Goodbye December

I clearly remember thinking… good riddance 2009! I was beyond ready to put that year past us. Now the time is drawing near to say goodbye to 2010. Another year that seemed to slip away.

So many people have observed Matthew and I with Grey and they always seem to advise… cherish these moments because they will be gone before you know it. There is much truth behind that statement. Lately I’ve been torturing myself with videos of Grey as a tiny infant. How do I watch these videos without getting that awful lump in my throat and yearning to hold his infant form? It makes me think of the quote… the good times of today are the sad memories of tomorrow. This isn’t always true but seems to fit how I feel about baby Grey. I love looking at the joyous photos, especially when we first brought him home, but then I am sad that it is gone. Sad that I cannot stop the clock- for just one minute.


Okay, enough with being sad that Grey isn’t a tiny baby that needs to be held by me every second. Grey is still on track and continues to amaze us! He’s really starting to talk! His favorite past time is to be carried around the house while pointing to objects saying, “I need that!” Oddly enough, he seems to need everything! I’m still convinced he is the world’s top Meddler. Matthew and I never got on board with all the baby protective stuff (I know it sounds bad) Well now all our cabinets are vulnerable to his curiosity. He’s masterful and can empty them in seconds! It is often that I find a pot or pan in my bedroom closet or my toothbrush in the toilet (icky!) And I won’t even rattle your nerves with the climbing stories… but its unreal.

Playing with his trucks: thanks Gigi and Poppie



One of the many familiar faces of December



We took Grey to Opryland to see the lights - the hotel is still amazing even after the May flood



Grey looks like a big boy in this pic - but he's not :)



We love you all and hope you had a wonderful year!

Pancakes in the Morning...

There are very few food items that Grey actually enjoys. However, we have identified one that he really likes... pancakes!!

We have pancakes sometimes for breakfast, lunch & dinner. We load up on the butter & syrup! Other than pancakes, he favors healthy foods like apples, grapes, strawberries and cheeses.

This morning we got up and made pancakes... again!

Family Photos

We recently traveled out to the farm for some family pictures. We had a fun time. Grey was intrigued by his surroundings! He loved the creek and desperately wanted to play in the water and leaves.

Below are some of my favorites









Grey Grey ending the shoot with a mini fit!

Battle of the Bulge

Battle of the Bulge

We at the Stokes house are fighting for the bulge! Greyson had his 18 month appointment yesterday. We also had a follow-up appointment with our nutritionist. The stats were not shocking… Grey is small for his age – to be expected. However, he’s a bit smaller than anyone of us would like. He weighed 18lbs 14 ounces. I have to admit I was a bit shocked to see the numbers. I was just telling a friend the other day that he weighed close to 20 lbs. I guess I was fantasying about someone else’s chubby little baby. Sitting across from the nutritionist discussing Grey’s diet in detail, I was beginning to have doubts. Am I doing all I can do? I should be working harder – I should be working smarter. Every bite needs to count! Every calorie is important. We decided to take Greyson off Neosure (high calorie infant formula) and begin giving him strictly Pedisure – 3 cans a day. He also needs to have 3 high calorie meals along with 2-3 snacks a day. I can tell you right now… this is more than he is interested in eating. At this time, Grey eats about 2 meals a day with numerous snacks throughout the day- however; these snacks may result in the consumption of 2 grapes. He is so picky and antsy when it comes time to eat.

I have my work cut out for me with this new challenge – I have to get creative! Last night he had a pedisure milk shake ( pedisure & pumpkin pie ice cream), tater tots with ketchup & mayo, lots of cheese and numerous sips of water. His little belly was probably turning. Grey’s newest obsession is my water glass - he demands sip after sip. Of course he chooses a zero calorie interest… sad.

We have also decided to proceed with having tubes placed in Grey’s ears. Middle ear fluid still exists in both ears. Last week we had our 3rd hearing screen and the results remained the same - middle-ear fluid pressing on the eardrum preventing it from vibrating normally, which keeps Grey from hearing properly. The test shows he can hear but not at normal levels. We’ve waited long enough and I feel tubes are a wise decision at this time. We have our surgery scheduled for Jan.

Well, that’s what’s new in our world.

City Street

City Streets

We spent Saturday running errands and strolling around downtown Nashville. Matthew and I both have a love for the city and I am especially interested in urban life. Living in a small downtown condo sounds ideal to me. I am especially interested in “walkable” options… we currently can’t walk anywhere, except the neighborhood pool. Maybe one day in the future I can convince my husband that urban life is for us. All 3 of us cramped into a tiny downtown condo- fighting for closet space – and alone time. I’d make the trade for a stress free commute and a within walking distance grocery!

We had lunch at Ru Sans and attempted to share some sushi bites with Grey – he wasn’t interested. He actually wasn’t interested in food at all today. Unfortunately, I think he is battling a cold and I pray it stays at the cold stage and doesn’t progress into something more serious. I was actually just researching foods for 18 month olds. I’m starting to feel like Grey eats the same things every week. Tater tots, grapes, strawberries, bananas, and peanut butter are the main foods of his diet – kind of lame. Of course I add the occasional squash, sweet potatoes and carrots but he’s gotten very picky. He’s not interested in my homemade baby food- which makes me a bit sad. He prefers to eat items that he can pick up or jab around with a fork or spoon. I think he has surpassed baby food. If anyone has any special toddler recipes or ideas to share- please pass them along. I do my best to introduce new foods but lately I’ve gotten boring in the kitchen.

Below are some pictures from our day. Yes- my hair is no longer blonde – a decision my hair dresser surprised me with this weekend…

The Bebes

Gigi recently had the babies’ pictures professionally taken by Robin Reed, Fullness of Grace Photography. She did a great job and managed to capture some fine photos of 3 active toddlers- I wasn’t there to witness this balancing act but I can imagine it was pretty impressive. We will treasure these pictures for years.

Grey Grey, TT & Maine Maine















I love these babies!

the barn

We are still getting settled into our new home. Now that all the unpacking is complete we’ve had the opportunity to pause and enjoy some details. I absolutely love our back porch. The view is so simple and peaceful. We are fortunate to not have any homes behind our house… just a country view. Matthew and I have been drinking coffee in the mornings and discussing the old remnants of a barn that still exists. This old barn is so cool. I would love to see an old picture of what the barn looked like in its prime years. Today we ventured out to get a closer look…





Of course Grey tagged along...









And then back to the porch again to rest and admire the old barn



You know, I'm tempted to contact the developer of our community just to let him know how much we enjoy the old barn. I’d be terribly sad if I woke to find it demolished and a new home foundation in its place.

Moving along...

So we have been moving. I can honestly say there is nothing I like about moving. After this weekend I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel… a few more boxes to go! For the past 10 days I have said at least once a day “I need ____.” I need a vacuum for hardwoods, I need a can opener that will actually open a can, I need a taller ladder, I need a kitchen table, I need a shower curtain, I need a moment to just think!

As I unpack a box and start sifting through items, Grey is right behind me re-loading the box. My counterproductive partner is amusing to watch. I’m positive he loves moving… a true meddler’s dream. Millions of boxes and items to meddle through daily! He absolutely loves dusting. He’s been running around for 10 days with a pledge hand duster. Seriously, I bought him a childrens Hoover vacuum and all he needed was a $3 hand duster to make him happy. I appreciate the help and I’m relieved he finds enjoyment in the mayhem.

So I have a new focus… our terrible, horrible, no good, very bad food system. Recently I’ve read very distributing statistics like 1 out of 3 children born in 2010 will have type 2 diabetes. Working 40 plus hours a week along with an exhausting commute doesn’t leave a lot of time for me to obsess about this topic but I am very concerned for my family. I also read recently that the FDA is considering passing genetically engineered salmon into our food system… say what? I don’t want to eat the genetically engineered salmon! I’m already consuming the creepy hormone, antibiotic rich chicken that’s doing who knows what to my body. Anyway- this is just a rant. I’m desperately seeking a stronger connection with our local farmers that produce sustainable foods. However, I’ve been learning that this process isn’t so easy. More to come on this topic for sure…

Welcome to our Home: notice "toot toot" in the lower right hand corner of the glass door :)



Our Blue Foyer. We’ve had a lot of discussions about this color blue. The color makes Uncle Pete think of water, it reminds Matthew and I of Seaside, one of our favorite vacation spots. Furthermore, we made the decision to not change our blue- we had originally doubted our paint selection.



The Baby Gate: Uncle Pete made us this awesome custom baby gate. He's very talented and we've been holding him hostage at our house for several weeks- this is not a joke.



Pumpkin Puffs: I took a moment out of our busy schedules to make pumpkin puffs! Fall is my favorite season and I love pumpkin.

The Climber

So my baby is truly becoming a toddler. I can’t continue to deny reality…. He’s growing up (stopping for a moment to cry). I’m not sure when he turned into a toddler but it feels like overnight. He’s doing big boy things all the time. He loves to play outside and climb everything. He’s been a climber for a long time but now he truly has the ability to use his skills. His favorite adventure is currently the chair. He will find a way to climb into every chair in sight… then sit up like a big boy and wait for the praise! Just last night I was cooking dinner and turned around for about 3 minutes to tend the stove and when I turned around he was sitting in his high chair, proud as a peacock. I immediately thought that my husband or Uncle Pete has placed him in the chair but no one was around. I innocently asked “how did you get in there?!” Grey smiled and appeared very pleased with my concerned expression. I quickly removed him from the chair and casually mentioned to Matthew that he got into the high chair by himself… he seemed as equally confused by the statement. However, this morning I was able to capture the act on video! My baby is half toddler half monkey… which I’m not okay with either!

Climbed into the chair on Gigi's porch



Climbed into the rocker at our new house



Video Footage Coming Soon...

A Small Saboteur

Someone who commits acts of sabotage earns the name saboteur.

Well friends and family, we have a saboteur among us! He deliberately weakens his parents through acts of disruption. He conceals his true intentions in the night by faking a pathetic cry. Once in the bed with his parents he starts his true disruptions. Head bombs is one of his new favs… standing and simply sitting on the heads of his sleeping parents. Circling kicks were in action last night. He rotates his body in a circular motion while providing kicks to both sets of parents. Singing songs in his exhausted parents ears… the lyrics consists of “no, no, no, no, no!” Unnecessary pillow sharing for Dad… try sleeping with a saboteur ½ inch from your face. And then there is the somewhat creepy laugh of the saboteur. Random acts of standing and walking around the bed while releasing a crazy giggle. This saboteur is surprisingly intuitive during his acts of disruption. One parent may arouse and say “please go to sleep!” And then attempt to roll away and hide from the saboteur. However, the saboteur will then crawl over their back and deliver a hug or cuddle with the tired parent… luring the parent back in with his sweet affection. Sometimes a parent may raise their voice and say something stern like "this isn’t going to happen again tomorrow night” and the saboteur will respond with a kiss. He’s clever and appropriately reactive.

Once the sabotage is committed and the work alarms sounds… the saboteur will sleep.

I caught a photo of him this morning- exhausted from this work... please beware

The Fohawk

The time is coming soon that I am going to have to take action against this fluffy mane. However, I just can't disrupt the sweet baby curls right now. So if you see me out and about in a few months and Greyson has a mullet of curls and fluff just know that I'm aware. I'm thinking he can handle a couple snips when he's 2.

Oh the ears...

So we had our follow up appointment on Wednesday with the audiologist and ENT doctor. Surprisingly, Greyson did better on this hearing test. I’m surprised because I had convinced myself that he definitely still had fluid in both his ears. As it turns out, he passed the hearing screen for his left ear and failed the right ear hearing screen. According to the ENT doctor @ VCH Grey still has some existing fluid and mucus in his right ear, which is most likely causing the hearing loss.

I explained to the ENT doctor that I was certain both ears probably contained middle ear fluid because Greyson is very wobbly at times. Seriously, he's a webble. Remember those toys “webbles wobble but they don’t fall down” However, this little webble does fall down! He’ll be running and quickly veer of track and end up bouncing off a wall or door. The doctor is convinced that this might not be due to his equilibrium being off but simply because our little guy is light on his feet. His current small frame and light weight isn’t giving him a solid grounding, especially when he’s zooming through the house.



I’m still concerned with Grey’s ears but I am relieved that he is hearing at a normal level in at least one ear. I reported to the doctor that he says at least 6 words ( Gigi, Momma, Dada, duck, Ball and the new favorite NO!) The doctor seemed very please that he says 6 words. The new “No!” is very entertaining. I do my best not to laugh but he says it with such conviction. Me: “Grey let’s put on your jam jams!” Grey: “no!” The way he says it is hysterical.

We have another appointment in almost 3 months and we will discuss surgery and tubes at that time if the fluid still exists.

For now Mr. Toot Toot is running the house! I wish every one of you could spend the day with him… he is just precious.

By the way- I've started Greyson on Pedisure in hopes of promoting some weight gain. He seems to really like the flavor and I'm excited to be adding extra calories.