Grady is TEN Months!

Clothes: Size 6-12, 12 months 

Shoes: 4s are snug and 5s are great, depending on the brand

Diapers: size 4

Sleeping/Napping  Schedule

For fear of jinxing things, I do NOT want to call this a "schedule", but I will admit it has been working for us nicely.

7:00-7:30 Grady wakes up, happily talking and "reading" in his crib while I make his bottle and my coffee

7:30-8:00 Whitney, Grady, and I hang in the playroom while he drinks his bottle

8:00am We head to the kitchen for breakfast and I play "Letter Factory" DVD on M, W, and F.

after breakfast, we all get dressed and take Whitney to school at 8:50am (ish)

9:00am we drop Whitney at school. If Grady slept later, we stay for chapel.  If he was up earlier, we head straight home.

9:30 Grady gets a bottle and goes right to sleep

I clean the house, do laundry, and run while he snoozes.

11:30-12:00 Grady wakes up talking, singing, and reading some more

12:00 Grady gets lunch and we play, swing, and read til we have to go get Whitney 

1:45pm Go get Whitney

2:15pm Grady takes a bottle while Whitney watches one TV show, then both kids lay down for a nap

3:15ish Grady wakes up and has a snack while Whitney is crashed out til at least 4:30

Some days, Grady will nap for two or more hours in the morning and two or more hours in the afternoon.  Other days he will nap for two hours in the morning but only an hour in the afternoon.  And on rare occasions, he will skip an afternoon nap completely, resulting an an early bath and a 6:45 bedtime.  No matter how early or late he goes to bed, he rarely wavers from that 7-7:30 wake-up time.  Im loving the predictable morning 9:30 nap each day, as it allows me to run and shower and clean and do laundry knowing he wont wake halfway through my fourth mile.  He always wakes up happy and smiling, and almost never fights a nap.  Occasionally he will get over-tired if we miss the sweet spot/window of napping opportunity, and we all just have to hold on tight and laugh at his clumsy silliness til he finally crashes into his bed.  

Back in July, August, September....I wouldve GREATLY appreciated knowing that this kid would iron out his sleep issues on his own.  I scoured the pages of Baby Wise, begging and pleading for answers to why this child couldnt sleep longer than 45 minutes at a time.  Now? He's figured it out and life is soooo much easier!

At nap time, Grady and I sit in the rocking chair in his dark room with the white noise on while he drinks his bottle and falls asleep.  I have to FORCE myself to put this snuggly, sleepy, snoring little boy in his crib every day.  About once a week I give into the temptation and just sit there and rock him for an hour or so.  I know he is our last baby and  I know these snuggly times are going to go away some day and, like his big sister, he will be too busy or too big to fit in my lap for naps.  So for now, I sit in the quiet and thank God for our healthy, happy kids and for these extra special cuddles I never imagined would come my way again. 

And occasionally, Grady doesnt make it home from chapel before he crashes :) 

Bedtime is one of my favorite times of day.  Not only because it means Eric and I can take a breath and have a conversation, but because the giggles and silliness tend to hit extreme levels in both kids as we read books, say prayers, and say good night to another fun day.

I mean, really? Could YOU put this sleeping baby in a crib!? He's so warm and cozy!!

I love catching him waking up on the monitor.  I always leave a few board books in there for him to wake up to, along with his blanket and monkey blankies and buzz lightyear.  He babbles and talks and turns the pages in the book, studying each page. So cute. 

And one day last week, this cute little boy once again reminded me how very different boys and girls are....phew! 

All of a sudden, the babbling and happy sounds coming from the monitor were silenced and I got a white screen with "No Signal" in red. I ran across the house and saw this.

A happy, proud boy who had somehow managed to yank the video camera off the wall.....5ft above the crib. 

He couldnt have been happier! See that little dot next to the arrow? That's how high the camera was perched.  Until Captain Destructo went to work!

Love this kid. 

Eating

Grady is a GREAT eater.  He rarely eats baby food anymore and eats almost everything we eat.  He loves salmon and chicken and has even tackled pork chops.  He will eat any veggie and most fruits.  And he's beginning to master the snack-traps to munch on goldfish in the stroller.  He has a bottle in the morning and before each nap and then another before bed, and has graduated to 6 ounce bottles.  He really likes drinking water from his sippy cups and is getting the hang of tipping them up so he's not sucking air all the time.  He loves hot dogs and strawberries just like his sister :) 

Personality

Holy Personality, Meatball!! Every single day, this little boy steals my heart with some new, funny, exciting sound or skill.  He thinks Whitney is absolutely the funniest thing on the planet, especially when she makes funny faces at him in the car seat.

He has started making all kinds of new sounds and mastering new consonants every day!

So far he has a few "words":

-baba (bottle)

-Bug (Whitney)

- Bay (Bailey)

-ball

-car

-car (train)

-BuzzBuzzBuzz (Lightyear)

-Book

-Up, up, up

- bye (with a hand wave)

-Papa

-Cccckkk (yuck) with a shake of his head...so cute

and then he started copying sounds off the Letter Factory DVD

He knows A, B, C, E, G, K, M, O, P, and Q and he just started saying W today

He says "Dada" every now and then, and says "Mama" but only from his crib when he's ready for me to come get him.

He knows the sound an elephant makes (adorrrrrable!) and when you ask him "What does a duck say?" he makes a sound that is either "Quack" or his version of the word "duck". lol

I think the thing that amazed me this month was just how intelligent he really is.  I mean, I knew he was smart, but every mom thinks their kid is smart, right?

But Grady can be across the room playing with Little People and I can say, "Grady, go put the ball in the dinosaur" and he will stop what he's doing and crawl across the room to put the ball in the dinosaur and then clap for himself.  MELTS my heart and blows my mind.  

He knows directions like "Go get Whitney! She's in her room." and "Let's go to Grady's room to get a diaper!" And when you ask him "Where's Daddy?", he waves at the front door, where we say goodbye to Daddy each morning.  

Grady is VERY laid back. He doesnt get wild or upset about much, and is pretty happy exploring the toys in the house and following Bailey and Whitney everywhere they go.  He really likes books, often holding them up for me to read to him.  

Grady says "car" every time he sees a car or a train.  He uses the term interchangeably and loves them both equally.  He LOVES Chuggington on Disney Jr, and claps and dances EVERY time the theme song starts.  He claps and says "CAR!" as he watches the show, and smiles when I play the theme song on my phone. So cute. 

Chuggington is a clear favorite, but he was seeing Thomas for the first time and he was SOOO excited!

Mesmerized.

He really is such a HAPPY kid.  Even when he gets hurt or big sister snags a toy he was headed for, he gets over it super fast.  I love that he looks to me for a quick sympathy hug while he folds his bottom lip away and gets over whatever injustice he has just experienced.  When he was a little itty bitty baby, I NEVER wouldve dared dream that this kid would be as happy-go-lucky as he is now.  

And snuggly!! I am eating them up now!!

He let me put this ridiculous qig and headband on him for a quick picture a few weeks ago....and then kept the ensemble on while exploring Whitney's room and listening to us belly laugh.  

And he gets in these super silly moods, sticking his tongue out and screeching with delight as Whitney or I chase him or tickle him.  

It never gets old.  EVER.  Friends, family, and strangers continually mention how HAPPY our kids are.  And it just never gets old.  I LOVE hearing it.  BY FAR my favorite compliment.  Yes, they are cute. I know.  But they will inevitably get a rough hair cut or have a wonky tooth in their school picture or have a bruised forehead as he learns how to walk or misses a fly ball.  They will still be cute to me during their awkward phases.  But my prayer and hope and wish is that they will always be as HAPPY as they are right now.  

We took these pictures on Monday and all three of us were laughing til our bellies hurt.  Its one of my favorite recent memories of our kids.  Just pure kid happiness. Nothing better. 

This month's laughter brought to us by: FAKE SNEEZES!

He thought it was HILARIOUS when I pretended to sneeze and let my hair fall in my face.  He shook and laughed so hard he almost rolled off the chair twice. 

I was wishing there was a video camera rolling just so I could capture both of their laughs and smiles. 

Activity

Aside from his personality growing by leaps and bounds, Grady's mobility is soaring to new heights every day.  Literally!  He LOVES to climb. It scares me.  A lot. 

And he mastered the ball in the dinosaur gig early this month. 

He has made slow efforts towards walking, just starting to stand on his own for a few seconds every now and then.  But he can crawl WAY faster than Whitney ever could, so I think Whitney walked early because she recognized it would allow her to move quickly....while Grady has little desire to walk on his own because he is soooo speedy at crawling.  

He pulls up on everything.  And continues to put EVERYTHING in his mouth. 

Gross. 

But totally funny. 

And he thinks toilet paper rolls are a pot of gold.  He was so proud of himself after he took a chunky bite out of our roll.  

He loves Whitney's room. LOVES.  He has a routine when he gains access to her treasure trove.  First he tries to take the nightlight out of the wall.  When that effort is thwarted, he moves to the bows hanging down her wall.  When he realizes his plan has been discovered, he hightails it across her room and climbs into her night stand to press every button on her alarm clock.  

Lather. Rinse. Repeat. 

And occasionally he will snag a cool toy from her room and make it his own for a while.  He loves cars.  Pink car? Its cool.  Im secure in my manhood and dont know my colors yet, so pink cars are cool. 

And he took monkey blankie for a nice spin :) 

When he hears the fridge door open, he comes as fast as his little body will carry him.  He cant not WAIT to get his paws on every jar and bottle as he laughs and giggles to himself. 

He may or may not have just licked the bottle of lemon juice. 

When left alone in the playroom, Grady gets right to work.  He likes to play under the desk, especially when the air is on and getting sucked into the vent down there.

And Ive had to put rubberbands/hairbands on all the knobs of the bookcase doors because he would go nuts on the shelves, tossing toys over his shoulder just to hear the crash they made as they hit the floor. 

What? Im still cute.  

Grady started gym classes this month! More on that in a later post, but so far he is LOVING it and I think its going to be really good for him.  

Sibling Fun

My very favorite sound in the world? The sound of these two kids laughing together.  

And squealing as they chase each other through the house.

And listening to them interact and enjoy spending time together.  

Whitney loves Grady so fiercely and is so proud of him when he learns something new, excitedly announcing, "Mommy! Mommy! Grady just said 'puh' when I asked him what the letter P says!! He got it right!!! He's so smart!" 

She waves to him from her tennis lessons and makes suggestions for things she thinks he might want for his birthday.  She asks him "So what did YOU do today while I was at school, Grady? Did you miss me?" when we get in the car each day.  

She is starting to have the typical "but that's MY toy" moments, but quickly learned that he is easily pacified if she gives him another toy before snatching whatever toy she has her heart set on.

I got their tents out one chilly day a few weeks ago, and was pleasantly surprised with how much fun they BOTH had.  And he still makes the best faces ever. lol

But like I said, Whitney is only human and has those occasional moments when she just wants her little brother out of her way.

See? One of these Bass kids is thrilled with the current scenario.  The other is less than thrilled.  Can you guess which one is which??!

But ultimately, they are best friends.  She calls me when she thinks he's doing something dangerous, "Ummmm, Mommy!?? I fink Grady is about to get hurt!!!!"

and he wakes from his naps asking "Bug?" with that tiny little question mark in his voice like he cant wait for her to get home from school.  

They keep each other busy, but also play nicely alone.  I cant believe how blessed we are.  Two kids who nap and sleep nicely AND who can entertain themselves for long periods of time?! Amazing. 

He still loves waking her from her nap and is the only one who can wake the sleeping bear without feeling her wrath, as she talks to him sweetly and with such sugar in her voice that she would never use on me if *I* was brave enough to wake her on my own. 

I love that I get to watch their relationship grow and get stronger in the months and years to come.  They make me so proud and they are really just babies in the grand scheme of life.  I saw a sign on Pinterest that I just know I have to make or buy for our home.  It is simple and just says, "Keep Life Happy".  And that's what I want for these two happy kids we get to raise.  Keep Life Happy. 

Chair Pictures

Happy TEN Months, Grady Jay! 

In a few short months we will be blowing out candles and remembering that amazing day last April.  I truly can not believe I get to be your mommy and I get to watch you grow.  This past year has been the most amazing year....and it just keeps getting better!