Got Tubes?

At 6am we (Graham and I) headed to the surgery center to have tubes placed in Graham's ears. Mom met us there and Graham was rather confused to see her! We filled out paper work and then they took us back to the pre-op area. Mimi stayed in the lobby while I went back with Graham to get him ready for his little procedure. It really hit me while we were in pre-op that he's becoming a little boy -- I mean, they had him stand up next to the door to see how tall he was.....this was a first!! At the peds they lay him down and measure him! He's only 28" tall (and 23 lbs!)!
After we found out his height, I sat in a rocking chair and changed him into his hospital gown. Dr. S was the anesthesiologist - he immediately fell in love with Graham's big blue eyes! 15 minutes before they were to take Graham back, they gave him a little "loopey juice" or Versed. I was amazed that it kicked in so quickly! Instead of climbing my shoulder and wanting to explore all of the machines, he settled down and was cuddling me in my lap...oh how I miss those days! Poor baby, his eyebrows were raised so high as he was trying to keep his eyes open. Dr. C came in and talked about the procedure again, and then his "surgical 'team'" came and took him away. I admit I was a little misty eyed watching them carry my limp baby back to the OR. I so badly wanted to go back with him, but wasn't allowed because of another family being there. They took him back around 7:08; at 7:20, Dr. C was out in the lobby telling Mom and I how well he did. Apparently he had a lot of thick puss filled (sorry I know it's gross) fluid behind his eardrum that Dr. C evacuated before putting the tubes in. Just as she walked away and told me that they would call me to go back to recovery in 10 minutes, the phone rang asking me to go to recovery. I was prepared for a scared, crying baby. But NOTHING could have prepared me for the next hour. Graham was Screaming; I mean thrashing about; he would suck two or three sucks on the nunu and then hit his ear and scream! I felt so helpless. I am his mom; I am supposed to be able to comfort him, but there was NOTHING that I could do to calm him down. Mom and I passed him to each other. The nurse kept reassuring me (well - she tried) that this was normal. Normal? For him to scream like this? For him to pull at his ear? To not go to sleep after screaming for an hour? I finally was so fed up and was hurting FOR him. I decided that maybe he would do better in his own environment. So we packed up getting HORRIBLE discharge instructions. I got Graham in his car seat and he was still crying pretty badly. We headed home and he finally fell asleep about 10 minutes into the ride -- of course that means that he slept all of 7 minutes max. We got home, Mom came and helped get us settled and Graham was starting to bounce back. He sat on the floor and played with Mom for a few minutes and every few minutes his tummy would get hard and he would cry out. I tried Mylicon (had to dust off the package and refamiliarize myself with the dosing!! It's been so long since we've used it!) and I'm not sure if he got relief or not. At 9:30 Dr. C called and asked if he was asleep, to which I answered NO. She said that it would take 4 hours of sleep to get the anesthesia out of his system so she called in a Tylenol with Codeine to help him sleep. Once that was in him, he slept for 2 1/2 hours. After that nap he was a new baby!!!!! Thank God!
He was pretty low key as far as playing today. He didn't have much energy. He went to bed around 8:20 and is sawing zzzz's right now! I pray that he has a restful night tonight! I want him to be free of pain/pressure. I want him to start hearing words and sounds like they are supposed to be heard!!! I know this is selfish - but I hope that I am able to sleep tonight -- I'm worried that something would happen to him and I wouldn't know....so please pray for peace tonight! I have a picture of Graham with Nurse Angelle (she was WONDERFUL!) before his medicine. I will upload it tomorrow!
For now -
May we all Sleep in Heavenly Peace...
Love,
Jeff, Lauren & Graham

Graham's first experience at the fair

I know, I know.... I really need to make myself keep this updated!!!
Last week was the Parish Fair.....so mom and I loaded Graham up and headed over to see the animals. The fair didn't start until Thursday evening but the animals were being shown Thursday afternoon....which meant we were able to see them without the annoying sounds of the fair!! When we got into the Animal Pavillion (for lack of a better word) we were greeted by a boy who was in 7th or 8th grade....but he wasn't any old boy - he was the proud owner of not one, not two, not even three - but FOUR first place hens!!! He was holding one of them in his arms and Graham wasn't quite too sure of what to think of the boy or his feathered friend (as evidenced by the picture on the right). In fact, Graham was terrified of the chickens that were caged; he began to scale mom when she was showing him the chickens.

After bypassing the chickens, we moved on to the bunnies....Graham LOVED the bunny rabbits!!! He was very excited to be able to pet them - even if it was through the cage!!! His smile was absolutely precious! He was so happy that he started squealing!!!

After we were able to pull Graham away from the bunny cages we headed into the petting area. Graham was ABSOLUTELY THRILLED that there was a bunny that he could pet that wasn't in a cage!

I have a few more pictures but I keep getting an error message when trying to upload them - so check back for a few more pics!

It's so hard for me to believe that my baby boy will be one in a matter of days. He's not a baby anymore, although he will always be my baby! I know - it sounds so cliche. He is playing much more independently now. When I sit and watch him play, it's amazing to see his little wheels turning in his head - especially when he tries to figure out how he can accomplish something. For instance, this morning he saw the remote control (which is a No-no) on the couch. He crawled across the living room to get one of the stars from his star-stacker, crawls back to the couch, and stands on the one star. He thought that the star that is an inch high was going to be enough to have him reach the remote. When he realized that it wasn't going to work - he crawled to another toy, brought it to the couch, tried again....this went on a few more times until he realized he couldn't get to it! I know that he will be climbing before I know it!

We saw the ENT yesterday and Graham will be getting tubes on Friday. I'm relieved to know that he will soon have relief from all of the pressure of the fluid in his ears! Unfortunately he was started on yet ANOTHER antibiotic. He is usually really good at taking medicine, but he gags so badly on this one. :(

I know this is long - but a funny story that happened yesterday. When Graham wakes up in the morning he usually takes a bottle and then a little while later he eats his breakfast. Yesterday morning he had his bottle around 7 and at 7:55 he started crawling from the office to the kitchen. He would crawl 3 crawls and turn around like he was saying "are you following me" then he would crawl 3 times and turn around....he did this until he got to his high chair where he pulled up and started smacking his lips! He was ready for breakfast! The child never ceases to amaze me!

I hope that you all are doing well!!! Please, leave us a comment to let us know that you stopped by! We'd love to know who is keeping up with us - and we'll do the same when we check in on you!
Grace & Peace,
Jeff, Lauren & Graham

Well the past few weeks have gone pretty quickly! Surgery went extremely well and now we're onto the road of recovery. Staples come out on Thursday and PT will start next week. I'm ready to get the ball rolling and be back at 100% but I don't want to over do it at the same time.
Mr. Graham man is getting so big! I wish I could be 1/2 as happy as he is whenever he wakes up! He's all smiles!!!
Let's see - Graham is now faster than a speeding bullet! The minute he gets on the floor, you have to keep a good eye on him because he moves so fast!! He has discovered the outdoors and is a HUGE fan!! He loves, loves, loves being outside, but when mommy, daddy, or grandma can't stand the heat, he'll settle for standing at the backdoor and looking out. We have put his swing up on the screened porch and he is loving that! He usually cries when he comes inside.
Graham is also fascinated with kitty cats! He has a couple of books that have pictures of kitties in them and when asked "Where is the kitty" he finds the kitty and begins petting it. So sweet! He loves Tux and Boomer, my parents cats!! When we are over there he will use all of his energy to crawl over to Tux and when he finally gets there and goes to pet the cat, Tux gets up and moves. :( Tux is beginning to learn that the back of the couch seems to be a safe haven......which will only be temporary seeing as Graham will figure out how to climb on the couch soon.
Graham, mom , Jan (Jeff's mom - she's in town helping out while I recover and what a blessing that has been!), and I went to a local Mexican restaurant for lunch the other day. Graham was sitting in his high chair and decided that we weren't feeding him fast enough..so he took matters into his own hand and decided he would do it himself....














I will have to post more pictures later, but on Sunday afternoon Graham was down for a nap and I thought that I heard him talking and not sleeping so Jeff went in to get him up and we hear "um...we need you in here now". I am picturing poop all over the room, so I crutched into his room only to find his mobile in 15+ pieces! Needless to say we contacted the manufacturer. But I will post those pictures when I get them off of Jan's camera.
Hope everyone is doing well!
By His Hand Alone,
Jeff, Lauren & Graham

T minus 35.95 hours until the WHOPPER of the knee surgery

That's right folks...only 36.95 hours (35 hours and 57 minutes) until the WHOPPER knee surgery. I have mixed emotions right now: I'm nervous, anxious, scared, excited, optimistic, apprehensive, and the list goes on! I have 100% confidence in Dr. Plauche. Even though it will stink being away from Graham for 4 days (Jeff and Mom promise that they will bring him up to visit me -- I said that they could set up his pack-n-play in my room so that he could cheer me up!), I know that it will be best for me to have the IV antibiotics to prevent any infections. I was talking to mom the other night and I was trying to remember how I felt after this surgery years ago and all that I could recall was the bruise in the shape of a hand and arm that went from my knee up to my hip. When I questioned my surgeon about it, he informed me that he put his entire arm up my leg to reposition my quads! EWWW!!! The other thing that I recalled was my determination to do a straight leg raise on my own without any assistance. I remember laying on the floor at the top of the stairs trying with ALL of my might to do just ONE leg raise. I couldn't do it. Mom stayed right by my side encouraging me, but it wasn't happening. I know that it will be a long road to recovery but I'm looking forward to being able to run with Graham, get down on the ground and play pain free! This surgery will be a life-changing event and I'm really looking forward to it!!!!
Jeff and I went to La-Z-Boy today and purchased a recliner that will be my chair/bed for the next couple of weeks. We got a great deal!! We will pick it up tomorrow and I'm pretty excited!!! It will be a great birthday present!!
Now onto Mr. Graham man!!! He's so cute!! We were in Walmart today and 15 people stopped us and told us how beautiful he is!! I know that we are partial - but he must really be cute for strangers to stop us! It's quite nice to be reminded!! :) We went and had his 10 month pictures taken, I have put them in 2 separate slide shows for you to enjoy. Graham LOVES to wave, smile, give high fives, smile, stand up, attempt to climb, smile, chase the cats at my parents house, crawl everywhere, and the list could go on!!! He is boycotting the sippy cup now, but I guess he'll drink from it again when he is ready.
I hope that you enjoy the pictures!

I will try and post soon after my surgery to let you know what they find/how it went!! Please keep us all in your prayers! I ask that you specifically pray for the doctors and nurses who will care for me during and after my surgery; for my family as they take on the role of caregivers for both me and Graham while Jeff works; for Jeff as he takes on more responsibility over the next few weeks; for safe travel for my mother-in-law who is graciously coming to stay with us indefinately to help care for me and Graham - and make Jeff and my parents' lives a little easier! I appreciate your thoughts and prayers!!!
In the Hands of the Great Physician -

Lauren, Jeff, & Graham

Back to the grind.
Sorry for the delay! I promise to be better at keeping this up - after all, I'll have plenty of time when I'm stuck on the couch or in the recliner after the whooper knee surgery on Sept. 5.
Where to start - From Aug. 7-14 we were to be in IL visiting Jeff's family. We had lunch with Mrs. Finley, Jeff's choir teacher from middle through high school. Jeff was able to show Graham off to his band director, and of course Jim and Jan were able to be the proud grandparents and show Graham off at church. Everything was going fine. On Sunday evening we had dinner with Sandy and Parker and then we all headed back to the house to play with Graham. I was upstairs walking in the hallway and my knee dislocated. I waited a minute and popped it back into place, but something wasn't right. So Jan and I headed off to the hospital where I was put in a straight leg brace and on crutches. I was instructed not to fly and to follow up with my surgeon when I got home. No problem - but how were we to get from IL to LA? The only thought was to rent a car and drive. I fell again on Tues. night getting up from the bathroom and was in a lot of pain so off we went to the hosp. again where they said it was either torn cartilage or a torn ACL. Jim and Jan graciously rented a van and drove us home on Thursday instead of Tuesday. I was able to prop my leg and we all had plently of room for the 14 hour drive. Graham did extremely well with all things considered!!! We drove half way on Thursday, stopped in Memphis - had a heck of a time finding a hotel room due to the anniversary of Elvis' death, but we finally got one. Friday we headed back to LA.
Jan and Jim stayed through the weekend. And we were so grateful!!! On Saturday night, I was getting ready for bed, went to stand up from the toilet and my knee went out, and I experienced a pain like I have never had before. I was collapsed on the bathroom floor, helpless. Jeff helped me stand up and off we went to the hospital. The doc said that everything was lined up properly, but to follow up with the surgeon. Saturday was the worst fall of all. My whole body still aches from the fall.
On Tuesday I met with Dr. Plauche. He agreed that it was time for me to have the lateral release/medial advance/VMO advance/quad reconstruction. But he didn't want to perform the surgery. He was reluctant with my history of the bone infection, but agreed to do the surgery with some heavy duty IV antibiotics both before and after surgery. So it looks like Sept. 5 is the day. I know that it will be a major surgery - and I'm hoping and praying for relief for a while. I want to be able to get on my knees and play with Graham, go to the park and run around, etc. And I'm hoping that this surgery will allow me to do that! I will not be able to put weight on my leg for 6 weeks. At 6 weeks, I'll start PT and will gradually start putting weight on my leg. Obviously this is going to be a lot for our family. Prayers are definately appreciated!!! Fortunately my parents live 2 miles away and are helping soo much! Jeff's mom will fly down on Sept 8, which is the day I should be discharged - and she will stay indefinately. We're hoping that Jan will have either Graham or I and my mom will have the other. It would just be too much to have both of us while Jeff is working.
So that's the update on me. :)

Now, onto Mr. Graham...

He has changed so much in the last 3 weeks. He is crawling on all 4's rather than doing the crawl which resembles Spiderman crawling up the side of a building. He is also pulling up onto EVERYTHING! He would much rather be standing than sitting. He is now able to go from laying down to sitting up. Since I'm on crutches, I cannot carry him. He has just limited his crawling to the play mat in the living room. On Thursday, I got Graham up from his nap, changed his diaper, and put him on the floor. I was crutching in front of him encouraging him to follow me. Boy did I open a can of worms! The child crawls EVERYWHERE now!!! He looked like a little puppy following me, but now he will just explore. It's so neat watching him!!! His facial expressions are priceless when he realizes he can do something or he finds something new.
After figuring out that he could have full reign of the house, Graham crawled into our room. Next thing I know, I'm yelling for Jeff to come and see "his" son. Graham has crawled to the suitcase which is in front of the dresser, climbed ontop of the suitcase, and pulled himself up on the dresser where he was throwing things off of the dresser. IT was crazy fast! After he figured this out, we found him lifting his leg attempting to climb onto anything!
Our house is quickly being baby proofed. We are learning that some "safe" areas aren't so safe anymore! When we think Graham can't reach something - we have to think again...his wing span is amazing! haha!

Graham has also demonstrated his own Houdini moves...I had him buckled into the changing table while I got something out of a drawer, and as I looked up, I saw him scooting out of the buckle. He heard the lawn mower outside of his window, and wanted to see Jeff!

Well that should catch you up on life! Here are some pictures for your enjoyment!! Look for more pictures to come!!!!!
Sitting in the palm of His hand -
Jeff, Lauren & Graham

August 8

First Hair Cut!!

We headed out this afternoon for Jeff to get his haircut, and decided that it was time to trim Graham's hair as well! He did sooo sooo well!! He sat in my lap and was very still while Tammy cut his hair. Tammy cut Jeff's hair from childhood until he moved to LA so this was very special. Graham got a certificate with a lock of his hair!!!

Right as Tammy was finishing up, Graham started to have a melt-down, so I do apologize for not having a great picture of him with his "big boy" haircut. Check back tomorrow - I will have Jeff upload a few more pictures from our visit!!!!

Hope you enjoy the pictures!!

In His Grip -
Lauren, Jeff & Graham

YAY!!!

First of all, let me apologize for such a long time between posts. Blogspot and I haven't been friends over the last week - I wrote three (yes, 3) posts and had them all disappear into blogworld - oh so frustrating!!!
Well, there is a lot to fill you in on....where should I begin? I suppose the best way would be in chronological order - so here it goes!!!

August 3-4

We packed up, and picked up my brother, Justin, and headed to Houston to visit my sister and her husband, Alex. Jeff and Justin went to a concert so Graham and I spent some quick, but quality, time with my sister and her husband. We went to this fantastic restaurant and then headed back to the apartment for a visit before heading to the hotel. Graham was cranky and tired from the drive, but he did manage some smiles for Nanny and Uncle Alex. He particularly enjoyed pulling up on EVERYTHING at their apartment and showing them how he can stand up like a big boy!! Linds drove us back to the hotel and Graham finally went to sleep around 10:30pm. On Saturday morning we all got up and headed to the Aquarium downtown and Linds warned us that it wasn't anything like the New Orleans Aquarium. We were expecting a small building with a few fish -- boy were we wrong!!! The Aquarium was FANTASTIC!!! Graham was in love with all of the fishies! There were even white tigers at the Aquarium!! Who would have thought to put tigers with fish??? We had a wonderful time with them!! (Pictures to come .... they are on our home computer.) After the Aquarium we headed to Chuy's for lunch which was really really yummy....Graham had his first quesadilla here and did very well!!!! :) Thanks Nan for suggesting that we order it for him!!! We headed back to Louisiana after lunch and were about an hour and a half from home when the next adventure started...We were cruising right along and heard "tha thunk tha thunk tha thunk". Jeff quickly pulled over onto the shoulder of the Bay Bridge and Justin got out and confirmed that yes, indeed, we had a flat tire. There wasn't very much room between the car and the lane of traffic so we called 911 and were connected to the highway patrol and were told that help would be on their way... so we waited, and waited and waited as 18-wheelers were flying past us. While we were waiting, we unpacked the trunk (TOTAL PAIN IN THE BEHIND!) and unloaded the spare and the jack, etc. I was just praying that we wouldn't get hit! About 50 minutes later a State Trooper showed up and directed traffic over to the left lane so Justin and Jeff could safely change the tire. They did it in record time!!! :) As they were changing the tire, I was watching the sky turn darker and darker - and it wasn't because of the time of day...it was due to a storm heading right towards us! After the spare was on the car we headed off to find a place to change a tire. We got dad on the phone and he called around for us and got in touch with Sears in Baton Rouge. Thankfully they were open until 9pm so we got there a few minutes after 7 and they were able to take us. So the 4 of us walked over to the Mall and grabbed a bite to eat and bummed around until 8:45 when we headed back towards Sears and then got on the road. When we should have been home around 6:30 we ended up home about 10:15. Needless to say, we were pooped!!!! Overall we had a great trip!! We sure do miss Nan and Uncle Alex - looking forward to seeing you when you come for Cruisin' the Coast!!!!

August 7

We headed off to the Gulfport Airport this morning to travel to IL to see Jeff's family!!!! Graham was a trooper on the drive over!! We got to the airport with plenty of time to spare. I had all of my ducks in a row for flying with an infant. I had spoken with Ronnie at TSA to find out what the requirements were for traveling with baby supplies, etc. I even had his TSA employee number incase we had any problems, which he assured me we wouldn't. Well, Ronnie was SO WRONG!!! FIRST of all, we got to the ticket counter and the lady behind the counter searched for our sticker on the carseat which confirmed that it was airplane safe. Finally after locating the sticker, which a blind person could have seen, she approved it for flight. Then another employee informed us that we were going to have to gate check the car seat due to the flight being overbooked and there not being room for a carseat aboard the plane. I looked at Jeff and then asked the lady why I had purchased a seat for my 9 month old if I wasn't going to be able to install my carseat. She looked and said "oh, you do have a seat, nevermind!" After my heart slowed down and my blood pressure returned to normal, we checked our baggage and headed off to security. OH SECURITY! Have you ever traveled with an infant before??? I praise anyone who has travelled alone with an infant! It was hard enough with the 2 of us and Graham. Following all of Ronnie's instructions - I proceed to unpack the baby food, formula, juice, and the print-out of what is allowed on board for an infant. We pull out our quart-size baggie that contains Purell, infant Tylenol, Motrin, and Graham's Axid. We put all of the mentioned items into a bucket and fold up the stroller and walk through security. As I'm standing on the gate side of security a man asks "Who's baby food is this?" Well, we are the only ones with an infant and Jeff says "ours". He says "Sir, I need you to stand right here while I inspect everything". So I start packing Graham back into the stroller, so that I can re-pack our big carry on bag that they have totally unpacked only to find my ice pack for my knee that they decide is ok to travel with. I glance up, only to find not one, not 2, but THREE TSA agents opening EVERY JAR OF BABY FOOD! I was furious!!!!! They say that this is common practice, but Ronnie assured me that anything that was sealed would remain that way! FORTY FIVE minutes, a blotchy mom (that's what happens to me when I get mad!), and 8 open jars of baby food later we are allowed to proceed to the gate. Anyone who knows me knows that I can't settle for this. I am mouthing off to Jeff at how ridiculous this is and he is remaining just as calm as ever! GRRR!!! So finally the supervisor walks over and asks if I want an explanation and I explain to him that Ronnie went through the process with me and never did he mention that the food would be opened. He proceeds to argue with me that there isn't a Ronnie....So finally the conversation ends with him telling me that this is an easier conversation to have with me rather than to have to tell my family that a bomb went off in baby food because things weren't inspected properly. And I proceed to tell him that I'm so sure that I look like a terrorist and grab my bags and sprint off to the gate. I was sooo mad. So we get to the gate and I am told that there is no such thing as pre-boarding but that I may board with the handicapped customers. So we wait 30 min. before boarding with the handicapped people and the flight attendant connects our carseat. We are all ready to go!!! Here is Graham in his carseat ready to fly for the first time!!!

He did so so well on the flight!!! When we were assigned our seats we were assigned to the row behind the emergency exit - well you can't sit there with a carseat - so the flight attendant moved us back a row. Well, 2 of the 3 customers in row 24 were fine with this.....the 3rd customer was so put out that he had to move up one row!!! So the flight attendant told him he could have free drinks for the inconvience and he said "well it's going to take a lot of alcohol to fly with a baby right behind me". Graham kindly kicked his seat for the flight!!! :) Well, for the part that he was awake for! After we landed we waited for everyone else to deboard the aircraft. While we were waiting, Jeff and I both tried to unhook the carseat but we weren't successful. So we asked the flight attendant to try - they (several tried!) weren't successful and finally had to call maintenance to come and remove the seatbelts on the row so that we could get our carseat!!! So - 30 minutes after landing we got off of the plane. It was crazy.
We enjoyed our layover in Atlanta - Graham slept, we grabbed lunch, Graham ate lunch, we changed a diaper, and it was time to board again. Jeff and I both looked at our tickets and thought that we were in row 7 -- nope....we looked at them wrong!! We were in row 31. Row 31 of a 31 row plane!!! So we were sitting in a row with no seats to recline, no windows, and a very loud engine on the otherside of our seats!!! So we made note to check in 24 hours ahead of time (even though we aren't supposed to since we are flying with an infant) to select our seats. We were, however, able to unbuckle our seat without having to remove the seatbelts!!!

We met Jeff's parents at baggage claim and we were on our way to their house!!! Graham did VERY well travelling all day!!! We are praying that he does that well on our flight home as well!!

9 month stats

Oops..it's been a few days since I've updated - SORRY!! We've had some great family time over the last couple of days, and I guess I was preoccupied!!!
Let's see...on Wednesday, we headed to the Aquarium with our friends Jacelyn, Elijah and Abigail. Graham LOVED the fishies!!!! I do believe our family membership will get it's fair share of use!! (Thanks Grandma and Grandpa!!)

When we got back from the Aquarium, Jacelyn was putting Elijah down for a nap and he threw up all over...so Graham and I helped clean that up and entertain Abigail while Jacelyn helped Elijah. Unfortunately, Elijah woke up with fever so we're praying that he feels better soon.

Yesterday morning, Graham woke up with fever and was just not himself. But we had his 9 month check up yesterday afternoon. He was having the other end of the illness (you moms out there know what I mean!) I got him out of the car at the doc's office, and I knew that we had a blow-out yet again ... we had just had one before we left the house! So I proceeded into the office carrying him a good 12 inches away from my body; let me rephrase that....he was climbing up me as if he recognized the office, so I was having to battle him to hold him away from me since we had a leaky diaper. Ms. Liz, the front desk lady, went around and opened the waiting room door and told us we were heading to room 2!! Graham weighed in at 21 lbs (60th percentile); 27 1/2 inches long (50th percentile); and a 18 inch head (75th percentile). Everything checked out fine. Dr. Sherri noticed that he had hip clicks, and asked if there was a family history - which there is. Jeff had hip clicks as a child. Jeff and I have noticed that Graham's hips click and make noises and you can actually feel them when he is sitting on your hip. So we were to have ultrasounds done, but they don't do them on infants over 6 months. So we are going to start with xrays and pray that they can see what they need to see - otherwise it's off to a CT scan or MRI with sedation. So please pray that everything is fine!!! When he sits on the floor, he can manuever his legs in ways that I didn't know were humanly possible. You can see the odd angles of those little legs in a few pictures that are posted.



Since we mentioned that we were exposed to a tummy bug and Graham was having the poop explosions, they went ahead and did some stool cultures so we should have those results back by Monday.

Graham continued to run fever today - and he was not himself all day. First, he woke up at 9...he's usually up and at 'em by 7:30. Then he wanted to crawl up Jeff and I, but he didn't want to be held. So we battled cranky baby for most of the day. His poor cheeks were a steady rosy red today. Thankfully with Tylenol and Motrin he felt a little better. He ate very poorly, and was totally not interested in his bottle.
While we were in the kitchen, Graham played on his play mat. Then he decided that he wanted to drink from a water bottle. So here are a few pictures for you to enjoy.
OH - a few new milestones for Mr. Graham:
He is learning to share!! Today he kept trying to give Jeff and I his Nunu....but not just hand it to us - he was trying to put it in our mouths!!!
Since he was feeling cruddy today, he didn't nap very well...so we were having to go in his room frequently due to crying unusually loud, screeches -- and we found him standing up on the side rails.....now, he has done this before, but only when we've been in the room with him.
He has also learned to sit up on his own, and we are finding him sitting in his crib playing with Mickey.
He has quite a good arm on him - as we are finding Nunus across his room!!! We have learned that at nap time and bed time, we must have 5 (yes, 5!) Nunus in the bed, because in the morning there will only be 1 left!!
Tonight, as Jeff was helping Graham eat his Cheerios, Jeff felt something sharp on Graham's gum....but the little booger wouldn't let us look in his mouth. So....we are thinking that there is a little tooth coming through!!!


Here is Graham in his PJs (I'm not into character clothing...but these are pretty cute!). He was in his Jammies most of the day today since he wasn't feeling well. I guess, I'll admit that mommy was in her jammies for a good portion of the day as well. The best part of the day - Graham was pretty much a cuddle bunny!! I miss the cuddle bunny days from when Graham was an itty bitty baby!!! He napped in my arms for a few minutes today. It was so sweet!! And I am reminded again of how loving our God is!!!


Hope you all enjoy our updates!!! We love you all!!
May the love of Christ be with you and yours -
Jeff, Lauren & Graham

First, let me apologize for not posting yesterday!! The day got away from me, and before I knew it I was needing toothpicks to hold my eyelids open!!!
Not too much happened today. I met the girls from our couple's life group for lunch today. It was wonderful!!! And tonight, I was able to go to Michelle's for an Aloette party, however I enjoyed catching up with Michelle and Alicia more than finding out about the products!! I am a Bare Minerals girl, and I don't plan on changing anytime soon...not to mention, I'm not going to pay $200 for a facial cleansing set - my Ambi from Target works just fine! Back to Alicia and Michelle - I am really going to miss working with those girls. I have no doubt that I will stay in touch with them. Even though I enjoyed catching up with them, it was a hard drive home as I realized that I wouldn't work with them again. I'm kind of in a blue funk at the moment - I am ready to get hired on somewhere....While I am loving being home with Graham, there is a part of me that is in need of some adult interaction. I would love to be able to be a stay at home mom, and this time with Graham has made me wish that it could happen, but I need to work for health insurance and income right now. I'm leaving it all in God's hands....He knows what is best for our family. And as ready as I am to get back into the swing of working, I'm trying my hardest to listen, but I'm not getting any answers!! Maybe I need to stop asking for things and try listening a little harder.....
Sorry this is short!! We are off to the Aquarium in the morning with Jacelyn, Elijah and Abigail! Hopefully the children will all cooperate and we will be able to enjoy ourselves! I can't wait to watch Graham's excitement when he looks at all of the fishies!
Held tightly in the hand of our Maker,
Jeff, Lauren & Graham

Well, there is not too much to report today. We went to church this morning and Graham didn't do so well in the nursery. I felt sorry for my little guy. I went to check on him before church started and he was crying and sniffling trying to calm himself down. :( This is not like Graham at all!!! So I took him to church with me and we ended up having to leave just before the sermon because he was getting hungry and noisy. So we went and ate in Hunter's office while J fed Abigail.
Tomorrow I am getting an early start to my day to be extremely proactive with the job search, so prayers will be appreciated!! I'm hoping that Graham, Jeff and I can head to the pool tomorrow morning - unfortunately it's either been too hot to go to the pool or it's been raining.
We'd love to hear from you! Let us know that you are checking in!!!
Eternally in His Love -
Jeff, Lauren & Graham

Graham, the master toe artist

Before going to bed last night, Jeff and I made plans to have a family morning this morning. We were going to get up with Graham, get dressed and head out to Cafe du Monde, Barnes and Noble for Jeff to pick up Harry Potter, and then to Walmart to get the basics - milk, lunch meat, bread, etc.

Well, those plans quickly changed as Jeff busted into our bedroom saying, in a rather loud voice, "Mommy we need help". So I bolted out of bed to find this:

Yes, that is one sweet, sweet smile.....but below the Jumperoo was....yes, POOP! Jeff and Graham were watching The Incredibles and Jeff thought that he smelled a poopy diaper, and when he turned to walk towards Graham, this is what he saw! Thankfully this was on the tile and not the carpet!! Graham was pretty confused when he was in the bathtub so early in the day - he usually gets a bath at night right before bed. So from now on, I believe that the Jumperoo will lovingly be called the Jumpapoo in our house!

Hope you all have a wonderful day!!!

Grace & Peace-
Jeff, Lauren & Graham

Yet another day of firsts...

Well, this morning at about 6:30 Graham started talking. When it only lasted for 7 minutes, we figured he was just talking in his sleep. At 8:30 we heard a few happy baby noises over the monitor....but they were quickly followed by snoring. It wasn't until 9:45 that Mr. Graham woke up for the day!! I couldn't believe it!
Around noon we headed towards the church to fax some paperwork to the insurance company regarding our Cobra coverage. We ran into my parents up there and they invited us to go to Darryl's for lunch. After doing a few things at the church we headed to Darryl's. One of the specials today was "Greg's Fried Pickles"!! I actually took a picture on my phone of dad in front of the sign! I couldn't believe that Darryl and Rene named the Pickles after dad - quite funny!! I guess we aren't special anymore because anyone can order pickles now -- we used to be the only ones! BUT - Darryl did make Graham his first grilled cheese sandwich! :) He even cut the crusts off and cut it into 4 triangles!!! My baby is growing up! He sat in his high chair (which we realized wasn't buckled when we went to take him out...oops!) and ate the grilled cheese...or should I say INHALED the grilled cheese. He still doesn't get the hang of getting the food in his mouth but he tries. So mom and dad helped him get the small bite-sized pieces into his mouth. He ate about half of the sandwich and then had a jar of apple/cranberries. We enjoyed a nice lunch with my parents and Justin, but our visit was cut short when the cute little red head decided that he had had enough and was ready for a nap. He wasn't buckled in the carseat for more than a minute before he was out! He went straight to bed when we got home and slept for 3 hours!!! I'm definately liking the long afternoon naps!!!

The spaghetti pictures are up for your enjoyment!! No pictures tonight, but I will work on getting some new ones up tomorrow. It's late and I'm going to head towards bed.

Sleeping in heavenly peace -
Jeff, Lauren & Graham

On top of Old Grambo...all covered in Spaghetti!!!

Well, we have taken yet another step in parenting....we have the "self-feeder"! Over the last week we have been introducing Graham to our "grown up" foods. He has successfully eaten bananas, avacados, strawberries, melon, watermelon, potatoes au gratin, cheddar potatoes, and a few other misc. food items. But today was a first. He tried a Chick-fil-a chicken nugget - well 3 tiny pieces - which he seemed to enjoy. And then...drum roll please...SPAGHETTI! Jeff and I had spaghetti for dinner and decided that we would try our first family meal - no baby food! So Jeff put Graham in his high chair between the two of us, served both of our plates, and I then dished up some spaghetti in a bowl to cool off. As Jeff and I started to eat, Graham was extremely jealous. So I blew on a spoonfull and fed him. This lasted all of about 6 bites before he began reaching for the spoon to feed himself. As I would try to sneak a bite (how dare i!?!) between shoveling Graham's spaghetti, he would get so mad!!! To help the situation, I put some spaghetti on his tray. He picked up the spaghetti in his hand, made a fist, brought the fist to his mouth, shoved the whole fist in his mouth but was unable to figure out how to "release" the spaghetti so he proceeded to take his hand out of his mouth, open the fist and just dive into his hand and eat whatever he could lick off. It was quite amuzing!!! When the spaghetti on the tray was gone, I decided that I would just let him have his bowl. I figured he has to learn to feed himself at some point, so why not try tonight! He did well!! I was actually surprised at how much he ate considering the mess that resulted. Before I decided to put the spaghetti on the tray, I grabbed the camera to document Graham's first attempt at self feeding.

This is how dinner started:

The first "fist" full of food to the mouth....

"Look Daddy, I'm using the spoon!"

"This feels pretty funny in my hand - Daddy you should try and eat your food this way -- who needs a fork or spoon when you have 2 good hands?"

"Mom, I told you I could put my fist AND food in my mouth at the same time!"

Trying to grab the last bit of spaghetti out of the bowl...

There are just no words for this...

Double fisting it...

OK - he is ALL boy!! "Look Daddy, this makes a good hat!"

Yay Graham!! Only 2 noodles in the hair - I'd say that's pretty good for the first time that he fed himself!! Last picture before heading straight to the bathtub!

Walking in His light -
Jeff, Lauren & Graham

Graham WAVED byebye to Pops!!

Jacelyn and I rock!!! We should get an award -- we had 3 kids up, ready, and out the door(s) at 8 this morning to begin our adventure to the Louisiana Children's Museum (LCM)!! We actually met up at the church, loaded Graham and his carseat into J's car inbetween Abigail (5 weeks) and Elijah's (2) car seats and we headed out. Elijah talks a lot!!! And Abigail..well, if she's not moving then she cries. So my only child Graham was looking at me like "ok mom...what have we gotten into?" See...with 3 carseats in the backseat of a Mazda Tribute - the seat in the middle cannot be rear facing, so Graham rode forward facing (before giving me a hard time...he's 21.5 lbs) and loved it! Well he loved most of it. He wasn't so fond of the time when we were stopped in New Orleans traffic, which meant that Abigail wasn't moving....so you get where I'm going here....she was crying; not to mention it was feeding time for her. So Abigail starts crying and Elijah decides that he has to be louder than Abigail so he starts screaming, then Abigail tries to outdo Elijah, and vice versa. And then out of no where, Graham just squeals! I guess he decided that he wanted to be heard as well!!! Finally, after being convinced by J, Elijah calmed down, as did Abigail. I think Graham was on over-stim! But he handled it very well!!!!

The LCM is so nice!! We will definately take advantage of it as Graham gets older. There is a WONDERFUL toddler area, which allows the kids to play on "outdoor" style toys, without the heat!! They actually had toys that Graham was able to play with, along with new books, a large train table, and play mats. There was a maze that the older 1-2's were really enjoying! I'm looking forward to going back as he gets older. And for $7 it was totally worth it!!! Of course I enjoyed being with J, her mom and her sister. Even though the car ride was a little crazy on the way over, it was very peaceful on the way home as all 3 kids slept!! J and I were able to have some quality "adult" conversation. I just love her!! We are so blessed to have their sweet family in our lives. Since J is our associate pastor's wife, initially I was a little nervous (sorry J - I was!!) about hanging out with "the preacher's wife". But I'm the other preacher's daughter - so it's really no big deal. But all of that aside, she is totally a REAL woman!!!! hehe! I am so so blessed to have her friendship. She has been an awesome resource for me - when I've been down with the work stuff recently, her sweet spirit is enough to bring me back to "Happy Lauren"....and when I was having a hard time right after having Graham - she reminded me that it was normal to feel the way I was feeling...she reaffirmed my actions, wiped tears, and has loved me regardless of my mood. So J, if you are reading this - I love you girl!! I am so looking forward to getting to know you even more than I do already! :)

OK-moving on from sappy. Exciting story from Graham today: After the LCM, Graham and I headed over to my parents house (as we typically do in the afternoons while Jeff is teaching). He didn't eat very well at lunch, so I put him in his high chair and cut up some cheese ravioli (sp?) and mom gave him some avacado slices. He did so well with the ravioli. He still doesn't get the hang of how to get the food to his mouth. He is able to pick up the "chunks" of food and then makes a fist around the food, and puts the fist in his mouth but doesn't quite get how to open his fist to get the food in his mouth. He tried, and he did very well. My dad came into the kitchen while Graham was eating and said "Graham, I'm going to run to Darryl's for a minute but I will be right back. ok? (as dad is waving to Graham he says) Bye, Bye Graham. I'll see you in a minute." Graham picks up his arm and WAVES AT MY DAD!!! Mom and I both saw it and at the same time said "Graham just waved!!". At that point Graham stops waving. Dad didn't see him wave so he stepped out of the kitchen and then came back in and repeated what he said a few minutes prior...and Graham didn't wave. Instead he looked at us like "you big idiots - I already waved, I'm not going to do it again". So I'm hoping that he starts waving more often!!! He's so smart!!

Well, unfortunately there are no pictures from the Children's Museum because I was playing with Graham and then he fell asleep. I take that back - there is one picture of him asleep in his stroller. I'm on the laptop right now, but you can expect some more pics of Graham in tomorrow's post. I'll put some pictures up of Graham with Jeff and I, and my family.

Until tomorrow...may you feel the love of our Father as he embraces you in His Everloving Arms~
Jeff, Lauren & Graham

I'm dreaming of mobile music....

Graham & Nanny after her Graduation in May.

We all miss you Lindsey - but we know you and Alex are enjoying your life together in Houston!!! Hopefully we will see you really soon.
Well, it's 1:20AM and Graham decided about 32 minutes ago that he was going to wake up and play! As I was sleeping I thought that I heard a mobile, but then I thought that it's pretty sad when you dream about your child's mobile......and that's when I woke up and realized that the mobile was actually playing and Graham was talking to it! I went and peeked in on him and he was just playing with his Mickey Mouse and talking. After a few minutes (27 according to my clock) he started getting fussy and I noticed he had his nunu so he didn't need me to help him find it...so I changed his diaper and back to sleep he went - the only problem? I'm wide awake. Of course the alarm will be going off in 5 1/2 short hours.....

Updates and pictures from the Aquarium!

This morning Jeff got a phone call from his department head and was informed that the budget request for a new full-time professorship in the Music Department was denied. So, unfortunately Jeff will not be going full-time in the fall, but he will be getting a raise. The job search for me continues. I spoke with People's Health yesterday and was told that the position I applied for had been filled with someone with experience in a call-center environment. I was bummed that I wasn't even called for an interview, but the recruiter told me that they were very impressed with my resume and that they were looking for a position for me. Apparently they have just hired a new manager for the Utilization Review Department (kind of like case management). The recruiter seems to think that I would benefit the UR department and is waiting for the new manager to get settled before passing my resume on to her. So I'm praying, and ask that you do the same, that I get a phone call to come in for an interview and then get an offer for the job!! I've also applied at a couple hospitals on the southshore as well as a surgery center here on the northshore.

Graham's little tummy wasn't quite right today. This morning when he went down for his morning nap I could tell that he wasn't feeling quite right. He slept for 2 hours this morning - he rarely makes it past 45 min. for his AM nap. He was pretty warm and cranky when he got up so we gave him some Tylenol and about an hour after he had that he was perking up again. He was making some HILARIOUS new sounds today while he was playing/jumping in his exersaucer. If I wasn't sitting right next to him, I would have thought that he was unhappy and crying...but he was just testing out the volume range of his vocal chords!!! Crazy boy!

Well tomorrow morning we are heading across the lake to the Louisiana Children's Museum with Jacelyn, Elijah, and Abigail. Graham is still a little small to enjoy it, but I have no doubt that he will have fun people watching, watching the big kids play, and just being out of the house. Hopefully I will have some fun pictures to post tomorrow. :) They have a cool new exhibit that is "Mr. Rogers Neighborhood"!!! So we are looking forward to that!! I remember going to the LCM as a child, and my favorite part was the News Channel Room where you were able to pretend like you were a news anchor.....no, maybe it was the Schwegman's Grocery Store where you had a child size grocery cart, a shopping list, and then you played the cashier.....or maybe it was the double mirror where you could shine the light and see the person sitting on the other side......No..it was the bubble - there is this platform that you stand on and then you pull a rope slowly and it forms a HUGE bubble around you - so you are actually standing inside of the bubble. Graham and I will have to do that tomorrow!!! I recall having to pull the rope just perfectly so that the bubble didn't pop! Feel free to check out the website: http://www.lcm.org/


Here are a few pictures from our trip to the Aquarium two weeks ago.

Graham and Mommy walking through the Aquarium

Studying the fishies - this tank is just a little bit bigger than Daddy's salt water tank

Just looking....Actually smiling at the camera (there must not have been any fish in sight)Mommy and Graham in the anemone!!Going down the slide with Daddy!Introducing Graham the Otter and Mommy the Starfish...Lions and tigers and alligators - oh my!!Graham, Daddy, and Grandma Jan (Jeff's mom) sitting on the turtle!Grandpa Jim, Daddy, Mommy, Graham, and Grandma Jan after spending a wonderful afternoon at the Aquarium!!

Graham really enjoyed looking at all of the fishies. In fact, after walking through the Aquarium for 2 hours, he was starting to get squirmy so I laid him in the stroller, buckled him in, gave him his Nunu and he was out in a matter of seconds. I have NEVER seen him do that before - well, except for the time we were at Megumi for dinner and he fell asleep sitting straight up in the stroller.

Standing firm in His grace -
Jeff, Lauren & Graham

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