What a fun stage - 7months!

Another month has gone and Grady just continues to get bigger and to develop more of his own personality. This stage is so much fun; days filled with laughter, discovery, face making, and new squawks and squeals. Grady has not grown too much at this 7 month milestone - he weighs in at 21 lbs 2oz and is 28in long; thankfully he is still in a size 5 diaper and wearing 9-12mo clothes. He is starting to eat more solids; however still thinks that his spoon is a great chew toy. He is definitely showing is independent side as he always thinks that he needs to feed himself. Needless to say, dinner time is quite messy. He is also starting to pick up more syllable sounds and fine tuning some of his motor skills. His new favorite movement is banging toys together. We've been working on letting him put himself to sleep; all that I can say, is my little man has endurance. His longest crying time was 1 hour; after that, Momma could not take it any longer. He is getting better - slowly but surely. Daddy is still his favorite play pal and he continues to thrive at daycare. We are truly blessed each day that we get to see Grady grow.

Grady just loves to "cheese" it up.

He is all about putting everything in his mouth

Grady is totally going to hate his Mama for these pictures when he is older, but I had to show off his little baby rolls.

Aunt Michelle was the inspiration for this shot.

Grady and Mommy went home to South Dakota to attend MCS reunion and also to see the family. Grady had a fun time with his cousins and his Papa Chuck. What a great Papa!Grady is loving discovering the great outdoors. He is such a trooper with keeping his hat on and allowing Mommy to smear sunscreen all over is body.

He is not; however too sure of the texture of grass just quite yet.

Grandpa Chris came to visit on Tuesday family night and took us all out for dinner. Here is the goofball trio.

Now I know where Daddy gets his quirkiness from!Here is our sweet little man having fun with his toys. He is really big in flailing her arms all about. Mommy can just spend hours watching Grady play.

6 Months - Here comes trouble

So things at the Blanchard house never seems to slow down which is a great justification for why I have not posted a new post for over a month. Well hang on to your hats because I am going to try to sum up a whole months worth of growing in one post!

Grady continues to amaze us with how much he discovers, learns and accomplishes in such a short period of time. God truly shows His handiwork when you watch a baby grow.

Just a few of Grady's new milestones include: sitting up on his own, being introduced to solid foods, rolling over both ways, talking and laughing up a storm, developing a new cry and whine that begs Mommy and Daddy to pick him up, discovers everything with his tongue, loves playing and tasting his toes, is a pro at jumping in his jumperoo, recognizes Mommy and Daddy's faces and voices, and really is shaping his own little personality. It is so humbling to know that even with all the stress of working full time, helping out at the church, and maintaining a household, Christ is so faithful - he never gives me more than I can handle and when I think that he has, he always provides comfort, compassion, grace and peace in the midst of the most trying moments. It also amazes me that with one little smile or laugh from my son, my anxieties and worries of the day melt away. Children truly are one of God's most miraculous blessings.

Here are just a few precious pictures of our little punkin or as Ben has started to call him "Bobaloo" - I hate that knickname! Oh well, he's just so cute, any name will work! Enjoy

Grady absolutely loves being in nothing but his diaper. He inherited his Father's thermostat meaning he always seems like he is so hot. Plus no clothes means a better chance at grabbing for those baby toes.We were so excited to have Ben's sister Trish and brother-in-law Jeremy come and visit us with their baby girl, Abigail, Grady's cousin. She may be two weeks older than Grady but she is 4lbs. lighter and also a couple inches shorter. Needless to say Grady is a giant baby compared to his cousin Abigail, but if she is anything like her mother, she will be quite fiesty! (love you Trish!)Again, loves being naked. Absolutely everything goes in this boy's mouth. Just look how those baby blues just draw you in!Grady was introduced to solid foods this month. After a month of giving this child medicine, you better believe he was pretty apprehensive about letting Mommy put anything else in his mouth. The first time we tried, he clamped down his lips and was determined not to let anything penetrate into his mouth; however once he tasted what we had to offer, he opened his mouth and welcomed the completely bland rice cereal! He knew exactly what to do. So far he has been introduced to pears, bananas, peas, and carrots. Needless to say, I think we are in for one stinky ride when it comes to changing dirty diapers! (I've almost vomitted once already!)He really likes to play with his spoon. He likes to chew on the spoon just as much as he likes the food on the spoon!We are so blessed to have two of Grady's aunts living in the area. My sister Jen just moved to Des Moines and is currently living with us. Every Tuesday night is family night which gives Grady a chance to play with his Aunt Jen and Aunt Kim. It is so nice to have family close.Here is Grady's 6 month picture. He is getting so big! He weighs 20lbs. 14oz and is 27 3/4in. long. He is in the 90% in both areas. He is obviously not hurting for nutrition. Must be those amazing Reliv shakes Mommy takes! One thing I have noticed about my son is that he has to be in the right mood to smile for the camera which makes it really frustrating for a Mommy who has her camera on 24/7. Smile or not, He is so handsome.Grady was able to go to his first Tulip time in Pella, Ia (where Ben went to undergrad). It was very beautiful and he had so much fun watching the dutch dancing and all the people that were there. This may have to become a annual tradition.It was so great having Papa Chuck and Grandma Janelle here to celebrate Mother's Day with us. It was amazing how much Grady loved Papa Chuck - his crazy noises and funny faces had Grady rolling with smiles and laughter.Tulip Time Family PictureI never knew what being a Mom would feel like, but I knew all along that was one of the ministries God has place me on this earth for. This year I celebrated my first Mother's Day. Grady made me a little flower pot at daycare and also gave me a devotional that I can listen to on my way to work (Daddy helped out with that one!) I never imagined that my heart could love so much for such a little boy. I never knew I would cherish every second with my little baby bear and I never knew how incredible it would be to just look at a sleeping baby at 4am in the morning. Every time I look into the eyes of my son, I am overwhelmed that our Creator allowed his only Son to be sacrificed for me. I never knew the full extent of that sacrifice until now. Mother's Day will forever be a day that I look forward to. Motherhood is truly a ministry and I anticipate how the Lord will qualify me for this journey.We had a Kentucky fried chicken picnic out at my sister Jen's work place on Mother's day. Grady is obviously wearing the perfect shirt for the day (I love Mommy). And he is here all because two people fell in love. I'm sure he will hate this picture when he is older!Grady has just recently learned to "cheese out" with his smile. He throws his head back, makes this face and snorts....it is absolutely hilarious! Grady loves to snuggle with Mommy right before I go to work and he recently has learned to how pet the cat (grabs hold and pulls out alot of fur). Thankfully Aynsley does not mind too much and now that he rarely gets pet, he actually will jump on my lap for some attention.

This is the face of my little man just planning to be a handful...bring it on baby! Well, I hope ya'll have enjoyed watching our little one grow. I will work on keeping Grady's blog more up to date.

5 months and growing

Last Thursday our little man finally learned how to rollover! And we caught it on tape. He had been trying for a while but he waited for both his parents and the camera to show off his new ability. He was not exactly sure how to respond after he rolled over - he wasn't sure why mommy and daddy were making such a big deal of the situation. Grady is just growing up so quickly - this age is so fun to be a part of. Now we are working on rolling over from back to front. Our son is such an all-star!

Grady's first Easter was full of excitement ranging from sitting on the Easter bunny's lap to wearing a hawaiian shirt as his Easter outfit. He really does love to show off. He is so well behaved while out in public and then loves to fuss when we get home. We were at church from 7:15am to 12:45pm and he was such a trooper. Daddy even took him out for his first Easter egg hunt. Mommy and Daddy of course got to eat the candy.

Who knew that during Easter, the Easter bunny visited the mall just like Santa does! Grady did not seem to mind the big, kinda scary fluffy rabbit, however he was determined not to smile!

As a close to the 40 days of purpose campaign and also as a way to celebrate Easter, Ben encouraged the congregation to wear hawaiian shirts. So of course we had to make sure Grady fit in with his daddy and wear an obnoxious flower shirt.

Grady turned five months on April 7th and he is getting so big. He now weighs 19lbs and is 26 1/2" long. He also experienced his first double ear infection this month - which is continuing to linger still today. We have had so many long nights of fussiness and keeping him upright; many nights of tylenol and antibiotics. Grady has caught on to my tactics of giving him his medicine - he now clinches his lips together and will not open his mouth. I can see his intelligence could cause me some problems in the future. This month has also led to many discoveries for Grady. He was introduced to his exersaucer and he is learning to reach for and play with toys. He especially loves his musical bee that he got from his cousins. Of course everything continues to go in his mouth including mommy's hair, Aynsley's tail, and daddy's hands - no teefers yet though. Two of his fun discoveries have been finding his feet and learning that splashing in the tub can be really fun. He has figured out that he can make it hard for mommy to change his diaper by grabbing on to his toes and not letting go! He really can be a little pickle. He is really learning to love to be tickled by both daddy and mommy. His giggle and deep belly laughter is such a joy to our household. Every day I thank the Lord for what a blessing our son has added to our family.

Here are some of Grady's 5 month pictures as well as some

other great shots of the cutest baby ever!
He's almost getting too big to fit full length in the picture

He is starting to be able to sit up and support himself without much help. Pretty soon he won't be face-planting it anymore!

Here Grady is having a blast playing with his mama sporting his Cubs gear of course. He looks so cute in his little "thuggin" hat

Grady just loves hanging out with mama after she comes home from work. As he is getting older, he has been able to stay up later just so he can spend some quality time with with mommy.

Grady's hair is just so wild so I thought I would see what a little mousse could do. Here he is sporting the mohawk. Such a cute little punkin bear!

Dedicated to the Lord

Our grown up little man - Grady: a man of noble character and strength and

yes he is wearing pink!!!

The time had finally come where we as Grady's parents wanted to bring our little gift back to the arms of the One who gave him to us. On Sunday, Grady was dedicated to the Lord; we entered into a covenant as his parents to raise him under Christian principles, morals, and values. We committed to God and to our church that we would raise Grady in such a way so that when he is old enough, he would be able to choose for himself to follow and fall desperately in love with Jesus Christ. As we were standing in front of the church, I couldn't help but feel the weight of the responsibility that the Lord has entrusted us with. The longer I am a mother the more I realize what a ministry motherhood is. I am excited and trusting that the Lord will equip me for His purposes.
Grady looked so handsome in his "manly" pink shirt and rockin suit. I couldn't believe how old and mature he looked. We were blessed to have most all our family there to celebrate this special moment in our lives. It was so much fun seeing Grady interact with his cousins and I know the girls really love their little boy cousin. We had so much fun over the weekend playing in the parks, running around with Chicago, and spending time together as a family.

Grady was so blessed to have both sets of Grandparents there to celebrate his big day!

Here is Grady with his aunts...unfortunately Trish was unable to be here for the celebration but graciously her "dorky" brother filled in for her...(the napkin has the name Trish written on it)

Here are some other fun pictures from the weekend as well as just some great shots of our little guy...

Grady had so much fun with his cousins

Here Grady is getting his little head scrubbed with a toothbrush in order to scrub off his cradle cap that was driving his aunt Michelle crazy! He doesn't seem to mind Grandma Janelle's rough scrub!

Grady is having fun in his stroller enjoying one of the first days of spring; finally some nice weather after such a long winterGrady is already making his Daddy proud by sporting his Cubs gear.

Grady was introduced to his new favorite toy...his exersaucer! He absolutely loves stomping his feet and sucking on many of the toys

Grady driving his first tractor. Someday he will be old enough to go on the farm and try out a real John Deere, but this will do for now!

4 Months and Thriving!

Our little guy is growing up so fast; he just turned 4months old on March 7th. I just wanted to give a summary of Grady's last months accomplishments, adventures and habits. Grady has discovered that he does enjoy sleeping in his crib. He especially likes it when Mommy sings to him while he plays with my fingers. He is able to put himself to sleep initially; however we are still working on going back to sleep in the middle of the night. He is still waking 2 times a night to eat but I checked with his pediatrician and he said that is completely normal for his age and size. Oh well, I'm sure a full night of sleep will come eventually!

Grady is still eating like a champ both nursing and with his bottle. He has discovered how to hold his own bottle; he's so intelligent! We have decided to hold off on the solids for a while and just stick to the perfect food - breastmilk. Grady enjoys sticking everything in his mouth! We think he might be teething with all the drooling and more frequent dirty diapers. Nothing showing up yet, but I bet it will be soon. Grady is sure becoming a pro at sitting up. He enjoys sitting in his bumbo chair and he also likes doing mini-crunches where he holds our fingers and tries to pull himself up. He has not quite figured out the whole rolling over thing but he loves to lay on the floor and kick his legs.

This month Grady has found his fingers, reaches for toys, has expanded his baby babble, taken a liking to watching the pets play, and responds and imitates facial expressions. The doctor says he is right on track. He is currently 16lbs. 11oz. (90th %) and 26 1/4 in. long (80-85%). He is growing out of so many of his cute clothes; what a good excuse to go shopping!

Grady is going through his first experience with a double ear infection! Poor little man cried an entire night. Needless to say, mom and dad were pretty exhausted. He does not like his medicine very much but even though he does not feel the best, he will give us a smile now and then. To top things off for this first part of March, I also am sick. Poor Ben is such a trooper and is taking care of both me and Grady. I am so blessed to have such a selfless partner. Hopefully as Spring nears, the sickness will be over.

Here are just a few pictures of his 4 month at home photo shoot. Ben thinks this outfit looks like his gym teacher outfit...I think he looks "thuggin"!

Daddy can always make Grady smile and laugh. Thank goodness Daddy tolerates Mommy's fetish for pictures.
Here are a few more other pictures that are just so darn cute. Grady likes tummy time somewhat especially when daddy makes him do mini "push ups"

This was on a Sunday morning when he was waiting for Mommy and Daddy to get ready. He sometimes is such a sleepy bear!

Some of our funnest moments are on the changing table. He absolutely loves getting out of his dirty diapers. He also loves being silly with Mommy while the deed gets done!

Here is a video of Grady laughing hysterically at Mommy just after getting his diaper changed. We love playing the game "I get choo". His laugh is expanding so much. You cannot help but smile when you hear him. What a blessing our little man is to our household. Yes we may be tired and sick (literally); maybe our house is not super clean but we could not imagine our lives without this gift from God. Every time I look at him I think how blessed and humble I feel to see how Christ is willing to use me in Grady's little life. Taking care of Grady also reminds me of how I am to be with the Lord...completely dependent upon him for my every minute, just like Grady is to me and Ben. What an amazing realization given to me on a daily basis.

Grady's first (of many) photo shoots

It is just amazing how quickly our little man is growing. Just a few updates include: moving up to a size 3 diaper, reaching for Mama's hands, holding his bottle on his own, going to sleep on his own, learning how to suck his fingers, and he is making new friends at daycare. He is getting really big size wise as well. I was looking through his closet and found some 3-6month clothes that looked way too big, but then I tried them on him and they fit him perfect!! He is also getting so tall that he is growing out of all his pajamas which is completely ridiculous since he has such short parents.

We decided to get some professional pictures of Grady taken before he got too big, so we found a lady who is a stay at home mom and takes pictures on the side. We went to the Botanical Center downtown and got some really great shots. Wouldn't ya know, our little man would NOT give us one smile...but is bare bottom is so cute that he does not need to use his smile! Here are some of our favorites....