Monday, October 31, 2011

Halloween

Last week, I volunteered in Layla's preschool room for her Halloween party.  I loved helping out and watching Layla at preschool.  She really seems to be doing great and enjoying school.  Ryan, my dad & Grady joined us for the Halloween Sing and Layla really shocked us and sang along with the songs and did the motions to the songs.  My money was totally on Layla being in the teacher assistant's arms.  Life with a three year old is full of surprises!

On Friday, we joined Ryan at his school for the Halloween parade.  Ryan dressed up as their school mascot with a 70's twist (every grade level had a different decade and the office staff represented the 70's) for the parade.  Layla was a little bit nervous around him so he left off the head of the costume and all was good!

After the parade, playdate!!  Aren't these mummy pizzas cute?

Halloween playdate with Layla's buddies...and mine too!

On Sunday, Ryan and I ran in our first race together.  We ran a 10K (6.2 miles) and really enjoyed it.  We didn't run fast but we did run the whole thing together.  I think we may have a new hobby! 

Time for the local festival!  Layla is loving rides these days. 

Parades are a hit too!  Layla is in the pumpkin hat and her cousins are in the purple coats.

And Grady...well, spent a part of the day looking cute as a pumpkin.   


Layla went back and forth between wanting to be a ghost and being afraid of "ghostes."
This was one of the nights where she really wanted to be a ghost.



Trick or treat time!

Poor Grady, stuffed into a Doc Band and a kangaroo costume.  He did not seem to mind one bit.


Happy Halloween 2011!!!

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

The Halloween Fun Begins!

Cupcakes

Baby Pumpkins

Painted Pumpkins

Pumpkin Contests

Trick or treating in the candy shop

Grady's first Halloween

Layla's fourth Halloween






Grady's ghost pumpkin.  The ghosts are his painted feet! 


Layla's ballet pumpkins.  She decided the big one was her dance teacher and that the little ones were Layla, Emma and Coco at dance class.  We almost forgot one little pumpkin in the car.  Layla noticed and said, "Oh no!  Where did Coco go!?!"  :)




Layla took the entire project very seriously this year.  She painted on her own, glittered on her own, stapled the tulle onto the pumpkin (with major help & supervision!) and proudly set out her own pumpkins this year. 

Layla could not take her eyes off all the other little kids and costumes this year.  I think she was part very intrigued, part nervous. 



More Halloween fun to come!!!

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Grady- 5 Months



5 months old.  How did we get here already?  I love this age, but it has come quickly.  Grady is a happy little boy with big smiles and belly giggles.  He is a big eater and not so great sleeper.  Give and take, give and take.  I know he will sleep eventually, or maybe he won't.  I hope he does, but I have learned that I can function on little to no sleep.  My body is slowly adjusting to this new normal.





Grady is sporting some new headwear these days.  It is called a Doc Band and he wears it 23 hours a day and 7 days a week.  Why does he need it?  Grady was born with torticollis (stiff/wry neck on one side) and this caused him to turn his head constantly to one side.  Especially when sleeping, he would find his "sweet spot" with his head turned to the left.  Despite repositioning, neck stretches and more tummy time, a flat spot continued to worsen on the left side of his head.  The Doc Band will help the flat spot and improve some other issues that have started to arise due to the flat spot.  I will post more info and updates soon!

 Now for Grady @ 5 Months

Weight: 18lb 3oz (a really BIG boy all of the sudden!)

Height:  Not sure, I am thinking Ryan and I should measure him to get an estimate for this month.

Clothes: Grady is in a mix of 6 month and 6-9 month clothes.

Diapers: We are still using cloth during the day and a disposable at night. The disposable is a 3 diaper.  This month I learned about "stripping" the diapers.  They were starting to leak a lot and were stinky even when clean and it turns out it that it was from detergent build up.  I am now using a better detergent for the diapers (Charlie's Powder) and had success from stripping the diapers.  Stinky diapers no more!

Sleep:  Yikes.  Grady is actually just getting over croup so the last couple nights have been really rough.  But on a typical night he is still getting up two to three times.   Grady typically sleeps until 8 or 8:30 in the morning and takes 2 shorter morning naps and one long afternoon nap. 

Eating: Grady is doing great with the nursing .  He is still exclusively on milk and won't start solids until he turns six months.  Only one more month, I can't believe it.

Likes: Grady loves his baths, pacifiers, links, light up toys, the walker (he goes backwards in it) and clings to his lovie when he sleeps.  He also likes playing peek a boo, especially with Layla.

Dislikes: He really does not like being overtired or hungry (pretty typical baby stuff) but also does not like having his Doc Band taken on and off and doesn't love his neck stretches that we do with him at diaper changes for his torticollis (not so typical baby stuff).  Oh, and the crib would so not make his top ten favorite places to sleep list.

New tricks: Grady has been developing his little hands and is getting better at grabbing objects and toys.  He is making nice sounds with his talking.  For a couple days, he was saying "ma" and I was so excited.  It was not intentional and just Grady playing with sounds...but oooh I got excited!!  He is also SO close to rolling from back to belly but not quite there yet.

12 month onesie and birth length golf club photo



Layla likes to do projects...even on Grady's belly :)


Monday, October 17, 2011

The ABC's of Fall

A is for apples

B is for best buddies

C is for connecting with friends

D is for duck races

E is for enjoying the apple train

F is for fun with Ryker and Mason

G is for giraffe feeding (this was a pumpkin patch with giraffes!)

H is for hugging a giraffe

I is for important train play :)

J is for jack-o-lanterns

K is for kicking back in the pumpkins

L is for leaf throwing

M is for making painted pumpkins

N is for nice fall weather (the sun hats start to get a little small when it is still nice in October!)

O is for outfits celebrating Grady's first Halloween

P is for pig races

Q is for quiet time in the hay for Liam

R is for raspberry picking

S is for Stephanie and Layla

T is for tractor time with cousins

U is for up in the air on a corn stalk horse

V is for visting with Zander, Josh & Katie at Stephanie & Adam's pumpkin party

W is for washing pumpkins

X is for eXtra help to the car

Y is for yells down the slide!

Z is for zoo of farm animals
Whew, what a fun first half of October!  We can't wait for Halloween festivities to start!!