentile for weight and the 83rd for length. And only 62nd for head circumference, thank you very much! (Addie was always >99 percentile). He can still be forcibly stuffed into his six month clothes but is much happier in 6-9 month sizes and is happiest of all in 9 month clothes. And he is starting to wear his 12 month clothes already!

We also gave the little man his first haircut a few weeks ago. He still had a lot of very dark baby hair left over from his infant days, but it was a little bit out of control. By which I mean he looked like an 80s hair band cover artist much of the time. So we buzzed him and now he looks even more like his Dad with his short thick toast colored hair that sticks up in a little tuft right smack in the middle of his head.

Pre haircut

Graydon is a very "easy" baby in a lot of ways. He very rarely cries...he mostly just grunts with increasing irritation and volume until he gets what he needs. He is so easy that when he IS irritable, I feel totally bewildered and have no idea what to do...."he's crying..omg...WHAT IS GOING ON????" He has been teething for about half of his life (not joking) but only this week has his first pesky tooth finally popped through. He likes to suck on his lower lip constantly, probably because he's literally always teething. He has another four or five teeth lined up and pushing through.

The lip suck in action. "Who, me?"

Graydon rolls with great facility from his back to his tummy but can't quite figure out how to flip back over once he is on his tummy. This always occasions a lot of loud grunting which is the equivalent of most babies' hysterical screams of panic.

He has also started on rice cereal and looooooves it. Seriously. He grabs the spoon in his greedy little fists and gnaws on it like it is going out of style. He is a big eater.

Note the cereal everywhere!

Such a sweet little man

Sometimes he gets a little overzealous

Nom nom nom

He also likes beer. See video #1 below (No, we don't allow him to drink it! But I'm pretty sure we have a third generation home brewer on our hands!)

And did I mention that he's happy? He makes us laugh constantly because he just loves life so much. His favorite things are Mama/milk (naturally), his Dad (he adores Tim, his face just lights up when he sees him), and Addie (if he could follow Addie around, he would do it). The second video is Graydon laughing with delight because Tim is home from work.

He also likes his bouncer, his play gym, and his bath. I posted a video of him going crazy in his bouncer. He's figured out how to really rock and roll in that thing!

He doesn't like getting his clothes changed and his car seat. And that's really about it. Easy peasy and delightful, that's our G man!

Rest and Recreation

Love my guys

Sunday is the day of rest, and we take that seriously around here. I have to confess that I love naps. I'd much rather get up early and go to bed late and nap somewhere in between than sleep late. Now, I know I'm supposed to use my kids' naptime as a time to "get things done"...cooking, cleaning, doing crafty things with textiles. These are the things A+ moms do, right? Most of the time I force myself to put them in bed and move on with the day's tasks.

But on the weekends...I'm very easily persuaded to hold one or the other of them close and drift off with them. And I don't waste any time feeling bad about it. I just revel in the feel of them. I know that these days are all too fleeing and that soon enough their naps will be over and they won't want to cuddle with me with me anymore...they'll be too busy playing and learning and growing into independent "big kids". So I snuggle my babies and every second is another prayer of gratitude for the sweetness of motherhood.

Today I fell asleep with Graydon resting against me. I could feel his steady heart chugging away and the soothing (and reassuringly SLOW) rise and fall of his chest against mine. His chubby little belly was pressed tightly to mine and I could feel the sleepy rumblings of his tummy almost as if they were mine. He had one fat dimpled hand tangled in my hair (his favorite toy) while the other plucked sleepily at the folds of my shirt. He was coming as close to purring as a human baby can, humming with a low satisfied noise as he drifted deeper and deeper into sleep. Addie was sleeping peacefully in her room, Tim was drifting off in his favorite chair, and Graydon and I were stretched out on the couch. And as my family slept, I was able to fall down the deep well of sleep, secure in the knowledge that all was well in our household.

Our happy boy! Thanks to Aunt Sylvia for the cute hat and "Happy Camper" onesie!

And of course it helped that my body was abso-frickin'-lutely exhausted from our hike yesterday. Holy smokes. You think you're in shape until you start climbing. Then it's like a cold hard slap in the face from reality which says "oh hi, your thighs are the general consistency and toughness of uncooked biscuits from a can."

Let me back up here and explain that we went to Whitewater State Park for a family hike. Tim and I love hiking. Back in the pre-baby days we used to hike a lot and we were in pretty good climbing shape. We did some really neat hikes in the Northeast (Monadnock, Blue Hills, Killington, and Falls Trail) and out West (Zion, Bryce, Natural Bridges, and the Grand Canyon). And then we had kiddos. And also moved to southeast Minnesota. Where, let me be frank here, the hiking kind of sucks, for reasons I will explain.

Much of Minnesota is quite flat because it was well scraped by glaciers many eons ago. Remember the famous Laura Ingalls Wilder novel "Little House on the Prairie"? Yes, that's Minnesota. Lots of prairie land and also lots of lakes left over from the immense squishing (technical jargon, this is not) of the glaciers. However, Minnesota is also quite large (the 11th largest state in geographical area) and some parts of it are not flat at all. Notably, the North Shore, and also what is known as "Bluff Country", which is where Whitewater is located. So it is not a lack of scenery or height that kills the hiking down here. On the contrary, Whitewater is beautiful and the bluffs offer excellent views.

It's the fact that the bluffs are so darn abrupt. You're either in the valley or you're climbing straight up. And I do mean that you're climbing straight up, via seemingly endless flights of stairs, which are generally quite narrow and crowded with other "hikers" aka "stair walkers", many of whom inexplicably choose to break right where the stairs are most narrow and force you squeeze past them with your two kids and your two dogs and your two laboring lungs and your two Grands-esque biscuit dough thighs which are shrieking for mercy. And when you're on top there is really nowhere else to go. So you look at the view and then you go back down, this time with your knees keening in agony.

GrayJay got carried and he loved the whole thing. Like his sister, he is a born outdoorsman.

If life is metaphorically about the journey, hiking is actually quite literally about the journey, and the journey up to the top of the bluffs...well, it sucks, like I said. There is no time for contemplating nature or joying in the exercise. It's just a brief period of extremely hard work and then it's over. And it is definitely not the easiest thing to do with an 18 pound baby in a Bjorn and a 25 pound kiddo in a backframe because there is nowhere to rest (without being a PITA) and nowhere that is safe for a two year old to run around. And you cannot let your dogs go either, because of the aforementioned crowded nature of the stairs.

However, none of this is to say that you shouldn't go to Whitewater. The park itself is fantastic, with a great swimming beach and wonderful scenery. It's well worth a visit and even a trip to the blufftops, as long as you prepared for what it is going to be. And we had a great day. Once I'd recovered from my "near total state of physical collapse", we had a lovely lunch and enjoyed watching Addie run around and find caterpillars.

Eating a sandwich for the first time. As opposed to insisting that the sandwich components be given to her separately as meat, cheese, and bread.

More cute baby G

Then we went for a drive, and had one of those wonderful moments of serendipity where you stumble upon something ravishingly beautiful and totally unexpected and unplanned. We took a dirt road and found ourselves following the winding course of the Whitewater river as it meandered through the bottomland between bluffs. It was beautiful in a way that our pictures really don't capture.

The road

We were in awe. And while our bodies were hurting, our spirits were refreshed. And good old Minnesota laid down a few more little roots of affection in my heart. And of course a good nap allowed me to stay up late to write this post. Win/win/win in my book!

The river

Short Years

Someone...I have no idea who, and a Google Search is not revealing much...wisely said that motherhood is composed of long days and short years. I'm feeling the truth of that one lately, as some of our days have been "pleasesweetJesusletitbebedtime" long but I also feel an almost daily sense of "how did you get so big so fast?" tugging at my heartstrings.

Part of that feeling stems from the time of year. Another year of residency is drawing to a close, and we are preparing to say goodbye to the fifth years. And this year, for the first time, we have friends that are leaving. As they leave, we are all too aware that our own time here is flying past with lightning speed and soon enough, we will be the ones saying goodbye to our dear friends and heading wherever the Powers that Be in the Air Force send us.

That's very exciting, don't get me wrong. But it instills a deep desire in me to be with these friends as much as we can be before it all changes again. And I know they feel the same way because we've talked it out. So now we're basically attached at the hip(s) and believe me, our kiddos are not complaining. They love spending time together.

Addie, Riley, and Calum (Asher had already left by the time I got my camera out)

Fun on the slide. The kids actually shared really nicely

Calum is a little bit of a ham. I wish Addie liked the camera this much.

Looking for a four leaf clover?

The Ri guy

C-lo

Good friends. Love the chocolate stains on Addie's mouth!

We are seeing the Brogan boys quite a bit more than anyone else, as they stay with us while Jen works a few shifts here and there. It's a lot of fun to see how Addie and Calum have gone from playing beside each other to tussling with each other like puppies. And I'm so excited to see Graydon and James go through the same process. Right now they notice one another occasionally but mainly they have eyes only for the bigger kids and the dogs. And believe me, the bigger kids are usually putting on quite a show.

America's Next Top Model. This is after a bath that was MUCH needed after the kids discovered some potting soil.

I asked them to hug each other. That quickly turned into a serious wrestling match.

Calum is making the move

The initial "hug"

aka "tackle"

Like I said...

They tussle like puppies...

And they love every second of it

The boys come fairly early in the morning (pre 7 AM) and James usually likes to sack back out

Calum is waiting for Addie to get up and watching Elmo. He's kind of a fan.

James is clearly horrified by my morning appearance. Graydon is used to it.

They wanted to pretend to be babies like Grady and James. So they climbed in the crib and each wanted a blanket and a friend.

The crazy thing is that we'll move away while the kiddos are still so young. They won't really recall these days and how much fun they had together...except that they will because we are recording these moments in photos and blogs and videos.

You know how you know all your best friends' stories? You've heard the story so many times that you can tell it and it sort of feels like you remember it even though you weren't actually there...like it becomes one of your stories by virtue of how much time you spend together? I think that is how our kidlets will feel about their Rochester days. They won't truly remember much, but they'll think they remember it all because they'll see the pictures and hear the stories so often. And that makes me happy.

And it probably means that you'll see a lot of this kind of thing on the blog. Because we Mamas are big into cherishing each other's company as the years speed past. And I just can't wait to see how the kids continue to grow as individuals and as friends.

(And I really really love the fact that every single time someone comes to our door, Addie immediately yells "Come in, friends!" ...even if it is just the UPS guy!)

The Born Wedding

The lovely couple

 We took a family trip to Florida last weekend to see our dear friends Trevor and Diana get married. Well, I say it was a family trip, but really it was just Tim and Graydon and I. Addie stayed in the Cities with her Grandpa and Lita.

Trevor is in the same year of his ortho residency as Tim, and Diana and I have been friends for the entire three years that we've lived in Rochester. She is a wonderful woman and she has tackled so much in these few short years. She took a huge leap of faith to move to Rochester and while she was here she also managed to earn a new degree and embark on a new career. Not too shabby, Mrs. Born! We were so happy to be there to witness them "formally" unite as a couple.

Trevor waiting for Diana to come down the aisle

Diana looked amazing

The kiss

Our friend Dave was a groomsman

The wedding was beautiful, and I was so happy that we made the effort to head down to Florida. Not least because we wanted to be there for Trevor and Diana, but also because witnessing a wedding allows you to take a step back and reflect. Daily life can be wearing, especially in the field these guys have chosen. It's all toothpaste spatters on the mirror and who is going to mow the lawn and why do we spend so much money at Target, blah blah blah.

But when you pause and take it all in, you remember that we...that you....are doing life together. From the moment you say "I do", your journey is taken with a companion. That's an amazing thing. And that's why we go through all the fuss of the dress and the cake and the vows (especially those) ....because it's worth marking the beginning of that journey. It is a brave and wondrous thing to become someone's life companion. And it's really truly worthy of celebrating.

So we did. We celebrated with nice clothes and drinks and no children (at least no non nursing children), which makes it an occasion in Rochester, letmetellya.

Half of the guys

The other half...they clean up pretty nice!

My only picture of the ladies is "blown out", sadly.

Third years

Diana and the guys

Trevor and his friends

Tim and Justin

We did take the G man to the wedding, and he did a great job. He was very quiet during the crucial parts of the ceremony and he had a great time at the reception. He danced with Diana's godmother and with the bride and with his Mom and Dad. Dancing with Graydon and Tim to Eric Clapton's "Wonderful Tonight" is most definitely engraved on my mental scrapbook of "Why My Life is Awesome."

Waiting quietly in his sweet outfit

Mama and her little man

The wedding was amazing, but it was kind of a weird trip for us overall. It was one of those vacations where things don't really work out the way that you'd like, but it's somehow still fun.

We had great weather the day that we arrived but we didn't take any pictures at the pool because we were tired from traveling and thought "oh we'll do it tomorrow." Life Lesson #267: Don't assume that you'll get a good photo opportunity tomorrow!

We had a delicious seafood dinner that evening and then we collapsed into bed. Only Graydon kept us up from 2 to 7 AM screaming because he apparently does NOT appreciate shellfish.It was a horrible night of handing him off and letting one parent pace with him while the other was resting and then repeating. The poor little man was exhausted and so were we.

We staggered out for breakfast at some point and to find something for me to wear for the wedding. I'd brought the coral dress that I ended up wearing, but I didn't really want to wear that because I felt still somewhat post baby lumpy...if you've had a baby, you know what I mean. But there was only one dress shop within a 45 minute radius and it was selling the kind of dresses that have openings for you to display your belly piercings prominently. Notsomuch what I was looking for, you know? So I decided to wear the coral and smile brightly and worry not at all about the little nursing belly fat that I have left while also resolving to never trust that my husband will be home from work in time for me to shop before a trip.

I resigned myself to the coral dress and we came home to sleep...Graydon, bless his little heart, was so tired he sacked out for three hours.

Delighted to take a nap with NuNu, his bear

We woke up after a much needed nap and decided to take a quick walk on the beach before the wedding. So we got everyone ready to go, including Graydon in his little sun hat.

Add caption

Only to find this the instant we hit the lobby.

Quite the rainstorm

Back to the room went the Ewalds. Fortunately the rest of the night went well and the wedding went off without a hitch.

And then the next day we had to drive from Clearwater Beach back to Orlando ...and we left in plenty of time. Really, we did. But there was a triathlon on the island. And it's an island, people. One way off. And then we got to the airport to find ONE person checking people in for the 11:45 flight. And we were behind a party of 14. No kidding. And then security wouldn't let us go through the family line because we didn't have a stroller. And Graydon had such a massive diaper blowout that he was literally covered in poop from heels to head. And I had to carry him like this through security while he nursed on the go. And when we FINALLY cleared security we ran to our gate to find the plane had moved to a new gate. And we missed the plane. By 60 seconds.

But in the weird way of this vacation, it was fine. An identical flight was leaving one hour later and they put us onto that with no fee and no problems. I was able to change Graydon and feed him properly and he was a champion on the way home. It was weird but good.

We were happily reunited with Addie and she probably hugged us for about five minutes solid. It was wonderful. She had a great time while we were gone, going to the zoo with her grandparents and "helping" Grandpa in the yard and basically being spoiled and loved to death. We missed her, but it was good for us to have some one on one time with Gradycakes.

All in all, a strange but good vacation for our family. Though I may start preparing NOW for our upcoming trip to North Carolina.