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

PS-We've noticed on our "cluster map" that there are readers in Hawaii, Cali, the East Coast, Mid West, etc. We'd love to know who is following our story - so please leave a comment and let us know who you are, how you found us, etc...

daycare and such

I'm absolutely pooped!! I was just getting ready to head towards bed and realized I hadn't posted for today. And I would hate to have Lindsey get to work tomorrow and sign on to read the blog and not have a post to read. Just kidding! But it is kind of frustrating to check a blog only to find out that it wasn't updated. And I agreed that if I started a blog for Graham I would do my best to keep it up to date!

This morning we headed out to Northlake Christian and toured the preschool there. We sat down with the Principal and we were told that there was actually an opening in the infant room. As we have learned while looking into childcare, infant rooms are hard to come by. We have been praying that God would show us what to do with the job situation, day care, etc. The principal agreed to call us should someone else show an interest in the spot. We are hoping that I will hear something on the job front in the next week or so. And hopefully we won't have to make any decisions about childcare until we know that my new job will indeed require us to have full time childcare. There are several selling points to Northlake: the low student/teacher ratio (only 4 kids to each teacher!); the Christian environment; classroom assignments for a 12 month time period - which allows the kids to know one another and the teachers rather than having a large turn around with kids moving up to different rooms when they have birthdays; open door policies; working around the infants personal schedule rather than causing them to have to follow a strict schedule that the school decides for them; each infant has his/her own crib and they encourage the parents to provide special toys, blankets, sheets, and even mobiles for each child to have in their crib; and I could go on and on. We were able to go to the classroom that Graham will be in, should we end up having to put him in daycare. Graham was so receptive to the teachers and he was very interested in the other children in the classrooms. I know that it will be an adjustment but it is comforting knowing that Graham would be in such a loving environment. He willingly went to 4 different teachers today while we were touring and they were so impressed with how happy he was! The principal commented several times that she didn't forsee him having a difficult time adjusting - that it would be harder for mom and dad (oh how true!). We've been so blessed to be able to not have to use daycare up until this point, and I wish so badly that we didn't have to do it now. But I know that God has a plan -- even though it is hard to see right now. I have to keep reminding myself that this is God's plan, His timing....not my own. I admit that it is frustrating a lot of times. I can definately say that my prayer life has picked up tremendously since May 2.

Enough rambling for tonight. As I sit here and type, I hear the sweet sound of someone sawing down trees and I'm not talking about Jeff!

I hope and pray that each of you have a restful nights sleep and a terrific day tomorrow!!! Until tomorrow.....

Held tightly in our Master's hand -
Jeff, Lauren & Graham

2 for 2

Happy Sunday!!!!
I love Sunday's for some reason! I'm not sure if it's that warm, fuzzy feeling that I get after going to church and worshipping with those I love; or if it's the colorful comicis that I get to read in the paper; or looking at all of the ads with all of those "things" that you wish you could have but really don't need; or if it's just snuggling on the couch with Jeff and Graham...OK OK - so I'm sure I love Sundays because of church and time with family ... but the other things are nice too! :)

This morning we woke up to the sound of Graham's mobile. He has discovered how to turn it on now!!! He's such a smart cookie! I wish that I could wake up half as happy as Graham every morning. Without fail, every morning when we walk into his room, he is lying in his bed with the BIGGEST smile on his face! His whole body is happy - his arms and legs are going wild - kicking and flying in all directions saying "get me out of here, I'm ready to play!". Graham has discovered how to pull himself up into a standing position in his crib, and has now realized that if he steps on his bumper pad he can bounce a little higher. So I have a feeling that the crib is going to find a new residence about 3 inches lower. Unfortunately this is the lowest setting so we'll see what exciting feats he pulls next. I cringe at the thought of my sweet little boy climbing out of his crib. EEK!

We went to church early with Jeff this morning (my car was at the church) and the choir members oooed and ahhhed over Graham. I've been sure all along that his red hair was here to stay, and the choir unanimously decided today that it was here to stay as well. :) After listening to Jeff's choir practice, Graham headed over to the nursery where he played with Ms. Dulce and our friends Brady and Elijah! These boys do so well together!!! Elijah is almost 3; Brady is 2; and Graham...well he's 8 months!! It's so neat to look at the boys now and see how different they are developmentally; and then to think that in a few years it won't matter that there is a 24 month difference in their ages. I hope and pray that these boys are able to grow up together. I know this is selfish, but I enjoy Laura (Brady's mom) and Jacelyn's (Elijah and Abigail's mom) friendship so much. They are such awesome women and I really look up to them! If for some reason our kids didn't get along, I think that it would break my heart!

After church and Sunday School, Graham and I headed home where he talked 90 mph the whole way home (ok..it's only a 2 mile drive, but still!)!!! The sweet baby noises coming from the back seat made me stop and thank God for giving me & Jeff the best gift of all - Graham!!! I can't imagine life without him.

Let's see...Graham tried some spaghetti and meatballs (toddler style) for lunch and loved the pasta but HATED the meat. I must admit that the meat was less than desirable. After enjoying the pasta, Graham ate some banana pieces. He is doing so well chewing. I'm amazed at how he just picked up how to chew. It's not like we could teach him how to chew.

After eating lunch, Graham helped me in the kitchen while I cooked lunch for Jeff and I. I made the mistake of leaving the dishwasher door open and Graham quickly realized that he could pull up and stand! SO - note to self: At this point in life, the dishwasher can't be opened while Graham is awake!!!! To compromise with Graham, I pulled out a bowl, a spoon, and a ladle and let him play with them while I cooked. As I was washing dishes, Graham opened (yes, he opened the cabinet!) a cabinet and pulled out a tupperware container. Thankfully he went for the tupperware cabinet and not the pots or the glass baking dishes.

We headed out to get a food processor this afternoon and Graham was flirting with everyone he came in contact with at Target. He's such a social butterfly! And it's always nice when strangers come up and tell you how beautiful your child is.

WOW - I've rambled a lot on here. I suppose I'll find the happy medium to these posts. But for now I'm 2 for 2 with the posts!!

We hope that you will come back and follow us as we continue on our journey as "Graham's parents". We love you all!!!

Jeff, Lauren & Graham

Welcome!!

Well...what can I say? I am finally diving into the mode of communication of the twentieth century! Now that I'm on here, I will do my best to update regularly.
As I am typing this post, I am listening to the sounds of Graham snoring (he can give my dad and Jeff a run for their money!) and watching my mom and brother (Justin) play duck hunt on the Wii. What a great way to spend a Saturday night!
A quick update on Graham: He is 8 months old and still has his red hair and big blue eyes. In the last few weeks he has started standing in his crib, pulling himself up, and is working on his crawl technique. We still have no teeth and at this rate he'll be walking before he gets them. He is eating all baby foods now, and has just begun eating some table food. In the last 24 hours we have learned that he really enjoys strawberries, bananas, and is indifferent to avacados. Oh - and how could I forget? He LOVES his "popcicles". No, I am not feeding my child frozen sugar water - instead, I have frozen "Go-gurt" and Graham will eat them as a special treat. When his half is gone, he looks around as if he is thinking "ok mom....I know that wasn't the whole thing!" He's such a smart cookie!!!!
Jeff and I are truly blessed to have been hand picked by God to teach, love, and nurture Graham as he grows. Check back often as we update and share our life happenings with you!!
I am looking forward to keeping friends and family, both far and near, up to date wtih the happenings of our sweet little family.
We want to know who is keeping up with our family, so please leave a comment!!
In His Grip,
Jeff, Laur & Graham