Grant, 1 Year!

Hard to believe that this was our baby boy Grant. He was born at 1:36 pm feet first way up in my abdomen, baby C until the end. On this particular day he is getting released from the hospital a whopping 21 days old. This outfit is a preemie outfit and he looks A-DORABLE and oh so tiny! So tiny in fact that he didn't fit the criteria to ride home in a regular infant car seat. We had to take him home in a car bed, he was THAT tiny. SO much has changed since he was born and this is what the G-man is up to and loving:

Weight: 16lbs, 8oz (he has gained 12lbs, 15oz)
Height: 27.75" (he has grown 10.75")
For the record Grant is lighter (by 1lbs, 8oz) and shorter (by 1.25") then Evelyn at 12 months BUT has a bigger head (which makes this mama laugh).
Wears: Size 9 months clothing and size 4 diapers. He is too long for 9 month one-piece outfits, like sleepers.
Teeth: 4 on top, 2 on bottom

Eating: Grant is a great eater. It's surprising that he is so little, but then he and Evie have similar growth curves. He is the most patient when waiting for food and he opens his mouth for everything. Nothing phases him. In this way he is really laid back. He has no super favorite foods. He is a slower eater, which causes quite a few problems when they are snacking in the kitchen as Henry and Ella finish theirs first and then go after his.

Diapering: Again Grant is more laid back in this department. Plus, even when he does try to roll over he's much easier to wrangle. He could still fit in a sz 3 diaper but wears the 4's for mama sanity.

Movement: Grant's BIG skill this last month was learning that he CAN sit down from standing. At my parents house he'd cause a big ruckus during nap times because he'd pull to standing and then get all upset because he couldn't sit down again. When he finally figured it out he began doing it for fun: in his crib (bouncy), in the tub (splashy) and on the floor (just because). He is slowly getting to enjoy walking but he does so very slowly and carefully. He walks with his knees a little locked so has somewhat of a zombie walk but will get there, like everything else. This is one area where he hasn't done something first.

Toys: I can't say that Grant has a favorite toy. He is content with all of them but he likes to study them intently and explore them. He is likely to sit with the same toy for a long period of time. Opening, closing, tasting, smelling, and touching. I love his curiosity.

Talking: To our dismay, Grant is a yeller and SCREAMER! If you have any tips on stopping this horrible sound, I am all ears!!! He loves to scream for any reason: I'm happy, I'm sad, I'm frustrated, I'm angry, they took my food/toy, Evie's bothering me...they all deserve a good scream! He enjoys saying "ba" not sure what it means yet, but I'm sure it means something to him. He is thrilled when Shawn repeats the word back so maybe it is a love word?

Games: Grant is the BEST game player. Because he is a studier of people and what we do he has perfected peek-a-boo and so big. He loves and delights in playing them. There isn't a game he doesn't like or isn't thrilled to play. Next, I am working on high fives (already pretty good) and my FAVORITE "where's Grant's belly?"

Mommy & Daddy: No favorites with this one. He prefers us both and goes back and forth between us. It's nice to have one that favors us BOTH!

Sleep: Grant gets up WAY to early!! Sometimes before 5 and he rarely ever just goes back to sleep. Usually we have to take him into bed or couch with us and then after 10 or 15 minutes he'll fall back to sleep. Sometimes he won't go back to sleep at all. This is especially true after 5. Grant is still a short napper. He does about 45 minutes and rarely goes over an hour. Lately, I've gotten longer sleep but only because I cuddle him and he falls back to sleep on me. Not a habit I want to encourage but VERY sweet moments for this mama. Unlike his siblings Grant likes to sleep with his "lovey" more then his bear. The lovey is a satin like small "blankie" that he tucks under his body. He prefers stomach sleeping and always has.

Siblings: Grant is not necessarily a push over but his size I think does make it easier for the other two to "abuse" him. He gets picked on the most and the other two steal from him more often. I think that he is going to be crafty or at least will learn to be. UNLESS he gets to be biggest and then maybe he'll be a brute too. It could happen!

Laugh: Grant thinks most everything is funny. Evie especially is HILARIOUS!! She does nothing in particular and he is practically rolling on the floor. He is also the most ticklish and toys delight him. He is similar to Evie in this. She was so crabby the first 3 months of her life and then such a "happy" baby. Grant is the same way. He was crabby and more demanding but now finds life to be a joyful place.

New: We now brush teeth before bed. Our routine is along these lines: 1. Bath (2x a week), clean diaper and pajamas, brush teeth, kisses, and good nights. Grant has left his "serpent" crawl behind and now crawls normally. This is a skill that he started practicing very slowly on the 26th of June. At first he would switch back and forth between the two but now solely cross-crawls. On the night of the 6th of July the babies had their last bottle (woot-woot!) Grant went camping for the first time the week before his birthday and that week was a whole bunch of firsts: first time sleeping in a tent, first time with his feet in Lake Superior (COLD!), first mosquito bites (he's a true MN now), first time swimming in a lake (he specifically loved splashing, he had the most fun), and he tried multiple new foods like mandarin oranges.

What we are loving most about Grant right now: his small size as it's like the best of both worlds-he still looks like more of a baby but acts and interacts like a toddler, his love of games, his deep silly belly laugh, the cheek dimple he got from his daddy, how curious he is, how he loves to crawl over things...he'd love tunnels and mats to crawl over and through, his enjoyment of water, his delight over life, his sweet winks, his shyness and the way he'll smile at you and then hide his head, his blond hair and blue eyes, the way he "talks" with mouth noises, the word ba, belly slaps and sometimes even a head bang. We simply adore you and love you our sweet "baby" boy!

Normally I would include a ton of pictures of this last month (and there were a lot of adorable ones) but I wanted to keep it simple and show you Grant today.

That's his teddy bear. Recognize that outfit? Yep, it's the same preemie one he wore on the day we took him home from the hospital. I took this picture as a reminder of how much he has grown and how far he has come. We love you, baby boy G-man!! We are just excited about the next year as we were for your first. You continue to amaze and bless us daily. We are so awed by God's gift in you and your siblings. You make us so proud!