Griffin is TWO

Our little Griffin is TWO! He is both the biggest delight and biggest disaster. This busy bug will be charming you one minute, then clogging a toilet the next. He's definitely on the skinny end and we wonder sometimes how so much personality can fit into such a small body. He chatters all day long about everything he sees. We love his blonde hair that's always slightly out of control and his big, dark eyes. He is our best eater and often wants a sample of what others are eating. Our family would not be complete without him - we love you Griffin!

He stopped to enjoy each gift opened before moving on to the next one

He did not like the candles and cried through his birthday song until I blew them out and took them away

Griffin's 2 Year Stats:

Height: 35 in (76%)

Weight: 24.5 (11%)

Cuteness Level: Maximum

His birthday lunch was hot dog babies (cut in bites) at Sam's Club, a favorite

Video Clips from Griffin's 2nd Birthday

Griffin, the Gremlin Child

Griffin has always had a mischievous side, but just before his second birthday he decided to go for the naughtiness high score. He was getting into everything! It felt like if you turned your back for even a minute, he'd go wreak havoc, and while you were cleaning up one mess, he'd go make another. It was during this period I decided he would be starting preschool in the fall because he was making me CRAZY!! Here is a sampling of his crimes. During this phase he was also obsessed with stealing toilet brushes, unrolling and flushing toilet paper rolls, eating chapsticks and stealing whatever food he could find. Good thing he is so cute!!

Lower cupboards were locked, but little buddy figured out how to drag stools so now upper cupboards also need locks

Always climbing everything, and often getting stuck

Decided he didn't want the cereal so dumped it all on the counter and just drank the milk

Heard screaming and went to our shower to find he had turned on the cold water and trapped himself in the corner and didn't know how to get back out

Griffin had the biggest obsession with pump soap bottles/shampoos and would climb any counter to get access to one, then squirt it all out and smear it in his hair.

He would pump handfuls. And I didn't know what to do because I couldn't just remove all soap from the house or that would mean no hand washing. I tried keeping bathroom doors locked, but the other kids often left doors open. This lead to so many baths to wash away the suds. 

Climbing counters to try and grab anything within range

He also managed to get his hands on a Sharpie a few times and left some nice artwork all over our walls, doors and floors

Attempting to run away. Thankfully our deadbolt is almost impossible for anyone under the age of 8 to turn, or I'm sure we'd have lost him a few times.

Another sink bath, post soap-in-hair incident. He probably thought he was at the spa.

Even sleep was chaotic - sheets out, shirt out, animals out, luckily diaper on!

Griffin at 18 Months

Our little guy is growing up and does his best to keep us all on our toes! Griffin gets into everything, all day long and can't be redirected or distracted. He can grab knives from the dishwasher with lightning speed, thinks all tables are for climbing, and has made it his life mission to eat every chapstick in the house. His favorite word is "no" and he says it often, even when he really means "yes". 

He's also the snuggliest bug you ever did see and has a smile and laugh that melts us every time. He loves food and often out eats his siblings at dinner, both in quantity and variety. He adores his family and can't wait to run out to see them each morning. He is full of energy, mischief, drama, and joy. We sure love this sweet boy!!

...and he's done

Back to Back Van Mishaps

One of the kids left a brown crayon in the passenger seat of the car and, in the heat of the summer sun, it melted all over. I cleaned up what I could with baby wipes while we were out, but there was still lots stuck to the seat. A friend suggested that I use a steamer to help melt the wax and it worked great! I spent a very hot night in the garage steaming and wiping the seat on repeat until I was able to get almost all of it off. There is still a few residual stains, but at least whoever sits there won't look like they have chocolate or something worse on their rear end!

It doesn't look like a huge mess, but more and more kept lifting off every time I steamed and wiped. I went through so many paper towels!

The very next morning we had another incident. I went to check on how the van seat looked after everything had dried during the night and Griffin climbed into play. I let him mess around while I cleared the breakfast dishes, but then when I went to get him out, I made the mistake of closing the passenger door before going around to the driver's side to get him out and found that he had locked the doors! Ahhh Griffin! Of course he is too young to understand "press the button" and our spare keys were no where to be found. 

Luckily it was early morning so he was not at risk of overheating, but he was still not happy to be trapped and I was powerless to help him. I found a locksmith that was able to come right over and the technician was able to force the door open in just a few minutes. He refused payment, but I tipped him anyway to show my gratitude. If we ever have another situation like this, I have since learned that the fire department will also respond to get a child out of a locked car, but I hope I don't have to test that out.

This was taken a week before the incident when he first learned to climb into the car

He stopped enjoying playing in the car once he realized he was trapped. Dave brought me some books to read through the window to him while we waited for the locksmith.

Griffin is Walking!

 After standing and cruising for several months, Griffin started taking real steps and walking meaningful distances on June 1st, the day after turning 14 months old. That makes him the slowest of all the kids, but he matched their speed in no time and hasn't slowed down since. This milestone is always so fun and the other kids loved cheering him on as he practiced. 

Video clips of Griffin learning to walk

Griffin the GROSS

Our sweet boy has developed a fascination with toilets and toilet brushes. Gag me now. Every day he patrols the house looking for doors that have been left open, and with Davey in the house, it happens more often than not. When he finds an open bathroom, his favorite thing to do is grab the toilet brush, dip in in the bowl, and then wave it around to "paint" the floor, walls, and himself. So, so gross!!

There was a stretch in mid-April where this happened about 10 times over just a few days, including once with a poop toilet, and once just minutes before leaving for church. After threatening to remove everything that Davey holds dear in his life (Pokémon cards, Yellow, his money, Legos) the situation has improved, but is not completely resolved. Griffin is still on the prowl and will seize any opportunity he can get. Pray that he outgrows this stage before getting e.coli and before I lose my mind!!

Griffin's Birthday Celebration

It was so fun to celebrate our little Griffin! He turned one on a Wednesday, but we actually chose to delay his birthday "party" a few days so we could hold it on the weekend when things wouldn't be so rushed. This is our family's last 1st birthday celebration and I wanted to savor the moment! I even ordered a cute lion smash cake from a local baker for the occasion. Sadly he actually wasn't feeling great once Saturday rolled around, but once he saw the presents and cake he was able to muster up some happiness and get excited about being the center of attention. You are the cutest little guy, Griffin, and we sure love you!!

Present opening took a long time. We let him go at his own pace and he took his time ripping off little shreds of paper. We actually let him open a couple on his own before calling the other kids over so he could enjoy the experience without the "help" that he would inevitably receive once they arrived.

As a fourth child he didn't really need anything, but that didn't stop us from spoiling him just a little. He got some new jammies, a book, play food, rainbow blocks, a musical caterpillar and a push toy.

After three other birthdays in March I was feeling a little burnt out, so I went against my nature and placed a custom order from Simple Little Sweets. Best idea ever!! Not only did it look good, it also tasted amazing, and didn't even cost a fortune. I may never bake a birthday cake again.

Really pleased with the offering we put on his high chair

He was a upset that we wouldn't let him touch the lit candle or the cake while we were singing

Rather than serve the kids up separately, I told them to just gather around the high chair and dig in. It was already going to be messy, so why not have some fun! I think Griffin also enjoyed having them close by to share the moment.

He really went to town, smashing and eating his cake like a pro

Well done little buddy!

 Clips from Griffin's 1st Birthday

Griffin's is ONE

Griffin turned ONE at the end of March! How did that year go by so fast?? I swear with each kid the time seems to pass a little quicker. Our cute little guy now has a head of blonde hair, 4 teeth, and is always on the move. He loves people and attention, hates his car seat, and has the cutest laugh when tickled.

With his birthday, our family is now officially out of the infant stage for good, which is a sentimental transition for sure. I love my babies. I love their tiny clothes, the sweet baby laughs and gummy grins, their squishy thighs, cheeks, hands and snuggles and it hurts to think we will not do this again. BUT, I am extremely excited about the years ahead when our family will soon have no more need for high chairs, pack n plays, car seats, nap schedules, strollers, and more. Just think, in two years we may be diaper free!!

I know know I can't keep you little forever Griff, but I sure hope you don't grow up too fast! 

Griffin at 12 Months

• At his one year check up he measured 30.5 inches (75%) and 20.09 lbs (30%). He finally passed the 20 pound mark! He is still our smallest baby and is just starting to move into 18 month clothing, which is what Davey and Charlie both wore around 6 months old. 
• His words at one year include Mama, Dada, Uh-Oh, Wow, and Hat. He is not a quiet child, and although he's the youngest, he wants to be part of the conversation. He is always babbling, yelling, or crying. 
• His naughtiest moments usually involve the toilet. He loves to splash in the water and play with the cleaning brush or plunger. It's an especially bad activity when paired with Davey's habit of never flushing after he uses the bathroom. I have done so much mopping over the past couple weeks. The dishwasher is also a target. If it's not all the way shut, he can pry it open and then always goes for either the knives, kitchen scissors, or glass pot lids. 
• He loves active play. Being tossed, swung, flipped around, or rolled always bring a big smile to his face. If you put him on the bed, couch or trampoline he will start bouncing up and down. Every morning he likes to wave around his arm at Dave like a sword fight.
• We are completely done with night feedings, and after a couple weeks of traumatic sleep training, he has also stopped his 10 pm parties. It was rough on both of us. Some nights he cried for 2+ hours, and I wanted to give in so badly and go to him, but now that we've made it through we are both happier and more rested. 
• Griffin is a great eater. He does well with fruit, veggies, cheese, meat, and snacks. The other night he ate more chicken nuggets than Davey and Charlie combined. His only flaw is that he is so incredibly messy. We have to feed him naked because he loves to squeeze the life out of his food before eating it and then rub it through his hair. We're lucky that he enjoys bath because he gets to take lots of them. 
• I am still nursing 4 times a day, and don't have plans to wean anytime soon. If he chooses to be done I will let him, but since he's my last baby I will let him continue for awhile longer if that's what he wants to do. 
• He is a big time momma's boy and is constantly wanting me to hold him. If I'm not around, he is perfectly content to sit and play, but the second he sees or hears me the whine begins and he'll wander over and starting crying at my legs to pick him up. 

He's still got big, dark brown eyes like when he was a newborn, but now he also has a mischievous personality to counter his sweet side

There was a time a few weeks before his birthday when Griffin had one top tooth, and one bottom tooth. He looked ridiculous! I've never seen a baby whose teeth came in this way, instead of in pairs. 

Griffin got a haircut a few days before his birthday because he was starting to become a complete fluff head, and I wanted him to be a little more presentable in his pictures. 

 

He looked much better afterward!  We all love his blonde hair and wonder how long it will stick around

I took this photo of Griffin after a challenging day at church. He was being so loud! I took him out in the hall three times that day, but Dave said he could still hear us even when we walked to the other end of the building. The pinnacle was when he ripped off my mask during the sacrament and let out a banshee scream to celebrate his victory! 

He stands real well and can cruise the furniture like a champ, but shows no signs of walking yet. He is a super fast crawler, so I don't think he feels very motivate to try something new. I am torn between wanting him to figure it out (outside play is difficult with a crawler), and wanting him to stay little and slow :)

Enjoying an Italian style lunch of pasta, mozzarella, pepperoni and grapes! Overall he is a good eater who will try, and enjoy most foods.

This little boy is so loved!

Happy first year Griffin!