My Boy!

When Graham was born, I was really looking forward to the hospital photography service. My sister had some beautiful pictures of her baby taken, so I was hoping for the same. Much to my disappointment,only one or two of the photos that were taken were even remotely decent. Out of desperation I got online and started searching for newborn photographers in the area. Somehow, I was lucky enough to find Brittany Griffith. She even had an opening that week! The week he came home from the hospital was so hectic that I almost canceled his session, but I am so glad I didn't. She was a dream to work with. She had such a relaxed demeanor (even when Graham peed- 3 times- and pooped on her props) and set aside 3 hours to work with us! I could not be more happy with the results. Look how precious!

One whole month!

I can't believe we've made it an entire month as parents. It has been one of the hardest months of my life, but one of the fastest too! Graham is getting so big, he seems much older than a month old. We had some newborn pictures taken when he was just five days old, and we got to see one of the proofs today. If I do say so myself, he is just about the most delectable things in the whole world. If anyone is looking for a great newborn photographer, go here. She was fantastic, and so patient and mellow. I'd go to her again in a heartbeat.
Sidenote- moments after this picture was taken he launched himself nearly out of the bucket with his grasshopper legs. 

Graham is probably going through a growth spurt, because his most favorite thing to do is eat every 2 hours. He's sleeping in a 5 hour and 3 hour chunk at night, and depending on the day, napping fairly well. He's still in love with the swaddle, but because he's so incredibly hot blooded, we had to get some lightweight Velcro ones instead of doing the double swaddle. He's starting to make noises and makes great eye contact. He also has one darling pouty face and cry, which I'll admit, we've let go on a minute more than necessary because it's so cute. We just love him!

Update

I'm still working on writing down the details of Graham's birth, but here's an update in the meantime:

Today we said goodbye to Paul's brother Brad as he left to serve a mission. We'll miss him, but we're thankful for another good example for our boy!

I realized that I didn't take one up-close picture of Graham on the day he was blessed, so I stuck him back in his little blessing suit and we pretended. :) This photo shoot lasted all of 30 seconds before he got really annoyed. I had delusions of grandeur of being able to take a ton of beautiful pictures of my kids... turns out he's not as cooperative as I had pictured in my mind!

 Graham is sleeping pretty dang well, as long as he is swaddled. Double swaddled, that is. Some good friends showed us the art of a fail-proof swaddle and he's been sleeping well ever since.

 Graham loves to spend time with his Daddy.

 These are two pictures from the day we came home from the hospital. I can't believe how different he looks already! Even though jaundice isn't a good thing, I secretly love when babies have a little bit, like he does in these pictures, because it looks like he's got a tan:)

We went for his two week check-up and here are his stats;

Weight: 8lbs. 14 oz. 50th %
Height: 22.5 in. 95%

I can't quite remember his head, but he's right on track. We have one loooooong boy on our hands! He barely fits in newborn clothes anymore, simply because of his length. He loves the bath, likes to be rocked, likes riding in the car, and hates cold wipes. He has the cutest pouty face, too. We love this little guy, and are finally starting to feel like real people again!

Two Weeks

I realize I haven't posted anything about the birth of Baby Graham, but lets be honest. I don't have a lot of free time. It just so happens that my child is in bed and I have a few minutes where my eyelids can stay open on their own, so I figured I could manage an update.

We are loving our baby boy, however this parenting thing is harder than we ever thought possible. Trying to figure out cries, changing diapers every 30 minutes (or so it seems) feeding every 3 hours, rocking, dressing, bathing, worrying, etc. etc. have really given us a run for our money! We feel like we're starting to get the hang of things, starting being the key word there! Graham is doing pretty well in the sleep department- he usually sleeps in 1.5 hour stretches during the day and 3 hours at night. He doesn't seem to have his days and nights mixed up, which Mom and Dad are grateful for! So far he's proven to be a Mama's boy, but he very obviously loves being with his Dad too. He is a pretty good eater, but it does take him a long time unless he's drinking from a bottle. At first we were convinced he was a spitting image of Mom and cousin Brox, but gradually we think he looks more and more like Dad. He has a huge cowlick in the front of his head that is a gift from Grandpa McAllister.

We took him to the Dr. yesterday for his 2 week checkup. He's above his birth weight at 8 lbs. 14 oz., but the most shocking statistic is his height; 22.25 inches! He's in the 95% for height- a gift we consider to be from his Grandpa King! I always said that I was fine being skipped over in the height department as long as my kids reaped the benefit of me having a dad who is 6'6,

Last week we said goodbye to my brother McKay and this week we'll say goodbye to Paul's brother Brad as they leave on LDS missions. It's strange to think that Graham will be 2 years old when they come back! We had a chance to bless Graham at my parents house when he was only 3 days old (when McKay was set apart as a missionary) so that both McKay and Brad could be there.

Time is flying, and it makes me sad that already my baby is growing up, but I can't wait until he becomes a little more interactive. This stage is hard, but we love it, and we love him!

It's only the beginning...

Meet our latest and greatest. I'll post more pictures when I've slept more than 3 out of the last 72 hours. He was worth the wait!
Allow me to introduce:

Graham Davis McAllister

Born 3:57 am July 16, 2011

8 lbs 13 oz (!) 21.5 inches

Loved like it's going outta style.

The 5k

Graham and I ran his first 5k this morning... so we got him a matching shirt to prove it! It seems so tiny, but it's really a 6 month size. I have a hard time comprehending how little babies can be. I haven't been running as much as I would have liked to while being pregnant, but what can I say- working all day long on my feet doesn't really leave a whole lot of energy to be spent running. The little man did quite well, in fact between the two of us, I set myself a new 5k record! (That is, after you divide my time in half to account for the two of us.) Paul and I truthfully spent about half the time walking, but it felt so nice to be outside and getting some good exercise!

P.S. This is the only pregnant picture of me that will ever be posted. Some people it seems can contain their weight gain to the more-ahem-obvious places. I am not one of them. I really shouldn't complain, so we'll just say that I'm not one who has taken pictures of my ever growing belly every month along the way. I am getting quite pregnant- let's just leave it at that! Only 7 more weeks!

End of Year

Sharpening 36 pencils for End-Of-Year testing made me think of You've Got Mail. 

Can you guess why?

In even better news, there are only 15 days of this school year left, for which I could not be more excited. 

My unborn child is making it nearly impossible to sleep. I know, I know, it's not going to get any better after he's born. I think it will because then I'll get to hug and kiss him every second, even when he cries. There is nothing worse for me than waiting. Especially when I'm waiting for something really really good. Like I'm sure the little man will be:)

In not so good news, some idiot shattered my car window a few nights ago. We had to laugh though when we discovered that this person had not stolen the wallet in plain sight, nor had they taken the contents of it. They chose to take a towel, a ratty jacket, and a diaper bag. They must have been really desperate. So to them, I say- I hope it was worth it. For us, it could have been much worse.

Happy end of the school year!