3 Months

Saturday was a busy day for Graham. He joined us for his first Taylor family reunion in Clinton with his great-grandmother and family. He slept in the begining...long enough for us to enjoy the coverdish lunch! Then he woke up and socialized with his cousins Taylor and Colin. Taylor was beating him up a little in this picture, but he didn't seem to mind. We also made a quick trip to Stedman to visit his other great-grandmother and one of his great-uncles. He did so well all day...we were lucky! He went back and forth between napping and happy-awake, with only an occasional wimper (the kind that said..."Hold me a different way," not "I hate life!") We even pushed our luck by going to Andy's with my parents before heading back to Apex.

New things we're noticing with Graham are that he now intentionally grasps things, like the rings on his activity mat and his "lovey." He almost has head control, so I think we're on the verge of being able to use baby gear like his Bumbo seat and his activity jumper. When I hold him now, he seems to wrap his arms around my shoulders to hang on, which is a sweet feeling. He also likes to suck his fingers and hand. He even sucked his wrist so forcefully a few days ago that we later found a wrist hicky! Graham's now growing fast, and pretty much nursing exclusively. He'll be 3 months old this week, and I think Drew and I are finally adjusted to parenthood enough to really enjoy it.

First Father's Day

Drew has been out of town this weekend, so my mom has been around to help with Graham. Our first mission was to pick up and assemble Drew's Father's Day dining table for the back porch. Luckily, Graham was sleepy on Friday night and we were able to put everything together (after some trial and error). Saturday my dad joined us for an early Father's Day lunch at The Loop. Our restaurant options were limited to places where you pre-pay and don't have to wait for a waitress...no explanation needed here, right? Dining out has been a little more difficult because a few minutes after we get our plates of food, Graham decides he wants some TLC. Usually, we can hold him a little while until he falls asleep, and then put him back in his carseat.

Sleepy cries are a new thing we're learning to detect, and we try to put him down in his crib a twice a day for naps. It's been much easier than I thought until the last couple days. I think he's not napping as well because either his "Swaddleme" blankets are getting too short, or because his room is too warm in the afternoon. To rule out the potential blanket problem, my mom and I went to Babies R Us today for some essentials: bigger swaddle blankets, bigger onesies (or bodysuits I should say...did you know that Gerber has a lock on the term "onesie"?), and cotton diapers (aka good burp clothes). We got home just in time for Graham to set up his Father's Day gift before Drew got home. He put a card on the table directing Drew to the back porch for a refreshing bottle coke...where the dining table awaited. As a sidenote, this gift was desperately needed because the plastic chairs we had been using probably cost about $8 each when I bought them eight years ago from Walmart, and the arms were broken off. I think Drew enjoyed his surprise. I also think he missed the little boy in the "I Love My Daddy" jumper.

Hot Saturday Morning

Graham has been sleeping much longer at night for the last couple weeks, and the extra sleep has really made life easier. Last night he slept from about 10:45pm until 6am! Then, after eating, he slept for about another 45 minutes. I should have been satisfied to wake up with him at that point, but I wanted to push my luck for more sleep so I brought him into our bed. I had envisioned how great it would be to combine sleeping late and baby snuggling, but Graham had not been cooperative when I'd tried this before. Well today was our lucky day!! I laid him down between Drew and me and he smiled at the ceiling for a while before drifting off to sleep. He was so cute I had trouble going to sleep...but I did. We ended up sleeping in as a family until after 9am! Unfortunately, we woke up to a broken air conditioner. Even though it's REALLY hot in our house, our good morning still outweighs the heat. This picture is of Graham hanging out on his new activity mat. If you notice that his onesie looks wet on his chest, don't worry, it's not sweat (yet), he was just drooling.

Last night we went to Drew's parents' house for a birthday dinner, and Graham enjoyed the quality time with his relatives. You can see his aunt Susan has the special touch to get smiles. We also know Graham is going to be buds with his uncle Ryan because lots of his baby vocalizations sound like "uh...cle." The only downside of the night was that he got upset when cake was served and he didn't get any. This week Graham and I started our "Baby Steps" class at Wake Med Cary. It's a one-hour class each week with a group of five moms and babies, led by a nurse. Things started out a little stressfully because he had a dirty diaper and then got hungry right at the beginning of the class, but once he settled down it was good. What I learned in the first class is that we put Graham to sleep too late and feed him too much (when he is given a bottle) -- oops. We're working on putting him to bed earlier now, but the eating issue is more difficult. It's hard to reduce the serving when he seems to be crying for more. Anyway, the class is a good source of info and it's a nice group of moms for future play dates, etc.

First Beach Trip

Last weekend we took a trip to Caswell Beach for three nights, and Graham did really well. Drew and I were glad to have a four-person rotation to help take care of him. Saturday he joined us for one of our regular hotdog lunches on the swings at the Southport waterfront. He slept while the rest of us relaxed and enjoyed the scenery. One thing we knew we'd miss at the beach is the wonderful baby swing we were loaned. It's critical because that's where Graham takes his daytime naps. Before leaving, I found a similar one on Craigslist to take to the beach and leave there. It worked so well that my parents took it out on the porch so Graham could swing while they rocked. Drew and I took that opportunity to hit the beach for my first real rays of sunshine of the year. It was sooooooo wonderful! Graham didn't make it out onto the beach this time because he seemed too young to be out there without a good, shaded beach stroller or tent to put him under. Maybe later this summer.

Right now I've attempted to put him in his crib for an afternoon nap. He's "talking" to himself, so I'm pretty sure that'll turn into crying soon. There will be lots more tears today because the poor guy has to go to the doctor for his two-month visit (which will include two shots). I'm not looking forward to this AT ALL.