Grant Attack

So, after that totally terrible week we had with Grant, I feel like I've got a new baby on my hands. The poor little guy. In the course of 5 days, he had a mild reaction to an immunization and cut 2 teeth. So we struggled with an off again, on again low-grade fever, sleepless nights, and then a nice case of viral exanthum (a rash). Just a week later, he cut 2 more teeth. No wonder the little guy was such a mess. But now, he's a seriously happy boy. He's not as clingy. He plays by himself. He loves being in his walker or highchair. The little man was so good on our trip to NV. He slept through every night.


He has started sitting up by himself which has also helped his temperament a lot. He loves being privy to the action, if not the center of it. Its nice to be able to sit him up on my bed while I'm getting ready instead of listening to him cry because I'm not holding him. Also, it has made our meal times SO much better now that he is very content being in his high chair (you were right mom!).


From the time he wakes up until the late afternoon, this is pretty much what I get. Smiles and more smiles. (By the way, I know I'm not supposed to put stuff in the crib with him. But he won't take a binki, and like his sister, I can leave him happily in his bed to go to sleep by himself if he has a book and a blanket.) The evening is pretty much a crap shoot, but a bad night is easier to handle after a good day.

Grant is completely in love with his big sister. He is fascinated by her every move and laughs at just about everything she does. It is the best thing in the world to watch them play together. I'm a lucky mommy.

At his 6 month appointment, he was still averaging the same stats: 90th+ percentile for length, and 5oth percentile for weight. He is already popping out of his car seat. I used this car seat with Grace until she started walking. I can't believe how fast it goes.

He loves just about everything we give him to eat. We've got a couple of those mesh bag pacifiers that you can put ice cubes, or cooked veggies or fruit in. He loves it. Or Cori will just hold produce up to his mouth and he loves to sit and suck on it. Now that he's got 4 teeth poking through (two on top and two below), we're entering the fun Cheerio phase of parenthood. I swept the kitchen twice today.

Things that make him especially happy right now:

• when Gracie says "Achoo, baby Grant!" 49 times in a row
• being tickled. He's ticklish everywhere
• having books read to him
• reaching, and grabbing everything in sight
• watching Grace jump
• riding in the new stroller next to Grace

Food Storage Find

Maybe you're like me and have less-than-fond memories of your mom rotating her powdered milk storage. I don't really care for the real stuff to begin with. So when it popped up on my shopping list I found myself staring at my options (huge boxes that would make like 50 gallons) thinking what in the world am I going to do with that much powdered milk?

So I waited. Then, at Walmart I found a box of powdered milk packets. The box has 10 packets that make a quart each of milk. It was a bit more expensive ($7.24) at the onset to buy it this way, but perhaps cheaper than opening a huge box and not using it before it expires. I know I need more in our food storage with a toddler and baby on board. But this is a start.

Incidentally, I made some pudding last night. A large Jello pudding mix uses three cups (just a little shy of a quart) of milk. I think I'll use pudding to rotate our stock. :)

Visiting with Sara and Jared

We had such a great time with Jared and Sara. The pressure was on considering how far they had driven. But with these two, even watching the grass grow is a hoot.

Here is a taste of what we did together:

Jared grew a grizzly, manly beard.

Our first viewing of Nacho Libre. That is a ridiculous movie. I laughed. Really hard.

Dinner out at our fav. Chinese food place, followed by a $10 trip to the Family Fun Center arcade. Yep, the high life.

A trip up to Mackinaw City to view the bridge and eat the famous fish (walleye) and chips at the Dixie Saloon. The saloon is next door to the ferry port. I can't wait to get out to that island.

Sara and I made ridiculous amounts of food for conference weekend. We hooked a laptop up to the flat screen downstairs, and had another one set up in the kitchen for KBYU viewing. We cooked and watched and feasted in every way. Then, we flew kites in between sessions. It was a great weekend.

Speaking of cooking, I had Sara help me with some of our favorite recipes. Stuffed chicken breast Provencal over creamy Parmesan polenta and totally yummy curried fish soup.

Of course, there was the usual reading of many books and watching of other movies that usually accompanies spending time with my family. Jared gobbled through a 500 page book, and Sara started the Fitzwilliam Darcy series that I just finished.

We also spent an evening at Avalanche Bay, the indoor water park at Boyne Mountain. It was so much fun. We all took turns with the kids. Cori and Jared tore it up on the wave simulator. Sara and I went doubles on the big kid slides. Gracie l-o-v-e-d being in the water. She cried when we left.

Finally, they helped me survive what was easily the most difficult week to date of Mr. Grant's young life. I seriously would have lost it forever if they hadn't been around to help.

Saying good-bye wasn't as hard as I was preparing for because we got to see them again just a few days later. But now that we're home again, it feels a bit lonely.

Thanks kids for a fun week!

Wordless Wednesday: Spring at last

The Hub Bub

So, here is a shot of my drastic-I-need-a-change-in-my-life hair cut. Shocking, I know. It is pretty much the same hair cut I've styled for the last decade. But I did get it highlighted, and I love it. Why was I so afraid of getting it colored before? It didn't make a huge noticeable difference. But, it is enough of a change to make my hair more interesting to me. She chopped off a good 6 inches so now I feel like actually wearing it down once in a while. I had fallen into a fashion emergency habit of parting my hair and pulling it back into a bun right out of the shower.

This is our new piano. It's a digital Kawai. First, let me clear the air by saying there just isn't a digital product out there that can rival the feel and sound of an acoustic piano. But the digital had some pro's that were especially attractive to us at this stage of our family: price, as in cheaper; mobility, it is much lighter and compact than its acoustic counterpart; headphone options, I can practice during naptime; and we figure that we've got at least 2 more moves, probably 3 before we're settled anywhere long term. Moving a digital piano will be easier, cheaper, and we won't have to pay for tunings. There are some things I love about this model in particular. It has a wooden keyboard, and the keys actually work on a lever function. This makes it feel more like a piano as opposed to the light touch of an organ, or the heavy key action of other digital pianos. It also has some amazing voice options. I put it on harpsichord for Bach and other Baroque period music. I love the mallets for jazz and certain Rachmaninoff pieces. It has 5 or 6 different piano voice options to chose from. We've had a lovely reunion, my piano books and I.

Okay, and finally here are a few pictures of the book I made using Blurb. Sorry, they're not the best, but it will give you a general idea. I was really impressed with the final product. The book is nicely bound. The paper quality is super. The image resolution is amazing. Blurb just came out with a new version of Booksmart which is supposed to be easier to use than the one I used for this book. I haven't tried it yet, but the old version wasn't bad at all. There were a few things I had to figure out through trial and error, but the tutorials offered on the website were very useful in getting started.

Wordless Wednesday: Pooh Sticks, Fall 07

Some News

I'm back, kinda.

Sara and Jared left just this afternoon. Their departure was a bit premature but more on that shortly. We had a great visit, and I'll post pictures etc. ASAP.

My hair cut wasn't a crazy disastrous mess that has sent me into complete social seclusion. (In case any of you were wondering if that may be the cause of my blog negligence.) I had Sara take a little portrait and will show you my hair and my blog book very soon.

My sweet great-grandmother, Mama Jo, passed away yesterday afternoon. It was not unexpected. Her passing was quiet, quick and dignified. Sara and Jared had to leave today to make the drive back to NV in time for the funeral which will be this weekend. This means that we will also be making a quick trip back West in the next few days. (Which also means I'll be spending the next few days doing laundry, cleaning and packing rather than blogging.) I'm excited to tell you about Mama Jo. But it may be next week, or maybe the week after before I am able.

Just checking in, y'all. More soon.