Steven, Amanda & Graham

Christmas and the Snow!

2012-01-16T21:03:00.000-08:00

We had a very good Christmas this year! White and all!

Graham wasn't quite sure what to make of it at first....

But I think he got the hang of it...he refused to wear gloves though,

so his poor little fingers would be pink whenever we would bring him back in.

Made him take a picture with his Mommy....

On Christmas Eve, there's always a big party at Mimi's house (Dennis' Mom).

We were getting Graham ready in the bathroom when all of a sudden he just

started giggling. We got some of the best pictures....too bad there's a

toilet in the background....

Later on Mommy and Graham were playing with Daddy's phone taking pictures.

It turns out Graham will cooperate as long as he can see himself in the picture.

He was having a little too much fun in these pictures...

A little bit later, Santa arrived! Needless to say....maybe give Graham another year

or so and he'll like Santa. Right now, I think he's got Santa confused as a giant

red monster out to eat him, because that's the reaction we get....

Christmas morning....that Christmas Eve party must have worn him out!

Graham got a very special truck for Christmas.

It was a truck that Uncle Pat (featured in this picture)

used to play with when he was little.

Graham also got to see Grandpa Morin (Cindy's Dad)!

It's been a long time since they've gotten to hang out...

A 12 hour drive is a chore for a little kid, but at one gas station he saw this and I think it

made the drive all worth it!

But by the end of the drive....he was ready to be done.

Ever since we got home, he's been such a little cuddle bug!

Christmas had a great effect on him I think.

I just can't believe how grown up he's getting.

P.s. He starts preschool soon! Tissues anyone?

I'll need one....

Granny and Papa come to town!

2011-12-08T21:58:00.000-08:00

Granny and Papa came to town for a visit. These pictures

are all out of order, but I'll try to make it make sense....

We went on a harbor tour and I think Graham liked it more than anyone else did!

He spent almost the entire time just like this....

Graham and Daddy playing at the zoo.

My handsome boys!

Here we are walking around the San Diego bay...checking out the sights...

Sorry, this picture is only here because I think my kid is adorable....

Just look at that little face!

Granny and Graham bonding...

Papa and Graham petting the elephants...

No idea who this other kid is....

Two cute home videos

2011-11-19T14:38:00.000-08:00

Graham's first cello lesson! Mommy is so proud...

In this next video, Graham has had a horrible cough for about a week. I think his little giggles sound so cute when he's sick...

Graham and Evie

2011-11-02T08:30:00.001-07:00

Halloween and Graham's new buddy...

2011-11-01T14:21:00.000-07:00

Grham was a little cowboy for Halloween! I swear he had a good time,

even though he has quite a strange look in this picture....

Oh here's that smile! Cutest sherriff in town!

Graham has a new little buddy! This is Evie. She insisted on holding his hand.....

He didn't fight it too hard. :)

Cute little dudes! There's an awesome video of this that I'll post later...

Some fun videos

2011-10-27T14:25:00.000-07:00

Graham and I love to take walks together. He checks out all the cars and makes sure they all have wheels. If you haven't seen him in a while, this should give you a pretty good idea of how much he's talking now. It's amazing, in the past month he's probably learned 100 words!

Graham was walking around in our shoes the other day. It was pretty cute. He's becoming quite a little ham for the camera!

We love the zoo!

2011-10-09T13:37:00.000-07:00

So, with all the family visiting this year, we thought we would invest in zoo passes! We got to go this past week and Graham just loves it. Sometimes he misses the forrest for the trees, example: a monkey is swinging around with a bag on his head and all Graham is focused on is another kid's sippy cup.....but I think overall he does have some fun with the animals. Plus, the San Diego zoo has got to be the most non-stroller friendly place I've ever been to....so Mommy gives her quads and calf muscles a work out pushing up those hills!

The petting zoo! Probably Graham's favorite...don't you feel for this poor goat though...

I have to say though....Graham is really gentle with animals.

Here he's saying "fish Mommy!" Yes, there are fish....

there's also a huge alligator in the same tank that he didn't even notice!

This is Graham's friend Timmy. They're watching the silver back gorilla.....a super cool animal!

Can you see the gorilla? He looks like he's posing for GQ.

The zoo is a little weak on shows...but Graham liked watching this little boy squirm.

Later the poor kid gets kissed by the seal...

Ewwww...!

PANDAS! They were awake and eating!

Graham actually noticed and was fascinated by the pandas!

This picture is my attempt at trying to take his picture

with a panda while I'm holding him....I think I did ok...

Here's a better pic to do justice for the panda...

Flamingos! Ewww.....

"A DUCK!"

Graham is so excited about talking that he yells a lot of his new words....

At Home....

Graham is completely obssessed with cars....

He also loves to help Mommy cook! We made muffins this day....

P.s. Cross your fingers....I'm trying to make posting weekly a habit....

Birthday videos

2011-10-02T13:26:00.000-07:00

Better late than never right? Here are a few videos from Graham's birthday party!

Graham got a tickle me Elmo! He was very excited about Elmo, but you'll see he wasn't to crazy about Elmo giggling at him. It actually still scares him for some reason....

It was so sweet watching Graham give Elmo love-love! It took me forever to get it out of the box, but once I did he was in love!

Of course, true to being a boy, nothing beats something with wheels on it! Watch the way he ditches poor little Elmo as soon as the tricycle comes out!

Quick Family Vacation

2011-09-14T12:51:00.000-07:00

Well, we were blessed over Labor Day weekend to have a quick family vacation! The entire weekend was such a blessing. We left on Friday and went to Disneyland. We also got free tickets to Disneyland for Saturday and then Daddy ran a half-marathon on Sunday morning! Graham had a blast, I think he's finally at the age where he's a better travel companion. He was a big fan of the hotel....

Of course, the hotel had the Disney channel...

Graham rode the pirate ship for the first time!

Just his size..

Daddy holding Graham on pirates of the Caribbean!

Graham..."Get me away from these goof balls..."

So proud of Daddy! He did such a good job!

Family pic....it was early....if Steven hadn't run so fast I might have looked a little cuter...

By the way, yes Graham turned two! I have some amazing videos and pics coming soon!

Cousins...

2011-08-10T20:07:00.000-07:00

Well Graham and Ross are buds for life. There were so many cute moments this past week, that it's hard to recap. I'm just putting a bunch of pictures with Graham and Ross together. We had so much fun with our company!

Three dudes chilling on the couch

Nothing makes a boy happier than digging holes at the beach.

Except maybe a big plastic star....

Play-doh time! (Note: my fantastic husband doing dishes... )

Two boys in flanel. We didn't even plan this!

At some point, you just give up on trying to get them both to look at the camera.

I hope they remember this later...it was so amazing!

Buddies!

We've got Company!

2011-08-02T20:01:00.000-07:00

And boy do we love it! I'm so happy that last week, Mimi (Steven's grandma) was in town and this week Scarlett, Ben, Ross and Kevin are in town! (Sister, Brother-in-law, nephew, brother) Here's a quick recap of the past few days....

Taking Mimi to see the glory of San Diego!

Man....rough life....

Aunt Lisa and Graham playing around.

Summer nights mean dinner outside!

Well, Graham is just about in heaven right now. Cousin Ross (or Rosh which is how Graham says it) is in the house and ready to play!

Graham also has a pretty much instant bond with Uncle Kevin.

Ross is a music lover and is so excited to play the panano.

Two cuties....scary thing is, I can vividly remember when Kevin was the size of Graham!

It's so nice to have Ross around to teach Graham how to do things.

Gotta love a good tire swing!

Apparently everyone loves it!

Even Uncle Kevin...

Ok...so to all my other friends, family, perfect strangers...I ask you, does this not look like fun! Are these people having a blast! Heck yes! I plan on spoiling my guests rotten! We've got plenty of room and we love company, so in the words of Bob Barker.... "Come on down!"

P.s.

He looks so much like Daddy in this picture!

The Beach and Fourth of July!

2011-07-19T06:22:00.000-07:00

It is so summer! Graham loves the beach. Here are a few recent pics. He's a little California boy for sure!

Can't go to the beach without the paper...

Checking out the girls....

Happy Fourth of July!!

Watching the fireworks...

Ooooo

Wow!

Fourth of July art project!!!

Graham don't eat the chalk!!!!

So, which color are you gonna get?

How could you not love that beautiful face!

Playgroup

2011-07-11T16:22:00.000-07:00

Graham and I (since January) have been going to playgroups two or three times a week. Graham LOVES it! Here's some pictures to give you an idea of all that we do at playgroup.

Circle time is the best, we all sit on a parachute and sing songs. Teacher Rachel uses different stuffed animals to sing the songs with. She lets the kids play with them until she needs them. Graham snagged the monkey this day. He was quite proud of himself.

Ooooo, now he's got the lion!

I'm sure he's trying to tell me something....

That's teacher Rachel singing "itsy bitsy spider"

We mostly just kind of watch her sing....sometimes he chimes in :)

Happy boy!

This is what we call a parachute ride. We've never done one where there wasn't at least 4 kids screaming....not sure why we do this....

Today Graham liked it....

His absolute favorite is going under the parachute!

See that smile....

Handsome boy!

Tickle Time!

2011-06-21T20:38:00.000-07:00

Graham has a laugh that is out of this world! And, it helps that he loves
to be tickled. We were playing around one night and this is the result.
It's super funny at the end when he realizes he's being filmed.

Sunny San Diego!

2011-05-24T12:28:00.000-07:00

So, I plugged in my camera today (after not downloading for a month) and realized how many cool places we've been to in the last few weeks! So, consider this entire blog just one big commercial for San Diego! Come on guys, this place is awesome! You know you want to come visit!

SEAWORLD!!!

Here we are at the Sea Lions tonight show. A SeaWorld must. Graham was liking it. These pictures were all taken before the show started. He perked up when the animals came out.

Sea World has an amazing shark tank! I'm not quite sure Graham got it, but he was completely fascinated by the sharks!

"Mommy are they gonna eat me!"

"Only if your bad...so be a good boy" ; )

Yep...so his favorite part was definitely the stuffed animal display in the gift shop. He's really going through a stuffed animal phase. He loves to cuddle and hug his bears. Praise God, we managed to get out of there without buying anything!

Sea World has this amazing little spot for kids 39 inches and shorter. It's basicly this huge rubber mat/trampoline. The kids were loving it! Graham kept running from one side to the next. It's a great place to rest your feet while the kids burn some energy!

Next, we went to Balboa Park a few weeks ago. We toured the Japanese Friendship Garden, (very beautiful....not ideal for toddlers). The fish were cool, but Graham really, really wanted to jump in the water.

"My mean mommy won't let me swim with the fish!"

Boo hoo....

Also at Balboa Park, this is the organ pavilion. If Graham had a photographer for a mother, I'm sure she would've gotten better shots. This place is gorgeous and I'd love to get some better pics there some day.

Our favorite...DISNEYLAND!

Once again, my son wants to jump in the fountain....Good thing we had Daddy!

Toon town or bust!

Graham is completely fascinated with big kids and whatever they happen to be doing. I'm actually really glad he didn't figure out how to open this door. It makes a really scary sound.

"Wow, the gift shop!!"

The merry go round was pretty much the only line Graham felt like waiting in, and even that five minute line felt like an eternity to him.

It took a while for the ride to start, Mommy was playing games to keep him distracted.

And, then we started moving....

And going up and down....

But...it was kind of fun!

Actually this is great!

He's actually done the merry go round before....this is him about six months ago...

One thing about those theme parks....they'll wear you out!

Happy Easter!

2011-04-26T08:53:00.000-07:00

Graham was all decked out for Easter this year! I just loved his little suit! Special thanks for these pictures to Danielle's friend Ashley. My camera ran out of battery before I got even one picture, and so she took all these pictures for me!

Easter Last year....He's like a completely different kid!!!

Such a busy boy!

2011-04-15T10:11:00.000-07:00

Well, I think it's true. Little boys are busy! It feels like we wake up every morning and hit the ground running! Who knows what will happen next. Graham has been full of new tricks lately, and I've got some pics to post from some recent field trips too!

Graham is Mommy's little helper....or at least he tries to be. Apparently he thinks I need to sweep the floor more often....

Recently we went to the park to feed the ducks! Which...apparently...is illegal in California...oops.

Graham loves the water....

Daddy had to keep him from jumping in!

Mom...why do I have to take a picture!

My two boys....Love them!

We went to the natural history museum and Graham had a blast! He got to pet all the animals.

Also in Balboa Park there is a miniature train ride. Our class went on a little stroll. Graham loved it! He cried when we had to get off..

We also went to the train museum which had a little room where kids could play with train sets....it was a wee bit crowded.

Graham has started pretending to talk on the phone. It's so cute. He walks around having pretend conversations....

Note: I know the drool is intense. He had a cold and was teething at the same time. I tried to put a bib on him but he just kept ripping it off....

First egg hunt! I know it's early, but our class did one this week since next is spring break. He loved it!

It cracked me up...about five mninutes into the egg hunt the seagulls were diving in trying to get whatever the little two year olds had dropped....which was a lot. I think the kids had more fun chasing birds than getting eggs!

Happy Easter!

Three new videos!

2011-04-04T20:55:00.000-07:00

One of our favorite things to do lately is just take a walk around the neighborhood. Graham likes looking at the cars, the trees, the birds, airplanes....pretty much everything....

Graham just recently started coloring! Right now, he's just taking out the crayon and tapping it on the paper, but we're working on learning how to scribble.... He gets a little distracted though when Daddy comes home...

Graham has a favorite song in playgroup. It's the bunny song! First all the bunnies sleep, and then they jump up and start hopping. He was teaching his song to Uncle Timmy, Aunt Lisa and Aunt Danielle. Apparently it's pretty catchy....they were jumping and singing too....

Graham's goes to the beach

2011-03-18T13:46:00.000-07:00

We've had the chance to take Graham to the beach twice in the last few weeks and he just loves it! Unfortunately, it's still really cold, and he just runs straight for the water every time we put him down. I've tried to tell him, just give it a few months and you can run right in! He's also got two new molars in the back of his mouth, and based on how often I see his fingers in his mouth, I'm sure more are coming. For the past few weeks, we've been either going to a play group or the park every single day. He's getting lots of toddler interaction, which is sometimes quite funny. He's not a fan of huge groups, but one or two kids at a time seems to work really well for him.

Graham always says "ooohh...wow" So, I'm sure that's what he's thinking.

So, which creation is more beautiful....Hard to decide, but I'm going with the cutie to the right.

Daddy and Graham having a show down...."let's see if Daddy can get me before I run to the water!"

"What are you looking at?"

This looks familiar.....

Like I said, not a big fan of circle time with 30 other toddlers....as you can see in the picture, he's not

the only one...

He's more of a sandpit guy....

"Here guys, need some help?"

Graham's quite the animal lover! In this pic he's trying to catch the lizard.

There's several that live on our patio, Graham hasn't made contact yet,

but I'm sure he will soon. After that, we may not have lizards on our patio anymore....

We went to visit Aunt Danielle and Uncle Tim. They recently got a new

pet chinchilla. Graham was a fan!

Meet Winston.

Graham is keeping up with his piano lessons. He's doing pretty good!

Doc update: So, we went to the doctor a few weeks ago. Graham is 32 inches tall and 23 pounds 5 ounces. Still a little dude, (14th percentile), but the doctor is happy. She was a little concerned about his development. As expected, he's tracking about two months behind. But, she's a little concerned that he still walks on his tip toes, and that he's not using more words. So, on April 4th we have an appointment to evaluate his development, and we're waiting to get another physical therapy appointment. I'm confident that everything is fine, we're just being extra cautious.

Graham at the park2

2011-02-24T20:37:00.000-08:00

The Park and Pooh

2011-02-24T20:34:00.000-08:00

Well, Graham is just getting to the point where he really loves the park. He's not crazy about slides, but everything else is just a marvel to him. He especially loves other little kids. The other day we took him to the park and got some really fun shots....

He looks like such a big boy in this shot!

Like I said, he's not a big fan of the slides, it makes his hair stick up....

He does love playing in the sand....especially with Tia...

And what kid doesn't love swings!!!

Graham's also made a new buddy lately. Pooh Bear....

Is this smile amazing or what!!!! I had to make these extra big...they're just too cute!

"Mommy...do you have to take pictures all the time...."

"I mean really, I'm in my pj's!"

"Hey, what's that?"

"I love my pooh bear!"

"I take him everywhere"

Just tonight I noticed two new teeth. So, we're up to five on top and four on the bottom...
We go to the doctor next week and we'll get a height and weight check....he's getting really heavy, so I'm thinking he's at least 25 pounds....but we'll see.

Stay tuned....

Graham at the park

2011-02-24T20:28:00.000-08:00

All Graham's tricks

2011-02-12T14:46:00.000-08:00

Graham splashing in the Tub!

2011-02-12T13:43:00.000-08:00

This video is pretty long, but if you're a die-hard Graham fan (mostly grandparents) then you'll love it!

The beginning of Graham's musical education!

2011-02-07T10:09:00.000-08:00

Well, Graham is a big fan of music. We've started letting him try to "play" a few instruments. He seems really interested.

He loves the guitar. He's surprisingly very gentle with it.

I love the serious look on his face...

Now, before I get a bunch of complaints...

yes, I'm letting him play with my violin.....

yes, he's supervised the entire time....

no, he's not allowed to play with my cello.

"Please can I play with the cello?"

Even Grandpa is pitching in with the music lessons.

"Mommy are you watching! I play even better with my blankie!"

"Look, I can play really loud too!"

Side note: Because life is not all about Graham, but mostly.

We got a dining room table!!!

Since we've been married we haven't had one and we are so excited to finally get one. It has a built in leaf so it can seat six or eight. We had some friends over Friday night and we got to test it out!

Keep checking the blog. Graham has been pointing to his ears, belly, feet and sometimes his eyes. As soon as I can get a video of it, I'll post it.

December.....what a busy month!!!

2011-01-13T11:26:00.000-08:00

Well, a trip to Disneyland, a trip to Arkansas and then we ended it by going to the doctor three times in one week! Yes, December was just pure madness....but I'm sure it is for most people. Graham is fine, he just got a really, really bad cold that lasted for about two weeks and included fever. Here's a quick recap of our fun December!

Disneyland!!!!

Graham's first trip to Disneyland was awesome! He did so well. He even took a nap in his stroller which I didn't even know was possible. We got there at about 11am (the earliest Steven and I have ever gotten there) and we left at about 7pm when it started to get really crowded. Graham was an angel and slept all the way home!

Riding the tram....all part of the Disney experience...

Graham and the castle!!!!

Mrs. Claus had a little crush on Graham....he was giggling and she came over to say hello!

First ride of the day was Winnie the Pooh! Clearly he was having a good time...

But, nothing beats a carousel ride with Daddy

Giddy up horsey! Giddy up!

Little angel!!!

Sleeping in the middle of the park while Daddy rides the roller coasters!

NOTE; I don't have very many pictures from our Arkansas Christmas because I forgot to charge our camera and it died a few days in. Hint, Hint....I would love it if some special people in Arkansas would send me some Christmas shots!!!! Bless you!

Christmas back in San Diego - camera got charged

You ever wanna make this kid really happy...just give him a ball!

Oooh, my very own telephone!

A tugboat for the bath tub!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Walk to Daddy..

2010-12-13T12:10:00.000-08:00

Graham is walking!

2010-12-13T12:09:00.000-08:00

Graham and the Christmas Tree

2010-11-27T22:22:00.000-08:00

Graham and Aunt Lisa

2010-11-27T22:21:00.000-08:00

Such a fun little guy!

2010-11-27T22:19:00.000-08:00

Graham is such a hoot right now! Everyday I wake up and I have no idea what he might do next.

He starts everyday with breakfast and a big grin!

Ah shucks mom...you take pictures all the time!

It amazes me how big he is in his high-chair!

This is a picture from May when we first started using the high chair. I don't

think his feet even reached the bottom of the seat.

After breakfast, it's time for exercise.

Graham's favorite sport right now is basketball.

Here Mommy, catch!

How could you miss that! Were you taking pictures again?...

Here, let's try one more time...

At Thanksgiving, Graham didn't have to sit at the kids table!

I guess since he's the only little kid (and only grandkid) he gets the head

of the table!

After a full day of activites, Graham cuddles up next to Mommy and

watches Grandma decorate the tree....(note: he would never be this still

if he didn't have his snacks!)

Elephants!

2010-11-10T09:36:00.000-08:00

Graham throws the ball

2010-11-10T09:35:00.000-08:00

A day at the zoo!

2010-11-10T09:31:00.000-08:00

I got to take Graham to the zoo for the first time yesterday. He was so good! He loved seeing all the animals and was perfectly happy in his stroller. There is a Mommy and me group that we meet with on Tuesdays and so he had several friends with him at the zoo.

Can you see the giraffe in the background? There's also a gazelle....plus the two cuties in the front.

Graham looking at the merkats...

Mommy, a bus! Look at the bus!

Come back bus! Where ya going?

Wow....teddy bears....in the trees...

My picture didn't turn out very well, but somewhere in

there are the bears Graham was looking at.

The new elephant exhibit is amazing!

Man, Mom, those things are huge!

Graham's buddies all meeting together at the zoo.

Everyone has their own ride.

Little man was just completely tuckered out when we got home...

October!

2010-11-02T10:58:00.000-07:00

October was such a month for our family! We moved, I'm now working as a director with two different youth orchestras, and all three of us have been sick. So, there's my list of excuses for why I haven't posted in a while....now on to the pictures!

Let's start with Halloween!

So, yes, Graham was a cow....he's under there somewhere...

I think Mommy and Daddy has as much fun as he did...

This cow walks on his back legs!

He was a really good sport...poor guy....

Teeth report!!!

He now has four on top and two on the bottom...

NICU reunion!

It was so great to get to see some of our old pals from the NICU. Graham got to see Joanne one of his nurses, and his old pal Brayden. Graham and Brayden were in the NICU at the same time and somehow always ended up in neighboring beds.

Well, that pretty much wraps up October. I'll try to be a better blogger for November....or shall I say, a more consistent blogger....

Razorback Fan!

2010-09-23T11:52:00.000-07:00

Graham's First Birthday!

2010-09-23T11:21:00.000-07:00

Here is Graham eating his cake from his first birthday! At the time, he couldn't have sweets, so Mom made a faux cake out of baby food and whip cream...it made quite the mess....

Graham Shakes His Head....

2010-09-20T09:45:00.000-07:00

I took this video the other day. Graham just woke up the other morning shaking his head. He does it all the time and of course I just think it's adorable! He also gave me a really great view of his three little teeth. They're coming in with a strange order....

El Paso Pictures and Graham's Birthday

2010-09-12T19:05:00.000-07:00

Yes, yes, I know....it's been way too long since I posted.....oops.... :)

Well, here are some of the promised pictures from El Paso. We also had Graham's one year checkup recently. Weight is 19 pounds 14 ounces (if he hadn't have pooped right before they weighed him, we would've hit twenty) and he's actually in the 35th percentile for his chronological age now....which is fantastic! The doctor and nurses were all very impressed with his weight gain. So, he's on table food now, which we're moving too kind of slowly, and he can have whole milk! Which, he doesn't seem to care one way or another, but we're excited because it's so much cheaper than formula.

I will try my best to do more updates!

Steven and I praise God that we were able to celebrate Graham's first birthday! There were many times this past year that I wasn't sure we would make it this far. Praise the LORD for such a beautiful wonderful baby boy.

Graham and Great-Grandpa (Cindy's Dad)

"I'm in El Paso...give me a taco!!"

Graham's little El Paso buddy Velora, friends for life...

Great-Grandma (Dennis' Mom) and Graham....awwww...

Graham blows out his candle!!!

Graham trying out the cake...

Graham demolishing his cake!

Prince Graham! Wearing the crown for a birthday is a long tradition with

Steven's family....maybe next year it'll stay above his ears....

"Happy Birthday to me!"

The traveling baby

2010-08-22T11:40:00.000-07:00

I recently got to take Graham to Arkansas and El Paso for the first time! It was quite the adventure. Graham wasn't exactly crazy about flying, but he loves being around so many new people. He's quite the social little guy.

Graham has two other cousins in Arkansas. Ross is a year and a half (the cutie in the middle) and Alex is just a few months old.

Graham got to met Granny Dot (his great-Granny Dot) and hang out with Grandpa Squire again. Here you see four generations of Walmsley's.

It was so cute watching Graham and Ross play together. Ross was really sweet and shared his toys, and Graham was completely fascinated by Ross's eyes.

Silly Mommy forgot her camera in Arkansas....so I'll post some El Paso pictures in a few days.

Doctor Updates:

Since we came home, Graham has been to see the eye doctor and the physical therapists. The Physical therapists was so pleased! Graham is officially hitting his milestones exactly where he should be. He is no longer behind. He acts and behaves at exactly 11 and 1/2 months! We were very excited. Of course, we walked into the eye doctor appointment and the doc thought he was six months old, so size wise, I think he's still a little behind. The eye doctor was also very pleased and saw no problems to report.

We have his one year check up with the pediatrician this week. For everything the little guy's been through, I am just so blessed to see how well he's doing. He's turning one this Tuesday!

My little Indiana Jones!

2010-07-27T13:47:00.000-07:00

Now that Graham is mobile, he is just eager for adventure and discovery!! It's so amazing to watch a little guy discover the world around him for the first time. He's completely fascinated with cardboard boxes, anything that makes noise, and the blinds on the windows. He's also ready to scale Mt. Everest any day now! Here are some pictures of him pulling up....

"Ok guys, here I go...make sure you're ready with the camera!"

Don't you just love that little angel face.....

"Mom, can I please eat the camera!"

"Steady....Steady...."

"Ta Da!!! I did it!"

"So....how do I get down?"

Graham has also been climbing the stairs! He just started this a few days ago, and we couldn't believe he went all the way to the top!!! He does require a spotter though...

one more....

Two little teeth!

2010-07-19T21:38:00.000-07:00

Graham is growing so fast it's blowing my mind! He's got two little teeth right now. The only way to really see them is while he's eating, so our attempt at getting a picture was pretty funny, but I'm pretty sure you can see them.

He's also starting to pull up...on everything! No matter how sturdy. We've been trying to teach him safe stair technique (under close supervision). He needs to learn it quick, because our house is full of stairs.

Mommy's favorite game is "let's find a safe place to put Graham so he doesn't fall on anything...." He'll usually play with me for a little bit, but then he's sick of it....

He's Crawling!

2010-07-05T10:10:00.000-07:00

Well, I think we can say for sure that Graham is officially crawling! Everyday he gets a little faster and more ambitious. At first he would only crawl a few little steps and now he can make it across the room with no trouble whatsoever! And he just looks so cute doing it! : )

And then, after a long hard day of crawling around...he likes to just kick back...

Sometimes with Mommy....

Note: It's just plain ridiculous that my son has been in the sun about 4 times,

and he's already darker than me.... yeah, that's just sad....

First Father's Day!

2010-06-23T09:52:00.000-07:00

Steven had an awesome first Father's Day! Graham was really on top of things. Dad got breakfast in bed and a card in the morning...

Graham did try to steal one of Dad's grapefruit slices though...

He knew he'd been caught...

Later on Graham was practicing his acrobatics!!!

This is his new favorite....the BRIDGE....he literally does it all the time now...

Sometimes, he's not trying to impress...he just wants to be cute...

Don't forget to take time and smell the roses!!!

Graham and His Red Cup!

2010-06-17T08:20:00.000-07:00

A Wonderful Life!

2010-06-13T14:17:00.000-07:00

Things are just peachy right now! Graham is nice and healthy, it's summer time, basically the three of us have just been having a blast! Graham is more and more content on his tummy every day. He's pushing up, and occassionally he's been getting on all fours so I'm sure I'll have to dust off my tennis shoes soon! My favorite time of day right now is dinner time....

Graham and Daddy play while Mommy cooks dinner....

In this video they're playing peek a boo over the bar! I love the big grin Graham has everytime!!

More time with Daddy, doing Graham's favorite thing....eating!

Steven went to vote the other day. When he got home he was playing with Graham and put his sticker on his head! He made the best face for this picture.....then we noticed that they gave Steven an "I Voted" sticker in Spanish.... oh well.

Doctors Report: All is well, blood count looked really good, weight 16 pounds 14 ounces: 26 inches long!

Graham Whistles!

2010-06-06T16:27:00.000-07:00

Graham has learned how to whistle! You have to listen really close, but when he makes his mouth in an 'o' shape, he's whistling. Turn your volume up! Sorry the video is so dark.... :)

The Wonderful Month of May

2010-05-31T10:22:00.000-07:00

Some cool stuff that happened in May!

My first Mother's Day!!!!

Playing with Uncle Timmy in Palm Springs....our first family vacation!

All decked out for fun in the sun!

Learning to sit up! (Well, only for about ten seconds at a time)

9 Months OLD!

Look how far we've come!!!!!

August 30th, 2009

December 18th 2009

May 30th , 2010

Thank you LORD for such a blessing!!!!

Graham's Dedication

2010-05-22T20:51:00.000-07:00

The Ongoing Adventures of Captain Graham!

2010-05-07T13:30:00.000-07:00

So, we got Graham a walker yesterday (with some of mommy's birthday money, thanks Grandpa Squire!) and he absolutely loves it! Here are some pics....

He's been really warm lately, so we've been letting him hang out in just his diaper in the afternoon.....I think that makes just about any baby happy...

You can also put this toy on the walker that has these little giraffe's on it....so far, Graham just wants to eat them.

So many new things!! Graham also got to try the sippy cup for the first time the other day...

Graham also finally got to meet his Grandpa Squire! Here's a picture of us in La Jolla checking out the seals!

Graham was dedicated to the Lord this past Sunday! It also happened to be my birthday, so it was a really special day!

Here's one more pic....just cuz he's adorable!!!

Question of the Day...

2010-04-15T11:27:00.000-07:00

There is much debate over what color Graham's eyes and hair are. I personally think the jury's still out on his hair, but his eyes are definitely a pretty dark blue.

What do you think?

Hair color....probably a light brown, but some people have said it looks red....

Graham got a new toy the other day...and like everything else, he stuck it in his mouth....

Graham's First Easter!

2010-04-09T10:16:00.000-07:00

Well, here's Graham's first little Easter outfit! I'm glad I took a picture. It was so cold at church that we kept him completely wrapped up in a blanket the whole time. It was such a blessing for us to share him with so many people who have been praying for him. He was perfectly happy during the music, but when the sermon started he got pretty fussy and we had to leave church a little early. Unfortunately the sermon happened right at Graham's usual nap time, and the little guy has an amazing internal clock!

He's on such a schedule right now. At exactly 7:30 every night, he just looks at me and starts crying. He loves his sleep! All I have to do is just lay him in the bed. He tosses and turns for a little bit, but after about 5 minutes he's out like a light! We're so blessed to have such a good little sleeper.

I'm not sure if you can tell what this is, but Graham's holding his stuffed mallard duck. This is officially Mommy's favorite toy. When you squeeze the ducks belly it sounds just like a duck! Graham doesn't quite know what to think of it, but he likes holding it. Thanks Grandpa Squire for the fun duck!

Look, he's winking...

Daddy bonding time...

First Sunday at Church and Physical Therapy

2010-04-02T09:53:00.000-07:00

Last week we got to take Graham to church for the first time!!! We kept him back in a secluded room just to be safe, but it was so nice to finally go to church again as a family. Here's a picture of Graham watching Daddy lead worship on the video feed.

Physical therapy was definitely not our favorite appointment ever. The therapists didn't do anything that would really hurt him, but I think Graham is just very set in his ways. He's not a fan of new things and new places, and once he starts throwing a fit.....you might as well just brace yourself because nothing but going to bed is going to calm him down. I walked out of the office with a screaming kid, but five minutes in the car and he was out like a light.

The therapists wants us to do two things. First, she wants us to help Graham learn to push up with his arms when he's on his tummy. He can do it, he just doesn't like being on his tummy in general. She said that's completely normal. Babies have to work harder on their tummies so most of them don't like it. Second, she's concerned about Graham's head shape. So, she told me to fill two tube socks with rice, tie off the end, and she showed me a very specific way to position Graham when he's sleeping using the socks. The goal is that by applying pressure to the opposite side of his head, it will help the shape correct itself. So, I'm supposed to wait until he goes to sleep and then go in and position him. Great so, I'm officially breaking the cardinal rule.....Don't wake up the baby!!!! Hopefully I can be sly and do it without waking him up. Here's a pic of what it looks like...

He sleeps pretty soundly....so we'll see how it goes----

Graham's still not a very big fan of the bath tub, but Aunt Danielle got him some trunks so as soon as it gets a little warmer we're going to put this kid in the pool!

First Cereal

2010-03-25T10:52:00.001-07:00

Well....last Friday we tried to give Graham cereal with a spoon for the first time. Here's a video of how it went....

Cereal Saga

2010-03-25T10:39:00.001-07:00

I have no idea why he reacted like that. It took me a good 20 minutes to get him calmed down enough to even take his bottle. I tried four more times after that and it was always the same thing. He would take a few bites, but then screaming and complete anger. Finally this morning we had a victory!

He took down the whole bowl like a champ! All of a sudden this morning he just got it. He didn't scream at all, and when I showed him the spoon to give him more he opened his mouth and just attacked it! Hence, the gigantic mess.

There were only two things I did different. Today, before I gave him cereal I ate a bowl of cereal right in front of him and showed him my spoon. I also didn't put a bib on him thinking that maybe that's what he hated about the whole thing.

I really hope it's not the bib he didn't like....this is a messy deal and he really needs to wear the bib. I'll try again with it on tomorrow and we'll see what happens.

It was so cute. He kept sticking his hand in his mouth after every bite. His hand is just as messy as his face!

I was very proud of my little man this morning! He finished the entire bowl!!!!!

6 month checkup!

2010-03-19T09:57:00.000-07:00

Well, we had Graham's 6 month checkup last Friday. First (and most importantly) here are the stats:

WEIGHT: 12 POUNDS 8 OUNCES

HEIGHT: 24 INCHES

We also figured out his percentiles. For his due date (November 8th) he is in the 50th percentile for weight and the 75th percentile for height. Of course...for his birthdate (August 24th) well....um.....he doesn't even show up on the charts. But, he's catching up awfully fast!

Eating: Graham eats like a horse. We're doing a combination now of nursing and bottles of formula. We ran out of my stored stash of breastmilk about a week and a half ago. At one feeding, Graham will usually nurse first for about 20 to 30 minutes and then take a 6 ounce bottle! Like a typical boy, he's already got his hollow leg. The doctor told us we could start cereal soon, so I think we're going to give it a go this weekend. I'll post a video, I've heard babies first experience with a spoon is pretty funnny.

Sleeping: All I can say is PRAISE GOD, He's given us a FANTASTIC little sleeper. Graham goes down at night at about 7:30pm and sleeps until about 7:30am .... sometimes later. He also takes a morning nap for at least an hour (sometimes longer) and then he's been taking marathon afternoon naps. The past three days he's taken a 3 to 4 hour nap in the afternoon! I think his body is just starting to hit an intense growth spurt and he's eating and sleeping a ton to catch up.

Physical Therapy: Next week Graham starts physical therapy. Nothing to be alarmed about, all preemies do it. They just want to make sure he is reaching his developmental goals.

Going out and about: In about one month we should be free. We're just on the tail end of cold and flu season and we can see the light at the end of the tunnel! If all goes well, we're hoping to take Graham to church for Easter!

Pictures! Can't do a post without them....you'll notice featured in many of these pictures is blue bear. Graham's new favorite toy!

Handsome Man!

Yep, a future Arkansas Razorback!!!

I love my handsome boys!!!!

New Adventures

2010-03-07T22:56:00.000-08:00

Graham has been having all sorts of fun lately. We've been trying to help him learn how to sit up. So far he seems to really like it!

However, he's not completely capable of keeping himself upright...

Graham loves his blankets! He loves to just grab them and try to stick them in his mouth...

As always he's our grinny little man....he just lives to smile!

music man2.mpg

2010-03-07T22:55:00.001-08:00

music man1.mpg

2010-03-07T22:53:00.001-08:00

graham's interview.mpg

2010-03-07T22:52:00.001-08:00

6 MONTHS OLD

2010-02-24T17:20:00.000-08:00

I thank God that I'm able to rock, talk to and play with my precious boy. Thank you Lord for 6 wonderful months! I look forward to many more!

August 24th, 2009

One month old

Two months old

Three months old

Four months old

Five months old

Today!!!

6 months old!

Recent doctor visit and current weight

2010-02-21T21:48:00.000-08:00

Well, we saw the doctor on Friday. Graham's current weight is 10 pounds 12 ounces. We were a little bummed that he hadn't gained more than that. So, we're increasing the amount of food he gets and in a few weeks we'll start giving him cereal so hopefully that will help.

It's so hard to get Graham to smile while I'm taking his picture. He'll smile at me all day when I'm looking at him, but as soon as I put a camera in front of my face, he just gives me this puzzled look....I had reinforcements on the pictures above.

His hand eye coordination is getting much better. These pictures are from the first time he picked up his keys all by himself. He was playing on the floor, and when I came back he had picked them up and was playing with them. At the moment, these keys are the only toy he has that gets any of his attention.....of course he doesn't really look at them, they just go straight in his mouth...

Flying with Daddy: Lately, whenever Graham gets fussy....Steven gives him a little flight around the room. Graham just loves it....in the picture below he flew around the corner and snuck up on Mommy.

We're all so very blessed to have this little guy in our lives. It's hard to believe that Wednesday he will be six months old. Check back on Wednesday for a special post to celebrate his birthday!

The boy loves his thumb!

2010-02-17T09:32:00.000-08:00

Graham is completely in love with sucking his thumb. He does it almost constantly. He has also started holding his blanket in one hand and sucking his thumb with the other....

I try to catch him smiling, but it's getting harder to do....this kid moves around a lot!

We go to the doctor on Friday....I'll have a weight report then!

Recent Events

2010-02-08T23:55:00.000-08:00

No doubt about it. Our little man is 100% boy! He's been such a good little man lately. He's just completely entertained by people and extremely social. He used to be really shy about the camera, but he's gotten better at just soaking it in. He'll just have to get used to the fact that Mom's going to have the camera in his face for most of his young life. I think he's starting to accept his fate.

Four Generations of Devlins!

Graham's first Super Bowl party....who won the game again?

Graham and Ingrid....

Graham had a little friend over Monday night. Ingrid was born about a week after Graham at full-term. I think our little guy is doing pretty good for starting life a little lighter than most kids his age.

Graham and Ingrid had lots of interesting conversation. It was amazing to see how much they cooed and tried to talk to each other!

No, you're not seeing double. On the left is Graham and I'm the one on the right! I post this picture for my mom! She made this blanket for me originally and then brought it to San Diego when she came to visit. I just thought it would be cute to try for the same little pose. Thanks Mom!

Fun, fun, fun

2010-02-01T23:37:00.000-08:00

That one little word is the best way to describe our little man right now! He's just a joy! He's sleeping through the night, and doesn't really cry unless he's hungry or sleepy. He's also turning out to be quite the social little guy. These videos have just been priceless lately!

Videos

***I apologize in advance for all of my silly Mommy voices***

Graham just loves this little playmat that he's been on lately. He's gotten very good at hitting the little hanging objects above.

Playtime

He also just loves his thumb. He's getting much better at being able to find it.

Graham's thumb

He loves his Daddy!!!

Daddy!

This one is my favorite...I know I'm not the most objective judge here....but it sounds like he's saying 'i love you' to me...you be the judge.....

I love you!

Pictures

Steven's Grandma (MiMi) got to see Graham for the first time...

Graham fell asleep with Tia and Uncle Timmy!

Actually....Graham will fall asleep just about anywhere....

A post full of pictures!

2010-01-19T22:51:00.000-08:00

I know...it's been too long since I've posted. Well, to make up for it, this one will be mostly pictures...

By the way - Graham is 10 pounds 4 ounces!!!!

Father and son....oh aren't they cute! My two favorite boys just hanging out.

"Hey Mom....what's up?"

Look how I've grown!!!!!

November 16th 2009

January 9th, 2010

I'm sure I'll regret him sucking his thumb later....but right now I just think it's adorable!!

My sweet boy giving Mommy hugs!!!

I wonder what he's thinking about?

A New Year - A New Look

2010-01-07T11:22:00.000-08:00

This is still the same site - I just really felt the need to brighten things up a little bit. Little Graham is doing great! This morning we were playing with some of his Christmas presents. Below you can see pictures of a few of them. He has a floor mat that he's been playing with a lot. He also got this special little chair that helps him learn how to sit up.

He'll get his weight checked again in a few weeks. He's also on more of a schedule. Last night he just completely fell asleep at 9pm on the dot. We've been doing some sleep training and I think it's starting to work! We're to the point that he doesn't even cry anymore when we put him down, he just goes right to sleep....Yeah!

Every single day Steven and I are just so amazed that we get to be this little guy's parents. It is such a blessing! I get to wake up everyday and hang out with the coolest baby I've ever seen. We are so thankful that he is healthy, happy and at home!

Here's a new video of Graham playing on his jungle mat....

Jungle Graham

Doctor's visit

2009-12-29T22:21:00.000-08:00

Graham's check up went very well. He received his four month vaccinations and an overall physical checkup. The doctor seems very pleased with his progress.

Current Weight: 9 pounds
Current Length: 21 inches

Graham's first Christmas

2009-12-29T10:09:00.000-08:00

Graham thoroughly enjoyed his first Christmas! Christmas morning was spent with just Mommy and Daddy. After opening presents, we put Graham right underneath the tree while we made breakfast. He loved just looking at the lights! I thought it was very fitting that for Christmas - our little son was under the tree. And of course, he made out like a bandit at Grandma's house. There are some pictures below of this giant stuffed teddy bear they got him. We have a doctor's appointment today. I'll post an update later with his current weight.

Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas!!!

2009-12-25T06:49:00.000-08:00

So much to report!

2009-12-22T11:59:00.000-08:00

Graham is literally growing right before our very eyes! Here's the latest:

1. Graham's first tooth! We had a hunch he might be teething, so when he was on the changing table last night, we peeked in his mouth, and low and behold, his gums have a little white bump! It hasn't broken skin yet, but he is definitely "pre-teething". From everything we've read, babies tend to teeth around 4 to 6 months. Graham will be 4 months on Christmas Eve, but he being a preemie, this caught us by surprise!

2. This morning I was playing with Graham on the floor. He was practicing holding his head up - and then all of a sudden he just rolled over! I almost cried I was so excited! It happened so fast, that I'm not even sure how he did it. But, my baby boy rolled over for the first time this morning!

3. A few days ago I caught Graham laughing on video! Below are a few of the pictures from his little giggle session. At the bottom is the link to the video.

GRAHAM GIGGLES

P.s. I have to put this last picture in. This is a picture of Graham's stocking at Grandma and Grandpa's house.....Grandkids get all the perks! :)

Graham's weight!

2009-12-14T16:15:00.000-08:00

My big boy weighed in at the doctor's office today at 8 pounds 7 ounces!!!! Steven and I are so excited. We also heard him laugh out loud for the first time today! His little grin just makes us so happy. God has blessed us immensely! Thank you so much for praying...we just love our little Graham!

Graham and friends!

2009-12-11T11:55:00.000-08:00

Graham has been so excited lately to meet some of Mommy and Daddy's friends. We love having visitors over! It's so nice to be able to share Graham with the people we love! Here are some pictures of Graham with his new friends.

Graham with Cia Danielle (Aunt Danielle in Portugese)

Graham with Christie

Graham with Christina

Graham with Nicole

The Arkansas Grandparents make a visit!

2009-12-06T12:17:00.000-08:00

Graham was so excited to see Granny and Papa from Arkansas for Thanksgiving. My parents were able to stay a whole week with us over the holiday! Steven and I loved the extra help. Graham is just growing by leaps and bounds. Steven and I say everyday that it almost seems like we can actually see him growing before our very eyes! Here's some recent photos.

Graham's most recent weight...

7 pounds 2 ounces!

"Do you hear what I hear?"

"Papa....please give me my binky...I can't survive without it!"

"Hello Granny! Good to see ya!"

"Thanks Grandma Devlin for my cute Christmas outfit!"

FUN VIDEOS!!

2009-12-03T11:38:00.000-08:00

Make sure your volume is up!

Graham says hi

Graham holds up his head

Graham's first toy...that he's noticed :)

2009-11-23T13:40:00.000-08:00

Graham loves moving his hands around! I thought today I would try placing this little teddy bear in front of him to see what he thought. I like this toy because it's a teddy bear and a blanket. He was definitely looking at it, and sometimes his hands hit it by mistake. The pictures are so cute!

Due to popular demand...more pictures of little Graham!

2009-11-20T10:49:00.000-08:00

Sorry the posts aren't as frequent. As a new-at-home mommy, i'm still trying to figure out the whole multi-tasking concept! Here are some of our favorite pics from this past week.

Little Treasure

2009-11-16T09:36:00.000-08:00

Graham is a beautiful little gift from the Lord! Steven and I have been so excited for the past week, finally having our little angel home. We've been able to bond with Graham in a way that we were never able to in the NICU. Even the sleepless nights we don't mind, because we have our little gem home. We are both completely overwhelmed that the Lord would let us care for such an amazing little guy.

We went to the doctor last week and Graham is officially 6 pounds! He's been eating and sleeping a lot, so I'm hoping his weight gain will just continue to soar. Here are a few pictures from our first week home.

He's already a little Arkansas Razorback fan!!!

Home Sweet Home!!!

2009-11-11T00:26:00.000-08:00

Tonight, after 78 days in the Sharp Mary Birch NICU, Graham came home for the first time. He weighs 5 pounds, 12 ounces, and is all smiles (except when he gets hungry. I'm the same way). To say the least, we're absolutely thrilled!! God has been so faithful to lead us through these past 78 days.

Graham's nurses have been wonderful. Brooke, Joanne, and Judith, his primary nurses, are probably angels. And the outpouring of love and encouragement from all of you has been overwhelming. To all of you who have been praying for our precious little guy, from the bottom of our hearts... THANK YOU.

Graham Cam

2009-11-07T21:01:00.000-08:00

Check out these two new videos. Thanks Aunt Lisa for taking fun videos!

Personality, Personality

Graham's smiles

Graham is doing well! We're hoping any day now that the doc will give us the word that he can come home. The doctors want to be absolutely certain that he's in good health before he comes home. He's spending much more time awake now than he used to. His nurse today said his big appetite is back.

We'll continue to keep you posted!

Feeling much better now...

2009-11-06T00:32:00.000-08:00

Our little guy is completely on the mend. Tonight at our visit he was all smiles. He still has some antibiotics, which he'll be done with tomorrow night. Other than that he's eating and sleeping just like he should be. His voice is still a little hoarse, but he's breathing much better.

A big shout out to Aunt Danielle! Thanks for taking such great pictures tonight!!

Out of the woods?

2009-11-04T10:20:00.000-08:00

I think our little guy is turning a corner. They moved him today into Nursery 3 (the same place he was last time before he moved to the graduate side.....ironic?). He doesn't need his nasal canula anymore and they're also taking out his feeding tube. So, when I see him next he won't have anything on his cute little face! He ate 90 mL this morning! That's a sure sign that he's feeling better. He still has to finish his round of antibiotics which are done tomorrow. They also want to watch him because his voice is still extremely scratchy. But, everyone says his lungs are sounding much better!

Praise God for helping our little man breathe!

That's my boy!

2009-11-03T00:08:00.000-08:00

Well, apparently Graham didn't feel like waiting until tomorrow morning to get his ventilator tube out. He took it out himself at about 2pm this afternoon. I must say, I'm quite proud of him. For everything he's gone through, the kid's got so much spunk! He's still extremely raspy and he has a lot of fluid in his lungs. Tomorrow they're sending the camera down his bronchial tube to get a better idea of what's going on. They're also only feeding him through the feeding tube, just in case something is wrong with his swallowing reflex. He's still in some pain. He is a lot more cranky than he usually is, but Tylenol seems to help him out a lot. His weight gain has pretty much stopped through all of this. He's holding steady at about 5 pounds 4 ounces. Hopefully as he heals, he'll be able to pick up the pounds again.

Thanks for praying!

Holding Pattern

2009-11-02T11:30:00.000-08:00

I wanted to give a quick update because I know so many of you are faithful to pray. We are basically at the same place we were a few days ago. Graham is still on the ventilator. They are giving him sedatatives on a regular basis to keep him comfortable. He has a lot of fluid in his lungs and his breathe sounds are still extremely rough. He will receive his last steroid treatment tomorrow morning, and then they will try him off the ventilator again. I will try to find out today from the doctors what our plan is if this doesn't work. His nurse today said they were discussing possibly looking down his brachial tube with a camera to see exactly what's going on.

As soon as we know more, we'll let you know through the blog.

Back on the ventilator...hopefully the last time....

2009-10-31T20:14:00.000-07:00

We thought Graham was doing better, but he is still struggling to breathe. When we walked in today, there were four respitory therapists around his bed. He was straining to breathe again the way he had earlier in the week. This time the doctors didn't hesitate. They immediately put him back on the ventilator. This time, however, they are also giving him a feeding tube, so it won't be quite as dramatic as last time. They've also prescribed a sedatative called adevan to help him calm down while he has the tube down his throat. The doctors believe all the breathing difficulties are caused by swelling in his throat. They are giving him steroids on a regular basis and will definitely leave the breathing tube in until at least Monday or Tuesday. They want to give his body a bit of a break from breathing so that he has time to heal before he tries to breathe on his own again.

On a bright note, the staph is nothing to worry about. They determined it doesn't even need antibiotics.

Thank you so much for your prayers, this has been a much longer road to travel than we thought.

Staph Infection

2009-10-30T11:52:00.000-07:00

Graham has a staph infection in his lungs as a result of his surgery on Monday. Doctors are doing more tests, so we'll find out more later today, and I'll let you all know...

They are allowing him to eat, though. Small amounts, but it's helping. He was even able to gain back about 100 grams (he'd lost a few hundred after the surgery). And he's finally been able to relax a little bit, and get some sleep.

Sorry for not posting pictures -- we haven't been very compelled to take many while he's struggling so much... Hopefully soon he'll start feeling better...

Collapsed Lung

2009-10-29T16:08:00.000-07:00

We just found out that Graham has a collapsed lung, as well as Chronic Lung Disease. This obviously helps explain his intense breathing problems the last 3 days. The lungs are very good at healing themselves, though, and there's a good chance he'll grow out of the Chronic Lung Disease in a few years.

Doctors put him on oxygen late yesterday afternoon, but were able to take him off early this morning. Now, he's breathing with the assistance of a nasal canula. He sounds very hoarse when he's breathing, but obviously can't muster up much volume because of the inflammation in his trachea. Today when he was sleeping, he sounded like he was snoring! It can't feel good, but it still gave us a laugh!

Thank you all so much for your prayers. We've been so encouraged. God is so good, and His hand is on our little Graham.

Please pray...

2009-10-28T12:00:00.000-07:00

Graham is still not recovering well from his hernia surgery. The doctors gave him steroids last night, as well as a blood transfusion to boost his vitals, but he's still laboring to breathe. We appreciate your prayers!

Rough Recovery

2009-10-27T23:02:00.000-07:00

Graham is having a bit of a hard time recovering from his surgery. He's struggled a lot today with his breathing. He was able to come off of the ventilator this morning, but then shortly thereafter had to have the assistance of the CPAP machine. His breathing is very labored. Because of this he is also not able to eat right now. He is getting the necessary nutrients through an IV. The doctors have given him albuterol again. There seems to be a lot of inflammation in his throat and chest area.

Pray for us and Graham. This has been a bit of a rough day.

Surgery went well

2009-10-26T23:22:00.000-07:00

Graham came through his surgery just as the doctors expected. When we left tonight he was still on the ventilator. Hopefully when I go in the morning, he won't be on it anymore. We're just praying for a speedy recovery so he can come home soon.

Thanks for remembering us in your prayers!

Surgery on Monday

2009-10-24T07:34:00.000-07:00

We walked into the hospital last night, and Graham's nurse said his surgery had already been scheduled! The doctor had said earlier in the day that it could take two weeks just to get it scheduled, so we were thrilled that it had been scheduled so quickly!

This Monday at 4:45pm, he'll have hernia surgery at Children's Hospital. They'll transport him in a specialized isolette, with a team of doctors and nurses. Unfortunately he'll have to go back on the ventilator for the procedure, and he won't be allowed to eat anything for a number of hours beforehand and afterward, so they said to expect him to lose some weight. Plus, he'll need at least two days back in the NICU to recover.

But his doctor said yesterday that had it not been for this surgery, Graham would have likely been coming home this Sunday (tomorrow). So even though he won't be home that soon, we're so grateful that with such a quick surgery date, he still might be able to come home next week!!

5 Pounds!

2009-10-23T01:15:00.000-07:00

Graham is finally 5 pounds! He's been lingering just below 5 pounds for about a week, so we were very excited tonight.

He may need another blood transfusion next week (we'll find out Monday), and he will need hernia surgery. Unfortunately it could take up to 2 weeks for the surgery to be scheduled, so he'll need to stay in the NICU longer than we hoped. He also had 5 immunization shots today, so he was a little upset. But he's breathing completely on his own and eating on his own -- and doing very well with both!

God is so faithful, and He loves this little guy so much. Thank you so much to all of you for your continued prayers.

New Photos

2009-10-23T01:04:00.000-07:00

Thinking happy thoughts about coming home!

It's so bright in here!

Breathing, eating, sleeping... so many things to remember!

A new bed, no feeding tube, and no oxygen tube!

2009-10-17T11:08:00.000-07:00

Graham has been upgraded yet again. He's now sleeping in a newborn-style crib. I love it because I can just walk up and give him a kiss without having to work through a complicated crib. He's been much more awake lately. He's waking up about a half hour before his feeding. He's such a good natured kid! He really only cries when he's hungry.

Yesterday, when I walked up to his crib he had kicked off all his covers! The nurses there swaddle those guys pretty tightly, so I was impressed that he was able to free himself. His nurse said it wasn't the first time that day that he'd done that.

He's also off his feeding tube and oxygen. Right now his orders are to feed on demand. So, they are not keeping him tied down to a schedule anymore. If he wakes up and he's hungry then he gets to eat. He's also been a champion nurser lately. He's been eating for close to 45 minutes. Hopefully with his feeding tube out, this will help his acid reflux.

The breathing treatments are going really well. He's not a big fan of having a mist in his face, but I think it is helping his breathing. Apparently, the reason they started these treatments was because they were hearing weak breathe sounds when they listened to his chest.

No word yet on when he's coming home. I'll keep you posted.

Some interesting numbers

Weight: 4 pounds 13.5 ounces

Length: 17.4 inches

Age: 8 weeks on Monday

Days in the NICU: 54

Breathing Treatments

2009-10-14T11:59:00.000-07:00

Yesterday they decided to start Graham on a breathing treatment. Every six hours he's getting a medicine called albuterol, and every twelve hours he's getting pulmicort. The doctor is hoping just to give his lungs a little boost to help him get over his breathing struggles. The treatments are really easy; they just hold a little oxygen mask up to his nose and let him breathe in the medicine. Last night he slept right through it. I'm really praying that this treatment helps. Especially when he's eating, he really struggles with taking deep breaths.

More pictures coming soon....

Graham's stats

2009-10-13T10:05:00.000-07:00

Last night we got some more specific numbers on Graham's size.

Current weight: 4 pounds 11 ounces
Current length: 17 1/4 inches

It looks like he might just blow right through pound number 4. Before we know it he'll be 5 pounds. He's doing good. We just have to pray that his breathing gets a little better. Right now that's what's stopping him from coming home.

Thanks so much for the prayers!