September 29, 2012

Two Months


Our little boy is two months old!  This past month has been full of joy as we emerged from the newborn fog and got into our new routine.  Grady is the light of our life and is such a joy to be around, with the minor exception of those couple of days that he decided napping is not for him and just wants to be held instead!

Grady Tid-Bits at Two Months:
  • He tips the unofficial scales at a little over 11 pounds.  When he outgrows clothes it is still in length or because his feet are busting through the little footies on his jammies.
  • Our boy is a bit of a string bean - his only fat is on his cheeks. 
  • Despite looking 100% bald in photos, he does have some  hair, and it still looks like it will be blond.  He also has long eyelashes and little eyebrows now, which also evade the camera.
  • He likes sitting up and LOVES standing (assisted).**
  • His smiles are becoming more abundant and we are now getting a "he he" laugh out of him.  When we get the giggle, we celebrate so loudly that we often scare the poor kid.
  • He rarely smiles at the same thing twice, which has us bouncing and singing like idiots a lot of the time.
  • He met the other little boy in the mirror and loves starring at him.
  • He cannot intentionally reach for toys yet but aims in the right direction and squeals when he accidentally hits one and makes it move. 
  • He abhors tummy time but refuses to roll over and end the misery.
  • He is the happiest in the morning and the worst when he is tired at night - he takes after his mama in this respect.
  • We don't ever see him do it, but he often turns himself 180 degrees in his crib without the assistance of his swaddled legs or arms - quite impressive Grady. 
  • At one month we moved him to his crib in his own room and he loves it.  We know that we cannot continue to have such good fortune, but he has slept through 14 of 15 of the last nights!
**I am checking with the pediatrician whether it is true or just an old wives tale that babies shouldn't stand. If anyone knows for certain, please let us know as it is the only thing that keeps him happy on those non-nap days.

His official check-up is next week and I will do another update with the official stats.  We got in trouble by the vet because Bella was underweight, I fear the same possibility with this boy.  I live with 3 creatures who cannot keep their body weight up... something about that seems unfair to me.

And now for the large photo dump from his photo-happy mama.  We love this little boy so much and cannot get enough of him - can you tell?







 






I think in these pictures he is looking more and more like Chris. 







 Just saying hi on his morning walk.


Our growing boy at one week and at two months!




The smile sequence.... the best thing ever. 








September 23, 2012

Still Fans

 
Is Grady able to score as many offensive touchdowns as the new BSU quarterback in a game?  Yes. 
 
Do we miss Kellen Moore and the rest of the 2011 all-stars?  Yesiree. 
 
Are we still BSU football fans?  You betcha! 



This year we are watching the Bronco's games from our couch rather than the stadium, but we still cheer just as loudly and scare Grady in the process. Thus far, Chris has bought exactly one thing for Grady and it happens to be the cutest little BSU jersey.  I must say that Grady's bald head mimicking a helmet head made the outfit.  He also wore shoes for the first time to celebrate the occasion and I realized that he outgrew his other blue and orange shoes before he even wore them!  He really is growing too fast!  
 


Grandma and Grandpa joined us to watch BSU squeak by BYU (this could be a very long season).  We did not discuss attire in advance with them, it is just what you wear if you are a fan.  They even began teaching Grady how to do a fake-out. He listened intently. 
 


September 22, 2012

Grandpa, DDS

When your grandpa is a dentist, you make your first trip to the dentist office a little earlier than most kids.  This week Grady accompanied me to my dad's office and sat while I got my teeth cleaned by his birthday buddy (my hygienist).  He knows how to get a lady's attention already.  He was a little fussy so the gals in the office took him out and passed him around while I got my teeth cleaned and Grady couldn't have been happier.
 
 
 



When your dad is a dentist and you have had cavities in the past, you get very nervous for routine check ups.  I am happy to report a noncavity check-up. Phew!  Grady got a clean check up too and was already given his first toothbrush.
 

September 18, 2012

Simple Joys

Grady has made us stop and take notice of the simplest things in a way that neither of us had done before.  Our days are uncomplicated, filled with crisp morning walks, staring at books, being mesmerized by a polka dotted lion, the occasional outing, and celebrating every day when daddy gets home like we just won the Superbowl.  Life is simple.  Life is good.  My days look very different than they did before Grady and I have also found a new appreciation for the simple things that are no longer so simple like being able to carry multiple packages into the post office without awkwardly carrying a car seat or being able to move my arms when walking without being attached to a stroller, but I wouldn't trade these days for anything.  Every day and every tiny little milestone brings such joy to us. 
 
It was thrilling to discover that Grady loves to look at books.  He will stare at books for minutes (yes, minutes seems like a long time these days). 
 

 


Grady loves his swing and will even stay awake in it now, also a big feat because this allows us to eat dinner with two hands free.  He got his last wear out of his SCU outfit before passing it on to the next 801 baby. 


He will also spend time on his playmat kicking his little legs up and down and waiving his arms in delight.  He is not big on cooing yet, but we get the occasional happy little squawk.  Notice his particular fondness for the little polka dotted lion.


 

He got all dressed up for the first visit to the firm, you know you gotta look your best for those attorneys.  This onesie is about the most adorable thing ever, thanks Whitfields!

 


The fact that Grady remains awake and alert to look at us and notice things is so fun!  A sleeping baby is great (especially at night), but he is just so much more fun now that he is awake!


 
 
 
But I also love how he sleeps so wonderfully through our morning walks and the way that he grasps his little blanket so sweetly, happy to be able to take a snooze with his arms free and unswaddled.


 

September 11, 2012

Grady Faces

I have to document these first few facial expressions of our little man.  We are loving seeing him react to and interact with us and the things around him. 

Here is his cute little shy face.

 
My all time favorite is his sad face.  I adore his pouty lip and cannot help but laugh at him when he gets this face. 

This is what I am calling his confused face, which is otherwise known as the Mom, you are acting crazy face.


And my other favorite face, the happy face!

 
Looking at baby pictures of Christopher, we discovered that he had quite the chubby cheeks. It looks like Grady may follow in his footsteps. I pinch those cheeks all day long.  

Friends, Old and New

This week we were paid a surprise visit by Miss Emily Braden all the way from New York City.  Emily is my oldest friend.  We are two months apart and lived just down the street from each other when we were first born.  We have so many sweet, mischievous, and comical memories together.  I love that I can say I still have a friend who I knew as a baby.  Emily shone brightly throughout her school years stealing the stage at every show that she was a part of.  She still shines as brightly and has raised the stakes and now sings her way through New York City.   She is amazing and if you know her from your past or are interested now, you can find her music and other details here and here.  I adore Emily and so did Grady.

It was the perfect week to be paid an unexpected visit by my first friend because Grady fittingly got to meet a little boy who I think he may also have as a friend for a very long time.  Every time Grady meets a new "friend", I am filled with anticipation for what fun memories he will create with that person in the future.  He has made me nostalgic about my own childhood and I am just so excited to see how he develops friendships of his own.  This is adorable Wyatt, born just a few weeks after Grady, but weighing the same as him now! 

I didn't even notice their synchronization until uploading this photos.  Too cute!


We told Grady to stretch it out to prove he was actually older than Wyatt and he obliged.