WOW

It's still a bit surreal that in a matter of weeks that picture to the left of this post will have THREE boys in it! WOW! A bigger fishbowl! Who knew?!

A picture with three boys in it is only the beginning of the new chapter in the Carper lives. So many new and exciting things are entering our household. Baby Caden, Triston's new school in August (FULL DAY!), Grayson adjusting to big brotherhood, and my most anticipated....being home for several months! I so look forward to walking my big boy to school each day. Playing mommy at the school door. Mingling with other parents. Things I couldnt do when he attended the same school I taught at this past year. I had to mind my P's and Q's seeing as his classmates are to be my own students when I return to work in late fall. I cannot wait.

I am anxious to see how G adjusts to all of this. He really is coming into his own yet is so attached to T. He mimics everything. It is adorable to watch. That gleam in his eye that only says-I want to be just like you...you are awesome Tis (Triston). Just a week ago they began sharing a room. We were curious how this would turn out. I was willing to hold it off til after 4th of July wedding weekend but T remembered June 18th said "Grayson Room" on his calendar and he insisted that is what we did that evening. I gave in seeing as the storm prevented us from going out to view Toy Story 3 which was to be our summer celebration event. All week T kept reminding me, "Friday is your Summer day, right mommy?" He kept me going that week with that simple sentence!

So I washed the sheets G needed for his trundle bed and T helped me pick out a blanket and pillowcase for him. Perfect choices-cars and trains. G's favs. We started the evening early. 7 pm bedtime. By 9:30 they both fell asleep. The whole evening was full of giggles, talking, bickering, and playing. All what I expected. What I didn't expect was how easy G would accept it all. He didnt whine for daddy or I. He was totally content as long as T was there, too. And as the past few nites passed the time frame between bedtime and actuall fall asleep time decreased. We are down to 30 minutes or so. And the funny thing----Charito and I joked in the past-How would G sleep w/ T typically going to bed later than him or playing or reading to himself? Ironically it is the opposite situation. T is passing out before G. G can't get past the freedom of toys right there beside him that he literally plays til he passes out. You would think you'd find him on the floor, half on the floor half on the bed or whining his eyes out for us, right? Nope. Shocking to us he just crawls his lil body in to bed and falls asleep. Sometimes w/ a train in his hands but who cares! It is too adorable. That tiny body in that big ol bed. I love the noises before he passes out, too. We hear:

• 
  Choo choo as proof he's at the train table.


• a combination of babbling and intelligible words as he pretends to read


• G calling out "Tis, Tis, Uh Uh (up up) as he tries to wake him. T yelling back "Im trying to sleep Grayson!"
• laughing to himself for whatever reason
• G going thru the stuffed animal bin making animal noises or naming the animals he runs across.
• if we happen to pass the room he just says hi and moves along w his play
• all the while T sleeping like a log!
• Then I hear T pipe up in the am with a "wake up Grayson, you wanna go see Mommy?!" G of course says yes and the two of them toddle into our room exclaiming MORNING! Luckily I taught T months ago the rule about the door-their door always stays closed behind him bc G could fall or escape (unfortunately any gates have not worked at the top of our stairs due to angled walls so the half door solutions to the bedroom doors have worked out great). T knows I am serious about this and in those moments T does leave the room during the day at play time to pee or something G whines for him and T explains, "I have to pee OR I have to tell mommy something...Ill be right back". Its funny listening to their reciprocal conversations!

Still we dont hear him calling for us. He is off in his own little play world. And I simply dont mind it. Its his own G time and he deserves it, considering the rest of his day is occupying every moment w big bro tasks. One thing that is bothering me though is in his need to copy everything T does this includes the jumping on the bed and walking across beds and running all over the house to play "IT". T has taught him all of these things and in one whole week G has hit his head on something 4 times all in the same area! I am freaking out with all these knots on his head that we doesnt get a concussion or something. We are working on copying the wrong behaviors, the wrong behaviors happening in general ( I feel bad bc they are playing so well together) and curbing what I know is typical boy stuff and G getting in that invicible stage (good for Mr. Sensitive) of romping around but SERIOUSLY. Give mama a break on the injuries!