NO!

Grant is learning the world "no". He hears it most often when he reaches for cords or Lola's toys. Lola is also hearing the word "no" a lot. I'm sure it's confusing for both of them.

Grant didn't hear "no" at all last night though. Derek was gone, so I put together dinner while Grant played in the kitchen. He was an angel. He stayed very busy with a pan, a pitcher, and an apple in a mesh feeder. He didn't follow me around or chase after Lola and her toys. It took me a solid 30 minutes to shred a chicken and put a pot pie together. Considering his recent protest against naps, I thought he wouldn't last 10 minutes without pulling on my leg. Grant had his first boo-boo this week. He hit just below his eyebrow while pulling up on a chair at daycare. His teachers said he was continually clumsy after that (he couldn't see past the tears). It doesn't help that he's got his daddy's clumsiness either. I'm glad they called so I didn't show up to a surprise - even if my poor baby was crying in the background on the phone when they called.

I started making a 30 before 30 list. #1 on the list was to chop off my hair. I can go ahead and mark that off. My list is incomplete and may just be a 20 before 30. I'd rather have 20 good goals and not worry about 10 throw aways. I'm just thankful I've got 16 months and 29 days left before "dooms day". My sis only has 16!!! Here's the hair-cutting process:

And the result: Yes - chop your hair off and you too could have a cheesey, crooked smile.

I haven't had bangs since 3rd grade. And like my mom pointed out on facebook, even then I paired them with a mullet. Thanks, mom - for the initial mullet and also for never letting me forget about it! ;) The verdict: so far I love the way they look, but they really can get in the way. I DO read all day (unless I'm blogging).

Weekend Wrap Up - Part 2

Saturday night, Derek and I went... BOWLING! Mandy McBride turned the big 3-0. I got 2nd in the first game, then went downhill from there. We had a great time, and even made a few "X"'s and "/" with our butts.

After bowling, we headed to Logans for drinks. It was our first outing to a bar since... I can't even remember.

On Sunday, Derek and I turned on the turbo cleaning. I had to scrub the car seats that came from Red Oak. They were pretty gross. Grant stayed busy too.

For lunch we met up with the Sellerses (yes - that grammar is correct - feel free to check me). We met the Sellerses in our childbirth class 1 year ago. Their little boy Brady is 17 days older than Grant. They are wonderful, and it's great to bounce ideas off of them (how to brush teeth, file nails, get them to read instead of eat books). After some burgers, we headed over to a park with our strollers. But the entrance gate was closed... so we hopped the fence like the 8 year old inside suggested.



Slightly over-photographed. But they were SO cute! I think the adults had a better time than the kiddos.

I learned the secret to a happy child at a restaurant is a pacifier. Brady was an ANGEL while we ate. Grant on the other hand (who no longer takes a pacifier) wanted to put everything in his mouth. So I tore up some pickles so he could eat them throw them on the ground, then he tried french fries (same routine), and then he tried an ice cream cone again. He didn't let the ice cream fall to the floor.

We came home for a lazy afternoon. Derek and I filled out Oscars ballots (we tied) and he installed a CLEAN car seat into my car. It's so great not hauling the infant car seat around!

Grant is 9 months!!

Grant and I had a very busy day. My orthopedic surgeon wanted me to get some physical therapy exercises for my shoulder that incorporate Grant. We were in and out by 8:30 a.m. (I thought it would last until at least 9:30). His check up wasn't until 10 a.m., so I decided to drive up to Astro to see my family! I also knew Grant needed a nap and a car ride suits him better than trying to sleep in his crib.
After the trip to Astro, Grant had his 9 month check up. He's ALMOST perfect. His white blood cell count is high (19,000) and he has some fluid in his left ear. He pretty much always has some fluid in one of his ears (but no ear infection - hmm). Here are his stats:

Height: 29 inches = 70%
Weight: 21 lb, 8 oz = 75%
Head: 47 cm = 95% After the check up, we headed home for a quick pit-stop, then went to day care for a parent-teacher conference assessment. His teachers, like the doc, said he's pretty much perfect. I wasn't shocked.

Weekend Wrap Up - Part 1

We had a VERY busy weekend. Far too busy for just ONE blog.

Friday
We started off slow - Friday night we stayed in. Grant played with this measuring tape for a solid 15 minutes. Derek had cooked Erin's turkey chili - it was made and the kitchen was clean before I even got home from work! We opened the Lemoncello from Cinque Terre - May 2009. It was not as good as I remembered. But I really love the hand painted bottle. Saturday
Saturday morning we met up with Kennedy, her friend Marcela, Mike and Joyce at the Dallas World Aquarium. Grant is a bit young to really enjoy it. He preferred playing with toys. Like this block. Now you see it:Now you don't. That's right - we made a donation to the DWA - a V block. Despite having the blanket tucked in to avoid losing dropped items, Grant found a way to drop the block - and down it went into the water. We say the block floating, then it was gone. We theorized that a manatee ate it. I'm not sure how Grant will ever learn the letter "V" now.


After 2 hours in the aquarium, Grant was really wore out. Luckily, he slept a whopping 3 minutes in the car on the way to Mannys (yummmm - brisket tacos and mango margaritas)! His lack of sleep really made for a fun lunch.

In the afternoon, Grant had photos taken. Rach and Jesse Derek needed a DQ fix, and Rach was kind enough to share her ice cream. Grant LOVED it - and he got another cone today. He'll be a seasoned pro by his first birthday party.

Notice the red marks on his forehead?! Just a note - before you have professional photos of your child, try to avoid brick fireplaces.

We made a pit stop at the house and Susie came over to cuddle with Grant. Derek and I had a night out without the kiddo, and we had a blast! Consider that your teaser. Tune in in a few days to find out what happens next (I'm sure you're on the edge of your seat).

Gator Done!

Earlier today Derek, Grant and I went out to cheer on Matthew's soccer team, the Gators. We missed ALL of his games last season, so the last time we saw Matthew play, it was on a much smaller field with no goalies. The games are much more fast-paced than they were 2 seasons ago. The weather was BEAUTIFUL, so we spread out a blanket for Grant to play on.
Grant played with/on grass for the first time at the game. He was pretty fascinated with it. To my amazement, he only tried to eat it once.

Lately, Grant has been trying to climb back into the womb (pictured above). He's also been showing off his teeth, which have multiplied. The top 2 have come through the gums. He's pretty shy about his teeth, but I tried to get a photo earlier this week:

We are switching out carseats this weekend. His current seat has a max weight limit of 22 pounds, and Grant is a little over 21 now. Plus that carrier is SO heavy!! So he'll be attached to my hip for a few months years.

I am a little pink from the hour in the sun. Yes - a sunburn in February. I love Texas!

The Pioneer Woman Travels

I spent Valentines Day with my "other" loves. Jill, Rach, Erin, Judy, Sarah, Charlie and even Jesse and I went out to meet THE Pioneer Woman.

(I'm wearing the apron that I had PW and MM sign). There were soooo many people there! We were in the second group of 100 people (and near the front of that group) and waited a solid 3 hours for P-Dub's Herbie Hancock. Here are some crowd shots that include Ree and her entire family:

That's right. Rach (and Judy, not pictured) and I all met the Marlboro Man. He was so sweet - he had almost as many fans as Ree!! And he stood the whole time. Thank goodness the group was together - otherwise the wait, combined with the 7 year old nipping at my heels, and the crazies that were throwing their babies and 10 books at PW, would have been intolerable.

Trip to Red Oak

Last weekend, we decided to go to Red Oak to visit my parents. The weather was fantastic and Carrie and Jacob were already planning to go. We had a great time!

Grant loved watching Lola and Harley through the door. I tried to get a shot of our shadows because I wore pig-tails and Grant wore his sock monkey hat. The pic didn't turn out so great though.


Jacob was the first rider on the refurbished 4-wheeler. Don't worry - Papa did the driving!

We had a relaxing day and enjoyed a chicken pot pie for dinner. Lola and Grant were worn out when we got home in the evening.

Snow Days

We've been stuck indoors for several days. Work and daycare were closed most of the week last week. We were able to get outside to briefly enjoy the snow. And when we were inside, we had a lot of fun with Grant and Lola.

A few pics of our house covered in snow:

And Grant has been working on crawling and standing over the past week. He can stand on his own for about 7 seconds. And he can crawl when he really wants to:

Texas Weather

This weekend, we enjoyed a picnic at the Duck Pond. It was quite relaxing, and I would love to do it more often. I initially wanted to do a back yard picnic, but I'm so glad we got out to the park! Here are some photos:

And of course, Texas weather being what it is, we are now expecting a "Winter Mix" tonight. The rain JUST started and schools are already closing.

UPDATE: I forgot to post the most precious picture from last week's picnic of my 2 boys:

Grant is 8 months!!

Grant is 8 months today. Here are some stats:

• Weighs 20.9 lbs according to the Wii


• Size 4 diapers


• Eats about 36 oz. of formula every day, and 6 oz of solids mixed with cereal


• Still eats every 3 hours like clockwork


• He can scoot forward!! Just last weekend he started moving forward instead of backward. He's still not crawling, but moving forward is, well, moving forward.


• He can go from sitting to on all 4's.


• He is out of the baby room at day care. :( Let's not talk about it. Derek is still imitating Ms. Maribel, who would ask every day at drop off "How is Grant doing?"


• Sleeps at least 11 hours at night. On the weekends, we can get him to take about 4 naps 30min - 1 hour each (actually last weekend one was 2 hours). But that's because we're pretty boring. At daycare, he's lucky to get in 2 40-minute naps. More often it's just one.


• Is saying "dada" and "mama" but doesn't seem to associate the words with us. He definitely knows the name "Lola" because he looks at her (and smiles of course) every time we say her name.


• Still has only 2 teeth - and they are sharp!!