A Computer of His Own

Grant has his very own computer now. It teaches him all the basics of letter recognition, phonics and counting. He loves it! And he can now identify and find over 50% of the alphabet!

Whenever Gary or I use the laptop, Grant likes to be next to us using his 'laptop.' It's so cute!

Two Years, Four Months and Turtles

The boys went to their 2 year/4 month well check ups last week. Grant is as big as ever. He has been wearing 3T clothes for a few months now, so I knew he was on the big side. But this is ridiculous.

Height: 37 3/4 inches (99%ile)

Weight: 33 lbs 3 oz (95%ile)

Head: 19 inches (37%)

Grayson continued to be on the small side. I don't mind much what my boys grow up to look like, but it would be nice if they were close in size (whatever that may be). I still think Grayson is going to surprise us and be bigger than his numbers are indicating. We'll see.

Height: 25 1/4 inches (49%ile)

Weight: 13 lbs 3 oz (10%ile)

Head: 15 1/2 inches (1%ile)

In turtle watching news, we went to MOMS Club again this year to a mommy and me class on turtles. Grant loved it! We started with a nature walk and he did such a great job. He loved pointing out all the plants and animals.

"Look, mom! An alligator!" Grant was telling the teacher about the frog he saw.

And, of course, he has to give the frog a kiss.

Grant, at times, can be on the difficult side. He is determined and persistent, but in the right setting those are great qualities. One of the things I have noticed about him is that he is a great leader. He was in the front of the group the entire time. He was the first to play in the sand, the first to approach the water and the first to head off to our next destination. We'll just call him President Scogin.

Keeping an eye out for another alligator...

... there it is!

Burying the 'turtle eggs.'

Learning about turtles, or his shoes. It's a toss up. We love this field trip and will do it everytime it's offered! What a great concept!

Happy Birthday, Grant!

Yea! Grant is two! We rented a pavilion out at Camp Mohawk for his birthday. It was the perfect idea for this year because there was plenty to do for Grant and his friends! They played on the jungle gym, tested out the swings, dug through the sand and fed the ducks. Everything a two year old loves to do!

Grant and Jordan patiently waiting for the cupcakes to come out. We started to sing 'Happy Birthday' to Grant and he covers his face! This kid has been acting so shy lately. I thought it was adorable. "I don't know, dad. You said mom made these? I don't normally like her cooking."

"Ok, it's good!"

Grant loved opening gifts. What two year old wouldn't? But each time we opened a gift, he wanted to stop and play with it! Took us a while to open all the gifts!

"Whatcha lookin' at?"

" You mean the Thomas paper isn't the gift?"

"Tools! Now I can teach daddy a few things!"

Bibby and Grant. Tippi and Michael. What a team!

Gary and Jahno. Let the male bonding begin.

Uncle John and Grant. Presley and Carl.

"Ok, Michael. Let me show you how this is done."

Aren't they adorable? Side note: Michael is Grant's good friend who also turned two the same weekend. I love watching them play together!

The other birthday boy smiles for the camera!

"What? Was I not supposed to do that?"

Time to feed the ducks!!!!

It was a family event.

Grant has much improved on his duck feeding skills. He used to eat the bread himself. Now, he calmly waits for ducks to appear and chunks the bread into the water.

"Maybe they'll come to us if we sit down and get quiet."

"Here ducky, ducky."

What a cutie!

Thank you to everyone who came to Grant's party! It was so nice to be surrounded by family and friends who love our sweet boy! And a special thanks to Uncle Mike and Aunt Robin for all your help preparing for the party. I couldn't have done it without you!

Grant's Second Year

When I go back to read this blog in a few years, there are some things I would like to be reminded of. I sometimes close my eyes and replay an image or scene from Grant's everyday life in hopes that that will improve my chances of remembering it later in life. There are so many little things that I cherish about this little boy and I am so afraid of forgetting them. Maybe writing down a few things well help me remember.

Likes:

food: string cheese, strawberries, graham crackers, oranges, and (oh, why?) chips

drinks: milk, V8 Fusion, cranberry juice, diet green tea (just because daddy drinks it)

toys: trains (his favorite is James from Thomas and Friends), cars, stickers, bubbles, dirt

books: The Goodnight Train, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, Elmer and Friends

tv shows: Miss Spider, Thomas and Friends, Curious George, Word World

movies: Cars, The Polar Express

fun times: dancing, playing LaCrosse with daddy, watering plants, playing at the 'train' park, walks around the neighborhood (he tells us which way to go), that infectious laugh

words: please, thank you, car, choo-choo, dada

Dislikes:

food: any vegetable (the reason we give him V8 Fusion), pizza, mac and cheese, anything mom cooks

not so fun times: going to bed, leaving his trains

Catching Some Z's

Anyone who has talked to me over the last few months probably knows that Grant's behavior has been frustrating me. I just know that he is a super sweet boy who is capable of behaving, cooperating and listening. After he poured milk on our computer two weeks ago, I had a huge epiphany. It's not his behavior that needs to change, it's mine. The last few months I have been so distracted that I don't think I am giving him the attention that he deserves. We have been going through the motions of every day life. I still take him to the park, to playgroup, etc, but I need to be hands on with Grant at every possible moment. So, I have been playing and talking to this kid non-stop. Well, I don't know if this is all coincidence or if my action plan is working. Grant has started using sentences all of a sudden, he actively listens and he has been so much happier. Everything has been much easier. And it's had a bit of a side effect...

Grant fell asleep while eating lunch! His sandwich is still in his lap! He tried so hard to make it to his bed, but he had to stop and rest on the floor for a bit.

I had to go wake him up at 8:00AM this morning, so that he could go to school. By the way, whose bed is this anyway? He's completely taken over!

Just Call Me 'Super Mom'

I don't mean to brag, but after reading this post, I think you'll be pretty impressed too. That's not to say I think that I could repeat this performance!

Our sister-in-law, Jen, has been having some complications from her c-section. After another stay in the hospital last week, she needed help taking care of Austin. I volunteered to drive up to Dallas this week and meet my sweet nephew... but I didn't go alone!

Grayson and I made the trip up, and I spent my days managing either one baby or the other. I became a pro at entertaining Grayson while rocking Austin. I also learned that I can get much more done in a day than I ever thought possible! Oh, and it is possible to breastfeed one baby while bottle feeding another! I found myself in that position quite a few times and I think that was the only time of day that the house was quiet. But I had so much fun getting to know Austin and I loved the times that both babies were happy at the same time (few and far between, but totally worth it)! Jen and I did get a chance to take some pictures of the boys...

Beautiful Austin! This is the precursor to sitting in matching lawn chairs on the beach.

Our wide-eyed boys!

Ok, I could just eat him up! He did such a great job while we were there! I am amazed at the adaptability of babies.

How can you resist that?

Ok, it's all over! Just come over now and give my boy a kiss!

Crying Over Spilled Milk

I have only one thing to say: Grant spilled, no...POURED milk on our computer. I'll be out of the loop for a while.