Dear Graham, Week 30

Dear Graham,
You are now as many weeks old as I am years old, a phenomenon that will only happen once in our lives.



There's so much to say about the past week. The biggest news is that you slept through the night. (Twice!) Even though mommy and daddy still tossed and turned expecting you to get up at some point, you slept through the night two times this week. We are so proud of you and are hoping that this new found skill of yours is one that you embrace.



On Monday we celebrated Presidents' Day, which gave us the chance to spend another whole day together. We again took advantage of the beautiful weather we've been blessed with and spent lots of time outside.

You also started avocado during the weekend, which you liked. Or so I thought. I received a call from your school on Tuesday afternoon that you "threw up all of your guacamole." Yes. Because I sent my almost seven month old son to school with guacamole. And a side of chips. Apparently other babies (and their mommies) aren't as adventurous as you are when it comes to trying new foods. Speaking of trying new foods, you also were introduced to peas this week and loved them.



In fact, you've been loving your fruits and veggies so much that this week you decided to go on a rice cereal strike. This coincided with a new trick you've learned this week--spitting. So, you decided to try out that new skill with the rice cereal you didn't want to eat. Which led to very messy feedings. The upside of this rice cereal strike is that you now like your carrots. Apparently to you anything is better than rice cereal.

Mommy had an event for work on Wednesday night so daddy had nightime routine duty all alone. When I texted him to find out how you were doing, this was his exact reply: "Good. He spit back the cereal at me. Spit up all in the tub, peed all over the floor while I changed the bath water, then once back in the tub, spit up again. We're bathing in spit up." It was all I could do not to laugh out loud at my dinner.



During your 3oth week the Shuttle Discovery launched for its last voyage into space. As I thought about the finality of its mission, it hit me that something that's been such a big part of my life won't be part of yours. Your view of the shuttle program will be similar to mine of the Apollo program: historic, but lacking a personal connection.

Because your dad and I are self-admitted space dorks (hey-we have to throw a little love space's way in gratitude for bringing us together), you will probably either love space too or not want anything to do with it. Regardless of your feelings, I hope that during your life's journey you find something that shows you what humankind is capable of when met with a challenge and in pursuit of a dream. I hope you find something that leaves you so full of wonder that you can't help but want to learn more. I hope you find something that makes you proud of the accomplishments of your country, excited about science, and leaves you in awe of the sheer capacity of our fellow human beings. In doing so, you'll experience what so many of us discovered through the space shuttle program.

Love,
Mommy

Dear Graham, Week 29

Dear Graham,
What big progress you've made in your sleep this week. I mentioned that with your last cold your sleeping patterns were essentially nonexistent. After you recovered we decided it was time for sleep training (Dr. Weissbluth is a genius), and we had one rough night of you protesting sleep. Don't worry, I'll remind you of this night when you're a teenager and want to sleep all hours of the day.



However, after the one night, it was like you were a new baby who we put down awake, fell asleep on his own and would put himself back to sleep when he woke up at night, aside from one night feeding. Seriously, who is this baby and what have they done with Graham?

As part of this effort we finally transitioned you from the swaddle to the sleep sack. And with this change, you're now sleeping in all positions all over the crib. Your dad and I have spent more time this week watching you sleep on the monitor than we've spent watching TV...who knew a sleeping child could provide such entertainment.

After a bitter cold start to February, over the last week we've enjoyed warmer weather with highs in the 70's. As such, we cannot spend enough time outside with you. We went on a hike and a run, spent time swinging at the park, helped daddy in the garage and have put down a blanket outside for you to play on. Every day this week has included some outside activity and you've been the happiest baby as a result.











(Sorry that the video is sideways and in poor shading. I promise Graham's giggles make up for it.)

You've had me fooled for some time when it comes to the mystery of when you might get your first teeth. For several months I've thought that by the way you put everything into your mouth, you were close to the teething process. Yet check after check of your gums revealed nothing. However, over the last week the inordinate amount of drool that falls out of your mouth at all hours is leading me to believe that you're actually getting close to teething. That or we have a serious drool problem that might interfere with your ability to attract the ladies one day.

Speaking of the ladies, apparently at school when you all have playtime on the mat, you go after the other little girl's feet, trying to pull of their socks. Pulling off your own socks is a favorite pastime of yours, but now you've discovered you can pull off other babies' socks as well. I'm not yet sure what to make of this news, except for the fact the the Little Flirt shirt you sported on your first Valentine's Day appears to be accurate.





New foods for this week include butternut squash and apples, both of which you ate and enjoyed.

Love,
Mommy

Dear Graham, Week 28

Dear Graham,



The biggest story of your 28th week is that you've officially started "real" foods. After much research, mommy decided to start you out with carrots. They are supposed to be easy to digest, have a low allergy risk, and be "somewhat" sweet, all of which combine to make them a great first baby food. Except apparently no one told you that was the case. You did eat the carrots, but your experience with them could best be described as "tolerable."



After the obligatory three days of eating carrots to ensure you had no allergies before beginning your next food, we introduced sweet potatoes. And boy, oh boy...sweet potatoes to you were everything carrots weren't. You couldn't get enough of the sweet potatoes as you anxiously awaited each next bite, actually moving your head toward the spoon to get the bite in your mouth as soon as you could.





Each of these new experiences continue to remind us of what a big boy you're becoming. This was especially evident near the end of the week, when you were sitting on mommy and daddy's bed as we got ready to go on a walk. You've been enjoying playing "peek-a-boo" with us for some time now, but it's always been mommy or daddy who initiate the game and do the "hiding." Well, while we were watching you sit on our bed, you leaned your face forward toward the bed as far as you could without toppling over, held your head there for a minute, and then popped your head up, looking at us with a big grin. You continued to do this over and over again, having invented your own version of the game.

Let me just tell you: the amount of pride I felt over your first self-initiated game of peek-a-boo was slightly ridiculous. Consider this your fair warning that I am going to be a big fat mess for your life's larger milestones. You just might go ahead and plan on medicating me for your first steps, kindergarten, graduation, marriage, etc.

Before having you, I never could have understood the inexplicable joy that you bring to our lives. And, now that you're here, I wonder how we ever lived without you.

Love,
Mommy

Dear Graham, Weeks 26 and 27

Dear Graham,

I can’t believe you’re now six months old and we’re counting down to your 1^st birthday instead of counting up. Time doesn’t fly when you’re having fun…it magically disappears instead.

You’ve had a big couple of weeks to mark this six month milestone. Last weekend you and mommy flew to Florida to spend a 3-day weekend while your daddy was working a trip. While we’ve flown alone before, this was the first time you and I managed the whole process start-to-finish solo, and I have to say we did a pretty good job. When we got to Florida, your Uncle Troy was waiting for us in baggage claim. It was a matter of seconds before he had you giggling away. After driving to Titusville, we placed you on the doorstep in your car seat, rang the doorbell and hid around the corner. Your Aunt Shannon was so surprised to see the bundle of joy who was waiting for her…and she couldn’t get you out of your carseat fast enough to give you kisses. We were able to surprise your great-grandma on Saturday and on Sunday we saw your great-aunts and uncles at a seafood lunch.

While all of the girls in the family went shopping, you spent the afternoon with your grandpa at the park. You love, love, love swinging and he spent nearly an hour swinging you! He also took you on several walks and you enjoyed the beautiful Florida weather.

During the last two weeks you also caught another cold that resulted in an ear infection in both ears. This is probably the direct result of it being 70 degrees one day and 30 degrees the next, which is healthy for all of us. Because of this, your sleeping patterns were thrown out the window, bringing mommy and daddy’s sleep right along with them for the ride. You’ve been inconsistent with waking and not wanting to go back to sleep in the middle of the night, which has been fun for the entire family.

You had your six-month appointment when on your 27th week "birthday" and you've grown so much! You're up to 17lbs, 5oz, which puts you in the 45 percentile. You are also now 26 and 3/4 inches long, which is in the 61 percentile. The doctor was pleased with your developmental progress as you showed off how you can coo and interact with him. Following the appointment he sent us to get a chest x-ray for you and your chronic cough. For a baby that never sits still, you did a wonderful job staying still during the few milliseconds it takes for the tech to snap the images.

Over the last few weeks, I’ve spent a lot of time rocking you while you’ve been sick and peering down on your sweet sleeping face. The fierce protection I feel during those moments makes me want to envelop you in a barrier free from any harm, pain, heartbreak, sorrow or sadness. Not just today, but forever. While I know that’s impossible--and ultimately unhealthy and counterproductive--I do want to tell you something about those experiences that you’ll one day you're bound to have.

First, they are few and far between. The positive, wonderful, “I want to shout from the rooftops with joy” experiences far, far outweigh the bad ones. Second, these emotions normally come with a life lesson attached…don’t miss out on the message those experiences can teach. Finally, they enable you to be empathetic to others going through similar situations. Use that empathy to do good in someone else’s life.

Love,

Mommy