I've decided to give you my journal entries for the past month and a half - you don't have to read them all if you don't want but I didn't want any of you to feel deprived. Here they are:
8/7/2002
Last night he discovered how to splash with his arms in his bath. He looked like he was trying to fly. Every once in a while he would get mixed up and stop for just a second and then he would start flapping his arms again. This whole time he is kicking his feet like crazy and smiling so big. I couldn't stop laughing and I had to use the shower curtain to guard myself from all the water coming out of his bath.
8/19/2002
Grant is getting cuter each day. Last week he started to sleep more during the day. I found myself missing him during his naps. I just didn't get to hold him as much (which is probably good for my back - cuz he is a very heavy baby). I realized that I only get so much time with him before he decides that he is more interested in exploring his world than cuddling with me. Then I was thinking about how I need to be better about keeping Grant's little journal up. So here is the latest update: Recently, Grant has been making very cute high pitched noises - it sounds like he is singing me a cute little song 'aaah-haa-haa, aaaaah-haaa'. He is such a good eater, and each time he takes a bite he makes the noise 'mmmmmmm' in a low pitch (kind of like a cow), sometimes just as I am giving him a bite I'll ask, "What noise does a cow make", he goes, "mmmmmmmmm", then I laugh because I think I am so funny. He's been turning a lot in his bed, this morning I found him on the opposite side of the bed from where I moved him just before I went to bed. I wonder if he dreams and what he dreams about. He's not crawling yet, but if I leave him on his belly in the middle of the floor he manages to scoot all over. Yesterday in Sacrament Meeting he was so wiggly, he just kept reaching for everything (the bench in front, the armrest on the side, the floor, my neighbors' bag and shirt, my hair, the hymn book, etc.) I was completely worn out by the time it was over. I helped him fold his arms during prayers and he didn't even fuss during the first two, the last three were a different story, however. Oh, and when the Sacrament came by, I let him eat it because he is usually pretty hungry and sometimes I have let him play with the cup afterwards but not yesterday and he was not happy about that. He kept looking at all the other trays of water being passed around longingly.
8/21/2002
Monday I took grant swimming. First I put him in his little floaty thing and he didn't really like it. So, I took him out and started doing the stuff he learned in his class and he loved it. He was squealing and splashing and kicking like crazy. He splashed so hard that I had to keep my eyes closed. He'll probably compete in the Olympics one day. Just kidding!!!! On the way home he kept slapping his car seat like he slapped the water. He is so cute. Except for yesterday when I picked him up and felt something wet on his back. . . . it wasn't water or pee . . . it was poo - all over my arm. It was disgusting. I managed to clean us both up, but felt a bit traumatized. Today is Grants 8th month Birthday, I sang him 'Happy eight month Birthday' this morning. I wanted to do something fun today, but instead, when I laid him down for his morning nap he got his leg caught between the bars and got very upset. (I took his bumper pad off a couple of days ago and he's not quite used to the bars just yet.) The worst part is that I thought he was faking it - he was so mad about going to sleep that he was kicking really hard and yelling before his leg was caught - so, I let him cry till he was pretty frantic. When I finally got him up, he was so mad at me. He almost wouldn't let me comfort him at all - and he had real tears. Sad, huh. After a while he was fine, but I decided to put the bumper pad back and I rocked him to sleep for his morning nap.
8/24/2002
Last night Grant poo-ed in his bath . . . . twice, once when I first put him in and once just before I was going to take him out. Joy! On a funnier note, when we took him to get his pictures taken he was having a hard time smiling - so I fed him and while we were waiting to finish taking pictures we discovered a way to make him smile, by burping. When Grant was littler we would burp and he would get scared by the loud strange noise, so to help him not be afraid, we started laughing whenever either of us burped. Apparently we've done a very good job of helping him not be afraid of burping. Paul burped through the next photo shoot - well, until he ran out of burps that is.
8/27/2002
He has become quite vocal - I think it's very cute (except in Sacrament Meeting). He sounds like the smallest child on "The God's Must Be Crazy II"; especially in the scene when the two children fall into the big tub of water and can't get out. I'll try to video it sometime. He loves to compete for things, such as, his diaper. I usually let him play with a clean diaper while I am changing him (or else he squirms like crazy), but then when I go to take it from him, he holds on with all his might. When I finally get it, he laughs, like we're playing a game. He does the same thing with anything I am taking away from him. Sometimes when Paul is holding him out parallel with the ground (to build his tummy muscles) and he can't hold himself up anymore, he'll just laugh. I think I would get frustrated that I couldn't stay up longer, he just thinks it is a fun game. I think he is adorable. Probably the most adorable thing is when he lays on me and just looks up at the fan, which usually only happens when he has just woke up from a nap. I love it - I think he is cuddling with me.
9/10/2002
Grant's been taking his nap earlier these days so that by the time we eat dinner he is soooo tired. Paul had him laughing the other day at nothing, but right in the middle of the laugh he burst into tears. We decided to keep things a little more calm. He's also learning how to spit things out. This morning he didn't want his hard boiled egg yolk, so he just stuck out his tongue when I put some in his mouth. I ended up tricking him by giving him oatmeal with his egg yolk. It's funny how babies like to play with the most random things. We got this purple storage tub with his diapers and I decided to put him in it. He loved it. All of his toys stayed close to him when he dropped them and he could bang on the side. I decide to play peek-a-boo by hiding below the tub and poke my head up every little bit. He just laughed and laughed. Then all of the sudden, while I was hiding below the tub, I heard a laugh, so I looked up to see his cute little face peeking over the edge. That became our new game (I think I got a bigger kick out of it than he did). Anytime I put him on the floor by my feet he always reaches up and tries to pull himself up on my leg, sometimes he even gnaws on my leg. It never hurts, but it throws me off guard and it usually tickles. What a sweet baby I have. Aaah . . . Although recently, he's been crying for things that he wants (a whole graham cracker - which he'll shove in his mouth and choke on; or the pen I am using to sign a check; or his sippy cup that he spills out everywhere; or a paper out of the phone book; ect,etc. . .). I usually try to give him something else to distract him. Sometime it works and sometimes he just remembers what he wants.
9/26/2002
What a sweet baby we have. Grant has figured out how to crawl and he goes all over the place. He's also learned how to go from crawling to sitting-up. I've even caught him standing while holding onto the couch. He is getting so mobile. However, I am just getting used to it and often forget to close the doors to our bedroom and the bathroom. He especially loves going into our bedroom, there are so many treasures for him to explore (books on the bookshelf, Paul's hockey stick, open closets, more books, etc.). Just recently, Grant turned onto his belly while bathing. He did fine and now he rolls back and forth, sits up, splashes, kicks, turns around, and pulls out the plug. I usually decide that he is done bathing when he pulls out the plug. By the time I get him out, his cute little feet look like wrinkly little raisins. I have been taking him swimming on Saturdays (Paul has been working for the forest service so he doesn't get to come). Grant loves it! He kicks and splashes. I try to move him when he kicks so he thinks he is doing something. He actually kicks really fast and hard, he might just be doing something. This morning we had a power struggle and Grant won. Every time I feed him he will only eat just a little and then he just keeps his mouth closed and tries to grab or push away the spoon. I have to distract him by giving him a toy of some sort and then he eats fine, until he gets bored of the toy, that is. We play this game four times a day and I decided to stand my ground today. Well, after getting his food all over him and his tray, I gave in and gave him a toy. He is so like his dad, Paul also enjoys being entertained while eating and would much rather play than eat. Grant's not really talking yet, just noises, but I think that he is beginning to understand me. If I say, "mommy", or "daddy", or "bath" and he smiles. If I say "Grant" (with a tone that means I know he's into something he shouldn't be into), he stops what he is doing, looks up at me with his big blue eyes and then goes right back to what he was doing. When we have our very short 'family prayer' at night, he turns his head to look at whoever is saying it - or he just squirms the whole time, depending on how much energy he has. What a sweet baby. I always check on him before we go to bed and recently he has been sleeping up on his knees like he is crawling in his sleep. I try to move him and he often goes right back to the same position. I worry that he will wake up with a kinked neck or other kinked body part and won't be able to tell me since he can't talk, and just be in pain all day. I wonder if babies can get kinks. Well, I tried to write a lot to make up for lost time and now I think I am just rambling, so I will end this here.
Love,
Kate and Paul and Grant Nelson
PS - If you know anyone else who would want to read stuff about our cute little baby, just let me know and I'll put them on my list.