Christmas 2013

Another Christmas has come and gone.  Nolan had a better grasp of Santa this year and would ask questions about if he knew what he was doing, how he gets the presents, etc.  We tried not to use Santa as a threat too much but would when extreme attitudes called for it!

We saw Santa two times.  Once at daycare and once at the realtor's office.  Henry was scared at first but then warmed up and said "he's not scary!"We didn't get a good picture at the realtor's because Nolan came down with a fever that afternoon and how no interest in getting his picture taken!




Nolan wanted red Power Ranger stuff and a football helmet with a chin strap.  Henry wanted a police car.  Grant couldn't tell us but we had a feeling he wanted an Anywhere Chair.  Mommy and Daddy wanted a Kindle.  Luckily we were all good this year and Santa brought us what we wanted.  Nolan and Henry also each got a new bike! Nolan is in love with his football helmet and wears it as often as he can.



On Christmas eve we went to church with the whole Neville clan and then over to the Laird's for some cocktails because they weren't going to be able to get together on Christmas day.  After that we did our cookies for Santa and put on the boys matching PJ's.  Henry ate a cookie and drank Santa's milk for the second year in a row.  We read "The Night Before Christmas" and tucked in the boys.  Grant was the first up at around 6 and then big brothers woke up around 6:30. We went downstairs to check out the loot.




Later than morning the Brock clan came over for brunch and more presents.  The boys showed off their new bikes.  Finally that evening we went to Nanna and Poppies for dinner and one more round of presents.  These boys aren't spoiled or anything!

6 months

Grant is 6 months!  Well, really 6 1/2 months now.  He was originally scheduled for his 6 month check up the day after his 6 month birthday but that turned into a sick visit instead.  Nolan had been sick for a few days and then Kevin was diagnosed with the flu then the day Grant turned 6 months he ran his first low fever and just looked like he wasn't feeling the greatest.  When I told Dr. CS that Kevin had the flu she decided to do a flu test on G.  The 10-minute test came back positive within 30 seconds.  We were given a prescription for tamiflu and told to reschedule his well check up for 2 weeks later.  Ironically the day he was diagnosed with the flu was the day he was supposed to get his flu shot. Thankfully he handled the flu like a champ and was back to himself in no time.



At the appointment I did ask about the fact that he hated solids.  She said it was 99% likely because of the texture.  She said to let him get over the flu and then to try again and each day try until he got upset.  We did wait about 7-10 days and when we tried again he did pretty well!  I had planned to make his food like I did with Henry, and did make a few things, but for now we are mainly doing store bought purees until he gets used to everything.  Last night he ate the most he has ever had.  He ate a full container (had only been eating about half) of sweet potatoes and then finished up with about half a container of squash.  He seems to like the orange veggies so far but wasn't a fan of peas when I tried that!

I also mentioned the fact that he had no interest in standing.  He would lock his legs from time to time but for the most part had spaghetti legs when you would try to stand him up.  She tried and saw what I was talking about but wasn't too concerned.  She said we would reevaluate at 9 months if he still had no interest.  She said it wasn't an indication of when a child would walk.  Well, the very next day I was showing Nanna how he didn't like to stand and what do you know he stood.  From that point on every time you would try to stand him up he would!  I guess he just needed to hear that we wanted him to stand!

He is fully sitting now and has been for a few weeks.  Every once and a while he might topple over but we don't put pillows around him or anything.  He is also babbling a lot more.  He likes to say dada!



He still lights up whenever he sees his big brothers.  Overnight sleeping still isn't the greatest.  We get spoiled some nights and think that he is starting to sleep better but then the next night it is back to 2 or more wakings.  I can handle one but don't like more than that!  He is a decent napper though which is nice. He is still working on his first teeth.  They look like they are just under the surface and he chews and drools on everything but so far nothing.

Everyone comments on what a chill baby he is.  He really is.  He does have his moments when he gets upset and he likes to be held but he really is a happy guy!



When we went back for his official 6 month check up all looked good!  He had a bit of a growth spurt and had gained over a pound and grew almost an inch in a little less than 3 weeks!  He had the best time sitting on the exam table and eating the paper while we waited on the doctor.  Sitting in his diaper I realized just how chunky he had become!

Grant @6 months (12/12/13):
Height: 26.25" (34%)
Weight: 16lb (22%)
Head:  44cm (72%)

Grant @6 months (12/31/13):
Height: 27" (49%)
Weight: 17lb 2oz (32%)
Head:  44-1/2cm (73%)

Henry @6 months:
Height: 27-1/4" (75%)
Weight: 16lb 4oz (25%)
Head:  44-1/2 cm (75%)

Nolan @6 months:
Height: 27-1/4" (75%)
Weight: 16lb 1oz (25%)
Head:  43.5cm (48%)

Soccer

Nolan's first soccer season is now complete.  The season started off a little rocky with canceled games due to rain and then a forfeit but finally they got to play.  The last game of the season almost got canceled too due to a forfeit but luckily another MDUMC team that was going to be playing at the same time let our team join up with them.  Nolan did pretty well.  He scored one goal and had several others that missed the goal by mere inches.  There were times that he was very into the game and played really well and then there were other times that he was being too silly to really pay attention.  Unfortunately he got a little bit of a reputation from the coaches for getting hurt and crying.  There were a few times that he had to be carted off the field due to injury (never truly hurt though).  Luckily, for the most part, he would dust himself off and get back in the game though.

His team was named the Sharp Shooters.  There were 9 boys and 2 girls.  Three of the boys were in his Pre-k class at Nottingham and a few others will be in kindergarten with him next year.  Coach David is a high school soccer coach so he knew what he was doing!  At the end of the season we had a little party at the soccer field and everyone got trophy's!  Coach David said he would love to try and have the same team next year if people were interested.

Team pictures were taken at one point during the season.  Nolan was being silly/stinker and stuck his tongue out during individual pictures.  We did get one where he was smiling but they also gave us the tongue picture...it is a real keeper!

Nolan's "professional" picture. 

5 Months

Two weeks ago Grant turned 5 months old!  Hard to believe he is almost 1/2 a year old!  He is such a happy guy.  He is pretty chill in general.  He loves watching his brothers.  The other day Nolan told him the story of the 3 pigs and his face just lit up!

He is still chewing on everything in site but so far I do not feel a tooth.  I looked in both Nolan and Henry's baby books and they both got their first tooth in the 5 month period.  I guess it is just a matter of time!

We decided to try some food on his 5-month birthday.  He hated it!  I know the other two were a little skeptical of their first food but they did not react the way Grant did.  He was full on crying and making faces.  I have been so torn as to whether we should wait a few weeks or just keep trying.  So far we have decided to just keep trying but we take several days off between each try.  I finally Googled it and from what I could find that was the same advice.  I tried making some sweet potatoes but he made the same stinky face then we tried some banana and the same face.  Finally last night I made some butternut squash and he had minor success!  He did not eat a ton and probably most of it ended up on his clothes but he did not scream and cry.  Maybe it was the fact that he sat in the high chair at the table with the rest of us.  He just wanted to be a big boy!

Sleep is not the greatest right now.  He goes to sleep like a dream but doesn't like to stay asleep!  For about a week you could set your clock by him.  He was waking at 1 and 4.  Now the past few nights it has been about 3 wakings!  Seems like he is following in Henry's sleep footsteps!  This too shall pass!

He is an expert roller.  He pushes up so high when he is on his stomach.  He tries to pull his legs in too so he might begin scooting before too long.  He is getting a little stronger in his core too.  Just a few weeks ago he would go flat as a pancake if you tried to sit him up but this morning he semi sat on the couch by himself.  He is really enjoying the jumperoo too.  His feet don't quite reach the floor but he still uses his toes to push off the floor.  If I try to put a pillow or something under his feet he kicks it away.

Not sure how big he is but I have stepped on the scale with him and it appears that he is probably about 15 1/2 lbs.  He will have his 6 month appointment in about 2-1/2 weeks.

A Post about Henry

Yesterday I was thinking to myself that I should jot down some things about Henry.  Lately he has been so good and funny.  Then I had to pick up the boys from daycare last night and he was a total stinker!  It took me about 10 minutes to get him buckled in because he kept flopping out of his seat.  After being on the road for a few minutes he saw  "2 woo woo's with their lights on" and he was back to happy Henry.

Henry is our early riser.  He was always waking up somewhere in the 6:00 hour but since the time change he is now waking up sometime in the 5:00 hour.  Even on the weekends!  It seems to be getting slightly later each day so hopefully we will make it later than 6 sometime soon.  He is very cheery when he wakes up though and he wants nothing else but to go downstairs and watch tv.

A lot of what has us cracking up lately are just his mannerisms which is hard to get down into writing.  He will do his hands in the "I don't know" position or he will put his finger to his cute dimple in a "hmmm" type of way.  He constantly asks "why?" or he will say "cuz"  for because.

He was once our great eater but lately seems to be on a little bit of a hunger strike.  Much like Nolan around this age he requests a cup of milk and a cup of water so he is toting around 2 cups.  He still loves to pour things from one container to another.  You can't give him a bottle of bubbles or they will be poured out in no time.

He loves firetrucks, police cars, and ambulances.  It is even more exciting when we get to see them with their lights on.  When he sees the lights on he says that they get an ollypop (lollipop) he will also say that motorcycle drivers with helmets on get an ollypop...you know because they are being safe!

His current favorite shows are Mighty Machines (the garbage one or the fire hall one), Bubble Guppies, Chuggington, and every once in a while he will ask for princess which is Sophia The First.  Nolan protests that one because of it being about a princess but I can tell he enjoys it too!

He is still quite the climber and likes to carry around his step stool or little chair to climb.  He will sometimes take his ladder into the pantry and help himself to some food.  One day I found him sneaking some candy.  Even after I told him "no" and threw it away he even went into the garbage can for it!  He is determinded!

 

Whirlwind Weekend

*This was actually a few weeks ago...finally posting*
This past weekend was quite the whirlwind.  It was fun though and all of the boys were very good.  It all started fairly early on Saturday morning when we decided last minute to go watch daddy run his 5k for Child Advocates.  It was at City Center, so close to home, and was a super hero theme.  It was a little chilly that morning but it was nice to get the boys out of the house.  Nolan went down the big slide several times and colored a super hero mask.  Henry took a while to warm up but eventually painted a little pumpkin.  Kevin hoped to finish in 33 minutes and blew that out of the water finishing in roughly 30 minutes.  His co-workers that he ran with all did very well too.  Nic came in 3rd place overall!







After the race we had only about an hour at home before we headed out for Nolan's soccer game.  This was week 5 of the season but would only be his second game.  We got a fair amount of rain on Friday night so we were afraid it might be cancelled but luckily it wasn't.  The sharp shooters did much better this time around and won!  Not sure what the final score was because technically no score is kept.  Nolan almost scored a goal but went just a little wide.  He got hurt 2 times but dusted himself off and got back in the game.  He gets right in the mix of things so that is why he got hurt.



After the game we grabbed a quick lunch with Uncle AB, who had come to watch the game.  After lunch we hit the road for Halletsville.  Kevin's co-worker was having a party out at their farm.  We went 2 years ago and had a great time so we had been looking forward to this. All 3 boys napped on the drive out there.  The weather was beautiful and the boys were able to fish, ride on the tractor, jump on the trampoline and paint masks. We hit the road back home right after dark.  We got home after 9 so the sleepy boys went right to sleep.





Sunday was slightly more relaxed, but still busy.  We hit up the pumpkin patch at MDUMC for our annual pictures. I thought it would be hard to get pictures of the three of them but Henry and Nolan were quite smiley.  Not too much later was Grant's baptism!  After that was over we had all the family back to our house for a little post baptism party.  With the nice weather the kids stayed outside for the most part.  After everyone was gone we put the boys to bed and collapsed on the couch!

4 Months

The G-man is four months old now!  He is a super smiley guy and is really starting to recognize his crazy brothers.  He is laughing a little bit but it still takes a bit of work to get a giggle out of him.  Kevin is better at it than I am.  Chewing on his hands or our thumb is probably one of his favorite activities!  He can roll from back to belly but hasn't learned how to go the other way just yet.  This was causing many wake ups each night to "flip the turtle" but he has now learned to embrace sleeping on his stomach.  He is on his second cold since starting daycare.  Luckily they don't seem to bother him too much.

He still doesn't care for being in the car all that much.  The vacuum cleaner sound on our white noise app still calms him down though. He will take a pacifier a little bit but definitely doesn't have the same love for it that his brothers had.

He had his 4-month check up on Monday.  He is doing well.  His rate of growth has slowed down but he is in the same range as his brothers at the same age.





Grant @4 months
Weight:  14lb 9oz 30%
Height:  25" 42%
Head:  42.5cm 76%

Henry @ 4 months
Weight:  14lb 15oz 50%
Height:  26-1/4" 90%
Head:  43.5cm 85%

Nolan @ 4 months
Weight:  13lb 14oz 25%
Height:  25-1/2" 75%
Head:  42cm 75%