6 months

I can't even begin to describe how much I love this stage of Graham! 6 months is my favorite age so far. He's really learning to become more human like, and it is so fun to watch my baby grow into a little boy. New this month:

-Talking, talking, talking! He lays in his crib and just babbles to himself. He loves to yell to himself and hear how loud he can get. He says "Mama" and "Dada" and "Baba," although none intentionally.

-Discovery of the baby in the mirror; and he is madly in love. We have a full size mirror in the bathroom and he would be content to stand against it, stark naked, before his bath for hours.

-Love of solid foods. So far he loves sweet potatoes, carrots, and squash. We made a ton after we figured out that he would practically inhale them. I'm not usually a granola type, but I was so excited to make pure baby food for my little man:)

-Discovery of feet. He loves to grab them anytime he's on his back.

-Re-structuring of nap times. We started a scheduled wake up at 7:00 am, followed by a nap from 9-11, another from 1-3, and another from 5-6, with a bedtime of 7:30. This little boy does not function well without sleep.

-Giggles- not a ton, and not many for Mom and Dad- mostly other family members.

-Silly faces. The scrunched up nose, the raised eyebrows; it seems he has a sense of humor!

-Maybe teething? Drooling constantly still.

-Reaching for toys/people

-Sitting up

-Being interested in other kids and babies. Unfortunately we had to say goodbye to Brox and Aunt Lynnie for a little while; I can tell he misses them!

He is quite literally the best, cutest, sweetest little man ever. He keeps getting better and better!

5 months and Christmas

 Here's our Christmas card:) Hope you all had a Merry Christmas!

To start off, this little man turned 5 months old. I can't believe how big he is getting- here's a comparison! He was so sweet and waited until my Christmas Break to start doing things like sitting up, splashing like a mad man in the bathtub, and babbling constantly. He smiles all the time, and we've even been able to coax a few giggles out of him. He still isn't rolling from back to front, but let's face it- he's got a lot to move around! 
He weighs over 18 lbs, probably closer to 19 since he was at 18.2 at 4 months. He's over 26 inches, too! That's a 5 inch growth in 5 months!  He has gotten a lot better with his naps and takes 3-4 a day, sleeps from 7:30 pm-8 am most nights, still loves his passy and swaddler, gives great open mouthed kisses, and has gotten the hang of his Jump-a-Roo zoo.

Christmas was fun, in the naps-shot-to-hell kind of way. Graham was spoiled, as were we, and we have thoroughly enjoyed spending time together.

Until next month:)

Graham at 4 months

Graham is cruising right along and is getting cuter (and fatter) by the day. We celebrated his first Halloween by going to a pumpkin patch with his cousin Nixon and visiting his dad in the Anatomy Lab. As an oxymoron we dressed him up as a skeleton; he's anything but! His Grandma McAllister made him his darling skull cap:)

He was a little grossed out by the lab. They were teaching the reproduction lab that week after all...

Not a fan of the pumpkin patch...

 He was afraid the pumpkin might bite him...

After being convinced it wouldn't.

After visiting Papa at work

 Graham is getting so social- we have a little charmer on our hands! 

He is really good at:

Smiling on command

Drooling... constantly.

Standing

Gasping- this is his favorite thing to do lately. He gasps so loud and loves the sound of his own voice.

 

 Other things Graham does at 4 months:

-sleep from 8-6
-take 4 naps a day
-roll over from his tummy to back
-grab toys
-put EVERYTHING in his mouth
-laugh
-love the bath
-kiss! He grabs my face and mushes it into his (open) mouth
-gargle his own spit (gross)
-break out of his swaddler (it's nearing its end)
-burst at the seams of 6th month clothing
-weigh 18 lbs.

AH! I love these overalls. And this boy.

Seriously- he almost doesn't fit in the Bumbo. Look at those arm rolls. And sock lines. He's practically wasting away.

Paul's Grandma Mac

Getting kisses from Brox

 He's our most favorite thing. Ever.

3 Month Graham

Graham is cruising right along and is already 3 months old! I can't believe how quickly time is passing, and how much he's growing! He hasn't been back to the Dr. so we don't have "official" stats, but we know from weighing him with us that he's over 16 lbs. He's been bumped up in diaper size to a 3,  he barely fits anything that is labeled 3-6 months, and is usually found wearing plain 6 month old clothes.  He's pretty generous with his smiles, too.

 

He's sleeping from about 8:30 until 5 or 6 the next morning with no feedings in the middle. He is, however, eating 6 ounces every bottle. It's no wonder he's such a tank!

He must be on a towel at all times, for the sake of Nana's carpet.

 He spends most of the days with his Daddy, and it's obvious that he loves him. He is still pretty fond of his Mama too, if I do say so myself. I wish I were able to spend more time with him during the day, but Paul is so great with him so I know he's in the best hands possible.

His horns are actually ears. He's supposed to be a fox:)

 On the days when he's not with Paul, he also gets to spend some time with his Aunt Lynnie and cousin Brox on Mondays, his Grandma and Grandpa McAllister on Wednesdays, and sometimes Tasha, Nana, and Leigh and Nix. He loves all of our family and friends.

 It's amazing how excited we as parents get when he does something simple, like tie his own shoes or solve binomials, or reach for his toys. We can't help but think he's the cutest boy ever. He's getting better at napping during the day, so he's an all around happy guy!

He's pretty much like every other run-of-the-mill 3 month old, except that he's OUR 3 month old, so everything he is doing is cause for great celebration. He's really interested in facial expressions, imitating, finding his tongue, sucking on everything, drooling constantly, giggling, snuggling, smiling, etc. I am literally in love with this baby, and I think he is the most handsome child ever to grace the planet.

2 months

I am actually a day early in wishing my baby boy a happy 2 months, but who knows when I'll have the time again to post?! Here is "Grahamy Baby" as a two month old. He's getting so fun; he smiles all the time and loves the world around him. We can't remember life before he joined our family.
Some things about Graham at two months old:

He LOVES the bath. He acts like its the best, most relaxing thing in the world.

He gets to spend most of his days with Daddy since I went back to work two weeks ago. I don't think he minds one bit; he loves his Daddy!

He still loves to be swaddled.

He started "nap training" so that he would be able to sleep better during the day. He's doing great so far, taking about four naps per day still.

The night before I went back to school, he surprised us by sleeping from ten until six, and he's been doing it ever since!

He prefers his crib to sleep in, but he doesn't mind joining mom and dad in bed some mornings:)

He talks in full sentences on occasion (mostly after he's nice and full). Just kidding.

He's gaining weight like nobody's business. He is a tall, chubby boy!

When he's tired he nuzzles into anyone's chest.

He still loves his passy!

He just keeps getting better and better. We love him so much!

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!