Happy Spring!

This is a little late, but we've been playing outside so much that I almost forgot to get around to sharing these pictures.  Hope you're enjoying Spring as much as we are.  The nice weather that we've had is inspiring me to get out as much as we possibly can.

We have our fingers crossed for lots of days where is themometer reads 70 degrees and nothing is stopping us from playing in the sunshine.

5 Months

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Griffin may be slowing down a bit in the growing department.  He's been right at 16 pounds for a couple of weeks now.  His personality hasn't slowed down at all.  He is very much aware of every single thing going on around him.  He's quickly growing into his own little person.  

He finally cares about the dogs, especially Lucy.  He'll reach out for them when they're around, petting and pulling their fur.  He'll squeal at them if they're in sight.  Pretty soon he'll be chasing them around the house.  He really reaches for most everything:  my sandwich when I'm trying to eat, his toy that's he's pushed out of reach, himself in the mirror.  Oh, he loves his dad's beard.  I think I watch Dave melt as G rubs his face.

He's giggling at us now and I have a feeling my heart may explode once it turns into a full blown laugh.

He's not really mobile yet.  He's able to spin himself in a pretty wide circle and scoot a foot or two to the side.  The video shows a little of his current mobility.

G's doctor said that we could wait to start foods till six months, so that's what we're doing.  It will be fun to start feeding him, I know, but I'm not too sure how much I'm actually looking forward to it.  I feel like he'll be reaching a rite of passage once he starts eating.  Like he'll be transforming from my squishy baby who relies solely on me for nourishment to a little boy who eats food and (eventually) roams around on his own accord.   Gosh, why didn't I listen when people would say they grow so fast?  I'm thinking fast may be too much of an understatement.

This comparison made me choke.

1 week vs. 5 months

Saturday Morning Find

Dave loves only a few things more than waking up on Saturday mornings and going yard/estate sale hunting.  Knowing that today was going to be a lovely day, I suggested that we do a little homework Friday night to find some good ones this morning.

The first one that we came to was lucky door #1.  Right inside I found a blue glass Mason jar; I recently decided that I wanted a couple colored old jars,  and it was mine for a good price.  On the way back to the car to grab some cash, we stopped in the garage and found two sets of lockers.  These lockers were calling my name.  They were in good shape and I assumed that they would probably asking a pretty penny for them.  The price that the older man quoted us made us think of all the possibilities and made both Dave and me want them even more.  We were set on getting one of them to go in Griffin's room once we move the Mama chair out.  I had already decided to clean it up and paint it a fun muted shade of blue.  I imagined little die cast cars lining a shelf or two and Dave envisioned a stack of comic books and a cap gun.  Dave even mentioned putting a lock on one when Griffin is a little older so he would have a place to hide his secret stash, I'm  guessing his candy cigarettes and temporary tattoos.

It was fun playing around with the ideas, so we took both of them.  (The kind older man gave us a fabulous deal.)  It will be such a fun piece to have in his room and I am way too anxious to clean it up and make sure my idea works.

I do love the sign on the side, it's two women sitting at a table and says, "Break time, not shrink time!"  Maybe I'll keep that there.

I rarely find fun things at these kinds of sales, so I may have reached my estate sale climax today.  However, if I would of had an extra $500 dollars with me I could have gotten the most beautiful dining room set, but I didn't.  That and I already have a sufficient dining table now.

It was a great start to a picture perfect day.  The sun was shining and we were all smiling.  Here's to many many more days like today!

Score!

We went to a large consignment sale this weekend.  Griffin's wardrobe is a little sparse after the size that he's currently in so we were on the lookout for some warmer weather attire.

I am learning the awesomeness of consignment sales, seeing as babies only fit into things for a couple of months at a time.  Before having Griffin I had made the conscious decision to save as much money as I possibly can for as long as possibly  can .  I am only breastfeeding, I will be making most (if not all) of our baby food,  and I don't take Griffin out much, especially around other kids, to try to avoid sickness.  So it just didn't make sense to buy all new clothes every other month.

This particular sale was HUGE and I felt overwhelmed as soon as we entered.  Thank God for Dave.  He was a madman looking for good deals.  If I would have gone alone, I would have left with only a frown on my face.  But instead we got several great outfits, a couple of hats, a pair of nice shoes, and some toys.  Way to go Dave!

Dave pulled out two bags of wooden toys: one wooden train set and a large bag of blocks.  Woohoo!  Dave and I both remembered the blocks from our childhood.  The train set has alphabet letters that sit on top of the cars, and we figured that surely some pieces were missing, but it was still a fun set.  To our surprise we found ALL the pieces in perfect condition!

We may or may not have spent most of Saturday night playing with Griffin's toys while he slept.

Griffin may have a while before he's able to play with his stuff, but I don't think that's going to stop Dave and I from practicing...

Happy St. Patrick's Day, friends!

Griffin celebrated by wearing his green PJs all day, drinking too much (milk), taking two nice long naps, and taking a bath.  The luck of the Irish must have been with us since we were able to get some much needed Spring cleaning done while GV entertained himself in the exersaucer when not sleeping.  I don't even recall hearing him cry today.

Hope your St. Paddy's day was as good as ours!

Reason #1,000,004 I Love my David

I know what you're possibly thinking right now, "Because he buys you flowers, Kristen."  However, that is not where I am going with this.

Friday Dave comes home from work later than I expected.  There were flowers in a grocery bag that he's carrying.  I smile and then realize that these flowers aren't necessarily for me.  He then proceeds to tell me how he stopped by one store after work and was unimpressed with their flower selection, so he made a second stop to make his purchase. 

So far this story isn't out of the norm, a lot of men buy flowers on their way home from work, right?

He spent nearly ten minutes looking for THE vase, while calling the washed pickle and jelly jars too country for what he was going for.  

I sat down to feed Griffin and Dave sat down at the table with the flowers and vase.  He had purchased two different bundles (like he normally does) and I had figured that I'd be the one arranging them.  I watched as he carefully trimmed all the flowers and placed each one in it's perfect place, instead of plopping them in carelessly.  He made a comment that he didn't understand why stores carried mixed bouquets, since they all look like crap (to him).  And that he was always able to make something that looks much nicer.  He is right.  

Afterwards he brought his arrangement over to me and asked if I saw any holes that he needed to fill or if he should trim a few more flowers to make the bouquet more rounded.  Proud of his work, he placed the flowers on top of the piano.  

We have company coming this week and he, without being asked, was just doing his part to make the house a little more inviting.  This was a reminder to me of how awesome my David is.

*footnote:  I was given permission to tell this story--reason #1,000,005 I love him.

Repair Man

A few weeks ago Dave was repairing our fridge.  He got Griffin up and let me sleep in a bit.  (Thanks Dave!)
I walked into the kitchen to see a miniature repair man sitting on our dining table.
And I believe I heard this on the same day from Dave changing Griffin in the nursery:
     "We're men, that means that we take risks."
Then Dave sprints out of and then back to the nursery.  Does it make me nervous that Griffin is allowed to play with sharp, dangerous tools, or that his dad is running up and down the hall while changing his diaper?  No, not in the least.  I hope this kid grows up to be just like his dad, his dad who takes risks.

Griffin goes to the Aquarium

We were invited to join a couple of friends of ours to the Aquarium this past weekend, and even though I was hesitant to agree, we all had a great time.  I was a little worried that Griffin would decide that he didn't want to be there, or that he would tell us that he wan't going to eat out of his bottle in the midst of the long day.  

I really should learn one of these days that Griffin loves to be out, and I mean really really loves it.  

He was awake most of the trip and happy to be rolling around in his stroller.  After a while he started to get hungry and Dave tried to feed him while walking around a room full of tanks.  Griffin was too distracted to eat, even though it had been four hours since his last meal.  (He is usually STARVING at three hours)  Finally when he decided to eat, he had no problem at all with the bottle.  Yay!  Afterwards he was in a great mood and was alert to all his surroundings.  

It was so much fun to watch him stare at the animals swimming around in the tanks.  

At this particular tank, he was overcome with excitement.  Not sure what it was that caused this, but it was the cutest thing we had seen all day.  (Even cuter than the river otters :))

Watching the penguins swim around.

Finally he was worn out.  (Did I mention it was a long trip for him?)  He was able to fall asleep on his dad's shoulder through the rest of Aquarium.  That too was cuter than the otters.

It's so nice to get out of the house and stretch our legs a bit, especially when in the company of good friends.  Maybe one of these days I'll get over my silly anxiety and take him out much more often.

More pictures from this trip here.

100th Post!

My baby loves to play!

As I am attempting to learn my way around my sewing machine, I've made GV a few soft baby blocks.  All different sizes with bells inside and one with tags.  This sewing stuff isn't nearly as hard as I thought it would be.  The best part of this endeavor is watching Griffin play with them.  He approves!

On the subject of toys, I have shared my rant about brightly colored plastic toys, especially exersaucers.  I've ranted and now there's one sitting in my living room.  I'm reluctant to thank Gram for this toy but Griffin really likes it, so he's super thankful.  It is providing mutual entertainment for both of us; it's amazing to watch his focus and determination when he sees a toy that he wants.  I do hope that these traits grow right along with him.

4 months

GV month by month

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Four months old has been quite an adventure so far.  Of course, GV is still growing like crazy.  I really hope this slows down a bit soon, he's more than doubled in size in just a couple of months.  It scares me a little that he's already the length of my legs, that's not saying too much, but still!  

But bigger than his body is his personality.  When I find myself wishing that he was still just his itty bitty newborn self, I am reminded of his funny little personality.  It's so much fun to watch him transition into a little person.  He's got a stubborn streak.  When he's mad, which thankfully isn't too often, he lets you know.  For example, if he wants to eat and he thinks you've waited just a minute too long, he will put up a fight to try to teach you a lesson.  The fight is worse if he's mad and you're attempting to put a bottle in his mouth, but it's not impossible to win him over.   Most of the time he's good mood Griffin though.  He loves to talk, especially to groups of women that gather around to look at him.  I thought it was a little to early to flirt, but I guess not.  Most of the day he spends content and happy, just getting a little whiny when he's tired.  I can't complain.

He still LOVES to sleep.  He's sleeping 10-11 hours a night and taking about a three hour nap in the morning and an hour nap in the evening.  This keeps me a happy mom.  Playing is his second favorite passtime.  He's entertained easily by toys dangling above his head , by kicking the keyboard in his crib, or even by sitting in his chair watching whatever is going on.  His favorite toy happens to be the cheapest one too--his hands.  He doesn't need things in them, he's fine just chewing on his fingers for hours at a time.  I get lots of entertainment from watching him play.  It's terrible to admit, but I love to see him frustrated with something.  He gets this intense look of determination on his face, with furrowed brow and bugged eyes, and sometimes he shakes a bit.  Then he slaps his arms around and yells until his plan is carried out.  I could watch that all day long.

We do have one problem in our house, one I hoped and prayed that we wouldn't have.  He LOVES the T.V.  Ugh!  I had planned on having a child that despised the television and would rather draw or run around outside.  Now I know that it's too early for those things, but this kid will roll and scoot and do things you didn't even know that he could until he's looking at the screen.  He is obsessed with it.  My plan may be just a little harder to carry out than I hoped.  On the subject of rolling, he's a pro.  He had rolled (tummy to back) a month ago and did for several days, then just stopped.  But now he's back on board and has even rolled back to tummy too.

You can tell by the picture that he is much stronger, his back and neck especially.  He hates being held like a baby, preferring to be sitting up if you'll let him.  Another thing you can see in the picture is his belly button, or his knob, as we affectionately labeled it is now normal.  It used to be herniated, it stuck out a good ways, and was noticeable through his clothes.  The doctor said that this was normal and could take anywhere from a couple of months to a couple of years to fix itself.  Hallelujah!  It only took a couple of months.  It was fun while it lasted.

Here's his stats

Nearly 26 inches long-75th percentile
15.1 lbs-75th percentile
Head circumference- 50th percentile