Graham has good taste!

Well...I turned 28 yesterday...happy birthday to me! =) I actually got to celebrate my birthday 3 different times and tonight again with our small group so I'm feeling loved. Now onto why Graham has good taste. The first celebration took place last week at Bonefish Grill while my Mom was in town, and boy did he throw a little fussy fit there. He was tired, had a poopy diaper, and just was letting us know he didn't appreciate the crowded atmosphere. Last night though my sister and brother in-law took Graham and I out to a very fancy, YUMMY dinner at Fins! http://www.bonappetit.com/magazine/2008/12/the_new_fish_house Let's just say it's the number 2 top-rated seafood restaurant in the country. We walked in the restaurant and I knew that this was not a restaurant that allowed crying or has even seen many babies before. I was slightly nervous as we sat down. It even said no cell phones in the dining room- yikes! Luckily Graham proved that fancy fish dishes, waterfalls, small crowds, and exquisite desserts are the way to go! He was a gem and I loved it! It was a 1/2 hour past his bedtime too and he was such a good boy. Thank you VERY much to Anna and Andy for such a perfect birthday treat! I was very sad that I forgot my camera, but here are a few pics of the birthday cake Adam made for me this weekend. You may be wondering where was my husband during this event? He was beginning his FINAL week in Dunn NC! Woo-hoo! He returns home tomorrow for good. Yea!

Yummy Cupcakes from a downtown cupcake shop in Raleigh. Yum!
Homemade funfetti cake from Adam. Thanks Babe!
"Thank you Gigi for my sweet Easter bunny. I love him! I think his ears taste good." I couldn't resist. Outfit with carrots+Bunny+Smiley baby=The sweetest Graham in the world!

"Spring Break" 15 weeks

Well, my Mom came out to visit for a whole week and what a treat it was! We went shopping, ate LOTS of yummy food, drank our sugar-free iced vanilla coffees from McDonalds, ran errands, took naps, snuggled Graham, and sat around and watched old movies like "One Fine Day" and "Hope Floats". Most of the spring breaks in my life have been spent in Panama City Beach, FL but this was one of the best ones because of a new little person added to the week. =) My mom reminded me of how wonderful my life is right now when she said that this was one of the most relaxing weeks she's had in a long time. I realized that the spring break she was having was my daily life here in NC with Graham! There is something about spending time with a sweet baby each day that brings peace and consistency and lots of love into your life. A full day with a baby is a rewarding treat and I love it! Now my typical days are certainly not filled with shopping and movies, but rather cleaning and laundry, but time with my Graham never changes and he is always there with the best smiles.
It was strange to not have a "spring break" like I typically did as a teacher, but I'm realizing that this time of my life is one I would not trade for any other spring break in my life. Spring is my favorite season. Ahhhh....

This is his "latest and greatest" cute pose! I call him the Baby Walrus when he sucks on both his pointer fingers. So cute!

Graham's favorite "night-night" book...thank you Gigi! It plays music and lights up!


Is there anything more squishy or wonderful than a naked baby???

Thank you for a wonderful visit Gigi! We miss you already!

Visitors! 14 weeks

March has absolutely FLOWN by! One reason is that Graham is growing and changing so much! He sleeps 11 hours at night, can hold his head up much better when on his tummy, and he laughs now!!! He first laughed at his Daddy when he was playing with his arms, then Aunt Silly when she was being, well...silly, and then Mommy as I fake-laughed with him! Now he laughs almost daily. It's wonderful. =) I'm not going to lie...I had tears in my eyes when he laughed at me. The best prize in the world.
The other reason is that we've had some wonderful friends come and visit us and there are more to come! Adam has been doing his final rotation in Dunn, NC Monday-Thursday for 4 weeks so I've had a few friends come to keep Graham and I company. It's been so nice.

My best friend from high school came out to visit on March 13th. It was so good to visit with my "Snuggs" and let her love on my sweet baby Graham. She's so stinkin' cute! Adam, Emily, and I had a wonderful weekend despite the rainy, cold NONSTOP weather. We headed downtown to visit with Anna and Andy. Graham laughed for the 2nd time at his Aunt Silly. Boy is she a silly one and boy does Graham love her. We had a good time just hanging out and talking. Miss and Love you Emily!!!

I guess I also need to mention why Graham has a bandaid on. =( Let's just say Mommy got a little too close when cutting Graham's fingernails. He let out a tiny yelp and then no crying. PHEW! I felt guilty enough. Adam made a mini bandaid for Graham and he wasn't quite sure what to do with the funny thing on his finger.

One week later my best friend "B" from college came out to visit on March 20th. We had much better weather and enjoyed walking around the beautiful Duke Gardens, had a wild goose chase in downtown Raleigh, and ate some VERY yummy cupcakes. Here is Daddy and his baby by a HUGE Loblolly Pine Tree. Graham also had his very first bus ride on an electric bus! Funny moments happened and let's say I almost stuck my foot in my mouth big time!
On the way home from the Gardens, Graham was getting a little fussy so B asked if I had a pacifier for him. Now, most every other time he just plays with the passy and spits it immediately back out... but Brooke had the magic touch! He liked his passy for the 1st time and actually used it the whole car ride back! Crazy. =) My mom said I didn't take a pacifier until I was 3 months old...I guess Graham is like his Mom. Thanks B!

More pictures to come...my Mom, "Gigi", is visiting us this week! =) Hotel Hubert is in full swing. Any and all are welcome. =)

13 weeks!!!

Hooray! Graham turned 3 months old on March 11th. He's just perfect to his Mommy and Daddy and we are enjoying him so much. We even enjoy the super-poopy blow-out diapers that he treats us to at least 2x a week. All I can say is thank God for Dreft stain spray! That stuff really works. =)
Graham would like to say a few things...
"Here are some pictures to show off the new things I can do!
Look what I found! I have hands!!!
I'm such a big boy with strong neck muscles. I like to sit in my Bumbo seat and read stories and play with my toys.
Mommy went to pick me up and look what she found on my back! The angle of the bouncy seat is just right for my rocket poops to shoot up my back! This was the worst one yet. Doesn't look that bad right now, but you should have seen my mom and dad trying to get those yucky onesie off without getting poop all over me. They did not succeed. Bathtime was promptly started.
Ahhhh- clean, with jammies, and my dad! The perfect ending to a great day!"

Well Graham thanks for your thoughts!
I can't believe Graham is already just about 14 weeks! Our time here in NC is flying by, but we are getting excited about our future in Evansville. God has been so good to us everywhere we have lived! I have so many clear answers to prayer that I know God will take care of us in all aspects as we finish up our last few months here and head to IN.

12 weeks- Fun in the Sun!

It's been BEAUTIFUL the past few days here in Durham NC! We took advantage of the nice weather and met our life group at Crabtree Park for a picnic and a little fun in the sun! God has blessed us with some awesome friends here in NC!!! It felt really good to get some Vitamin D back in our pasty white bodies. Graham wore his first "shorts onesie" and his IU hat! I think he looked mighty cute and ready for the sun. After the day at the park, Graham smelled like a sweet, sweaty boy! It gave me a flash-forward as I imagined late summer evenings with my sweaty 4 year old running inside and giving me a big hug after playing outside all day. I savored that smell and look forward to many sweaty, little boy hugs and kisses! Being a Mom is just the best.

=) I also love FRESH baby smell too! Adam makes fun of me for rubbing his baby Aveno lavendar lotion on him after his bath, but he smells so good I could eat him! He enjoys bathtime and is almost too big for the baby-hammock that came with his plastic tub. Onto the "big boy" tub soon! We tried it without the hammock and he wasn't quite long enough yet...soon enough though!

Graham also had fun with his pal Kinsley! She's a month older and was showing Graham how to lay on your tummy and hold your head up! Graham is still not too sure about this thing called "Tummy Time" but he's getting the hang of it.

Weekend with Gigi and family

Well, it was a great weekend for MANY reasons! The first reason is that Gigi came for a visit! Graham had a lot of fun with his Gigi and thought she was very funny. Graham is becoming so much more verbal and we had a lot of fun listening to Graham "talk". Gigi was amazed at how much Graham has grown and what he can do since she saw him 3 weeks ago.


Gigi was very kind and took us shopping! Graham ended up with his very own Bumbo seat, which he still needs a little help with. He's getting stronger and can sit in his seat on his own longer each time he tries it. It's amazing what babies can do in a just a few days! We are working on keeping that head nice and round. =) More tummy time and a Bumbo seat should help with that!


Last Thursday night we hung out with Aunt Anna and Uncle Andy. We ate dinner at yummy Mez and then headed back to their condo. This was Graham's first encounter with Zoro and Gia, their chiuahuas. The doggies were quite interested in this tiny person and it went well! We'll see what they think of Graham as he gets bigger and bigger...The dogs could have been smelling a dirty diaper too! Nothing like getting your diaper changed on a granite countertop- very fancy. =)


My mother is also the queen of shopping at Marshalls. She got her picture taken by a Marshalls store in Puerto Rico and now she is starting a new trend of pictures at different Marshalls around the world. Add Chapel Hill to the list... =)


Thanks for visiting us Gigi! We love having visitors and look forward to many more friends headed this way this spring. =)