Concentration

Toys have become the hot thing at our house lately. Griffin loves to lat under his mat and grab his toys, roll across the blanket to reach his farm book, etc. He has an "On the Farm" themed jumparoo, and let me tell you, he takes his role as farmer extremely seriously.

No cow is left unattended, and the ducks are not left to wonder if they are going to take a roll in their plastic ball. The tomato, carrot, and corn are uprooted from their holes every time. The cat (I was very confused as to why a cat was a main feature on this product. Brian informed me that every farm has a cat...who knew?!) always gets to take a spin. He is very thorough, and doesn't play favorites, with the exception of the pigs.

Lately, the challenge has been reinserting the Bink into his own mouth. He very slowly and carefully reach out for it, try to maneuver his pudgy fingers around it (which takes awhile) and then guide it back to his mouth. In these pictures, he concentrating with all his might to get the Bink.

It is so amazing to see him learning new things every day! We love him so very very much.

Footie Pajamas

The days of Griff being swaddled are over. He was busting out consistently and then started rolling over in his sleep. The video monitor is a blessing and curse...

He has never worn official pjs - only onesies, since he was tucked so snugly in the swaddle. Therefore, it was time to get some real pjs! Off to Sam's we went (Brit had said that they had some) and purchased 3 little zippy suits. I love them. Monsters, doggies, and dinosaurs, with the corresponding creature's face on the feet. Adore.

He is just so, so big. It hurts my heart. But, I am so proud of him for learning new things and thankful for his healthy, strong body. And he looks ridiculously cute in the footie pjs. When all you see is a big, round face sticking out from something cute and colorful, it makes you swoon :)



Food

The kid loves him some "real" food. He prefers baby oatmeal over the rice cereal, but has recently decided that rice cereal is fine in addition to squash. Squash changed his little life and I cannot wait to introduce him to carrots this weekend!

This picture was taken in the early stages of solid food intake. He is still a little messy, but has mastered the trick of opening his mouth wide for the incoming spoon full of goodness.

He had a bite on his toe that looked swollen and infected, so I took him in to the doctor. At 5 months, he weighed 17 lbs 5 oz. That is almost two whole pounds more than he weighed LAST MONTH.

I love my solid little guy, and his big cheeks. They are the best.

Hair

When Griffin was born, he had tons of hair...in the back. A long, luscious, mullet. Now, its still pretty luscious back there, however, we also have other issues going on. He has a few very long hairs on the top and right above his ears. The places on his head where he sleeps consists of short, fuzzy hairs that cannot be smoothed out. It is all very cute, in that "old man in need of a haircut" kind of way.

Sometimes, his hair in the back sticks straight out. Like a stick.

Then we have the issue of his double swirls on the top of his head. His cousin, Braddock, also has double swirls. I like that they both do :)  I guess he is destined for a tiny mohawk.

He really is the cutest.

Miss McLean

Our friends, Kendal and Tyler Simpson, were pregnant at the very same time that we were. In fact, Griffin and their daughter, McLean, were born the very same day, just a few hours apart.

Griffin and his girl-friend (friend who is a girl...) get together about once a week to "play." This week was the best play-date yet! The two babies actually were aware of the other ones existence - huge milestone.

McLean is a little-bitty girl (Griff has about 3lbs on her) with a sweet little voice (Griff is loud...). It has been a lot of fun for me and Kendal to able to compare and discuss things that have to do with the babies, since they are exactly the same age.

They were so cute playing on the blanket. They hammed it up for us, and we got lots of cute pictures. At one point, they were holding hands - things seemed to be going well, until Griffin ripped her bow off and it popped her in the face. All good things must come to and end, right?

Griffin has just started to roll from back to tummy, and decided to use his new found skills to get closer to McLean. Or to poke her in the eye. Or to grab her bow. Or to put his hands in her mouth. One of those.

Adorable video here.

We have a good time with good friends!

Florida

A couple of weeks ago, we went to Florida for the OU/FSU game and a mini vacation. We went with our good friends, the Brasher Family. Randi and Josh have a little guy who is two months older than Griffin, his name is Zane. Both babies did great on the plane, with only minor upsets. We had placed a bet: The parents of the kid who cries first has to sleep in the room with the smaller bed. (We lost...)

Griffin and Zane on the ride to the condo. Have I mentioned Griff hates the car?

In the mornings, we would lay out a blanket and let the boys play. Zane usually rolled everywhere, and Griffin watched him with envy.

We tried a couple of times to take them to the beach or the pool. Griffin was not impressed with the sand or the ocean, but had a good time in the pool with dad, and laying in the sun hut with Zane.

This is a re-texted iPhone picture...but you get the idea :)

We got a few good family pictures on the beach.

All in all, it was a fun trip. I will say though, it sure is different traveling now!

I hope my very cute, non-beach bum had a good time, too!