Party Pictures

Graham had a great 1st birthday! Even though we’d only been in our house a couple weeks, it still seemed important to have some people over to help celebrate his big day…even if we had to dodge moving boxes. We had family over on Saturday to spoil him with kisses, cake, and lots of attention. Great Grandpa and Grandma Hardison even drove down from Virginia to visit with him for the second time! On Sunday we had some friends over for playtime. Graham seemed to enjoy walking around visiting with everyone, but he was definitely a little reserved because of all the action. He impressed me though by (1) being pretty independent during the day and never getting upset, and (2) eating cake! If he had refused cake, I would have questioned whether he got any of my genes! Anyway, we all had a great weekend and really appreciate family and friends who made the birthday special.

Happy 1st Birthday, Graham!

The Move

Farewell Poets Glade...












...Hello Walden Creek Drive!

First Haircut

This past week, we've been in the process of moving into our new house. While Drew dealt with all the nitty gritty of that, Graham and I have been hanging out in Clinton with my parents. He started the week with his first haircut! We were going wait until he turned one, but since we were only a couple weeks shy of that birthday (and since his hair was ridiculously long), we went ahead and had it cut. It was nice to be in Clinton for this so a friend's mom could take on that huge challenge! Graham fidgeted and fussed almost every time she was ready to take a snip, but we got through it with a cute little hairdo -- not too short to look like a "grown-up boy", but not as disheveled as it used to be.

Here are some other things Graham has accomplished this week: ~ Refined his walk. He can now make it across the den. ~ Continued to point to things and say "Dah." Is he asking for us to name stuff? That's what we're doing, just in case his little brain is ready. ~ Learned to lick his lips and make weird sounds. Thanks to my dad for that. Ugh. ~ Tasted lots of new foods and drinks - yams, ham, mashed potatoes, grits, tea, and Frosty! So maybe these weren't off plates of nutritious, home-cooked food, but no need to pretend that we eat like that.

First Steps

On Monday, Graham took his first steps! He was holding the sofa, and he turned toward me and took two little steps! Drew and I looked at each other wide-eyed...like "did you just see that?!" The first step was nice and upright. The second was a little tilty as he was reaching for me. I think it helped that it was a rare moment when he wasn't wearing socks.

Today Graham and one of his little friends went to a trial baby gym class. He was reserved for the first couple minutes, but during "free play", he had a ball! He seemed to have the most fun swinging in the dolphin. This picture shows him intently watching the owl finger puppet sing a song.

Busy February!

This has been a challenging month. It began with Graham having pink eye and the beginnings of an ear infection. For the record, someone needs to come up with a better treatment for pink eye than prying a baby's eyes open for eye drops three times a day. Pure torture! As soon as we celebrated the end of those infections, Graham got a cold. Did I mention that in the midst of that, we were having spur-of-the-moment showings for our townhouse?! One day someone showed up just before his morning nap, so I drove us all the way to Smithfield so he could sleep. At least there was some shopping to do when we got there! =) Anyway, our townhouse sold! We also have found a new house and are under contract!

Aside from his sicknesses, Graham's been doing well. He's beginning to stand on his own now, just for a few seconds. He also climbs the stairs very easily (with us right behind him). The most exciting milestone to me is that he ate his first non-pureed food without throwing up. I've been hesitant to try out textured foods again with Graham, but today I gave him a "Mum Mum" (dissolving cracker type snack), and he went to town! I was so excited to see him holding his own food and crunching away!

10 Months Old = Urgent Babyproofing!

We tried to hold off on full-fledged baby-proofing since our house is on the market, but we can't wait any longer. Graham prefers drawers and cabinets to any of his toys now! No matter what room I'm in, he goes straight to his favorite drawer or cabinet to pull everything out. In the kitchen he likes to pull out every single Ziploc bag, in the bathroom he gets Drew's toothbrush (which hides in a low cabinet for house showings), and in the loft he opens the file drawer and pulls out his x-rays. It may be a lot of work to install child safety locks, but I think it's going to save us from the constant scramble we do now!