Dean and I got married three years ago today. Wow! So much has changed in our lives in these three years, and I think it's definitely true that you grow to love your spouse more and more as the years go by. There are so many things I respect and adore about him.....the list would be too long if I tried! Dean will not even read this, but Happy Anniversary, sweetie!
ANOTHER BOY!!!
We found out on Wednesday that Grant will have a little brother! I had completely expected this one to be a boy.....this pregnancy has been very similar to the last one, and I've had a feeling ever since our last ultrasound, when the technician saw "something" but wouldn't make a guess as to the sex.
So I was expecting a boy and had even started looking for paint colors for his room (Grant will move into the big boy room that's decorated like outer space). But to be honest, when she pointed out the "boy parts" and said, "do you see that?" there were a few seconds when I was a little sad not to be experiencing having a little girl. I think more than anything, my thought was that I've already had a boy, so now it would be fun to see what a girl is like. Plus, little girl clothes are SO cute (a little petty, I know!), and I've always thought it would be fun to have one of each.
BUT.....I just adore Grant, and cannot imagine not having him. I never knew that little boys could be so affectionate in ways that melt your heart, and I've learned that it's definitely true that little boys love their mommies! So there's really no way I could ever be disappointed, especially because he seems to be very healthy and right on track developmentally!
He measured about 6 ounces, and the technician estimated that I was just under 17 weeks (which exactly matches my due date of Oct 3). A couple of times, she said, "how cute," which I thought was odd. Not that I don't think my baby will be cute, but he honestly looks like a skeleton in there right now! So I asked what she meant after the second time, and she said that he was doing cute things, like moving and crossing his legs. And he had his hands in front of his eyes, like he was rubbing them!
And probably the neatest part for me was seeing the spine.....as he moved, you could see the spine and ribcage so clearly.....this was incredible! Especially considering that he weighs less than half a pound! I forgot to ask how long he was measuring, but it can't be any longer than 4 or 5 inches.
Anyway, now it's time to think of boys' names! We have some ideas but haven't decided for sure. We want something that's not super popular, but one that everyone still knows. Boys' names have always been really hard for us....so we'll see!
Some pictures from the past 10 days or so.....
I mentioned that Grant is great at climbing chairs....if I don't watch him closely enough, he'll climb onto the chair in our study and start reaching for things on the desk. Here he is learning how the mouse works. Kids are so technologically savvy these days! :)
We've recently been painting (I will post some pictures later), and Grant loves to walk around the house with painting materials. He especially loves to roll our paint rollers along the ground. Somehow he got outside with it the other day.
Cute face shot:
About to ride down the slide.....he still has the paint roller in his hand!
At the strawberry field last Monday. He had a great time running up and down the rows of strawberries....he just didn't quite understand the purpose for being there, except to run around! Maybe in a few months he'll grasp the concept.
With his bucket and a strawberry (which I handed to him). I stopped giving them to him when I realized that he was squishing them in his hands instead of putting them into the bucket!
He was a little angel that day....after he ran around for a while, I carried him all the way back to the car to change his diaper, then I held him the entire time while we walked around the farmers' market (at the front of the property). I was shocked that he never tried to get down to run around. As we left, he fell asleep in the car, and was sick when he woke up an hour later....he threw up all over the place and had a high fever. So maybe that's why he let me carry him around! But he acted like he felt fine while we were there.....we had such a good time.....I can't wait to go back.
Grant LOVES to play in the car these days. Sometimes when we're about to go out, I'll let him play inside for a while before buckling him into his seat. I thought that after letting him play for a while, it would be easier to strap him in when it's time to go. Apparently that's not how a toddler's mind works.....instead of being thankful that I allow him to play in the car at all, he always wants to do it longer. I still wrestle him into his seat almost every time we have to leave. It makes errands so much fun!! Still, he looks pretty cute when he grabs the steering wheel to drive.
Grant turned 17 months old on Friday. I have so many conflicting emotions about it. Every time we reach another month, it's a little bittersweet because it's a reminder that time is flying by so quickly. The days and weeks just seem to disappear before our eyes. And I'm trying to enjoy every minute of every day, remembering that our lives will not be the same in about five more months! I'll never be able to give as much of my undivided attention to Grant as I can now, so I'm really trying to remember that and make the most of these days when he's still my only responsibility.
But at the same time, we are in such a difficult stage with Grant that sometimes it's hard to appreciate every minute, or even every day. We do have our wonderful times with him, and I cannot imagine not having him. But he has become so strong-willed, and he hits and throws fits almost every time he doesn't get his way. Even simple things like putting him into the car or taking him off of the kitchen chair (when he wants to be up there) frequently turn into major battles. We have tried so many things to deal with his hitting; we've tried spanking, timeouts, pinching the back of his arm, and nothing seems to stop it. He just gets more and more mad and hits even more. A couple of days ago we got an idea to hold his hands to his side for 30 seconds every time he hits. Yesterday and today he has probably spent 10 minutes (or more) of his days with his hands pressed to his belly, which he hates! It hasn't made much of an impact yet, but hopefully we can be consistent and make a dent in his behavior. When we go out, it's embarrassing to have him hit me in public; there have been a number of times that we've had to leave public places because he throws a fit and starts hitting when he doesn't get his way. Aahh!!
Anyway, like I said, we do have good points in every day. He's always surprising us by the things he understands and ways that he tries to communicate. He can now say "more" and a few other words. But he still mostly just talks when we ask him to repeat words, instead of initiating the communication himself. I'm not sure how many words kids are supposed to know (and use) by 18 months, but we'll find out in mid-May whether he's made enough progress to avoid having the government intervention (that still kind of scares me!).
He loves to crawl on anything and everything he can.....boxes, couches, beds (thankfully he usually needs our help to do this!), and chairs. He likes to climb onto his little rocking chair on our porch and rock himself in it! And he ALWAYS wants to go outside....he points at the door all the time. I think he would live in our backyard if we let him! I really want to buy a kids' picnic table for our patio so we can eat lunch out there in the summer.
As far as eating goes, I don't know how he maintains his weight! He eats like a bird these days. Usually at breakfast he only eats a few pieces of cereal (or half of a waffle, or a few bites of oatmeal or fruit), and a little bit of milk. Then he gets fussy and starts throwing his food, so that means it's time to get down. And he doesn't even act hungry again until lunchtime! Usually either at lunch or dinner he'll eat a fair amount, but not usually at both meals. Still, I know that he'll eat as much as his body needs, so I'm not worried.....but sometimes I wish that mealtime lasted a little longer because it gives me a little break and it gives us something to do!!
Something he's really into right now.....chocolate! I keep some Hershey's Kisses on the window ledge in our kitchen, and he always points to them and wants some. He only gets one (or maybe two) per day.....I usually try to give them to him as bribes to get into his carseat. I know that bribing isn't ideal, but on a bad day, it definitely seems like a great option!
I will post some pictures from last week in another post.....
I have been meaning to post these pictures for so long, but Grant got sick on Monday (a stomach bug....he had a fever and threw up after waking up from his nap), so this week has been thrown off by that. By yesterday he seemed to be all better, though, thankfully.
Anyway, two Saturdays ago (April 5), Grant had his first haircut! We've cut his hair plenty of times on our own, but haven't ever taken him somewhere. Surprisingly, he did great! He sat on my lap and I don't think he fussed one bit the whole time!
Dean had been getting onto me for a while about having it professionally cut. I don't mind it being a little bit long (at least while he's still fairly young.....I will NOT want it that way in a few years!), but it just looked messy. Since we've cut it ourselves so many times, there were so many uneven spots, which became obvious when we'd bathe him and find a super long strand going down his back!
My hairdresser Lita cut it, and she agreed that Grant was too young to have a buzz cut. It just makes little boys look so grown up! So she kept it basically the same length, and just made it even all the way around. He doesn't look much different at all, which makes me happy!
Grant hasn't become attached to any stuffed animal or blanket yet, but every once in a while he'll go up to a stuffed animal and give it a big hug! Or he'll lay down with one of them like he's going to sleep (which of course he doesn't end up doing!).
He does like his Spiderman doll, probably more than any others right now. The other day he picked it up and gave it a huge hug! 
Yesterday, Dean, Grant and I went to the mall to buy Grant some new shoes. I tried to take him last Sunday (while Dean was at work), but to no avail. The minute he gets out of his stroller, he starts running like a maniac! We had barely gotten his feet measured before he ran out of the store into the mall. This happened twice before I realized that I'd have to come back when Dean was there to help!
Anyway, Grant's old shoes (which we bought in early December, a size 5 1/2) were getting way too small. I had been putting him in his water shoes to go out, but he's so good at pulling those off now. So he desperately needed some new ones! And I never thought I'd be the mom buying my child Stride-Rites (at $35-50 a pair), but Grant's feet are extra-wide, so we really don't have much choice. Plus, I've heard that it's good for new walkers to have good shoes. And....he only has one pair for 3-4 months....it's not like he has three pairs at a time!
So....enough justifying.....yesterday Grant did run around all over the place again, but thankfully Dean could follow him around while I looked for shoes and waited for him to be measured. He measured a 7, and we ended up getting him a nice pair of sandals. Hopefully those should last him for the next few months.
Today, we went to Alvin (about 18 miles away) to go strawberry picking! We went with my Right At Home mom's group....it was wonderful....what a great little place! They also sell produce and other homemade things, like fried fruit pies, jams, jellies, etc. And there was a BBQ pit where we got sandwiches afterwards. Grant loved running up and down the aisles of strawberries, but doesn't quite understand how to pick them yet. When I'd hand him one, he just squished it in his hands! So we didn't get any strawberries, but hopefully we can go back sometime with Dean. I'll post some pictures later.....
Grant really has fun in his baths (especially when Daddy bathes him.....Dean is much better at bathtime games than I am!). They don't last very long, though.....he plays for a while and has a good time, but he's usually ready to come out after 10-15 minutes.
I recently bought him some bath crayons, which he LOVES! They're wonderful because they come right off with a sponge and water, and Grant can't get enough of them. He marks all over the place with them.....sometimes even his own body!
Here are some pictures from a bath last week.....here he's apparently tasting the purple crayon:
Of all the bath toys we have, his favorite things to play with are probably the shampoo and soap bottles! He also dips his rinsing cups in the water, and then tries to drink it. Yuck! He does this so much that we've had to keep them away from him most of the time.
Time for a rinse! This seems to be the only way that works for us to rinse his hair....it just never worked to lay him back and pour water on him without him squirming all over the place. Sometimes he'll gasp for air and I feel bad for doing it that way, but I think he's pretty much gotten used to it by now. I guess maybe it'll prepare him for swimming lessons!
Dean took Grant out to the backyard on Easter and took some good pictures of him. These two are my favorites:
Grant has been doing much better in the nursery on Sundays (when we go....lately it's been very sporadic) and on Wednesdays when I go for my Bible study. He's not even the one who cries the most in his class anymore, and that's quite an accomplishment for us! The ladies are all saying how he's doing so much better. We figured out the trick: they give him a treat as soon as I leave, and this seems to distract him quite a bit. He especially loves the buggy ride; they always make a stop to look at the fish tank, and they watch the older kids having music time. I've been told that as soon as the buggy ride starts, he stops crying!
"YAY! I CAN TALK!!!"
Grant said a few more words today. This morning, he said "mama" when we asked him to repeat it, and he said "down" (which actually sounded pretty close!) when we asked him if he wanted to go downstairs this morning. He also said "ball" this afternoon when we were playing out in the yard and I gave him one of his balls to throw.
He still doesn't say them on his own without being prompted, but I think that will just take time (although he did say "ju" for juice when I took his sippy cup out of the refrigerator this morning).
For most people who are reading this, these posts I'm sure are very uninteresting! The only reason I'm putting them on the blog is for posterity....it's easier to get on the computer and type it than to try to write it down somewhere.....and I want to make sure I write them before I forget!
Dean has had another bad turn of events at work. He was called at 1:30am on Sunday morning, and now one of the boilers has blown (requiring 3-4 days of downtime to fix). So he was at work all day yesterday (Sunday) and he's still gone tonight (at 10:40pm!). Until a month ago, I can't remember a time he had to stay late at this company.....I guess when it rains, it really does pour!
Well, more than blabbering, that is. He blabbers all the time in his own language, but has yet to repeat words that we say, until this week. Until now, he's said a few words here and there like "ti" (kitty), "vroom" (car noise), and "wo wo wo" (dog barking). But when we ask him to say even those words, he hasn't been able to (or wanted to) repeat them.
This past Monday, I went to give Grant his lunch and asked if he wanted cheese. He responded with "eh!" (his sound for "yeah"), and I asked if he could say cheese. Sure enough, he said, "chee!" He doesn't say the "s" sound, but I know that's what he's saying. On Tuesday he said juice ("ju"), and on Friday he said "da da!" I've always hesitated to say that he even says "mama" and "dada" the right way, because he doesn't look at either of us and say those words. Sometimes in his crib when he's crying, he'll make the "ma" sound over and over, but I'm not sure he's really calling for me in particular.
But now when I ask him to say any of those three words, he'll usually repeat them. Dean thinks he said "truck" while they were driving yesterday, but we couldn't get him to say it again today.
So it's very rewarding to see him finally repeating things, and then to see him act so proud of himself when he does it!
Grant loves the pantry.
I know that, and I know that it's easier to just keep the door closed to avoid all kinds of messes! We've had busted coke cans, baskets spilled over and random food carried all over the house (there was a jello box in his room for the longest time, before I finally took it back downstairs).
But inevitably, I'll grab something quickly and forget to completely shut the door. The other day, he pulled out a box of Rice Krispies, and I noticed it but figured he couldn't do much with it. The next thing I knew, I heard him shaking the bag inside.....he had opened it, pulled out the bag, and before I could get to him, Rice Krispies were flying everywhere! I just had to laugh, though....what would toddlerhood (is that a word?) be if there weren't messes like that to clean up every once in a while? Of course there have been some days in recent weeks when I wouldn't have reacted as well!
I think he felt proud to get to help me clean up.....of course he kept walking back into the pile of cereal on the floor as I tried to sweep it up, but it didn't take too long. And he loves to play with the broom, so I let him sweep up a few of the pieces too. It's funny how I get frustrated when he throws his sippy cup and milk drips on the floor (multiple times per meal), but I can laugh at a huge mess like that.
It's definitely spring! We stopped by a bluebonnet field this weekend while we were out doing errands. Trying to get Grant to sit down in the grass and patiently have his picture taken is impossible....the moment he got out of the car, he started running around and didn't stop until we left! Dean tried a few times to sit him in the middle of some flowers, but to no avail. But we still got a few good pictures....
He picked one of the white flowers to give to me. He likes bringing me flowers from our backyard, so he picked one for me while we were there. What a sweetie....
On Sunday, we played in the backyard, and Grant loved drinking water from the hose! He didn't mind getting all wet either!
Here he's putting my cell phone up to my ear so I could talk. He loves to walk around with his phones, and he'll hold them to his ear and blabber. He even nods his head and takes breaks while he's talking, just like we do! Last week, we were at Target and I was looking for half-price Easter candy (a few days after Easter). He kept reaching for stuff, so I gave him a SpongeBob candy holder. I guess he thought it was shaped like a phone, because he put that up to his ear and did the same thing in the shopping cart!
I'm getting better at letting him eat messy things, knowing that it will make a mess and it's not that big of a deal in the scheme of things. I gave him applesauce in a bowl, and he had a good time playing with it. It's hard to tell from the picture, but it was all over his face, shirt, hands, and tray. But it kept him occupied for a few extra minutes so I could get stuff done in the kitchen!
The previous owners of our house left this little rocking chair for him (it's still the only furniture on our porch, so I sit in it too!). On Monday he climbed up into it and actually started rocking himself!
Riding on the little toy he got from Uncle Steve for his birthday. He's learned how to push himself backwards on it, but still can't go forward. Also, I got these little red water shoes at the Children's Place recently, and this was the first time he wore them. I think they'll be so good for the summer.....they're easy to slip on when we go to the backyard, and I think they even look fine for going out (plus they're so much cooler than his tennis shoes!).
Our child has become quite the climber (like I'm sure all 16 month old boys!). Last week Dean and I were sitting on the couches talking, and we looked over to the kitchen table to see Grant standing on one of the chairs, pulling the napkins out of the napkin holder! Of course he was being very quiet about it, not wanting to draw our attention (until we saw him....then he screamed loudly and threw them everywhere!). He climbs on couches and our coffee table all the time.....of course it worries me and I wonder if it's something I should forbid him to do, but Dean isn't worried about it. I DO forbid him from standing on the chairs or climbing onto the kitchen table, though!
This pregnancy is flying by fast! As of last Friday, I was 13 weeks along. I'm still feeling VERY tired, but hopefully it will start to subside soon. I like being a morning person, and I used to wake up around the same time as Dean. While he got ready for work, I'd make his lunch and get things done that are hard to do when Grant's awake. But over the last 6 weeks or so, I've had to drag myself out of bed, and I can't seem to even do that until I hear Grant awake in his crib (around 7am)! This leaves me feeling a little behind all morning, because I don't really have any free time before he wakes up. And of course every afternoon, I'm just dying for Grant to take a nap so I can lay down! So like I said, hopefully I'll start having more energy soon. I have noticed that the nausea is subsiding a little.....I realized that I never felt nauseous yesterday! It's never too bad, but I'll just have a few short waves of nausea throughout the day. So although it's not too bad, hopefully it will subside altogether soon.
Last Wednesday, Dean and I (and Grant) went to my OB for my monthly appointment. We also had an ultrasound, as part of a three-part test to screen for certain birth defects. Almost immediately after the technician began the ultrasound, we heard the heartbeat on her doppler monitor.....it was very loud and unexpected! But it was very reassuring to hear that, especially when we didn't even know she was looking for it! We saw the baby moving around a lot....it only measured 66mm (from crown to rump), so it's still so small, but it was amazing how much it was squirming around in there! She couldn't make a good guess about the sex, but she pointed to "something," as she referred to it. She said she couldn't guess what that might turn into, but it makes me think we may be having another boy.
We had to go back to the waiting room again after the ultrasound, to wait for my normal appt with my doctor. Grant had a great time.....he walked all over the place and played peek-a-boo with people. As long as he's not confined, he tends to do okay in public!
