BIG Announcement.... a month late

Ethan Christopher Reker is here. He was born on October 5th at 7:34 pm. He weighed 8 lb and 12 oz. Big boy! And 20 in long.

He's had a rough start. At first he had jaundice which isn't a huge deal but we had to go for blood draws everyday for seven straight days. Two days after finishing the blood draws he spiked a fever of 102. We rushed to the ER. Our poor 10 day old baby was poked and prodded. They even did a spinal tap on him. It was heartbreaking to watch. We were taken to CHOA where we spent three days. He was diagnosed with viral meningitis. No one is sure how he got it but any germ he came into contact with could have caused the virus. I thought it was smooth sailing after that but unfortunately he has an ear infection now. Poor boy has been through enough!

Ethan is a trooper. He barely cries and is just a chill little guy. We love him so much. Graham especially! We are happy big brother is so loving. Only once has he tried to sling slot Ethan out of his bouncy chair;)

Without further ado here is our little man.

Summer is over but we had SO much fun!

Our summer is over:( We had so much fun that I forgot to blog. Here are the highlights or at least the ones I can remember. We did so many cool things I am bound to forget something.

• playdates... lots and lots of playdates.


• summer Olympics with the neighbors.


• swimming almost every single day. G is an expert at jumping in. He is a fish.


• several trips to the lake.


• a beach trip to Hilton Head.


• cousin visits


• obession with "goats" (boats). I mean really obessed with boats. He constantly asks for MORE BOATS!


• library time on Wednesdays


• lots of playing at the shady park. It's his fave especially the swings.


• learning to ride his trike.


• learning to ride a scooter. He does really well for a little guy.


• GOLF, GOLF, and more GOLF


• baseball


• a trip to the zoo with Daddy.


• eating bagels on the weekends with mommy and daddy. It is becoming a tradition.


• learning to dip all his food in his favorite condiment... ketchup.


• reading Five Little Monkeys over and over and over again.


• "loloring"(coloring) which consists of Graham telling us what to color.


• and lots and lots of Momma and Da time.

I wish summer could last forever!

Sprinkler Fun

The grass sprinklers have become a huge hit in the evenings at our house. Graham always wants his "Da" to turn on the sprinklers so he can cool off. Here are a couple of pics from the other night.

He is signing "more" sprinklers after Chris turned them off.

Ahhhh so much fun!

Bolt down the furniture

It is official, I am outnumbered! Graham is going to be a big brother in October. Baby brother is due October 11th. We are very excited. Not sure how thrilled Graham will be once his brother arrives but I am optimistic that he will be a fabulous big brother!
Guess I have to come up with a new name for the blog.

New Pictures

My dear friend Caryn at Caryn Oxford Photography has taken almost our professional pictures. She is amazing. Here are some of my favorites pics she took recently. Graham is 19 months in these pics. Such a big boy now.

One day I will be as big as Daddy.

Beach!

We made our second beach trip to Hilton Head to visit Gigi and Papa for Easter weekend. Graham's first beach trip was right before he turned one last September. He liked the beach but not the water. This time around was completely different. He was hesitant at first but it didn't take long for him to warm up to the waves. He would run straight into the wave and yell as loud as he could. It was like he was yelling, "Bring it one waves. I am not afraid of you." We had the best time watching him play in the water. The pure joy in his eyes as he ran around was so refreshing. You can see the excitement in this picture.

He wasn't thrilled with sitting in the sand. This was the best picture we could get with the "Graham 2011."

G never looks at the camera. I guess he is camera shy.

Papa took this picture before Graham "warmed" up to the waves.

Easter Egg Hunt

We live in a fabulous neighborhood with awesome neighbors. This weekend we threw together an Easter Egg Hunt for all the kids that live in our cul-de-sac. All the kiddos had a blast. Most of them are under the age of 2 so they really had no clue what was going on but once they found the goodies inside the eggs they caught on fast. Here are some pics from the day.

Finally

I am back, finally! Things have been very hectic around our house. We have been passing a nasty stomach bug between the three of us for the last two weeks. No fun at all. Hopefully this will be the end of it. Fingers crossed.

We took Graham last week for his 18 month check up. He is growing great. 25 lbs and 31 1/2 cm. Both 25th percentile. His head is growing too because it is in the 90th percentile. Big brain baby. LOL! Since getting the tubes he has been doing well. His teachers report that he is "listening" better. I think they thought he just didn't listen to them but in all reality he just didn't hear them all that well. He is talking up a storm. He is saying about 10-12 words right now. Most of which only we understand. His favorite things right now are balloons and birds which are also his favorite words. Graham is so much fun these days. I can't believe how much he changes everyday. He understands what we are saying to him which is great. He can pick up his toys, throw things away in the trash can, and do other things that we ask him to do. My favorite thing right now are his slobbery kisses. He leans over with an open mouth and gives the best kisses ever. Previous to this he would just blow kisses. He loves playing with his classmates and friends in the neighborhood. We spend every afternoon after school outside until it is dinner time. I am pretty sure he would spend every day all day outside if we let him. I have been a bit of a slacker, if you couldn't tell by the lack of blogging in over a month, at taking pics but I do have a few to share.

I love playing with my ball outside.Hey Da(daddy name right now)! Watch me hit the tennis ball off my tee with a golf club.I do fit in this tiny basket for babies.I love swinging!

Dearest Graham

I have been slacker blogging about you lately. Work and keeping up with you has me very tired. The past two months have been full of sickness but lots of fun too. I am sorry to say that you are going to get tubes in your ears very soon. You have had lots of ear infections that just won't clear up so we are going to try to fix that. I know you will be a super trooper through it all, you always are:) And since we have been at the doctor so much I know you weigh about 25 lbs. Your belly is the cutest ever!

Speaking of bellies I love that you are an awesome eater. You eat just about anything, well you aren't much of a meat eater but you devour everything else. You have been taking lessons from the dogs too. I have never seen such intense begging. The sign language you have been learning at school and at home has come in handy. Daddy won't let you have anything without "saying" please. The way you rub your tummy makes us laugh a lot! You stand at the pantry door saying please and more when you are hungry. Such a smart boy! I hope you always continue to use your manners. They are very important and will take you far in life.

Outside time is your favorite part of the day. You have always loved being outside. Daddy bought a basketball goal that you love. Every time we pull into the driveway you see the goal and say BALL! You love to be lifted up so you can touch the net. You are an excellent passer. Daddy is teaching you well. You have so much fun just running around chasing the kids in the neighborhood. It is so wonderful watching you play with the big kids.

Music is another one of your favorite things right now. You bop your head and dance like crazy when any music come on. Your favorite song is by John Mayer and Keith Urban. It is called "When Summer Come Around." You could be anywhere in the house and when that song comes on you come running. You stare at the TV in amazement. Then the dancing starts. Unfortunately you have white boy rhythm. If you don't believe me just check out this video!

Keep on dancing little man. I love you Graham!

What's on your head Graham?

My Wordless Wednesday post.

Wordless Wednesday (Kind of)

I can't believe I forgot to post these pics. No tears but not thrilled.

15 Months

I am way late on Graham's 15 month doctor's appointment but here are the highlights.

Weight- 23.6 lbs (50 %)

Height- 29 1/2 in. (25%)

These two percentiles switched from his 12 month appointment. The pediatrician said that was really normal. G should hit a growth(height) spurt this spring. I was a little worried he was heading to be a shorty like his mommy. She said he was healthy as a horse. Too bad 2 weeks later he got sick. The good news he is back to normal now.

Graham is so silly these days. I wonder if everyone thinks their kid is as funny as I do? He loves to play hide-and-seek with with pots, pans, and the strainer. He will cover his face with a pot and stand there until we say, "Where's Graham?" Then he takes the pot away and laughs hysterically. Rinse and Repeat! He seriously cracks me up. He also loves to boss the dogs around. I have no idea what he is telling them but he yells at them anytime they are playing in the house. He eats like crazy. His favorite meal is spinach ravioli. His favorite toy is a bag of bubble wands that he likes to throw around and then put back inside the bag. After he puts them back inside the bag and throws them around again. He also really likes this turtle. Thanks Auntie Aimee and family! G is a button pusher so this turtle is perfect not to mention he lights up and shows the constellations on the ceiling! Very cool. My baby is growing up. Here are some more cutie pics.

Wordless Wednesday

This is my first Wordless Wednesday post. The idea is simple, just post a picture that doesn't need any explanation. I have the perfect way to start.

Fa La La La

Christmas this year pleasant well except for the part where we thought we were going to be stuck for days in a snow storm without power but I will get to that later.

We began our Christmas celebration at the lake with Grandma Candy and Grandpa Chip. It was nice. Graham got to open his presents when we got there so he would have some fun things to play with. Of course his favorite gift was a ball. He is a simple kid I tell you. We had a yummy turkey dinner that Grandpa Chip made. He always does a good job with the cooking. Then we exchanged our gifts that night. It was a peaceful evening.

We got up the next day and headed to Highlands to visit Gigi and Papa. We had heard it was going to snow so I was psyched about a white Christmas. The idea of a white Christmas sounded tranquil and beautiful. We did our usual Christmas Eve service at church and dinner with Aunt Margie and Uncle Richard. We had round two of turkey dinners. The food was delicious as always. I missed Thanksgiving at home so I was thrilled to get Aunt Margie and Mom's home cooking!

Christmas morning arrived and Santa made it to the house. He left Graham a battery powered 4 wheeler, stacking blocks, and a few other goodies. But his favorite gift was a highly annoying snowman that played music;) Thanks Gigi! Side enote- we left that gift in the mountains. Graham wasn't too into opening presents. He still doesn't get it. I am sure next year that won't be a problem.

As we opened present the snow began to fall. It was falling fast. It was beautiful. We read the weather report and looked like we were in for 6-8 inches of snow. That is a lot of snow for the sleepy town of Highlands. Many times the roads don't get plowed for days. After opening the gifts we decided to pack up and head back to Atlanta. The car was packed and the snow fell down. Dad decided to take the lead to try to get us out of town. Good thing he did because we didn't make it far. Our trusty SUV, not 4 wheel drive, wouldn't go anywhere so back to the house we went. I didn't mind. I figured it would be nice to hang out with the fam and enjoy the snow. I really wanted to sled down Aunt Gloria's hill but that didn't happen:( I didn't worry about being snowed in until Mom mentioned losing power. I had flashbacks to the blizzard of 93' I think it was 93'. Ugh it was awful with no power, no heat, no nothing for days! Luckily the power stayed on. We enjoyed the snow. And we made it back to Atlanta the next day. Our car stayed in Highlands but we got back home.

Overall Christmas was a great successful.

The annoying snowman!