Easter Pleaser

This past weekend April 10th-12th-was a huge one for our family. We had a lot going on, with Grant's birthday, Easter, and a Denver appointment. Nonstop goings on until Sunday afternoon, but we all had a ball! We started our Easter weekend with driving down to Denver. Grant, as always, was a good little traveler, and this was momentous in itself because we finally are able to put him forward facing in the middle of our backseat! Hallelujah! I think Grant enjoyed the ride more, although, it was more difficult for me when he did cry to grab things to calm him down. That didn't happen too often though. We are really blessed with a great baby! Any way, our appointment in Denver was at 2 in the afternoon. We met just with the nuerologist and the hemotologist. This was not the stroke clinic that they usually send us too. (Thank goodness-that is really exhausting!) Anyway, we told the doctors we have seen no signs of seizures, and he is developing just as normally as he can be. The doctors examined him, and were pleased with his progress! They did take more blood, and found out that the antibody that caused his blood to clot so abnormally is still present, but it has gotten less since they last took blood. So this is great news! After our appointment we went back and settled in at the hotel. I have to say, Grant is a great traveler but sleeping wise is another story. Oh my goodness-we tried everything to keep the routines in check as best we could, but I think when it comes down to it, it was just an unfamiliar environment and he needed to know we were close by. Also, at home, if Grant wants to cry, we just let him. This doesn't happen often, most of the time he goes right to sleep, but if he needs to cry, we let him (Read Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child and you will know what I mean). At a hotel though, you can't really let him cry. In fact, its all I can do to STOP him from crying. I get nervous when we go places, cause I don't want to keep everyone else awake! So needless to say, he spent our two nights in a hotel in bed with his mom and dad, and he got a wonderful nights sleep. Oh-the things you do for your child!

Saturday was kind of a dreary day. We woke up to overcast skies, and even a little rain. Bummer, since we wanted to go to this big outlet shopping center, and its all outside. We braved the rain anyway, (We snuggled Grant up in the stroller with his jacket and a blanket to keep warm.)And I am so glad we went. They were having a huge spring easter sale like at every store. We saw signs that said, "take 40% off, and then an extra 20%." Awesome. We bought Grant his Easter which included for us-clothes. James and I have the hardest time keeping this kid in clothes that fit him. Everything is too small. He outgrows onesies in a snap (no pun intended :))We think that he has James' long torso, so we always try to buy them bigger than what he actually is. The result-big for about a week, and then just right for another week, and then on the verge of being too small for a few more weeks. Crazy. I heard its a vicious cycle as well. It won't get any easier when he is a small boy! Anyway, we found Grant some overalls which he looks so cute in! Super awesome deals on pj's, and we even managed to find things for ourselves. So fun. I love shopping weekends.

Early afternoon, we took Grant to the Denver Children's Museum. At first, I wasn't all that impressed. It was way crowded with tons of kids coughing, and putting things in their mouths everywhere. No worries. James and I were totally on top of making sure nothing entered that mouth, and we were successful. The Easter Bunny was also there, (another reason why it was so busy) so, of course, we got Grant's picture taken with him.

There was also a petting zoo area just outside the entrance. I think this was Grant's favorite part. We got to see a pig, some chickens, a rooster, and some rabbits. It was way fun. Grant loved the animals. He wouldn't pet them or anything, but you could just tell he really enjoyed it!

People also were bringing their Great Danes to the museum as well, and we got to see one and pet him. I think Cooper is about as big as this Great Danes head:

They were pretty sweet, and really gentle with Grant.

Inside the museum there were people everywhere. Grant was old enough only to go the toddler area where they had a clubhouse type place, and fun areas for him to crawl in. Here are a few pics:

That afternoon when we decided to leave, we headed on over to the 16th Street Mall where they have stores, restaurants, basically a mall outside. The trouble is finding a parking spot. We managed to find one, but only for a few hours. We decided to head on over to the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory for my all time favorite-huge orange sticks which were delicious. And you can't come away from the 16th Street Mall without getting a slice of cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory. So yummy. We headed on back to the hotel, where we enjoyed our dinner, and another night of Grant sleeping with us.

When we got home on Sunday, is when Grant's Easter began. We put him to sleep, then the Easter Bunny came. He left Grant some desperately needed new clothes. Phew. Thank goodness for that Easter Bunny. :) Grant was still pretty much waking up from his nap, and didn't quite know what to think of things...
We also decorated our Easter eggs. So late doing that, but at least Grant got his first experience with it. He just pretty much looked at James and I coloring them, and we managed to get a few pics before I made them all into wonderfully delicious devilled eggs. Sooo good. It so made me think of St. George.

Such a long, but way fun weekend. Always glad when we can come home and sleep in our beds and get back to the routine! I think Grant likes this too!

Happy Birthday Grant!

All day today (April 8th), I have been thinking about this wonderful day, and what I remember I was doing exactly one year ago today. This is the day that I finally became a mother to a special little boy. Here is our day (one year ago today)...

5:30 a.m. I was too nervous to sleep, and decided to get up and take a shower. James still laid in bed. I pulled on a pair of pajama pants and an Old Navy t-shirt.

6:00 a.m. I grabbed something to eat. Cheerios with bananas and some juice. I am so glad I ate something that morning, because at the time I didn't realize I would be doing the hardest work of my life on an empty stomach. (Something nobody ever tells you.)

6:15 I started grabbing last minute things that I forgot to pack. We managed to pack the deck of cards (that we never played), but forgot prenatal vitamins. :) The day is sunny and clear. Perfect spring day.

6:45 We loaded up the car, and said good bye to Cooper. We had to go to the bank before we went to the hospital. The light was taking a really long time to change, and James considered running it, even though I wasn't in labor (we had to be to the hospital by 7 a.m. since I was going to be induced.)

7:10 We arrive at the hospital, and check in. We get settled in the room, and turn on the TV where we watched the news. The big news of the day was how these teenage girls were videotaping themselves beating up another teenager. They kept showing it over and over. Gee. What a nice memory to have.

7:30 I am induced. I start to have little contractions and it was kind of fun watching them on the screen.

8:30 Starting to have serious contractions. Not really so fun anymore to watch the screen.

11:30 Sick of contractions and am begging for the epidural. The nurse kept telling me that the anesthesiologist was reading forms. I kept imagining him in a La-Z-Boy with his feet up, and reading papers, while I really needed his help.

12:00 The epidural is issued, and I am a happy camper. I rested, watched some TV and James and I talked and laughed. It was nice to think about something else for awhile.

5:05 My doctor comes and tells me that it is time for this baby to come.

5:48 p.m. Grant James Killpack is born. He weighed 6 pounds, 2 ounces and was 19 inches long.

Grant is such a great baby. He loves the song Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, the book The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. He has a healthy appetite. He is starting to practice walking. He is getting closer each day! Grant has sparkling big blue eyes, and is getting more and more hair on that head. He can wave hello or goodbye, and he has a smile which can brighten any room, and my day. We really wish we could be home right now so his grandparents can

snuggle him like crazy! Here is his year in pictures:

I was having some trouble with blogger, so this wasn't posted on his birthday which is April 8th.

We had such a fun time for Grant's first birthday. We kept it real simple, since we are going to have another party for him once Easter Vacation is over. I made a funfetti cake for Grant, and we put a white candle in the center. We opened a few gifts. James and I gave him some bath toys, and he got a green little piggy bank from the people at the bank James goes to for work. We have to go to Denver this weekend for Grant's Denver appointment. We are making a trip out of it. We are going to stay a few nights, and go to the Denver Children's Musuem, where they will have an Easter Egg Hunt. We also thought we would do a little shopping...maybe go out to eat-whatever. It'll be a fun weekend! Here are some pics of Grant's party. Doesn't he look so cute in his little hat? :)


Happy Birthday Buddy! We love you!

A Break

This week I was reminded again of why I gave up scrapbooking. At school we have a birthday lunch or breakfast each month to celebrate the half birthdays and birthdays of the staff. Each teacher and staff member is responsible for one month out of the school year to make something to eat, grab a gift, and to just make it fun for the people having birthdays. The month of March was my month. I had to grab some gifts at the store, and I wanted to make a cute card to go with what I got for them. K, I started at 1:00 right when I got home from work on Monday (my birthday breakfast was on Tuesday morning.) It took me at least an hour just to decide what kind of format I wanted to do, the colors of the paper, which stamps to use, and coordinate my paper with my ink. Then I had to mat everything, type out a message (after it took me another 45 minutes to figure out what to say). I also had to stop everything and make a double batch of lemon bars for my primary meeting the next night. (James made a double batch of the coffee cake for me-so sweet-since that is what I decided to make for the big shin dig.) When I was finally finished with my card (I had to make seven of them) it was 9:45 p.m. and I was left with a messy kitchen table, a sore back (from leaning over so much-I need to learn how to stand straighter), and all of my scrapbooking supplies in disarray. I loved making the cards though, I just don't think I have it in me anymore to spend hours and hours on a few pages scrapbooking. I think I am all about scrapblogging which you can visit here. It's free, and I know I have posted about it before, but it sure saves me a lot of time, and my pages still turn out way cute (and best of all, I am left with a clean house when I am finished!)

Also on Tuesday night, we had a primary meeting (the reason I made the lemon bars) which lasted till 9 in the evening. Such a long day, and I was super happy to go home and just rest.

So today (Wednesday) was my late day at work. (I have to stay and collaborate with my teachers once a week.) I also had to pick up Grant from James' office. We decided to help James out a little more by having me come get him every once in a while. So I hurried over to grab him, and when I got there he was looking so tired! James helped me get his things into the car, and we were off. Before we were even out of the parking lot, Grant was asleep! When we got home, it is usually a gamble on whether or not he will stay asleep. As soon as I opened the door, he tried to wake up, but his head kept falling over. He was so tired. I put him straight in his crib and he slept till three. Now, I know I've said before that Wednesday's are physical therapy days, but the PT is out of town for the next two weeks! I love when she comes, but it's just nice to have a break. To not have to worry about the house being emaculate, and Grant having a nap and eating. Such a nice afternoon!

The best part to start off my day, is when I get Grant up first thing in the morning. We always go open the blinds in his room, and the wee bit of sunlight that comes in hits his face.So loving daylight savings time ending, so that we can catch a bit of sunlight early. His eyes get so wide, and he gets a huge smile on his face. He loves to play with the clear handle to turn the blinds up and down, and then we are off to breakfast. Every morning. What a great start to the day! Grant has also been staying up a little later which is fun for me. More time to play!

Also, just to let you know, I actually found a website that will let you publish your blog. It's called blog2print.com and they let you choose a cover, write a dedication, and choose a cover photo. They do everything else. They even let you choose the time frame, which for me, I plan on printing out every year. I have to say though, that some of my pictures aren't placed with my captions, but I am just so relieved to have this in hardcopy, that I really don't care! It also prints everyones comments-so all the more reason to leave a comment if you ask me. I think its a neat part of family history, and how fun for our future family to know so much about us. Anyway, if you haven't checked it out yet, you can here. I forgot to mention too, that it's really reasonably priced.

So, Saturday morning we are waking up to yet another snow storm. No chance of it getting really warm (in the 40s) till later this week. Our weather has been so bizarre, I am so ready for it to be over. James, being the wonderful optimist that he is, mentioned how green it will be when spring finally decides to come. Casper will be beautiful soon, I guess I am a little impatient for it to be here.

Have a great week!

If This is Spring, Who Needs Winter?

You would think this picture happened in the winter...oh no! This happened this past week. March 23. Two days after the Spring Equinox. Fun, huh?

K, I don't know about you all, but I am SICK of snow. I'm sick of the snow showers, drifts by my house, sliding around in the slush, and silently praying not to get stuck. And worst of all, hoping someone isn't going to hurdle right into me. Yes, we have had a mild awinter this year. Last year we had a lot of really cold days, and more snow showers. This year, we have had few snow showers, but the ones we have gotten are happening in the spring, and this last snowfall was a doozy! We received 14 inches this last Monday. I'm all for snow, but couldn't we have gotten this all before Christmas? I am so ready for brightness, and green, I have seriously considered getting one of those sunlight lamps for my house! And the wind! There is nothing like blowing snow, and driving in white out conditions. I know its probably worse in some other places, but I am from St. George, where its really warm. I don't know if I will ever get used to this. Not fun. Really sick of the winter and I cannot wait for the warmth of spring to thaw out my chilly bones.

Such an adventure this week for my school kiddos as well. On Monday, when snow was just pouring down, our Central Office decided to shut down schools early. This didn't really affect me since I work in the morning and am off by 12:30, so I still worked my full hours. James happens to work with two ladies who have kids who go to my school. They asked if I would take them home, since James was closing down the office and also drive them home as well. Of course I would! James, being the wonderful husband that he is, came to school to make sure I would be able to get out and about okay. It was such a good thing! I kept getting stuck just backing out of the parking lot. Back and forth, we'd keep trying and trying, until finally all four wheels backed safely out my parking spot. That was just the beginning! If you've ever driven in Casper, they don't have Brigham Young's wonderful grid idea to find addresses. Casper is all grouped and plotted out by themes. The theme in my school neighborhood is flowers. Both of the kids I was driving home lived on a flower street. They knew their addresses, but I am so unfamiliar with all of the different streets, I couldn't find where they lived for the life of me! Luckily, we were following James, and one of the ladies he works with was giving him directions. She replied, "just go straight." So we did, but she led us the wrong way, and we had to turn around in all of this snow. The Chevy kept getting stuck, so James would come out of his truck, get me unstuck, and then go back in his truck. This happened a few times! Finally, we got both kiddos home safely, and James and I were able to go home-one hour later from when we began! Gotta love Wyoming!

We did manage to play with Grant in the snow. I don't think we were out there for a full minute before he started crying. And those are shorts that James is wearing! Crazy!

Tuesday was a snow day. I don't know why...the sun was shining and was absolutely beautiful. The snow plows had come out and scraped our streets really well for once, so not sure why we had school canceled. You would think this would make me happy-it doesn't. This means we will have two make up days in June. June and school do not mix for me! I loved spending the day with Grant though! We had so much fun playing, and reading books. His favorite book is the Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. Luckily we have the board book edition. Whenever I start it, he grins and touches the moon. I always ask him where the moon is, and he pats it with his hand! He also likes the middle part where the caterpillar eats through all the fruit. He loves to turn the pages and poke his fingers in the holes. It's cute to watch.

We are still trying to get Grant and Cooper to be better friends. Here's a start:

Cooper is starting to let Grant pet him. Maybe when Grant is older Cooper will finally be used to him. I don't know what it is! Grant is so great with our nieces and nephews!

Wednesday we had a late start for school. This snow just totally threw us for a loop. It has been so crazy. The students are also in the middle of taking their end of year tests, and this has really been rough for them. I love routines for kids, and they love it too. It's really hard when everything is thrown up in the air. I hope next week is better!

This Thursday, our plans for the missionaries were foiled again. They actually had a zone conference that night and were fed at the meeting. They mentioned the meeting earlier in the day, and the fact that they might not come. I prepared everything anyway, and when 6:00 came, they called and told us about their having dinner at the zone conference. James and I ate the feast of spring food-ham, shrimp salad, Red Lobster rolls, and green beans. It made me think of WARM Sunday dinners at my mom's about this time of year. Hmmm.

Then comes Friday. I LOVE Fridays. Who doesn't? It just feels different. By the time Friday comes I am spent. I love pulling on those jeans and heading off to work with a spring in my step thinking about the hard earned break that will happen in a few hours. Today, after I got home from work, I had to go visiting teaching. However, when James came home, Grant was awake, but had really sleepy eyes. He fell asleep right after James laid him in his crib. Since James pretty much eats and runs, I had to make a fast trip over to my neighbors house and give the lesson to her while James was eating his lunch. I feel bad that I had to be so rushed, but James had to go back to work in a matter of minutes. I left my partner there to finish the visit, but I just had to let Grant sleep. It was a good thing I did. He slept a whopping two hours! He has never gone that long. He must have really been tired. I feel a little bit better, since I had another visiting teaching appointment with a sister we have a tough time getting a hold of. I took Grant and went by myself, since my partner had another commitment. We had a really good visit. I think this is the second time I have been able to see her. She has a couple of dogs, and they adored Grant. He laughed and was so cute with them. I wish Cooper would be more like that. He is with our nieces and nephews. Maybe when Grant is older! Later that night James and I took the baby out to dinner at Applebee's where I enjoyed a strawberry lemonade and a shrimp dinner. Perfect end to the day!

Grant and James-what a pair. Don't they look so handsome? This was just after we came home from church. Have I mentioned before how much I love 9:00 church?! :)

A lot of our snow is beginning to melt. On the way home, James exclaimed, "Wow, its warm out there. Thirty-five degrees and it is still going up." Yeah. Thirty-five was our high. Did I mention how sick I am of the snow? :)

Back In the Swing!

The dishes are all caught up.

Laundry is finished.

The suitcases are all unpacked.

There is food in the cupboards.

Toys are all put away.

It's fun to be away, but it feels so good to be back! I'm home today (Tuesday), and I just love it. James had to go to Wheatland this morning, so I took the day to watch the baby. I absolutely love being home! Grant and I read books, played with his learning table, and practiced walking with his push cart. We also had a play date today. Our friends the Daly's invited Grant and I over to their house. Grant and McKinley (Lyndi's daughter) didn't really "play" together to say the least, but Lyndi and I had a great time! I hope we get to do it again soon!

Grant's physical therapy session was funny this week. He is getting more and more independent, and really didn't want to have anything to do with the activities the physical therapist had planned. He crawled everywhere, so he pretty much ran his own session! She just sort of rolled with the flow-she watched him crawl, and practice walking (he's keeping his right leg stiff when he walks, so we just need to help him bend his knee when he walks down the hall at least twice a day), and she also managed to squeeze in some container play. Grant needs to practice, bending down, picking up something, and letting the something go in a container. I tried practicing with him yesterday, and he pretty much had his own plans. We'll keep trying though!

The only way I can make dinner:

Making dinner in the late afternoon used to be so difficult. I was thinking back to when Grant was a newborn, to about 4 months old, when he would want to be held all time. Making dinner was a huge task. I had a sling, and a Snugli that I would put him in to help me, but those were just so awkward to work around. My back would hurt at the very end, and I was super conscious of the stove, and stood away from it, so Grant wouldn't be in the heat. I think he also didn't like being in those so much. It took a lot of work to get him those, and he would cry and fuss till he would finally settle down. Now, things are so much easier! Cheerios in the high chair seem to do the trick. I can get dinner made and on the table in no time flat. So while I am sad, that my little baby is growing up, it's also fun to have him be more independent.

It's also fun to have him eat dinner with us. He's getting introduced more to real food, and this week he had his first pancake:

I think it helps to have him eat with us. It's fun to eat together as a family!

I asked James what he did this week, so he can be in the blog, and he replied with, "Nothing." (Huge help, huh? :))He actually loves his job and works with two ladies who are fantastic at running things. We are able to go on trips (like spring break to St. George) without having to worry too much about what goes on at the office.

James is also huge into the March Madness. I have learned a lot since being married to him about college basketball. First of all, James is CRAZY nuts for college basketball. He fills out his brackets (teams who play against each other till there is finally one winner left for all for four regions). He watches or listens to most games when he can, which sometimes includes watching on the computer and the TV when the TV doesn't show his favorite team. (This actually happened this week. If they don't show Duke, that takes care of the TV AND the computer.) He makes me fill out MY brackets (I think so he can make fun of my choices and rub my nose in it when he beats me.) If I don't choose Duke, (which I actually did one year, but then had to change it :)) I get the third degree! So, in short, James has been totally tuned into basketball and claims that these past two days are the greatest days in sports all year. So all I have to say is, "Go Duke!"

When I did manage to pull James away from the TV, we went for a walk in PV Park. The last time we took Grant for a walk in his stroller, he cried, but this time we brought Cooper, and Grant was totally tuned into him the whole time:

The weather was a beautiful 77 degrees, with a light wind. We had a great walk, and I am sure glad Grant enjoyed it too!

Cooper gets a little tired when we get home. He completely wears himself out after a walk. Here's what I mean:

Have a great week!

Spring Break finally came (and went) too quickly. We had such a great time! We left on Tuesday afternoon. James took a half a day off, and we stayed the night at James' brother's house (thanks Paul and Robbi :)). Cooper came with us, and between Grant and Cooper, it was quite the ride. Cooper rode in front and Grant and I rode in the back. We found that Cooper does a lot better when he is the center of attention. He managed to knock over his water bowl along with some of James' drink, but other than that he was a good little traveler. Grant did really well too. He was easily entertained with this soft book we got at a baby shower. He played with that almost the whole trip. I also have a theory. I think when we travel, it's anything I can do to make him not cry. Crying sounds ten times louder when you are in a car. So whenever Grant would cry, (which was not too often) he'd get a bottle. It seemed to work. He would fall asleep soon after the bottle was given so I feel way good about that. Here are some pics of the many faces of Grant in the car:

This is what we left behind. Casper had gotten snow the night before, so we woke up to a snow covered backyard. It looks pretty now, but then it gets all blown into drifts, and turns brown. I'm all for no snow after Christmas. So ready for spring. The weather in St. George did not disappoint. So beautiful, and their trees are starting to get those popcorn blossoms on them. I LOVE St. George!

Anyway, Wednesday morning, we got to go see my cute Grandma who is now in a nursing home. It was a little (okay, a lot) heartbreaking to see her, and not have her truly know who I am. She did get to see Grant and we took a picture:

Now we can say that he has met his great grandma. I just wish that this could have happened a few years ago, so she could love on him like I always imagined she would. Oh well. I just count my blessings that she was still here with us when we had Grant.

Later that day, we stopped in Payson to see one of my old college friends. We graduated together in 2003, and then she had had her first little one. Now she has three! So crazy! She also just added a pug to her family:

Cooper looks so huge compared to this little guy! His name is Po, and I don't think Cooper was ever that little. He weighed just nothing, and seemed to like Grant's Jacket:

We managed to get pics with Grandparents this time. Particuluarly with Grandma's. Grant saw three Grandmas in one day. Here Grant is with my mom:

and with James' mom:

Thursday we spent the day with the Killpack's and just relaxed. We actually tried to take Grant on walk in Snow Canyon where the weather was so perfect. But Grant would not have it. For some reason, he did not like being in his stroller, and he cried nearly the whole time. Near the end of the walk, he calmed down and decided that the walk wasn't so bad after all, but wouldn't ya know, he stopped at the end!

Later that night, James, Grant, and I met my mom and Kirk at an ice cream place in town. Grant can't have dairy yet, but he really liked drinking water from the straw. I would plug up one end with my finger to keep some water in the straw, and then let it drip into his mouth. He could not get enough of that! It was so fun to watch.

Friday, was so interesting. Our plans seemed to change as the day went on. We were going to go to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, and then I found out that that was too far, so then we were going to Tooweap (Tuweap? I have no clue how to spell this!) And by the time I was ready to go, and had gotten Grant ready, the plan changed to Kolob. We started out by going to the St. George temple visitors center to see the new Joseph Smith movie (which by the way is really good!) We thought it would be just a half an hour, oh no! It lasted about an hour and a half! So when we left, we were really hungry for lunch. We thought In and Out Burger might be a good place to go. Well so did everyone else in town! We turned into the parking lot, and were waiting to turn right, when a truck pulling a trailor started to turn left, but he turned to sharp, and his trailor didn't make the turn as wide, so it hit the back of my father in law's truck. The person who did this didn't have his license with him, so we had to wait forever for the police to show up, and ya da, ya da, ya da. When we were finally free to go, we had been in the parking lot for two hours, and we were so ready to leave. We ended up just going home. It was too bad too. I really like Kolob, and I bet we could have taken some great pics of Grant.

Saturday finally came! I went to see my mom and go shopping. We had our usual shopping day. Starts out in the morning, we grab lunch, and then based on what we need, we will continue shopping or just go home. Love shopping dates with my mom. We've done them ever since I was a kid. Fun tradition to have, I only wish we could do it more often. Maybe when we move back to Utah! Anyway, Grant needed some church clothes, a swimsuit, and some shorts, which I found at Target! (LOVE that store!) We also managed to find some clothes for me for spring! It was just a fun day!

Grant also has a new trick. He's big into crawling and will do this nifty trick with a book. Who needs a skate board, when you could have a hand board? He does this all day, and will get upset when the book gets stuck on the ridge between the carpet and the kitchen floor. Too funny!

Honestly, I cannot believe how fast the time went! It seems like we just barely got down there. It was so fun! The weather was gorgeous, and I love the brightness there. Everything seems bright and cheery, and there is a happy atmosphere there. Can't wait to go back! Thanks to our families for everything!

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! :)