Grey's Days

I wonder what it's like to be Grey, to be a little brother, to be 14 months old. He is a happy guy, hungry, constantly learning. There are few places Grey cannot go: we close the doors to messy rooms, closets, and the bathroom, but I've noticed little feet stretching to tiptoe heights, reaching for our child-friendly door hooks. He can touch them, but he can't turn them. Yet.
Grey shares a room with his big sister. He still sleeps in the crib. He loves his crib. He likes to kick, squeal, turn a loose spindle, and flip the light switch on and off. He can see his sister in her bed from one end of his bed, and he loves to make her laugh. If he's sad, Jane sings him songs. Grey's days start off happily.



Grey eats. And eats. And eats. Rice cereal; yogurt with raisins; scrambled egg; fruit purees with cereal; pancakes, waffles, or muffins; and milk. I'm amazed how much this boy can eat.
Grey plays. He is starting to be interested in cars and trucks. He loves balls. He is figuring out the shape sorter. He chases Jane. He runs away from Jane. He pushes his zeppelin. He makes monkey sounds for his monkey friend.
Grey climbs. He climbs on Jane's bed, much to her dismay, but he usually doesn't touch her "favorite things." Grey climbs on her bed to reach toys on the dresser. If he still can't reach, he climbs up on the dresser too.
I try to keep things where he can reach, or move them out of sight.



Grey climbs on the end tables. Remember that zeppelin? He uses it to climb onto tables and reach the dining table or counters. He uses the ride-on truck and the pink chair as step stools too. He carries or pushes them around until he finds the location where he wants to extend his grasp. Grey's curious fingers make living on the edge even edgier.



Grey reads. Sometimes he'll go in the nursery by himself, pull down some books, and just look at them.
Grey makes up games. "DA!" is a current favorite, perhaps for its simplicity. All you do is yell "DA!" to your partner, and wait for them to yell it back.
Grey leads music. His arm is always the first to respond to a tune. Light bouncing and tuneful "ahhhs" often follow.
Grey gives us hugs. For a while, his hugs included back patting. Either way, the sweetest part of our day is when daddy comes home and everyone hugs. Grey runs to meet him as fast as he can.
Grey loves animals. Monkeys go "oo, oo!" and everything else roars. Like a dinosaur.
Grey loves Jane. He follows her and watches her and is concerned when she's sad. He saved his first kisses for his big sister.
Grey goes outside. If the door opens, he will run for it. He loves eating rocks and dirt and sticks (until he actually eats the rocks and dirt; after that he just holds them). He loves touching the cars in the parking lot and trying to walk on the rock wall like his sister.



Grey talks. He still uses his own language much more than English, but he definitely communicates. He's not big on signs, but he will point at things as he asks, "Unh?" He goes to his high chair and taps it when he wants to eat. He brings me a diaper sometimes when he needs a change.
Grey has routines. When the bathroom door is open, he runs for it, climbs on the stool as quickly as he can, and smiles at his reflection or plays with Brad's contact case. He opens drawers in the kitchen to play with the cheese grater, whisks, measuring cups, or cheese slicer, or to stack lids from the drawer under the stove. If the cupboards are untied he'll carry the dishwasher soap around or find a box of cereal and sit down for a self-serve snack. If the dishwasher isn't locked he'll open it When we're not looking he'll go read himself a story, or look for the mandolin in mom and dad's closet.

Grey loves baths, and he loves cuddling before bed, but not for long--after a busy day, Grey loves to lay out in his crib, kick off his quilt, and curl up on his stomach with his giraffe or dog blanket.
Sweetly sleeps our little boy.