Tyler- 2.5 years

This guy is closer to 3 than 2. This is mind-boggling. And since Grant's been getting most of the face time on the blog recently, I figured it was Tyler's turn to shine. 

He's got a lot going on in his world too. Potty training was our most recent success!!! We just tried one weekend and he just picked it up and ran with it. So much so that I just said to Kevin tonight, I barely even think about it anymore. He just goes, he either tells me or he doesn't, and it all works out pretty much ok. So there's that...huge victory. 

Tyler's imagination is also running rampant these days, he cooks a lot of really hot things that no one should touch, he sees an alarming number of dinosaurs in our house, etc.  

Things he says these days include "hugemidifier" (humidifier) 

"So, let's talk about this" 

"Potty dance" 

"nine zero badger lane" (our address) 

"I do it mineself" 

"I love you mommy/daddy/Grant" (randomly throughout the day, many times a day!!! So sweet) 

Tyler also loves singing and randomly breaks out in song...just tonight he busted out head, shoulders, knees and toes at the dinner table much to our surprise. I heard once that a child who sings is a happy child. Tyler must be happy! 

He also has grown into quite the big brother. When (not if) Grant cries in the car, Tyler will always start singing twinkle twinkle little star to him. That's been Tyler's bedtime/naptime routine song since he was as tiny as Grant...so love that he finds comfort in it and thinks to comfort Grant too. He is still adjusting to Grant's most recent success...crawling...because now his toys are becoming Grant's toys whether he approves or not! 

All in all 2.5 is treating him right, and he's just fun, unpredictable, curious about everything and big on doing things "mineself" 

Grant- 5 months

Today is Grant's 6 month birthday so here's his month 5 recap! 

He was a busy 5 month old...learning to crawl, sit up, eat food and "talk" during the past month. He also had his first Christmas, spending time with the Benakis family and experiencing his first Gerken Christmas in Fremont Nebraska then onto the Hockemeyer Christmas in Grundy Center Iowa. He has yet to meet the Oak family contingent in Chicago but he's planning a trip there soon! 

Current recommendations say wait until 6 months old to start solid food. We cheated the system by about 10 days, suspecting that Grant would approve and he did! He loved his first few bites of oatmeal and quickly learned to open his mouth for the approaching spoon. Green beans were not a big hit, carrots were and avocado seems to land somewhere in between as he ate it but didn't seem too sure of the thicker texture. We didn't try food with Tyler until the EXACT day he was 6 months old and he didn't actually eat it until he was 8/9 months old. Grant is obviously ready and enjoying it, and it felt like a parenting success when we tried (early) even though the experts say "blah blah blah" and he did great! So we DO know our son best. 

We also think Grant is an easier smiler than Tyler was although our memory could be inaccurate. 

Grants doctor appointment is next week so I'm not sure of his height and weight stats yet but he wears 6-9 or 6-12 month  clothes already and wears size 3 diapers. 

He recently started sitting up on his own and he looks like such a big guy just sitting and playing with his toys. Here he is earlier today...