Merry almost Christmas!!

We had a fun little Thanksgiving break last week, our first Thanksgiving with just our little family. I guess I can't really call it a break either, Ryan had to study or work on his research almost everyday and I worked 2 night shifts, but it was still fun. This is Ryan's last week of actual classes and then next week is finals, woo hoo!!! We'll be heading up to VA sometime after that to be with my family. For that reason I've decided not to put up any Christmas decorations, that and I know Grant would be 24/7 trying to climb up/pull down the Christmas tree and eat the lights and ornaments. Not that it will be any easier at my parents house where they will be about 50 trees to choose from (my mom likes to decorate!)


So one of Grants favorite things is to pull himself up on whatever he can find, stable or non. The other night after a poop explosion I let him crawl around in his diaper and socks (I didn't feel like getting another outfit dirty before his bath). Also, I figured, who doesn't love to run around in their undies and socks? I've gotten pretty good at positioning the catch pillow for when he gets tired of standing and crashes to the floor. Fortunately, babies heal very quickly, but unfortunately, they don't seem to remember what might end up hurting and continue to climb up on things. Oh well, I guess that's why they have such hard noggins.






Here's the turkey and our Thanksgiving spread. It actually turned out really good. We cooked the turkey in one of those oven bags and used a recipe that was in the newspaper. The only thing that did not turn out was the gravy, it was horrible. Good thing Ryan made the potatoes tasty enough that they didn't need any gravy. Mom is going to have to teach me how to make it over Christmas!















Grant also enjoyed a Thanksgiving meal, delicious rice cereal and squash. Then there's always the post dinner nap on the chair. Okay, so this picture wasn't taken after Thanksgiving but I thought it was funny that he just laid there and let me take his picture a couple of times, he usually won't lie still any more, he must have been comfortable.

Fall Fun

We decided to take Grant to the NC Botanical Gardens to get some fall pictures. He seemed a bit hesitant at first when we put him in the leaves, like he wasn't sure he was allowed to play with so many things that crinkle (since we always quickly take away any plastic bags or paper he gets into). However, he soon felt comfortable and started chewing away on the colorful leaves.















It was a lot of fun to go back and walk through some of the trails. Before we had Grant, Ryan and I would go for a nature walk every Sunday through the trails, or I used to go running through them. Now that the leaves are clearing off the trees, and the tails are widening, we may go back more often since it is less likely we will walk through a spider web. Let me tell you, there is no worse feeling than walking right into a giant spider web, especially with the crazy spiders they have here in NC. Going on my tangent...one day I was running and had to stop at a road entry and wait for traffic to clear before crossing. I looked at the tree beside me and there was a HUMONGOUS spiderweb that stretched from a tree branch that was at least 3-4 feet over my head to the grass and was probably 6 or more feet wide. Right smack in the middle was a crazy, disgusting, leggy spider that was at least the size of my hand. AHHH, it almost made me run into traffic. I thought, what if I had run just a few feet to the right and got some of that web stuck on me.....it would have been horrible!!!! Just thinking about it makes me jumpy.

In other news, Grant has been crawling for about the last 2 weeks and is getting really good at it. He is starting to pick up speed and becoming less wobbly. He likes to follow us around the house, slowly but surely, and crawl over us whenever we are sitting on the ground. Besides having to keep a much closer eye on him I am enjoying this stage because Grant is much more content now that he can satisfy more of his curiosity and get to where he wants to go.














Grant is finding ways to get to whatever he wants. My attempts to block the shelf with the couch pillow were easily thwarted. Also, he loves to reach into his toy basket. His new trick is the hold onto the side of the basket and stand up and shake the basket. He shakes it so hard he usually ends up flipping to the side and banging his head. We're going to have to find a new and safer obstacle for him to master.





Grant is actually a great helper around the house. He shows me a thing or two on the piano and likes to help out with the laundry. What a good boy!

Happy Belated Halloween!

Okay, so I'm a little late with the Halloween pictures, but here you go. Grant turned into our very own fuzzy little skunk and I dare say he makes quite a cute little stinker! This was on Halloween night when we stayed in to pass out candy. Unfortunately, Grant was ready for bed before hardly anyone came by so we just stuck the bowl of candy outside our door while I put him down. Maybe next year he'll be able to make it past 7:00.

We were actually in charge of taking pictures at our ward Trunk-or-Treat. We were supposed to be farmers, with Grant being our pet skunk, but we didn't really pull it off too well. By the time we took this picture Grant had about had it and had lost his feet. Thanks to the Hemmert's for finding his paw in a random place in the church!

Don't be fooled by the cute smile and bow tie, he's still a dangerous creature. After all, those are the initial signs of rabies!

Since this is his first Halloween, Grant was ready to try his first candy. At least he was content to play with the bag. However, when the paint started coming off the bag, it was confiscated, which left him quite malcontent.

We have begun the early stages of baby-proofing the house. He's not yet at a full blown crawler, but can still get himself around, slowly but surely. He feels especially mobile when the clothes come off and he's only in a light-weight diaper.

Posing for pictures

I think Grant is beginning to understand that we want him to smile when we pull out the camera. Either that or he likes the red light that shines in his face. He's become quite a good sitter. He can hold himself up with his hands when he sits on the floor, but I always have to sit behind him because he will eventually throw himself back when he gets bored.

Grant has been enjoying some delicious rice cereal off and on for the past couple of weeks. Sometimes it seems like more work than it's worth for him to take in a few bites of rice cereal, but he seems to like it. We're thinking about starting some baby veggies and fruits pretty soon, which will give him more color options for painting his face.

So the infant chair has been one of the best baby gifts that we received (thanks again to Tracie, Troy and Robyn!). But as you can see here, Grant grows weary of being confined in a supine position and will begin to escape if left unattended for any length of time. He has never quite made it all the way out before I get him, but I would like to see where he plans on going.

Grant has also been practicing his crawling skills for the past couple of weeks. He can get up on all fours quite well and wiggles there for awhile, but only his reverse works. In this picture I had put him down to play with his book and when I came back a minute later he had backed himself between the bookshelf and baby swing. Needless to say he gets a little frustrated when he goes farther from his toys instead of toward them.

This is a cute picture of my two boys, I just love them!

Tagged

So I've been tagged and am supposed to write 6 facts about myself. When I tag you, you can write 6 facts about yourself and then tag 6 others (I may be re-tagging people because a lot of us have the same friends!).

1. I love sunny weather. It's true, while the news is talking about the serious problem NC is in from the drought, I can't really sympathize because I love the beautiful sunny weather we've been having. Don't get me wrong, I know there is a problem and that we need rain, but I really do feel somewhat down on cloudy/drizzly days as opposed to sunny days.
2. Since high school, I've known how to find my way through most neighborhoods because I have run through them. I don't think there are many places in Great Bridge (the town I grew up in) that I haven't ran through. I get bored running in the same places so sometimes I will find a new route with a map and then go run that way. It certainly has helped for finding my way through town.
3. I love to travel and be outdoors. Since we've had Grant we haven't done as much as I would like (this has also been Ryan's busiest semester), but I still like to plan things for us to go do. Ryan and I traveled to the NC beach and the mountains before we had Grant (among other places) and we have taken the reins on 3 different trips with our friends: the trip to Havasupai, the Blue Ridge Parkway, and the Outerbanks. They were a lot of fun, it makes me want to start planning our next excursion.
4. I get excited for Thursday nights because that's the one night all the good shows come on. The only night-time shows I really watch are The Office and Greys (which stinks b/c they're on the same time) and occasionally Ugly Betty. I guess it's good to get all my TV watching in one night instead of sitting in front of it every night.
5. I (like Bri) love to bake. I asked Ryan the other day if he had any idea why baking makes me feel happy, he had no idea but just encourages it. I think maybe b/c I grew up in a home where we baked a lot so I get that being a kid/family feeling. Of course it's fun to eat them when I'm done!
6. I love having a good book to read. Since finishing college it has been fun to be able to read whatever I want (no more reading school books!) I've definitely read my fair share of "fun" books so I'm trying to read more books that are uplifting. I'm currently reading Pres. Hinckley's Standing For Something, which of course is awesome. It's a good change of pace for me since previously I read the Harry Potter and Twilight series, which as most of you know, are almost impossible to put down. Once I was done with those, I could go on with my life and not feel like I was neglecting my family :)

Cute and Chubby!

I guess babies are like us adults when some days they look chubbier than others. Grant usually looks pretty long and lean but this day he looked so cute and round! You can see he's got the remote and just feels like vegging and watching some baseball (he's even got his umpire outfit on). No, we actually don't let him sit there and watch TV, but he's getting good at twisting any way he can to see what's on.

In order to add to Ryan and my chubbiness I made cinnamon rolls this past weekend. Ryan was developing a complex about me making yummy treats. He said whenever I made something really good I would give most of the treats away to friends. So I made these just for him and they were pretty good. We were giving Grant a bath while they were baking so they stayed in for a little too long. Next time I make something that takes as much effort as cinnamon rolls I'm going to make sure they are not over-baked!

It looks like I interrupted their game, doesn't it?

I tried to sneak up on Grant to capture his attack of the rabbit. His toys are attacked on a daily basis and usually become marked with Grant spit up and drool, that's how he proves ownership.

Back to life

It seems like I am starting to blog on a monthly basis so I have made a resolution to update more frequently. We are back in the swing of things with Ryan's school semester and me working here and there. So far the semester hasn't been too bad but I think Ryan's tests start next week so I'll probably be seeing a lot less of him soon. I've only been working the minimum 24 hours a month because I get pretty cranky when I lose any more sleep than that requires. I rarely get to sleep before or after work with a baby who will only nurse (he thinks anything we give him through a bottle is probably poison and gets mad if we think about trying it). I've been wanting to update the blog for the past week or so but have been sucked into the Stephenie Meyer vampire books and just finished the third a couple of hours ago, I guess that means I can go on with my life now...they are quite addicting.

This past weekend was fun. My parents came down for Friday night to see Grant and let Ryan and I go out for the night. We wanted to go see Harry Potter at the outdoor theater but of course Friday was the one night of the summer that it rained. Instead we did the next best thing and hung out at Barnes and Noble (we're geeks) and got dessert at Maggianos. Can I say their apple tart and chocolate cake were Delicious! Thinking about it makes me want to make a cake...must clear mind. My mom got Grant the cute Bumbo seat and he really likes it. I think he feels like one of the adults now that he can sit up and look at us.

Grant loved hanging out with Grandma and Grandpa and says they can come down and babysit him anytime they want!

Nana gave Grant this play book when we were out in Utah visiting. Grant really likes it because it is not only great reading but a wonderful chew toy.

One day after church Grant was wrestling with his pajamas and ended up partly dressing himself. He was so pleased as you can see.

Summer Trip

This past week we returned from our fun trip to the west. We first went to Idaho for almost two weeks and then down to Utah. In Idaho we went to Steph and Gregg's wedding (which was beautiful) and to the Wood family reunion. It was so fun to see everyone and spend some time together. Ryan and I agree that Grant had some sense of when we were about to get together with family and friends, he would then decide to become fussy. The 3 times he had big crying episodes over the vacation was during get-togethers...I think no one believes me when I say he's normally a very good boy :)

We took this picture before we left. Grant has got a great right hook so we decided to get him a boxing robe (which doubles as a bath robe:). We're considering embroidering a title on the back, what do you think: The Woodcutter, The Flying Wee-One, or Blow-Out Boy?

While in Idaho we got to help out Ryan's mom with her yard work (when I say we I mean mostly Ryan). We cleared her yard of crazy Idaho bush-weeds, put down ground cover and shovelled, carted and spread 10 tons of gravel. This picture shows the size of the pile of gravel after about 2 days work, imagine that pile times 4 and you can see what we were up against. Ryan made a promise to himself after this experience: he will never again touch a piece of gravel with a shovel. My back, neck and head hurt for a week after our gardening excursion, so I was beginning to think I had contracted West-Nile virus from my 50 mosquito bites. I guess it was just from the strain of trying to shovel something that will not be shoveled.

While we worked, Grant was entertained by Mister bear-head in his stroller. They have such a rocky relationship: one minute he's smiling and laughing with bear, the next he looks at bear with resentment.

Christine came out with the kids while we were in Utah. It was fun to hang out with her and Maddy and Mason. Grant loved having little kids to look at and talk to. He really liked Maddy, although you can't tell in this picture. Maddy's great at smiling on command, I think Grant likes to do the opposite. On our last day in Utah we all went to Thanksgiving Point and saw the farm animals and went on a wagon ride. It was fun, the animals were so cute and were trying to lie in any bit of shade they could find.

Here is Grant with Nana, his great-grandmother. He liked to talk to her and she even rocked him to sleep a couple times, she's had a lot of practice! While in Utah we also went to Jenna and Drew's wedding and spent time with the old roomies. It was great to see them, I hope we can have another reunion soon, I guess we'll have to wait for another wedding:)

Happy Boy!

So the bibs have come out of the drawers recently to help catch the excess drool and spit-up. Grant really loves this puppy bib, and he just looks so darn cute in it!

Grant is really enjoying his baths now that we are using a bath sponge instead of the baby tub. He prefers to lay on the nice, warm sponge instead of kicking himself all over his hard tub, and we enjoy the smiling and absence of screaming. I think Grant's favorite part of bath time is afterward when he gets to put on his Obe Wan Kenobi outfit.

In his spare time Grant enjoys a little reading.

Hair-twirling must be genetic! This is one of Grant's favorite positions: right hand in the mouth, left twirling the hair. At least Ryan doesn't suck on his hand while twirling his hair.

Rachael and Issac Hemmert came over and the boys had fun looking at each other, about the extent of their playing. It was cute to see them laying by each other and looking at the same toys.

Grant had his first real smile around 5-6 weeks and has since become very proficient at it. He loves when you repeat the sounds he makes and talk to him. Needless to say there are many baby noises being made in our house because we love to see him happy. Grant's blessing was the first Sunday of this month and some of our family made a long trip to be here for it. My parents, sister, niece and nephew came as well as Ryan's brother and sister. It was fun for them to be here for the blessing and to hang out for a little while.  

Grant is now basically 2 months old and has started to become interested in things beside nursing and being held. He has really started to enjoy laying in this play pen and looking at the hanging animals (thanks to the Robinson's for letting us borrow it!) He was even content to lay in there while I showered one day, enabling me to take more than a two minute shower!

We took a family picture before church today because we thought Grant looked so cute in his little overalls.

Grant loves to be held out like this so he can see what's going on. If you try to put him up to your shoulder he will just push back with his arms and squirm until you move him. I thought this was such a cute picture of Grant and Ryan, he just loves his dad.

I think he was dreaming about some delicious milk in this picture. Don't mind the diaper in the background, it was on its way to the trash.

He's a month old!

Here are some pictures from the past two weeks. Grant is getting big and starting to fill out more of his outfits. Life is getting somewhat less hectic as we are beginning the semblance of a routine. However, Grant still likes to switch it up a bit every day to keep life interesting. One very nice present Grant has given me is a 5-6 hour sleeping block at night. He will usually eat at around 9 pm and sleep until 2 or 3. It has been awesome, I hope he keeps it up, especially since he doesn't like to let mom take naps during the day.

Grant is looking for a way to get out of mom's grasp. He's certainly an active little guy, I have to hold on tight so he doesn't jump out of my arms.

Here's a funny face, it must have been a little gas...


Whenever I put him on his tummy, or even hold him up to my shoulder, he has to push himself up like this. He's just so "advanced for his age" :) he he

He has smiled for us a few times but right now he mostly makes different "o" shapes with his mouth. We still think just about any face he makes is cute...yeah, he's got up hooked.

This swing has two speeds, no swing and Pirate boat at Busch Gardens swing. He looks like he's about to hurl.