Happy Halloween!

I actually had to wake Graham up from a nap this afternoon in order to feed him a quick early dinner so we could begin our "Family Tour" of Trick-Or-Treating. When I went into his room, this is how I found him. Who needs a pillow when you can have a crib bumper?

Isn't he the cutest lion you've ever seen?

Our first stop was to visit Great Aunt Maureen and Great Uncle Michael. Great Uncle Michael was taking the picture so didn't have the pleasure of posing with us!

Our next stop was to visit Grandma and Grandpa Olson

The next stop was Grandma and Grandpa Greer

Last, but not least, our final stop was to visit Uncle Peter and Auntie Lynn. For as late as it was, and how much time Graham had spent in and out of the car seat in a lion costume, he was in a surprisingly good mood. Playing "airplane" with Uncle Peter seemed to help his mood as well :)

Checking out Uncle Peter

It's almost time for costumes!!

The past few days have been pretty low key for us. Today we just hung out at home in preparation for our big night! We've been waiting a very long time to have a little one to dress up for Halloween (Annie doesn't count!), and we're excited that tonight's the night! We'll be trick-or-treating "9 month old with a cold style" though....getting in the car, driving around the city, and stopping to show off his costume to a few eager family members. We're anxious to see how he responds to wearing a costume, then being strapped in the car seat! This could make for an interesting family tour this evening! Stay tuned for pictures of Graham the Lion!

This morning Graham discovered the laundry basket. I fold laundry around him often, but he's never taken an interest in what I was doing. Today though, he got curious and decided to check things out.
Trying to decide if he should crawl all the way in.....

He enjoyed pounding on the laundry basket, then looking at me like he was proud of himself!

He also discovered the air vent in his room. He sat just like this for a good five minutes letting the air blow at his face and "talking" to it....strange child!

Cruising around!

We're in trouble.....he's never pulled up onto furniture....until right now....and he chooses the entertainment center of all things!

Graham is learning to share!

Annie has decided that Graham is her best friend....especially after Graham decided that it would be nice to share his cracker with her! No worries....despite intense protest from Graham, the cracker was thrown away after Annie helped herself to a few bites!

Graham's Weekend!

Graham has had a busy weekend! Friday night we had the opportunity to visit some friends who just returned on Thursday from Korea with their adorable little girl! She and Graham stared at each other for a while before Graham decided to get the action started and grabbed a large clump of her hair...understandably Livia did not care for Graham's choice of interaction! We're going to have to help Graham understand that hair pulling isn't the best way to make friends!

Yesterday I had the opportunity for some personal time and I have to admit that it felt great! I got to shopping with a friend while Jeff and Graham had some boy bonding time and got to visit with Grandma and Grandpa Olson. When I got home from my outing, I was unsure what to expect. I didn't know if Graham was going to be upset that I had left him for so long. I am thrilled to say that when I walked through the door Graham gave me his biggest smile and quickly made his way into my arms. It was good to have some "adult" time yesterday, but it was also great to come home and see that I had been missed!

Today Graham woke up and got dressed in his Vikings jersey to display his team spirit. It's a good thing he doesn't understand that his team lost despite his efforts at being a true fan. Around lunchtime, Grandma and Grandpa Greer stopped over to say "hi" and brought Graham a new toy! He is now the proud owner of a riding toy complete with a horn! Graham absolutely loves it and looks so proud of himself when he's sitting on it! He's also gaining confidence on his legs and has figured out how to walk behind his new toy as he uses it for stability.
Gaining confidence standing up!

Annie sure makes a great pillow!

Graham is holding the keys to his new "car"!

Feeling like a big boy sitting on his new toy!

This is a video of Graham walking behind his new toy! I have a feeling that before long, he's going to be chasing Annie around the house!

Graham's First Day of "School"!

This morning Graham and I attended our first class together. It was just a bit overwhelming as the class has been in session since September which made us the "new kids" in the class! I didn't have any idea what the class routine was or know that snack time was built into the schedule so I didn't really pack anything for him. Luckily, the kids had no issues sharing, or should I say, didn't care when Graham so kindly helped himself to their puffs, goldfish, or cheerios. Next week, I know to show up prepared so I can fully contribute to what looks like a kiddy buffet!

Graham chewing on his bottle at snack time.

Graham no longer wants his bottle since other kids get string cheese and puffs!

How cute is this little table! The chairs were about 2 inches off the ground and all the kids were so content eating at a table in a real chair!

One of Graham's favorite things today was the sensory table filled with dried oatmeal. He had a ball throwing it, dragging a shovel through it, and also taking an occasional bite! I don't have pictures of this because I'll admit that I was too embarrassed to whip out the camera so early in class. Luckily, another mom took hers out (THANK YOU!), and I quickly followed her lead. Next week, I'll be certain to take many pictures as the kids are coming dressed up in their Halloween costumes! This should be interesting to have 10 little kids dressed up in outfits they hate, while their moms fuss and try to get the "perfect picture". I guarantee pictures of Graham and his classmates dressed up next week...I just can't promise that there won't be any tears involved!

Checking out a new toy!

This toy had a little piano on one side and Graham did NOT want this little girl to touch it!

Playing with another new toy. Graham seemed drawn to the toys he could play with while standing up...I think I know what we're shopping for this weekend!

Checking out what's going on behind him!

A late night addition...

We've got a climber!

Graham's Fan Club!

I learned today that Graham has fan's I don't even know about! We went to have lunch with Jeff at work today, and waiting at the employee entrance with Jeff, was a group of people....some Jeff knows, and others were just friends of friends, who have seen the blog or heard our story. It's funny to me how "well know" Graham has become, and someday, when he's old enough to understand, I'm sure he'll be impressed by his near celebrity status! Graham did a good job eating in a busy cafeteria today and eating out gets slightly easier each time we do it. By no means is it easy, but the task isn't quite so daunting anymore. Jeff was very pleased to see Graham reaching for his mashed potatoes with gravy at lunch and was more than willing to share with him. I don't think Jeff expected Graham to finish off his portion though! For those of you that know about Jeff and his mashed potato obsession, you know that it's only out of true love that he'll share, let alone give away, his portion of mashed potatoes!

Last night Graham had his first shot. He had shots while in Korea, but this was the first time we were the ones responsible for subjecting him to it! Luckily, Grandma Greer volunteered to come along and be the "bad guy" holding Graham down for his flu shot. This allowed Jeff and I to turn our heads, hold our breath, wait for the scream, then go rescue him when it was all over. Graham cried for a minute or two, but the tears went away when Grandma presented him with a new toy! I wonder if she's available for all of his shots?!?

Tomorrow Graham and I start our first class together and I'm really looking forward to it! Graham absolutely loves music and new toys, both of which I'm sure he'll be able to experience tomorrow. It will also be nice for me to be able to connect with other stay-at-home moms from the area. I'm also hoping that this class tires him out to the point that he is willing to take a nap in his crib. Currently, Graham refuses to nap laying down. He will only nap in the baby carrier on my back. The problem is that Graham is a big boy (20+ pounds!) who gets bigger each day, and each day my back hurts just a little bit more. It's obvious to me that he needs his naps, and he takes them like clockwork each day at 10:00 and 2:00, he just wants to do it on me. We've got a plan though, and this weekend we're going to put it to the test....Cross your fingers!
Graham is all smiles after his morning nap on my back!

Who needs a highchair when you can pound on the table and eat puffs standing in a booth?

Mmmmmmmmmmm, mashed potatoes and gravy!

An overdue update and lot's of pictures...

I've been asked many times over email the past few days why I haven't been updating the blog. So, for all the avid Graham fans out there, I'm sorry for slacking in my blogging duties! I was hit with a lovely round of food poisoning this weekend that left me doing nothing but sleeping. That meant that on Saturday, Jeff had "Graham Duty" all day long! While I drifted in and out of sleep during the day I could hear Jeff talking with Graham and I got a good laugh out of one of their one-sided conversations. It was mid-morning and I could tell that Jeff had been scurrying around the house trying to get everything in order when I heard loud and clear from the kitchen "Graham, I think your Mom must be on Speed! I have no idea how she keeps up with you all day!" What made this especially amusing to me was that this comment was made about 10:00 am....at least 6-7 hours before I would normally have Jeff arriving home from work to provide some relief.

Yesterday I was feeling much better and decided to take Graham to visit my parents and allow Jeff some time to watch the football games in peace. Graham had a very good time visiting with his Grandparents and was especially pleased that not only did Grandpa let him hold the remote but he also got to check out the entertainment center! The entertainment center is off limits at our house, so this was a real treat for Graham considering his obsession with cords and lights! Graham's big accomplishment for the day was learning a new "word". Along with "buh buh buh" and "ma ma ma" he can now say "pop pop pop". We're excited to see that he's picking up the sounds in the English language so quickly. Pretty good considering he spent the first 8 months of his life responding to Korean!

Today is a big day in our house for two reasons. The first is that Graham turns 9 months old and the second is that our social worker came over for our first post-placement visit. The Korean government requires the social workers to "check" on us on two different occasions. Once after we've been home a month (today) and again when we've been home three months. Mary, our social worker, couldn't get over how well Graham seems to be adjusting and repeatedly told us that he's perfect. Well, we didn't need to hear that from a social worker. We're very proud first time parents and Graham has been perfect to us since the first time we saw his picture in June!

Enjoy these long overdue pictures of Graham! As long as food poisoning doesn't strike our house again, I promise you'll be seeing more regular updates!

He figured out the other door on the entertainment center this morning....way to make Daddy proud!

Graham still loves his books...at least chewing on them!

I'm not sure what is more entertaining for Graham, the blocks, or the box they're stored in! Both seem to entertain him equally!

Our happy guy standing up!

"Helping" me unload the dishwasher

Happy Graham cruising around the kitchen in his walker!

Trying out some new cereal-General Mills of course!

TGIF!

Graham has recently become a very good sleeper at night. He consistently sleeps from about 9:00 to anywhere between 7:00 and 8:30 without waking!!! THANK YOU GRAHAM! Naps during the day are a completely different story, but we're making progress, so I can't complain! I took this picture at 8:30 am just before I had to actually wake him up for the day! Who knows how long he would have continued sleeping had I let him!

We had dinner at an Italian restaurant last night with my family to celebrate my birthday. Graham did a pretty good job considering the fact that he had to be strapped into a highchair against his will. We've actually been to quite a few restaurants lately, and have one more restaurant meal on the calendar this weekend, but after that, I think we're done for a while. Going out for dinner used to be relaxing for Jeff and I-there was no cooking and best of all, no cleaning. Now, going out involves packing baby food, hauling along a large variety of toys, and best of all, no outing would be complete without changing a messy diaper on a not-so-sturdy plastic changing table in a bathroom while Graham squirms around trying to catch all the action. Apparently, public restrooms are very interesting to an almost 9 month old mind. There is water making noise in the sink, toilets flushing, ladies staring at Graham's face and commenting on his adorable cheeks, and best of all, the hand dryers make the most wonderful noise that it's worth spinning his body completely in a circle to see what's going on. Keep in mind that most of this is happening without a diaper being completely fastened on his body. It's all a very lovely experience, that's forced us to realize how much easier it is to just eat at home and not have to amuse a very curious and vocal baby out in public!

"Career Planning"

For those of you that don't know, Graham's Uncle Peter is a pilot, and loves anything and everything to do with aviation. Peter sent me this doctored up picture of Graham this morning and titled it "Career Planning". I thought it was cute and figured others might get a kick out of it too!

Pictures from Tuesday

Despite what Jeff believes, Graham has not lost dignity for life because of this hat! I still get the evil eye each time I put him in the carseat, but the tears are coming less often!

Brushing his teeth and checking out his diaper selection!

Graham's obsession of the day is his toothbrush. He won't let me go near his mouth with it, but he's very happy to brush (aka chew on it) independently. What's better than ride on a snail and a good teeth cleaning after lunch?

To say that Graham loves to take a bath is an understatement! He actually throws a fit a few times a week when we pull him out of the water! Check out those rolls on his arms!

Annie would jump into the bath with Graham if we didn't stop her!

A Busy Weekend!

The past few days have been pretty busy for us! And, because Graham has decided to sleep though the night for the past two nights (THANK YOU GOD!!!!) we've actually had the energy to keep moving! Friday night we ventured out for pizza with Grandpa Greer. Admittedly, I was nervous about how Graham would do at a busy restaurant at dinner time, but in the end, my nervousness was for nothing. Graham did a great job and from now on the only thing I need to be nervous about is the waiter who thinks it's a good idea to put a steaming hot pizza on the table next to a baby. Luckily, Jeff is still faster than Graham, and was able to move the pizza to safer grounds!

Yesterday we spent a good part of the day outside enjoying the amazingly beautiful weather! Graham was lucky enough to have all four doting Grandparents visit to shower him with attention! Thank you to our parents who, aside from visiting with Graham, helped with the yard work and made us a wonderful lunch! Yesterday was also the day that Graham discovered that October in Minnesota means that there are leaves covering the ground, and that they're actually pretty fun to play with! Since everything goes into his mouth, the leaves were no exception....that is, until the adults who obviously don't understand the appeal or nutritional value to dry leaves, pulled them from his mouth.

Graham continues to amaze us with his very charming personality and curiosity. He's learned so much since he's been home, and we're so proud of him!! Friday night he actually balanced for about 15 seconds all by himself! Once he realized what he was doing, I think he got startled and immediately reached for my hand. He also loves to babble and his newest thing is to crawl around and all day say "buh buh buh". He likes to do this after hearing someone singing Ba Ba Black Sheep. He really watches our mouths and is trying to repeat the sounds we make. Hopefully this week, he'll learn a new sound. For Jeff and I, walking around the house saying "buh buh buh" is getting just a tiny bit old! :)

Playing in the leaves!

The disgusted look on Graham's face is a result of me trying to get him to eat green beans tonight with no luck. Take note of Annie....this is where she patiently sits each time Graham is eating!

Graham's first restaurant!!

Yesterday, Graham and I went out for lunch with Grandma Greer. I was a little worried about how he'd do, but he was great! As long as Graham could mash up all the crackers he wanted, and had a giant stack of napkins within easy reach, he was one happy guy! I realized yesterday though, that out in public, Graham and I have become "those people"....you know, the ones that make a gigantic mess all over the floor that I used to look at with pity! Actually, I'm happy to have become that lady. We finally have our baby to make a mess all over the floor and as crazy as this may sound we're thrilled watching him do it! All in all, it was a successful excursion, and I'm slowly gaining confidence when it comes to taking Graham out. The car seat isn't such a challenge anymore (for me at least, he still hates it) and I'm realizing that if he starts screaming at the grocery store, he starts screaming. Life will go on!

Graham and I at the beginning of our meal out!

Napkins are delicious!

Content holding his bug and a stomach full of banana puffs and saltine crackers!

I can't tell you how long I've waited to go out for lunch with my mom and have my son along!!!!

We try to take a walk each evening. It gives Annie some exercise and Jeff and I a chance to talk. Since it's getting very cool in the evenings, we thought it was time to dig out the stroller sleeping bag from Grandma and Grandpa Olson. This is us leaving the house for our walk.

This is us coming home from our walk. Graham must have been cozy all tucked in because he was out cold!