He's growing and growing and growing...

Miles visited the Amazing Newborn Clinic today -- you know, the clinic where only amazing new babies are allowed and the rest are sent home (see Jan. 22 post). Miles isn't exactly "new" compared to other babies, but he's close enough and amazing enough, so they let him come inside. Anyway, good news: he's growing! Did you have your doubts? Well push them aside, 'cause this baby is bigger and badder than 90% of the other babies his age when it comes to both weight AND length!

Miles tipped the scale at a whopping 18 lbs 11 oz and measured 27 inches long. He's almost as "big" as his cousin Hannah, who seems so small... How does that work?!
She doesn't stand a chance when she comes to MN for grandpa's retirement party in June. Sorry, cute little chicken!

Here's what Miles has been up to lately...

On Sunday his baby friends came over to play. Here are just a few - Reid, Kennedi, and Claire.

Since Claire is too small for her jumpy thingy, she's loaning it to Miles. Shortly after this picture was taken, the seat fell through the contraption and he landed on the floor (you can see that it looks a little funny. Where's the baby?). Then he screamed. Loud. It's all my fault...I didn't put the loop-dee-doos in correctly, so the seat gave out on him. I know, I know. Bad mommy.

Miles wrestles with his daddy every day. He's getting to be pretty good!

Eating. Of course.

Sleeping in his favorite position: belly down and arms tucked underneath. So cozy!

Daddy's golfing

This is how I (Miles J. Grimmius) spent my night with mommy:

We went for a walk with mommy's friend Natalie and her baby girl (my girlfriend) Claire.
Note: This photo was taken pre-walk, and then mommy forgot to bring her camera. Duh mom.

I ate dinner. Yum yum!

I made such a mess that I had to take a bath, but then I got to play naked for a while. That's really why I made the mess...

I watched tv while mom went shopping. (Just kidding -- gotcha, mom!)

It was a fun night! Tomorrow night I get to play with daddy while mommy goes out for dinner with some friends. I wonder what we'll do?!

Bath day

Miles hates it when I bring out the camera after bath time...

Quick! Cover up!

Visiting CP and A2P2

Even though Uncle Charlie and Auntie Angie live only an hour away from us, we don't see them nearly as often as we'd like to see them. So we decided to go play with them for a bit today. It sure was fun! Miles could hardly believe how much they have grown in the past few weeks. Charlie's rolling over now, too!

It's pretty obvious that Miles loves those two very, very much. They get him to smile, giggle, and "talk" so easily. All of his little (but oh-so-big) worries go away when Uncle Chuck and Auntie Aunch are around.

Now we just need his Auntie Beesie, Uncle Evan, and Cousin Hannah to live within an hour of us. Then he'll be set. hint hint. HINT.

Miles being entertained by Charlie and Angie (note: Miles really does wear pants when we go out in public. He just prefers to take them off when in the comfort of someone's home.)

Miles' first trip to IKEA:

Trying out daddy's new bag (not from IKEA, in case you were wondering):

Snoozing and Fairs

Drum roll please....

MILES SLEPT THROUGH THE NIGHT!!!!!
What a champion sleeper! I admit that I checked on him at least 6 times throughout the night, even though I swore I wasn't going to be one of "those" moms who freaks out because her baby is sleeping so well. Oh well! We let him sleep on his belly because he seemed most comfortable that way, and voila - he snoozed for a solid 10 hours. We heard a few grunts out of him in the middle of the night, but he was probably just trying to toot. Another trait he inherited from his daddy.


We're pretty sure he's going to sleep well tonight, too, as we spent part of the evening at a very exciting Family Fun Night at one of the schools in town. Miles' eyes were the size of quarters the entire time. He was absolutely fascinated by all of the lights, people, and noises. He was suckered in right away by a nice lady who gave him a book full of smiling babies. That's a quick way to win his heart!
Here's what else went down at the festival:

SNAKES. Ick.

Silly giant monkey named George.

A baby cow! I wonder if SHE sleeps through the night too?

Learning all about baby duckies.

No comment.

More talent

Here's what else he can do now... I (Miles' mother) am not thrilled about either of these activities.

(Note: this is "just" a Kohl's ad.)

We think he can, we think he can, we think he can...

He CAN!

Straight A's

Tanner and I experienced our first parent/teacher conference today. Yes, it was for Miles. Our 4 1/2 month old son. Such a conference may seem a bit premature, but it's actually a really good idea! We learned several new things about Miles. For example, he loves listening to jungle animal noises. In fact, he prefers one particular bouncy seat (over two others) simply because of the jungle music it plays when he sits on it. He also likes napping to a heartbeat-like rhythm projected from a noise machine. Hmm. We'd better get one of them gadgets.

Anyway, Miles' "report card" included checklists of cognitive, communication/language, social/emotional, and physical development markers from birth - 12 months of age.

Here's where we get to brag. Miles has already achieved the following behaviors that aren't necessarily expected until babies are 6 - 12 months old (gotta love standardized tests right from the start!):

• He enjoys looking at picture books (We knew this one already, and it really is pretty cool. He is very serious about books. In fact, we're going to start Tom Brokaw's Greatest Generation next week.).


• He enjoys children's rhymes (especially Humpty Dumpty)


• He expresses several clear emotions (we think they are talking about "I'm happy", "I'm ticked off", and "I have to poop. Really bad.").


• He enjoys baby games. Probably because his dad is so good at them, too.


• He prefers his parents over all others. Good, good boy!


• He shows affection (he IS his mother's son, you know).

Another thing he accomplished at a young age was sucking his fingers and thumbs...regarding this, his teacher said, "Yeah, he's REALLY got that one down. His hands rarely leave his mouth!"

We're so proud of our little man! It's not easy being graded when you're only 4 1/2 months old. But he handled the pressure really well. His next evaluation will be next fall - tune in for another report! Let's hope he's at least rolling over by then...

My Week, by Miles Jay Grimmius

This week has been busy! Let me tell you all about it.

Sunday: I had to say goodbye to my cute cousin Hannah and super sweet auntie Elisabeth. It was so sad. We had a wonderful weekend together -- lots of playing, laughing, drooling, and scooting (by Hannah, anyway). The only good part about ending the weekend was that my daddy was home from his work trip. I sure missed him!

Monday: Back to the grind of school. They sure know how to tire a little guy out at Kids Korner! I also experienced my first "Spring snowstorm", as Owatonna was covered in a heavy 4 inch coating of snow. All of the big kids got out of school. Lucky ducks. The highlight of the day was visiting my new girlfriend Claire (don't tell Ava or Kennedi about her, please). She's a 7 lb 11 ounce beauty!

Tuesday: I got to play with my other new girlfriends, Danielle and Abby. They are older, so it's okay. Mom says they are "cute". I prefer to call them "babes". Not bad lookers for being the ripe old age of 5 and 6! Anyway, their daddy helped my daddy install a couple of ceiling fans, including one in my room. Wooo hoooo! Talk about entertainment! Anyway, back to the girls. They are our neighbors, and are very nice. I am excited to play with them this summer.

Wednesday: Not a whole lot of excitement on this particular day. We went for a nice walk around the 'hood, had a good dinner, and just snuggled for the night. Ramiele was voted off American Idol. Too bad, so sad. Not really.

Thursday: We packed, packed, and packed some more for my first trip to Wisconsin. My daddy's cousin (Dave) is getting married (to a nice girl named Jen...which means she's no longer available. Bummer.). This will be my first trip out of MN, and I am very excited. I have lots of relatives to meet! My mommy bought me a swimsuit today, too. Watch out hotel pool. I know how to splash! Oh yes, I also ate a lot of rice cereal on Thursday night. Yum!

Friday: I only had a half day of school today because of our road trip. It was a busy morning, though. Some high school kids came to play with us -- I loved all of the attention!

Grandma and Grandpa Grimmius are here now, and as soon as uncle Will shows up we're going to hit the road. Thank goodness. I need a nap!