A Few Faves

I spent quite some time on Kodakgallery this morning finally ordering pictures from October through now. I realized that a few of my favorite pictures from the holidays I had not shared with you. Also, I noticed after going through the past couple of posts that it seems that Grant is always in his pajamas. This is not the case, I take the most pictures and video footage in the mornings when he has just woken up so this is something I'll work on for future posts. Getting my child dressed!

This was taken on Christmas day at my parents house outdoors. Got to love the natural light.

This was at Grandfather Mountain. I had to get a picture of Grant in the snow and he just happened to flash that winning smile. Smiling baby+Snow= Priceless Picture

Grant's new best friend Luke that lives across the street. Luke was born on December 21st. Grant could not wait to come back to Alabama after the holidays to meet his new buddy! These two are four months apart, and will surely get into some trouble together in the next few years!

My pretty boy, sitting pretty. Supported of course.

Baby Mozart

Along with turning five months, Grant has become so much fun! He has gained much more control of his neck, head and upper body therefore, we're able to explore some new toys that were graciously handed down to us by one of Ron's co-workers. Below is a picture and video of Grant playing in his "previously loved" exersaucer. He loves the piano station the best. He bangs away on the keys, I don't want to get ahead of myself here but I sense some serious musical talent. He definitely will take after me in this sense being that his Daddy cannot carry a tune at all! His feet barely touch the floor, he actually props himself up on one foot because they both can't touch the ground simultaneously. Enjoy the footage of my child prodigy. Also, I want to wish my Mom a very Happy Birthday today! Thank you for being such a wonderful Mother and giving me the foundation and structure to be a great Mom to Grant! We love you so much!

Happy Five Months!

Happy Five Months Grant!

Each month from now on I'm going to take his photo in front of these blocks with the month he is turning. I wish this is something I did from the beginning but I only just had this idea and well, we just received the blocks as a Christmas gift. Grant is such a pleasure and I look forward to all the days and months ahead!

Motorboat

This is Grant's new obsession. It's rather entertaining and as a result he has become a HUGE drooler!

Growing Grant

That's Right. Grant is growing. Growing like a weed. I don't even realize how incredibly fast he is growing until I look back at his newborn pictures. It's amazing how in just four months my sweet boy has gone from this:

To this:
Grant will be five months on the 25th of the month and all I can think about was how when he was born our great friends, The Cox's little girl Savannah was five months and how big I thought she was compared to my new bundle of joy. She would constantly reach for him and grab at his face and now my little one is doing the same thing. Savannah was also so much fun, she giggled when you waved stuffed animals at her and Grant did the same thing in the store today!
Grant is long and lean, just like his Daddy. He is 26 inches tall and weighs around 14 pounds. At his four month appointment he was in the 20th percentile for weight and 85th percentile for height. I hope his weight catches up soon, he's currently eating rice cereal at night and later in the month I want introduce sweet potatoes and carrots to start.
Grant loves to look at himself in the mirror. He sits in his bumbo chair on my bathroom counter while I get ready in the mornings and he has the best conversations with his self. He's quite the charmer.

The most important thing I've learned these past few months is to slow down and enjoy the moment. Enjoy Grant while Grant is still a baby. After all, time flies when you're having fun!

Bathtime in the Washpod

Bathtime with a newborn can sometimes be quite difficult and is ever changing. When they're teeny tiny and brand new you have to be extra careful not to submerge their umbilical cord in water leading to sponge baths. When they get a little older and have more neck support you can try bathing them in plastic tubs. My favorite and effortless way of bathing Grant so far has been to lay down his sponge in the tub and fill the tub with water. This way he can kick and splash all the while stretching out. My neighbor recently filled me in on the newest trend out there: the Washpod. Her baby is three weeks and too small for it so she let Grant and I give it a go. The result? I'm personally not a huge fan. You have to take extra care to hold the baby up because at one point Grant slipped off the little seat on the bottom and was completely submerged in the water. He didn't miss a beat though and kept on splashing! It was also hard to wash his little legs and bottom working with such a narrow space, I had to stand him up to scrub him down. The washpod did make for some extra cute pics. Thanks Laurie for letting us try out this new trend!

Mom, I'm not sure about this!

Look at those cute little legs at the bottom!

He still loves those fingers!

After he completely went under water, he didn't miss a beat!

This little piggy went to the market, this little piggy took a bath...

Squeaky clean

Grant in his bathrobe

Happy Birthday Ron!

Ron and I celebrated his 28th birthday on December 30th in a grand way! We took full advantage of all the babysitters around on our trip home and embarked on our first night away from Grant. We headed to Meadows of Dan, Virginia to the lovely, Primland Resort in the Blue Ridge Mountains. http://www.primland.com/ Primland just opened last August and is known for their outstanding golf course, hunting, horseback riding and has an amazing observatory. Of course, we just went to relax and catch up on some much needed Zzzzzz's. We enjoyed a fabulous and intimate birthday dinner and were treated like royalty. The quality time together, extra sleep and the good clean air up there was just what the doctor ordered. We headed home the following day to reunite with our little boy. I couldn't stay away too long. Grant on another note did great! He slept through the night for the first time without feedings. He kept his Mimi and Poppy plus his great grandparents busy and not to mention his Mommy called every three hours to check up on him! Seems like he might have needed a break from us as well! :)

Deer were a common sight on the way to the resort which is located 3,000 feet up in the Blue Ridge Mountains. We approached a cluster of deer on the way in and I was able to snap this photo amazingly before this one shot off. He just stood there while Ron and I were parked in the car right next to him. I even had to dig through my bags to find my camera before taking this photo.

Dear Amazing Bed,

Thank you so much for the wonderful night's sleep you allowed me. I hate that I did not get to wallow in and enjoy your luxurious down comforter and pillows that felt so great against my very tired body. Ron is allergic to your softness. I hate that we had to call in and have you stripped of all of your fabulousness softness before we even settled in for the night. I so looked forward to delighting in your incredible plushness and getting the much needed zzzzz's I deserved. Instead, I spent the night trying to stay warm under just a sheet and throw blanket. Oh, how I had looked forward to you. Darn Ron's allergies...
With Regret,
Jena

It snowed the night we were there and it was incredibly icy.

Taking in the beautiful scenery

On the way home, this deer just wanted to wish us well!