Trying to get on his good side

Well, after ten months, Grady is still trying to get on Ryder's good side. Ryder is still pretty wary of Grady .... and with good reason! Grady is so interested in Ryder, which means that he likes to pull on Ryder's tail, ears, and paws - all things that Ryder does not particularly enjoy.

Ryder is trying to enjoy a nice nap on the floor when along comes Grady.

"Hi Ryder, what's going on?"

Petting Ryder's ear.




Grady loves to crawl up onto Ryder's bed - Ryder really doesn't like it when this happens.

Kisses from Ryder (gross!)

"Ryder, I've got something you'll like."

"Here you go! I know you love socks."

Grady sharing one of his favorite toys with Ryder.

And, Grady's final attempt to get Ryder to be his friend:

Standing up

Grady has figured out how to pull himself up on the furniture. He's been working on this for a while; whenever we are playing, he grabs my hands and uses them as leverage to pull himself into the standing position. I think it's a bit more difficult to pull himself up on the furniture because there isn't anything for him to actually grab onto and hold, but he's figured it out!

New shirt, new shoes

I was going through Grady's dresser the other day and came across some bigger clothes that Grady hadn't worn yet. The shirt (size 12 months) and shoes (size 4) seemed huge when Pam gave them to us the first time she came to visit Grady. He was only a few days old though.

Here's a picture from that visit (he's so small and so red-faced!)

And, here are a few pictures of Grady wearing the shirt and shoes from Pam. The shoes are his first pair of real sneakers ... so cute!

Taking his friend for a ride

Technique

Grady gets around quite well now .... and he's fast! He doesn't actually crawl on his hands and knees though; he's got his own special technique.

Grady and Ethan

My friend, Cindy, and her little boy, Ethan, came over for a play date this week. Grady and Ethan looked so cute playing together. They were nice to each other for the most part. Although, Grady did pull Ethan's hair and Ethan did pull on Grady's ear!

Photo-op in the rocking chair (Grady is trying to pull Ethan's hair; I think Ethan is slouching because he is trying to get away!)

How babies play: pick up a toy and chew on it

Extreme close-up

Of an unhappy baby!

Doing some light reading

Grady received this book for Christmas. I'm not sure why, but he really enjoys playing with it (ie. chewing on it and pushing it around on the floor). We do read it sometimes too!

Different day, same book!

"Hey, I see the camera! I'm coming to get you!"

Get ready to laugh

This video is of Grady trying some all natural yogurt ... I'm not sure that he likes it!

Practice

Since Grady's first few times walking behind this toy (and falling!), he's been pretty hesitant to try again. Sandy has been helping Grady practice, which is hilarious because Grady pretty much stands in one spot and pushes the toy away from him and then pulls it back close.

For right now, Grady really loves just sitting on the toy, which is great ... at least he's sitting still for a moment!

Ryder and Grady - matching expressions!

He won't sit still!

Gone are the days of sitting Grady on the floor with a few toys while I cleaned the house, gone are the days of putting him in his jumperoo or exersaucer so I could shower or eat, gone are the days of Grady sitting still!

Diaper changes have become an epic battle; when I lay Grady down on his back, he immediately flips over and tries to get away. Placing him into his high chair is also a struggle - he arches his back and will not bend at the hips - usually I end up tickling him until he gives in and sits down.

I know it's all part of him growing up and I'm glad that Grady is learning new skills and showing that he is interested in exploring the world around him, but there are times when I miss the little boy who just stayed in one spot for longer than a few seconds!!!

Since he's figured out how to crawl (ie. drag himself along the floor with his arms), Grady is all over the place! To keep him safe, we've put plastic covers on all the electrical outlets, moved all the cleaning products to the top shelf of the closet, put baby locks on the kitchen cupboards and today, we installed the baby gates. We also moved Ryder's water dish outside - Grady thought it was great fun to splash around in there!

The only use for the exersaucer these days: climbing around underneath it!