Saturday, August 14, 2010

Woo! I am two!

Hey Graham fans! What a summer! At the beginning it looked like Caroline was going to spoil all of my fun this summer, but fortunately I have still gotten to do some fun things! I don't get to update the blog as much with all the summer fun and being a big brother. I will try to catch you up on my activities.
Not sure if I mentioned earlier that Mommy and I went to story time at the library. It is fun because after the stories, there are a bunch of toys to play with. That was our only scheduled activity. I have discovered this really great show - it is Dora the Explorer. There is this monkey on there called Boots - he is so fun to watch. I don't think he gets enough coverage on the show. If you haven't seen it, you should watch it. I still like Elmo and Sesame Street, but Dora has more plot to it.
Let's see what else has been going on... Well Nanny visited. We played and I did my best to entertain her. I think it must have worked. She had to oohh and aahh over Caroline too. I guess sister is kind of cute so that is understandable. Daddy and I took her to a park so I could show her how agile I am. She was definitely impressed.
Caroline I think mentioned that we went to Grandma's while Daddy went to a wedding without us. We definitely had a good time at Grandma's. She has a mowie (translation from Mom - mower/lawn tractor). She took me for several rides and let me steer. Grandma has a really big yard so she really needed my help. I bet she hasn't gotten it all mowed since I was there. Aunt Deb and family came to visit also. Sam and Kayla played with me, chased me around. It was a good time. Grandma must be really religious. She has all these little water holders around the yard like at church. I thought I was supposed to bless myself with all of them. Boy was I holy when I left! (Translation from Mom - Grandma has a couple of bird baths.)
I like Grandma's deer. They are just my size to ride!
We got our pictures taken a few weeks back. I had no interest in smiling. They tricked me into playing catch with the football, but I still didn't smile too much. When Mommy can take such cute pictures like the one below, I don't know why some stranger needs to do it!

Daddy and I went to the I Cubs again with Jeff and Andrew Johannsen. We had a good time. I ate a hot dog and chased Cubby Bear all over!
Well the biggest event of the summer has been my birthday! Daddy took the day off. We went to a park with a wading pool in the morning and then for dinner we went to Incredible's Pizza Company. It was really the games I liked versus the pizza - who cares about food when there is fun to be had! Uncle Brad, Aunt Lisa, and Benjamin came over later. Benjamin and I played - I had to show him how to drive my tractor. On Saturday, Grandma showed up, then Grandpa, and Uncle Brad, Aunt Lisa, and Benjamin were back. Nanny and Nan were next and finally Uncle Greg. My first gift came in a big box and it took Grandpa and Daddy awhile to put it together. I helped supervise.
We had lunch or should I say everyone else had lunch. After they all ate, we had CAKE!! Big Bird and Elmo were on my cake to go with my Elmo themed party. We had ice cream too!
Then we opened my presents!


I really like my presents and have been playing with them all. I like to play with my new tractors on my new table and on the dining room table. I really like to sit in my new chair and watch my new DVD's. I think Mommy posted a picture of me holding Bebe while I was sitting in my new chair. It was a really good birthday!

That is all for now. I already have more to post, but not enough time to tell you about it!

Thursday, August 12, 2010

I roll over!

Woo hoo! I rolled from my back to tummy today! Then later I was on my tummy and rolled over to my back. By the way, if you haven't figured it out, this is Caroline, not Graham. He jumps off the furniture and climbs on everything - rolling over would not be a milestone for him. Anyway, about me, I have been working on rolling over for a long time, like at least a week. On the floor, I try to roll over, in my bouncy seat, I try to roll over. Mommy didn't get a picture of me actually rolling over, but take my word for it, I got the job done!

Life still is a lot about sleeping. I moved into my crib a few weeks back. I tend to scoot around especially if I can break out of my swaddle. Mom is so proud of me for being a good sleeper so far. I can sleep 6-7 hours straight many nights, give or take. Gosh I don't know if Graham ever sleeps that long!

I went through a phases where I was kind of Mommy dependent. Mommy and Daddy were supposed to go to a wedding without us kids, but Mommy was afraid I would cry for hours straight at Grandma's. Daddy went to the wedding by himself. Mommy, Graham, and I went to Grandma's. Aunt Deb and her family were there. Everyone was holding me and I did just fine. I guess it isn't so bad to let other people take care of me.

Smiling and jabbering are some of my favorite activities. I try to laugh too.


I like to grab things on my bouncy seats and my playmat. You can see below how I grab with my hand, but in one of my seats I get those animals with my feet!

Graham had his birthday party last week. Of course he got lots of attention, but I smiled at everyone. They all thought I was so sweet! It wore me out!Hard to believe I have been around over 14 weeks! I am getting so old! Until next time!

Saturday, August 7, 2010

Graham is two!

It might not be as interesting but it is Mom's turn to post. Certain things really just need to be shared from a parent's perspecitve. Like right now, he wanted me to kiss his finger and then he touched one of the wheels on his flatbed truck. What his little mind is thinking...

In his two years, Graham is definitely trying to get the most out of life! He continues to be very active and adventurous. He runs fast, throws well and likes to jump off the furniture. Two words that describe him well are 'all boy'! He is in touch with his feminine side however - he likes to dry his hair like Mommy, will put on make-up, loves to vacuum and likes to play with the seasonings. He will even taste his concoctions - not sure how he doesn't grimace, but he doesn't.
Graham is definitely not an early talker, but his vocabulary continues to expand. Some of the things he says:

Mo peas (More Please)
Bownie (Brownie)
Mowie (Mow and Mower)
Esth (Yes)
Moose
Monkey
Tactor (tractor)
Teat (treat)
Punkin
Goff ball
Wuv you
Hoop (basketball)
Mommy's Wap (lap)
stairs (not sure how to type how he says 'r')
I wimmy! (I swimming!)

All are words that warm our hearts! The clarity at which he says 'no' is amusing though sometimes not the word we want to hear. Of course, we think he is SO smart. Driving down the street and he sees a white Navigator he says - Mommy's car. Most pickups are Daddy's Car or Duck (truck). He loves tractors!


Graham really wants to be helpful with Caroline. Periodically he wants to hold her in his lap. He is getting more confident at trying to pick her up, though it would be disastrous if he actually got a hold of her without an adult around. He wants to help burp her. When she gets a bottle, he likes to help feed her. He now gives more kisses than swats. At nap time, Graham wants to give 'Bebe' a tiss (kiss). Overall as aggressive as he can be, he is quite affectionate.
Based on Graham's activities, I predict he will grow up to be one of the following - stunt person, chef, professional pitcher or quarterback (it won't be long before he throws better than Mommy!), lawn care specialist (fancy words for 'mowing'), housekeeper (dusting, vacuuming, washing dishes seem to be fun stuff), or mountain climber. We will see how my predictions change over the years.

It is hard to believe Graham is already two. We feel lucky that he is ours yet worn out from his endless energy. Happy Birthday big guy!