Standing on her own and Conversations with Grant

Sloan has a cold unfortunately.  Grant had a runny nose and she obviously caught it.  He is fine now but she is a little snotty.  It is not bad at all so I am hoping it clears up soon.  Her ears look great so far and I have been checking them every couple of nights.  Love having an otoscope! 

She has a new skills this week.....she can pull herself to standing.  I have only seen it a couple of times when she is super motivated to get to something.  She is still not completely sturdy but she doesn't have much fear.  We put her in the swing outside and she LOVED it!  I remember putting Grant in it at this age and he cried at first and then liked it.  Little Sloan is such a risk taker that she was elated when I started swinging her.  And I can swing her much higher than Grant ever would go.

Grant does a tiger growl so much that now Sloan is growling.  He also whistles a lot and now she will blow like she is trying to whistle.  I definitely see how second children pick up things quicker with an older sibling constantly doing things around them.  Unless he is asleep, Grant is non-stop action!

Conversations with a 3 year old are a daily laugh!  Grant found a pair of pants in his closet from last winter.  It was the only pair that were long on him last year so I left them out for this winter.  He pulled them out and said "I want to wear these mommy please".  I tried to explain that it was way too hot right now to wear pants but he could wear them when it gets cold.  Of course, this did not work.  In fact, he looked at me and said "but you wear pants to work everyday".  Lovely huh.  Well, at that point I couldn't really argue and told him he could wear them inside but had to change to shorts to go outside.  He agreed.  He has been wearing them everyday for a few days now.  I am going to snatch them tomorrow to wash them so I am sure that won't go over well. 

His new word is "actually".  He uses it when making or expressing his decisions.  For example, I will say "do you want pretzels or buggles with your sandwich?".  To which he now replies, "I want Doritos actually".  Hilarious!

He informed me that he wanted to be a Penguin for Halloween this year, I assume from our recent aquarium visit.  Then he said that Sloan has to be a Dolphin!  I guess I better start shopping now since those aren't your typical costumes.  Although maybe he will change his mind before we get closer to that time.

So Luke typically cuts our grass every week and as you have seen in the pictures...Grant follows behind him.  The grass needed to be cut this week and I told Luke that I would cut it since he does it so much.  Grant looked at me and said "mommys can't cut grass, only daddys".  After that comment, I was definitely cutting the grass, ha ha!  It was not my first time but Grant was amazed that I was going to do it.  He then followed behind me.  Afterwards, he looked at me and said "you did a good job mommy".  Oh how the gender roles start early!

Grant tells her the shapes and where to put them.  She could obviously care less but loves to play with him!

 The pants!

 The remote is what she wants...not a toy of course!  The approach....

 Success in getting to the remote all by herself!

 Dropped it and now deciding how to get down.....she ended up just plopping down on her bottom

Sloan's 9 Month Stats and Grant ditches the pacifier!

Sloan had her 9 Month doctor's appointment today.  She is still quite petite.  She weighed 16lb 3oz (25th percentile) and she was 27 inches tall (30th percentile).  She got one shot to get her all caught up (it was a combo of DTaP, Polio and HiB).  They also pricked her big toe to check her iron which I don't remember them doing with Grant but I must have just forgotten.  Her levels were normal.

Grant gives me sooo much material to write about that I don't know where to start and stop, ha ha.  The biggest news is that he no longer needs a pacifier!  We have been talking about it every night for a week or so.  I would say "let's try to sleep without your pacifier tonight and you are big boy now and don't need it anymore".  And his response was always "no, I will do it tomorrow night".  But last night, his response changed and he said "okay, I will try it tonight.  Only babies need paci's mommy".  I just knew that he would be yelling for his pacifier later in the night but he didn't.  And tonight, he went right to bed without saying a word about it!  That was way too easy!

Whenever Grant refers to "yesterday", he will say "last morning" and we have no clue where that came from. 

He has learned how to tell a lie here lately too.  For an elaborate example, he was in the tub last night and saw Luke's scar on his elbow (from where he had surgery) and asked what it was.  Luke explained that it was a scar from a boo boo but that was not good enough.  He had to know exactly how it happened and what a scar was and what surgery was and on and on.  Luke explained to him that it was from playing basketball and the doctors had to cut out some scar tissue and it was all better.  Luke and I tag team on bath time and bedtime (and alternate kids each night usually).  So, I was putting Grant to bed and he started telling me that he "hurt his elbow today at school" and since I did not hear their previous conversation, I started asking how he hurt it.  He said he was "playing basketball and had to have surgery to cut it out".  It was a very elaborate story and Luke walked in and heard him and busted out laughing.  Grant then started laughing too. Crazy boy!

Grant also has either an imaginary friend or there is a kid at school that I cannot find.  He has started to talk about "Michael" and will make lion noises and say "Michael does that" or point and wiggle his fingers at you and say "Michael does that".  Then, I took him swimming at our neighborhood pool Monday night and he looked at this little boy and yelled "Hey Michael, mommy that is Michael!" but it was not Michael....his name was Luke actually.  I just told the dad that he must look like Michael at his school.  Grant looked at me very confused and said "no mommy, that is Michael".  I tried to explain that it was not and changed the subject.  I asked him who Michael was and he said it was a boy from school.  This morning, I looked at the list of kids in both classes and there is no Michael.  I asked one of the teachers and she said there is not a Michael.  We are confused to say the least. 

The Aquarium and a Tea Party

Grant and I went to the Aquarium last week and had some fun!  He was amazed at how big the fish were.  We went to the "touch" pools first where you can touch stingrays, shrimp, sea urchins, baby sharks, etc.  He was very reluctant to touch anything at first.  Then, he finally got up enough nerve to touch a shrimp (which was a huge shrimp actually) and right when he touched it, he jerked his hand and splashed water everywhere...it was funny.  He loved touching the sea urchins but refused to touch anything else.  He turns to me and says "Okay mommy, sooooo you touch the stingray."  I had to touch everything for him, ha ha.  One of his favorite phrases this week has been "okay, sooooo...." and then he gives you a request/direction.  

We got to see the new Dolphin show too.  He was amazed and we were on the first row and got splashed with water when the dolphins swam by.  The people sitting next to us were probably wishing we weren't there, lol.  Grant was asking questions the entire time and not quietly!  "How do they jump so high?, What do they eat?, Where are their ears?, How does that girl ride him like that?  I want to ride him!" and on and on.....

One other thing that Grant says now is "What?" and "What you say mommy?" in a really loud voice.  If Luke and I are trying to say something quietly so he can't hear, he will say this since he can hear EVERYTHING!  Or if I just say something under my breath in the car (i.e., road rage, etc.)....I get a "What you say?!!"

 Sloan being goofy for the camera....she actually wanted to eat the cord on the camera

 This is how Grant was sleeping in his bed at naptime.  Yes, he has way too much stuff in bed with him too!

 We opened one of Sloan's toys today that was in her closet, a tea party set!  Grant got way more excited about this than Sloan of course.  He immediately set it all up and started pouring tea and handing out cups and desserts.  The teapot makes a pouring noise and he thinks that is awesome.  Notice that Sloan has also hijacked Grant's penguin he got from the aquarium; which wouldn't let her touch for the first few days he got it.

Sloan's 9 Month Pictures

I took Sloan to get her 9 Month pictures done this week.  She was not interested in being photographed AT ALL!  She wanted to crawl around everywhere instead of sit still and smile.  After repositioning her more than a few times, she started to scream and cry.....so I gave up at that point.  We did get a few good ones in the beginning but not as many as I would have liked.  I am hoping she is more patient at a year old!

 You can see her tooth in this one!

Sloan is 9 Months and has a new name....Sloanie!

Sloan is officially 9 Months old!  I am taking her for pictures tomorrow and she will have her doctor's appointment next week.  I am also taking Grant to the aquarium tomorrow before I have to fly out to Orlando for a work trip.  Luke will have full duty for a few days.

Grant has given Sloan a new name.....Sloanie!  He calls her this ALL the time now.  We don't know where he got it but think that our nanny may call her that sometimes too.

This is at Grant's preschool.  It was African Safari week last week and at the end they brought in a guy from the zoo.  He had all kinds of neat animals for the kids to see.  The parents were invited to come up and watch.  Grant loved it! 

 Grant enjoys playing with all of the baby toys again!

 This is what happens when I am trying to vacuum.  Sloan kept pulling the cord out of the outlet when it was plugged into the outlet near the floor.  So, I plugged it in at the outlet above the counter.  I turned around and this is what I see!  Thank goodness she doesn't have a lot of teeth yet, lol! 

 Enjoying chunks of carrots and grilled cheese.....she is such a slow eater though!  Every meal is like a 30 minute process at least.  She does love table food though.  She had some Nutri Grain granola bar pieces yesterday and really liked it too.

 I finally got a picture of her tooth!  I couldn't get one with her eyes open though.  The flash made her squint every time.  The tooth next to it is about to break through.

 Into EVERYTHING!

Yard Work, Eating Dogfood, New Teeth, New Skill....

One of Grant's favorite things to do is cut grass with Luke....well pretend to cut grass with Luke.  He even does his arm like he is pulling the string to start the lawn mower!  We literally laugh out loud every time he does it because he makes a noise like the engine when he does it.  One new skill Grant just did this morning, which I would have preferred he never learned, is undoing the car seat buckles.  He can completely get out by himself now!  So how are you supposed to keep kids in car seats until they are like 8 YEARS OLD! He waits until we stop the car thank goodness.   He has been able to get the harness part undone for a while now but the "button" part between his legs was always too hard for him.  He was pushing it this morning and all of the sudden it released.  The look on his face was priceless and I wish I had a camera.  He was so proud of himself and very excited and yelled "Grant did it!"  He promptly jumped out of his seat and said "I can get out all by myself now mommy". 
He continues to LOVE school and his teacher told me yesterday that he "is very sweet to the criers".  Turns out he is very disturbed by why a few of the kids cry for their mommy's almost the whole time they are there.  She said he will come up to them and say "it's okay do you want a toy".  How funny and sweet is that!  I must say that I am glad that I don't have one of those "criers".  It is awful to watch the kids get dropped off that are screaming and literally have to be pulled away from their mothers. 

Sloan is cutting her second bottom tooth!  We are back on Advil because she is just not a happy camper for a few days when her teeth are coming through.  It's funny how different she and Grant are in so many ways.  He never had any trouble with teething.  She also seems to be a bit more sensitive then Grant was.  She can produce alligator size tears at the drop of a hat....guess that is a girl thing, lol!

Serious face to her favorite stuffed animal....it sings the ABC's

Her favorite new find is Mason's dog food.....headed that way....

 I am sure she will get a taste before it is all said and done.  She got a handful on this occasion!

 Luke and Grant cutting grass

 Time to use the weed eaters now

 Everything goes in her mouth!  And I don't think you are supposed to sit this way in the car

Funny Kids

Just some funny stuff about our children......

Grant is really loving preschool camps.  I dropped him off yesterday morning and the teacher said "Grant is the most social child we have ever had!".  I promptly asked if that was a good thing or a bad thing for school, lol!  She said it was great so let's hope it stays that way.  He has picked up some new things at school.  Whenever we leave the house, he gets to the door and says "To the Rescue!" and I have no clue where he got it from so I am assuming school.  He also informed me that they play "Follow the leader" and he was the leader "all the time"!  I see rough teenage years in our future!  Another interesting thing....Grant had to pee when I dropped him off at school, so I took him to the potty (which are these cute miniature commercial pottys that require no step stools) and he promptly turned around and sat down.  I said "oh you have to poo poo?" and he said "no mommy, I have to sit to pee pee at school".  Turns out they make the little boys sit to pee in school since most of them are not yet skilled enough to get it aimed straight, lol!  He still stands to pee at home which makes Luke happy.  Luke will kill me for writing this on the blog and I should preface it with the fact that neither of us get naked in front of Grant anymore since he is sooooo intuitive and asks so many questions.  However, he pops up when we are in the shower sometimes and getting him to leave the bathroom at that point is next to impossible, ha ha.  This morning, Grant informed our nanny, Miss Kasie, this morning that daddy has a "big pee pee" and we both laughed.  I told him that he would have a "big pee pee" one day too and he got this funny smirk on his face and said "noooo mommy".  He also asked me the other day "why does Sloan not have a pee pee like me?"  to which I just said, "she is a girl and you are a boy" and he said "but why?"......ugh!

This past weekend, Grant went to swim lessons and swam without any back float for a few feet!  It is quite amazing to watch how fast they learn.  He is also jumping off the side of the pool into the water really well now too.  He used to jump straight down and want to hold your hand but now he jumps out without holding on to anything.  He can hold his breath and go all the way under water with the teacher too!

Little Sloan is a pistol these days!  She is into everything and is sitting up in her crib as soon as she wakes up now.  She has reached that age where you cannot go back into the room once you put her down to sleep or else she pops up and will start crying to get out.  I used to go back in and cover her up if she moved her blanket, etc.  She will cry sometimes for a minute or two when we put her down for naps and bed but then goes right to sleep.  Sloan is not what you call a "quiet" child!  She is always screaming at something, mostly Mason or Grant.  I think it makes it worse because Grant will scream back at her and she loves that....and Mason will start barking because her screaming hurts his ears but it just makes her scream louder.  Sloan has also started trying to get to the dog food, lovely!  I am sure she will get a nibble before it is all said and done.  She is still getting 3 bottles per day (before naps and bedtime) but she is taking less and less ounces in them so I am hoping to ditch them in the next month or two.  Ahhhh to be done with bottles and formula!  She is using her sippy cup by herself really well now.  She still eats mostly baby food but she loves french toast now too along with eggs.  Goldfish are also a favorite.  She will gag every once in a while but nothing like what Grant used to do, ha ha.

Happy 4th of July

We had a low key 4th of July at home this year since it was on a Wednesday!  

Sloan LOVES to wave at everyone all the time.  She turns her hand like she is in Miss America.....if I were a pageant person, I would be oh so proud, lol! People in restaurants and stores find it hysterical to watch her do this.

On the move.....all the time!

 Trying to get a picture of both of them is not easy

 Sloan can now hold her sippy cup but we are still working on holding it up high enough to get the juice out.  She gets it right half the time.

 Finally got a good picture of both of them

 Sloan grinds her gums all the time now that her bottom teeth are coming in so her face looks crooked all the time now, ha ha.

 Enjoying some basketball fun

 Grant showing off his favorite cars....he sleeps with one of them every night now

 Sloan coming for his cars and the look on his face says it all!  He does NOT like her messing with his stuff.

 Throwing poppers is so much fun but cleaning up the mess afterwards, no so much!

 Watermelon on a super hot 4th of July.  The first thing he said is "why is this part green and this part red? and Why can't I eat the green part" I tried to explain somewhat but I ended up having to just direct his attention to something else.  His favorite question is "Why?" and it is non stop.  If I ask him to do anything (i.e., go get your shoes), he asks "Why?" and when you answer, you just get another "Why?"......exhausting sometimes I must say.

 Grant wants a seatbelt like ours so he now pulls the real seat belt in the backseat over his arm.  You would think he would just let go of it at some point but he keeps it on all the time.  He also will tell me if I "forget" to put mine on.  He is my little backseat driver now...he says "light is green mommy, go", "light is yellow mommy, slow down"