Our First Stop of the Day...

We went to Gary's school this morning for the classroom Halloween Party! All the kiddos were dressed in costume (pretty creative, I might add.) All the teachers in Gary's grade decided to dress up as band members. And Grant went in his bee costume (I am trying to get as much use out of it as possible!)

We have one more stop this evening and then a few grandparents we'll have to dress up for this weekend. I'll continue to post pictures. BEEEEEEEEE safe!

Elijah's Barnyard Bash

A few weeks ago, we went to Elijah's Barnyard Bash. Erica did a great job of decorating. There were hay bails, "farm animals," a wheelbarrow full of drinks and fantastic cupcakes! Here are just a few of my favorite pictures:

Pig, cow and sheep cupcakes... How cute! Maddie and Elijah sharing tractor rides.

What a cutie!

"Mom, can I have some of yours?"

Gary recruited Elijah to help him retreive the horsehoes.

Uncle John and Grant. What a pair!

"It was a tough party... I need a drink!"

Welcome to the 21st Century

Well, we have finally joined the rest of the world and no longer live in the 1950s. We officially have DVR and internet! It has been a long time coming!

Please Stand

Grant pulled himself to the standing position today for the first time. It is actually really neat to watch... there are so many steps involved in him getting to the standing position, and he has to do each one just right. I think this means a whole new level of baby proofing! Yesterday, he crawled (I use that term loosely) into the kitchen for the first time... his boundaries seem to be expanding. We also attempted another "real meal" yesterday... he did fabulously! I really think the teething was interfering with him eating the solid food. Now, that both teeth have cut the gums, he is back to normal. We added cherrios to the diet, as well. Grant loves them!

I took this picture a few weeks back (you can tell it's an old picture because he is "teething" on my bamboo tray). As I was not able to capture him pulling up to standing on video today, I thought this picture would do.

Tooth, Tooth!

I can't believe I keep forgetting to mention this... Grant has his first tooth! And possibly his second. The bottom right tooth has broken the gums and I think the tooth right next to it is trying to pop up, too. I think this is why we were having so many problems eating "real meals" last week. Anyhow, I wanted to share the news!

"Please don't eat the hay, Grant!"

Erica, Elijah, Grant and I went to a pumpkin patch a few days ago. Erica needed some pumpkins (duh) and I thought it would be a good photo op. I took over 100 photos and in 90% of them Grant is eating hay.

"Oh, what's this?" "Hey, mom... take a picture while I eat this hay!" "YUMMO!" "Look! More hay!"

But I did manage to get a few pictures that did not involve dead grass.

Elijah was on the move during our trip to the pumpkin patch! He had no time and no patience for photos... there were things to do and see! Most of his pictures captured the back of his head.

Daily Living

Grant and I have had quite a busy week. From playgroups to lunch with Leigh Ann to going to the gym, we have been on the go! This morning, we finally got a small break and just enjoyed each other's company. In other news, we have decided to postpone having "real meals" for a week. He always ate his snacks very well and we didn't have any troubles over the last few months. However, adjusting from the bottle to a real meal hasn't been as smooth of a transition. I am becoming frustrated (and so is Grant), so we are taking a break and will start up again next week. I hope that strategy works!

Party Animals

Grant attended his first birthday party on Saturday. Little Xandre turned one and we were there to celebrate! We had a great time visiting with family and seeing all the goodies a one-year old gets!

Cousin Xandre and Grant. I think Grant wants to help, but isn't sure where to start. Almost immediately after the toys were opened, Grant had one in his mouth. I think this picture says it all, " Oh, no. I've been caught." "Can I keep just this one?" My sweet boy. I love this little shirt. Gary and I bought it the day we found out we were having a boy. I didn't expect him to be wearing it so soon, but there have been a lot of things I haven't expected over the last 6 months.

"So, really, Xandre... which ones can I keep?"

Cousin Daniel. I just love these glasses on him... one of the many cute party favors.My boy doesn't look quite so stylish in them! Cousin Daniel and Grant. Just a few minutes after this photo, Grant was asleep on my shoulder. He again missed nap time, but did a great job. He didn't get fussy at all... he was enjoying playing with his cousins too much!

6 Month Update

Grant went to see the pediatrician again yesterday for his 6 month check-up! He received the usually round of shots (and we threw in a flu shot for good measure). He did extremely well, especially considering it was during nap time. Dr. Q had him rolling in laughter, which prompted him to tell me the following: "With his personality the way it is, you are going to have your hands full when he starts to become mobile." My response: "Starts?" He can already make it across a room in 10 seconds flat AND he is trying to pull up on everything. But everyone keeps making the comment that he's going to cause trouble... I take it as a compliment. It means he is super curious and loves to learn new things. However, I think it is meant more as a warning. Anyhow, I had a mini panic attack at the doctor's office. Please recall that Grant's weight was in the 5th %ile at his two month check-up. We were given instructions on how to help him gain weight. As Erica says, "Grant follows instructions well." He is now in the 95th %ile. I panicked because I don't want an overweight baby. And this seems like such a wild swing in weight, but once again our doc played it cool and reassured me that unless he stayed at that percentile for a long period of time, there is nothing to worry about. (I also realized later that I fed him a 9oz bottle immediately before his doctor's visit, so maybe that affected the weight a bit.) Anyhow, here are the stats: Height: 26 1/2 in 67% Weight: 20 lbs 6 0z 95% Head: 17 1/4 in 67%

Narcolepsy and Remote Controls

I have tons to blog, but very little time. Therefore, I am picking my two favorite stories of the week to blog about. Yesterday, my sweet boy woke up early from his nap. Now, I have many rules that I follow on a daily basis. Rule #1: if you wake up early from a nap, then you don't get to "cat nap" before the next appointed nap time. I knew that since he didn't get a full nap in, he would be fussy and tired later on in the afternoon. Rule #2: you're not allowed to use a pacifier unless we are in church or about to take a nap. Sure enough... he started to fuss. I put him on the floor to play and he wanted nothing to do with it, so I decided to get his pacifier (I *broke* my rule!). This quieted him down, so I started to unload the dishwasher. I could hear him playing and he seemed happy. At one point, I noticed he hadn't made any noises in a little while. And since he had crawled behind the ottoman, I couldn't see him. Rule #3: if you don't hear any baby noises for 30 seconds, your boy is making trouble... go check on him! Well, this is what I found:

He totally passed out while playing! I love that he still has a toy in each hand. I guess since he is used to getting a pacifier only at nap time, he thought, "Well, I must be able to take a nap now and this is as good a place as any!"

My other favorite story of the week: Gary and I have been looking and looking for the remote control to our DVD player. Couldn't find it anywhere! Well, I dropped Grant off at Tippi's today and she is looking for something in the diaper bag and... she pulls out the remote control! He must have grabbed it, crawled over to the bag and placed it inside. Have I mentioned that my boy *LOVES* remote controls?! He will find it no matter where you try to hide it, then stick it straight in his mouth.