Lunch date #3 for the week...

Due to Graham's jam packed social calendar, and Jeff's busy days at the office, it's been a very long time since we've been able to meet for lunch at General Mills. Today was the day though, and Graham proved yet again, what a big boy he's becoming. Graham had a grilled cheese sandwich for lunch and wouldn't touch the half that we broke up into small pieces for him. He fussed a bit until we handed him the intact half and then proceeded to eat his lunch with a smile on his face!

Before we headed for lunch I noticed Graham was playing with his train and I thought he looked so grown up in his shorts with a little belt...he's getting sooo big sooo fast!

Studying the trucks on his placemat with Daddy

Graham awoke from his afternoon nap to find that the mailman was very kind to him today! He received a postcard from Grandma and Grandpa Greer who recently spent a few days in New Orleans for business. He studied his postcard intently for quite a while-it was almost as if he was really trying to figure out what it said.

The mailman also dropped off a giant box of books from Borders! Last week I had a discount code for $5 off a purchase, but instead of taking $5 of the end total, it took $5 off of every single book! So, I went to town choosing books for Graham and ended up getting him nearly $140 worth of books for just over $20-not bad! I let him dig through the books and take a few that immediately grabbed his attention and the rest I'll put away and pull out for special occasions where a new book might help to keep him entertained-car rides, airplane trips, waiting rooms...

Lunch with "RaRa"

Today Graham and I headed downtown have lunch with Sara, or as Graham likes to call her, RaRa. We ate on the top floor of Macy's so Graham was unusually mellow during the meal thanks to a great view of the city and the hustle and bustle of lunch time in the heart of the city. When I stop and replay the meal in my head, I don't think Graham threw a single piece of food-VICTORY! I can't pretend the area under his highchair was clean, but there is an obvious difference in Graham dropping food and Graham throwing food. I'll cut him some slack for food that falls, it's the throwing part that I won't miss. Someday, flying food will lose it's appeal, won't it???

Sara is receiving a lesson in trucks from Graham

Graham sure does love his friend RaRa

After Graham's bath this evening, he discovered the switch in the bathroom that turns the fan on and off. Light switches aren't too exciting for him anymore, but the switch to a fan is pretty cool!

Froggy Boy and his new discovery

Happy Frog

Liv and Graham

Today was our first lunch date in a week that is full of meeting up with friends for a meal! We joined Tiffiny and Livia for an Italian lunch. Thankfully, the tables were covered with paper because these two little ones certainly can make a mess! But, a baby making a mess, is usually a quiet baby, which means the Mommy's get to talk! Graham was his usual picky eater but he did watch intently as Liv devoured her peas. She kindly shared some and Graham just pushed them around. I don't know what it's going to take to get vegetables into his little body!

It's strange when I stop to think that it was just over a year ago that both Tiffiny and I were learning about our children, both still in Korea. Now, not even a year since they've been home, they've both settled into their lives and are very attached to their MaMa's. We're so lucky!!!

It sure is hard to get two babies to look at the camera at the same time when all they want to do is look at each other!

This could be a problem...

Recently, Graham has taken a real interest in diapers. I found him one afternoon trying to fasten one of his diapers on his Elmo doll. Only after complete frustration did he let me assist him. Here it is a week later, and Elmo is still wearing his diaper. I've also noticed the pile of diapers on the changing table will disappear over the course of the day. After careful observation of Mr. Independent, I realized he was taking clean diapers, squishing them into a ball, and throwing them behind the diaper genie. I guess he's been watching me ball up his dirty diapers and put them into the diaper genie. He can't get it open, so apparently throwing the clean diapers behind the contraption is the next best thing. So anyways, to explain the pictures...while I was picking out Graham's clothes this morning, he managed to put on a diaper (sort of) over his pajamas. A few days ago, he couldn't figure out the tabs, and today he's got it mastered. I'm concerned though-if he can get a diaper on, can he get them off too????

Graham's Busy Weekend

We began our weekend with a BBQ with our friends Sara and Chris. Graham tried repeatedly to say Sara's name, which comes out "RaRa" (hey, you've got to give him credit for trying!) and enjoyed "meowing" at her cats. During dinner, I was cutting corn off the cob for Graham to eat. I should have known that Mr. Independent wouldn't want to eat his corn in that manner when the rest of us us got the entire cob. So, I handed Graham the entire piece of corn and he went to town...a vegetable he'll eat...unbelievable!!! Now, if we could only figure out how to get him to eat the green stuff too!


Saturday brought great weather so we headed to the beach. Jeff and Graham played in the water and I got to relax for a bit and read a magazine. That may not sound like a big deal, but the fact that I was able to sit and read uninterrupted was a treat! Quiet time for me is a luxury hard to come by!

When it was time for lunch we pulled out Graham's car and strapped him in. This kid eats like crazy when he's in his car! I'm still trying to figure out why he's always trying to get his feet "up" while he's eating though. He loves to put his feet on the table at home and becomes very frustrated when we insist he put them down, and here he is at the beach looking very comfortable with his feet resting on the steering wheel. I guess he's just a casual guy!

After discovering a flat tire on my car this morning and killing quite a bit of time at Costco while they repaired it (how I got 3 nails in 2 different tires is beyond me!) we decided to end our weekend with a Ben and Jerry's ice cream treat on the shore of Lake Minnetonka. It was such a beautiful evening so ice cream outside was a perfect way to enjoy a lazy Sunday night.

18 month Check-up

Today was Graham's 18 month check-up. Before I get into the details of his appointment, the following pictures tell the story of how a very busy little boy amuses himself while waiting for the doctor...

Like we suspected, Graham is very healthy little guy! His pediatrician just loves him and even commented that she's going to go through "Graham Withdrawal" since his next check-up isn't until he turns two! I guess the fact that his check-ups will now be yearly instead of every few months means we're entering into true toddler territory-that and the fact that Graham believes he's a monkey and doesn't stop climbing until he physically can't get any higher! During his appointment, Graham was happy to share his new words, animal noises and his prized possession-his yellow bus. He even enticed the doctor to kiss his bus, which she patiently did with a smile on her face! :) When it was time to leave, Graham really didn't want to go. He would have rather stayed in the exam room and played with the round stool on wheels. Graham decided to plant his feet and wouldn't move so I had to pick his little 24.5 pound self up and carry him to the car. In between angry noises directed at his very mean Mother, he did pause long enough to blow kisses to the nurses and desk workers! :) What kind of child cries when they have to leave the doctors office?!?

"Eye-Bo"

My cousin Todd and his family are in town from Phoenix and Graham and I had the opportunity to visit with them today. Graham had a great time hanging out with the girls - I think they're his third cousins...I could be wrong as I'm not too good with the family tree labels.... Kasie and Camryn were kind enough to make Graham a visor complete with his name which he surprisingly kept on his head all morning! The girls made it their mission to teach Graham at least one new word during their visit and they were successful! Graham has now added "eye brow" (actually pronounced eye-bo) to his vocabulary. I know that eye brow sounds like a pretty random word to add to his repertoire, but he's very excited to point out all the things on his face, so why not add "eye brow" to the already existent, eyes, ears, nose and mouth!

Ouch!

On Monday mornings Graham attends his little music class. Mr. Social is so comfortable there that he marches confidently into the room each week and makes the rounds in our circle stopping at nearly every person to offer a smile or clap his hands for them. He also loves to perform...when most kids are sitting, Graham does what his teacher has started calling "interpretive dance" in the middle of the circle. Let's just say that he really "feels" the music and dances with a giant grin on his face. My goal is to get a video of him in action sooner than later. At one point during class I noticed Graham and a little girl playing together. This little girl then grabbed Graham's finger and before I could stop her, decided to take a nice big bite of his hand. Needless to say, Graham was in tears, but thankfully, she didn't break the skin. It was surprising to me that this little girls mom didn't even acknowledge what had happened. I guess we know who not to sit near next week!

After music class we ran a few errands-shoe shopping for me(Graham doesn't enjoy this) and a quick trip to Trader Joe's (Graham does like this). Graham's frustrations of the morning were quickly washed away with a brand new balloon!


On a completely different note, Graham learned a new word today. "Bus" is no longer his newest word. Today he made my Mom EXTREMELY happy when he said "Gama"! She and her friend Linda joined us for a bit this afternoon, and it was in the shoe department that Graham made my Mom's day! At first, I didn't believe her when she reported what Graham said. But, sure enough, much to my Mom's delight he said "Gama" several times this afternoon.

Weekend in Duluth

This weekend we headed up to Duluth to participate in the Relay for Life in support of my Mom! When the relay began on Friday at 6pm the weather was perfect -unusually warm, sunny skies, and not a cloud in sight! At about 8:00 Graham became pretty grouchy and tired, so he and Jeff headed back to the hotel to get some sleep. I on the other hand, stuck it out all night long until the event ended at 6 am. Once the sun went down, the cold and wind began to set in and so began our night in an open field with mosquito's and an obnoxious DJ who had a strange love of Neil Diamonds "Sweet Caroline"...I'm still hearing that song in my head! Who would have thought that we'd be wearing winter coats, mittens, and blankets for extra warmth in July?!?!?! ? Yes, it really was that cold! I was so happy when the sun finally came up and it was time for me to get some sleep!

Graham and Grandma before the relay began

After I got a few hours of sleep on Saturday morning, our plan was to spend the rest of the weekend hanging out on the beach in Duluth. Apparently, the weather gods laughed at our plans because we were met with rain and highs in the mid-50's...in JULY!!! Duluth is a pretty touristy town, but unfortunately most of the tourist spots focus on being outdoors so it took some creative planning to keep Graham entertained and my tired eyes open. This creativity is what led us to a train museum. We learned that Graham really enjoys looking at trains both real ones and toys!

After the train museum, it was still raining,and too early for me to convince the boys that it really was bedtime (I was DESPERATE for sleep at this point!) so we headed to the Duluth Children's Museum. It was here, that Graham got to dress up in armor and wear a crown while perched in a throne!

Thank goodness our hotel had a pool complete with raining mushroom for the little kids! Jeff sat in the kiddie pool (which apparently had unusually warm water) for quite a while while Graham played under the mushroom and tired himself out. Now, it was finally bedtime for all of us!!!

We woke up to cool weather and a grey sky on Sunday, but at least it wasn't raining. We decided to head down to the lake for a walk before starting our drive back home. Graham was having a great time throwing rocks and watching waves but as soon as he discovered a dead muskrat that had washed ashore, I made the executive decision to end our beach time. We did take some time to stop and feed the seagulls which Graham found hilarious. Each time the birds would fight over the bread Graham would clap his hands! I have to admit, those birds did put on quite a show!

Our last stop before heading home was a really cute toy store. It was here, that Graham discovered an entire wall of Thomas the Train paraphernalia. Judging by the excited squeals coming from his little body, one would have thought his dreams had come true!

It's that time again....

That's right, Graham's hair grows so fast that it was time for yet another hair cut. Unfortunately, it seemed like every other Eden Prairie Mom had the same idea to get their kids' haircut on this rainy morning. Graham did a good job being patient as we waited for our turn though. He entertained himself with some crayons and a very ugly dinosaur! He liked the plastic dinosaur (on the table) so much, that when his turn came, he took it with him and held it under his cape for his entire hair cut. Graham's name was finally called and once he was settled into his chair, the stylist began to make conversation with me. Our conversation was strange to say the least, and went something like this-
Stylist-Where did you get him from?
Me-Where did I get who from? (The idea that she was talking about Graham didn't occur to me)
Stylist-Where did you get Graham from? Is he adopted or is his Dad Asian?
Me-Well, both actually.
Stylist-Huh? I'm confused.
Me-Graham was adopted, but his Dad is also part Asian.
Stylist-You know his real Dad?
Me-My husband is his real Dad.
Stylist-I thought you said he was adopted.
Me-Yes, he was adopted.
Stylist-This is so weird!

For what it's worth, the term "real" Dad or "real" Mom just grates on my nerves. "Real" implies that someone that is or was in Graham's life is fake which obviously couldn't be farther from the truth. It's interesting that all of my conversations related to adoption that happen in public, happen when it's just Graham and I out alone. If Jeff is along, people don't give us a second look. It's going to be interesting to see how Graham chooses to handle nosy questions as he gets old enough to be a part of the conversation. At 18 months he's already got quite the spunky personality, so I'm sure his responses will be nothing short of amusing!

A Lunch Date

Today we met up with our friends Jodi and baby Isaac for lunch. When I see these two little guys together, it's hard for me to believe that they're both getting so big so fast! Isaac spent the entire meal smiling and watching every single move Graham made. And Graham, being very aware of his little observer, did his best to entertain him. Graham kept himself busy for most of the meal with the never ending bread basket and he even offered the occasional bite to Isaac. It's too bad that Isaac is too small to eat the bread, because his eyes certainly lit up each time Graham waved a piece around. I think he really wanted it!


After lunch we made a quick stop at the book store. After careful consideration of many books, Graham decided on three new books. He chose two books related to trucks to add to his transportation book collection. We read soooo many books about "things that go" that I'm getting pretty good at identifying all sorts of construction vehicles...who would have thought? For his third book, I was secretly relieved when he took a real liking to an Elmo book about puppies. Thank goodness for a little variety!

Shopping!

Today was our day to go shopping! I love browsing or "shopping without a purpose" as Jeff calls it, but what ever you want to call it, that's what was on our agenda today. At the last minute, my Mom decided to join us so it was fun to have her along. It's always a treat when there is an extra set of hands to amuse Graham while I quickly sneak into the dressing room! I try to avoid taking Graham into dressing rooms. Maybe it's the mirrors, or the way everything seems to echo, but Graham usually takes that opportunity to share his voice with people from one end of the store to the other. Thankfully, I was able to avoid that experience today!

Checking out the pants-even Graham appears to be on a mission to find that perfect pair of pants

Gymboree is the best-Moms (and Grandma's) can shop and kids are entertained with cartoons!

As I was making dinner this evening, Graham immediately fell into his routine of emptying one of the cupboards to make a giant mess. Today, he decided to try something new though...I wonder if he'll be able to make a living as a contortionist someday?

Someday I'll look at this picture and wish that my little guy was still small enough to fit into a cake pan! :)

Finally, it was dinner time. I had a strong feeling that tonight's meal would be a messy one, so Graham dined in his finest-a diaper and bib.

I'll bet you can't guess what Graham enjoyed for dinner this evening!

Picnic in the Park

This evening we headed to the park for a picnic supper. Graham was thrilled to be dining in style in his car rather than his boring old booster chair. For some reason, Graham always eats better meals when we're out and about. As strange as this sounds, he LOVES to eat his picnic meals straight from the ziplock bag. Forget the fancy china or cool animal plates, our boy is all about the plastic bags! :)



After we finished our dinner, we took a walk near the lake and let Graham play for a bit at the playground. I'm pretty certain that Graham's very favorite activity is riding around in his car. His giant smile sure shows us how much he's enjoying himself!

Our Weekend in Pictures

This weekend was pretty low key for us. We spent the weekend at home running errands, getting things done around the house, and just hanging out with Graham. Here is our weekend in pictures!

Running through the sprinkler..the problem with this activity lies in the fact that each time Graham sees a sprinkler (no matter who's yard it's in) he heads straight towards it

Taking his car through the "car wash" aka sprinkler

Still having fun in the car wash

Taking Annie for a walk at Starring Lake

We're still working on the "no feet on the table" rule-he looks a bit too comfortable in this position!