We just celebrated Groves first birthday this past weekend on Sunday and boy was it a busy weekend! We threw a birthday party for him at the Crossville Depot on Saturday, May 16th and had over 40 relatives and friends in attendance. Grove had so much fun that he napped for a grand total of 30 minutes the entire day. Needless to say he was exhausted at the end of the day and slept like a rock ; ) He received so many wonderful gifts including riding toys, a dump truck, lots and lots of books, cash money, bedding, activity toys, clothes and his very own car (with pedals, of course)!

He is so very active and curious now. No walking, yet or remotely interested in the concept, but he cruises very well and loves to climb on things, he's a very good climber- especially if he thinks he'll make an escape from the play yard. He says Mama, Dada and ba-ba. He also claps his hands like crazy when he's happy. He and Scout, our Corgi, have become best friends. He constantly pets and rubs her. She doesn't get very far from him when he's playing and doesn't like it when Wiggles, our dachshund steals Grove's toys. She always lets us know or takes matters into her own hands by getting between Wiggles and the toy he's trying to swipe. It's too funny to see!

He's still on pace to be tall and skinny as Cheki, our pediatrician puts it- he's 30 inches tall and a little over 21 lbs. He started whole cow's milk and really doesn't care for it, so I'm having to sneak it in formula a bit at a time to get him used to it and that is working very well.

Grove is getting so big! It's hard to believe that he is already a year old. Where has the time gone?!

Grover's adventures...in the floor!

Since Grover has started crawling, he's begun to pull up on various pieces of furniture as well as his jumper and various sturdy toys. He is so busy! I thought I was busy the first couple months of bringing him home, but I had no idea! He wants to check any and everything out...especially the cords to lamps we've tucked under the couch.
He loves to play with his toys on his playmat as well as the dogs who continually circle him while he's in the floor, giving him an occasional lick.
He seems to enjoy playing by himself and jabbers to his toys and stuffed animals, but welcomes playmates.

Grove also recently went for his 9 month check up with Dr. Koucheki. He is looking great! He weighed 19 lbs. and was 28 inches in length, Grove has consistently been in the 95th percentile for height. Cheki thought he was still on pace to be very tall and "skinny" as he put it ; )which is no surprise with Sean and I having the builds that we do and the fact that my brothers Ryan and Blake are both well over 6 feet tall and thin. My Daddy and Pappy is/ was tall and Sean's Grandpa Kenny was tall and lean, so it's no shocker that Grover may have inherited those tall, lean genes.

Above are some pics of the action that the Stephens houshold has experienced as of late!

Grover's 9 month update!

I cannot believe that Grover will be 9 months old in less than a week! It just doesn't seem like I was fat & pregnant, happy and uncomfortable all that long ago! Grove is growing so much and is now crawling to any and everything he sets his eyes on...which is way fun for me (and our two dogs- Wiggles and Scout) during the day.
It was so funny when he began crawling because he hadn't expressede the slightest interest in moving on his own, until the remote control was sitting across from him on his blanket and he just zoned in on it and made his way over. It was the craziest thing because I expected him to be one to start attempting to walk after we had carted him around for a year or so. The dogs are on the run more and more as of late because he wants to love on them and grab them, which is fun, but I'm not sure how they feel about it ; )
Grove now has one tooth with another trying to poke it's way out right beside it. He has taken to chewing on various pieces of furniture, mainly chair legs in an effort to sharpen his aready sharp tooth.
His sleeping couldn't be better. He's in his nursery and crib full time now, wheras he used to bunk with us here and there. He moves around so much in his sleep! It's so funny to watch the monitor while he's sleeping because he'll go from one end of the crib to he other just like that- completely asleep. Sean typically brings him down to get in bed with me around 6:30 or 7 n the morning for his bottle followed by his fav. oatmeal with fruit mixed in.
His very sweet and happy nature have not changed at all. He loves to laugh and I often find him crawling across the room laughing aloud to himself as though he has just heard the funniest joke or is being tickeled by imaginary fingers. He also, like Sean, has a very serious side and appears to be deep in thought a lot with serious looks on his face like he's trying to make sense of it all.
Grover has been taking Kindermusik classes at the Music Academy in Crossville on Mondays. He really enjoys the other kids, the sing-a-longs and dancing along to the music is his favorite! It's such a fun time for he and I and sometimes Daddy joins us or takes Grove for some Grove and Dad time.
I am loving getting to spend this time with him exclusively. He's such a joy.

Grove's First Christmas!

Our First Family Photo Shoot

All photos by Jamie Weiss.

Welcome to Grove's Place!

Hello, Everybody! Welcome to our family blog. You'll be able to find pictures as well as updates on Grove (and us) on our page. We hope you enjoy!