Happy One Month Birthday!

Yesterday, Graham celebrated his 1 month birthday! It is amazing to think that he has been here for a whole month already. There are moments where Chris and I wonder how a month could possibly have passed. Time has just seemed to fly by and he has grown so fast! Then, there are those other moments (typically around 3 AM each morning) when we think...has it only been a month?!?! It feels like a lifetime, and Chris and I both struggle to remember what life was like before him. However, when we do manage to bring up such a memory, we immediately realize that we NEVER want to be "just the two of us" again! Graham has brought such immeasurable joy to our lives and has given us a sense of completeness that we never even knew was missing...not too bad for one month of life!

This has definitely been a month of growth! Physically, Graham has grown so much! Although we both struggled with breastfeeding initially, he and I have worked together and with a lot of patience (and love and support from Daddy), we have both gotten the hang of feeding, and Graham is typically a great eater! He was 5 lbs. 13 oz when he was born, but as of Thanksgiving, weighed almost 7 lbs.! He now has a few more outfits that actually fit (or at least come closer to fitting), and there are a few of my favorites that I know he will outgrow soon!



One of my favorite outfits..."I Love my Moomy!"

Graham still loves to snuggle and loves his tummy time. He is amazing everyone at his ability to move his head from side to side and hold it up for short periods at a time. He will prop himself up on his elbows and look from side to side too! (We call it the periscope!) Graham is even showing the beginning of an ability to roll from side to side. I put him in his bassinet the other night, and like always, he instinctively moved from his back to his right side. I walked away for a minute, and when I came back, he was laying on his left side. I watched for a while and by kicking his legs, he returned to his back and then just kept going back to his right side. Chris and I know we could be in trouble if he starts rolling this early!



Snuggling with Mommy!



Tummy time on the Monkey Rug!!



Practicing "baby sit-ups" with Mommy and Daddy!

Graham has definitely started to show-off his personality as of late! Although he still loves his sleep, he is awake and alert for longer periods of time. He makes great eye contact, tracks lots of different sights and sounds, and loves to sing and play paddy-cake games with mommy! Graham is also a little jokester. He has started smiling and will even make a "giggling/cooing sound" when he is really happy! We have noticed a little dimple on his right cheek and think it comes from Daddy's side of the family.



Not to live in complete denial, we have also discovered a dimple on the left side of his chin that only comes out when Graham is decidedly NOT happy. When he is upset, he straightens out both his legs and arms, and it looks as though he is "standing" on mommy or daddy. I guess he just putting his foot down and making his feelings known.



Fortunately, these periods are not too common and he is generally a happy baby, loving life and taking it all in!



Sleeping angel!



Auditioning to be the next "E-Trade" baby?!?



Watching the Iowa/Minnesota game...He can't bear to look!



Still cheering the Hawkeyes!

Happy Thanksgiving

This year, we have discovered an entirely new meaning of Thanksgiving! We are so thankful to have been blessed with a happy, healthy baby boy. We are thankful for family and friends who have showered Graham with love and us with support. We are thankful for hugs, snuggles, baby kisses, giggles, smiles, squeaks, coos and cries, and even sleepless nights! We hope that you and yours are able to celebrate with thanks for the even the littlest things in your life as well!



The scales of Thanksgiving...Graham 6.8 lbs., the turkey 7.4!



First Thanksgiving with Mommy



Football socks for football day!




What do you mean I can't have turkey?!?!?!



Sleeping at the table!



Tryptophan?!?!

Let the spoiling begin!

My folks made the trip down to Tallahassee this past weekend, and while they had met Graham via video chat, I think everyone was excited to meet face to face. I had talked to Graham before they arrived, helping him prepare for all the hugs and kisses that he was about to receive.

We had a lot of quality time while Grandma and Grandpa Reece were here. My dad and I took a couple of hours to tour the Tallahassee Auto Museum. We even introduced them to such great Tallahassee dining as Decent Pizza and Sunday brunch at Cabo's.

When my parents weren't busy ogling over Graham (which took up most of their time- I mean, he's cute!), they were busy working around our house, helping us to get back on top of some of the things that move down the priority list with a newborn (you know, vacuuming and "adult" laundry). We owe them in a big way for all their help.



My dad and I spent many hours clearing out our backyard. If you didn't know, a backyard in Tallahassee can turn into a jungle in no time if left untended. Now imagine what it might look like if your landlord hasn't touched it in at least 8 years. I'm talking Amazon. We got a large area clear-cut, and with a little more time back there, maybe Grandpa Reece can practice his putting on the next visit.

Everyone had a great visit this weekend. My folks are back on the ground in Iowa (with a little "extra" time in Atlanta and Detroit). My body is telling me not to give up teaching for a career in landscaping. My wife and I enjoyed the gift of extra sets of hands, and my son has been showered with all kinds of love (in person) from Grandma and Grandpa Reece. Now we've got to start explaining to him that Grandma and Grandpa Koch have just as much love to shower him with when they visit over Thanksgiving. Better get ready!

Two Weeks Old Already?!?!?

So as of yesterday, our little man was 2 weeks old. How in the world did that happen?! It seems like we were just walking laps around the neighborhood trying to convince him that it was time to make his appearance, but in actuality, we have spent more than two weeks getting to know Graham and all his little quirks.

So what have we learned over the past two weeks?

1.) Graham LOVES to sleep! There have been many nights when we have had to wake him up to change him or feed him. Although Chris and I are trying desperately not to be those paranoid parents who wake their children out of a dead sleep to feed them, we are acutely aware that given his size, it is important that he eat on a fairly regular 2.5-3 hour schedule. So, we set alarms for every 3 hours and get him up, if he hasn't already awoke.

2.) When Graham is awake, he is WIDE awake and alert! He is very attentive and loves to check out his surroundings. He tracks many different sights and sounds. We are having all kinds of fun singing songs and listening to music of all kinds! Best of all, Graham definitely has a joking personality that I am pretty sure he gets from his dad. He often gets this cute little smile/smirk on his face, and it is nothing short of adorable! This is only compounded by the 10 hairs on the crown/back of his head that always stand upright, no matter what you do. Chris calls them his "alfalfa sprouts". They are so cute!

3.) Graham is a snuggle bug. His favorite place to lay down and fall asleep is on someone's chest. He loves his tummy time and is doing an amazing job picking up his head and moving it from side to side. Inevitably though, he will curl up on his side (big time side sleeper--usually right side which he definitely gets from his mommy) and tuck his head up under your chin and fall fast asleep! It just melts our hearts and Chris and I are often fighting over who gets to hold him first.

4.) Graham is growing so fast! When we went for his two week check up, he was up to 5 lbs. 15 oz. (Hooray for being only 1 oz. away from hitting the big 6 lb. mark!). However, while he has grown and changed so much over the past two weeks, he is still a peanut and does not have many clothes that actually fit. One of the biggest problems is that the weather has gotten cooler, and we are trying desperately to find appropriate sleepers/pjs for him. While preemie sized clothes fit the best around his middle, he is a little too long for preemie length. Regular clothes though, don't quite fit, and he has a tendency to become a "mermaid" and gets both his legs down one leg of the sleeper. He does NOT like this and gets extremely unhappy when this happens!

5.) Graham has made our lives more complete! All of us, even Frankie and Rescue! We are all better because he is here, and we love him more and more everyday!

While we have not had too many adventures thus far, we have survived two trips to the doctor, a "road game" trip to Fred's, and a walk around the neighborhood to break in the new stroller. Each time we go out, it gets easier and we are starting to feel more and more comfortable getting him and ourselves ready to get out the door! We have had several visitors and are excited because Grandma and Grandpa Reece are coming tomorrow. They are beyond excited to meet him and we can't wait to show him off!




Snuggle Bug



Sleepy Boy



Ducks on my feet--not my rear!



More Ducks!



All my boys together in one place!



Road Game



One of the guys at Fred's...he even gave Graham remote control power!



Snuggling with Mommy in my Owl PJs from Grandma Koch



I love owls too!



Sleepy Silly Monkey!



Breaking in the stroller...so exciting!



Am I cute or what?

Happy Birthday X 2!!

So today (probably yesterday by the time this post is published) is my 33rd Birthday, and I think I can safely say it is the BEST birthday ever! About two months ago, Chris randomly asked me what I wanted for my birthday. My immediate response, at 7 ½ months pregnant, was “A baby…preferably about a week old.” Well, sure enough I got my birthday wish and gift, and he has made my life more complete than I ever thought possible! As Chris said, our hearts have been blown wide-open with more love and pride than we ever thought possible. We are better people than we were one week ago, and what an amazing journey we have had so far!

The last week has been incredible… incredibly hard, incredibly stressful, incredibly joyous, and most of all, incredibly happy! I can’t quite believe that it has been a week already, but here we sit on my birthday, wishing our beautiful baby boy, Graham Edward Reece, a wonderful 1-week birthday!

Graham’s birth story actually started on Saturday, October 23 when we made what was to become the first of three visits to the women’s pavilion at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital. Saturday morning, I woke up with some bleeding and wanting to be as proactive as possible, we headed in to be checked out, knowing full well that we weren’t yet in labor. A few hours on the fetal monitor and an ultrasound later, we were reassured by midwife #1 (Kim) that everything was fine. We had a full term baby who was healthy, and my body was just finally getting everything ready and organized for his/her grand entrance.

We returned home and spent the remainder of the weekend alternating between walking laps around the neighborhood and speaking lovingly to my belly reminding Baby that “any time now” would be good. Baby must have gotten the message because I woke up around 2 AM Monday morning with contractions that were unlike those that I had experienced before. While I wouldn’t say they were overly painful, they were strong enough to let me know that this was the beginning. Chris and I both called in at school and spent the day walking around the neighborhood, stopping to collect a few pretty autumn leaves for the Baby book and talking about how our life was changing. Although we remained focused and tried to be positive, we were both a little frustrated as we were not able to establish a strong, regular labor pattern. My contractions were lasting for about a minute, but would come every 5 minutes, then every 12, then every 7, then every 3, etc.

Around 4:00, we decided they had moved closer together than they were before, so we went back to TMH. Of course, the instant they had me lay down and put me on the monitor, the contractions slowed WAY down. Even after spending an hour walking laps around the labor and delivery floor, I was checked by midwife #2 (Erin) and only 2.5 cm. However, I was 95% effaced and told that I was definitely in labor, just not progressing far or fast enough to be admitted. She gave me a painkiller shot and told me to go home and relax, as the shot would take the edge off the contractions I was having and would allow me to relax enough to hopefully establish a more regular labor pattern. We were told to keep our regular weekly appointment, scheduled for 3:45 on Tuesday afternoon, unless my water broke or I had contractions lasting at least 1 minute that were 3-5 minutes apart.

So, we were homeward bound once more. Chris and I were both extremely deflated and frustrated, but tried to remain optimistic and excited about the fact that we were assured that labor was definitely beginning. After becoming a little belligerent (at least according to Chris), I gave in to the effects of the medication and slept from 11:00-4:00. When I awoke at 4:00 AM, it was apparent that the drugs had achieved their desired effect, as my contractions were much, much stronger than they had been the day before. They were lasting at least 1-1 ½ minutes at that time, but were still randomly spaced out. Chris and I tried to settle into the walking/exercise ball/rocking chair pattern we used the day before, hoping desperately that my contractions would occur more frequently as time went on. Unfortunately, the intensity of the contractions didn’t really allow me to enjoy any of those activities for long, nor did the contractions come with any increasing frequency.

At 1:30, I had a contraction that lasted for almost 3 minutes. I begged Chris to find a way to make it stop, and he decided that it was time to call the midwife. He explained that we either needed to come in before our 3:45 appointment time or we needed to go to triage and asked which they preferred. They sent us to labor and delivery triage once again. We were told that we would meet midwife # 3 (Debbie) there and it was on the way that I became finally convinced that we were having a boy! It seemed like fate to me because a few weeks ago when we had an appointment with Debbie, she asked if we had any questions. We asked if it was a boy, what should we name him? Without missing a beat, she said "Graham" which was one of our favorites too! It was weird to hear someone else, unsolicited say the name and I think it was what pushed it over the edge as the name of our precious bundle! Upon arrival, Debbie told us that she had talked with Kim and that we would be able to schedule an elective induction on Wednesday or Thursday, but that she wanted to check me first. When she checked me, she said, “Honey, that isn’t going to matter now. You are already at 6 cm and we will have this baby today!” I told her she was my new best friend and Chris said that he would kiss her, but he was afraid I might get upset! At that point, I think I wouldn’t have cared at all!

So, finally, at 3:00 pm on Tuesday, we were admitted to labor and delivery. Although we had all talked about doing a natural birth, by that time, I was so tired from laboring for over 36 hours that we decided an epidural was the way to go. At 4:00, I got the epidural and Debbie came to check me (I was at 7 cm) and break my water. We were told to take a nap and relax, and that we would have the baby before midnight. It was such a relief to know that the end was in sight, and Chris and I were so excited that it was hard to relax amidst the excitement. After calls to both sets of parents, informing them that they would in all likelihood be grandparents by midnight, Chris left for the cafeteria and I spent some time listening to Jack Johnson, Jewel, and Dave Matthews. It was so nice to be able to concentrate on and enjoy music, rather than the pain of contractions that I had experienced for the prior 2 days.

When Chris got back, we decided to put in a DVD and watched Pete’s Dragon while we were waiting. The nurse came in around 5:30 to add some pitocin to my IV cocktail. It seemed to do the trick and shortly before 7, something in my body told me that it was almost time. Sure enough when Debbie came in during the 7:00 pm shift change, she checked me and informed the new nurse that she needed to get ready because we were going to start pushing SOON! After some practice pushes, the real work began around 7:15. It was hard work, but everyone was so calm and positive. Using a mirror, I was able to see the top of a head full of blond hair (?!?!?—who would have figured given the paternal side of the family?!), and it was such motivation to push and get the baby here. We pushed through each contraction, relaxing and watching the end of Pete’s Dragon during the “breaks”, until Baby was almost here and Debbie told me to just go ahead and push contraction or not. Despite not really knowing how he would respond, Chris was phenomenal during all of it and ended up helping deliver. Just before 8, Debbie told me to go ahead and push regardless of whether I was having a contraction or not, and at 8:01, Chris and Debbie delivered him, I heard, “It’s a boy”, and then most amazing sound I have ever heard. His very first cry…. Welcome to the world Graham Edward Reece.

So, there you have it. In that one instant, our world was changed forever for the better! Graham Edward Reece was born at 8:01 pm on October 26, 2010. He weighed 5 lbs. 13 oz. and was 19.1 inches long, with apgar scores of 9. The NICU nurse was called in just to monitor his breathing, which was a little fast. Upon observation, she said that he was fine (in fact, he took that opportunity to introduce himself and peed all over her!). Apparently, Graham picked a rather popular day to be born, as there were 3-4 other births within about 30 minutes on the floor. According to the nursery nurses who came to do his measurements and scores, he was “a little peanut” in comparison to the others (the one they measured immediately prior had been almost 10 lbs.!). Chris and I just thought he was perfect! His name was a combination of one of our favorites, Graham, and the name of my grandpa's (and Uncle's middle) names, Edward.

We spent the next two days in the hospital getting to know our little man. He had several visitors including; Brenda, Natalie, Melissa and Quinn, Jessica and Nick, Danielle, Trey, and Pastor Marda, along with various nurses, doctors, hearing screeners, photographers, dieticians, lactation consultants, etc., etc. etc. He handled all the attention extremely well and has remained bright eyed, alert, and attentive! We have struggled a little with eating, and as Chris has so lovingly put it, initially, Graham “sucked at sucking”. His suck reflex was extremely disorganized, and we all struggled to get him to eat event he smallest amounts. However, since leaving the hospital and coming to the more calm and much less disruptive home environment, he has learned and grown a ton!

We are all still adjusting to the differences Graham has made in our life. Frankie and Rescue are doing much better and will actually stay in the room with him at all times. The only time they are a little off-put is when he really starts to wail, which doesn’t happen all that often at this point, as he is a pretty mellow guy! We even have to wake him up to feed and change him! He definitely comes by his love of sleep naturally. We are taking the time to enjoy every minute, knowing that it will never happen again. We look back now and realize that Graham has had a pretty amazing first week of life...first birthday, first Hawkeye game (way to go Iowa!), first Halloween, first election day, and first birthday for Mommy! Not bad for a week and we are looking forward to a lifetime more of laughs, tears, and more love than we ever thought possible. So, definitely Happy Birthday to me!



Happy Birthday Graham Edward!



First Family Picture



You look nice...Are you my mommy?



I'm a boy...a very sleepy boy!



Finally headed home...representing the Hawks of course!



Mad air guitar skills in my tie-dye nonetheless!



Me and Herky hanging out before my first Hawkeye Game!



My first Halloween--It's a boy!



Mommy has this thing about putting me in outfits with things on the rear!



First Birthday as a mommy!



Happy Birthday Mommy--Don't I have great taste already? Check out the bracelet!

PS--So, I didn't quite get this posted on my birthday, but didn't I say many months ago that by posting so infrequently, I was setting up realistic expectations?!?! Thanks to everyone for their love and support!