Happy Birth Day!

In our family, we have a lot of fall birthdays.  And I do mean, a LOT!  As in 1 in August, 5 in September, 2 in October, and now 2 in November.  For Graham, this was most convenient because we learned that when you have a 3 year old who has just come to understand what birthdays are all about (cupcakes, balloons, and parties) and has celebrated that many birthdays in a short period of time, it is convenient to explain that the new baby that is about to arrive will have the next "birthday". 

Shortly after we told Graham he was going to be a big brother, we overheard him in the backseat, talking to himself, saying "We'll go home, eat supper, put jammies on, and then the baby will come."  Umm, buddy it's June.  The baby is not coming yet.  So, we decided to tell him that the baby would come after his birthday, constantly praying that the baby would really wait until after October 26.  Graham caught onto this and once the fall birthday season arrived, he was always asking to "talk about birthdays" and for us to identify "whose birthday comes next".

Needless to say that by the time Elliot's birth day actually arrived, Graham was all ready to celebrate!   The morning that we were in labor, Chris' parents took Graham to Publix where he chose a special birthday balloon, party hats and napkins, and cupcakes!  He even drew a picture for Elliot.  The party planner and his "party in a box" arrived at the hospital on the afternoon of November 14 and it was game on!  Let the birthday celebration begin!
 

There was a balloon,

party hats for EVERYONE (check out how many Graham has for himself!),

 birthday and big brother cards (and presents, of course!),

 

N

singing (he is my child, after all),

and cupcakes!  

Unfortunately, we were all so busy eating said cupcakes and cleaning up the chocolate aftermath, there are no pictures to be found.  Which, let's face it, is probably a good thing.  Have you seen a 3 year old eat a chocolate cupcake or any cupcake for that matter?!  It is not a pretty sight! =)

All this partying led to a worn out first "birth day" boy and a sleepy big brother/party planner extraordinaire!

 

I was so impressed and proud of Graham.  He was so excited about his little brother, and he certainly though of everything.  What a wonderful welcome to this world and our family!  Suffice it to say, Graham has set the bar pretty high.  I can only wonder what I will be able to come up with next year for Elliot's first birthday!

 

It's a...

BOY!!!!!

We are proud to introduce you to Elliot Warren Reece!  Elliot was born at 10:24 am on November 14th (a few days later than expected, but well worth the wait)!  He weighed in at 7 lbs. 15 oz., and 19.5 inches long.  For those of you keeping score at home that is a full 2 lbs. 2 oz. heavier and .4 inches longer than his brother!  In keeping with being as unlike his brother as possible, he has a head of dark hair.

Like his brother, Elliot's arrival came after a few trips to the mid-wife's office, ultrasound tech's office, and a trip to TMH (just for good measure).  Although we had hoped to be induced earlier in the week, we had an induction scheduled for Thursday.  However, the threat of a forced eviction was apparently enough to motivate the little man, as I went into labor on my own on Wednesday evening, and Elliot decided it was time to make his appearance on the coldest morning of the season.

In ways like his brother and ways all his own, Elliot, in an instant, changed our lives for the better, and introduced everyone in the family to a level of love that we didn't even know existed.  He has made our family complete and we are over the moon for our newest bundle of joy!

Anytime now...

OK, baby!  Today is your very cool due date, and we are ready for you to come.  Truth be told, I am beyond ready for you to come.  Over the past few weeks, I have tried coaxing you out in several different ways...

A bumpy hay ride...

hugs from your big brother...

going down the slide at the park (after walking there and then walking the long way home)...

and I even resorted to this today...

You better come quick.  Who knows what I might do next! =)

Graham's 3!

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Happy Halloween from the Neverland Crew

As you may be aware, Graham is obsessed with all things Peter Pan and all things pirate.  We have about 4 different copies of Peter Pan books, each just slightly different from the others, and Graham has each memorized.  To the extent that he informed me one day that a dog in the neighborhood was "licking his chops for more, you know like the Tick Tock Croc in Peter Pan".  He is too smart for his own good!  At least, the obsession is fun and for the most part, appropriate!

Graham decided very early on that he wanted to be Peter Pan for Halloween this year.  So, one youth sized green shirt from Target, one pair of green pajama pants, a rope belt from one of my maternity dresses, and an authentically purchased Disney Peter Pan hat complete with a red feather later, voila, Peter Pan was ready to roll! 

Initially, the plan was only to have Peter Pan represented in our house.  However, after talking with some friends from church, Chris discovered that he could have access to a Captain Hook costume.  This was all well and good, and Graham was thrilled to find Daddy dressed as Captain Hook! 

However, Graham then turned to me and said, "Who are you going to be, Mommy?"  I couldn't come up with anything fast enough (espeically since we were supposed to be leaving to trick or treat in about 10 minutes), but Chris saved the day, remembering that I had a striped maternity top.  Pairing that with my non-maternity shorts allowed baby to be a part of the Mr. Smee costume as well since it is a requirement that Mr. Smee's belly hang out! 

The costumes were the hit of the neighborhood and everyone loved how even baby was included...Now, what will we do next year when there are actually 4 of us?!