Nine

My little Grant is NINE MONTHS OLD!  Nine months sounds like such a big age to me, and since he was born it has seemed like he would be SO BIG when he got there - but now that he's nine months, he's not so big. He's not crawling yet or pulling himself up, which is okay with me!  It also makes him seem younger than nine months to me, so I can imagine that he's still only six months.  Except that he can roll all over the living room, pull himself forward on his tummy using a stationery object to get towards a toy he wants, feed himself anything in front of him including tiny things, eat almost all the same things I'm eating, hold his own sippy cup and (almost) drink water from it and not just air, express his needs a little better (he whines when something gets taken away that he wants, when he needs help, and when he wants to do it himself), understand the word "drink", the signs "milk", "eat", "jump", and he's really getting the hang of helping me dress him.  He's so sweet all the time.  He makes funny sounds with his mouth, blowing air, using all kinds of consonant and vowel sounds, examining objects, picking through a bin of toys until he finds the one he's looking for - all kinds of things.  He is such a good little guy.  He is still breastfeeding, 2 or 3 times a day, but I'd like to wean him right at the year mark.  He has already had his first few tries of cow's milk and he thought it was fine, although I think it confused him that I sign "milk" to him before each sip and then it's cold instead of warm, and from his sippy cup, which has always been water before!  It's a mad mad mad mad world, I tell you.

Here are the stats from his appointment last Tuesday:

18 lbs. 2.5 oz.  (15th percentile)

29 inches (67th percentile)

Head is 17.8 inches (41st percentile)

He is doing fine, just being long and skinny like always.  He outgrows lots of pants and not so many shirts.  I got him a very cute tuque with matching mittens at Superstore this week that is dark blue with little ears on it.  It is VERY cute.  He has already gotten used to it, thank goodness.  I don't want his head to get cold when we're out.

He was getting up at night while we were on vacation and prior to that, but luckily we were able to let him cry himself back to sleep since we've been back from vacation (since our neighbors downstairs can't hear him) and within a couple nights he was back to sleeping through as he knew the crying wasn't going to get him picked up and nursed back to sleep.  Last night he woke up and was especially distressed, and once in a while his diaper leaks in the night and he needs to get changed, but he mostly sleeps through the night.  He's very easy to take places and tons of fun.  He loves to stand and will stand as long as someone will help him balance.  He loves to feed himself and try to use his sippy cup all by himself.  We are trying to get him to clap and wave good bye, as well as use the signs he knows, but he would rather just flail his arms up and down, I guess.  He's silly.  I really want him to start signing!  Oh well...

Now this one is pretty blurry, but way too cute to delete.  He's so happy - all the time!!!

Big mess eating his first Farber cookie!

Arrrrmmmmmm!

Who's there?

Oh hello there!

Weekends

I just found out that Trevor will be gone from Monday morning to Friday evening for the next THREE weeks starting this coming Monday!  I think I might go absolutely crazy alone with Grant the ENTIRE week, not to mention Trevor is going to be stuck in Medicine Hat bored out of his MIND.  Wow.  I guess I get a taste of what some women are used to.  It's going to be a looo-oong three weeks - my to do list is already empty and this week I mostly haven't been dressed before noon, never mind when Trevor is completely gone all day for five days.  Help?  Guess maybe you'll see a lot more blog posts, although I really won't have anything to blog about.  Also, this is my "big" chance to take out all the seasons of Gilmore Girls that I haven't seen and watch them, and I was wondering when I was going to be able to do that anyway.  Hmmm...

Busy

I have been keeping VERY busy lately.  Since we have been home from our trip, I have continued working like mad on my bookkeeping course - I must finish it before November and I'm so close.  I've also determined to become an acceptable seamstress, so I began an extremely cute turtle sleeping bag for when Grant gets a little older with the help of a lady from Sheran Park Ward who made the pattern herself.  This weekend, with Sheran Park Ward's Super Saturday (an annual Christmas crafts day that each ward traditionally does in the church, our ward's is in three weeks, check out what we're making here and you may spot one of your Christmas presents), I had an extremely busy six hours making as many crafts as I could and spending all our Christmas money.  I made a small nativity set, for us since we don't have any nativities, and let me tell you, they are RIDICULOUSLY cute.  They are wooden, and only two pieces - a Mary and baby with a Joseph and sheep.  I'll post pictures of our Christmas and you'll have to try and spot it.  I also made a wooden plaque for the wall that says Curtis Family Home Evening, and has hanging tags for Mom, Dad, and Grant underneath the various Family Home Evening assignments:  Song, Prayer, Lesson, Activity, Treat, Scripture.  Every Monday is Family Home Evening, and unless we are joined with our other-young-couples group, we get together in the living room, don't answer the phone, sing, pray, have a lesson, play a game or have another activity, and a treat.  It's intended to ensure that families set aside at least one evening a week to be together as a family.  I also made another wooden plaque that I will post a picture of soon, which follows a verse of scripture - this one.  It's lovely.  And I got a bit of a start on the turtle sleeping bag.  I also had a few minutes to eat the free lunch.  It was a hectic day!  The most time consuming was the nativity - sanding, painting, scoring, staining, using antiquing gel, and assembling the bits.  I am SO happy with the end results.

I have also been busy with other church activities.  Last Thursday was the first meet of a new group in our ward, Recipe Club.  I made my famous Blueberry Cornmeal Pancakes, since it's the best thing I can cook, and there was an absolute feast waiting at the Hartleys.  It was a really fun night, and I was able to leave Grant at home.

Also, Book Club is meeting at my house this month and I'm still deciding what the treats and other eats are going to be for the women.  The book is a hilarious LDS book by Joni Hilton, As the Ward Turns - as I keep saying, it has just the right mix of giggle-out-loud comedy and sweet Families-Are-Forever sentiment.  There's a sequel called Stop the Ward, I Want to Get Off, which I also highly recommend.  Her books are easy reads and are SURE to make you laugh right out loud.

Finally, our friends have invited us to a Halloween party on the 31st and we have to bring a treat.  I really want to make these - I don't know if I'm up for it, but they are incredible endearing!  I think I'm going to have to give it a try.  They are wrapped in candy coating, not fondant, so maybe that will work in my favor?  They are just too cute to pass up, so wish me luck.  I've only taken a first glance at them tonight, so I'm going to have to read Bakerella's instructions a little more and figure out how much time they will take.  I have almost two weeks, so I should be fine...

Tomorrow morning is Grant's nine month checkup!  So watch for a post with his stats and a fresh update on my little guy!  Also, I posted some pictures of him to facebook and our other blog here and a gorgeous photo shoot I did yesterday for some friends here.

Whew - that's it for now!

Bloggeroo

I'm back! Let the bells ring out and the banners fly, I know it's too good to be true... but here I am!

I keep thinking that the next few weeks will be less busy, but I thought that September would slow down, and it was very busy, then I thought October would be dull, and it's already the 19th - not sure how that happened. Actually, I think it's because we spent October 1st to 11th in the states - we went to a mission reunion for Trevor, General Conference in Salt Lake City, and then drove down to Vegas and stayed with my wonderful aunt and uncle!!! It was an awesome family vacation. The driving was long and dull, but we managed to keep ourselves busy (and stay awake). And even now that we're back, I still have a lot going on, which is leaving me with little time to blog.

Here are a couple cute pictures of Grant from September 21st. Trip pictures and details to come.