Our trip down South

Grady and I arrived back home last night after spending a week in Mississippi visiting family. I'm grateful that the trip was planned for this time of year because it was HOT down there. We enjoyed seeing everyone and Grady was the hit of the party ... as usual!

Grady and I out for a walk

Four generations: Grady, Me, my Mom, and my Gran Joanne

Heather, Me, Grady, and my Great-Aunt Dorothy

My Mom, Heather, Me, Cousin Robert, Uncle Jim, Grady, Aunt Catherine, and Gran Joanne



Grandma Liz and Grady on the beach


Grady peeking over a lounge chair

Dipping his toes in the Gulf of Mexico

Grandma Liz, Grady, Me, and Heather

This is my Aunt Catherine's dog, Percy. He and Grady formed a close friendship while we were there. Percy loved to lick Grady's hands, arms, legs, and feet. Grady loved to "pet" Percy. When we put Grady in the playpen, Percy would sit in front of it and make sure Grady was okay. Percy even barked at me when I picked Grady up ... he was very protective of him. It was pretty cute.

6 month stats

A couple of days late, but here are Grady's six-month stats: he weighs 19.5 pounds and is 28 inches long (still in the 90th percentile!). Onto the photos:

one week old.

three months old.




six months old.




Grady's six-month skill: sitting up!

Best buds (according to Grady!)

Happy Six Month Birthday Grady!

Grady is 6 months old today ... half a year ... wow. Our little boy is growing up so fast!

Grady is such a happy baby. He sleeps really well - two long naps during the day and most of the night (usually, he wakes up a couple of times during the night to comfort nurse). Grady can roll from his back to his front --- and does on a regular basis. I don't think I've seen him roll from his tummy to his back though. He is working hard at learning how to sit up and loves to stand (with assistance!).We've been giving Grady cereal for a few days now and he's doing well with it. He loves to "pet" Ryder (ie. pull Ryder's hair out!) and I think he loves us too. We certainly love him.

I didn't get a chance to take his monthly quilt photo today, so instead I'm posting a video of Grady and Sandy that was taken after Grady's bath a few nights ago. It's sure to put a smile on your face.

A busy weekend

Grady had a very busy weekend. First, we gave him his first taste of baby cereal! He's just shy of six months old, has been showing signs that he is ready for it (like reaching for our food), and he can almost sit up (so I know his digestive system is ready for it). Sandy and I were definitely more excited about the whole thing than Grady was, but after a few bites, Grady seemed to be really enjoying it.

Getting ready for the very first taste.

Sandy = excited, Grady = doesn't care.

After the first bite, "Ooooh, that's good!"

Sandy was doing airplane actions with the spoon!



"Yum! more please!

On Saturday night, Grady and Ryder practiced sharing. Ryder thought he was pretty cool because he had stolen a pair of Sandy's socks out of the laundry basket. He was showing them off and decided to lie down by the couch to chew on them. That's where Grady was hanging out. This is what happened next:

Ryder with the socks. You can see that Grady wants them...


Grady grabbed them away from Ryder (who does not look very impressed that the baby has his prized possession).

Sharing! They each have one ... although, Grady is still grabbing for Ryder's sock.

I think Ryder wants Grady's sock now!

After all the playing, Grady practiced his sitting up some more. He's getting pretty good at it. As long as he leans forward a bit, he's fine. It's when he leans back that he falls over.

"It's raining, it's pouring ..."

The lovely west coast Fall weather has arrived: rain, rain, and more rain! Yesterday, there were a few breaks in the weather, so I quickly hurried around the block with Grady and Ryder to give Ryder his exercise. Today ... no such luck! It poured pretty much all day, so I had to be creative.

I found a raincoat and rain pants in the closet that I have for Grady for when he is older. Although, they were quite big on him, I figured it was better than him getting soaking wet. Well, it actually worked out really well. Since the pants were so long, they covered his little shoes and kept his feet dry. And, the extra long sleeves on the coat kept his hands dry.

He looked silly, but at least he stayed warm and dry!

The hood is definitely too big.

Super long legs!

(A bit of a "deer in the headlights" expression going on here!)

Bad angle ... really highlights his double chin ... ha, ha!

Ready to go!

Tub time

We give Grady a bath every night before bed - it's part of his bedtime routine. Plus, it's nice to clean him up after a full day of drooling and spitting up everywhere (not to mention what goes on in the 'diaper area'!) He loves his tub time and babbles up a storm in there. His mouth looks kind of funny in most of these pictures because he was talking non-stop ... hmm ... I wonder who he gets that from??? ;)