Sloan's Tooth and Grant is an official Big Boy

Sloan is feeling the pain of teething this week.  Her bottom, right tooth has just broken through and I can see a white line now for the bottom, left tooth too.  She is chewing and drooling all the time!  I started giving her some Advil today since it seemed to be bothering her during her naps, etc.  She slept for 3 hours after that so I guess it worked, poor thing.  Her teeth look much bigger than Grant's did so maybe that is why they hurt more than his did.  She is doing great other than that.  She is now in Size 3 diapers and most of her clothes are 9-12 months.  This heat has been killing us this week.  It was 106 degrees in Atlanta yesterday and close to the same today.  Our AC is running non-stop but it takes it a little while at night to get down to our normal 71 degrees in the house.  It has been around 77 degrees inside all day even though we have it set on 71.  We haven't been covering her up with blankets until after midnight because of that.  We are hoping for some cooler weather soon!

Grant's new, big boy bed got delivered on Saturday morning!  We painted his room and got it all ready for him.  We were talking about it for a few weeks with him.  He was wishy washy on whether he wanted the new bed or not.  Some days he would say "I love my crib and I want to keep it" and then other days he would say "I want a bigger bed".  I admit that I was a little nervous that we might end up with him in our room in the middle of the night.  The verdict.....he slept all night in his new bed and LOVED it!  Thank goodness right!  He actually loved it so much that when he got back from swim lessons this morning at 11am (not a nap time for him at all), he said "I want to go to my bed and take nap".  Luke and I just laughed and I went up there with him and he got his paci (yes, our last little vice to get rid of) and told me to "turn on his noise machine".  He laid up there for like 30 minutes talking and then yelled for me to come up there.  This afternoon, he did take a real nap for about 2 hours though.  It was great to get the queen bed out of Sloan's nursery.  She has so much more space in her room now.

Grant has also learned how to get Mason to do tricks, well I guess his speech has gotten clear enough for Mason to understand him now, lol!  So he gets 2 biscuits (not sure why it has to be 2 every time but we just go with it) and he tells Mason to "sit" and "roll over" and "stand".  He loves doing it so much that we have had to tell him no sometimes or Mason will get way too many biscuits, ha ha.

Sloan hanging out at the pool

 Grant made this hat at his Preschool Camp this past week.  The theme for the week was 4th of July obviously.

 Grant in his new bed! No decorations yet but we are getting there.



Grant's first day of school and Sloan in the tub

Sloan is now trying out some some eggs.  She seems to like table food but gags a little.  I am ready for her to be just on table food to be honest.  She should also have a tooth here in the next few days!  I can see the skin breaking a little on her bottom right tooth.  Although she fights me sooooo hard to get in her mouth.  She is so much stronger and fights so much harder than Grant ever did on stuff like that.  I have to hold her down and pry her little mouth open to see it.  I gave up on looking really good earlier but I did see where the tooth is about to break through.  She is biting everything and drooling like a faucet.  Sloan is also pulling up to her knees all the time now.  She loves to pull up in the crib and pull the curtain over the bumper.  She also snagged a blanket from the stack that sits next to her crib.  Sneaky little thing.  She may have even more of my personality than Grant does......ahhh the teenage years are looking to be rough in our house!

Grant started 3 year old summer camp/preschool today!  He goes from 9am-12pm and loves it!  Ms Kasie and I took him this morning and he could care less that we left him there.  There were a couple of other 3 year olds that were screaming when their parents were leaving.  Grant immediately went to check out all of the toys and other kids.  We went back to pick him up and he had some funny stories.....first, he said that "one of the boys pooped in his diaper" so obviously there are some kids in his class that are not yet potty trained! He also said he "really liked their potty and didn't need a stool to stand on because his pee pee could reach over the potty" lol!  They have the mini toilets that look just like ours.  Their snack was cheese balls and water and he informed me that we needed to get some cheese balls. 

I got a laugh out of one little boy when we got there this morning.  He went straight up to the teacher and said "I can't have cows milk" with the most serious face.  There are so many allergies these days that I guess they are used to it.  They told him that they don't give any milk to the kids. 

We ordered Grant a queen sized bed which should be here in a couple of weeks.  He will officially be a big boy then I guess.  We are hoping he loves the bed and wants to stay in it at night, lol!

Sloan eating her eggs

Bathtime

 Trying to stand up in the tub but she is not sturdy yet.  This is her typical face though....screaming in laughter

 Grant at preschool!  His teachers are Miss Van and Miss JoAnn



Camp Houston

Luke and I went on a vacation for week without kids and had a great time!  CeCe and Papa Bill had a very busy week while we were gone.  The week started a bit rough since both Grant and Sloan were sick.  It is just my luck that they both catch something right before I want to go relax somewhere, lol.  Grant ended up with an ear infection and I got him meds right before I left.  This was his first illness since he was 8 months old!  Poor little Sloan ended up with Bronchitis and mom had to take her to an urgent care (which we found right before I left just in case, thank goodness).  She got some meds and got better quick after that.  The grandparents got way more than they bargained for but we really appreciated it!  Juggling both of them at their ages is no easy task!

Grant had a great time and is still talking about all of the fun things he did.  He got to swim, pick blackberries and eat them, terrorize the cats, ride his bike, visit with JW and play endlessly with Uncle Rhett who I am sure has a new perspective on how much time and energy kids take, ha ha!  Grant also learned a new word,  "holy crap" thanks to Papa Bill.  I guess it could be way worse.  Grant now uses it in perfect context but says "holy crappers".  I have to stop myself from laughing because it is really funny to hear it come out of his mouth. 

Sloan has now tried eggs, pieces of a biscuit and....don't judge but McDonald's french fries!  She loves the fries and so do Grant and I.  She is still mostly on baby food but we are starting the real foods.  She is also crawling faster and faster everyday now.  She is sitting herself up now sometimes.  She continues to be much more verbal than Grant ever was.  She loves to clap her hands all the time now.  Bath time has become a challenge sometimes since she is trying to stand up on the edge now.  She has zero balance so you have literally keep a hand on her the entire time. 

Playing ball inside with Rhett

Sloan loved the drums, probably because they make so much noise

 Grant loved the boat in the pool

 Nana and Sloan.....check out Sloan's rockin' hair...thanks CeCe

 CeCe had some fun with a tutu and pearls...

 Grant and Sloan hanging out at the pool

 Riding in the jeep....well...sitting in the jeep

 I have no clue what prompted this craziness!  Thanks Papa Bill

 JW and Sloan



Grant's Snotty Mess and Sloan loves her some Mum Mums

 As previously mentioned in my last post, check out the floor of toilet paper.  The first pile was much larger but I didn't get my camera before he threw it all in the trash.  Lot of snot in this house....but it is getting better

 Sloan loves puffs and now really loves these Mum Mums (rice crackers).  She is quite aggressive with her puffs so I am thinking she may take to table food quickly.

The Infirmary, Pediatrician battle and Sloan has a new skill

Our house has been an infirmary for the past few days now and it is not fun.  Sloan caught a cold and it has turned into Bronchiolitis (aka lots of wheezing).  I can handle a runny nose and cough but not wheezing!  Grant has caught it too but just has a cough and a runny nose. The younger they are the worse this stuff is in my experience. Grant had Bronchiolitis at almost the same age as Sloan so I had some experience under my belt this time around.  She was put on breathing treatments (albuterol) yesterday but she was still wheezing after her treatment this morning.  So, I took her back to the pediatrician this afternoon.  I am sure I have some "crazy mama" remarks in her file now since I got into with the doctor pretty bad.  I wanted her to get Prednisone (which is what finally got rid of Grant's wheezing when he had this) and the doctor was pushing back.  If anyone knows me well, they know that I don't take no for an answer when I really want something and an MD behind your name doesn't mean you know everything that is right for your child.  He did a breathing treatment in the office and she was still wheezing some afterwards which he tried to say was normal.  He said that she just had to let it work its way out of her system.  Long story short, we went home with Prednisone (mama 1, doctor 0) and she got her first dose tonight.  So, cross your fingers that she wakes up tomorrow without wheezing.  She is already sleeping better tonight and it has only been a couple of hours.  She has been sleeping but very restless and all over the crib the past few nights. 
Funny Grant story....Since I pulled Grant out of daycare (at 8 months old), he has not been sick until now.  So, a runny nose has freaked him out a little.  He comes and says he needs a wipe with the slightest bit of snot coming out of his nose. So at naptime, he was yelling for a wipe every few minutes before he actually fell asleep.  In all of my creativity (or lack thereof) I gave him a roll of toilet paper in his crib and told him to pull a piece off, blow his nose and throw it on the floor.  I went back in after he woke up and there was a pile of toilet paper!  It was so funny but it kept me from having to go in there every time he needed it, lol! 

On a positive note, Sloan has learned how to clap her hands!  We have been doing Patty Cake this past week and she picked it up very quickly.  She is also trying to wave now which is very cute.  She is crawling several feet a time now and actually pulled herself up to her knees to get to a toy this past weekend.  We caught her trying to sit herself up twice now but it was unsuccessful....and I am not totally convinced that she realized what she was even doing.

A New Friend, The Pool and Freedom of a Walker

The walker has definitely given Sloan freedom that she LOVES!  She can now run and reach out and grab a lot of things.  She has discovered Grant's shoes (aka what used to be my wine rack) and she loves to pull them out and throw them on the floor.  Grant does not like when she does this though.  She is now crawling a foot or so and then drops down to her belly to rest.  We took them both to the pool this weekend and they both enjoyed it. 

Busted grabbing a shoe!

Grant likes to try and show Sloan how to crawl.  She tries to get to the hardwood floors so she can bang her hand on them and hear the noise.  She loves to hit things....lets hope that is not indicative of her future...

 I was driving home from the grocery store and saw a turtle in the middle of the road.  So, I stopped and rescued it to take home to Grant.  He loved it of course.  This turtle was not shy at all either, he never went into his shell.  We went and released him around the lake in our neighborhood.  I thought he would want to keep him for a while but he was totally fine.  He said "He needs to find his mommy and daddy?" and I said yes he does.

 Sloan tried to make an escape to the deck but got stuck on the rug.  She got pretty upset after I took this picture.  Patience doesn't seem to be her strongest trait, lol!

She has found the door locks and tries to pull them off

 First trip to the pool

 Grant tested out his new life jacket which worked out perfect since he is not quite swimming on his own yet.  He is totally drown proof in this thing and can go all over the pool by himself while I held Sloan.



Grant's 3 Year Doctors Appointment

I took Grant for his 3 year check up yesterday. He weighs 31 pounds (50%) and is 37 3/4 inches (50%) tall. Everything else was great. They don't check vision until his 4 year check up so we will have to wait until then to see who's vision he got, mine or Luke's. He had to get 2 vaccines, Chicken Pox (varicella) and Hepatitis A. I was hoping he would catch chicken pox but no luck with that so he got the shot. I told him before we went that he had to get 2 shots and that it would hurt for a minute when they stuck him but it would be quick. He said okay but I was a little worried that I may have to hold him down for the second one. The nurse came in and he said "I want it in this leg." She got a laugh out of that. He also wanted to sit up so he could watch even though i told him to look up instead. The nurse asked him to hold onto my hands. She did the first one and he clinched his fists and I was waiting on the scream but he was fine. Then, he said "one more?" and I told him yes. He watched as she put the second one in and never made a peep! The nurse was shocked too! I was shocked but glad it went so well. We went to Toys R Us afterwards and got him a new toy for being so good.

Grant Turns 3 and Sloan Eats Puffs

Grant is officially 3 years old!  We had a very busy week.  I took him to Waffle House for breakfast on his birthday since he loves it so much.  Elizabeth (aka Betty Crocker) made him a firetruck cake which he thought was awesome.  So, he got to blow out candles on his birthday and this past weekend at his birthday party.  His party was at The Little Gym and all of the kids had a great time.  The theme was Cars per Grant's request.  He received a ton of gifts/toys and I am not sure how much more can fit into our house at this point.  I think we could really open a toy store at our house!  I am taking him for his 3 year check up at the doctor tomorrow so I will post his new stats soon. 

Sloan is now officially on 3 meals per day plus 3 bottles.  We moved her to baby food for lunch this week.  She can down about 2 small jars per meal and her bottles are about 4-6 ounces each.  We are on the countdown for getting rid of bottles!  This has made her napping consistent now too.  She is sleeping 2 hours in the morning and 2 hours in the afternoon and 12 hours at night.  She also received her first puff yesterday.  For those that don't know, these are little, easily dissolving rice pieces.  She was very curious at first and put it straight in her mouth, like everything else these days.  She choked a couple of times but then started to get the hang of it.  We are working on it each day now to get her used to some thicker textures.

 At The Little Gym, sitting in the middle of the parachute while the kids turned it around him and sang "The Wheels on the Bus"

 Grant and Juliet

 Jumping on the Air Walk

 Enjoying some pizza before the cake

 Blowing out his candles

 Grant (covered in icing) and Sloan

 Grant on his new bike...he does circles through the house

 Sloan looking at the puffs

 Sticking the puff in her mouth

 "What is this stuff?"

Spelling & ABCs

Sippy Cup, Crawling, Planting and Sliding....

 Grant is asking to hold Sloan a lot now.  He says "mommy, I want to hold Sloan on couch".  I only let him hold her when he sitting on the couch for obvious reasons.  He is very gentle but still has enough toddler in him to forget that he can hurt her.  For example, he constantly tries to push her around in the walker and wants her to go faster.  It is funny to watch them though...she will smile at him if he just looks at her and talks and it takes way more than that from me sometimes.

 We went to a friend's (Sadie) birthday party.  Grant had a great time!  The slides were pretty high but he never hesitated....just went right up there, slid down and went back again and again.

 Sloan sitting up.  She still falls some but it's getting better.  She will reach for something and forget to catch herself and topple over.  I am really wanting her to get really sturdy sitting up so she can sit up in the bath tub!  That will make bath time much easier for us too since they will be able to bathe together then.

 I got Grant some flowers to plant with Ms Kasie (his nanny) and he is really good at watering them everyday.  It takes all he has got to not pick all of the flowers off though.  He likes to pick flowers and bring them inside and put them in a bowl of water. 

 I gave Sloan a sippy cup for the first time and she did okay but is far from understanding the concept.  She bites everything these days so she bit down on the nipple and it came pouring out into her mouth.  Which she then just let it all run out of her mouth.  She did enjoy holding it though.  This is a work in progress....

 Her latest skill....getting up on all fours!  She has started the "rocking" which usually precedes crawling.  I think her limited mobility is coming to an end soon!