Grayson: 13 Months

For me, much of the joy of being a parent is housed in recognizing and capturing a string of fleeting moments.  Hundreds of these come and go throughout the day, ones I think I could never forget but somehow do almost immediately.

Last night, after his bottle, Grayson crawled up my chest to lay belly to belly, cupped my jaw with his hand and tenderly smushed his nose into my cheek with the full weight of his head.  He laid there, still awake, for what felt like a lifetime's worth of joy-soaked-minutes, his featherweight white hairs blowing with each breath I took in and out.  Overwhelmed by the smell of baby and the warmth and weight of this boy I carried, I reminded myself to begin this post before I forgot to make permanent yet another fleeting moment.

This last month Grayson has grown up a lot and has whole heartedly adopted his new status as a one-year-old.  He is walking with the aid of push toys and just today stood unassisted for the first time with a smile as big as the moon, full of pride.  He is consistently saying Mommy, Daddy, Ava, paci and now "yeah".  He is pointing at things and has his bottom two teeth.  He delights onlookers with long conversations on the phone with "Dada", loves playing on mattresses, pillows or anything else that is a foot off the ground, and this month has started giving kisses (be still my heart).

Talking on the phone with Aunt Charlotte

Kisses for Daddy

Grayson's eating habits remain stable, they aren't excellent but he is eating and growing.  We have added a few new foods to his palate this month but this progress was slowed after discovering allergies to both dairy and almond milk.  He is currently still taking soy formula and has been very reluctant to drink soy milk, though I've discovered that thickening soy milk is almost impossible as it turns very quickly into a jello-type consistency.  Despite my attempts to revamp our grocery budget, it looks like we will probably be sticking with thickened soy formula until he has his follow-up MBS test in April or May.  This also means he is still getting "feedings" (as opposed to on-demand drinking from a sippy cup) since thickened formula must be ingested immediately after mixing.

After being instructed to increase his fat intake, I've introduced things like hot dogs, chicken nuggets and fries, things my 99th-percentile-daughter  did not get until she was old enough to beg for them!  It feels a little odd but at this point we are just desperate for things he will swallow besides fruit.

For my own records, here is a comprehensive list of not all foods we've tried but things he is consistently swallowing: blueberries, strawberries, apple, pear, grapes, peaches, hot dogs, waffles, chicken, eggs and cheerios.  In puree form, veggies mixed with applesauce (squash, peas, green beans, sweet potatoes).  Though they aren't his favorite, he will eat shelled peas and shelled chick peas off a spoon with a sweet puree.  Because he is showing signs of pickiness but is consistently swallowing a larger variety of foods, we have been able to side-step feeding therapy for now which I'm thrilled about!

Grayson is now sleeping with his right arm out of the swaddle 100% of the time but still needs his left arm swaddled to sleep well.  I've let this go and until he grows out of the Woombie (which he will be soon) or it gets too hot for him to sleep in anything but a diaper (which might also be soon), I'm okay with it.  This kid has had enough to deal with and every time I tried to ween him he got sick or had an allergic reaction to something new.  For now I'm on board with just letting the poor kid sleep however he wants to.

The one-armed swaddle

He is still comfortably wearing size 12 months clothes, size 4 diapers and has yet to wear a shoe.

This kid may never have the lush backyard of his birth to compare in memory to the desert he lives in now, but I'm pretty sure he will miss it not.  He is an outdoor man through and through and I've started just letting him roam about freely in the backyard, hoping to squelch any remnants of cactus-novelty before he's old enough to run right into them at full speed.  He loves being outside and could probably occupy himself quietly for a whole day if I let him, just throwing rocks, sorting leaves and touching dirt.  He has started crawling on his hands and feet like a monkey outside to save his knees from being filed raw on the stone and even with his uncalloused limbs he tromps right out onto the sharp rocks in search of adventure.

On one hand I find myself already mourning the loss of this boy's babyhood because he is the sweetest breed of these, but I also cannot wait until he gains some independence because I know he will embrace it and the world around him so joyfully and without hesitation.  This month as I've watched Grayson and Ava rekindle their love for one another, I am also getting more excited for their sibling relationship to develop.  Though I'm sure there will be rivalry and what not, I foresee their personalities blending beautifully.

Oh, my kids.