Firsts

This week is a week of firsts:

Grant is standing up by himself for longer periods of time.

Physical therapy was moved to Thursdays at one. So grateful for this. No more waking up Grant or keeping him up when he's tired to see her.

Cooper is letting Grant pet him.

Grant sleeping for three and a half hours. Yup-you read right! I put him down at ten to two, and he was still going strong at 6 p.m., and finally woke up to join us at 6:30. I kept going in and checking on him and he was fine. Just extra tired. He must be on a growth spurt!

Grant's first bloody nose. This happened by accident. He has had a runny nose lately, and so I have had to bulb syringe his nose quite a bit over the last few days. Well, this morning (the 29th), I had to syringe it again, and I think I must have bumped some tissue or something, because his nose started to bleed. Not a lot, just a little bit. I felt bad, but I had to. His nose has been running like crazy!

Grant drinking out of a cup and a sippy cup. One step closer to phasing out the bottle! We will keep practicing, since some of it gets in his mouth like it should, and some of it ends up on his shirt. We will get there!

Party Party!

This past week James and I were thinking about the party we wanted to throw for Grant. We went back and forth for so long for a date on when to throw it, that we ended up having it the week after Easter. I was thinking about it, and this is pretty much the first party I have ever thrown! Crazy, that I have never done this before. We sent out the invites on Tuesday. I had so much fun shopping and finding things for our party that would make it extra special. We had so much fun on Saturday, that it made all the work so worth it. We wanted to throw a basketball/sports themed party. I made lemon cupcakes, and piped a basketball design on each one. We also served strawberries and grapes. Our party consisted of one game called, Play Ball With Your Baby, where the little ones had to throw a ball back to their parents, and whoever had the most "passes" would get a prize. I went on to imeem.com and made a playlist of all the sports themes I could find, and played them during the party. I found little party hats for our guests to wear, and they actually kept them on to the surprise of their parents! We took tons of pics which you can see a few of them below. We just had so much fun watching our babies play, and eventually opening gifts. Our little guests included Jamie Sibbett, McKinley Daly, and Elizabeth Linford and their parents.

Grant received tons of great gifts which included books, tractor toys, and sorting shapes.

Honestly, it was so much fun! It reminded me of when my sister Steph would have parties for her two boys and I would come and help. It was fun to be able to do that for my son. At the end of the party during clean up, James said, "You really threw a good party." Yeah, I did. The hard part is actually thinking that he is one. I'm having such a hard time with that!

This week we pretty much got back to normal with the whole physical therapy thing. Can I just vent for a moment? Oh my gosh, here I am thinking that Grant is so right there with everything, and now I find out that "most one-year-olds are eating mostly table food right now." K, I have fed Grant a fruit and rice mixed in his bottle every morning, and he is offered meat and veggies in the mid afternoon, and for dinner, he eats what ever we are having for the most part. Not to mention snacks throughout the day. If I feel he hasn't gotten enough veggies I follow up with the baby food veggies. Yes, he is still getting baby food. I know there are some gasps out there as you read this, however, what's Grant supposed to do, choke on chunks of food? He has no chewing teeth. Is that the most terrible thing ever? I think there are worse things in life. As long as he is getting enough to eat, I really don't care what it is he's eating, as long as its nutritious. I guess I am really tired of yet again feeling like everyone is on board, I am left out in the dust with my baby.

And another thing is, we just had a doctors appointment, and I was asked about how often he eats a day, nothing about whether he is eating solid foods. I guess I am just sick of the "advice" I get. Enough. As long as he is full, can that be just fine?

Anyway, our weather has been grand. We have been hitting the low 70s and loving life. It's supposed to be nice for awhile, so hopefully we will break out those shorts!

As for other events, Grant is starting to stand by himself. We have to distract him with a toy in both hands before he realizes what he is doing, and then he bends his legs, and sits down. It's cute to watch. He's going to be toddling around before we know it!

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!