Winter Wonderland

It has been snowy and stormy lately, but we have been finding ways to keep entertained. We get out of the house everynow and then due to cabin fever, and here are some photos of our latest excursion.

Mmmmmm...Ritz!

As promised, a picture of the teeth!

Here's the money shot!

His new thing is a big wide grin that bears those two teeth brilliantly!

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Always fun to play with measuring spoons!

Guess who's getting his first 'toof'?

Yep, Grayson! We can't believe it! I was sitting with him in my lap during Bible study, keeping him busy, when he stuck my finger in his mouth to munch on, and there it was: something sharp on the bottom! When we peel his lip down you can see the two bottom ones in his gums, one poking through, and the next shortly to follow I'm sure! He barely lets us see it, so no pictures yet. But as soon as we can get a snap of it we'll upload it for sure!

Oh yeah, and...

Mooooo!

Here's our little cow! He's a boy cow, no udders. Everyone kept asking where his udders were, but alas, none to be found on the costume. And some folks who know he's been on the light side regarding weight made comments about him being a "Skinny Cow" (the dessert?). Hmmm...But then Dan just started saying that he was veal. What young tender meat!

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(Don't worry we won't be eating our baby!)

And here's a nice shot of the whole family!

The Many Moods of Gray-bean

Grayson is now over 6 months old, and we think we are going to keep him. He makes us laugh all the time, and his personality becomes more and more evident each day. He can be fiesty, sweet, silly, mad, pensive and cuddly...and he switches rapidly between these moods. Sometimes he even combines them, with interesting results.

Cuddly and fiesty??? That's "Flirty".

Silly and Mad??? That's "Insane".

Sweet and Pensive??? That's just plain "Adorable".

Here are some recent photos of him:

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Check out these moves!

Grayson is quite the achiever these days! He's doing new things all the time and we are just eating it up. The latest is that he is rolling from his back to his front, but that doesn't over shadow his other favorite pass time of 'walking'.

He is so proud of himself with this new found ability, but it has also been quite frustrating for him once he gets stuck there and can't get away from the resulting 'tummy time'! And don't even get us started with what it has meant for naps and bedtime...big yawn from two exhausted parents.

What do you think of those high steps, the chubby knees, and the way he eye balls the camera! He's coming straight for you, get ready for a big slobbery kiss!

Family and Fireworks

The 4th of July weekend was spent in San Francisco with Dan's parents, older brother Matt and his wife Sara, their two daughters (Elizabeth and Ruby) and Dan's younger brother Phil and his wife Darbi. (That's the whole family, minus Julia and Ralf, who live in Germany).

Altogether, that was 8 adults and 3 children in my parents' two bedroom apartment. I think the fire marshall would have something to say about that...but it allowed us all to be with each other.

That included meeting cousin Ruby for the first time, and seeing cousin Elizabeth walking, talking, and entertaining us with Veggie Tales songs.

We truly had a wonderful time, and I think Grandma was in heaven with three little ones to hold. Christmas should be a blast, when we will all get together, this time with Ralf and Julia as well.

Cousins

(From left to right) Elizabeth, Grayson, and Ruby

Celebrity Photo Shoot

Tia and I doing our best to look like celebrities. (Goofing around with some wigs)

Wiggles!

My favorite time of the day: I've been fed, I have a clean diaper on, and I'm kickin' up a storm!

"Uncle" Erik was able to make a brief visit to meet Grayson. They hit it off right from the start, as can be seen from the photo.

And the rest of the photos are just for fun! His personality is really starting to show!

This Weekend

Erin and Brad Jensen, our friends from college, brought their son Carter down for a visit this weekend. We were worried that our sons wouldn't get along, what with the huge difference in age (Carter 7 weeks vs. Grayson 2 weeks). I mean, what would they have in common, what would they talk about?

As it turns out, both of them enjoy sleeping alot, pooping, and feeding every two hours. An as shown in the photo, both sleep with their mouths gaping open, catching flies while they catch some z's.

The other photos are Tia and Grayson in the nursery, and Grayson having some "Tummy Time". This time is supposed to help baby develop stomach muscles, neck muscles and control, and prepare them for crawling. Grayson just slept. Oh well, maybe next time.

The Stig

Look out on the streets!

Here comes the next Stig! He's like his Dad already and loves the TV show Top Gear. At least he seems to based on how much he loves this outfit Stephy and Abbie gave us for him (since he's a bit young to be watching the tube just yet)! It's still a bit big, but he'll be fitting into it perfectly before we know it, and driving will be soon to follow I'm sure! Does anyone have a racing helmet for an infant...I think his head diameter is around 10 cm!!!

Grayson's Eyes

Despite what the previous photos have shown, our son does have two eyes. They are located right behind his eyelids, and only come out to play a couple of times a day. When they do, they melt our hearts.

Presenting: Grayson Paul Harms

Hey everyone!! Grayson Paul Harms entered the world on April 19, 2008, at approximately 2:24 pm. Tia did such an amazing job, and we absolutely adore him. He weighed 7 lbs, 11 oz at birth, and was 20.5 inches long. He doesn't know many tricks right now, but we are teaching him all about passing gas, feeding, and hopefully...sleeping.

Thank you so much for all of your prayers and phone calls. We appreciate all your kind words and help.

Tia and Dan and Grayson!!!

Going to the Birthing Center

Well...the day has arrived. We are going to induce this morning (April 19th, 2008) at 6:00am. Please continue your prayers as we head out on this amazing adventure!!

Dan and Tia and Grayson!!

No Baby Yet

He's still in there...sinking lower and lower. We're praying for Wednesday, the day Dan turns in three jobs he's been working on. Any time before that would make it rather stressful for both of us. So here I am, big as a house, my calendar cleared since it could be anytime, hoping that come Wednesday as Dan hands in that last report, I'll fly into labor and have the baby that night! Well, wishful thinking anyway...
Come what may, we'll keep all posted as we know more. Doctor's appointment Thursday morning, at which time, you bet I'll be making an appointment for my inducement if he hasn't arrived by then! We're getting excited to meet you Grayson!

Logger Men

Dan and my Dad played logger men the other day. You see...my parents live on 2 acres that used to be surrounded, first by sheep, and then later, Christmas trees. I used to love watching the helicopter come and pick up the bundles of trees each year as they prepared for tree-selling season! However, the helicopters have long since stopped coming and the trees have grown into monsters over the last ten + years. Dan and Dad guesstimate they're about 40 ft tall now, and based on my view from the house as they worked, I would say they're right. I stacked my Dad, 6'2", head to foot with my fingers and squinty eyes from way up at the house, and bet that about 6 or 7 of him tall would surely match the height of those trees. So putting them to the best use possible looks like: firewood. If you need any, give us a holler!
When they were finished Dad rode the tractor back over to the neighbors, and Dan came walking back to the house in a suit of mud! I can't believe I didn't get a picture. (They have plans to tackle more tree falling in the future, and you can bet I'll be ready with the camera then.) He was head to toe, glasses and all, covered in red clay mud. Fabulous! Fingers and toes completely accounted for after all was said and done, and they said they owed it all to what they'd learned from the guys on Ax Men! So there you have it, a good day's work as logger men!

Corteo!

Dan and I went to Cirque du Soleil's Corteo this past weekend with my parents! It was truly indescribable, as any of their shows are. I don't know that I could choose a favorite act considering that each one was so unique and amazing. We had such a good day seeing the show and spending time with people we care about very much. Thank you, thank you Mom and Dad for your invitation and generosity!

Getting close!

This is the first of many bloggings, we hope. We have finally decided to get on the BLOG train and keep everyone updated in this manner...in addition to other e-mails. It will also facilitate sending photos of our baby to all of you, once he is born.

Until then, enjoy this photo of Tia, with only three weeks to go!