Graeme is 17 months!

Graeme Grayson turned 17 months old this past Sunday. He still feels a little more like a baby to me since he is closer to one than two. But next month, when he turns 18 months, he will be from then on closer to two. And that is crazy. We could all have thousands of dollars for the many times we've heard "It goes by so fast!"

But it does.

Graeme is definitely one of a kind. Besides being adorable in his looks (clearly), his personality is equally adorable.

He loves routine (not sure where he got that from...ha!). For the most part, he likes the same books every day, the same episodes of Curious George over and over, the same toys (right now it's between stacking cloth blocks and six colorful balls that he plays with), and the kid really doesn't tire of watching dump trucks drive back and forth in the neighborhood. His bedtime routine is the most important for him, and it of course includes a fun bath!

For good or bad, he needs to go to bed between 6:30-7:00pm. If he falls asleep after 7, there's a good chance he will wake up even earlier than normal the next day. For the most part though, it's a dream to have a kid that's in bed by 6:45pm. The 6:00am wake up call has become part of life and it really doesn't bother me anymore. And on the rarer day when he sleeps until 6:30am...well, that's just an extra great start to the day!

He is a pretty good eater. He still has a love/hate relationship with fruit and sweets (thought he would love chocolate chip pancakes...they were denied). He consistently will eat applesauce so I just buy it with other fruit mixed in. And then every so often he will actually decide to eat blueberries or grapes. It's really hard to predict from day to day! His favorite vegetable is peas, but he also likes carrots, broccoli, and corn. He loves spaghetti. He doesn't like mashed potatoes. And he has become obsessed with any sort of dip, especially ketchup. I think he would eat a whole bottle of ketchup.

He loves Penny, or "Peppy," as he lovingly calls her. They have an adorable relationship, and Penny gets much credit for being an absolutely wonderful dog. Graeme is, of course, nice to her, but in his toddler ways he doesn't always understand "gentle." She takes whatever he dishes out like a pro and loves to play with him. And when she is being too intense with her affection, he is quick to give her a shove and say "No, no Peppy." He makes it up to her by sharing Cheerios and all the other food that ends up on the floor all day.

I've said before that he's a talker. He picks up a word or two every day and I can't even keep track anymore. He is definitely a boy who knows what he wants and can let us know. Usually with words.

I am constantly curious now about how Maisy will be different from Graeme. There will be many obvious ways since she will be a girl. But I wonder if she will walk earlier or talk later. Will she be more like me or Aaron? Graeme seems to have aspects of both of us. Only a few more months until we start getting to know her because...

I'm 20 weeks now!

Even though this pregnancy has gone by pretty fast, I still feel like I've been pregnant for a really long time. We got the positive pregnancy test at the end of April and it's almost September. Goodness. But I know the fall will fly by and there will be so much to do that January will be here in the blink of an eye.

We did get one major thing crossed off our "To-do Before Maisy List..." 

We bought our mini van!

We've only had it since Saturday, but I already LOVE it. I am sorry for all of the mini van bashing I have done in my days. I'm a convert. Small kids and mini vans seemingly go hand in hand. Mini vans for the win. Even Aaron has come around and loves it too. It's a 2014 Chrysler Town and Country. Buttons open the doors and back gate. Button-opening doors is the greatest invention ever. All of the seats can fold down into the floor if needed. There are like a million storage compartments and at least ten cup holders. It may not be as "cool" as a sporty convertible, but, for now, it's a really great car for us.

Besides, the mini van portion of our life will come and go as quickly as our kids do. So we will embrace it.

Next week the new (to us) van gets an inaugural road trip to Tennessee for a couple of days as we visit my grandparents. This should be our last trip until we meet Maisy!