"da-da"!!!!!!!!!!!

Grant just turned 8mths old! Today he started saying, "da-da" and he has the sweetest voice! He seriously is our little cuddle monkey. He is always pulling my face to him to give me kisses and he still wants to be rocked to sleep or just held. Right now he is a momma's boy and will cry if I walk by him and don't pick him up. He's army crawling all over the place and can sit up on his own for ten second or so.

He's figured out how to close the pop ups on the toy below, and he's starting to mimic us tapping/patting a table or something. He weighs about 23lbs and is drinking 6oz bottles every three hours. He usually goes to sleep for the night at 7pm, and while he had several weeks of sleeping thru the night, he has gotten into a crazy pattern of waking up around 4am and only going back to sleep on my chest. He is a super light sleeper, and if Warren makes a noise or wakes up, then Grant wakes up too.

Warren truly hates having his picture taken these days. He actually ran away yelling, "Noooo!" from the school photographer on the playground. Ha! Just like his daddy! He is still completely into cars, trucks, garbage trucks, fire engines, and all types of construction vehicles. He is talking perfectly clear and one of his new favorite words is "yahoo." He says it when he's excited. Adorable!

At the Fair!

Tonight we went to the HOT fair! It was Warren's first time to ever go to a fair, and he really enjoyed it. He actually cried when he had to get off this firetruck!

The firetruck below went way up in the air. Warren wasn't sure what to think, so Roy was trying to get him to smile. We thought for a moment he was going to throw up. When the ride was over he was all smiles.
He rode on two trains (in the engineer's seat, of course) but this one went around a curve fast and each time he just giggled/grinned so big! I love seeing him smile!
We went on the gondola to finish out the night!

We brought Grant with us too. He was just so content to ride around in the stroller, that he went an hour past his regular eating time... and if you know Grant and his love for eating, that's saying something!

Labor Day Pics by Grammie

My parents came down to visit for Labor Day weekend. We were at the park getting Grant's 5mth pictures, and Warren didn't want Grammie to take his picture at all.... until...

Daddy put him up in a high tree!!!! Then the smiles kept coming.

Pics of Warren and Grant together were not happening either... this one's the best we got.

Crazy! Grant is nearly the same size as his big brother... just like Roy and his younger brothers!

Grammie and Papa

Grant is 5mths old and is the sweetest little guy with the best smile...
He's so easy going that Grammie kept calling him "sober socks" while she was trying to get his picture. He was just fine with lying in the grass and playing with it. Getting a grin was tough!

Finally got one!

Grant during 5th month:

1) Rolls over (tummy to back and back to tummy)

2) Jibber-jabbers

3) Blows raspberries

4) Gives kisses (he will actually grab our face, open his mouth wide, and lean forward... he truly knows how to kiss - look out ladies!!!!!)

5) Slobbers buckets, esp. when chewing on his hands

6) Bottles (4-6oz) at 6am, 9am, noon, 3pm, and 7pm
7) Cereal for breakfast, fruit/veggies for lunch and dinner

8) Still LOVES to be rocked to sleep (or rocked while awake!) and just cuddle

9) Jumps in his jump-a-roo (just started this week!)

10) Smiles at his brother everytime he see him

Grant has been on acid reflux meds for a few weeks now and hardly ever spits up anymore!!! I knew the doctors were wrong! They kept telling me I was overfeeding him, but I knew that was not the case, esp. when he's only eating 20oz of formula a day and he's 20lbs!

We are having so much fun with two boys. I can't imagine my life any differently.

A Visit from the Cousins!

Roy went to London for a week at the beginning of July, and my sister and the kids came to stay with us while he was gone. It was AWESOME to not only see them all but also to watch Warren with them. I have to admit the first two days were rough: Warren was just plain mean to Sarah (i.e. hitting her, pushing her, once he even dumped his bowl of milk on her!); I think he was having possesion issues or something, but after two days, he was fabulous, and they all played together so well.

A little time in the sprinkler!

John and Sarah did a great job with Grant, too. They would ask to hold him often. Sarah even fed him, burped him, and put him to sleep!

One morning we went outside to play in the dirt. Unfortunately John and Sarah got a few mosquito bites out of it.

Baby Grant fell in love with his Auntie Kim! Everytime she picked him up he leaned over, buried his face in her, and went to sleep. It was hilarious! She didn't seem to mind too much.

Enjoying some Bomb Pops together!

Grant is 3 1/2mths old! Crazy how time flies. He is doing wonderfully. All the issues of spitting up/acid reflux seem to have subsided. He now eats 4oz of formula (still the low lactose kind) WITHOUT adding the cereal to it. He is staying full and isn't having all the tummy troubles. He is eating baby food and cereal once a day at least. He has even started sleeping thru the night!!! Usually he is out by 9pm and wakes at 6am. Now if we can just get Warren to stay asleep all night!

Grant is such a cuddler, and this momma is loving it! Warren rarely even wants me. I have to chase him down to get kisses, but Grant, he gives me giant grins and giggles and wants me to hold him. Actually, he likes anyone to hold him, but that's beside the point...

Grant has been reaching for things for a couple weeks now. He holds his head up very well, recognizes when we are eating (he LOVES to share popsicles and fusses when I don't give him quick even bites), wears 6-9mths and 9-12mths clothes, and #3 diapers. He giggles and follows everything with his eyes/head quickly. He enjoys watching TV and his brother. When he is tired or falling asleep he loves to hold onto a blanket or lovie. He has also started sucking his right thumb sometimes. I start taking him to daycare Aug 2.

A Picture Journal

Having time to blog is nearly impossible these days, so I am just trying to post pictures and short blurbs... here goes.

Grant has a couple nicknames because of how he loves to be held:

Mr. Cuddles and Cuddle Monkey

Grant is one strong little man!

Father's Day 2011 - a blender, a set of files, and a utility knife.

Since Grant is so hungry, the doctor said we could start him early on baby foods. This was the first spoon feeding. (about 10wks old)

Warren is a fast learner!

Got a pool for Warren - he mostly likes the spraying palm trees!

Several weeks ago we played outside with the spraying seal from Grammie and Papa... once again, it's all about eating the water!

More to come...

A Surprise Visit

On Sunday, June 5, we heard our doorbell ring. I was making hamburger patties, so I had raw meat all over my hands, and Roy was on the couch with Grant sleeping on him. We thought about not answering the door... I looked out the window and said, "Holy crap! It's my mom!!!" She had driven 7hrs to surprise us with a visit intended to relieve some of our stress by babysitting while we worked on schoolwork. Today mom left, and I must admit - I'm not as stressed as I was before she got here!!!! Thanks, Mom!

(below) Warren loves to get on the dining room table, so Grammie can take his picture. He also loves to ride on his daddy's back/shoulders, so he thought it was great when we put Grant on his back. We have yet to get an official family photograph, so this was our attempt...

My mom's stepsister, Vickey, drove 3hrs to our house to meet all of us. Warren couldn't make the "v" sound, so he called her "Aunt Picky"!!! So cute!

Roy and I got to have a date night on Thursday. We went to a local Irish pub, Common Grounds (a local coffee house), Hastings, and Target. It was great to be alone with each other. On Saturday we saw a firetruck driving and followed it to the station. They let Warren sit in the driver's seat and tour the garage of the station. They gave him stickers, tatoos, and little plastic fire hats. Warren loved it!

He wanted his brother to get in on the action as well.

Since I don't get to blog much these days, I think I will just make a list of things I want to remember or share about the boys and/or our lives:

1) Warren saw the moon and wanted to touch it. I told him it was way up high, so he couldn't touch it. He said, "get daddy's ladder, climb up, touch it."

2) Grant smiles and says "agoo".

3) Grant was 15.2lbs and 23" at 9wks old. We started feeding him less more often, changed his formula, and gave him some drops from the doctor, and it has really helped him to not spit up as much. He's also already started on cereal and baby food... he loves it!

More to come...

Apology, Updates, and Comparisons

I must start off this post with an apology to all my friends to whom I gave a hard time because you stopped regularly blogging after baby#2.... SORRY! I now understand why you CAN'T blog anymore!!!!! Time, time, time... never enough of it!

UPDATES:

Grant is now 6wks old, weighing about 12 or 13lbs, wearing 0-3mths clothes and #1 diapers, though I think he will be in the next size up in both of those pretty soon. At his 2wk checkup, however, he had not yet gained back to his birthweight, so we went ahead and started him on all formula. The change in his weight has been rapid, and he is soooo heavy now!!!! He did have a bit of a struggle adjusting to the formula - lots of spitting up, etc., but now he seems to be doing well.

Grant seems to have a similar pooping issue like Warren did. I have to give him glycerin suppositories every day or so. After being on formula for a few days, he started pooping on his own for about a week, but the past week he hasn't. At least I know what to do this time around, and lucky for Grant, I am quite skilled at inserting those things!!!! LOL

At this point, everyone asks whether or not Grant is sleeping thru the night. In short, the answer is NO!!! He is too hungry to sleep more than 4hrs at a time!!!! Mostly he eats every 3hrs, even thru the night, but sometimes (like the last couple of days) he decides to eat every two hours! He often makes a funny noise while eating, kinda like a donkey sound, inhaling in excitement. Warren thinks it's hilarious and will memic Grant.

Speaking of Warren... he has definitely had some adjustment issues. He's been having meltdowns, biting, and kicking, and once in a while even doing something to Grant like grabbing at his belly or head or shaking his pack-n-play. The first couple weeks after Grant was born was not too bad because my mom and sister were here, so Warren was getting plenty of attention, but the next three weeks after that was rough. This past week Warren seems to have gotten over a hurdle, so we are hopeful he will continue to adjust. He does love Grant and will go by and give him kisses. He also says "I hold it" and will hold Grant for about 5 seconds before saying "all done!" He enjoys being a helper, so we try to have him help when we can.

Brothers!

I tried really hard today to get Warren to take a picture with me and Grant, but he wouldn't do it. He's too busy playing to stop for pictures, but I still got one with Grant - I call him my cuddle-monkey because he loves to be held. Often when we put him down he starts crying within minutes.

UPDATES and COMPARISONS:

Warren was 7lb at birth and Grant was 9.2lbs, so obviously Grant is a few weeks ahead on the growth scale. Grant looks now about like Warren did at 9wks old. Since birth, they have looked a lot alike. Below are some pics that show their similarities:

Warren at 5wks:

Grant at 6wks:

Warren at 9wks:

Grant at 5wks:

Grant has violet-blue eyes and brownish-red hair. He has big hands and feet, and an abnormally large ball sac... yes people, the kid seems to be well endowed. His sac is bigger than his brother's by like two or three times!!! The doctor says everything is fine, but it still take me back once in a while. Grant also has an extra piece of skin on his penis from his circumsicion. The doctor thinks it might cover up on its own, but if it doesn't, he will take it off. His belly button may end up being an outie. So hard to tell even at 6wks, but it sticks up a little almost as if there is not enough room in the belly button hold for his belly button to push down.

I started back to work Friday, May 13. Grant and Roy are hanging out at home together while I finish out the school year. Warren will continue to go to Piper thru the end of May, and then he will be home with us all summer. He will go back to Piper mid-August, and Grant will start at Central Faith in August. I wish I could stop time right now. It seems our lives are so busy that they are flying by and all we are catching are glimpses of our boys' lives... of our own lives, even. Just this year Roy has been to Germany, he goes to London in July and then to San Fransisco in November. I have been extra busy with school year as I've been in a new role which takes up more of my time (though I LOVE what I'm doing!), and then we add two boys to that! Whew! Next weekend Roy and I get to have our first date night in a few months! One of Warren's teachers from Piper is coming to watch him, while Roy and Grant and I go see the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie and get some dinner. Woot - woot!!!!!!

Until the next update....

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Grant Kenneth Garton

On Thursday, March 31, my mom and sister and I headed to Hillcrest Hospital at 6am. I had already preregistered, so I was not happy to find out I still had to wait in the lobby to talk to someone in registration... this lady was annoying, to say the least, and I about lost it. Didn't she know that I was there to have a baby?! She was soooo slow and kept telling me that she wasn't good at this. I was glad to have my mom and sister there to help keep my sanity.

We finally got into a room around 6:30 or so, and then it took awhile for the nurse to come in and get me set up... but once she did, things started progressing rapidly, and I am not sure of all the exact times things happened, but I will do my best to explain it how I remember it.

A nurse came in to put in my IV, but the valve in my wrist blew! Oh man, that was very painful. While she was tending to that, my labor and delivery nurse put the IV in my right wrist. I am not sure when, but I started to pass out, and they put a cold wash rag on my neck and within a few minutes, I was back to normal.

My doctor came in around 7:30 or so and said I was dilated to 4cm, was 100% effaced, and the baby was at a -1. He added, "I don't know what's been holding this baby in there!" He broke my water and was optimistic that I would have the baby soon.

Not too long afterward (8:30ish?) the anesthesiologist came in to talk about the epidural and said when I wanted it to let him know... seems like only 30mins later the nurse checked and I was dilated to a 6, so she got him in there and he started the epidural process... that didn't go so well. Apparently I was "very fit" and had lots of muscle in my back, which made it difficult to get the right spot - or something like that. He pricked the spinal sac and fluid came out, which meant he had to try again above that one. After a couple more tries, he finally got it. I was having some pretty hard contractions during all of this, but after some time, the epidural started kicking in and I wasn't feeling any pain. I did, however, start to get really tired. What I didn't know was that my blood pressure was dropping, so the nurse and anesthesiologist went to work on me via the IV and some oxygen. Apparently the epidural meds were a little too strong and were affecting my heart.

After that episode, I could feel the baby had moved down. The nurse checked me and I was ready to push!!!! This was about 8:45 or 9:00, I think... right about the time Roy got there! He had come in later because he was dropping Warren off at Piper. They called for my doctor and started working quickly to prep for the arrival of Grant. I pushed for 17mins and out he came at 9:37am... all 9lbs 2oz, 21" of him!!!! When I heard his weight I said, "Holy crap!" out loud. I did have an episiotomy, but my doctor said not it was not as big as the last one. I was also glad to notice that my hemorrhoids didn't get worse and I didn't poop on the table during labor like the first time - hmm, is that TMI??? LOL.

My sweet Grant Kenneth (named after his papa - my dad).

I was supposed to have my tubes tied the next morning, but because my spinal sac had leaked fluid during the epidural, they were going to do a spinal patch, which means drawing blood and inserting it into the sac. To do this, they had to keep in the epidural catheter, so they decided to go ahead and do the tubal at 1pm that afternoon and use the epidural for anesthesia. Here I am right before being wheeled out... for yet another mishap!

The surgery went fine, but coming off the medicine I felt totally out of control and like I couldn't breathe. My blood pressure dropped again, and I was panicking uncontrollably, if that makes sense. They decided to take out the epidural catheter because they "didn't like the way it was acting" and seeing that I hadn't gotten the horrific migraine that is associated with a spinal sac leak, they were going to wait to see if I needed the spinal patch - 70% do... thankfully, I was in the 30%, and I never got a headache! I was in recovery for about an hour and a half, then moved to my room. From there things went very well, and while I had some pain, I felt really good considering all I had just been through in such a short amount of time.

Meanwhile, Grant was doing great, and that afternoon Roy brought Warren up to meet his brother! He did so great with him, and seemed to understand that the baby was no longer in my tummy, but the doctor had taken him out. I just love this picture of my three guys!

Super proud mommy of two boys!

Warren got to watch as the nurses gave Grant his first bath. He didn't like that Grant was crying, and kept saying, "Grant no want take a bath."

My mom stayed the night at the hospital on Thursday. She made sure and got some "grammie kisses" from her newest grandson.

On Friday morning Grant had his circumcision, and by that afternoon, we were headed home.

This was supposed to be Grant's going home outfit, but he christened it, so we just let him wear a hospital shirt home.

The checkout process was worse than the check-in... seriously, it took over an hour for them to get the wheelchair to us! We finally got home about 5pm on Friday.

Warren was excited to "hold it" when we got home!

Seriously, Warren is doing so well adjusting to Grant. He is kind and gentle to him, and for sure knows Grant is his brother.

On Sunday, my sister left to return home to Oklahoma. She was a huge help and Warren had a blast being with her.

After a couple nights without much sleep, we were all feeling sleep deprived...

The day we checked out of the hospital, I requested a bilirubin count blood test because Grant was looking a tad yellow. His count was only a 5.9, so the doctor said to just watch him over the weekend and call if it got worse... which it did! We took him in yesterday (April 6th) and the bilicount was 13, so Grant has to be in the bilibed. This afternoon he was wide awake for about an hour and wasn't crying, but just looked at his Grammie who was right by his side. We go in tomorrow morning to see if his count has lowered to 11 or less.

Having a second baby has been incredible! It's weird how I can love Warren so much and yet already be willing to lay my life down for Grant. I have not had the emotional roller coaster that I had with Warren, though I did cry last night (and some today) when we had to put Grant in the bilibed. Not being able to hold him is a bummer. We are hopeful his count will be down tomorrow... then we can take his newborn pictures!!!!!