Grant ~Fall 2014~

Well it’s winter and I am just getting to posting Grant’s Fall 2014 post.  Seems appropriate given how crazy busy life always seems.  I am always behind on posts lately but pretty darn proud of myself that it even gets done. 

Approximate size

Height: 40"

Weight:  35 lbs 

Grant is pretty much out of 3T items and fully in 4T.  He still seems average to small for his age and when I try to move him up a size in undies (currently 2T/3T) he drowns in them but his old ones are getting a little smallish.  He wears a size 9 shoe. 

Potty training:  I am happy to report that Grant is now accident free 99% of the time whether it is naptime or bed time.  He still wears a diaper to bed just in case but he never wakes wet.  I am mainly nervous because he has yet to wake to tell us he has to potty but he can hold it long enough it isn’t an issue. 

September

Favorite words, sayings and/or things:  Grant absolutely loves to do anything daddy is doing… building, working, playing.  He wants to be right there with daddy doing it as well.  He loves his Nike tennis shoes which he knows he only gets to wear when he isn’t playing or going to school.  

Funnies/Grant-isms:  On my birthday, Grant asked why it was my birthday and I told him because I was born 30 years ago and without missing a beat he said, “Wow, that is a lot!”  Thanks Buddy! 

Observations:  Grant is getting better at visually recognizing more words (Grant, mom, dad, Amelia, Jesus, dog, book, Pooh among some of them).  He is better at coloring in the lines.  He likes hopping on one foot but when you ask him to switch feet and put his right foot down he can’t do it.  He can put the dogs in their kennel on his own and latch them correctly.  Grant absolutely still needs a nap.  There are occasions when we push it because we have something going on but he gets super crabby and just isn’t ready to drop it.

Firsts/Adventures:  This month Grant got to ride in Papa George’s semi in a trucker’s caravan.  He thought it was absolutely the coolest thing riding up front so high waving and honking at all the people.

We made our first attempt of organized activity.  Grant participated in a series of tumbling classes.  At the first class, he didn’t really want anything to do with it.  By the end of the last class, he was more easily engaged and participated almost 100%. 

Grandma Cheryl was here for a visit towards the end of this month and of course we had a blast!! 

Illness:  Guilty mom moment ahead…  There was a night towards the end of the month that we tucked Grant in bed with nothing more than a minor cough and no other complaints.  About 20 minutes later he came out of his room and said he needed a Q tip because he had green stuff coming out of his ear.  Well, we know Grant likes to play games at bed time occasionally and stall so we sent him back to bed and again he didn’t complain. 

It was about an hour later when we heard him crying and whimpering.  I went into his room and he was complaining of his ear hurting and crying.  I checked his ear and sure enough he had green drainage coming from it.  Grant no longer has tubes and his ear drum has completely healed so to me that meant only one thing… his ear drum had ruptured.   We put some oils on and made sure he wasn’t in any extreme discomfort and he slept through the night no problem.

Fast forward to the next day and a visit to the ENT which confirmed my suspicion.  Grant’s ear drum had indeed ruptured.  The doc absolutely couldn’t believe we didn’t end up in the ER because of the pain alone when that occurs.  Grant still appeared to be slightly under the weather but his only complaint was a headache until the next day (October 1) and our first trip to convenient care… I’ll finish the story in the October section.  

October

Favorite words, sayings and/or things:  I wish I had a recorder on 24/7.  There are so many things he says that absolutely crack us up that I don’t remember and often forget to write down.  Grant absolutely loves Winnie the Pooh right now.  We have a set of 15 books and we literally read a Pooh book everyday!

Funnies/Grant-isms:  One day on the way home Grant asked me, “What happens if you drink P and put poop in your mouth?”  Talk about random and catch you off-guard.  When Grant says words that start with a th like thing or thank it comes out as an F sound like fing or fank.

Observations:  Grant is still very inquisitive but doesn’t ask nearly as many why questions.  He’s been talking a lot about Christmas already and also been telling us his “teeth hurt” which we don’t really know why. 

Firsts/Adventures:  Grant had a dentist appointment and handled it like a pro.  Matt caught a grass snake and without even hesitating Grant asked if he could pet it!  I was surprised he wasn’t more hesitant.  Trick or treating was a blast this year… once we got his costume on that is!  It was a bit of a fight because he had just woken from nap and was super crabby!!  

Illness:  2 days after his ruptured ear drum Grant began running a 102 fever but initially had no other complaints.  It wasn’t until the end of the day when he casually mentioned his mouth hurt.  I had him open wide and took a look at his throat.  His tonsils and throat were flaming red and covered with white puss spots.  Figuring we were headed for a strep throat diagnosis we packed up and headed for our first trip to convenient care.  After a visit with the doc and a strep culture which was “surprisingly negative,” we headed home and treated him as if it were any other viral infection (oils, oils, oils and thieves and honey cider).  He wasn’t even complaining of a sore throat the next morning.

 A Grant funny from the doc and being sick… Tonsils are also know at “twinsils.”   When referring to his tonsils and how ugly, puss-covered and swollen they were Grant asked us, “Where’s your twinsils?”    

November

Favorite words, sayings and/or things:  My boss gave us an antique school desk which the kids love sitting at and playing school.  Tis the season and Grant loves the park’s light show more than ever this year!!  He has a recent obsession with putting multiple pieces of paper together, folding them, and making a “book.”  He also loves stuffing envelopes and making “presents.”

Funnies/Grant-isms:   While playing one day Grant told me he was driving to Africa.  I asked what he was going to do there and he told me work.  I then asked him where he worked and he said he was building a poop plant.    

Observations:  Grant will ask questions he already knows the answer to.  It is slightly annoying so we turn it around on him and make him answer his own question.  He of course wants everything his sister puts her hands on immediately.  He’s been talking a lot about witches and ghosts and has told us he wants to be a nice witch for Halloween next year. 

Firsts/Adventures:  After some floating back and forth, he officially moved up to the 4 year old classroom.  It’s been a bit of a rough transition because Grant was so attached to his awesome teacher in the previous classroom.  We’ve made it through the bumps and he’s doing much better. 

I think we officially had the scariest moment of our lives to date.  We went to a Christmas tree farm to cut down a Christmas tree.  They have a horse drawn wagon that takes you to the trees.  Well, when we got there we walked up with Grant and we pet the horses and he loved it.  We went and got our tree and came back to warm up.  

The horses had returned and Grant wanted to go pet them again.  We walked around the back of the wagon and were walking up to the front of the horses when Grant reached out and touched the horse’s front leg.  Everything immediately slowed down and I could see it all coming.  His hand touched the horse, the horse’s leg twitched because he got spooked.  The horse rared up and then kicked his legs back kicking Grant squarely in the upper arm and knocking him to the ground.  All I could think was I have to get him out of there (because I didn’t know if the horse would keep bucking and kicking).  I reached down, grabbed his coat, and dragged him away from the horses.

Grant was crying and at this point we didn’t know where he had been kicked (by a fully grown CLYDESDALE!).  By the time we got him inside, he was no longer crying.  We pulled his coat off to see where he was kicked, if it was broken/dislocated, etc.   He was so incredibly lucky.  A matter of 6 inches higher and the horse would have kicked him in the head.

We took the opportunity to talk to Grant about always letting the horse see him before he reaches out to pet them.  (The horses had blinders on and never saw us coming.  I should’ve made sure we weren’t walking so close until we got to the front of the horse and now Grant knows how to approach an animal.)  Proud parent moment though… after we were assured he was OK, he asked us if he could go back out and pet the horse which he did very bravely and was very excited.

On the way home he asked me when his arm was going to stop hurting and when we laid him down for a nap he was already beginning to get a black and blue bruise.  Oil moment though… I put an oil called Deep Relief for pain and Valor for bruising on there before his nap and I kid you not  when he woke up there was no sign what so ever of bruising.  His arm was slightly red but not bruised.  Even several days later it never turned black and blue but when it began to heal a bit more at about day 5 it turned yellowish in color like bruises often do. 

The house was decorated and ready for Christmas and we have started some of the winter festivities including building and decorating a gingerbread house kit which both he and Amelia loved!

Illness:  None