So Big!!!

Grady is getting "So Big" which is a new game that he is really starting to enjoy. He is at such a fun stage right now where he is discovering his world through vocal expression as well as new body movements. He is on his way to 9 months old. He is really trying hard to learn how to crawl and he is finally starting to cut his bottom teeth. He says DaDA and BahBah perfectly; however we are not sure if he is actually attributing those words to the proper things. He is getting better at eating table food; however we are still working on not spitting it all over Mommy. He is such a joy and I cherish every moment I get to spend with him.

Here is Grady showing us how Big he is. He is really enjoying imitating us and getting praise for his accomplishments. Another great achievement is learning how to clap and working on giving high fives!This picture just melts my heart as he just looks like a little toddler here. He has such cute expressions and I think he knows how cute he really isGrady is really into crawling all over mama and daddy when we are on the floor playing with him. He is also having fun exploring the world and his face with his tongue. He desperately would love to make his little chunky body move from this position, but right now all that he can do is get up on all fours and rock back and forth. I have a feeling he is going to figure it out shortly. Here are some of his 8 month pictures. You can really tell that he is developing his own look and personality. He has so much hair right now it is ridiculous. But how could anyone resist this face!8 months - 28 1/2 inches and 22lbs 7oz

size 9-12 mo and 12-18 mo clothes and size 5 diapers

SO BIG!!!

Here is a great family picture. Some how Daddy and Grady tend to where matching shirts much of the time.Ben's mom showed us some pictures of what Ben looked like as a baby. Now there is no question that Grady really is a mini version of Ben. Here is Ben at 7months or so.I'm thinking that this will be Grady in about one year. No wonder Grady is so cute! Ben was asked to preach at his home church which provided us a great opportunity to visit Grandpa Chris and Grandma Mary in Cedar Rapids. Grady had fun playing with them both as well as acquiring a new wardrobe! Grandma Mary had fun making Grady some new clothes. Grady had fun pooping out of them the first time he put them on! Thankfully Grandma Mary was not offended!

Fun with family and friends

There always seems to be some form of excitement at the Blanchard household, with the main events culminating on the weekends. During the last weekend of June, my family decided to make a roadtrip and come to Des Moines and experience a little taste of our city.

Here is Papa Chuck and Grandma Janelle chillin at the aquatic center with their two youngest grandbabies.

Grady was fixated on pulling Papa Chuck's chest hair and let me tell ya...that boy has some grip. Papa Chuck is smiling just to hold back the tears!

Grady and Miley (Grady's cousin) washed up together, basically just to play with the bath toys. Interestingly enough, Miley just turned 1 year old and she actually weighs 3lbs less than Grady! Even though they are family, they have such different features; however both extremely cute.One of the fun reasons for getting together was to celebrate Miley's first birthday. This was the first one year old birthday party that the whole family was together for since Brooke (the oldest) birthday party. Grady's cousins just love holding him and carrying him around; however they can definitely tell the size difference between their sister and him.

What a great family shot! It was so nice to spend a part of the summer with familyAfter all the excitement of the family staying with us, Daddy and Grady had to unwind with introducing Chicago to his new role - Grady's pony! Chicago is so great with Grady; someday I'm sure Grady will try to ride this horse!

I just couldn't resist putting this pic on the blog...he is just so sweet looking. I can't believe how big he is getting.

We were able to relive a part of our college lives by waiting up until after midnight (never happens, even on New Year's Eve) for my college friends, Darwin and Nicole to arrive and spend the night with their little Miles. It was so great to see them and meet their little man even if it was just for a moment. Here Grady is playing nice with Miles; later on, Grady would try to eat that hand he is holding, but Miles did not seem to mind!

Here is Grady's surprised/excited face.

Grady's new trick is spitting all his food back at Mommy. This was taken just after one of his little episodes. Needless to say, this behavior will not be allowed for long!Who Me???

Just chillin on a lazy Saturday morning. This was the morning after Grady slept through the whole night. So refreshing to have a full night's rest and zero obligations. Happy 4th of July!I'll end this post with allowing everyone to witness Grady's new form of expressing himself....yelling!!! Enjoy

Summer fun

Grady had a very eventful Saturday as he was able to play with his cousin Abigail from St. Louis and experience his first time at the swimming pool. Uncle Jeremy and Aunt Trish were visiting from St. Louis so Grady was able to play with his cousin Abigail. It was so fun to watch them interact. Grady wanted to play with Abigail like he does with his friend Elsie at daycare, but Abigail was not too sure about Grady's rough play. It was also fun listening to the distinct voices of each of the babies. Grady is so high pitched where as Abigail has this jazzy gravely tone. Here is a video of the two of them "playing"...

Abigail wasn't too sure about Grady's intentions... he just looks like he is ready to cause trouble

Just another instance of a Cub taking down a Cardinal!

Grady's first experience at an aquatic center. The water was somewhat chilly but he loved watching all the other kids and hanging onto his turtle while he kicked his legs in the water. I gotta get the poor kid some shades though. Mommy went a little crazy applying sunscreen and making sure his little head was covered at all times. But given Grady's daddy's history with the sun, it was a necessary precaution.

Ben celebrated his first Father's Day with his precious little Bobalu (the horrible knickname that Ben loves to call Grady) so as a fun gift, I made a onesie that said "Daddy's Bobalu". Grady also bought Daddy a new Cubs hat.

Happy Father's Day Daddy...Go Cubs Go!!Sweet family picture on Father's Day

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.