better for now

So my earlier post was because I was at work super late this morning and I was darn tired. So, I laid Graham down for a nap and showered and laid down myself. That beautiful child let me sleep and I feel completely better! He is still sleeping and he went down at 1230! Maybe we are changing our schedule...instead of cat naps we are going to longer stretches? I don't want to jinx anything, and speaking of that, I just heard him! Anyway, I feel better and I know I can do this. This is like a mini pep talk to myself right now! I was so tired I even forgot my play date this afternoon and I LOVE that play date! Oh children! I wish I could get an email from Graham saying "Mommy, I would like to start taking longer naps once or twice a day, is that OK?" I would say, "I think that is fine kiddo", although I would rather him talk to me in person than send an email.

what schedule?

Just when you think you are the best mother ever, you know your kids schedule like the back of you hand, it changes and you have no idea why. Instead of taking naps every other hour, we are napping for maybe 30 minutes at a time and not on a regular schedule. And then the time we would spend napping on our regular schedule, we are fussy, crying out loud at times, making our face all red and nothing makes it better, except looking at daddy's shaving cream in the bathroom, and that only works for 5 minutes. Maybe this is a growth spurt? Maybe this is because the weather changed? He has never fought that hard to sleep and now, laying him down makes it all worse. Can you tell I am frustrated? Oh child of mine, I am sure this is one of many times I will be scratching my head wondering what is going with you. Now, I should shower while I have a few moments of quiet left!

Lots of Noises

This is how the 30-45 minutes went before bedtime. He gets more awesome each day.

poopasaurus rex

Graham is a pooping machine. He pooped out of his onesie yesterday morning. I just put a blanket over the stain on the crib sheet (it is super tough to change alone). He slept on the blanket on the sheet last night and this morning, pooped again out of his onesie and on the blanket and the all ready dirty sheet. So, we change it this morning. He had a nap and yep, you guessed it, pooped again in his "totally handsome" onesie all over the new clean sheet. So I had to change the sheets AGAIN! This kid is a pooping machine.

1st union game

Today was Graham's 1st MLS soccer game! The Philadelphia Union played against the Seattle Sounders and WON! It was super hot but we decided to venture to the new stadium and give Graham a real taste of soccer (we have been getting him ready with World Cup games on Univision). Brett wore him and I carried all his accessories. We had seats under the jumbo tron, thank goodness, so we were not in the sun at all. We only stayed for ~20 minutes and then headed out. Graham did great, he even took his nap while the game started! He got to see horses and fireworks and Brett and I sang him the national anthem. He had a good time, and loved it even more on the car ride back; he was chatting us up the whole way home. We got home and got everyone fed and got Graham to bed and we are on our way there now! Have a good Monday!

talking & pooping

A video of Graham playing on his activity mat. At the beginning you can hear him making super fun noises and then he stops talking...and poops. You have to listen closely, but you can hear it. It was so funny, it took all Brett and I had not to laugh out loud. He then starts talking again like nothing happened. Brett moved the chicken and the pig, so when he kicks the pig now, it makes noise, like a chime, which he totally loves.

Today we are headed to the first soccer game of the Philadelphia Union in their new stadium. Graham will wear his new shark rash guard, thanks Kristen, and we are totally pumped. Stay tuned for photos when we get back!

On a side note, remember the earlier posts about the bucket catching small animals? Well, we noticed a large amount of flies and a smell that could only spell one thing: another dead animal. We don't know if it was a squirrel or a chipmunk, but we didn't get to it fast enough and this time, we had maggots! It smelled like a sample I get at my work, which is pretty disgusting. It is on the street now, smelling up the neighborhood!

3 months old

Graham-a-lama is 3 months old today! He is really starting to sit up well, we had him in a bumbo yesterday and he did awesome! He loves chewing on his hands or anything else. We bought him a teether but he hasn't gotten the hang of that yet, but he loves chewing on his burp clothes. All that chewing means there is drool everywhere, and I mean everywhere. You can't walk away from Graham without having a wet spot, which is very much like how his dad was when he was a baby (i hear :D). He is starting to laugh alot and smiles all the time. When we go to pick him up out of his crib, he can really recognize Brett and me; we get a huge smile that says "I heart you!" He is really fun right now, and I hear the next few months get even better. He is still sleeping great at night and cat napping through the day. He is talking all the time, to me, to Brett, to his mobile and to anything else he looks at. He still loves the orange flyers flag hanging from the fire place. We moved the flag and well, lets just say we had to put it back! He weighs 14 lbs now, which is perfect for his age! He is sticking his tongue out, like Josh used to do, and I am trying to get a photo of that. He has found his thumb and uses it to go to sleep.

Graham is wearing a monster onesie! You can see his tongue out and there is his friend, Mortimer the moose right by his head. And he is staring at Mr. Pig. Brett moves the pig and he and Graham practice punching the pig. So we have kickin' chicken and punching the pig. I wonder what we will do with the cow (mirror) and the lamb/sheep (music)? Doesn't the tongue remind you of cousin Josh playing video games?!

Tummy time, we are getting there!

I took this of him sleeping this morning and he didn't wake up! See the thumb? He kicks off his blanket too, super cute! Happy 3 months little buddy!

still loving the mobile

father's day!

We celebrated Brett's first fathers day this weekend. We had a lazy morning and did errands in the afternoon. We ended the night with pizza, Papa John's of course. We had a great day spending quality family time together. Brett got a father's day cookie cake, and we have been trying to get a photo of Graham and Brett with the cookie, but the little bugger always falls asleep before we remember! As a special gift, Graham and I had a photo shoot with 3 onesies that all say great things about daddies. We had them printed and framed for Brett to take to his office! You can see a few photos below. Graham did really well during the photo shoot...he only got tired at the end! He wore our favorite onesie on father's day..it has darth vader on it and says "my dad is awesome". Brett is an awesome dad and Graham is super lucky to have him as a dad!

Our cutie with his awesome dad!

Look at that face! Too many camera flashes!

This onesie days "daddy is my hero." The other onsie says "daddy's little wingman" (think top gun).

shark fin & thanks!

Graham got this super fun rash guard from Kristen in the mail today!!! We are so excited for him to wear it and as you can see, I couldn't wait to get it on! This is his first hoodie that he has worn and on the hood is a shark fin! Thank you so much for the super fun package Kristen, we loved it! Graham already drooled on the shirt, so that must mean he loves it too!

moose

Graham has a moose, and his name is Mortimer. He is brown and has lots of appendages that crinkle or rattle or make a bell noise, totally a baby toy. Graham has taken a liking to him and grabs his handle and holds on. This morning, Mortimer was on top of Graham's face. Graham pulled him off and smiled like "I did it!" The other day, Graham was kicking on his mat and all of a sudden he grabbed a hold of Mortimer's scarf. I like to think Graham was saying, "Hey, we are best friends!" Let's hope it continues...I think Mortimer has a hard life ahead of him. He has huge purple antlers that scream,, "Use me for teething!" In the photo you can see Graham holding the handle on the moose. He hold onto him for over an hour, during the Ellen show. Isn't his onesie awesome! Yeah for daddy!

graham laughing

Graham laughing. We were watching world cup soccer, the USA game on Univision. Everything is in Spanish but we understand what is happening. He is super awesome!

collars popped

This is how graham and i went to target today...collars popped. I shopped while he flirted with 4 month old twins. We both had a good day!

vocal lessons

Adorable - both of them.

back to work

I start back to work today...tonight actually. Graham and I are hanging out during the day, and tonight, Brett and Graham get to hang out. We decided this would be best...it gives us both opportunity to spend some quality time with Graham and we each are still bringing home some bacon. I am part time right now...we will see how things progress before we make any other changes. I am excited and nervous and sad all at the same time. My role and responsibilities will change at work and I will be missing bedtime. But this is what is best for our family and I am glad we have the chance to keep Graham with us and not to send him to daycare. Keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we transition!

world cup

We went over to our friends house to watch the USA's first game...against England. Our friends Harvey, Julia, Ashton and Ethan have roots in England, so we had a good match up going. Harvey, Ashton and Ethan were for England, and Julia, Brett, Graham and myself were cheering for USA. We had a great time watching the game, both boys got to hold Graham and we even got our first laugh today! Graham was sitting in his chair relaxing and Ethan thought it would be fun to hide and scare him by yelling "Boo". I didn't think this would go well, but Graham thought it was great fun and rewarded us all with a huge smile followed by a laugh! He laughed several times and then both boys got into it, playing peek-a-boo with Graham. He loved it. It was so precious to see them all getting along together, even when their ages make it a challenge. Graham wore his onesie and looked super cute. We never made it into the soccer outfit, but we figure we have a month of games to play, so we have plenty of time.

Ashton & Graham

Ethan & Graham

All the boys...look at those legs!

nature...take two

We tried out Briar Bush Nature Center again today. This time we went with our favorite play date friends, Bron, Trey and Sage. Trey led the way through the trails and showed Graham and me the playscape area for kids. It was so neat! I can't wait until Graham can run through the tunnels and play in the creek. We also visited the pond to look at frogs. Graham saw his first frog today, two of them to be exact. He had a bottle there while looking up at the sky. He took a quick nap in the birdhouse and then we walked around some more. Overall, it was a great time, even if we had to leave because someone was no longer excited about nature! When we got home, I changed him and he was happy like a clam! I think he was done being carried around...he wanted to kick his legs. It was a gorgeous day!
Tomorrow is the World Cup game between USA and England. We are watching it with our friends who are from England! This is Graham's first World Cup. He even has a onesie to wear, thanks Rian and Laura, and a soccer outfit, thanks Grandpa Neal and Grandma Mary! Go USA!

3 gingers

Today, our super friend Thom was in town! He came by to meet the newest member of our family, and there were 3 red-headed men in our house! Graham loved Thom and we had a nice visit. The boys, minus Graham, are headed to the Phillies game. Good luck this weekend Thom, we hope you do awesome!

the color orange

Brett got a Philadelphia Flyer's flag when they won the game that got them to the Stanley Cup (sadly, they did not win that cup last night). Brett placed the orange flag on our fireplace while the games have been on. Graham LOVES that flag. Every time I walk by it with him, he squeals and perks up. Right now, he is sitting in his chair, cooing at it. He must love the color orange, just like his Grandpa Neal! I think we may move it to his room!

PS: I know i spelled the word keys wrong on an earlier post. I thought it was too funny to change it! And no one is checking my spelling, you are all watching the kiddo!

wednesday playdate & rain

We had our weekly play date with our friends Trey, Sage and Bron. We laid the babies down on a blanket and they had "conversations!" It was so sweet. Graham even got a handful of Sage's gorgeous hair. She didn't seem to mind...but I felt horrible. They talked for a while... if only we knew what they were saying!

Other story: Graham and I went shopping for hydration this morning. It was raining when we got to the store, so you know when I had to leave it would be pouring rain. It was. Graham started to meltdown at the checkout, no store worker would help me lift my stuff to the cart, and then I got soaked getting us all to the car! No wonder we were the only mom-baby at the store! The other mother's know how wet you get when you have to tote a baby and groceries from the store to your car, and then everything into the house! Isn't it ironic that we were shopping for hydration and it was pouring rain outside! too much!

graham and his keyes

You can see how excited he is with the keys. His legs are kicking, his eyes are big and the keys are clanging! Yeah for Graham!

Graham Highlights

Here are some things going on with Graham:

*Graham has found his thumb. He uses it to soothe himself, usually to sleep, but other times as well.

*Graham is grabbing everything. He can hold on to the neck of your shirt, and most recently, he can hold on to a set of plastic keys (thanks Aunt Cindy & Aunt Anne). He holds onto them and if he drops them, he can find them again and pick them right back up.

*Graham is learning to roll. Not completely over, but he is definitely learning.

*You saw in the last post that he is getting better with his neck control. He is not a fan of tummy time, but when you hold him, he looks over your shoulder at anything and everything. Brett is really great at practicing with him, and he loves it!

*Graham is finding his voice. We have conversations with him and loves singing. Kristen found out he loves songs from the Sound of Music, think Doe a deer, a female deer...

* When Graham gets really excited he kicks his legs. His eyes get big and he makes a noise and the legs start riding their imaginary bicycle. It is really fun.

*His schedule is eat, be active for 45-60 minutes then sleep for 45-60 minutes. This continues all day and we end with our big sleep between 8-9. He is a cat napper, no big sleep during the day, but I will take it to have the big sleep at night.

*This morning, Graham found his feet! Well, one foot. He has been looking at them for a while now, but this morning after he ate, he kept looking at this foot and he actually grabbed it! Brett and I were super pumped. You would have thought the kid had found a cure for cancer.

sitting up with some help

Step 1: Prepare for sitting up. Here Brett is coaching Graham on what will be happening.

Step 2: On our way up! Look at that neck control.

Step 3: Sitting up! Look how cute his feet are!
Now that he is sitting up, he likes to look around and work on more neck control!
Good job Brett and Grammers!

family photo time

We used our house guest Kristen to take some photos of Brett, Graham and myself. We have had a super fun time with Kimmy...we have eaten more cookies than a girl scout can sell in a season. They were delicious! Thanks Kimmy! Don't you love the coordinating gray shirts!

super cute

How cute is this photo?! He is wearing Brett's hat.

nature!

Here is Graham at Briar Bush Nature Center just down the road from our house. Kristen, Brett, Graham and myself all visited this little place tucked in Glenside. We walked around the trails and showed Graham what nature looked like. We think he liked it. We pushed him in the stroller, which proved to be a challenge, but we all had a good time.

pee & poop

Graham peed on me, himself and his changing table yesterday. He also had a big poop in the morning so I had to change my shorts AND he got me at our play date in the afternoon. His play date poop went up his back, and through BOTH of my shirts! He also pooped in his Phillies onesie (the play date poop) which totally coincides with their playing lately. This morning, Graham had a poop and I picked him up to change him and squished the poop out of his diaper onto his onesie, him, me and my shirt and his other changing table cover. Needless to say, the boy's poop has been crazy lately and required a special load of laundry to get his changing table cover's cleaned. I told Graham I feel like I am backed up (I have been eating fiber lately, maybe too much) and I think Graham is showing me how it is done. If only it worked like that, if only!

memorial day BBQ

We were invited to a BBQ on memorial day. Graham's first memorial day and first BBQ! He was a trooper on a super sweltering day. He napped for only 20 minute intervals all day (nice, right?!). We put him in the water to cool his feet off and you can see his reaction to that. Not a fan!

Here are Brett and Graham wearing there hats. Well, we had a hat on Graham, can you see it!

Family photo! Again, Graham is eating his hands.

Again, we took photos of the super cute babies! Paige, Sage, and Graham. Paige is 3 days older than Graham, Sage is cool like a cucumber, and Graham found something to eat on his hands,again. They are all so cute!

There were also 8 adults and 3 toddler boys running around. We got to see what we have in store for us when Graham gets older. Trey, Logan and Noah were super fun and hilarious. We had a great day. Graham and I were happy to have Brett for a whole extra day this week. And my BFF Kristen is flying in for a long weekend on Thursday morning! Fun is to be had by all!

outlet malls & a present

On Sunday, we drove to Lancaster, PA to go outlet mall shopping. This was out first "road trip" since Graham and we wanted to see how he would do in the car for a longer ride. He was great! Brett and I usually make out like bandits on these outlet trips, but Graham took the prize on this trip. It is super hard to shop with a baby, a stroller, diaper bag and husband! Not to mention everyone else shopping too. I can see why shopping can become a one person event! By the end of the day, I wanted to run over everyone else's kids that were running around with no supervision! But other than that, we had a really great day!
Only one thing to note, and it is a good story. Brett had taken Graham outside to feed him. Graham was grunting and making what we call a "present" and when I came out to meet them, Brett told me I had a "present" waiting. I told Brett he had some "present" on his pants, only to find a puddle of "present" on the ground! Graham had not pooped all morning, and had gotten it all out on one try. Brett was a good sport; and we got Graham all cleaned up and in a new outfit. We used a wipe to get the "present" off Brett's pants and wouldn't you know it, those wipes really work. When we got home, you could not even see where Graham had pooped on Brett! Besides being a super hot day...it was a great day!

conversations

One morning this weekend, Brett and I were eating cinnamon rolls in the breakfast nook. Graham decided to join us (tough guys don't take naps) and we all starting talking. All three of us. Graham was making all kinds of noises and having "conversations" with both Brett and I. It was such a special moment! Out little family is a noisy one! (imagine that :D)

dinosaur & moo

We bought Graham a super fun green dinosaur-dragon. Brett and I are not sure what it is, but we are calling it a dinosaur. Here, Brett is showing Graham the dinosaur...so he doesn't freak out.

Graham is freaking out; we think he was upset about something else, but nonetheless, he does not look happy to see the dinosaur up close and personal.

Still freaking out...but look how long he looks! And the dinosaur looks so nice. It looks like a dragon in this photo. Don't you think?

This is after the dinosaur was taken away! And this is a new outfit. My mom and I found this and I had never seen an outfit that had cows on it! His onesie says "Moo" and the bib is a cow face. Wait until we bring out the pants! They have a tail on them. (sorry, no photo of the cow pants...too warm for pants!)

Graham looks super long and his hair looks super red! I like the word SUPER!

pinch me

This bib made his outfit. He wore a real pair of pants (we have been sticking to onesies) and a white shirt. The bib was the icing on the cake!