Grant is learning all about holiday music today. I've introduced him to my two favorite holiday CDs--Hillary Duff and Clay Aiken. Seriously-they are the two best cds I've ever heard for the holidays. You should check them out before you judge!

It looks like a great day outside, but I think we're just going to hang out at home today. Grant is a tired little man-napping again instead of being up with mommy-so I'm just going to leave him be instead of trying to get him all dressed and dragging him outside. The few things we were thinking of doing can wait for another day!

I should be napping now-that adage about sleeping when the baby sleeps is really good advice. Still, it is also really hard advice to follow. I'm a terrible napper and since he only sleeps two hours at a time (and really only the first hour is quiet sleeping) it is really hard for me to nap when he does. I try to sleep at night when he is sleeping. Since the doctor still has us holding him when he sleeps at night to help with the spitting up, I get a few hours when he does. I knew that having a baby meant exhaustion, but I had never really done the math before. He eats every three hours for an hour at a time. That means I spend about 8 hours a day feeding him. That's a lot of time sitting around without a shirt on acting like a milk machine! Still, I know he is the very best thing I'll ever accomplish in my lifetime, so it is well worth it. What a gift!

Wow-my blog must be annoying now. The scope of my life is so much smaller than it ever was before-it is amazing. I'm sorry if you aren't enjoying the reading at this point-I promise eventually it will get juicer than talk of breastfeeding and naps! Give us time and thank you for all sticking by us and making us feel so loved!

No comments? Come on people! I had a baby for goodness sake-it seems comment worthy!

Happy Birthday Krissy! We love you!

Grant has a stuffy nose today. Poor little bug! I'm going to try to put him in the bathroom while I shower. Wish us luck!

First day home alone with the kid today...what a long day! Taylor has a late meeting tonight, so we're looking at like 13 hours of bonding time. My only goal of the day was to take a shower and I'm proud to say I accomplished this by noon. It is amazing how priorities shift so fast! Right now Grant is napping-but I'm holding him-so I'm blogging with just one hand-not easy! I've got about 15 good minutes until we restart the eat, pooh, sleep cycle. Oh, and probably spit up-we're on outfit 7 or so today! And by the way, daytime television is terrible! I can't wait until Grant is big enough to go out!

I have the best friends in the world. My old work friends just called to try to take me out tomorrow night. I'm not really ready for that-though I have left him on two different occasions already-but it made me feel so nice. Plus-all of you have been calling and though I'm not really good at answering just yet knowing that you are all there and are thinking of our young family means the world to us. Thank you for everything.

Heather's Daily Rant is proud to present...
Heather's Baby Grant!

Grant arrived in a hurry-three weeks early-but came in a stable 6 pounds 15 ounces and 19.5 inches long. He arrived at 8:45 at night and already has Mommy and Daddy wrapped around his finger!

Grant is the most amazing blessing. We've been at home together for a week already at this point and are all starting to get to know one another. Grant is the ideal baby by day-eating and sleeping on a predictable schedule. He eats for an hour, goes to the bathroom, then sleeps for two and we do it all over again. He's having some issues going to sleep at nighttime in his bed, which is strange because he sleeps laying down all day long without a problem. We're adjusting and working out a system. We keep trying and find ways that work for everyone in the family.

Taylor is a great dad already. He has been taking care of both Grant and I. He's going back to work on Monday, which is pretty terrifying for me, but I know it is time. I've loved having him home with us, not just for the extra hands, but because it has given our family time to come together and bond quite a bit.

We took our first big outing yesterday when we went to Grammie and Poppa's for Thanksgiving dinner. Grant was a trooper and loved all the attention from the family. Taylor and I were grateful for the good hot meal and all of the love for our family. Grant did fine in the car and didn't mind coming out of his routine too much. I hope he can keep up this laid back attitude as he continues to grow and change.

For anyone who is local, visitors are always welcomed. We're doing okay at this point and would love to share Grant and his awesomeness with anyone who available. We thank you all for your well-wishes and support.

Elizabeth and Tim Hasselback and family now have even more in common with my family. Not only do they have a baby girl named Grace like we do, they just had their son and named him Taylor! My Taylor is going to be so excited that there was a little boy born somewhere in the States this year named Taylor and the name is again gaining more credence as a boys name. After all, as little Brianna told us all those years ago, "Taylor is a girls name!". Welcome baby Taylor. Baby Mac will not be another Taylor, girl or boy.

We had a nice dinner with Mason and Dan last night. We were totally late though because we got stuck with the dumbest check out person ever at Target. Her name was Lady--we certainly won't be naming the baby after her!

We went over to check out the house today and met our new neighbors. This is already more interaction than we had with all of our neighbors in our old house! They seem nice enough and we thought it was great that they came over to say hello. Of course, once I got into the house, I couldn't really get out of the house to go talk to them-so I talked through the partial walls a bit. I think once they saw my incredible girth they understood that I wasn't a total snob! Here are a few photos from today.

View of the kitchen

My Tub (imagine I took the time to turn the photo)

Ross is currently visiting and telling us about the joys of dating. I seriously don't miss being single! Now he is making his own Mii for the Wii. Now he can hang out in the bar and drink with the rest of us during bowling. He's the one with the orange ray bans. We are so sad-this is what happens on bye-week Sunday!

I came down the stairs this morning to music I haven't heard in years. Taylor looked up from his place on the couch with the grin of a small child, then focused his attention back to the television. What, do you ask, was he doing? Why he was playing Tecmo Bowl! Yup-he downloaded it for the Wii and is slowly making his way through the season. He is, of course, playing with the 49ers and every ocne in awhile will yell out, "oh, the unstoppable play" and I'll hear his little guys cheer as they score. Now it should be stated that I didn't have this game growing up for my Nintendo, but the music still sounds familiar because as a Junior in College I got a new IMac (Marina for those who remember her) and for some reason let Taylor, whom I was "taking a semester off" from, download this and many other old school Nintendo games to. He would come sit in my room and play for hours at a time-usually not even talking to each other while we focused on completely different things. I'm not sure why he did this, or why I left him, but we enjoyed hanging out even when we weren't chatting and so I really credit Tecmo Bowl (the Patriots, and Star Wars) for my marriage, so I'll admit that the music I heard as I came down the stairs this morning put a smile on my face as well! Long life the 49ers and the unstoppable play!

ABC Family and I are in a huge fight. I've been watching the Gilmore Girls at 5:00 every night I can squeak home in time since I started my new job almost a year ago. I was at the season where Rory was a Junior at Yale-only one more season or so until the end. Suddenly today we're back at the very first episode! Now I never saw the pilot, so that is exciting, but I want to see how they ended it! I saw the very last episode, but I think I'm missing about two and a half seasons from the end-you know-the good part! Rory is just a kid now-like 14 or 15-she isn't living on her own or having all the drama and angst. I'm hurt ABC Family. I'm really hurt!

By the way, for all of you who went nuts over the collapsible basket that Jen gave me at my baby shower, I have found them in my local Marshall's! I'm probably going to pick up another one for my trunk (am I the only one who carries a bunch on nonsense in her trunk in an old shoe box-disposable camera, gloves, tennis ball, Frisbee, things like that? what, Taylor carries a football and a football tee for any pick up games-I can't be that weird). Anyway, if anyone wants me to get them one, I would be happy to. They come in the blue JJ got for me as well as a few other colors. Just give me a call and I'll become your supplier! They would make great baskets for holiday gifts to go in and are perfect for crafty projects, or, in my case, to put supplies in next to the changing table!

New house photos-we have siding! The color is "Sandalwood". The shutters will be a darker version of the tan and the door will be "wild currant", or maroon if you will. It was raining today when I took these, so please excuse the yuckiness of the photos

Taylor is watching public access TV right now. We're having a planning board meeting and he's all into finding out what's up in town. The planning board here is more interesting than in our old town, but the people are less ridiculous, so it takes away some of the fun because I can't make fun of them. Oh well.

I worked all weekend at a Craft Fair. Yeah-it was about as much fun as it sounds. I took today off because I have been exhausted. I'm also going through what I assume is some sort of nesting instinct, because I've probably done about 12 loads of laundry in the last day or so, as well as cleaning and organizing everything in sight. The apartment is still a mess, but at least the baby has clean clothes and a place to get a bath and a diaper change. Now if we can just make a final sleeping decision for the kid, I'll feel better. The diaper bag we ordered came in today, so I'm going to get that packed for the hospital tonight or tomorrow and I guess I should get my bag packed too!

I'm still trying to knock out thank you notes from my shower. I did another batch today, so that feels good. I still have a bunch to get done-so if I haven't gotten to you, Thank you and know it is on the way!

Sorry kids-I should write more tonight, but I'm beat and I think I'll fold this last load of laundry and head to bed!

I'm behind on shout outs.
Happy Belated to the following:
Belated Anniversary to Alex and Emilie
Belated Birthday to Jeniffer
Belated thank you to all involved in my shower
Belated Happy Halloween

Now, to clear up a falsehood on my blog. While the photo "from Disneyland" is very funny, and I was laughing so hard that I actually though it was 100% correct when I posted it. I should have realized it was a fake. I think the boobies are real, but it is the location that is wrong. She's holding a cup of beer in that photo-and the Magic Kingdom is a beer free location. Thanks to Taylor for pointing this out. I hope you all got a chuckle regardless of the authenticity of the photo.