Griffin is 23 months old!

Griffin, you are 23 months old...only one month shy of turning TWO! How in the world is that even possible?!

Stats:

Weight: I'm guessing almost 23lbs...maybe

Height: Somewhere between 32-33 inches

Clothing: 18m-24m...that's right! We have FINALLY moved on to some 24m things! I am so excited that he is now fitting into some of my favorite old Grayson outfits!

Shoe: 5 1/2-6 depending on the shoe

Diaper: size 5

 

Here's what's been going on this month:

-You have turned into a terrible sleeper. No sugar coating this one! Well, let's be honest. It took you about 8 months to learn how to sleep through the night as a baby so you've never been an easy sleeper, by any means. However, you have not done well at all with the room sharing transition. Currently, Grayson has been sleeping in the guest room because you wake up at least once a night screaming. Sometimes you will just cry it out for a few minutes and then fall back asleep; other times you won't & we will have to go in and calm you down. Either way, we are hoping you figure out that sleep is wonderful sometime in the near future. Preferably before Cheney arrives! :)

-You LOVE going to the pool! We have been going just about every day & you are doing so good. You use the inflatable floaties & love to float on your back (with our help), kick your little legs, & jump off the side. You even have let us put you under the water! I am so impressed that you've turned into such a water baby this summer!

-You continue to amaze us with how vocal you are. You are talking ALL THE TIME. From the time you wake up until the time you go to bed, that little mouth doesn't stop moving. You speak pretty clearly, too. I wish I could bottle up your sweet baby voice forever!

-Music is your favorite. You love to sing songs all day! You can hear a song just a couple times and you will already learn the tune. That makes your music loving mama proud! Songs you love to sing are: Wheels on the Bus, The Firetruck Song, any of the KidSongs songs, & Let it Go.

-You had your first taste of "school" this month with Playcation at church. You & Grayson had 3 days of VBS and you loved it!
-You can count 1-4! You love to count your ducks in the tub & count before you jump in the pool.
-You are learning lots of colors: purple, green, blue (your favorite), red, orange, yellow, & pink.

 

Things you love:

-playing outside! You love to use your lawn mower & weed eater, dig in the mulch, ride in your Cozy Coupe and the Gator, and jump on the trampoline.

-trucks, trucks, and more trucks.
-animals. We currently have baby bunnies in our yard & you are so interested in them! You also LOVE your dogs and birds. You call birds, "Rios", after your favorite movie. I will be so sad when you stop saying that!
-Fruit snacks. You live for those things!!
-reading books. You would sit on the couch me in the bonus room & read all day if I let you! You love reading books!

Griffin, I really can't believe that you will be 2 next month. I also can't believe you will be a BIG BROTHER in a little over a month! You may be turning into a big boy, but you are still my baby. You are so snuggly & are always giving out hugs! Your personality is so big & we adore your goofy little self! Happy 23 months, Griff!


33 weeks with Cheney

 

 

How far along?: 33 weeks

How big is your baby?: the size of a honeydew melon. DO YOU KNOW HOW BIG THOSE ARE?! It looks like I swallowed a whole entire honeydew melon.

 

Total weight gain: up 14lbs total

Sex: sweet baby GIRL--Cheney Katherine

 

Maternity clothes: I am rotating between yoga capris, tank tops, & 3 maxi skirts on a regular basis. Lots of maternity shirts are getting a little too short. Not sure how I will get dressed over the next 6 weeks!

 

  Sleep: Um, we have a certain tiny toddler who wakes up every.single.night around 3am. Not naming any names.........BUT, I'm certain he's trying to kill me via sleep deprivation.

 

Symptoms: Fingers are a little swollen and I am having a lot more Braxton Hicks contractions lately.

 

Movement: This girl is growing & strong. I can now feel certain body parts sticking really far out of my stomach and she definitely prefers to lay (and kick around) on my right side. She moves a lot during the day & right when I lay down at night.

 

Best moment this week: I turned 29 and got to eat a delicious Double Doozie cookie. It's my traditional birthday treat and worth every single calorie. We also got some more fun mail--monthly stickers & some sweet headbands!

 

Food cravings: Watermelon & frozen grapes. That is really all I want!

Belly button in or out: Still not all the way out, thank the Lord!

 

Labor Signs: Braxton Hicks contractions are happening more frequently & I feel like she just keeps getting lower. If I squat down, it feels like she may fall out. Let's hope that isn't the case!

 

What I miss: Sleeping all night long.

 

What I'm looking forward to: I go to the doctor this afternoon & start my every 2 week appointments. That means we are getting so close to meeting our baby! 

Summertime Fun

I'm sure by now most of you have read this post that has been floating around the world of social media. Basically, it tells moms to put on their bathing suits and get out there and enjoy their kids at the pool & beach this summer.

 

I loved this post and it really hit home for me. This is my 3rd summer pregnancy & I can't tell you how unhappy I was about having to wear that dreaded maternity bathing suit and be 8-9 months pregnant at the pool this year. To top it off, the varicose veins appeared around 21 weeks and make the back of my right leg look absolutely frightening. I actually remember telling Ben at that point that he would be taking the boys to the pool alone this summer because my goal was to never wear a bathing suit. Ever.

 

How silly is that?!

 

It's silly for many reasons. One being that one of our main summer goals for Grayson was that he learn how to swim. That would be difficult if I was never taking him to the pool during the day after his lessons. Also, who wants to sit in the sweltering Tennessee heat at the pool wearing clothes while the rest of your family splashes around in the cool pool?? Not this pregnant girl. I don't do heat well; especially at 33 weeks pregnant. No way.

 

I've swallowed my pride and embraced the ol' maternity tankini. The funny thing is that we have been to the pool more in the past 3 weeks than probably all of last summer combined.  This has been such a fun summer so far. Grayson and Griffin are at great ages and we've spent most of our days at our neighborhood pool together. G has been in swim lessons and is doing so great swimming alone with his floaties--something I didn't think would happen this summer! Griff loves to jump in & even mastered going under water over the weekend.

We spent over 2 hours at the pool as a family on Saturday and had such a good time. I was thinking about how I had made the vow earlier this spring to never wear a bathing suit this summer because I was too concerned about people staring at my leg & just feeling yuck with my big pregnant belly. I would have missed out on so many fun memories with my family if I had really done that. I would have missed so many looks of pride from Grayson as he learned new "tricks" in the water. I would have missed hearing Griffin count to 4 before he jumps in. I would have missed so many things just to avoid how I look in a bathing suit. That is so ridiculous!

I'm glad I came to my senses. This has been my favorite summer so far I think! These boys are so much fun! 

32 weeks with Cheney

 

 

How far along?: 32 weeks. 8 months. Feeling every bit of that!

How big is your baby?: the size of a head of lettuce--almost 4lbs!

 

Total weight gain: up 14lbs total

Sex: sweet baby GIRL--Cheney Katherine

 

Maternity clothes: I am now to the point that even my maternity shirts are getting too short. Yippee.

 

  Sleep: I can't get comfortable for the life of me. Sleep has improved some due to Griffin. Here's to hoping it keeps getting better!

 

Symptoms: Fingers are starting to swell when I'm hot...considering it is June in Tennessee, I have sadly retired my rings. I'm having some Braxton Hicks contractions but that is about it!

 

Movement: I love all these movements. She moves a lot during the day now & not as much at night. I will be interested to see if her sleep patterns on the outside are like this at all. Griffin was SUPER active late at night & he is still not a great sleeper. Haha, coincidence?!

 

Best moment this week: The big ol' nursery monogram arrived & just needs to be painted. I love it! We've also had lots of fun summer days at the pool recently. I am trying to suck up the miserable pregnant feeling & have some fun with our boys before their baby sister arrives!  

 

Food cravings: Watermelon & frozen grapes. That is really all I want!

Belly button in or out: It's almost out but not quite.

 

What I miss: Grocery shopping and not being gawked at. I honestly think many people feel sorry for me when they see me out with the boys AND they see my giant belly. I get lots of comments about having my hands full. People at Publix were staring at me today as if they thought I would literally drop a baby out in the middle of the store.

 

What I'm looking forward to: Getting things done this weekend--washing baby clothes, painting the monogram, putting glass knobs on the armoire. Lots to do!

Content.

This is probably just going to be me rambling a lot. I'll apologize in advance. I'm a person that is constantly looking ahead. What's our next step in life? In recent years those thoughts have centered around babies. When we had Griffin we knew he wasn't our last. We knew that, God-willing, there would be at least 1 more baby eventually added to the May clan.  I just never thought twice about it. I was actually worried that I would never feel done. I love me some babies and I was afraid that I would always have a sadness about never having any more kids.  What if I never truly felt like our family was complete?

 

I can honestly say that my heart has changed with this pregnancy. This baby girl will be the one that completes our family & I am totally okay with that. I have such a peace about Cheney being the last baby we ever have. It's a weird feeling knowing this is my last pregnancy. The last time I will ever be huge, uncomfortable, & 8 months pregnant. I won't necessarily miss the huge & uncomfortable part, but I will miss never feeling these strong kicks again. It's all kind of bittersweet. I will say, it's been nice giving away my maternity clothes that I know I won't need anymore. Ever again:)

I'm just happy to be feeling content at this stage in life. Content with who we are as a family.

I'm trying hard to soak this pregnancy up. It's definitely been my hardest & I'm convinced that Cheney will be quite the princess with all she has already put me through. Ha! We are ready to meet this baby girl & become our official Party of Five!

Current State of Affairs

This will be a brain dump of sorts. First trimester exhaustion has set in; either that or the fact that my almost 2 year old hates sleep these days. I'm not sure which is causing the exhaustion, but either way, this mama is worn out. My brain doesn't seem to be working as well these days.

So, for one, the whole room sharing thing is not going as smoothly as we had hoped. Once upon a time we had boys who went to bed by 8:00pm every night and could fall fast asleep on their own. Sigh. Those were the days. Griffin is, by nature, not a great transitioner. Moving rooms and into and a twin bed has been hard on him. So hard on him, in fact, that he has been waking up multiple times every night crying. That's all fine and dandy when you sleep in your own room. This is no good considering he wakes Grayson up every single night. At this point I'm not sure how to fix the problem except pray that he eventually gets used to the change...and that he gets used to it before his newborn baby sister arrives. Basically, our days of sleeping through the night are long gone. Jealous??

The boys had Playcation at our church this week. It was basically VBS for the preschool group & they loved it. This was kind of like a trial run for Griffin since he starts 2 year old preschool in September! It was 3 days in a row from 9:00-1:00 and they had so much fun. The highlight for Grayson was water day because he loves all of the inflatable water slides. The highlight for Griffin was petting zoo day. He cannot stop talking about how his finger got bitten by a goat. Sometimes he exaggerates the story and changes it to a llama. Either way, he learned that when you stick your hand in an animals mouth, they will probably nibble on you! Oh, Griffin.

I have been in an organizational frenzy now that Cheney has a real room. I was so glad to have 3 days this week of kid-free time so that I could actually be productive before naps. There is an abundance of tiny, pink clothes in our house and they are now organized! I still need to wash all of the baby things but I can breathe easier at least knowing that most things in the nursery are in their own place. The wooden monogram should arrive in the next few days. I can't wait to start hanging things on the wall!



31 weeks with Cheney

 

 

How far along?: 31 weeks

How big is your baby?: the size of a pineapple. I believe it! She feels big. Her movements are starting to hurt! 

 

Total weight gain: up 10lbs as of my last visit. I go back this morning!

Sex: sweet baby GIRL--Cheney Katherine

 

Maternity clothes: I am currently dreaming of regular clothes!!!!  

 

  Sleep: WELL, I should let you ask our Tiny Toddler. He was sleeping better until I took him to Georgia. Now we are back to square one. He woke up THREE times last night. Who does he think he is....a newborn?!

 

Symptoms: Braxton Hicks contractions & a lot more pressure the past couple of days. Sister is feeling low.

 

Movement: Like I said above, her movements are starting to hurt! She is a strong little girl!

 

Best moment this week: Grayson had his first tee ball game & we had so much fun watching him play! I am also slowly starting to organize Cheney's nursery. I need to start washing clothes!

 

Food cravings: Fresh fruit! I can't get enough. I've been inhaling watermelon, blueberries, mango, & frozen grapes.

Belly button in or out: I feel as if it will pop out any day now.

 

What I miss: I told Ben that I expect a Blue Moon to be in our fridge when I get home from the hospital. Does that tell you anything?

 

What I'm looking forward to: Fun mail arriving...C's giant wooden monogram for above her crib should be here any day!

Batter up!

We are now officially parents of a child who is old enough to be playing tee ball! Grayson started practicing with his team about 2 weeks ago & they had their first game on Saturday. He had the best time!

 He is playing for the purple Bats & takes his role pretty seriously, can you tell?! This boy is so proud of his uniform!

Right before his first game!

 

Not trying to be total mom bragger, but Grayson has been naturally athletic his entire life. We were impressed by his ability to throw a ball at 12 months--he has a cannon for an arm! He has been itching to play baseball for well over a year & we were so excited we finally found a league that would let a 3 year old play!

Their first game was a success & Grayson had so much fun. I loved watching these little kids play an organized sport; it was pretty comical! He had several great hits, ran the bases, & was even able to stop a few ground balls. I was one proud mama!

At his first practice, there were some tears shed about not wanting to participate. G can be so timid & shy. It broke my heart a little because I know that he is a great little ball player & I really wanted this to help give him a confidence boost. After lots of pep talks, the 2nd practice went really well. He was so excited about his first game & getting to use all of his new baseball gear. After the game he kept talking about how well he played because he is "so big."  I can't tell you how happy it made me to hear him saying those kinds of things about himself. He was so proud of himself!

I'm so glad that Grayson has found something that he loves...we can't wait to watch him play all summer!

We even got to see our neighbors & G's best buddies after his game! Eventually we will play against Gray & Eli's team. I can't stand how cute these little ball players are!



30 weeks with Cheney

 

How far along?: 30 weeks. HOLY COW. I can't believe we are already to this point!

How big is your baby?: the size of a butternut squash (roughly 3lbs!)

 

Total weight gain: up 10lbs total (I'm sure that's changed...I go back next week!)

Sex: sweet baby GIRL--Cheney Katherine

 

Maternity clothes: yes. the spandex panel on certain capris are going to kill me. IT IS SO HOT. You would think I would be used to this since it is my third summer pregnancy, right?!

 

  Sleep: Starting to get up every night just to go to the bathroom. Griffin seems to have turned a corner in the sleep department & is doing a little better! Therefore, the whole family is sleeping better!

 

Symptoms: Considering how far along I am and how hot it is, I am feeling pretty good! I'm sore at the end of the day & I feel like I am constantly out of breath. Other than that, feeling good!

 

Movement: This girl is flipping around constantly. She's big enough now that some of her movements make me a little uncomfortable. I can't wait to see how active she is on the outside!

 

Best moment this week: Just good ol' summer time fun! We've played at the pool with friends & spent all of our days outside. I am trying my hardest to soak up my time with just my baby boys before Cheney arrives!

 

Food cravings: I want ALL THE WATERMELON. Only problem is I have yet to find a whole watermelon at our grocery stores!! All they have right now are the pre-cut containers that cost a fortune. I need a whole watermelon, stat.

Belly button in or out: we are to the flat stage. (hooray. at least it isn't out yet!)

 

What I miss: non-maternity clothes. especially bathing suits.

 

What I'm looking forward to: The boys have VBS for 3 days next week from 9-1:00 and I am just a tad excited to have a few days of alone time! 

Griffin is 22 months old!

Griffin, you are now 22 months old! This is a strange milestone for me. I keep reflecting back on how your big brother, Grayson, was 22 months old when we met you for the first time! I remember thinking he seemed so big & now that you are that same age, you still seem so little to me.

The stats:

Weight: about 22lbs

Height: 32-33 inches

Clothes: not counting shorts (he's got a teeny waist!), he is wearing mostly all 18 month clothes now!

Diaper: size 5

Shoe: size 5-6 depending on the shoe

Here's what's been going on this month:

-You are 100% sharing a room with your brother now! Pops made you a twin bed & we kicked you out of Cheney's room shortly after our Disney trip. It has taken some time for you to adjust, but you are slowly getting the hang of sleeping all night in your big boy bed. You make one of us lay with you until you fall asleep & usually wake up at least once right now. I know you'll get the hang of it...I just hope that happens soon! My favorite part of the sharing room thing is hearing y'all wake up & immediately start laughing. You & Grayson crack each other up! Those are the sweetest sounds over the video monitor. You usually wake him up in the morning by shouting, "Hewwo Bubba! Hewwo!"

-You are very peculiar about being dirty. You love to play in the mulch, but getting mulch in your shoes drives you insane. You also hate getting your hands dirty. You love using napkins at every meal & I swear you go through about 12 a day!

-Since you sleep in your big boy bed now, you want to sleep with ALL your animal friends. You must have: Big Mickey, little Mickey, Goofy, Donald Duck, Blu from Rio, & a whole other line up of the rest of your stuffed friends.

-You went to the pool for the first time this year! You think it is fun; you just aren't a fan of cold water. You seem to enjoy the water more than G did at this age which makes me happy. You love jumping off the side to one of us!

-The trampoline is one of your favorite outside toys. You LOVE jumping & doing "flips" like Grayson.

-You went to Disney World for the first time and had a blast!

 

New words:

-frog (we had an outside "pet" frog that lasted a week until Ellie ate it. Griff was pretty sad about that!)

-Bobby (funny story...we don't know why, but Griff calls EVERY guy "Bobby." Seriously. Every guy.)

-big

-outside

-inside

-fall (you do that a lot..haha)

-pool

-LOTS of simple sentences...you talk all day long.

Oh, Griff. You have no idea how much joy you bring to our family. You are such a goofy little boy & keep us laughing all day long! I like to joke that you are much like a Sour Patch Kid. One minute you are being a rough and tumble kid who is knocking down his older brother. The next second you are walking up to Grayson, giving him a hug, saying "Love you, Bubba." You are a little like a tiny tornado...to be so little, you sure are a wild man! You have the sweetest personality and love your brother & dogs the most. You give out hugs all day long & even like to check on "sissy" during the day. I have no doubt that you will be a great big brother & I can't believe you are getting a baby sister in just 2 months! Happy 22 months, little Griff!