Grant update -10.5 months

A few notes about Grant that probably belong in his monthly stats, but I NEVER remember to include them:

Hates blueberries. Unless throwing them on the ground counts - in which case, he loves them. We've tried fresh, frozen and mashed up.

Doesn't care for bananas.

May be allergic to pears - we have laid off of them for about 3 months, so it may be ok to try again.

Had his first taste of peanut butter this weekend (thanks to Jill's yummy cookies). It was a small taste and he had no reaction. Good sign.

Hates to change clothes. HATES it. He's ok with just diaper changes because he can play with a toy. He tries to pull off his shirt when I'm putting it on. Makes for a fun daily chore.

Also hates to be strapped in. To anything. Car seat, high chair, stroller. He's fine once he is moving or has food in front of him though.

Also hates to have his face wiped. He's been pretty snotty, so there is lots of face wiping going on.

I don't want to forget these golden moments, but I seem to do so when I'm updating about him monthly.

Time to lower the crib

This morning was one of the rare perfect mornings in terms of timing. I had just finished packing up lunches and packing my car when Grant started crying. I walked into his room, and went to his crib.

But he wasn't there.

I looked all over the room. The crying was definitely coming from his room, but I couldn't find him.

Then I saw Grant's feet. His feet were in the 10-12 inches between his crib and the wall (on the same side as his mobile). Grant was under the crib.

I started thinking I would need that super-human mom strength to get him out. I thought about taking photo evidence, then the lawyer in me decided not to. I pulled him out by his feet and held him in my arms. The crying stopped immediately.

I called Derek to let him know. I thought maybe he had fallen while I was packing up my car, but now I'm not so sure. His cry was his usual "come and get me - I'm awake" cry, not the "I'm scared and hurt and trapped" cry. Plus there were no bumps or red marks on him. He had to have fallen over the side where his mobile is, which is a TINY space (10-12"). He was smiling and chasing Lola around in no time.

Which makes me think maybe he fell in the night, had his "I'm scared and hurt and trapped" cry while we slept through it, then ended up falling asleep under his crib.

I tested his legs to make sure they weren't hurt - he is still standing great and taking 4-6 steps at a time. I'm pretty sure that means nothing is broken.

A few months ago, Grant fell off of our bed and I said years later we would say "That's because we dropped you on your head when you were a baby." Well, now he's had 2 falls. Hopefully we are not stacking the deck against him.

In related news, tonight we are lowering the mattress on the crib.

A day at the farm

On April 2, we headed out to see Derek's folks and Kennedy. It was a great visit. They have taken to farm life quite well. For example, Joyce greeted us as soon as we got there with "Papa is up on the hill pullin' fence."
While the men were working, Joyce and I took a walk down their gravel road (which made for a bumpy ride, which Grant didn't mind at all - he slept the entire time). We saw a cow that had died months ago on neighboring land and Joyce did a little "rock pickin'". And to answer your question, No. We didn't walk the goats. They only walk the goats in the evening.

I saw an awful lot of this - the boy can crawl at lightening speed to follow me!

On the flip side, Grant crawled in slo-mo in the grass!

Baby Hicks - Reloaded

The blog post title is supposed to be a play on a movie sequel. The fact that I have to explain that takes away from it a bit. The real headline should be:

I'M PREGNANT!!
Fridays around our house have been known lately as "Pregnancy Test Friday". I've had TWO weeks of NOT PREGNANT results, so I was thrilled this Friday to see PREGNANT!!

We are thrilled that I am pregnant again, and it has been great sharing the news with several people in person. The truth is, this is my third pregnancy. I found out I was pregnant in January this year but had a miscarriage on February 10th when I was at 7 weeks. Last time, we kept the news under our hat (mostly), but I wanted to share our news this time in the hopes that our loved ones can say some special prayers for this baby. Babies are truly miracles and I have an even greater appreciation for that now.

We got pregnant without even trying. I never even had a "cycle" after the miscarriage. Thus, it's hard to tell exactly when I'm due. But I was NOT PREGNANT last week and I am this week, so I'm guessing I'm 5 weeks along, which would make my due date December 2nd. That would make Grant 18 months old when I'm due.

Thankfully, everyone that I know who has miscarried has gotten pregnant again when they wanted and had happy, healthy babies. Please note, 2 of my cousins had this same fate and both have (or will have) beautiful baby GIRLS. I'm not making any predictions as to gender, but it's something for the Hicks skeptics to chew on.

I wanted to share my story with my loved ones because it's not something that I'm ashamed of or feel like I need to hide. I'm not one to seek a shoulder to cry on, and in fact, I spent the entire day on February 10th with Grant. He was just what the doctor ordered - babies really do have healing powers. Probably because they talk to angels in their sleep. I just wanted to share my experience when I had some GREAT news to share too.

So now the adventure begins - doctors appointments, house remodeling (we have to merge the office and guest room into one rooom), stocking sewing (I have TWO to do before Christmas - yikes!), and all the stress joys that comes along with a new addition to the family!!

Grant is 10 months!!

Double digits. Wow. Grant has been outside of the womb longer than he was inside. Here's what my little man is up to these days:

* He has SIX teeth.
* He can take 2-3 steps before falling over into my arms.
* He can stand on his own without a problem for a long time. I haven't counted how many seconds, but he decides to sit down instead of falling over.
* He is still wearing size 4 diapers.
* At home, he has cut out one of his naps so he only naps 3 times a day now instead of 4.
* He is eating more table food. I'm getting rid of the pureed food and hope not to buy any more. He's had peaches, oranges, bananas (still not a fan), chicken spaghetti, brownies, ice cream, chicken pot pie, mac & cheese, tomato soup, yogurt (a huge favorite), scrambled eggs, blueberry muffins, and
* He seems to be talking more, and will carry on a "conversation" with us.
* He has solid poop. If you don't have a child, you have no way of knowing how great this is. We switched over to the formula for 9-24 months, and viola!! Solid poop. Diaper changes are so much easier!!
* He's a mama's boy!
* He is still not great about reading. He gets impatient or wants to eat the book. I recently found the he does enjoy turning the pages on his board books for me!
* He is still very impatient about food. As soon as he is in that high chair, he wants to EAT!! We are working on that by eating at the table more often. I love this new habit - it's becoming a rarity for us to eat in front of the TV!!

Our new adventures this month will include teeth brushing, sippy cupping, easter egg coloring, easter egg hunting and birthday party planning!! Yeah - even though he has 6 teeth, he still hasn't used a toothbrush. oops.

I've been hearing more and more from my family that Grant looks like Andrew. Maybe I just want my child to be unique, but I don't see it. What do you think? This is Andrew at 1 year and Grant at 9.5 months:

Other than blue eyes, blond hair, and that same darling expression on their faces, I just don't see it. I also see more and more Hicks in him every day. Lord help us.

Adventures in puppyland

I recently offered to watch a friend's dog while she and her hubby went on a vacay. I was under the influence of alcohol. See kids - alcohol is DANGEROUS! But it's not just a dog - it's a pup. And the pup is NOT potty trained.

The dog is Bleu - Drew & Mandy's (ok, really Mandy's) cute little cocker spaniel. The longer he's here, the more enjoyable he is! Lola loves having a playmate (most of the time - there are times when she is clearly rolling her eyes at the pup). However, Derek and I (really me) needed to be puppy-trained.

Drew and Mandy dropped him off Wednesday night. Derek kept giving Mandy a hard time about Bleu learning to swim in our pool. But Lola and Bleu were fast friends, and everything was golden.

His first morning, Derek let out Bleu - made sure he was fed, pooped and peed. Before Derek left for the morning, he put Bleu back in his crate. Everything was fine. When Grant got up, I let the dogs out to play since they'd be couped up all day while we were at work.

MISTAKE. Grant ate and then I put him in the bedroom for him to feed himself his bottle while I got ready. I closed us into the bedroom so that Bleu didn't disturb Grant. MISTAKE. Grant was GREAT! Except he did poop while he was eating - nbd but it's just another hurdle before I get out the door.

So I come into the living room to check on the pups. Bleu has pooped TWICE! So I think I should take out the dogs to get any pee out before I leave for the day. I decide to take both of them (with Bleu on a leash) at once. MISTAKE. We go outside, Lola pees... and Bleu is fascinated with the pool. I stand in the yard calling Bleu (holding his leash), but he is fascinated with the pool. I stand by his side to coax him into the yard. And that's when Bleu fell in the pool.

Thankfully I was right there and swooped him up. Thankfully it was a warm day. Unfortunately, I was handling a wet dog in work clothes. I brought Bleu inside (leaving Lola out) and wrapped the leash around a chair. I ran to get a towel and dry the poor pup off. The towel was in the bathroom (of course) and so was Grant. Thankfully, he wasn't smashing his fingers in a door or chewing on an electrical cord so I just let him be. I tried to dry the pup (who of course thought it was a game), but I still had 3 poops to clean up - 2 from Bleu and 1 from Grant. Oh - and an outfit to change. I changed clothes, then cleaned up poop while Bleu was still wrapped around the chair. Lola looked at me longingly from outside. I put Grant in the car seat, grabbed our gear for the day, returned Bleu to his crate and let Lola in.

I still hadn't eaten breakfast or done my makeup. I did those on the road, but not before running over a squirrel in our neighborhood. What a mess. Needless to say, we will not be getting a puppy any time soon.

Mama's boy

Grant is becoming a mama's boy, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't love it (most of the time anyway). He wants to hang with me whether I'm eating, brushing my teeth, washing dishes, or even going through the mail. The bad part is leaving him at day care. It started last week and has progressively gotten worse. Every time I leave, he cries and crawls to the door. heartbreaking.

There are times at home when he's in Derek's lap or they are playing on the floor and Grant starts crying and reaching for me. Sunday night, he kept coming into the kitchen and pulling up on me, crying for me while I cleaned up from our Brisket Tacos (delish!). After the fourth or fifth time, I just gave up cleaning and played until it was time for him to nap. Turns out he didn't just need to nap - he was in bed for the night at 6:45. The day before he napped for a record 2 hours. I think someone is growing!!

Derek and I have been dog-sitting a cocker spaniel pup for some friends (Bleu). I've got a post coming soon about that whole adventure. Here's a small slice:

Last night, we took the dogs for a walk and Grant joined in his stroller. what. a. mess. The biggest mistake was stopping to talk to people. When we did, the leashes got tangled and we ended up with a knot in Lola's leash (not even sure how we did that - it's the rubbery kind of leash, not fabric). Or Lola's leash got wrapped up in the wheel of the stroller... and while that was being handled, we had to keep Bleu away from adding to the chaos. We laughed (and cussed) a lot. And for all of that, we burned a whopping 60 calories.

Lazy spring weekend

Friday I snuck away from the office a little early and grabbed a margarita on the patio with Derek at Mi Cocina. Spring Fever was settling in. After rita #1, I ran to pick up Grant from day care and returned for dinner. Kyle joined us too, so we had the whole family there! Grant was relatively good - so long as he had something to play with. Some of us were overserved. Some of us have bruises and scrapes and cuts from the rest of the evening that we don't remember happening. I blame it on the ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-alcohol my giddiness from Spring's arrival.

We've had the windows open and fans going most of the weekend. Grant is in heaven. He still loves fans.

I tried and tried all day yesterday to get Grant to take some steps for me. Nothing. Until Derek got home (he's pretty popular - he didn't get home until after 4 p.m.). Then Grant finally showed me he can take A step. one. Lola was in the way. She thinks when we're calling Grant to "come here", we mean her. Poor confused Lola. But I have seen ONE step, so maybe Derek wasn't making the whole thing up.

After Derek got home, we headed out to the Duck Pond for a bit.

I was dying to get some fresh air. This time we went close to the activity. Kids were catching turtles and perch (and releasing them). Bikes were scattered about, and it was fun to imagine us going back when Grant is running around. The wind was strong - we could occasionally feel sprinkles from the fountain. Basically, it was great!

At the park I noticed that Grant has 2 more teeth (on top). I'm hoping that was the cause of his sleeplessness earlier in the week. Grant has been very chatty this weekend. Still no official first word. He's been getting more and more table food. I've found that he doesn't really like bananas (refuses to eat them and struggles to eat the jarred food that has bananas mixed in it). He may be allergic to pears. This morning he had pork for the first time - bacon. He had peaches at daycare and they said he LOVED them!

Grant has taken a few more steps for me. He looks so proud when he's standing on his own and the second in between the steps and the fall. It would melt your heart.

2 steps forward

Grant took his first steps today. Free standing - 2 steps forward. Or so I'm told. He did it at day care, where the teachers shared the news with Derek. And Grant showed off for Derek. Grant showed off again for Derek when they got home. But once I got home, he wanted to crawl around or be held and refused to even stand. He's only been standing on his own for about 5 days. This news is slightly devastating for two reasons -

1 - Grant is getting closer to running away. I mean, once he can walk the only thing keeping him here are doors (which he can't open yet) and locks. Once he starts walking, he's THIS close to running and THIS close to riding a bike and THIS close to driving the 4 wheeler at Papa's and THIS close to driving - away - to college. See - devastating.

2 - In the more immediate future - we will have to up the ante in baby-proofing. We JUST got latches in the kitchen TODAY! Now we'll have to keep the tables clear and baby-proof the higher places that a crawling baby can't reach.

The BEST part of walking is that once he's walking, he can go in the next room at day care and we get a price break on tuition!!

After I got home tonight and Grant wanted to cuddle/crawl instead of show off for me, we packed him up in the stroller and went for a jog. Look where we ended up!

I don't know why they hate St. Patty's Day so much - no green at all. Grant loved his sunglasses that I got the other day for $1 thanks to BRU moving locations!! He preferred to eat them instead of wear them.

St. Patty's Day

On Saturday the Shepherds hosted their annual St. Patty's Day party. The Sheps live blocks away from the Greenville block party, but we have so much fun at their place that we've never made it down to Greenville.

Grant had a lot of fun playing on a blanket outside. He didn't even notice the game of flip cut going on behind him...

or the game of beer pong.

Comparing babies... conclusion was that Grayson is much smaller and easier to toss around. And I love this shot of Grant and Adolph. They have the same look on their faces.

I swear the punch got lethal once the sun went down. Evidence: