Razorback & Serious Biker in Training

Yup...don't deny it...y'all knew it was inevitable that at some point (if not MANY points) a picture of Grayson like this would surface. And don't worry, we have a few outfits that will fit him at 6 months and 12 months too. :-) Go piggies! Ok, ok...to be fair...here's little man in his AF Academy garb too.

In other news, the Halsted Clan has also started biking again. For those of you who know us, Dan and I love biking...so much so that we used to pedal about 40 miles every weekend. Unfortunately we weren't able to keep that up during the pregnancy and the early weeks of Grayson's life. But never fear (insert the Superman "dun-dun-dun-dun!) ...we've solved our conundrum and purchased a snazzy bike trailer. The trailer is a 2 seater... plenty of room for Grayson and any sort of soccer ball, picnic basket, misc playground equipment, etc.

For now, Grayson sits dead center in a special harness for little tykes. It's absolutely hilarious. With no other way to describe his position of choice, he assumes a, er, er, Jesus on the cross posture. I think it's due to the harness padding, the angle of his recline, and the shear amount of G-force applied from his Dad's super human strength. ;-)
Needless to say, he loves it. Lots of cooing, enjoyment of the sights, and after about 20 minutes, a restful nap. We couldn't be happier that he loves it, allowing us to do what we love too.

And last but not least, since it is almost October, I busted out the fall attire. Make sure to check all the shots on picasa!

Lackluster Dinner Conversations

Every night at the dinner table, Grayson provides a million gasps and "ahh's" in response to my laundry list of questions and statements posed to him...all which culminate into what I believe he considers are lucid conversations. Yes, I realize they are ooh's, ahh's and gasps made by a 3 month old, but I talk to him and respond to him (in that "only for Grayson" tone of voice) as if he's providing intelligible answers.

Well, the other night Grayson thought Mom & Dad's dinner conversation was apparently lacking any bit of excitement and he has requested next time we talk a little more about Elmo...

3 Months!

Yup, another month has flown by!

Our little man is now 3 months old!

We celebrated the momentous occasion by purchasing a jump toy (we affectionately call it "jump jump")...and needless to say, he's so little in it!
So little, in fact, that his feet would not reach the floor (even on the lowest setting!) until my ingenious hubby grabbed the Wii fit box to put under little Grayson's feet.

Worked like a charm!

Now if we can get him to actually jump!

It's a work in progress. :-)

Another milestone has been reached too....Grayson is sitting AT the dining table with us. And just like the jump jump, he swims in the high chair seat. We've become professionals at jamming blankies into the unused space around him.
It's so great to have him at the table with us though!

No more talking to him while he's swinging next to us.

I snapped a few photos marking the 3 month birthday, however we do have our professional photographer coming by to take official ones. As soon as we get those, we'll post.
In the meantime, make sure to check out the amateur 3 month photos.

Hope all is well with everyone!

Baptism and a Quick Visit

This past weekend we celebrated Grayson's baptism and were able to have a quick visit with the Regan clan.

Even though the South Dakota Halsteds were only here for a couple days, we managed to squeeze in some good visit time...including a trip to the local zoo. They definitely got a taste of the South Carolina heat! And of course we took them to the Blue Marlin too. YUM! It's extremely apparent how much Dan and I love that place, since everyone who comes to visit gets taken there.

Grayson's big day went really well too! It was a really low key and personal celebration with only 4 babies getting baptized. He did so well, didn't fuss at all with the water and was wide awake up until the very end when he passed out. Whew, getting baptized sure takes a lot out of a kid! :-)

So glad Regan and fam were there to help, take pictures, and enjoy the day with us. Thanks for making the long trek and the fun visit!

Hello 2 Months!

Today we had our 2 month check up and I learned it's actually the 2 month abuse session.

Holy cow! The poor little man got poked and prodded 15 different ways from Sunday.


Having an overly emotional mom wasn't beneficial to Grayson today either...it literally made me start crying when he started sobbing from the pain. It's such a heart wrenching cry! Ugh, so sad!
And there's nothing I could do...short of pushing the nurse wielding the sharp weapon away.
It's a good thing he loves snuggling...it seemed to help both of us recover from the immediate pain.


On the ride home, I made sure to pick up some fresh Tylenol (the non-recalled kind, so no worries! :-)) and I'm so glad we did!
His poor little legs are so sore!

Other than the stabbing and jabbing, they did thoroughly evaluate little Grayson.
Here are his stats. 3 Months here we come!
Weight: 10lbs 10oz
Length: 23 inches

The hat & sandals crack me up! Thanks for the outfit Grandma G! It finally fits!

Grandma & Grandpa Halsted Visit

We are approaching 2 months at warp speed!



So much has already changed in our little man's life. He has started smiling whenever Daddy comes into view or plays "motorcycle" with his hands (picture below), he's started to talk to us using his own language that resembles big squeaky inhales of energy, and most importantly, little Grayson met his other Grandparents this week.

Ron & Thanne were able to fly into Pope AFB on Thursday and will be here for around 2 weeks. We are so excited that they've been able to fly in and spend time with Grayson.

As you can see, he was so excited to see new faces!

Gma & Gpa Halsted will be here for a few more days, but I wanted to get some initial pictures posted. Make sure to check out the rest on our photo gallery! And yes, as requested I've posted a ton of his facial expressions. Enjoy and make sure to check back for more!

One Month Already!

Holy cow! Grayson is one month old today! WOW!

Yes yes, I keep hearing how we should really savor & enjoy this time because it flies by...little did I know all the hugs, snuggling, long nights, learning, and cooing would ACTUALLY fly by!

These past 4 weeks have been so exciting!

We're all starting to get on some sort of schedule, Grayson is successfully gaining weight, and I think we've actually figured out what he needs, when he needs it. I pray it will stay this way for awhile, although I do look forward to all the growth (and sleeping through the night! ;o)), which in turn means change.

Here are a few 1 month pictures of our little guy. Happy 1 month birthday!

Big Yawn!

Welcome Grayson!

Yup, it's official! After 9 months of anticipation, Grayson Samuel has joined our happy home.
He was born at 1:49 pm on June 7th, weighing 7 lbs 3.5 oz, and measuring 20 inches long.

We are so excited to have him in our life and look forward to the journey we'll all take together.

We promise to post as much as possible, but as I'm sure most of you know, having a newborn takes a lot of time out of your day.

In the meantime, make sure to check out the pictures of our little miracle.
Hope all is well in your world!