6 Months- Happy Half Birthday

Happy Half Birthday Grant!  It's been half a year and our lives have changed so much. I can hardly remember what life was like before Grant was here.  He brings us so much joy, entertainment, and love.  My only wish is that I could slow down time because he is growing up so fast.  Before I know it he will be walking and talking.  

Stats: 
Weight = 17 lbs and 15 oz and is in the 65th percentile (6 lbs 2 oz at birth)
Height  = 26 1/4 inches and is in the 50th percentile (19 1/2 at birth)
Head     = 43 cm and is in the 35th percentile (31 cm at birth)
    

 



Loves: playing on the floor, watching Mickey Mouse Club, checking the mail with Mommy, banging on Daddy's laptop, meeting new people, the remote control, and drinking water from a cup.

Hates: long car rides in the car seat, Mommy leaving the room,  getting his ears cleaned during a bath, Saline nose spray and the aspirator.

Eating: Grant eats every 4 hours and eats between 3-6 oz at each meal.  He is eating solids twice a day and loves it.  So far he has eaten sweet potatoes, bananas, squash, carrots, pears, and oatmeal.  His favorite is sweet potatoes.

Sleeping:  He is still sleeping with us and goes down easily.  Naps have become more complicated because he can roll over so we can't let him nap alone in our bed anymore.  He is having to take naps in his crib so he is taking really short naps and a lot of time they are only 30 minutes long.  

Has anyone seen my paci?

Clothes:  He is wearing 6-9 month clothes and size 3 diapers.

Firsts: Grant had a lot of firsts this month.  He went on his first beach trip, celebrated his first Mother's Day, ate solids for the first time, rolled from back to front, and began crawling (Army crawling) everywhere.  

This Months Happenings:  At the beginning of May we went on our first beach trip.  We went with Lee, Kari, and Caroline Busby.  Grant loved the sand and didn't mind being covered in it.  He also loved the pool.  The pool was freezing cold but he didn't seem to mind it.  He was intrigued by the water.  Although he liked the pool, he did not like the ocean as much.  He enjoyed watching the waves crash but he didn't like them crashing on his feet. That Sunday was my first Mother's Day and we went out to eat in Foley and then spent the day traveling back home.  At the end of the month we traveled to Mobile so Josh could attend Patrick's bachelor party.  Grant did really well and enjoyed being around all the people.  Throughout the month Grant hit a lot of milestones.  He started rolling from back to front and once he started there was no holding him back.  He was rolling everywhere.  He also started Army crawling and was into everything.  If I wanted to see him crawl all I would have to do is stick a laptop down in front of him and he would scoot over there as fast as lightening.  

Fun Facts:

*Grant loves technology.  Give him the remote, a laptop, or iPhone and he is one happy boy.

*At the beach Grant was trying to eat the sand by the handfuls.

*When he sees me with a cup he reaches out to take a sip.

*He has started reaching out to people.  

*Grant is a pretty quiet baby.  He doesn't try to babble much and I'm starting to wonder if he will ever start.

*When he gets fussy in the car I sing "The Wheels on the Bus" or recite "Brown Bear, Brown Bear" and he calms right down.

*Grant came home from the beach with a bad cold.  He got another cold right after that one so when we went for his 6 month well visit I put off his shots until he started feeling better.


Here are some photos from this month:

 We had a hard time convincing him not to eat it.

 Relaxing in the sand

 Helping Mommy do laundry

 Look how I can stand up all by myself!

 Hanging out in the toy box.

 Me and Granddaddy

 Heart to heart with my Grandmomma

 First time in a restaurant high chair

 Making the best of a LONG road trip

 Helping Daddy write code

 I can stand up for a long time playing on this thing.

5 Months

Grant is five months old!  The time is just flying by.  I'm trying to find a way to slow down time.  He's developing a personality and is very strong minded about what he wants.

               

               

Loves:  Sitting up by himself, standing over his toys (with help), chewing on everything in sight, being read to, visiting with relatives, and being tickled.

Hates:  Being left alone, mommy leaving the room, laying down, waiting to eat, and being cradled in my arms.

Eating:  He is eating 6 oz every 3-4 hours.  He usually eats 5 bottles a day.  We started him on rice cereal on April 15th.  The first day he ate it all but the second day he hated it and wouldn't eat it.  I continued to make him eat it each day and some days he likes it and some days he doesn't but he finishes it anyway.  I've only been feeding him cereal once a day but now I'm gonna start feeding him twice a day and then we will try some fruits and vegetables.  I really didn't want to feed him solids until he was 6 months but the doctor let me know that he was gaining weight at a reasonable rate so it calmed my fears about him gaining weight too fast.

Sleeping:  His sleeping habits haven't changed and I'm still happy that he will fall asleep so easily at night.  Naps were also easier this month since I started having him nap in my bed.  I guess since it's a familiar place to him he falls right to sleep there.  I play some music for him during his naps.  Occasionally I've been know to nap when he does.  Haha!

Clothes: He is wearing 3-6 month and 6 month clothes and size 2 diapers.

Firsts:  He can sit up by himself, he started rolling over from front to back again, he can move a toy from hand to hand, he stayed with his grandparents for the day while Mommy and Daddy went to Faunsdale to eat some crawfish, and he met some family members for the first time.  He also celebrated his first Easter this month.  He got an Easter basket with sunglasses, a sunhat, swimsuit, swim shirt, Sophie teether, new pacis and paci clips, and some chocolate goodies (for Mom and Dad of course).  He loved looking at the basket and wanted to tear into the chocolate bunny.

This Months Happenings:  We went to Selma for the weekend and Grant stayed with his grandparents for the whole day.  I missed him so much but it was fun to get out and enjoy some time with Josh.  We went to Faunsdale and ate some crawfish and then visited with his mom.  Michael and Melissa flew in from California at the end of April and we went to Mobile to visit with them.  It was a long trip and Grant slept most of the way down there.  He loved being passed around from person to person.  We ate more crawfish and enjoyed family time together.  The ride back home wasn't as pleasant be he was so good while we were there.  He really enjoyed playing with Kaylee and watching the dogs chase each other.

Fun Facts:

*Grant is the most loving baby!  He loves to be touched and has started rubbing my face when he is trying to go to sleep.  He also loves to have his hands rubbed.

*This month he started rolling over from front to back again.  He did this early on but then stopped doing it.

*He loves to be tickled and has the cutest laugh.

*He's started making random sounds and will do it over and over for a few days and then he's on to a new sound.  He still isn't making a whole lot of sounds other than mmmmm!  I'm so ready for him to start babbling.

*I think that he's gonna be a good eater.  Some days he make the funniest faces when he has to eat the rice cereal but he eats it anyways.

*Grant has started crying every time I cradle him now.  It breaks my heart!  Josh used to fuss and fuss because Grant wanted to be held all day but I told him there will come a day when he won't let us hold him all the time.  I was right!  He's growing up and has so much that he wants to see that he doesn't want to be held down.

Here are some photos from this month:

I love my new highchair!

See how good I can sit up by myself!

 I'm too cool for yall!

Mr. Blue Eyes

Learning to balance AND play with my ball

 This is how I like to spend my trip to Mobile.

 I loved playing with Michael and Melissa.

What did you call me?

Four Months Old

My sweet boy is 4 months old!  It was this time last year when I found out I was pregnant and now he's here and bring so much joy to our lives.  He is a lot more active this month and it's been fun watching him change each and every day.

Stats: 
Weight = 14lbs and 12 oz  in the 50th percentile (6 lbs 2 oz at birth)
Height  = 24 inches and is between the 25th-50th percentile (19 1/2 at birth)
Head     = 41 cm and is the 25th percentile (31 cm at birth)


Loves: Sitting up and standing up (with help), sucking on his hands, rocking in the rocking chair, seeing new people, singing songs with Mommy, listening to Daddy play the guitar, and his paci (of course).

Hates: Being patient, being confined in any way, the sun in his eyes, being made to burp during a feeding, and being ignored when he wants to play.


Eating: He is eating 5 oz every 3-3.5 hours.  Throughout this month there were times when he only would take 2 oz and then at other times he wanted 7 oz.  We always start with the 5 oz and give more if we see that he is still hungry.  He seems very happy and healthy.  When we weighed him on our home scale he weighted 15 lbs.  Tomorrow we go to the doctor so I will see how right we are.


Sleeping:  He is sleeping from 10:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. which is great.  He doesn't have any trouble going to sleep at night.  I just swaddle his arms up and kiss him goodnight and he goes right to sleep.  Naps were ROUGH this month.  He is so aware of everything around him that he has a hard time getting to sleep.  He fights sleep like a champ.  He will only nap in my arms or in the swing. 

Clothes:  He is wearing 3-6 month clothes and is wearing a size 2 diaper.  

Firsts: got a cold virus, gained more head control and pulls himself up to the sitting position with very little help, started playing with toys while he is on his tummy, laughs and smiles at everything, puts his hands together and chews on them all the time, met a lot of the Ingram family at Uncle Jimmy's birthday party.

This Months Happenings:  Josh had another business trip and went to Connecticut.  Grant and I made a trip to Selma to stay with my parents.  On the day we left, he came down with a bad sounding cough.  The next day it sounded worse so my mom rode back to Trussville with me to take him to the doctor.  The doctor said he had a red throat but it wasn't strep so she said it was a virus that would just have to run it's course.  We gave him Tylenol and ran the humidifier for weeks and he finally got better.  We took Grant to Millbrook to my Uncle Jimmy's birthday party.  None of my aunts and uncles had ever gotten to see him so it was wonderful for them all to be able to see him there.  Uncle Jimmy, Aunt Beverly, Chris, Amanda, Avery Grace, Amanda, Brian, Braxton, Mason, Cullen, mom, dad, Uncle Ferma, Aunt Joan, Uncle Bob, Aunt Mary, Aunt Blanche, and Uncle Choc were at the party.  Grant was an angel while we were there.  They passed him around from person to person and he didn't cry one tear the whole trip.  He loved looking around at all the people.  He was so tired that Josh just cradled him and he fell right to sleep. I enjoyed the day so much and I'm glad we made the trip.

Fun Facts:


*Grant wants everything to go in his mouth.  He gets so frustrated when he can't get my arm or a toy in there.  The funny thing is that when he does put something in his mouth he makes the funniest face like it tastes horrible. 


*He is fascinated by the TV.  If it's on you can't get him to stop watching it.  He will turn his head every which a way to see it.

*If we pat his arms or legs really fast he will laugh out loud.  People think we are crazy doing all the things we do to make him laugh.


*When I sing songs with Grant he opens his mouth like he wants to sing along.


*When he starts crying and making sounds I swear it sounds like he is saying momma.


*We got him a Bumbo seat and he sat up in it great but after 5 minutes he would get mad and arch his back to get out of it.  I was scared that he would flip backwards.  I took it back and got him an Exersaucer.  He likes it but gets really mad because he can't get the toys in his mouth yet.


*He mainly "talks" when he is fussy.  I told the doctor that he never seems to coo happily and Dr. Barron said it may just be his disposition.  Haha!  I knew I had a grump on my hands.  Guess he takes after his mom and dad.


Here are some photos from this month:

Having a little chat with Granddaddy!

Snoozing away

He fills up the whole bouncy seat now.

Enjoying his new toys.

He loves my pillow.  He was playing with it and Josh told me to look at him and this is what I saw.  Too funny!

  He loves balls!

 Wanna see my face???

He didn't know what to think of the Bumbo seat.

  Hey!  Are you trying to escape?

My shirt says it all!

 Laughing with Mom

 Mom cut me with the clippers!!!

  Look!  I can finally bring my hands together.

Checking it all out

The person who brings the fun...Daddy!

One Year Ago Today...

One year ago today I got this awesome surprise...

What an amazing feeling to see the words "pregnant" on a little stick.  I wanted to document all that I can remember about that day and I thought that today would be the perfect day to do that.

Josh and I had been trying to get pregnant since August.  Some months we focused more on it than others.  Since it had been six months trying, I made an appointment to see a new OBGyn doctor in Birmingham to discuss things.  Dr. Garrard in Montgomery had recommended Dr. Sharp since they were friends and went to college together.  When I met with Dr. Sharp he was really laid back and was very optimistic that we weren't gonna have any trouble getting pregnant but it may just take a little more time.  He suggested several things to do before he would recommend fertility drugs.  First he wanted me to have a procedure to make sure that my fallopian tubes were both open.  They were and he said that everything looked good.  He also said that sometimes people get pregnant soon after this procedure because he flushes out the tubes and makes it an easier passage.  The next few things he wanted me to do was to get Josh to submit a sample (haha!) and get my progesterone levels tests.  I was scheduled to have the progesterone test done in February but I got the flu and had to put it off until March.  I finally got the test done during Spring Break in March and they called to tell me that everything was ok and that I should make an appointment to see Dr. Sharp again.  I figured that the next step would be the fertility drugs.  Little did I know that the next week all my dreams would come true.

The whole next week I waited for my period to come.  I was usually never late and I was having all the symptoms that my period was about to start.  I had already taken a pregnancy test and it was negative so I KNEW I was NOT pregnant.  I kept telling my coworkers that I was ill and ready for my period to just come on already.  Glenda kept telling me that maybe I was pregnant and I told her that I wasn't cause I had already tested and it was negative.  She said it was too soon.  Well fast forward to Thursday night...Josh was in Cullman practicing for a talent show that he was in the following night and so I was home alone bored and ill.  I decided to take a shower and then thought maybe I would just do a test one more time.  I knew that it wasn't a good idea to test at night since you may not get as good of a reading but I did it anyways.  I took the test, undressed, and got ready to get in the shower.  I took a peek at the test before getting in and thought maybe I saw a slight red line.  I believe that I took another one and got the same thing.  I threw my clothes back on an decided that I wanted a pregnancy test that either said "pregnant" or not pregnant."  So off to Target I went.  When I got back I took the test and lo and behold it said "pregnant."  I was so shocked!  I cried, thanked God, and literally just stood there in disbelief.

The hardest part was that Josh wasn't home and I didn't have anyone to tell.  I didn't want to tell my mom before Josh and I didn't want to tell Josh over the phone so all I could do was wait.  And wait I did...until 9:00 p.m!  Josh had picked us up some supper and was fussing about his day.  He had gotten some bad news about his cousin, had a horrible day, and then a long practice to top it off.  So I said, "want some more crazy news?"  I handed him the stick and he was shocked.  It was so surreal to us both.  We were both grinning from ear to ear.  We tried for months to get pregnant and that day...that Thursday night...our lives changed forever!

Fast forward one year and we are the proudest parents we could be.  Little did we know how much our lives would be changed after getting that positive on the pregnancy test.  Looking back I'm still amazed at the creation of life.  God can do some amazing things!  We have Grant Chappelle to remind of us that everyday.  

I'm a pessimistic person and I was constantly afraid that I would have a miscarriage or that something would be wrong with the baby.  A couple of weeks after finding out I was pregnant I started cramping really bad.  I called my nurse and she suggested that I come in for an ultrasound.  Dr. Sharp wasn't in that afternoon so I had to see Dr. Stone.  When my ultrasound was done the technician did not see a heartbeat or fetal pole.  She saw the sack but the rest should have been there considering how many weeks pregnant I was.  She sent me to talk to Dr. Stone and he basically said that I could just have an empty sack or I'm earlier than I thought.  Since I knew the exact day that I got pregnant it was pretty obvious that our dates couldn't be wrong.  I was devastated with that news. They tested my hCG levels and he said Dr. Sharp would call me the next day with the results.  Dr. Sharp called and said that my levels looked good and that it would be best to wait a week and do another ultrasound then.  Wait a week?  I didn't know if I could wait that long. I just had a really bad feeling about it all and had made up my mind that I was probably going to get bad news the following week.  I started grieving immediately and was preparing myself for the bad news to come.  Josh was a lot more optimistic and couldn't understand why I wouldn't just wait and see.

One week later we went in for the ultrasound and she picked up the heartbeat right away!  That's a sound and a moment I will never forget.  She said he was measuring a half a week earlier than we predicted and that is why I was unable to see the heartbeat the week before.  Now, at night, I love to lay next to Grant and just listen to that little heartbeat.  He truly has made the happiest I have ever been. March 24, 2011 was a date that I always want to remember...the date where I found out I would be a mother! 

Three Months Old

All my mommy friends had told me if I could just make it through the first couple of months then everything would be great.  Well...we've made it and I have to say that they were so right.  I love this age!  He is smiling and happy and seems to be on a routine that works for us all.  I love him tremendously, but it just keeps getting stronger.  I can tear up in a second thinking about how much I love Grant.  Josh made a video of me and Grant "chatting" the other night and I have watched it over and over again tearing up each time I see it.  It's amazing to have a baby that loves you despite your flaws and gives you that big smile that warms your heart when you are having a rough day.  Here are a few highlights from the month:

Loves: Grant loves his activity mat, paci, baths, playing with his Daddy, snuggling into mommy's arms to sleep, sleeping with his nose up against my pillow, being read to, and watching TV (not that we allow it but if it's on you can bet he strains his neck to see it).

  

Hates:  Grant doesn't like riding on long trips or spending too much time in his carseat.  He also hates being left alone, waiting to eat, having the lights on, and tummy time.  


Eating: He eats every three hours and is drinking 5 oz in each bottle.  He is 100% on formula and it's been working out well.  Occasionally we have some issues with spit up but it's not a daily problem and it doesn't seem to bother him at all.  It's so funny when he stops eating and then I put the bottle back in his mouth and he's expecting it to be his paci.  He literally gags and makes the funniest face.  

Sleeping:  During the day he takes a nap after each feeding for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.  He will only nap in my arms or in the swing.  I would love for him to nap in his crib but so far it hasn't worked out.  If I rock him to sleep and put him in the crib he will wake up in 30 minutes and I have trouble getting him back to sleep.  I know that I'm gonna have to keep working on it because it won't be long before he won't be able to fit in the swing to sleep and I know he will be too heavy to hold the entire nap.  At night he will sleep anywhere from 5 to 8 hours.  I have been swaddling him which has helped him to sleep longer.  It's been so nice getting those extra hours of sleep each night.  I am still looking forward to the day when he is sleeping 8 hours (or more) EVERY night!  He is still sleeping with us since I have to put his paci back in all night long.  If I don't put it in when he starts stirring he wakes up completely.  It doesn't really bother the two of us to have him in our bed but I know we would all probably sleep better if he were in his own bed.

Clothes: He is mainly wearing 3 month clothing but can still fit into some 0-3 months.  Just this week he had outgrown several 0-3 outfits and I've been pulling out the 3-6 month clothes.  He has outgrown them mostly because of his length.  We just got finished with all the size 1 diapers so he is wearing size 2 now.  These seem to fit so much better and I wish I had moved him up sooner.

Firsts:   Grant has found his hands and is starting to put them in his mouth all the time.  He is grabbing toys and loves to stand up on his feet.  He isn't as crazy about sitting up but he is getting better about it.  He has pretty good head control and loves to look around at things.  When he can't get his head steady we say that he is "be bopping" it.  We are constantly talking to him and telling him what we are doing each step of the way.  When we are going to fix his bottle we tell him that it's coming and he seems to calm down quite a bit.  I think he had gained a lot of trust in us that we are going to get him what he needs.  He isn't as fussy and is giving us lots of smiles.  He also has been laughing some when I make certain noises or you push his feet to his mouth.  It's the cutest thing!  He loves to talk (coo) at us and is especially talkative at night right before bed.  I think he's gonna be a night owl like me.  I've been able to get more done around the house because he will sit in his bouncy seat and just watch me as I'm doing chores.  

This Months Happenings:  Grant and I made a trip to Selma since the grandparents haven't seen him in a while.  Josh also went on a business trip to Virginia and so my mom came and stayed with us to help me out.  She ended up with a really bad cold and didn't feel very well but it was nice to have some company while Josh was gone.  We put together a puzzle, made cookies, and took Grant out shopping several days.  We really haven't taken Grant out so much since RSV is going around so much.  I don't want him to get sick.  Hopefully it will warm up soon and we can get out a lot more.

Fun Facts:


*It's impossible to get a good smiling picture of Grant.  As soon as he sees the camera, iphone, or video camera he freezes.  He does the same thing when he sees new people for the first time.  He just opens his eyes really big and checks everything out. 


*It's so neat to watch him develop right before my eyes. I'm dying to hear him laugh out loud a bunch.  I'm also excited about the day he can wrap his arms around my neck.  Although I can't wait for these things, I'm totally not trying to rush him.


*I'm enjoying my days at home with Grant.  When I lost my job I was heartbroken but now I feel like it was such a blessing.  He is such a mommy's boy that I couldn't imagine sending him to daycare right now.  I'd love to stay at home with him until he starts school but I know that probably won't happen.  So for now I'm soaking up all I can with him...baby smells, smiles, and quiet times together.


*We both love to curl up together and take a nap.  


*When I was growing up my mother played with my hair to comfort me.  Grant seems to love to have his head rubbed too.  I love it!  


*When I put his paci back in his mouth he will grab my hand with both arms and won't let go.  I'll leave my hand on his face and he closes his eyes and soaks it all in.  


*He'll let me poke and prod at him as long as he's in my lap.  He will curl up under my armpit and bury his nose to go to sleep.


*Lately he fusses himself to sleep.


*He will let me kiss him for as long as I want.  He never fusses or pushes me away.  Sometime when I kiss his cheeks he will smile each time I do it.  The boy HAS to know that he is loved.


*Thank goodness for a swing that has a plug.  If we had to buy batteries for this swing it would cost a fortune.  He swings in it for HOURS.


Here are some photos from the month:

 He decided that he wanted to go to Virginia with his Daddy.

 Look, I can hold my giraffe.

Josh is teaching him how to tackle!

I'm working hard on head control!