If It's Not One Thing, It's Another!

We have a crawler! Grant is such a great crawler. We are so proud of him. The army crawl he started out with, is getting less and less and his crawling is getting faster and faster. It is so fun to watch! This week at physical therapy, she brought a push cart for him to start practicing taking steps. He still really loves to keep his legs straight, but he did take a few steps with the cart. She said that he will probably do his walking like he did his crawling: on his own terms! Grant doesn't really like to helped. He will hardly let you guide his hand over a picture in a book, for crawling he wouldn't let me move his legs, and for rolling from tummy to back, he would just lay there till I backed off. This kid likes things to be done in his own way! So he is starting to practice walking. During the session, I asked her what comes after when babies learn how to walk? My answer would have been, "heck, as soon as they are walking, they should be done." Not so. (Shows you how much I know about babies!) Oh my goodness, there was a whole list of things! Walking backward, throwing a ball, jumping. The list went on and on. Things just don't stop after they start to walk. There is always something to be working on!

Large:

Our physical therapist was commenting on what a big baby Grant is. She was saying that Grant probably is the biggest baby she has ever worked with, and that is saying a lot since she has been doing this for a lot of years. Just before physical therapy, I was looking online at baby names (one of my friends just got a puppy. She was wondering what to name him, and James and I like people names for dogs! :) ) Anyway, I looked up Grant's name and it said (of all things) that Grant is Scottish for "large!" We had a good laugh. Such an appropriate name!

Continuing:

All of my fellow teacher friends know that when you first start out as a teacher you are kind of under a microscope. You have to follow your district's new teacher program (yes, an actual program) for three years (both in Utah and in Wyoming) not to mention all of the other teacher responsibilities that are in your building. And I might as well mention, all the wonderful things you want to accomplish in your own classroom. Well, this is my third year teaching in Wyoming, and I was just offered a continuing contract for the district which means I am guarenteed a job in the district next year (part time, mind you!). I am way excited that I am finally able to just teach. My working part time has been a huge blessing for our family.

A New Face:

So, I was feeding Grant on Thursday afternoon. He was having ham and gravy. (I have to try hard not to pull a face at the smell. Oh, it is so gross!) I was making an airplane noise with the spoon loaded with his ham and gravy. I started high, circled around a few times, and finished my journey with a vroom sound that ended when his mouth was closed. After the food entered his waiting mouth, he gave me the funniest face. With each mouthful, one of these faces would appear! I managed to capture one on camera:

A Missed Opportunity:

Today (Thursday) my friend Lyndi and I were going to get together with our little ones for a play date. We had planned to get together at around three. Well, Grant had other plans. He had taken a nap at 11:30, so by 2:00 I thought, I would be able to get him to go for a nap. I heard Grant in his crib clear up until 2:40. When I went to check on him, he was sound asleep! I called Lyndi to let her know Grant had just fallen asleep, and we'd probably be a little after three. He must've been tired. He slept until 4:00! When he takes naps, you just never know how long it will be. Some days its a half an hour, and others its an hour. Today about an hour and fifteen minutes seemed to cover it. Lyndi was very understanding, and invited us over for dinner. She also happened to be hosting the missionaries as well, so I got to have my fill of them to make up for last month. (Thanks Lyndi, it was delicious! :)) We'll try our playdate idea another day!

Remembering:

I was just thinking about when we first brought Grant home from the hospital (for the second time!) He never would just go down in his bassinette for his naps with out waking up two minutes later. So I would just sit and hold him in between feedings. It sounds exhausting, but I loved every second of it! I'm thinking about this time because I just relived it! Grant had just taken a nap, when I heard him start to cry. I could tell maybe he didn't get enough sleep, and I thought how he might be hungry. So I made him a small bottle, and he let me hold him (since he's been crawling, he only lets me hold him for a short while) through his whole bottle, and I saw those eyes start to close and soon he was asleep again. I looked at him while he was asleep and couldn't help think of how much he looks like James. I know people say he looks like me, and I agree but just around the eyes, he really looks like James around the mouth and chin. He totally has James's smile! This Sunday he will be eleven months old and I just can't believe it! How fast the time goes!

A New Game:
When Cooper is outside and the pet door is closed, Cooper will beg to come back in. Well, Grant thinks this is a fun time, and loves to be around the sliding door when Cooper is on the other side. They are about the same height! :)