Mr. Grady - 21 Months

Wow...needless to say, I have been pretty delinquent in my blogging since, well, January.  I fully admit that being so behind has made it harder to get going again; but, enough procrastination.

As today marks Grady's 21st month, I thought an update on him would be a good place to start.  So, here are a few facts about our little guy:

Height and Weight
At 15 months, Grady weighed 22 pounds (25%) and his height was 30 1/4 inches (25%).  Learning to walk and run prevented any weight gain I guess because his wight at 12 months was 22 pounds as well.  At 18 months, Grady weighed 25 pounds (39%) and his height was 21 inches (14%).

Sleeping
At about 18-19 months, Grady transitioned from two naps a day to just one.  This was a decent transition...we eased him into it.  Shannon, our daycare provider, started shortening his morning naps first to under and hour and then down even more until it was pretty simple to just quit the nap.  Grady gave his morning nap up earlier for us on the weekends which worked out well too.  Sometimes he'll still snooze if he's in the stroller or carseat, but one nap is great.  I love that it gives us more time to do activities in the morning too.  Grady usually sleeps for 1 1/2 to 3 hours in the afternoon and then heads to bed between 7-8:30 depending on his earlier nap and/or what's going in the evening.  He's up in the morning between 6:30-7:30.  Our bedtime routine is bath, paci (he calls this his "wabi"), blanket, books, a sippy of milk, and then a good cuddle.  There is no singing allowed though...if I start to sing or hum, Grady looks at me, puts his hand over my mouth, and says no.  Ha!

Talking
Grady has an amazing vocabulary.  It's been so fun to see his understanding develop and to hear new words pop out of his mouth daily.  It's pretty impressive what he says these days.  We have a number of 2-3 word phrases going on, and he definitely understands sentences from us.  He's pretty good at following instructions as long as not too many are given at once (and assuming he wants to follow them).  Some of my favorite words/phrases are:  "I hold you" (for hold me), "shoes on," "shot" (for tennis racquet because he's heard us say 'Nice shot' so much), and "cheese" (when he gets his picture taken).  Usually Grady calls me "Mommy," but if he is really wanting to show me something he thinks is cool, he shortens it up to "Mom" followed by "Mom...whoa."  It's pretty cute.  Grady will spit out two and three syllable words without problem, but interestingly enough there's a few words he won't say - specifically " please" and "thank you."  There is no doubt in my mind that he can say these words, he just won't.  It's kind of like when Olivia refused to say Grace's name and only called her "Baby" for the longest time!

Playing
This is an easy topic!  Grady's favorite activities are anything that has to do with hitting or throwing, swimming, jumping, playing with the hose, watering flowers, dancing, running after his sisters, playing hide-and-seek, swinging, hanging from any type of bar (this can be scary for me!), and anything else that involves some rough-housing!  Grady is, by far, our most active kid - he rarely sits still, although he does watch at least 1/2 of a show which comes in handy sometimes.  If I'm sitting on the floor, he'll sit for a bit but then either find something to throw at me for catch or start jumping on my back for some wrestling/pretending that I'm a jungle gym.  Other actives that he generally enjoys are playing cars/trucks, coloring, and reading...which we mostly do before nap and bedtime (his favorites are word books, animal books, and truck books).  To sum it up, Grady would like nothing more than to be 4 or 5 and get to do everything he sees older kids doing!

Family
Grady continues to love his sisters - he calls them both Sissy and Bivy, but lately he has started separating to Bivy and Gace.  He also often calls them by their nicknames Goose and Monkey if he hears someone else do it first.  We had lots of fun with the cousins this summer (more on that in another post), and it was awesome to see Grady forming relationships with them all.  I'm Grady's favorite at night, but Brian's his favorite when we're outside because he's all about sports.  A favorite part of my day is watching Grady run to greet Brian when he gets home.  He continues to love his gammas and bapas (grandpas), and I love that he can now identify all our family and good friends by names...so sweet how excited he gets to see everyone.

Personality
Overall, Grady is an easy kid.  That said, he's also getting close to two which clearly comes with challenges regarding communication, following directions (is it really that bad of a deal to get dressed or have a dirty diaper changed?), and understanding restrictions.  However, distraction/redirection has been effective.  Grady is loving and playful.  Many people have commented that he's a combination of Olivia's and Grace's personalities, and I agree.  One thing I know for sure, he's a keeper.  :)

Happy 5th Birthday Grace Elizabeth!

Dear Gracie,

My goodness...it's already March, and I'm just getting to a post about you!  Times have been busy, my dear, and there never are enough hours in the day.  You, of course, are one of the reasons we stay so busy, but we wouldn't have it any other way.

You had a fantastic birthday and birthday party.  As you're dad said the other night...you love yourself quite a bit (seriously, you like to look at yourself in the mirror A LOT), so having a few days focused on you was right up your alley!  You felt pretty special being recognized at school and sharing your birthday bag...not so much shyness in you these days!  You liked getting to bring cupcakes to school as well.  Grandma and Grandpa Huinker came over in the evening for spaghetti, and you were absolutely thrilled to open presents.  You had lots of fun blowing out your trick candles numerous times, too.  Grady loved this as well and was a giggling machine watching you - it was pretty cute.  Here are a few pictures of your birthday...the last one shoes how much Grady liked those candles! 

Your birthday party the next weekend was very fun for both adults and kids alike...we did a joint celebration for you and your best buddy Maggie who turns 5 just two weeks after you (she was actually born on your due date).  We headed, per tradition, to Cresco for swimming and a poolside lunch.  You especially enjoyed hanging in the hot tub and playing with your best bud Maggie.

Back to some basics about you...  At your 5-year well-child check, you weighed in at 37 pounds (30%) and were 3 feet 5 3/4 inches tall (34%).  You are a bit of a peanut - skin and bones but crazily strong, too!  You were a little stink at your appointment; you acted like the nurse was going to hurt when she wanted to take your blood pressure, refused to answer any of the doctor's questions seriously, and screamed when it was time for your shots.  Whew - I was glad it was just the two of us because I don't think I could have handled another kid at that point!

Sometimes I think you have multiple personalities...and these personalities can change by the second!  You can be giggling like mad and cranky as can be two seconds later.  You can be loving and...not so loving.  You can be such a big girl and then act like you don't know how to put your clothes on.  You can be so kind to your brother and sister and then mad at them for something small.  You get the idea.  But, as much as I admit I find you exasperating, I sure to love your spunk.  You are probably one of the most persistent people I know.  This stubbornness can get you in trouble (although you're getting the hang of consequences), but I know it has the potential to take you great places one day.  You have so much energy, are so silly and entertaining, and have the best smile and laugh in the world.

I'm pretty sure you are more excited than anyone else about kindergarten next year.  You actually thought that you got to start kindergarten when you turned five.  Needless to say, you were a bit disappointed when they didn't turn out to be the case.  You also thought kindergarten started right after the "Come and See Day" at St. Ben's.  Once again, it was tough on you to learn you had to wait until next August!  But, I sure am glad you are excited about school and loving preschool.  You've really started to do a lot of writing lately and talk a lot about learning to read next year.  I'm anxious to hear what your teachers have to say about you at conferences!

You have lots of favorite activities right now.  You are pretty obsessed with the iPad - both games and watching shows.  However, you're also really pretty decent about stopping that when I tell you.  I'm very ready for some nice weather so that we can get outside.  You've been practicing on the sun porch with your roller blades, so I know you'll be anxious to get out on the street with those and your bike.  Otherwise, you really like coloring and writing, reading books, playing in your doll house and with your stuffed animals, dancing, jumping on the trampoline, playing kitchen, and generally being silly.   I anticipate many trips to the park this spring too so you can renew your obsession with the monkey bars.

You are really into doing whatever Olivia is doing lately.  This has been challenging because that means you're bummed when you can't do jazz, piano (first grade rule at our house), and Soda Club (music and dancing) and get sad because you can't ride the bus.  However, you are very excited about doing some of these things next year and more after that.  You are also very obsessed with sleeping with Olivia, and this has been going on for the last couple of months.  You two go back and forth between her room and your room.  I don't mind...it's pretty sweet actually.  You're pretty sweet with Grady too and do a good job of playing with him for the most part.  Sometimes you get mad because you just can't understand why he's so up in your business!

Overall, you're a pretty sweet girl!  I love your random acts of love and kindness, your obsession with being tickled, your preference to walk around in your panties, and your imaginative nature.  I tease you about still sucking your fingers, but I remind myself that those days won't be much longer, so it's okay to still be "little" too.

Gracie-girl, monkey, toot-machine, we love you sooooo much!

Mommy

Olivia Ann - 6 and a HALF!

The other day, okay, okay, at the beginning of the month, January 9th to be exact, I had one of my "not so stellar mom" moments.  The day started and progressed as normal.  For some reason, unlike normal where I pick them up, I was home when the girls got home...Olivia walked in and said - "Hey Mom, today's my half birthday!"  She was pumped!  I guess she got to wear the birthday vest at school, she got a special note and sign from her teacher and from the school office, her class sang Happy "Half" Birthday to her...and, why hadn't I sent cupcakes to school?  Whoops.  Oh well, she had a great day which is what matters most!

So - to celebrate this half-birthday, here are 6 and a 1/2 facts about Miss Liv.

Olivia...

1) Weighs approximately 43 pounds...she's really stretching out and is 44-45 inches tall.  She wears six 6 regular pants, 6-7/8 tops (though the 7/8 are definitely too big), and size 11 shoes.

2) Has taken full ownership of her clothes.  Olivia's definitely still quite picky about how things feel, but mostly this applies only to pants.  She hates wearing a uniform and says it makes her "hate" school, but as she's mostly pretty positive about school and always anxious to show me what's in her folder, I'm pretty confident she's not serious about this.  In fact, this morning she asked me if "hate" was a "strong" word.  I thought this was a pretty interesting questions, and we had a nice discussion about it.  Back to the clothes - Olivia likes red and white shirts for her uniforms but won't wear the blue ones often because "that's a boy color."  She mostly likes "comfy" clothes, but she's experimenting with jeans and some "fancy" outfits too.  Olivia's pretty good at matching, favors her fleece sweatshirts, and wears socks to bed every night...very ironic because she used to scream in agony at the very thought of even wearing socks.  She LOVES her new, sylish boots from Grandma Huinker, and can't wait for her blue flats with the puff on them to fit!

3) Is trying pretty hard to stop sucking her thumb.  Olivia never sucks her thumb outside of the house, but I see her doing it too often still at home, especially if she's watching TV or is tired.  The challenging thing about this is that the thumb sucking is connected to a blanket, and Olivia is a cuddler which pretty much means she always want to cozy up with a blanket.  She thinks she should have a paci now as a way to stop sucking her thumb...Brian supports this idea because he thinks it won't last for long, but I do not agree.  I think I won out on this little discussion...and, Olivia's new tactic is to wrap her hand up in her blanket and just have her hand by her face.  I'm impressed with her drive...I think she's been motivated by Brian's "buck teeth" comments and the thought of braces.

4) Has a competitive side.  This side doesn't surface a lot, but it's definitely there - and Brian is thankful for the fact when it comes to sports.  :)  Olivia can get a touch cocky when she wins and can be a bit of a poor sport when she loses. She's starting to understand the point of practicing...this is especially great as she has started piano lessons!  She's been very proud of how her practicing has allowed her to get stickers and harder songs!  Hooray for piano!

5) Is an amazing big sister.  While there are times Olivia doesn't want to hang out with Grace and/or Grady, more often than not (basically all the time), she's very willing to do this and seems to genuinely enjoy it.  Grady will follow Olivia around and raise up his arms to be carried by her - little stinker.  Olivia is great at distracting Grady if I need to get something done and enjoys being a little mommy.  Olivia doesn't play with her dolls too much - she likes changing their clothes but not actually playing with them - and I think think this is because Grady is her real doll!  The girls have started sleeping together again in Olivia's bed, and I love this - it's so sweet to see them all cuddled up together.

6) Is still one of the sweetest girls I know.  Olivia has such a soft heart - and while this sometimes causes her to get her feelings hurt a little more than is maybe necessary, I'd rather it be this way than any other.  Olivia's still a cuddler who will cozy up in bed or on the couch with us in the morning so we can get a little extra sleep.  She loves to make people happy, is a good friend, and...  (hey, I said six and a half, didn't I?)  :)

Happy 14 Months!

 

Dear Grady,
 
Ahhhh...where to start on a blog post that is two months late...by celebrating a 14th month birthday, I guess!  Sorry Grady-bugs...life is busy these days, but, as you're part of the reason for that, I hope you won't be too hard on your mom.  After all, I'm pretty sure I'm your favorite person these days!

There is just so much to tell about you!  I'll start with the fact that at your one year check you weighed 21 pound 4 ounces (26%), were 30 inches long (55%), and had a head circumference of 18 1/4 inches (57%).  You transitioned into 12-18 month clothes around 13 months and wear size 4 shoes.  You've kept your blond hair (I love it), and it probably could be trimmed up in the back, but I can't bring myself to do it.  Lots of people comment on your blue eyes, and I just love watching your long eyelashes flutter closed at night.  While I just might be bias, I'm pretty sure you're gong to be a handsome young man one day!

You started walking literally on your birthday.  You'd been standing very steadily and taking a few lifts with your feet since about 11 months.  Beth got to see you take 7 steps while we were on FaceTime which was pretty special and great timing.  About two weeks after your birthday, I'd say you officially became a walker, and now, you're pretty close to being a runner.  I love watching you lead the way with your big belly.

These last few months have illustrated to me the many differences between raising boys and girls.  You are into everything - and I truly mean that.  I've caught you playing in the toilet water, crawling into the shower, and climbing on the dishwasher.  Shannon says you're always after the dog's dish and the dog and cats at daycare.  (I'm just happy you love dogs!)  You love stopping the dryer and washer by pressing the buttons, jumping on the trampoline, playing in the "kid stuff" drawer/cabinets in the kitchen, climbing up (and just this week) down stairs, throwing anything and everything (seriously, I have an amazing "block" reflex because of you), playing chase with Olivia and Grace, and dancing.  You're quite the entertainer when it comes to the dancing bit - you twist and wiggle your arms, and lately you've started stamping your feet too.  Honestly, you've got beat, kid!  :)  Favorite toys you're allowed to play with include cars, balls, trucks, balls, music toys, balls (did I say that already), and blocks.  Favorite toys I try to keep you away from are Legos, Trouble, and piles of nicely folded laundry.  You also love the iPad, iPhone, and any remote.  You're getting better at not putting everything in your mouth, but as you still frequently do this, we always have to be watching you.  Overall, you're into pretty "big kid" things for your age.  I'm assuming this is because you're always watching Olivia and Grace.  You like to sit on the counter when they're brushing their hair and teeth in the morning and try to brush your teeth too.  You insist on the water being turned on so you can get your brush wet just like they do.  You like to play in their "kitchen," pretend eat the food, and try to feed your dad and I too.

What else do you like to do - you like to pull hair, bite on ocassion (although thankfully this is getting better now that your 4, yes, 4 molars have come in - in total you have 12 teeth), and hit.  Good thing you also like to cuddle and give kisses!  Tonight you threw your first full-blown tantrum.  It was pretty impressive and included you rolling on the ground, kicking, hitting yourself with your hands, and crying.  Thankfully, as your the third, this didn't scare me...but please, please don't ever do that when we're in public!

As for words - you say puppy, ball, hot, mama, mommy, dada, daddy, ahh-me (which means you want something); what's neat to see is how much you understand.  You know what it means when I ask if you want to take a bath, want a bottle (yes, you still get a bottle at night time), or want to go "ni-ni."  You follow basic directions, like go get your ball or bring this to sissy.  Speaking of "sissy" - you don't call Olivia or Grace anything yet, but you do know who is who!  :)  I'm curious as to what you'll call them when the time comes.  I don't think you  necessarily favor one sister over the other either - sometimes you like Olivia more, and sometimes Grace.  It mostly depends on who's playing something you like and who's not invading your personal space.   Shannon says that the few days Olivia has been at daycare with you, you've been pretty attached to her, but I also think that's because having her there is a novelty whereas you're used to Grace being there a couple times a week.

You are a pretty good eater overall.  If you don't like something, you'll let us know by throwing it on the ground - feel free to stop this anytime.  You try more than your sisters did, that's for sure.  You'll eat basically everything we do at meals.  You mastered the sippy cup a long while ago and love your milk.  You've been showing a lot of interest in silverware but haven't had any great success in actually using it.  As long as you're not sick or getting teeth, you're a great sleeper, and sleep from 7-7 approximately.  I put you to bed the most because I'm selfish and want the cuddle-time to myself.  You'll let Dad put you to bed, but if you get up at night, you mostly want me.  While this makes me sigh, it also makes me smile.  We haven't really done much reading at night with you yet because reading does not make you relax. Quite the opposite, in fact.  You get all hyped up and want to turn pages, throw the books, etc.  We'll get there some time, I imagine.

 

One last fact that can't go without recording...you have an obsession with men.  While you love your mom, sisters, aunts, and grandmas, it's pretty crazy how much you love the guys.  Must be because you know they won't get all up in your face like Olivia and Grace.  Over Christmas, you were all about Uncle Chris and (Great-Uncle) Geoff even though you hadn't spent much time with either of them before.  You, of course, love your grandpas.  And, you like the dads of all our friends - especially Joe Gavle.  Seriously, you'll go to and cuddle up with nearly any guy - and if they have a beard, you like them even more.  Aren't most kids afraid of beards?  You love Brandon (our daycare provider's husband) at daycare, Clint (or daycare provider's brother), and even one of my past students who sat behind us at a basketball game whom you'd never before even seen.  Whatever...  :)

Grady-bugs, you have been the source of much laughter this last year (plus a couple months).  It's amazing how quickly I've forgetten what life was like without you in the mix!  We are thankful for you every day, Little Man.  Don't grow up too fast, okay.

Love,
Mommy

Summer Visits

As it goes without saying that I'm just a "bit" behind in blog posts, I thought I might as well just throw one out there about our summer visit to Wisconsin.  These pictures are long overdue to be published, and I promised I'd get them out over Thanksgiving...and I'm still a few days late.  Such is life these days, and I'm just learning to accept it!

In case you're wondering, What about Grady's birthday post?  Well, I think I'm going for a "Birthday+" post...why not celebrate turning 13 months!

Anyways, in July, we made a trip to Wisconsin during which we got to visit both sets of grandparents and see my aunt Michelle, her husband Bob, and their son Evan.  We drove to Wausau on a Thursday afternoon.  The kids, as far as I remember, were pretty awesome in the car, and we just made a couple of short stops so I could feed Grady.  Here's a picture of a park where we stopped.  I know - you can barely recognize Brian because of that stuff growing on his face!

We spent the night at my grandma and grandpa Roiger's house.  This was the first time they met Grady, and Grady was all about them - especially my grandpa who got to enjoy many smiles and cuddles from the little guy!  As usual, my grandma made us a fantastic meal, and we enjoyed much good conversation!  Friday morning, the girls got busy playing outside and showing off their tennis skills - they had my grandma fielding balls for them left and right!  Michelle, Bob, and Evan came over to visit as well and load up the kiddos with some special treats and presents - thank you!  :)

Later in the afternoon, we all piled back into the car to head up to Eagle River - my grandma and grandpa Hanz have a cabin about twenty minutes farther north.  I hadn't seen a lot of my aunts, uncles, or cousins on that side of the family in quite some time, so it was really great getting to visit with them and catch up on countless topics.  The visiting continued through Saturday, and Saturday was extra special for two additional reasons:

1) My grandpa Hanz turned 90 this summer (on the same day Olivia turned 6)!  While he has stopped picking me up when I see him, I have to say, that my grandpa is by far the "youngest" 90-year-old you'll ever meet.  I hope I can be exactly like that some day!

2) My grandma and grandpa Hanz celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary!  Wow - that is so impressive and inspiring.  A number of years ago...seriously, a number - like possibly 15-20, a bunch of us were all gathered around the television watching something, I looked behind me and saw my grandma and grandpa just sitting quietly on the couch holding hands.  That has always been my favorite image of the two of them...I can still close my eyes and see it, and I smile thinking about all they have done with their lives and how lucky we are to have them in ours.  What a group 65 years has created!

After a day of visiting, exploring, playing, and enjoying beautiful weather, the family took the short path through the woods to a restaurant that overlooks the lake.  After dark, we celebrated with some amazing fireworks!  Sunday morning we drove back to Wausau where we had a quick lunch before driving the rest of the way home.  All in all, it was a really nice trip that I hope to take again next summer!  Here are a few additional pictures.

 

 

Flying Home...

Dear Quinn Rosen Brown,

I thought I'd better take a quick moment to wish your sweet self and your mommy safe travels - currently you are currently half way home to Japan!  I certainly hope these next 5-7 hours go as smoothly as possible and that you flash one of your pretty little smiles at your daddy when you see him.  I know he's counting down the minutes until you arrive!  You are sure to make your dad's heart melt a little bit when he sees you!

We so enjoyed getting to meet you, Quinn, and watching you grow these last few weeks - how fortunate we really were to get to meet you before you were two weeks old...not bad considering you flew half way around the world to meet us...and get to see you so frequently during your six week stay!  As your uncle Brian said - we wouldn't have seen you as much if you had only lived a few hours away.  While we will undoubtedly miss seeing you grow firsthand during the next number of months, we are also very glad that your family is shortly to be re-united - there's nothing more important than that!

Safe travels - we are thinking of you and love you Quinn!

PS - Give your Mommy and Daddy a hug from all of us, too - it was certainly nice to spend time with both of them, too.

Grady - 9 and 10 Months

Where has the time gone...I cannot believe that Grady is already 10 months old.  These last two months have been really fun and adventurous ones for our little man.  Here are some updated pictures (I included my favorites from our weekend photo shoot) and news on our sweetie:

* At 9 months, Grady started "army" crawling.  He's pretty good at this and still does it although I know he has the strength crawl based on all the other movement he does.  I doubt he'll ever crawl traditionally...my guess is that he'll go from this to walking somewhere around a year - we'll see if I'm right.

* Also, at his 9th month check, Grady weighed 17.1 pounds (10%), was 28 3/8 inches long (55%), and had a head circumference of 17 1/2 inches (24%).

* Shortly after figuring out his army crawl, Grady started working on pulling up...as long as whatever he's trying to pull up on is steady enough, he can usually accomplish this or at least get up on his knees.  His crib mattress is now all the way down!

* Grady's starting to enjoy "walking" holding on to your fingers.  The girls love doing this with him especially, and my back thanks them for their enthusiasm!

* Anytime there's a guy around - Grady's probably hanging with him - maybe he needs to soak up their company as he spends so much time around girls both at home and daycare.  Grady really hasn't shown much stranger anxiety at all, and he really is comfortable around adult men even if he's never seen them before - seriously, he'll just reach out to "strangers" talking to him/us and give them a quick cuddle and smile before reaching back to me.

* Thankfully, Grady transitioned into full time daycare really well.  He goes easily to Shannon, smiles at the kids when we arrive, and literally attempts to throw himself to the floor when he sees the dog or cat - really, I have a kid who likes dogs!

* Grady LOVES music.  He's a mover and a shaker, and it's fun to watch him bounce around anytime he hears something he likes.  Grady will bop around when I read him books, too - I think he must like the rhythm of the words.

* Speaking of interests, besides music, Grady is starting to really enjoy anything that is "cause and effect" related.  Other favorite activities include books, peak-a-boo, his activity center, clapping, doing "so big,"and watching the girls on the swing set while swinging himself!  He's a pretty big ham and loves showing off and getting attention.

* Grady really enjoys his sisters a lot, and I am very thankful for this.  He is both entertained and comforted by them and the feeling seems mutual.  The girls are so great at hanging out with him in the morning and after work which has been helpful as I finish getting ready and/or making dinner, and I thank my lucky stars that Grady doesn't mind getting pulled, carried, and whatever else by them!

* Personality wise, Grady is a really happy kid.  People comment on this, and I agree whole-heartedly.  If he does fuss, it's because he's hungry or tired, and those are pretty easy fixes!  We are fortunate to have an easily entertained, flexible, and smiley little guy!

* For the most part, sleeping is also going great.  Grady usually goes to bed at 7.  Typically he gets up once a night.  He'll often wake up again at 5-5:30, but then he'll go back to sleep.  If he sleeps past this time, he's up for good though.  Grady takes a morning nap about 2 hours after he wakes up and another in the afternoon.  Naps range from 1.5-2.5 hours usually.

* Grady is starting to like his paci more.  I usually only give this to him at bedtime, but I find myself bringing it along in the car or on errands sometimes too.  However, he only falls asleep with it in about 50% of the time and other times it's basically a toy, so I'm hoping this means he won't become to passionate about it making it hard to take away...I've never had to deal with this before as Olivia has her thumb and Grace her fingers!

* In terms of food, Grady is eating 100% "big boy" food unless he's willing to do one of the packets where he can suck the food out.  I try to get him to do these at dinner because it's the only way I can get him to eat any veggies - he loves fruit but most veggies end up on the floor.  Grady's not too interested in being fed by us anymore unless he's getting the same food that's on our plate!  This boy is one messy eater, but he certainly enjoys the process!  I'm pretty sure his 1 year check will show a solid weight gain!

* Grady really likes his baths!  Actually tonight I literally caught him diving head first into the tub before I had even gotten his diaper off.  He's a big time splasher and loves "grabbing" the water as it comes out of the faucet.

* Grady is done with nursing now and is taking a bottle like a champ.  I have plenty of frozen milk, so I still feel connected in that sense, and his bottles during the day are 1/2 breast milk and 1/2 formula - we should be able to continue with this till he's one year.  At night, it's very convenient to just do formula as I can get it the right temp really quickly, and Brian gets up with Grady now too which gives me a bit of a break.  Honestly though, I pretty much claim most feedings because I love the chance to cuddle.

* And lastly, why do I enjoy the cuddle time - because it's so rare!  Grady is one active little guy, and I've definitely begun to see that boys are girls are much different as babies these last few months.  Grady doesn't like to sit still much and keeps us all on our toes.  I took some fun pictures of this tonight, but I'll save them for another post!

Liv took this one...tired after all that picture taking!