It's a Garner Party!: May 2015

I refuse to believe you are 6 months old, sweet boy. I'm fairly certain that just last week, you're daddy and I were racing down 85 knowing that we would meet you oh, so soon. I had a sob fest last night thinking of how quickly you're growing. As much as I loved your newborn stage, I am OBSESSED with you at this age. You are so alert and personable. I love being your mama, that's for sure.

such a happy little drooler

trying to eat mama's phone, eh?

could you be any cuter if you tried?

i'm not quite sure that'll fit, bud.

You have been so incredibly busy this month. I can see that little brain of yours just a-workin' all the time. You are figuring new things out daily, and I love watching that little light bulb go off when you figure something out. Currently, your favorite thing is your hands and the noises that they make. You slap those little meat paws on anything you can get your hands on. Your daddy and I have started calling you BamBam. You make the biggest mess in the bathtub from slapping the water - I actually moved bath time from your bathroom to mommy & daddy's - our tub is bigger and contains your mess a LOT better :) Bath time is still your favorite time of the day! You can be fussing like there's no tomorrow and as soon as your little booty hits the water, you're as happy as a clam (see what I did there?). You even love baths in the sink. Except for when mama forgets to put a towel under you and you slip and bump your noggin. whoops, #mommyfail. You love being naked and tapping on your belly. You just love being naked, period. Pants are for wimps, right?

sometimes when you're grumpy and just wanna be held but mama has so much to do, I plop you in the sink so we can play and I can cook supper :) you love it!

this was your first time seeing the water come out of sink :)

I'm fairly confident that you're cutting a tooth soon (at least I hope all of your whining isn't in vain). **Update - I wrote this blog post on the 20th, even though it wasn't posted until the 22nd. we now have a nub of a tooth on the bottom. I found that out the hard way when i stuck my finger in your mouth this morning. You are a slobbering mess, and go through AT LEAST 3 outfits and countless bibs per day. That's the main reason I strip you down when you get home :) You want to put everything into your mouth! You've got several chew toys that ease your teething pain a bit. I bought you an amber teething necklace, but I really don't know if it works. You can't wear it at daycare, and I forget to put it on you on the weekends - whoops. We did find some teething tablets that work WONDERS though! You're like a brand new baby after I give you a couple of those. So far, your favorite teething "toy" is a carrot stick. I bought a full size carrot, peeled it, and cut it in half. You've been gumming that bad boy for 3 days!

wheeeeeere's Grant?

the first time you ever sat in the big boy part of the buggy!

you looooooove peek-aboo

Let's talk about sleep, and ALL of the sleep we've been getting around the house this month. The first week of the month, you spent the night with Mimi and G, and apparently thought you needed to party with them on Saturday night. You woke Mimi up and made her snuggle with you to get some sleep. You came home Sunday night and were SO ANGRY at bedtime. Every time I would alllllmost get you to sleep, you'd pop wide awake and begin crying. After about an hour, I gave up and just let you cry in your crib. GUESS WHAT? YOU SLEPT THROUGH THE NIGHT AND DIDN'T MAKE A SINGLE SOUND ALL NIGHT. Since that night, I've been letting you cry it out, and 9 times out of 10, you make it through the night. Since you're teething, you have a tendency to wake up around once a night. I can handle once a night. I usually go in, give you some teething tablets, pat your little bottom, and then you're back out like a light. You're sleeping from about 7:30pm - 6:00am when I have to wake you up to get ready for daycare. I don't think that I've ever loved you more than that first night you slept all the way through :) You do enjoy being "shushed" to sleep. Your Mema bought you a "baby shusher". It's amazing! It literally just says "shhhhhh" for 30 minutes. I only wish you had that as a newborn. It would have saved mama a lot of breath! All of the books talk about "self-soothing" techniques, and your daddy and I have figured yours out. You like something to snuggle (you use your teddy bear), and you like to scratch your sheets with your tiny little fingernails. You're a little weirdo, and we love it.
'

this. my heart can't stop smiling at this picture. can you stay this little forever?

Most days, you are an incredibly happy baby. You love snuggling with whoever is holding you. You've just started giving big ole hugs. One of your favorite things is still yourself :) You love looking at yourself in the mirror or in mama's iPhone. You babble on for days, and it's the sweetest noise I've heard. I love driving down the road and hearing you giggle at yourself. If I've said it before, I'll say it again - I LOVE this time with you.

Lest anyone think all you is smile and giggle --

You can't roll over yet. You're almost there, and you want it so bad! I'm fairly certain that big ole water head of yours makes it a little difficult for you :) You can sit like a champ, completely unassisted. I'm fairly confident that's because for the last 3 months I've set you in your Bumbo in the afternoons while I cooked dinner, instead of laying you down on the floor. So, my apologies for stunting your growth, little man! Either way, I predict you'll be rolling in the next 2 weeks. We'll see!

sportin' your pop's hat - I like it, and need to find a smaller one for you!

nerd.

mama had to work late one night, so I brought you with me. you were such a champ hanging out at Chick-fil-A in your high chair. You're the youngest employee we've ever had...but shhhh, don't tell the department of labor.

loving on uncle cale

We've started you on purees and a little bit of table food! You're still taking (4) 8oz bottles a day, and you eat 3 meals. I usually do prunes in the morning, a fruit for lunch, and then some type of veggie in the evening after your nap. Sometimes I let you have hunks of apple or avocado, but only if someone else is around. I'm too big of a chicken to let you gnaw (fun fact - I had to google how to spell that) on any big food without having backup. You LOVE avocado - you will demolish a whole avocado in one sitting.

Let's talk daycare for a minute. Miss Brittany left us this week. You and I both cried. She says she got a better offer at a different place, using her degree, yadda yadda yadda. All I heard was "I'm not going to be there for Grant anymore". But seriously - she's been a great teacher to you over the last 4 months. She's loved you, played with you, and cared for you more than most teachers would. She didn't throw you out the window your first month at daycare - that's saying a lot! Don't worry, sweet boy - it's not the end of the world. You still have great teachers at Discovery Point - Ms. Angel, Brandy, and Jessica all still love on you and are there to take great care of you! Annnnnnd I'm fairly confident mommy and daddy will need lots of date nights, and I'll ship you off to Miss Brittany's to play!

This month, I was able to celebrate my first mother's day with YOU! I was pregnant this time last year, so it had a different meaning to me than previous years. But this year, I loved getting to celebrate with you in my arms. We spent Friday night and Saturday in Grayson with Mimi, G, and the rest of the Garner family. You had a great time with all of your cousins, and we loved celebrating the Garner mamas with brunch that morning! Saturday afternoon, we headed to Mansfield with Mema, Poppa, & Uncle Cale. We spent mother's day enjoying a big Davis family lunch. You and your daddy made me the sweetest picture frame - I love it SO much! Your daddy built it (because you can't use power tools yet - duh), and you put your stamp of approval on it.

You and Amelia chatting

hitting Henry...

...has consequences.

2014 babies!

All things considered, we've had a fairly calm month. We've stayed at home 2 full weekends (that's a record for us since you've been born!). On those days, we hung out with daddy in the yard while he did yard work. You love sitting on the front porch in the rocking chair and watching your daddy cut the grass, or on a blanket in the back yard watching him build (and rebuild) a fire pit!

Every day after day care, you fall asleep on our way home. We usually get home and snuggle on the couch for an hour or two. When I wake you up, some days you're UBER fussy - I'm fairly confident it's because you refuse to sleep at daycare, and you'd rather just nap all afternoon. You can be fussing and crying non stop. Your daddy walks in the door? You are all smiles and giggles. As much as it drives me nuts that you're crying with me, I love that just his handsome face can make yours light up. He loves you more than you could ever imagine, sweet boy. I hope you grow up to become just like him. If you pay close attention, he'll teach you how to be a strong Christian man, work hard, and to love your lady with everything in you.

There's so many people around you who love you and who's lives you brighten. Today, your great granny went home to be with Jesus. She wasn't doing too well on Monday, so we went to go see her on Tuesday. God knew we all needed a little light in our lives this week - and you were that light on Tuesday. You normally eat at 2:30 and sleep from 3-5. You hardly ate anything on Tuesday, and refused to sleep while we were there. I was so worrid you were going to be a grumpapotomus. But you were the happiest baby and snuggled with your great granny for an hour. I couldn't ask for a sweeter last visit with her. So thank you. She loved you so, so much and loved hearing about you every Thursday when we chatted with her. I wish you were able to grow up knowing her. But I'll make sure you hear all of the fun stories about her. Growing up, she always said to me "baby, I love you like grapes". I knew what was coming next, but my reply was always "what does that mean, Granny?". "oh girl, I love you bunches." You've already got that silly laugh - I hope you inherit her goofy sense of humor, too. :)

Oh, sweet, sweet boy. I love you more than you could ever know. Those bright eyes of yours, your goofy cackling laugh, and your sweet, sweet smile. I thank God every.single.day. that he's trusted your daddy and I to raise you. I hope you know how much you are loved and adored by your whole entire family. These last 6 months have been more than I could have ever imagined, and then some. Here's to the next 6 more, Grantapotomus.

*Right before I started taking these pictures, you were laughing and grinning. As soon as the camera came out, though - you refused to smile. So enjoy your expressionless 6 month pictures :)