Yep, it's super long because there were just too many good pictures to choose. But, if you have 8 minutes, it's worth it. (Oh, how sad! The first song doesn't have proper copyright status so the audio was disabled by youtube. I'll work on it and hopefully get it up again, with the sweet music.)
December 16, 2010
October 24, 2010
October
Messy
Romantic
Relaxing
Jealous
Precious
Goofy
Loud
Strong
Excited
Beautiful (and silly)
Curious
Cozy
Hungry (and hopeful)
Mobile
Cute
September 22, 2010
Ignoring the AAP
Weeeeeeell, yes. I am. Mostly.
Colin has started the process of walking. A few people have congratulated me/us on his walking and I must say, he isn't truly a walker yet. The biggest walking achievements have been:
step, step (lose balance, regain balance on his own) step, step.
and
step, step, step, step, step... fall. (this one we've had a few times)
He is now a professional cruiser. "Cruising" is when babies walk around the room holding on to furniture for balance. Normally, it's just furniture they grasp onto for dear life. Colin has taken to cruising the walls. I saw it for the first time this morning and I was overwhelmed with both laughter and pride. He looks just like a rock-climber. His hands are mostly above his head; for those of you who climb, he is truly "bouldering" the walls.
I digress. The purpose of this post is to say that I am, with complete knowledge, ignoring the American Academy of Pediatrics (gods to all things healthy for babies and kids). So, about two weeks ago Brian and I were at our wits end. It's true that with each new stage an old stage ends so it is bitter sweet. Colin is practically a walker which is exciting, but that means he is closer to a toddler and part of me wants my (ah-hem) little baby back. What I have just described is a normal parent reaction to growth and development. Alternatively, two weeks ago Brian and I were at the end of our ropes, growling at each other and Colin. "Just WALK Colin!" Why? Because the child is a diva. He was NOT. AT. ALL. happy unless someone was holding his hands so he could walk all around the house. Beck and call, beck and call. If we were not bent over (sore lower backs for both of us) holding his little, chubby hands so he could walk he would just sit, and whine, and cry and cry. UGH!
I am no cave woman. I have been around the baby block. I have heard that walkers are a big no, no. But on a Tuesday morning, just before I was going to self-destruct, I texted Brian at work: I AM GOING TO BUY A F*@KING WALKER! And his response: GREAT. IDEA. And so, E, C and I jumped in the car and drove to the closest Toys R Us and bought the most simple (read: cheapest) walker they had.
We have no stairs in our condo, so that part of the walker risk is not an issue. And I must say, since we have purchased the walker I have said on more than one occasion, 'This was the best 30 bucks we ever spent!' Colin loves his wheels. He is now able to get to almost every part of the house (he even figured out how to get through doorways and how to reverse, turn around and go the other way). But, today I received the weekly update from BabyCenter, "Your 9 month old, Week 2" and it was all about the danger of walkers. You know, the usual-- besides being a likely vehicle of death in some freak walker accident, they will also stunt your baby's ability to walk normally. The AAP recommends never using walkers, ever.
NOOOOOO!
Ignorance is bliss. Why did I have to open that e-mail?! Why do parents have to be so in-the-loop these days? Will it really be so bad if he learns to walk one-legged or with a strange limp? We have Blue Cross Blue Shield so if he accidentally reaches speeds of 2 or 3 mph and crashes into the side of the coffee table and rolls his wheels, well the ER is only a few miles away, right?
Ugh. What to do, what to do?
So, I have decided.... Well, ok, I have developed the excuse that since Colin was so close to walking when we introduced him to his set of wheels, it will probably be ok. I mean, would you take away this bliss:
Colin has started the process of walking. A few people have congratulated me/us on his walking and I must say, he isn't truly a walker yet. The biggest walking achievements have been:
step, step (lose balance, regain balance on his own) step, step.
and
step, step, step, step, step... fall. (this one we've had a few times)
He is now a professional cruiser. "Cruising" is when babies walk around the room holding on to furniture for balance. Normally, it's just furniture they grasp onto for dear life. Colin has taken to cruising the walls. I saw it for the first time this morning and I was overwhelmed with both laughter and pride. He looks just like a rock-climber. His hands are mostly above his head; for those of you who climb, he is truly "bouldering" the walls.
I digress. The purpose of this post is to say that I am, with complete knowledge, ignoring the American Academy of Pediatrics (gods to all things healthy for babies and kids). So, about two weeks ago Brian and I were at our wits end. It's true that with each new stage an old stage ends so it is bitter sweet. Colin is practically a walker which is exciting, but that means he is closer to a toddler and part of me wants my (ah-hem) little baby back. What I have just described is a normal parent reaction to growth and development. Alternatively, two weeks ago Brian and I were at the end of our ropes, growling at each other and Colin. "Just WALK Colin!" Why? Because the child is a diva. He was NOT. AT. ALL. happy unless someone was holding his hands so he could walk all around the house. Beck and call, beck and call. If we were not bent over (sore lower backs for both of us) holding his little, chubby hands so he could walk he would just sit, and whine, and cry and cry. UGH!
I am no cave woman. I have been around the baby block. I have heard that walkers are a big no, no. But on a Tuesday morning, just before I was going to self-destruct, I texted Brian at work: I AM GOING TO BUY A F*@KING WALKER! And his response: GREAT. IDEA. And so, E, C and I jumped in the car and drove to the closest Toys R Us and bought the most simple (read: cheapest) walker they had.
We have no stairs in our condo, so that part of the walker risk is not an issue. And I must say, since we have purchased the walker I have said on more than one occasion, 'This was the best 30 bucks we ever spent!' Colin loves his wheels. He is now able to get to almost every part of the house (he even figured out how to get through doorways and how to reverse, turn around and go the other way). But, today I received the weekly update from BabyCenter, "Your 9 month old, Week 2" and it was all about the danger of walkers. You know, the usual-- besides being a likely vehicle of death in some freak walker accident, they will also stunt your baby's ability to walk normally. The AAP recommends never using walkers, ever.
NOOOOOO!
Ignorance is bliss. Why did I have to open that e-mail?! Why do parents have to be so in-the-loop these days? Will it really be so bad if he learns to walk one-legged or with a strange limp? We have Blue Cross Blue Shield so if he accidentally reaches speeds of 2 or 3 mph and crashes into the side of the coffee table and rolls his wheels, well the ER is only a few miles away, right?
Ugh. What to do, what to do?
So, I have decided.... Well, ok, I have developed the excuse that since Colin was so close to walking when we introduced him to his set of wheels, it will probably be ok. I mean, would you take away this bliss:
September 14, 2010
September 10, 2010
Joy Ride
Try clicking on this link first (the picture quality will be a lot better):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yenkhUYmN8
One minute of pure joy. I was going to put this to music but hearing his bouncy thing bounce is just too funny. My favorite part of this little video is how he keeps looking over to see if I'm watching.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yenkhUYmN8
One minute of pure joy. I was going to put this to music but hearing his bouncy thing bounce is just too funny. My favorite part of this little video is how he keeps looking over to see if I'm watching.
August 31, 2010
SAHM
I think if I could choose it any way I'd like it, I'd work full-time the first 4-5 months (at an office with a couch) and then stay home after that, because who would want to leave this...
August 13, 2010
100% Sweet.
Life just doesn't get any sweeter than this. I could watch this little clip 1,000 times and then watch it again. Notice his facial expressions, especially when he gives the baby doll a little squeeze. I am so in love.
And Now You're 4!
Kind of hot, kind of full of mosquitoes, but still really fun.
We painted t-shirts, an idea we stole from awesome Aunt Amy, everybody's shirts looked colorful, messy and great.
Cousin Kai thought it was just fine to paint a few more shirts!
Every person who was more than three feet tall ended up helping at this party--this made for two super grateful parents!
Eleanor was flooded with fabulous gifts, which was a little overwhelming (like Christmas on steroids) and she flew through them shouting "thanks!" and then turning to me asking, "what else?" This was a little embarrassing for me but I'm told it's pretty typical for a four-year-old birthday queen.
Overall, turning four was exciting. Oh! And I almost forgot, her big gift from Mom and Dad was a bike. I'm hoping to post some video of her biking after this weekend. Big stuff in the Johnson/Granstrom house!
August 12, 2010
7 Months
People have been asking or commenting a lot lately on how much Colin does or doesn't look like Ellie did at this age. I thought it would be fun to post some pics comparing the two of them at 7 months.
July 25, 2010
Sitting On Daddy
Wait a second, I think we have this backwards you guys.
Are you sure about this?
Mommy, stop taking pictures and help me out here!
July 23, 2010
June 19, 2010
May 8, 2010
Sitting Up
How do you know when your 22lb 4-month-old has outgrown his bouncy seat? When you walk in the living room and find this:
Project Runway
I let Ellie watch part of the show "Project Runway" with me a few weeks ago. It's a reality show about clothing designers (not the models). Afterward we drew our own sketches and here was the result. Can you guess which ones are mine?
Best Mother's Day Gift Ever
I never know what to keep.
Ellie comes home from preschool with projects almost everyday. Some are no-brainers, like the "pictures" that are mostly scribbles and look the same as every other scribble picture that comes home. But there are usually 2-3 a week that I wonder about keeping. As you can imagine, if I kept all those projects our house would qualify for one of those annoying hoarder's shows on TLC. Her teachers are great about holidays. For Christmas each family got a little memory book with all different pictures of the class in it, so I knew Mother's Day would bring something special and sure enough I was overwhelmed with super sweet little cards, pictures, projects...
and a little flowery plant in a sweet little painted pot.
If you know me well you know that my Mom doesn't call me "Gracie" because of my overwhelming ability to be graceful. Nope, that's not it. After we got home from school on Thursday, after I was bombarded with colorful, sticky, gooey, potted love, it happened. I dropped the beautiful little pot. It immediately cracked into too many pieces to count and the cute little pansies lay there on the ground in total defeat. My stomach dropped, my blood rushed and my heart pounded as Ellie turned the corner and saw her beautiful work of love and art in pieces on the ground.
We both stood there together in silence mourning this week's project that was a gift, that would not only be kept but would have been displayed for everyone to admire. When the silence got to me I said all I could think to say, "Oh Eleanor, I am so sorry." And then I got the best Mother's Day gift ever:
She put her little hand on my arm and said, "Don't worry Mom. It's ok. We can make a new one. My teachers have more flowers too. Don't worry Mom, don't worry."
My sweet girl.
Ellie comes home from preschool with projects almost everyday. Some are no-brainers, like the "pictures" that are mostly scribbles and look the same as every other scribble picture that comes home. But there are usually 2-3 a week that I wonder about keeping. As you can imagine, if I kept all those projects our house would qualify for one of those annoying hoarder's shows on TLC. Her teachers are great about holidays. For Christmas each family got a little memory book with all different pictures of the class in it, so I knew Mother's Day would bring something special and sure enough I was overwhelmed with super sweet little cards, pictures, projects...
and a little flowery plant in a sweet little painted pot.
If you know me well you know that my Mom doesn't call me "Gracie" because of my overwhelming ability to be graceful. Nope, that's not it. After we got home from school on Thursday, after I was bombarded with colorful, sticky, gooey, potted love, it happened. I dropped the beautiful little pot. It immediately cracked into too many pieces to count and the cute little pansies lay there on the ground in total defeat. My stomach dropped, my blood rushed and my heart pounded as Ellie turned the corner and saw her beautiful work of love and art in pieces on the ground.
We both stood there together in silence mourning this week's project that was a gift, that would not only be kept but would have been displayed for everyone to admire. When the silence got to me I said all I could think to say, "Oh Eleanor, I am so sorry." And then I got the best Mother's Day gift ever:
She put her little hand on my arm and said, "Don't worry Mom. It's ok. We can make a new one. My teachers have more flowers too. Don't worry Mom, don't worry."
My sweet girl.
April 30, 2010
Sleep Training Sucks
He is so mad. Mad is easier than scared or sad (although he might be a little of that too). There is this totally natural urge to go pick him up, cradle him, hush him, kiss his sweet cheeks. BUT I CAN'T. He is screaming, sweaty with crying and anger. So many people have told me their tales of better sleepers, making better daytime babies and parents with more smiles and more sanity. But this is really, really, really hard. I love you Colin, I just want you to learn that sacred secret--turn over and go back to sleep.
Hmm... it's quiet. Yep, totally quiet. (gasp) He's asleep! 20 minutes. That wasn't terrible.
Let's wait and see. Sleep little guy, I know you can do this.
Hmm... it's quiet. Yep, totally quiet. (gasp) He's asleep! 20 minutes. That wasn't terrible.
Let's wait and see. Sleep little guy, I know you can do this.
April 21, 2010
Followers!
Fun! Suddenly I have eight "followers." That makes me feel motivated to post more. If you are a "follower" sign on and I'll do my best to post a little more often.
April 18, 2010
Chicken Nuggets!
Ellie is going to mutate into a chicken nugget. She will turn into a chicken nugget and go live in a great land called Processed. This land will be full of bright colors, cardboard grass and freezer burn. It will have many species of chicken nuggets: organic nuggets that boast their healthier interior, dinosaur-shaped nuggets that shout ‘look at us, we are fun to eat,’ cheap round nuggets that sit and do nothing, and homemade nuggets which fall apart when you touch them. In the middle of Processed runs a river of honey where the nuggets like to hangout in case they feel like going for a dip (and of course there are plenty of square oranges slices to wrap up in after they swim). To the east you will find a forest of tubes and if you are a tube-hugger you will enjoy some bright pink or blue yummy goop. The west is where school is, a school of crunchy little fish-shaped crackers that like to come out to play in the morning, the afternoon and sometimes even at night. There is a legend in the land of Processed that if one dares to cross over the rolling hills of Tantrum and through the field of Bribes they will find a foreign place known as Healthy Kid Super Mom, but very few of the Processed residents are able to get there and those who do come back with tales of crunchy carrot sticks that can be seen for miles, apple slices that have never been to a doctor, and stalks of broccoli that can bench press 5 or 6 cauliflower chunks at a time! These tall tales aren’t spoken of much in Processed, in fact doing so can get you arrested and forced to sit in a pool of butter made with peanuts writing over and over—MY MOM IS DOING THE BEST SHE CAN.
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