First Football Game

Things change so fast that I can hardly keep up with the baby milestones anymore. I've been curious about whether or not Graham may be teething because he has been drooling, coughing, and chomping down on toys like a little piranha. I thought there was some suspicious texture on his bottom gum, and on Sunday, Drew and I spotted two little white specks! It looks like his two front bottom teeth are coming in! He's been handling it well though, because his mood has been pretty good for some big events recently.

Thursday night, our friend Kate came by during her visit from NY. Though Graham was not very cordial at first, he warmed up to her quickly over a Cracker Barrel pancake breakfast. On Saturday, he attended his first Carolina football game. Actually, I should say that he mostly just visited the campus. He had a good time hanging out on a blanket in the quad with his friend JT. He also showed off by doing some independent sitting (for about 15 seconds)! Just before kick-off, Graham and I strategically strolled around the library and student store to wait for the loud jet fly-over to happen. By the time we got to the stadium, I realized he had fallen fast asleep. I didn't have the heart to wake him up, so we sat in the shade for about an hour while he napped (through fireworks, loud cheering, etc). When he woke up, we headed down to our sunny seats to watch the game. That lasted for about three plays. We were both really hot, and when he started to whimper, I decided to end the day around halftime before things went downhill (for us and the team). Wait -- does that mean Drew left at halftime? No, we drove two cars of course!

No More, PLEASE!!

Since Graham's pediatrician okayed starting rice cereal, we've been trying to figure out when the right time might be. I bought baby bowls, spoons, and the cereal, but there was no clear "go time." He's never been one to go very long between feedings, but he does seem pretty satisfied after he eats. Recently, we weighed Graham and plotted his weight on the bell curve to check his percentile rank (keeping my school psychology skills fresh!). His 14-lb self is only around the 15th percentile compared to other 5 1/2 month babies, so we decided to break out the solids. As you can see, he was NOT a fan!! We've been experimenting with the consistency because the texture must have grossed him out. Last night (night 4) we had success! He opened his mouth for the spoon, and didn't make the throwup face. We'll see if this happy eating continues.

Our Den Is a Baby Playground

Graham used to only need a swing during the day. When we had to put him down, that's where he went. He probably could have taken naps in his pack 'n play or crib, but all we knew was that the swing worked. Now that he needs much more entertaining, he spends his wake time alternating between his activity mat, the bumbo, the bouncer, and us. Each can only keep him happy for a little while, so it's nice to have lots of options. (Uh oh...is he getting spoiled already?) His favorite thing to do is stand up and "walk," so I'm glad his legs finally got long enough for the bouncer, since Drew and I run out of steam before he does. It seems like Graham's going to skip the sitting and crawling stages and go straight to walking. He's very mobile now, doing a variety of rolls and leg pushes. It makes it really challenging to change his diaper without a helper to hold him in place!

We spent labor day weekend at the beach with my parents, and everyone was glad to have each others' company. Graham watched his first Carolina football game, and even offered his hand when Drew requested a high-five! Unfortunately, he went to bed before the team's rally. He's hoping he'll get to witness a good game with a full roster of players this season!

5 Months

Graham is now 5 months old. It's been a tough week for us because I passed along a cold to him, which I guess was inevitable since I'm always in his face. Even though I was relieved to get over the cold myself (after 2 annoying weeks), I would have gladly kept it longer instead of watching him struggle like he has. The poor guy has had such a hoarse voice that his pitiful cries have been almost silent. He's also had lots of congestion and coughing. All this has really been a set-back on the sleeping routine we had going, since we can't let him cry in his crib when he's suffering from all kinds of cold symptoms.

Lately, Drew and I have been taking Graham on walks in the evening after the blazing heat subsides a little. It's been a good way to occupy him when he gets fussy, and it's also one of the few opportunities we have to talk. Saturday, we changed up our routine by stopping at the pool for a baby toe-dip. Then Drew jogged ahead while Graham and I finished our walk. Just when we were at our farthest point from home, it started pouring!! We waited under a tree for a while, until I decided I might as well make a run for it because the rain wasn't letting up. We must have looked desperate -- me running in flip flops with a beach towel draped over the stroller (trying to protect the sick baby!). A couple people stopped to offer a ride or an umbrella, but it seemed like it would be simpler for me to just hurry. I felt like a wounded athlete crossing the finish line when I got home, just as Drew was backing the car out of the driveway to go retrieve us! Probably not perfect parenting of a sick child, but at least he did stay dry!

Couch Potatoes

Entertaining Graham has become more challenging lately because he's not happy in any one place for long. He prefers for us to hold him up so he can practice standing or walking. He's also really interested in exploring new things...looking around, touching stuff, trying to put things in his mouth. He's especially fascinated by water bottles. When Drew and I need a break from holding him, we prop him up in a sitting position with pillows. It works for a little while, until he leans down to chew on a toy and flops over forward. Within the last couple weeks, Graham has started to lose the hair he's famous for. It's patchy now...thin around the top, gone behind one ear, and thick in the back. Quite a style! I told him he's not alone because my hair has been falling out like crazy since he was born!

Mommy's Weekend Trip

Yesterday I got back from a weekend trip to Boston to visit a friend from grad school. A couple months ago when I planned to go on this trip, I knew Graham would be 4 months old, which seemed old enough for me to be away a couple days. When the trip date came up, 4 months didn't seem so old anymore. Taking care of him still requires lots of trial and error ("he might be okay with a 5.5oz bottle"..."he'll probably wake up around 5am"..."putting him in his swing might calm him down"...). Drew took care of Graham by himself one night while I was gone, and my parents babysat the other night. It was definitely a mixture of sadness and excitement to leave our snuggly baby and head to the airport Saturday morning. Things seemed to go well while I was away though, with the exception of Graham's brief fever (probably a result of his vaccines the previous day). Drew took him on several neighborhood walks, my mom took him to see one of his great-grandmothers, and he got to play with fun new baby toys loaned by a family friend.

I had fun in Boston visiting with friends and touring the city! I did have quite a nursing maintenance routine to make sure nursing could continue when I got home. A big thanks to my travel buddies for helping me incorporate that into our days! It was not easy being away from Graham for the weekend, but I think it's healthy for me to occasionally take time away. What's crazy is that he learned new things in the two days I was gone! Now, when he's laying on his stomach, he sometimes wedges his toes up under him and uses them to push forward. He also rolls both ways now and "walks" when someone supports his upper body. He clearly said "hi" yesterday, and Drew and I looked at each other in disbelief. We probably shouldn't count that as his first word since he had no idea what was coming out of his mouth.

4 Months

Graham is really changing quickly these days! He is growing, squealing, and grabbing things more tightly with his hands. If I don't keep his fingernails cut short enough, his grip can be painful! A new thing he does when he rolls onto his stomach is to try to pull his knees up under him and push forward, inchworm-style. Graham has been going to the church nursery pretty regularly on Sundays. He's usually the only one in his 0-4 month class, so he gets a lot of special attention from his two teachers. Since he seems to do okay with that, I took him to the Kids Club at the gym yesterday. At the gym, the procedure is for the childcare staff to track down parents when babies cry for more than 15 minutes or when diapers are dirty. Graham made it through my entire group fitness class! He was whimpering a little when I went to pick him up, but they said he had been good. They must have put him through a baby workout because he fell fast asleep as soon as we got in the car.

In the picture, Graham is just hanging out in bed, watching a little Good Morning America. He is waiting to have the left side of his hair rewashed because of a spitup situation. He spits up a few times a week in his crib, and his hair usually ends up getting involved in the mess.