13 Months Later... Our Miracle Gift: Grant Alexander

Thirteen months. (Because I forgot at month twelve. Oops.)

That's it.

30 days over one year.

Soooo skeptical of his new parents.

I've only had 395 days with my little man, but it feels like he's been knit into my heart since before time began.

My baby is growing up. He's starting to look more like a toddler, and I had a mini-mommy-breakdown when I realized that I didn't need to shop in the baby section any more.

Thirteen months ago, Scott and I were awakened around 11:15 with a phone call. We were about to be parents. We dashed to the hospital (a three hour car ride is agonizing when you're in suspense), and we met our precious "Grantlet."

I grew into being a good parent. Scott was born a good parent.

For the next 48 hours, we held our breath, held his tiny body, and prayed for strength and grace. On December 12, 2012, Grant's bio-mama officially signed us over as guardians of this tiny bundle, and my heart began to beat normally again. Technically, we didn't become Grant's parents until March 2013. But technicalities have a way of becoming non-essential when you fall in love.

This past year has been full of opportunities to wait. To pray. To cry out for strength. To plead for wisdom. To rejoice with thankfulness. To rest in peace.

First family photo!

And we've learned that God always hears... And He fills our lives with good things. I've spent more time exhausted, convicted, and emotionally drained these past 13 months, than I have in any previous 13 month period. I've also been filled with more love, joy, and delight than I ever thought possible.

Grant Alexander lives up to his name. He has truly been "granted" to us as a trust. We know he is not our baby, he belongs to the Creator of heaven and earth, and we daily pray that he will be used in a powerful way to spread the glory of God.

For his birthday, he graduated from his dairy,
soy, and gluten allergies! Yay, for real
birthday cake!

Character {at age one}

Grant is exceptionally quiet and gentle. He's happy and peaceful almost all the time, and his "meltdowns" usually consist of some subdued whining. He's our little "detail man"--just like his daddy! One night, for dinner, he was eating beans. Mommy spilled some beans on his highchair tray, and Grant picked them up, one-by-one, and placed them back in his bowl. His attention to detail makes him very receptive to the emotions of others. When Mama is sick, he likes to play quietly at her feet. When a friend is crying, Grant usually becomes very worried.

Grant still remains very timid and hesitant to try new things. He doesn't like adventures. He doesn't like excitement. He doesn't like noise. Fortunately, God in his wisdom gave Grant a daddy who doesn't like adventures, so someone understands our tiny boy's hesitance. But God also gave Grant a mommy who loves new things, so there's someone to push him to grow and not be fearful.

Milestones {at age one}

The thumb has become a recent staple.
And isn't that elephant hat AMAZING!?

Grant (in keeping with his personality) excels at detail-oriented play. He's got a fantastic pincer-grip that he's been using since 9 months of age. He recently learned to stack blocks (but he still doesn't like making them crash down, despite repeated coaching from his mother). 

This is snow. It is new. We are not thrilled.

He is remarkably strong, and incredibly agile. Although he is fully capable of walking, Grant prefers to play it safe. He has yet to shuffle more than one foot in front of the other. He took a tumble off of two stairs approximately 3 months ago. He has expressed no interest in climbing stairs since. His natural cautiousness is saving Mommy and Daddy a bundle on child-proofing.

He's "talking," but not as much as his speech therapist mama might like. Like I mentioned above, he's a quieter baby. But his comprehension is beautiful, so Mommy isn't going into therapy mode just yet. He obeys the commands "no" and "come here." And he's generally very obedient. Recently, we've started working on sitting still and "contentment," because my baby boy has never been very good at being still. Fortunately, with Bets coming, we've had lots of opportunities to practice in doctors' offices and during reading time each day. Although he doesn't like it, he's picking up on the concept very quickly, and mommy is quite proud of him.

Favorites {at age one}

But our second time out in snow, we are thrilled. 

 Our son loves music. Loves it. I've worked with lots of children. All children like music. Grant loves music. He makes a drum out of everything he can find, he'll "play" the piano for 30 minutes at a time, and he dances any time he hears music. His favorites are old hymns (just another way he is like his daddy!), and he'll bee-bop right along to "Great Is Thy Faithfulness" as though it has the most fantastic rhythm he ever heard.

Grant, our timid son, is completely, totally, and without a doubt, not afraid of water. He loves super-deep baths, and he'll plunge his entire face in the water, take violent headers, and topple backwards into bubbles without a single cry. He loves it. He comes up, gagging and sputtering, rescued from the bubbly depths by an anxious mother, and he just grins. Bath time is Mommy's cardiovascular workout.

But far and away, Grant's favorite thing is attention. He loves all eyes on him. He basks in the glow of approval. A disapproving look will destroy him, and a smile makes his world all sunshine and roses. He's a people person through and through.

Grant Alexander {one year}
photo credit: Erika Aileen Photography

So, dear Grant Alexander, happy 13 month birthday! We love you. Your mommy and daddy can't wait to see what God's plan is for our gentle, detail-oriented, people-person. But don't grow up too fast... Mommy needs her baby for quite a few more years.