Bye Bye Curls

It was a sad day in the Reker house. Graham got his first haircut. We had to say goodbye to his cute little curls. This was just another sign of how my baby is growing up.

He did very well. He sat nicely in the airplane chair, which was adorable by the way, and ate Animal Crackers and watched Barney. It didn't take very long. Maybe 15 minutes start to finish. But he was a trooper. I was very proud of him.

Here is my little guy with his new hair!

Before the haircut. Look at those curls!

Before- Front view

My Harvard Bound Baby

I know Harvard will be calling soon. Graham is a Mensa man for sure. LOL!

Check out Graham's new communication skills! He does some talking and some sign language. Too bad he wouldn't say Momma:(

Nails on a Chalkboard

That is how my singing voice sounds to most people. As a rule I do not sing. It is bad, really really, bad but my kid LOVES it. I sang to him a lot in utero, like when I was driving down the road belting out tunes or when I was listening to my 80's channel cleaning house. I guess since that is all he ever really heard he thought it was good.

I continued singing. I butchered "You Are My Sunshine" and "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" on a daily basis when he was tiny. I remember one time him screaming bloody murder because he did not want to take a nap. The only thing that calmed him down was me singing "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" over and over again. Poor Chris had to listen to me sing for a long time that day. I am sure his ears ached for days;)

To this day my insanely awful singing puts Graham at ease. Last week he was fighting naptime. I went in to sway and rock. He wouldn't calm down so I began to sing. I sang any song I could think of. I sang songs where I just made up the words. That actually happens a lot when I am singing. I am known for not knowing the real words to songs. I just make them up as I go. Within a few seconds he was calm and a few minutes later he was sound asleep in my armpit. Who knew such terrible singing could be so calming.

I love that Graham loves my singing but I feel sorry for anyone else that has to hear it;)

Rocking My Baby To Sleep

That is my favorite part of the night. Graham and I snuggle down in the rocker in his room. It is dark except for the soft glow of the nightlight in the corner. He almost immediately puts his hand over his eyes and buries his head in my armpit/shoulder. Side note- he has always loved buring his head in my armpit. He started doing that before we even left the hosptial. It is quiet. So peaceful!

We sit and rock. I soak it all in. The yummy baby smell is gone but he still smells good. I sniff as many sniffs as possible. His arms are draped around my waist. His legs hang down. I can't even begin to imagine how he is comfortable but yet he buries down deeper on me. We breath together in and out in and out. He gets heavier and heavier on my chest. And right before he goes to sleep he looks up at me. It is the sweetst most rewarding look as if to say "Mama I love." It melts my heart everytime. All of the stress goes away and I am thankful. I know one day my little boy will be a big boy and will not want his Mama rocking him to sleep anymore but until then I will rock my baby to sleep.

Step by Step

Chris and I are proud Daddy and Mommy. Graham took steps all by himself today. I knew it wouldn't be long until his walked. He was really trying the past few days but I just didn't think it would happen until later in the week. Well today Chris saw him walking back and forth in his crib without holding onto to anything. Then he was cruising around the furniture in his room and just let go. He took about 6 steps and fell down. It was AWESOME! We are so proud. Now we must babyproof everything in the house and buy new running shoes;)



I hope I can get a video to share later this week. GO Graham GO!

13 Months

My little baby has turned into a toddler. He has a mind of his own and he knows what he wants. And he will let you know if he doesn't get what he wants.

The toddler days have begun around our house. I think it all started about one week after his first birthday. Graham now throws tantrums when he doesn't get his way. The arching back, go limp, fall in the floor kind of tantrums. It has been interesting to say the least. The good news is that he still has a fairly laid back personality. He is a happy kid that smiles and laughs a lot.

His hugs and kisses are intentional now and I love every single one of them. When I pick him up from school every afternoon he crawls over as fast as he can and reaches up for me. I pick him up and he immediately gives me the biggest hug and sloppy breathy kiss ever. It melts my heart each day.

He is still enjoying school. He has lots of friends and is learning many new things. The artwork that comes home is priceless. I am saving all of it:) The only part about school is stinks is that Grahamy gets sick a lot. His poor nose runs a lot but so does mine. Maybe he comes by it honestly. I just wish we could get completely well. If he doesn't get the germs now he will just get them later, right?

He weighs 21 lb 14 oz. Growing like a weed. He loves eating plums, tortellini with pesto sauce, spinach ravioli, and apple anything. He has 12 teeth. I think he could eat a steak with all those teeth. LOL His new favorite toy is his ballpit. He loves to take out the balls and try to crawl around with them in his hands. That, of course, doesn't work out too well. He is pushing his push toy around the house without any assistance. It won't be long before he is walking. He is "talking" away. The new words and inflection in his voice are super entertaining. If only I knew what he was saying. He is growing and changing so much everyday.

I love my ball pit.

I also love Bella.

The Canadian Snow Birds(airshow planes) are really cool.

Oh mom not another picture with the pumpkins.

My new tricycle! How does this thing work Papa?

Family Vacation

Yes, yes this post comes about a month and a half after the fact but better late than never, right?

We went on our first family vacation to Hilton Head, SC at the beginning of September. This was Graham's first trip to the beach. I was so happy to make it to the beach before his first birthday. I just had to have baby pictures at the beach.

This vacation was very different from all the other vacations I have ever been on. There was no relaxing or sleeping in. There was no leisure time laying in the sun or shopping at the mall. This vacation revolved around Graham's schedule. We ate when he was hungry. We played when he was awake and happy. And we all crashed for naps and at night. I think that is the new meaning of vacation.

He wasn't sure about the ocean and sand but it didn't take him long to figure it all out. The ocean was like a big bathtub. He laughed as the water rushed over his legs. He pointed as the seagulls flew over head. He loved digging in the sand. He also loved eating the sand. I can never understand why kids like to eat sand. It was so fun watching him experience the beach for the first time.

Sunshine Note

Graham got his second Sunshine Note since starting school. A Sunshine Note means he did something good:) The first was for actually taking a nap. Not only did he take a nap but he napped on his cot. For the first several weeks of school he would not nap so this was a big accomplishment.

Well he got his second note today. He sat in his chair at his mini table during activity time. They have these tiny chairs and tiny tables that the kids are using. Seriously the cutest things ever. Anyway Grahamie sat just like a big boy in his chair.

Way to go Graham! I hope the good notes continue to come home although I am sure we may get a few "Oops" notes in the future.

Happy First Birthday at OneTrueMedia.com

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

12 Months

Oh what a year. As parents we have learned so many things. Most of all we have learned an amazing love. It is undescribable!

Graham is growing very independent these days. He wants to eat and drink all by his self. He is trying to strengthen up his legs to walk. He is pulling up on everything and cruising along the furniture. It is bittersweet. Our baby who once needed us for everything can now do so many things on his own. It all happened so fast. More highlights...

• Weight- 20lbs and 4oz (20 percentile)
• Height- 29 3/4 in YAY! His height increased from 20% to 50%
• Loves music. He is going to be out little musician one day. He also loves playing with bouncey balls. They are an instant hit at our house.
• 10 Teeth have broken through. 4 within the last week. Seriously we are in teething hell again.
• Along with the teeth came an ear infection #2. Teething plus ear infection=unhappy Graham and a sleepy Momma.
• He is loving school these days. He has so many friends. His teachers are wonderful too. This is a huge turn around from the beginning of August. He might even be asserting his authority by pulling kids hair and stealing away toys. We are in trouble.
• He says "dada" nonstop. He only said "mama" once:( I am working on this everyday! He says a lot of other things but nothing I can make out as of yet.
• After purchasing every sippy cup on the market I believe we have found one G likes. He is not into drinking real milk. He does like water though.

Here are a few pics. First year slideshow to come in next post. Stay tuned.

School birthday party.

Enjoying his first pig n a blanket.

Happy Birthday Graham

Graham had a wonderful first birthday. I planned for months and it all turned out very well. About 25 people including kids came to help him celebrate. We had lots of farm themed food... pigs n a blanket, chicken feed (Chex mix), hay( Cheetos) and Cows Tales. You know the carmel candy.

We also had hayrides in the red wagon. Papa Donnie turned into Farmer Donnie and took the kids for rides around the cul-de-sac. That was a hit!

Graham didn't know what to do with the presents but he sure liked the boxes. So typical of a kid. I can't believe my baby is 1. I hope year 2 is as wonderful as year 1.

Tula Designs created the invitations, birthday banner, and cupcake toppers. Thanks so much!

11 Months

Hey ladies!

My chompers!

Such a big boy!

Time has really gotten away from me. I can't believe the last time I posted was a month ago. It has been a busy month. I went back to work. Graham started daycare(school). For some reason it makes me feel better to call it school. He had a rough start but things are getting better. He is learning some much very day. We have received some cute artwork that I will be framing and hanging very soon.

Highlights this month

- He said MOMMA... only once though.

- 2 more teeth came through. He has 6 teeth total

- Poor Grammie got really sick after his first week of school. He missed the whole second week.

- He is loving ALL table food.

- He goes crazy for cupcakes. Many of the kids in his room have had birthdays so he has eaten many cupcakes. He liked the first cupcake so much that he stole another classmates cupcake while she wasn't looking. He will be a pro at smashing cake before his own first birthday.

- He is pulling up all over the house. He is still really shaky on his legs but it won't be much longer until he is toddling all over the house.

- He dances when music comes on. It is hysterical to watch. He just sits and bounces. Such a white boy:)

- He gives waves good-bye.

That is all I can think of at the moment. I can't believe my baby is going to be 1 so soon.

Invasion of the Cousins

All of the cousins came to visit this summer. Graham had a blast with all of them.


Auntie Aimee and Uncle Matt along with cousins Zach and Liam came to see us in early July. Graham is only 3 months older than Liam so they spent a lot of time "playing" with each other. Mostly one of them would get a toy and the other one would steal it away. We laughed at them a lot. We also spent time at the lake and went to the aquarium. You can see Graham and Liam's matching whale shirts in the picture below. Thanks Auntie Aimee.

Auntie Aimee, Grandpa Chip, Liam, and Zach

The Hodgin Clan arrived a few weeks later to visit. Wes and Gracie really LOVE Graham. They held him, helped feed him, and most importantly played with him so I could get a few things done around the house. Auntie Dee and Uncle Brian were troopers. I went to the airport on Friday night to pick up Chris and left them in charge. Graham woke up and would NOT go back to sleep. This is a new trend at our house. I do not like it on bit. But I digress. We did have a great time with all of them.


We hope to see everyone again sometime soon!

10 Months

I can't believe we are 2 short months away from Graham's 1st birthday. I know I keep saying it but time is really flying by. I have LOVED being home with G this summer. Here are the 10 month details.

• Weight- 20 lbs
• Crawling all over the place. He seeks out every electrical outlet and cord in the house. He loves buttons on the cable box and remote. It is hard to keep him away from all of those things. Needless to say we have been doing a lot of chasing in our house.
• We have had a lot of play dates including walks on the Silver Comet Trail, Kangazoom with Max, cousins and friends coming to visit our house to play, and library time.
• Afternoons at the pool have been one of our favorite things to do this summer. He really enjoys swimming. He had so much fun one day he actually fell asleep on my shoulder in the pool. Awwww!
• Loves table food. Eats a lot of things we eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. He does not like oatmeal! He LOVES potato salad. He says "mmmmmm", "mmmmmm" in a very high pitched touch when he likes something. He holds his hands up when he is doesn't like a certain food or is finished. He is very decisive!
• Mr. G is ticklish under his arms, neck, and thighs. Chris and I give him lots of tickles everyday. We just love that baby giggle. It is the best!
• Curls, curls, curls! He's got blonde curly hair. With the curls and the big blue eyes he is sure to be a Lady Killer:)
• Still babbling. He mimics certain noises that we do. I am still waiting on the "mama."
• And here are the pics. It is not easy to get pics of him just sitting anymore. It is a good thing my camera has a sports setting. LOL

Still very serious.

Forward Progress

That is right folks Graham is making forward progress. He is finally crawling! And here is the proof.

Snort Snort Little Piggy

This is Graham's latest trick when he eats. Pure Awesomeness!

Misery

That is how I would describe Graham's first boat ride. It was soooo hot outside. The lifejacket was too big even though it was suppose to fit an infant. He was super sweaty and super uncomfortable. Poor guy. We didn't go very far. I think the whole ride might have lasted 3 minutes. At least we were able to get a few family pics and spend some time with Grandpa Chip and Grandma Candy.

Look at this face!

Still looks miserable.

8-9 Month Combo

Major slacking mom reporting. I didn't post any details of Graham's 8th month. So here is a combo of all the exciting thing that have been going on in the past 2 months.


- Still very much loves eating solid foods. I am cooking his food with spices which he loves. He is not my child though... he hates green beans:(
- Gave up the bottle the day mommy was done with work. Awesome! Not really.
- So he has been practicing with the sippy cup. That is a work in progress. The cup ends up in the floor most of the time.
- Which brings me to everything goes in the floor. Then he looks over the edge to see where it went. We play a lot of the I throw it down you pick it up game.
- Not into fingers much at all. But loves Num Nums. He can hold those all by himself. Such a big boy.
- Cut 4 teeth within a matter of 2 or 3 weeks. We were in teething hell. The top and bottom 2 teeth are in. And now he is gritting his teeth. So yeah he is my child. I am the queen of gritting my teeth.
- Loves riding in the shopping cart at the store and sitting in a highchair when we go out to dinner.
- Moved to the big boy convertible carseat which he hates. Riding in the car is longer a dream. It is a nightmare. I am hoping he will adjust soon.
- He likes to sing(scream) all.the.time. It is ear piercing.
- He was babbling. Lots of bbbbb, ddddd, and even dadada. The babbling was short lived and replaced with the singing/screaming as stated above.
- Went on his first boat ride. I will post more on that later.
- The giggling is out of control. It is the BEST sound in the world. And he laughs at everything. He could look up at the ceiling and just start giggling. I love it.
- Hair pulling. It was cute at first now it just hurts. He is already being disciplined for hair pulling. He just looks at me like, " Mommy what is your problem?"
- Crawls, uh um, backwards. We are working on the forward part. Really he would just rather be held.


I think that pretty much sums up the highlights of his 8th and 9th month. I am loving being home with him everyday. Chris is going to have to pry me away and force me back to work. I am trying not to think about it:) Here are a few pics.

Happy Father's Day

Happy First Father's Day Chris! You are an amazing dad. I love the way you "sing" with Graham. And how you work so hard to make him laugh. He is one lucky boy. Graham loves you very much... he told me so. I hope you had a great day.

Chris' first day as a Daddy. He was a natural from the start.

Happy Father's Day to Papa ( I missed you today) and Grandpa Chip!

Splish Splash

Graham went for his first swim yesterday. He loved it! He splashed and laughed the whole time.

First Tooth

It was a very exciting day at our house yesterday. Graham cut his first tooth. Bottom left front tooth to be exact. He had been really fussy at night for the past week. I just thought he couldn't get comfy in his crib. Nope it was because he was cutting teeth.

He was so worn out from all the hard work growing teeth that he slept until 10:00 this morning. Did you hear that? 10:00 a.m. That is a record. Of course I had to get up and come to work:(

OH and Happy 8 months Gramo!

My 1st Mother's Day

It is an honor to be a Mom on this great day, well any day really, but today we celebrate me being a Momma. I have been truly blessed. Graham saved up since he was born, that is what Daddy said, and got me a beautiful necklace and matching earrings. My dear sweet Chris bought me a gorgeous blue Topez ring. Not to shabby for my 1st Mother's Day. They did good:)

I wrote about all the emotions of being a Momma not that long ago. So instead of saying all those things again; here is a poem I wrote to Graham.


Dear Graham,

I never knew I could love so much
Until the day I felt your touch.

I adored you from the start
You definitely hold the key to my heart.

Your tiny hands and feet are so sweet
In my life, you are the real treat.

You are my little bug
That gives the best hugs and hair tugs.

I will forever try
To guide you so you will fly high.

I thank God for you everyday
You are perfect in everyway.

I love you Graham!

7 Months

Graham is growing and changing so much every day. I think I say that every month but it is true. This months highlights…

· Weight around 18 lbs.
· No more swaddle at night. It is so cute to watch him sleep, errr I mean roll around the crib.
· Shakes his head NO.
· Twists his wrists when he wants more food or to be picked up.
· Still loves food. His favorite this month was pears. He actually dove at the spoon.
· He got to lick a tiny bit of ice cream off my finger. He thought that was great! Just like his momma;)
· His hair is starting to grow in on top. It is pretty sparse on the sides and in the back.
· He is jumping in his Rainforest Jumperoo all by himself.
· Loves the Exersaucer.
· He is really into toys and looking at books these days.
· Plays peek-a-boo.
Only 16 ½ days until the last day of school. I am looking forward to hanging out with my little guy all summer long.
Enjoy the pics.

Ready to eat!

Do you like my faux hawk?