Mmmm, Rice Cereal

Yup, we’ve started solids…but to be accurate, milk drowned rice cereal isn’t really “solid”, now is it?
Nonetheless, we’ve achieved a momentous milestone and he absolutely loves it.
If the full spoon isn’t properly placed into his mouth in less than .65 milliseconds, I receive a grunt and sigh, along with a few impatient arm flails and knee bend kicks. It’s hilarious. I want to pace him so he doesn’t choke, but 5 month olds have no concept of patience, or the chew 30 times rule.
Here’s Grayson enjoying the moment.
And to answer your question…No, he is never this messy during cereal time, but I thought the picture would more officially depict the crowning moment if I allowed him to gum chew without promptly performing the spoon wipe maneuver.

And now we’ve moved on to our thumb.

And here we are super happy after devouring as much rice cereal as possible, as fast as possible.

Halloween 2010

So last year we had 0, yes that's right, ZERO trick or treaters.
Fast forward to 2010...we had 14. Seriously, 14.
Holy cow! I really thought we'd have hundreds. And I honestly don't think this was an insane perception either. Not only has our little street grown, but the entire community has discovered that our little hole in the woods exists. We both thought "For sure we'll get the entire neighborhood traipsing through here". Boy were we wrong.
The unfortunate part of this situation is identical to last year's conundrum...we have oodles of candy.
In preparation for tonight, Dan spent ample time in the candy aisle and meticulously picked out an array of sweet treats guaranteed to hit every child's taste buds. So thoughtful and sweet! But regrettably we bought upwards of 300 and supplied only 14. We even used the "handful for each kid" method.

Here's the good news: At this rate of treater multiplication, we'll purchase the correct amount of candy in 10 years. And of course we'll probably buy the same amount of candy next year, in fear that we'll be "those people" who run out early.

In addition to the 14 new treaters that came to visit us, we had one new treater in the Halsted house.
Little Grayson celebrated his first Halloween with a more calm, less spooky ambiance. No he didn't get carted around to the neighbors (like we need more candy in this house). Both Dan and I decided he'd have no idea what was going on. Plus it coincided with his dinner/bedtime routine.
And even though he didn't get hauled around outside, he did get to enjoy some of the traditional Halloween festivities, including getting dressed up and playing around in an adorable little outfit with picture evidence to boot.
Thanks to Aunt Chris for the adorable costume, all the goodies, books and Halloween socks! We enjoyed all the swag so much, and got a great kick out of the costume! It supplied many giggles, from both parent and child.

Happy first Halloween to Grayson and Happy Halloween to everyone else!
Next year we'll tackle all the crafty, creative, spooky fun filled merriment and treating.
And here's to hoping Dan and I will purchase the correct amount of candy!

As usual, the rest of the pics are out on picasa.

Some Professional Shots

Yes I know, it's completely out of character for me to wait this long to decide (I am NOT a procrastinator) but Dan and I finally nailed down which shots we wanted to purchase from the first 3 photo sessions.

Why the delay? My thought process was we'd be able to find similar shots that really showed how much Grayson has grown. I've concluded that's an insane notion. Any photo will show the growth!

So needless to say, we've picked some photos from the first 3 sessions and we are really looking forward to our 6 month, 9 month and 12 month sittings.

If you're interested in more of our favorite pics, click here.

Stay tuned...we'll be posting some Halloween pics soon!

Fish Are Friends, Not Food

"They" say fish tanks soothe the atmosphere and even replace tv sets in certain homes. Although I've had and appreciated a fish tank for most of my life, I never understood or reflected upon that sentiment until now...Grayson is in love with our fish tank. No matter what mood he's in, whether he's completely content, super happy, a little tired, enjoying a milk coma, or on the brink of fussing, the fish tank always brings comfort and tranquility. He absolutely loves to watch the fish swim and all the fishy activity.

My most recent trick is to let Grayson feel the glass. Ok, I know it's not glass and Dan will correct me because it's somewhat of a high tech tank, but nonetheless, Grayson loves the smooth texture of the non-glass, no seam, round edge, live plant, eco-sustainable, sci-fi, makes your breakfast too, star wars era technology tank. There, am I forgiven for calling it glass? :-)

It really is quite cute though...the fish follow his hand as I move it back and forth, so not only does he get the view, but the cool feel too. Both Dan and Grayson enjoy it equally and although I don't ever see us getting rid of our tv's and tivo's, it sure is nice to step away from that chaos and enjoy something more serene.

Go Team(s)!

Today all 3 of us headed down to the USC campus to show support for our respective teams, perhaps get on tv in our garb, and to enjoy the celebration that is College GameDay.

To be honest, we assumed we'd encounter a spectacle equivalent to the Little Rock Piggie games...ya know, a million people crowded onto 3 holes of a golf course, elbow to elbow with complete strangers, 2 port-a-potties for those million fans, drunk college kids who had pulled an all-nighter just to reserve their prime location, and the worst: Alabama fans...BOO!

Since we pictured thousands of people, the game plan was to have Grayson in the Bjorn, sans his BOB or the diaper bag. Our assumptions led us astray. We arrived with slim to no traffic, found a parking spot right off the bat, and to our astonishment, saw 4 other families pushing strollers! So off we went, with Grayson packed into the BOB with all his "in case" necessities including the Bjorn.

We picked a temporary spot in the back of the field with great views & enough room and watched a few segments of the Herbie and Corso schtick. After which we decided to stroll around the entire set up. Dan received at least a dozen of these comments: "Hey Man, where's the WSU flag?" "Are you the WSU flag guy?!?" "I gotta get a picture with that flag guy!" Grayson got a few "Alright! Air Force!" comments while I got..."Oooh, Arkansas. Who are you routing for today?" Duh, I'll route for anyone playing against Alabama! Unless it's Auburn, and in that case, we hope for both teams to invent some form of dual loss. :-)

We didn't stay for both hours since little Grayson got hungry, but that's ok. The whole event was really cool and something we'll never forget.

The only thing that could make it better would be getting Dan & Grayson on tv in their fan apparel and maybe picking up a plate of the yummy BBQ we could smell wafting through the crowd.

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!