Six Months!

We've been having so much fun we haven't had time to post since Grant was 2 months old. That's 4 months ago! (Over half of his lifespan!!) It still seems so weird to me that before 6 months ago, he didn't exist at all, and now BOOM, here he is, making us laugh and smile every day.

Here's our update:

Growing and Growing

Lately, Grant has been busy growing and learning and stretching and reaching. For most of his 5th month, he could sit up with a little help from Mom or Dad, but only for a moment, and then came the falling down. All of a sudden in month 6, poof!, now we can sit up. He's figured out how to arch his back, arrange his feet to hold him up, and stretch and reach to bring toys closer. As I sit back and watch him, you can see his mind working. You can see the wheels turning, figuring out the toy and what to do with it. You can hear him sigh as he gets frustrated and cheer himself when he figures it out. He is a happy little guy full of smiles and giggles.

This is right before he built up the muscles to sit up all the way. He could stay straight up and down for a bit, but then came crashing forward. Rolling over is up next, and then crawling/chasing Toby is close behind.

He is still happy with formula for now. We've tried a bit of baby food here and there, and while he doesn't really seem interested, he doesn't hate it either. We are definitely in no rush to push it, so we play with our food a few times a week. I think Toby is the main benefactor in that deal.


Brothers

Speaking of Toby, Grant has a wonderful older brother. His name is Toby. Toby is fantastic with Grant, and his only true crime is loving his little brother and wanting to give him kisses all the time. Every morning, when we hear Grant wake up (with giggles and chit-chat of course, no screaming from this little guy), Toby goes upstairs with me to say good morning to Grant. Sometimes if I take too long to go upstairs, Toby will race up to the top of the stairs and then bark back down at me as if to say "Hurry up! He's up here!" Toby has figured out how to stand up by putting one foot on the mattress of the crib and peek through the slats to see Grant. Grant in turn will try to roll that direction - we are allllmost rolling over, another week or two - and smile and giggle at Toby. As soon as Grant is out of the crib, Toby will follow and sit next to my feet until I lower Grant to be eye to eye with Toby for morning kisses. Yes, we let Toby give him kisses, and they've both been in the bathtub together, and we all sit on the floor together, and I brush off his binki when he drops it...most of the time. Grant will grow up to be big and strong and immune to any zombie diseases thanks to all the Toby kisses when he was little.

The funniest thing about Toby, Grant, and all the toys in the house is that Toby knows he's not supposed to chew on them but he tries to anyway when we are not looking. When we catch him, he will lay down quietly next to the toy in question and just hold it and look up at us as if to say "I'm just holding it nicely." Toby also will watch Grant play with toys, but you can see Toby figuring them out too. If only Toby could tell Grant what he was thinking, between Toby's brains and Grant's strength and opposable thumbs they could take over the world.

I will say Toby is the sweetest of doggies, and knows he is not supposed to ambush Grant, but sometimes he just can't help himself. When Grant is sitting on the floor playing, there is just too much temptation to give him kisses. The hard part now is that even when Toby does back up and sit down, Grant will reach out to him and try to grab his nose and whiskers. Toby will give us a look like "dude, he's telling me to give him kisses". It's a no-win situation. Toby is quickly learning that Grant grows more and more mobile every day, proven by Grant grabbing his ear yesterday. Toby sat there yelping, but Grant didn't know how to let go, or that he was supposed to let go, so it was a bit of a stand-off until Toby just decided to turn and run to get away. He doesn't sit so close anymore.

FAQ

To answer a few of the most common questions...
Grant now weighs about 22lbs and is in size 12 month clothes. Now really, I have no idea if Carter's clothes are made small or what, but I do know it is easier to stick to one or two brands of clothes so you know the sizes and just go from there. He does wear what I call Rompers - like onesies but with shorts on the bottom - and for whatever reason those are made a bit short, or he is very long from shoulder to bum. He is a size 18 in Rompers. These have been a total lifesaver in the summer heat and have been so much better than a onesie with shorts over. We have tried just a short and regular shirt, but with all our moving around, in the carseat, in the stroller, being picked up, we are always pulling that darn shirt down. So for now, we limit the t-shirts.

Sleeping through the night?
Grant is a good little sleeper. He has been going to bed between 7:30-8:00 and waking up between 3:00 and 4:00 for a bottle. He usually goes right back to sleep until 6:30 or 7:00. Wonderful if you ask me. I'll take it. He has also done a great job on his own sleeping longer and longer. He used to wake up at 1am for his bottle, then maybe again at 4am. As he gets older, that 1am moved to 2, to 3, and now 4. A few times it has moved to 5am, which is what I call the "lame duck" hour. Once you have a bottle at 5am, now it's 5:30 and the day has begun. On those days, we usually stay up for an hour (he likes EPSN), and then take our first nap at 6:30. On any given day, he is good for about 2 or 2.5 hours, and then his battery needs to be recharged. I feel like he is very good at telling us when he is tired and most of the time is willing to go lay down for a rest. On the tough days, I bring in my MVP, Toby, who will lay down next to Grant and give him kisses. The two usually nap together. And who are we kidding, Toby is always up for a nap.

And now for a few random pictures from Life with Grant and Toby.

First we study our target very closely before attacking.

Huh? Oh hi. I got sidetracked.

Life is rough on the mean streets of our living room. Grant knocked out the monkey and stole his teething ring.

Just chillin' in the car, going for a ride in my pajamas.

I found my feet! I also found I much prefer to pull my socks off and play with my toes.

Grant is telling the world's best joke here. He's laughing at his own punch line.

Poor Toby. Rough day at the park. We were 1/2 mile away from the car and he pulled up limping. He normally doesn't limp at all, and in fact this time he walked up to the stroller and sat down. Since Toby weighs more than Grant, Toby got a ride back to the car in the stroller while we carried Grant. 

It had to be done.

I promise to blog more often and show more pictures - which will make the blogs shorter too - yay for you! We also have pictures to show over time as Grant has grown, and a few videos to come your way. Stay tuned!

Until our next adventure, keep on smiling, snuggling, and smelling the world around you!

Big hugs,

Mandi, Kyle, Grant and Toby