Movin' On Up!

* I promise to post about Christmas soon *

It's official. Our big guy graduated from the Waddler Room at day care yesterday. It was his first official day in the Toddler Room!



Yay Grant!

 We've been wondering when it was going to happen because the people at day care have mentioned the move several times over the past couple of months. In the last two weeks or so Grant has been spending time in the Toddler Room so they could see how he does with the older kids and all reports have been positive.

I went to pick up Grant yesterday - not knowing of the move - and when I peeked in the Waddler Room to look for Grant two people at the same time said "Oh, he's been moved! Grant and all his things are in the Toddler Room!". I got to meet the teachers, who were very sweet, and heard about the activities that they do. It sounds like Grant did great yesterday and that he'll love all the new stuff he'll be doing. Apparently his first day in the Toddler Room was somewhat exhausting.

P.S. He woke up from this "nap" in an extremely bad mood that was made
even worse when we refused to give him a pacifier. Life is so rough.

A Don Ho Christmas {Eve}

We always used to have Christmas Eve at my parent's house. Mom would cook a ton of food and Aunt Bonnie, Uncle Charlie, Nick, AJ, and Grama used to come over and we'd celebrate Christmas Eve. I know I've posted briefly before about how my Dad would wear a Hawaiian print shirt and tell everyone it was a "Don Ho" Christmas. After a while no one thought it was funny. But now Dad isn't here to have a "Don Ho" Christmas and this was our first Christmas without Dad. And Grant, for some reason I will never know, was sent some Hawaiian print shirts from his Auntie Shauna (who came again this year to spend Christmas with us). We had a little Christmas Eve celebration of our own and we also had a mini tribute to Dad :)

I suppose that shirt isn't as bad as some I've seen. And it's probably far less tacky than one that my Dad would've worn. I dressed Grant right before everyone got there and he grabbed the shirt and giggled. And then giggled the whole time I was trying to button it. He looked so ridiculous and adorable at the same time. I hope Dad liked it as much as Grant did!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas! I hope everyone has had a great holiday celebrating

with family and friends. I know we have!

Picture taken by my fabulous photographer friend
Elizabeth who always takes amazing pictures for us!

Stay tuned for some Christmas Eve/Christmas morning pictures. Grant had such a great time!



It's Medication. Maybe. Or It Could Kill You.

So yesterday Husband drove me to Chapel Hill to see the liver specialist. Both of us were sort of looking at this visit as a formality. After all, I was told just this past Friday that the biopsy showed that my condition was medication related. My appointment was at 2:00 - in the Transplant Clinic. That was a little off-putting, but I was confident that it was going to go well.

Be there 20 minutes before your appointment time, the letter says. And I was there 20 minutes before my appointment time (30 minutes, actually but I had to stop at registration). And then I wasn't seen until 20 minutes after my appointment time. So, the nurse does her thing and then the doctor comes flying into the room. Or maybe it just seemed like he was moving really fast because he was short. No hello, how are you, introductions...nothing. He just sits down and starts looking at all of my labs. And he talks to me in a way that makes me think he really doesn't like having to talk to or see people on a daily basis. He tells me that by looking assume it was medication related. I love it when doctor's tap dance around a simple "I don't know". But he also told me that there was a "marker" that was positive in my biopsy that could indicate autoimmune hepatitis. And if that's what it is then it needs to be treated - it's apparently not curable but is treatable - because "It'll kill you if I don't treat it". Fantastic. I walk in thinking I'm getting better...I leave thinking I possibly have a disease that will kill me if they don't figure out what the hell is going on. And then, before sending me down to the lab to have more blood drawn, he tells me not to worry. And I really wasn't that worried. I was a little, of course, but I was also kind of angry. But not nearly as much as my Hubby who was ready to call the doctor from last week to ask why he gave me a diagnosis that this new guy isn't sure about yet.

So we get home and go about our nightly routine. After I get Grant to bed, I did some dishes and cleaned up the kitchen. Then I crawled into bed for some good reading. It was 10:15 when I was just about to turn off my Kindle. And guess what? Our house phone rang. A phone call that late is never a good sign. I figured someone was sick or hurt. We didn't get to it in time and Nate says "That was your doctor on the answering machine. I think you need to get up and call him." I. Was. Pissed. 10:15?? What's so urgent? Then my cell rings. It's him. "I want to talk to you about your labs from today" he says. No apology for the time. No mention of Gee, I hope I didn't wake up your baby since your house is probably the size of the garage where I park my Mercedes and every phone you own is ringing. Nope, just started talking about my labs. And what was so urgent, you ask? NOTHING. He called to tell me that my labs look good are even more improved from last week. That it looks like I'm getting better and it's probably not autoimmune hepatitis. He calls at 10:15 p.m. for that. That and I won't have to have more blood drawn until the week after next "so I was hoping to talk to you about setting that up". What? This couldn't wait until, say, 8:00 a.m.? Ugh. This is why I try to avoid doctors.

And the Biopsy Says...

After my liver biopsy on Tuesday (while getting a peek a the sample because the ultrasound tech was cool like that) I was told I'd have my results in a day or two. When I talked to my doctor, though, he told me I wouldn't get results until this coming Tuesday at the appointment with the liver specialist. So I prepared myself for another weekend of sleepless worry (and not just mine, Nate too - this hasn't been easy on anybody).

But Thursday I went back to work, after a quick stop at the hospital lab to have more blood drawn to check my liver levels again, and I felt decent. A little sick still when I ate and, of course, sore where they shoved a needle in my side but otherwise not too bad. Then yesterday I woke up actually feeling pretty good and feeling something else I hadn't felt in a while...hungry. Hmmm...was I getting better? So I went about my morning. I was surprised to notice around 10:00, I think, that I missed a call from my doctor's office (who I have an appointment with that afternoon). I checked my voicemail and it was the actual doctor, not his nurse, asking me to call him back. Uh oh. So I call, ask the receptionist for him and in a second he picks up and says "Hello, Tara? I have good news for you. I have your pathology results and I was hoping to save you a trip into the office." Wait...what? I was not expecting any of that.

So he tells me that my condition is related to medication that I've been taking. He also tells me that the biopsy showed no signs of permanent damage to my liver AND my levels are going down. He even cancelled my afternoon appointment because he was encouraged by the results! I still have to see the specialist on Tuesday in Chapel Hill because he's taking a second look at everything.

I can't even begin to tell you how relieved we all are. Last night I slept better than I have in a long time. It's amazing what unexpected good new can do for you. I'm feeling so much better and I think my yellowness going away. My veins are really relieved too. My arms look like I decided to become a crack whore. They were starting to hide from the blood people. Although I should point out that people in lab at Rex Hospital are really good at what they do. I wish I could go back there every time I have to have blood drawn. But anyway, I'm so happy that I'm going to be ok and we're going to be able to have a Merry Christmas.

THANK YOU SO MUCH to everyone for the help (especially to my sweet Hubby and my Mother-in-law!), the concern, well wishes, thoughts, and prayers!

*Side note: If you're wondering what medication it is, I was told there is no way to tell. I'm supposed to bring to two likely culprits with me to my appointment on Tuesday but I don't think they'll do anything with them. My doctor thinks it's either my birth control pill (I've been on this specific one only since September) and an over the counter medication for a UTI - which I sort of self diagnosed myself with. I really want to blame it on that - and even if it's not that, I'll never take it again - but I just don't know. And it's not my job to know, right? It's just my job to not take them anymore. I can handle that.

Which Outfit Goes Best With Jaundice?

I haven't felt well for a couple weeks now. Since Thanksgiving weekend. I figured it was something I ate, then I thought it was a stomach bug. A couple people who knew about it all asked if I was pregnant. Absolutely not. So this past Thursday after I got out of the shower I looked in the mirror and got a little scared. I called Nate into the bedroom and I asked him if my skin and eyes look yellow to him. He kinda made fun but quickly stopped when he said "Umm...yeah, you're yellow." And then the fun began.

That day I went to just a general doctor who threw every scary possibilities at me (including pancreatic cancer) and took some tons of blood. Then he sent me for an abdominal ultra sound to check for "blockages" which of course made me think they were going to find all kinds of tumors and I was going to die (the doctor actually was hoping for a gall stone stopping up my plumbing). Nothing. Ultra sound was clean except for a "slight" inflammation of my liver and spleen. So Friday I went to a gastro guy who once again took my history and ordered more blood tests. And then an MRI of my abdomen on Monday.

I'm not a claustrophobic person...but that MRI tube gave me some anxiety. And I left there once again feeling like they were going to see something awful. Nope. Clean. What to do, what to do? How about more needles? But let's make a big one. So Tuesday, I had a liver biopsy done. "Don't worry," the nurse at my doctor's office said "It sounds scary but they'll sedate you. You won't know what's going on. You'll just need to have someone there to drive you."

Liar.

They most certainly do not sedate you before shoving a large needle into your troublesome liver. And honestly it wasn't too terrible. But they SHOULD sedate you before sending in the socially awkward nurse to attempt THREE TIMES to start an IV. She eventually gave up (after bruising me in all three places) and someone else - much more friendly - came in and got it on the first try. Just start with him next time. So they did the biopsy and I was sent off to recovery to lay still for two hours with Nate to keep me company (who refused to give me my phone to play with).

No joke, I look like I've taken a position
at Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory.

So at this point it was about 3:30 in the afternoon and I'd had nothing to eat all day (finally had something to drink when I got to recovery and it was the best tasting ginger ale I've ever had!). The very sweet nurse was going to bring me some graham crackers but on second thought brought me the hospital menu and ordered me a sandwich. I went with grilled cheese thinking it would be easy to eat from the above position. I wasn't sure how my stomach would handle it but I took one look at it and it was gone in about 3.2 seconds. I was starving. After that I was discharged and took yesterday off as well to rest up. I'm not allowed to lift anything over 20 pounds - and that includes Grant - for 5 days. On the off chance my liver decides to spring a leak. 

This morning it was more blood work and tomorrow another follow up with the gastro guy. Next week I go to Chapel Hill to see another specialist who, I'm told, should have my biopsy results. The doc seems to be leaning toward a virus but it apparently could be related to medication or an autoimmune thing. They've ruled out the big bad stuff so we're all very relieved about that.

 Regardless of the outcome, I will be very glad to have this all over with (I'm so tired of needles)! It's put a huge kink in all my Christmas plans (and my Christmas baking!)

Look At Those Legs

Raise your hand if you think your little one is the cutest thing ever. Yeah, me too :) And I have to say...as adorable as some chubby cheeks and chunky thighs are on a baby...I love how scrawny my little man is. And he is scrawny. Grant does have a little belly on him sometimes but for the most part he's a little stick. That's not to say he doesn't eat. He totally eats. I think he's made of 85% pasta. Maybe he just burns it off while he's bouncing off the walls. But anyway, I frequently let him run around in just a onesie because I loooove to watch his tiny self running around with those skinny little legs.

Pictures were taken with my phone while trying to capture a moving
subject. Please excuse the blurriness. However, you can
clearly see those silly skinny legs.



Seriously, it makes me smile every time :)



Crazy Hair

I know that everyone wakes up with bed-head. I took these pictures the morning of Thanksgiving because while Grant has always had a rather severe case of Crazy Hair...this was quite possibly the craziest that it's been.

Nate and I have mentioned to each other several times over the last month how Grant is overdue for a hair cut (not that his previous haircut cured Crazy Hair). But we're definitely going to have to find them time to do it this weekend.

*Side note: I forgot to mention in my 15 month post that Operation: Bye-Bye Paci is in full swing and we managed to go about 90% of this past weekend without the pacifier. The exception being nap time and bed time. But so far, we're very encouraged by the progress!

15 Months

Seriously this was the only picture I managed to get of
him sitting still and that was only for a second.

At Grant's 15 month check-up on Tuesday we learned that he is 21 lbs 13 oz and he's 31.5 inches tall. So pretty much tall and skinny. The big news from that visit...*drum roll please*...we've been given the green light for Grant to go forward facing in the car! Yeah, I know - it's the little things, right? I've been looking forward to it for a while (more about that later probably).

Grant seems to be crazier every day. I don't mean like the "committed" kind of crazy. I mean the 100% little boy kind of crazy. And it is so entertaining. When he's not sick (and sometimes even when he is) he is wide open all the time. It seems to be Grant's daily goal to make as much noise as possible before he retires for the night. His favorite toys right now are anything he can stack. He loves his wood blocks, mega blocks...and when he's my kitchen helper he loves to get into my baking cupboard and stack my canisters of various supplies. It's actually kind of impressive - maybe because I'm his Mom - because he almost always manages to get them stacked largest to smallest. And then he usually puts them away.

Grant, for a while now, has been all about some books. His board books are his favorites, of course, because those are easier for him to turn the page. If he's not playing with his toys then you can generally spot him with a book. Before bed he gets at least two stories but it's not unusually to read four or five. He gets so excited about them that sometimes you just have to keep going :)

Grant is doing a little talking. "Dada" is the most used but I get an occasional "Mama". "Uh oh" is runner up for most used. And now he's even saying "Hey" and "Hi" too. The other day he laid down on the floor, looked under the bed at Brodie, waved at him and said "Hi!". It was pretty cute and Brodie even wagged his tail (The whole Brodie & Grant friendship is improving, by the way. Brodie has even allowed Grant to give him some hugs!)

So that's that for now. Hopefully I'll be able to get some other stuff posted in between getting ready for Christmas!

Self-Feeding: Step 2

At Grant's 15 month check-up on Tuesday (which I will update about if I ever get around to his 15 month post) the doctor asked how he's doing eating with utensils. I told her it's something we've been working on sporadically and that he was adjusting to it. She seemed encouraged by that answer.

The other night we all had breakfast for dinner. Grant had two pieces french toast (I have to say I make some pretty yummy french toast) and peaches which, of course, require nothing - for him - other than his hands. But he was still hungry. So I busted out some yogurt and one of his "learning" spoons. I helped him on the first couple spoonfuls and then I decided to see what he could do on his own. My big guy ate the rest of the container of yogurt all by himself! I even tried to take the spoon to help at the end but no dice. He cried and had a death grip on the spoon. If I was going to take the spoon, I think I would have had to just take his whole arm. Mr. Independent!

I'm not going to lie. It makes me a little sad when I realize how much Grant's growing up. But I also know that when he gets better at eating that way we can finally all sit at the table and eat dinner as a family (no more eating in shifts in front of the TV!). I'm really looking forward to family dinners.

The Beginning of Christmas

Today, with Thanksgiving behind us, my Christmas season begins. I don't get why Thanksgiving is getting shoved aside to make the Christmas season come earlier. I try to avoid Black Friday every year because people are generally rude in stores to begin with but they are worse during the holidays and, in my opinion, there are no sales worth dealing with those crowds. But I'm disgusted with the people that would skip Thanksgiving dinner with their families altogether to sit in a lawn chair outside Wal-mart so they can be one of the first ones sprinting toward the toy section to wrestle over sales. And it just seems to get worse every year. Thanksgiving is becoming less of a day about enjoying the company of your family and becoming more the day before Black Friday. I, for one, would rather pay full price than deal with those crowds and lines.

I loathe Christmas shopping. Because the same thing happens every year, every time. Every. Single. Time. I know what I'm going to get people (I generally even keep a list) and I head into a store for any given item on my list. I'm happy, upbeat, excited about seeing whoever the gift is for open their present on Christmas morning and then it happens. I get railroaded with the unhappy shoppers and rude people running into you without an "excuse me" or the person at the cash register that wants to complain about their day and how many hours are left in their shift and all my Christmas spirit is depleted for the rest of the day. When did that become the holiday norm?

BUT as much as I hate shopping for the items, I LOVE giving them (and wrapping them!). My mom had a knack for getting us things that we didn't ask for but they always perfect. And I love to try to do that too. And this year...I've started early! I've already gotten some Christmas shopping crossed off my list because I'm determined not to let the crowds get to me. I want to spend the holiday season being happy, decorating, playing with Grant, and doing some yummy holiday baking. The only problem with starting the shopping early is that I have to wait that much longer to give them. 

 So who out there has already started their shopping? And what is everyone asking for?

Thankful

I have had little ambition or opportunity to blog, so I've been taking a little break. I have plenty to write about (and pictures I want to post). But we have one computer and it's generally occupied. So I usually take that as a sign that I should be working on one of my many unfinished craft projects, watching something that's filling up the DVR, or reading.

But I saw something the other day that I wanted to share. I saw it on pinterest and at this time of year I find it especially important. Growing up, our family used to go around the table on Thanksgiving and we'd all have to say at least one thing we were thankful for. This reminds me of how thankful I am and should be.


 The past few years has been tough on my family. But as much as we've been through, I still know how lucky we are.

Although I no longer have either of my parents, I am thankful for the way they raised me and I hope that I'm becoming someone they would be proud of. And even though Grant will never know my parents (Nana and Grandpa to him) in person I hope that I can help him know who they were and how much they wanted to meet him. And I'm so thankful for the family I have that that can help me make my parents a part of Grant's life.

I'm thankful for health. Mine, my family's, and my friends. We've had had a year full of various sicknesses (mostly Grant) but, for the most part, it's all been pretty minor and I'm thankful for that. I know that there are so many people taking care of very sick loved ones and I'm thankful that all my loved ones are happy and healthy (Including Aunt Bonnie who had a procedure done yesterday and is now home resting. We're hoping that will take care of some recent problems for her).

That leads me to how thankful I am for my family friends. I'm so lucky to have a supportive husband, a sweet little boy, and loving family and friends. And I don't know where I'd be without all of them. They've all gotten me through so much.

I'm lucky to have the life that I have and all the people in it. People who love me and support me and make me want to be a better person...and some who make me see the person I don't want to be. I'm lucky that every night when I go to sleep it's in a warm house and in a comfy bed with a full belly.

I try to stay positive. It isn't always easy when you see people taking for granted all the things they have and hearing them complain about the most minimal things. But I try to stay thankful every day (not just at Thanksgiving) because, in spite of what the past two years have been like, I see something every day that makes me thankful for what I have.

The Halloween That Wasn't

I love Halloween. Mostly because it's in the fall and I LOVE fall. Unfortunately Halloween always gets put on the back burner. The state fair eats up what feels like most of my October and so I don't always have the opportunity to do all the fall decorating and baking that I'd really like to. And that happened this year too. But by Sunday, October 30th, I had the house decorated (or as decorated as it was going to get):

Kind of lame, I know, but I was short on time.

I had even carved a pumpkin...which is my least favorite part of Halloween. However I love my reward of harvesting the seeds and roasting them. Yum! :)

Level of difficulty: easy. I'm pretty bad at pumpkin carving.

I had even cooked Grant a spooky dinner on Sunday knowing I wouldn't have time to do it Monday with the trick-or-treaters coming.

Mummy dogs and mac-n-cheese!

He was only mildly interested in the hot dog. But the mac-n-cheese
was gone in roughly 3.5 seconds. He's all about some pasta.

I was still debating Sunday night whether we'd take Grant around the neighborhood Monday. But Grant decided for me. During his bath he got chills real bad and they didn't stop until after I had his PJ's on him and wrapped him in a blanket. His temp was 101 something. Around 3 a.m. Husband woke me up to tell me that Grant's temp had gone up to 103. So that was that. Grant stayed home from daycare (with Husband so I could go to the office) and he was feeling just as crumby when I got home as he was when I left. So we only had our porch light on for an hour or so and we only got three trick-or-treaters (all of which I think were teenagers). And, needless to say, Grant did not even get dressed up let alone parade around the neighborhood in all his cuteness. But if he had dressed up, he would have been a dragon:



Pretty much the cutest dragon ever.

Complete with wings and an adorable tail that
flops all over the place when he runs.

Today has brought some improvement with what the doctor says is a virus and an ear infection. Oh, and he's teething. This kid just doesn't half-ass anything, does he?

14 Months

As usual I'm late with my monthly updates on Grant. At least by now the few people that read this blog have most likely begun to expect it. I am amazingly busy for someone who is really quite boring. So without further ado, my 14 month old Peanut:

Seriously cute, right?

 Not much has changed since my last update. And this may be fairly quick because I'm taking care of my sick little guy today. Thanks to a doctor's appointment today we know that Grant weighs about 21.5 pounds. So at our next well visit (15 month check-up) we're going to get the doctor's opinion about changing Grant to forward facing in the car.

He seems to be going through a bit of an awkward phase with clothes. 12 month shirts are too small but most 18 months are too big. That's easy to deal with - we just roll the sleeves up. Pants are another story. Most of the 12 months are too short for his long legs but the waist is great because he's so damn scrawny. But if we do 18 months...they fall down when he walks. So for now we're just dealing with how he looks in the 12 months (when I say "we" I mean me because Husband doesn't care).

Grant is doing good with the whole milk now. We no longer have to flavor it to trick him into drinking it. Sometimes we still put stuff in it as a treat (he loooves some chocolate milk!) but at least now he'll drink it without any flavor stuff. And he's doing pretty well with food. He's becoming less picky - which I think we need to thank daycare for. However, if given the choice I think he'd eat macaroni & cheese (or any pasta dish, really) for every meal.

And we've begun Operation: Bye-Bye Paci. It's by no means in full swing, we still need it sometimes as much as Grant wants it. But we're starting small. Keeping it from him during the day. If he finds it and puts it in his own mouth, we take it away. If we're in a store or restaurant we don't let him have it unless he's tired or moody and about to cause a scene. Like I said, starting small. Right now we're just trying to get him used to not having it so much. We've regressed slightly in the past couple weeks because he hasn't felt well and the paci calms him when he's fussy. But we're all relying on it less, so that's good.

That's about all for now. I've got a sick toddler that needs to stay hydrated :) (Pedialyte is pretty awesome, by the way.)

The Longest Game of Hide & Seek. Ever.

Since the moment Grant entered this house for the first time Brodie has been trying to avoid him. Since the moment Grant first became aware of Brodie he has made it his mission to become friends. Brodie isn't as quick as he used to be. Now when he sees Grant coming toward him - running just as fast as little legs will go and yelling "AHHHHH!" with an open mouth ready to give a kiss - he sighs, gets up, and moves to another spot on the floor. And this is repeated until Brodie leaves the room (not so easy with all exits blocked by baby gates). When Brodie finally goes Grant stands there looking like he wishes he could follow him. Where does he go? On the rare occasion that Grant gets to run after him, Brodie can usually disappear before Grant can figure out where he went.

I know where he went. Brodie, who is far too big for these kind of shenanigans, hides under the bed. He always has. It's painful to watch him try to get under there and it's even worse watching him come out. The funnies thing is that he thinks he's well hidden. But Grant has found him out. I guess the two back legs, a tail, and...*ahem*...nutters hanging out from under the bed gave him away. Grant sat there laughing and pointing like he was trying to say "Look what I found!"  And then he attempted to go in after him.

I'm not going to lie. I got a little nervous. Even though Brodie had many exit routes, he's kinda persnickety and only gets out on that side. So he was a little cornered and that's not good. But he handled it. He even let Grant grab his foot a couple times before I could stop him. Brodie has never done anything that makes me think he'd hurt Grant, he's actually been super patient (and he's not a patient dog). But still, after taking a couple pictures I removed Grant from the area and let Brodie have his peace. So now he's been found out. There is no where in the house safe. Poor Brodie :)

Grant's First Trip to the NC State Fair

The trip that almost didn't happen. I work for the Dept. of Agriculture so yesterday was my first day off since before the fair started. It was a day off I didn't even know I was getting until late last week. So what was the logical thing to do? Well, go to the fair of course! You would have thought I'd have had enough - and I had, believe me - but I really wanted to take Grant. So me, Husband, Grant, my Mother-in-law, and my Brother-in-law piled into my car (it was a tight fit) and headed out the fair. My job had at least one advantage: we got in for free and got to park on the grounds (mostly because it was the last day).

 Last year during the fair, I was on maternity leave and I'm not one of these people who'll tote their newborn out to the fair (although I saw plenty of parents who seemed to find it a good idea). But this year I declared him old enough. I even bought ride tickets...which we ended up giving away because by the time we found rides with lines short enough for me to stand in, my little guy had passed out. I think we managed to have some fun - but let's face it, people watching alone was worth the trip.

I didn't get many pictures but here are a few:

Adorable bales of hay decorated by a 4H group.

Another adorable bale of hay and some cuteness.

I love looking at all the stuff people enter. Although, by the time we got there some of the cakes, cookies, and fudge were definitely looking like science experiments. The decorated cakes are always fun to look at but the line was super long so we had to stand on tip-toes and look from afar. I even like looking at the clothes people enter. There is always that one entry that makes me go "OMG!" out loud. This year was no different (I may have gasped loudly as well).

It was next to impossible to get a really good picture of it. But
isn't it gorgeous? I looove Gone with the Wind and I loooved that dress.

No trip to the fair is complete without seeing
an apron made of Caprisun empties.

And of course you go to the fair to eat. Well, that's why we go to the fair. Grant got his first taste of roasted corn on the cob. First he poked it and tried to pick the corn off. Then whenever he put his mouth on it he'd pull back and giggle. Cute :)

Grant found a place to play while we ate some more.

We visted the goats!

And poor Grant was worn out. But doesn't he look so cute in his little hoodie?

It was a good day and I'm glad we got to go. I sort of regret not taking Grant on any rides. But I was torn between not wanting to stand in the super long lines and wondering if he was still too little, although I would have been with him. I guess there is always next year :)

P.S. About an hour after we got home we realized Grant had a temperature and then he vomited all over me right before I was going to put him to bed. But that's a post for another day!

Blogger Award!

I actually got this award on Thursday (October 13th) but I was working at the NC State Fair. Then I had a wedding cake to do. Then I spent all weekend and Monday working at the State Fair again. I have had no time (or desire) to be near a computer. Thankfully my last day working at the fair will be this Saturday and after that my schedule will return to "normal".

So anyway, thanks to Jilean at Ten Little Fingers Ten Perfect Toes for the blogger award!

The "rules" of accepting this award are:

1. Thank the blogger who sent me the award and link back to him/her.
2. Share 7 things about myself.
3. Pass the award along to 15 newly discovered blogs.

7 Things About Me

1. I have a cookbook addiction. I am constantly collecting them. I love to cook and I love to bake and I love trying new recipes.
2. I am the mother of a wonderful and oh so fun one-year-old...and I'm tired of being asked when we'll have number two. Because the answer is: I don't know if I want number two. I probably do, but I'm not definitely not ready. I want to enjoy Grant right now before considering another addition...what the devil is the rush, people??
3. Even though I make lots of yummy stuff in my kitchen, grilled cheese is still my favorite food.
4. I grew up hating my Mom's minivan. "I will never have one of those things!" I said. For the past few months I have been absolutely bugging the mess out of Husband with all the reasons a minivan would be so convenient.
5. I love to read. Murder/mysteries are my favorite.
6. I absolutely can not stand Jello. Just looking at it makes me gag.
7. I'm a hockey fan.

I'm passing this award along to (none of the blogs I follow are "newly discovered" for me so I'm passing on to some that I really enjoy reading):

Elizabeth at i seek with all my heart

Randi at Adventures in Randiland

Mary at Chasing Some Blue Sky

Alecia at A Supermom's Diary

Dana at Hancock Heir

Hollie at Life as a Lofthouse

Sheelah at McMissis

Kim at Recipes to Run On

Melissa at The Lucky Mama

I know that's not 15 other blogs...I don't always follow the rules. But those are some good ones to check out if you haven't already. Thanks again to Jilean for the award!

Lego Kidsfest!

Yesterday we took Grant to Lego Kidsfest at the Convention Center in downtown Raleigh. Well...to be fair I should say that Husband took me and Grant. Because I am a giant child and I was pretty excited about going. We hadn't planned to go - actually I didn't even know about it. Until Thursday when a friend of Nate's texted me and said not to make plans for Sunday because he had gotten us free tickets. FUN!

The place was packed and it was hard to get good pictures of all the amazing Lego statues. So please disregard any random people in the pictures.



Look at that handsome man!



Sooo cool!





One of my favorites! Amazing!



They even had Harry Potter!



Me, Grant, and Indian Jones...I heart Indiana Jones Movies!

 

"Pardon me, sir, but do you have the time?"

 

They had little statues like this around that you could
get inside of for pictures. This one made noise too!

 We were so excited when we found the section put out for the toddlers. Honestly, I didn't expect them to have a place for the really little kids to play but they did! They had a huge carpet laid out with a GIANT pile of Legos in the middle. And then little tables of varying heights around the edge of the carpet for the kids to build things.



HUGE pile of Legos!



 Grant had a blast playing with the Legos. We found a table that was the perfect size for him and he must have played for close to 30 minutes. We played too of course and had so much fun watching him play. He got so excited about playing. It seemed like we were constantly saying to each other "Oh look at his face!"

We were only there a couple hours but we had so much fun. Husband's inner-child isn't as, well, childish as mine (my inner-child's name is Lewis and he's overweight). But we even managed to get him in on the Lego action. It was a great day and a great weekend :)

P.S. Can you guess what Grant is getting for Christmas?