Graham Two Year Update…

Our oldest boy turned two on Halloween. What a year of growth it has been for him!

Stats:

Height: 38 inches (off the charts; they said he’s the size of an average 3 year old)

Weight: 33 lbs. (95%)

Clothes: mostly 2t and some 3t shirts.

Shoe Size: size 9

  Where do I start? Graham is our big boy and has a comment about everything. He’s a very verbal child and we love it! He talks in full sentences a lot.

He’s a child of routine and order. We work on keeping him flexible like switching what cup is his water cup. Some of the routine is good though like in the morning if he’s awake he sits in the bathroom and reads books while Jake gets ready for work.
  He’s not really a goofball (Isaac is goofy) but Graham is much more intense and intentionally funny, if that makes sense. He can be very serious, but we think he is an extrovert because he feeds off of other people and gets more and more hyper if he’s around others especially if it’s past his bedtime (maybe this is just a kid thing).

He loves all thing sports and running bases or pretending to run track and field. One of his favorite things to do is go to the sports store (he calls it “Ball store”) and look at all of the different sports equipment.

  Now that Isaac is crawling and getting into things Graham is sharing his older sibling wisdom with him like when Isaac is getting into the printer he tells him “Isaac don’t touch only look with you eyes.”

Graham is learning to share his toys with his little brother…it can be hard sometimes.
  The above picture is with his beloved Sam dog. This dog goes with him everywhere, Graham treats Sam like his baby and pretends to feed him food and has full conversations with Sam.

Some of Graham’s favorite foods are bacon, pancakes, peaches, and graham crackers.

He had a baseball themed birthday party with Grandparents and Uncles. He also dressed up as a twins baseball player for Halloween but then got a fire chief coat from Uncle Nat, so he went as a baseball player turned fire chief.

We are really loving this age, seeing his personality come out, and being able to communicate with him better.

Graham 18 Month Update

A month late, but better late than never, right?

Graham’s highlights:

• wearing size 2t shirts and 24 month pants
• He is stringing two words together like “big dog” His vocabulary is always expanding and his conversations with us are funny.
• He’s just under 36″ tall and weighs about 30 lbs.
• He’s really beginning to test his limits which can be challenging parenting him
• He loves all things sports. Watching it with daddy, playing it outside, and pretend play inside.

• He loves to go to the park.
• He has an obsession with sticks and rocks…I feel like he’s all boy. He pretends sticks are bats…he swings, drops the bat then runs like in baseball.

• He loves to “run run run”
• His gauge of temperature is Burr (cold), Hot, and Nice (perfect temperature)
• He sleeps with his two blankets, stuffed doggy in one arm, teddy bear in the other, and frog on his belly covered by his soft blue blanket.
• He calls things Big and Baby like “big stick” and “baby stick” (small stick)
• If he could live outside I think he would.
• He likes to color and play play-doh
• He sits and reads books in the morning in the bathroom while jake gets ready for work…it’s super cute!
• he’s good at getting me a burp cloth for Isaac when i need it

We love his enthusiasm for all things and are excited to see what the next six months hold for him.

Adjusting to Two Under Two

I meant to do a post about our adjustment to life with two boys under two about a month ago, but I’m barely on my computer anymore, so here are my thoug hts on our adjustment.

I honestly just hate the first two weeks postpartum. Thankfully it is a bit of a blur. and seems like a long time ago now. The first two weeks my mom was here every day while Jake was at work. She has been such a blessing to us. It was nice for Graham to have someone to entertain him while I focused on Isaac and getting breastfeeding down. The third week my mom came for half the day; we weaned ourselves off her. 🙂

A lot of people asked me about Graham’s adjustment. It was rough the first few weeks because I was so busy with nursing Isaac and couldn’t physically pick him up, There was a lot of crying for momma and tears on my end that I couldn’t do what I used to for him like put him to bed. The first few weeks Graham also would wake up in the middle of the night crying for momma. Jake really stepped up and took to caring for Graham when he was home and they have really bonded which is so sweet to see. Once I could physically do things for Graham it got better and he has adjusted to having Jake do more things for him. Graham has never really had any anger towards Isaac and seems to really love his little brother. He likes to give him kisses and play on his play mat with him. Some days are better than others, and I’m thankful we live in a small place because it’s easier to keep track of him. Reading books, coloring, and play dough are a few things that he likes to do while Isaac is feeding. It’s generally easier to have something specific for him to do while I nurse Isaac rather than just letting him roam free.

Another question I have had asked is how breastfeeding is going. So far it’s going well. The first four weeks I felt like all I did was nurse Isaac (he would cluster feed in the evening), but things seem to be settling to more of a routine. Once I got past the initial learning curve of breastfeeding, the hardest parts have been entertaining Graham during the day while I feel like I’m on the couch nursing most of the day (it felt like especially in the beginning), not being able to help as much in the evening with things like dinner clean up and Graham bedtime because I’m nursing Isaac, and making sure that I’m eating and drinking enough to keep up my supply. Jake has done such a good job of just doing what needs to be done for dinner etc. (side note: we had meals a few times a week provided by church families for the first four weeks which was the second biggest blessing (my mother has been the first)). I really think my success in breastfeeding this time around is due to the help I got in the beginning from the birth center. Also, Isaac is a different baby than Graham; I think he’s more patient.

Having a baby in the spring rather than fall has been better because we can get outside almost every day…the fresh air helps us all.

 

Graham 15 month update

Stats:

Weight: 28 lbs 12 oz. (98.40%)

Head Circumference: 49 cm (95.26%)

Height: 34 inches (99.78%).

Clothes size: 24 month and 2T

Favorite:

• food: almost anything that mom/dad/a grown up is eating, raisins, peanut butter, bananas, apple sauce. He goes in spurts, but for the most part he’s not a picky eater.
• Toys: his play remote control, his little people barn, boxes, books, small cars
• He likes to wear his snow boots around the house and play outside in the snow.
• He recently started liking to sit on a chair or the couch and look at his books by himself. He will seriously sit there for 10 or 15 min just looking at his books.
• Brushing his teeth. He used to let me only brush them but recently he’s been wanting to hold the brush as well, so mommy does it first then Graham gets to brush b himself.
• Bubbles! Enough said…he gets so excited.
• Seeing the ducks fly outside.
• Dancing
• making “swooshes” in his basketball hoop
• Mimicking things we say or do…we have to be careful.
• His blankets

Dislikes:

• when I don’t get his hand through his shirt or jacket fast enough when getting dressed.
• oatmeal
• diaper changes
• When he can’t reach something

Sleep:

To put it positively, Graham is an early riser. He likes to wake up anywhere from 5 to 6:30am. He generally goes to bed at 7pm. We are in the process of transitioning to one nap, but it’s rough on the days that he wakes up early to only do one nap.

New Milestones:

• This past month he got in his one year molars and two of his canine teeth
• Can get down off the couch by himself the right way. We’re still working on going down stairs.
• His vocabulary is expanding. A lot of it only mom and dad or people who spend a lot of time with him can understand.
• He’s improved in holding our hand while we are in public.
• Crouching down to play with a toy
• looking at books by himself on the couch
• Learned to fold his hands when we pray, and that when we read our bible we are “ssshhh” (i.e. quiet)…he tells us this when we begin family worship, but is hardly ever quiet, so we are working on what it means to be quiet. 🙂

We feel like Graham has gone from being a baby to a toddler just in the last few months. It’s exciting to see him learn new skills and grow into a little boy.

 

 

Graham Major Milestone #1

We can officially say we have a walking little man! For three or four weeks he would take a few steps here and there, but just this week he has started walking across the room on his own initiative. It’s the cutest thing ever…he’s so slow. I love looking down, if I’m in the kitchen or something, and seeing a walking baby coming towards me. He’s had a lot of falls; some tearful ones especially when he’s carrying a book or a toy and then falls.

He’s always been a super fast crawler, so that is still his primary mode of transportation, but it’ll be fun to see how that changes.

Graham 1 year

Our baby boy is one year old! As everyone says the days are long but the years are short…so true.This will be my last monthly update for Graham. From now on I think I might do one every six months or short major milestone posts. He has changed so much since that first month post…it’s just amazing how much he has learned and is learning right now. He’s becoming such a little person.

Height: 33.6″ (99.99%) Our pediatrician said he’s the size of an average 24 mo. boy.

Weight: 27 lbs. 14 oz. (99.33%)

Head Circumference: 48 cm (93.07%)

BMI: 17.46kg

 

Firsts…He got his first real haircut this month. Thanks to Grandma taking on the challenge of cutting the hair of a squirmy boy.

We had a family birthday party for him with both sets of grandparents, and one set of great grandparents. I made him a pumpkin spice with cinnamon cream cheese frosting smash cake. He was very spoiled by his grandparents and uncles on his birthday and he now has a lot of fun toys that are keeping him busy.

He got to play in the leaves.

He had his first trick or treating fun. He dressed up as a duck because he loves ducks. We just went to a few houses in my parents neighborhood.

Miscellaneous things this month we want to remember

• He’s taken a few steps here and there but is not officially walking yet
• His ability to communicate with us really improved. His two favorite words are that (with the pointing finger) and soft (he loves anything soft…sweaters, blankets, animals. hair).
• When we tell him no or he knows he’s doing something wrong then he turns up one side of his mouth and squints one eye while making a short whinny noise (it’s funny).
• He can make the sounds of animals for cow, cat, and elephant. He has one motor/engine sound for airplanes, cars, and trains.
• He started bringing books to me this month to read and will sit and read for a long time.
• He likes to take objects in and out of baskets/cartons. He also likes to put objects under the couch then tell me that they are “stuck” so then I have to get them back out for him.
• For the most part he’s a pretty chill kid and is up for doing anything.
• He started waving bye-bye this month. When he waves he says dada. We’re not sure if it’s because we wave bye-bye to dada every morning or he just can’t say bye-bye yet so his go to phrase is dada.
• He likes to imitate things we do which can be a lot of fun at times.

We are very thankful for our big boy and look forward to watching him grow this next year.

Graham 11 month update

Notice the drool? I think he’s been in a perpetual state of teething and drooling since he was three months old.

He’s just so entertaining…what did we do before we had him?

Some of Graham’s favorite things are walking with help, playing with anything that’s not a toy, flirting with people he doesn’t know, drinking water, his blankets, reading books, bath time, and just crawling around being a crazy man,

Some 11 month new developments include: he stood by himself without holding on to anything for the first time this month but has only done it one other time. He is slowly starting to understand sign language and can do the sign for “all done” and seems to understand the signs for more, and bath. The other signs we are working on are more, help, water, and bath. He’s beginning to say sounds that seem to have a purpose and consistency to them.

I think he grew a little this month because he can now reach the top of my counter and can reach the door knobs.

Sleep this month was super rough. I weaned him from his middle of the night bottle and most nights this month he’s woken up three or four times. I feel like he’s a newborn again. It’s tough to say what’s from teething or what’s from the weaning. I think we might be on the upswing because the past two nights he slept from 7-6:15am then 6;30-5:30am today. His naps have been good, so I’m thankful for that.

So that’s 11 months for ya…he’s getting so big.

 

 

Graham 10 Month Update…

This crazy kid is 10 months…we’re almost to a year!

Clothes: still in 18-24 months but some 18 month clothes are getting short.

Diapers: He moved up to size 5! The kid is so long he grows out of them in the length.

Height, weight length: honestly I’m not sure. I never measured this month. 😦

Sleep: he still takes two naps a day and wakes up once at night (we will e working on weaning that night time bottle this next month).

Eat: Two solid meals a day with a combination of pureed and some finger foods. drinks four to five bottles a day.

This boy is going to be a big brother come March 2015!

Firsts and Favorites…

• He started pulling himself up to standing and can move along holding onto furniture
• Bath time is his favorite…he loves his Duck. and says “Duck, duck, duck” the whole bath. And throws a fit when we’re finished with bath time.
• He had his first experience going to a lake. He loved splashing in the water and eating the sand (he thought the sand was tasty).
• He has a total of eight teeth now. Four on the bottom and four on the top.
• He loves his blankets
• He went to the state fair for the first time and got to see some animals. He liked the horses the best.
• If your laying on the floor he likes to climb all over you.
• His water cup. He figured out how to hold it this month and drink. He thinks it’s fun to drink his water.

He’s our goofy little trooper. He’s pretty content doing whatever we’re doing. It’s fun to see his personality come out…he brings such joy to our lives.

 

 

Graham 9 Month Update…

This is a monthly update but it’s more like “just the past week update.” If that makes any sense. Let me explain, he decided to hit some major milestones in the past week rather than throughout the month.

Weight: around 26lbs.

Length: just over 30 inches

Clothes and Diaper Size: 18 month clothes, some 24 month, and size four diapers

Major Milestones:

• Crawling!
• Sit from crawling position
• Says dada and baba (babbles all the time)
• Can roll from tummy to back (took him long enough!) 🙂
• Can roll to his left side now (he would only roll right before)

EAT

This month, things really clicked in this area for him. He started eating more solids (around 8 oz. twice a day) and the whole opening your mouth at the right time finally clicked. I don’t feel like I’m playing this Dr. Mouth game anymore. I started giving him steamed peas, cooked egg yokes, and pieces of graham crackers for him to practice his pinching skills. He’s really improved and gets some up to his mouth now. It’s fun to watch because it takes so much concentration. In addition to the solids, he has about four bottles in a 24 hour time period.SLEEP

Sleep has been all over the place. Between getting another tooth in (six total now) and learning how to crawl we’ve had some rough nights and we’ve had some nights where he slept all the way through. He began waking up earlier like 6:15 or 6:30 rather than 7am; funny how half an hour feels like a big change. 🙂 He’s been taking good naps and is pretty easy to put down. He usually fusses for a few minutes then falls asleep.

PLAY

This month he really began to mimic actions and words we say…it’s a lot of fun. Now that he’s crawling he is exploring everything, and is learning what’s off limits for him to touch. Graham loves when his daddy plays his guitar; just in general Graham thinks his dad is pretty much awesome. Did you know door stops are so fun? Well Graham thinks they’re great. He also likes feeling different textures which is funny to see his reactions. Bath time is the best; when he hears the bath water running he comes crawling as fast as he can to the bathroom.

Graham got his first hair trimming around his ears this month.

 

Graham 8 Month Update…

If I were to give this month a theme it would be “Graham and his teeth.”

The little boy has a total of five teeth now. Two on the bottom, and three on the top. The drool and the need to chew noticeably increased. I think this month he was focusing on teething because he didn’t have any other major milestones.

The above picture is a demonstration of his rough life. He can only scoot backwards and in a circle.

I couldn’t get him to smile. He has his daddy’s hazel eyes.

Firsts…

• He has his own room now, and his own big crib. He’s pretty spoiled.
• He went to his first two Twins baseball games. One in Milwaukee, and one in Detroit. He likes to “stand up” and scream…a perfect place for a baby.
• He enjoyed having his Grandpa and Grandma Aase visit.

I feel like I say this every month, but he is at such a fun age.