Happy 6 Month Birthday!!

Is it really possible that ½ of a year has already gone by? During the school year, 6 months always seems to go so slow and take so long, but with Graham it seems to have flown by. I think it may be because he is growing and changing so quickly now. Each day seems to bring something new: a new skill, a new sound, a new interest, a new face, and the list goes on and on. I have had several friends with kids say, “Wait until Graham hits 6 months old…that’s when the fun really starts”! And, while the past 6 months have been great, I now understand what they meant!

Graham has really grown this month, I think in large part because he has really gotten into eating! And when I say gotten into it, I mean GOTTEN INTO IT (and some nights gotten it everywhere except his mouth)!!! We made it through all the stage 1 baby foods and explored rice cereal, all while continuing to breastfeed as well.
(The pictures are little deceiving , as he was NOT a huge fan of the rice cereal).
I definitely think that we hit the timing of solids right, as Graham was extremely interested in “helping” with the spoon and trying to feed himself. Needless to say, we had many nights where we have left his chair and made a beeline straight to the tub!
Graham is a huge fan of oatmeal, sweet potatoes, carrots, and squash!
We have had to work a little harder on the green veggies (as in convincing him not to make such awful faces nor spit them out at Natalie), but he now devours peas and green beans as well.
At his 6 month appointment on May 9, Graham was 13 lbs. 7.5 oz. and 24.5 in. This still places him below the 5th percentiles in weight and length, but his weight for length falls in the 25th percentile.

Though he may be a little munchkin, we are not worried because Graham is definitely hitting his developmental milestones. During the last month, he has started rolling from his back to his stomach. He still struggles with getting his shoulder out of the way to roll completely over, although I think he likes it that way since he still really does not want to be on his belly! Of course, Graham rolled this way for the first time with Natalie, and then didn’t show us his new trick for another few weeks. I think it will always be hard when someone else gets to see a new skill emerge for the first time, but I am trying to be patient. I keep reminding myself that there are things Graham does, sounds he makes, and smiles he gives that are reserved for Mommy (and Daddy too), and that seems to make the “big green monster” go away, at least for a little while!

Graham is working hard at sitting independently and will do so for a few seconds at a time before falling. He also loves to stand!
He likes to push up on people’s laps and stand! Our new acquisition of the month was a Bounce Bounce Baby activity zone/stander. I am not really sure if you can truly call it a stander when Graham’s feet don’t quite reach the base, but he is trying and loves it anyway. I think his favorite part of the stander is the different perspective of the world. He loves being able to look down at things and can get eye to eye with the cats when they are on the couch of chair. It is amazing how quickly his leg and trunk strength have improved since using the stander for a week or so.

Graham’s attention span has gotten noticeably longer this month. He loves to listen and move to songs like “Wheels on the Bus” and “If You’re Happy and You Know It” which can be made longer and longer each time. He is starting to enjoy not only watching, but reaching for bubbles too! Graham has become active with his “toys” (i.e. papers laying on the floor, rags, the straps on his carseat, the palm fronds at the Palm Sunday service). He easily picks things up, grasps well, and moves them back and forth from hand to hand. We are also starting to see the beginning of cause/effect understanding as he will drop things and look to see where they went and who is going to pick it up, so he can start to drop it again!

Graham also loves to look at books and even reaches to help turn pages.
He is vocalizing more and more everyday and Chris and I both crack up at the funny sounds he makes!

He chats with both sets of grandmas and grandpas on the computer and loves to reach for the phone as well. Gee, imagine Chris and I having a talker in the family?!?! The thing that Graham loves best is just being silly! He makes so many different faces and loves watching Daddy be silly, getting tickled, and hearing new and funny sounds.


Now that Graham is bigger, it has definitely gotten easier to go out and about with him. This month, we ventured to the Springtime Tallahassee Festival. We skipped the parade because, as any of you who live in Tallahassee can attest, parades in this town go on FOREVER! While Graham’s attention span has improved, none of us would have made it through the parade! We did walk around the booths, eat some Florida sweet corn (there is just something so not right about corn on the cob in April!), and check out a few of the performances. We also purchased an annual pass for the Tallahassee Museum and took a Sunday afternoon to visit with the animals and catch a nap as well!

It has been an amazing 6 months!! I am so thankful for all the love and support we have received from ALL our family and friends. Chris and I are so glad to be Mommy and Daddy and we are so proud of our baby boy!

Happy Mother's Day!

I can not begin to tell you the number of people who, on Friday, wished me a "Happy First Mother's Day" nor all those who, on Monday, asked what we did for my first Mother's Day. I am sure to many my answer was probably somewhat disappointing, but to me, my first Mother's Day was just like any other day. Chris did take Graham shopping on Saturday, and they surprised me on Sunday morning with my very own "I Love Mommy" picture frame, a new iPod case, and a bead for my charm bracelet. Graham really enjoyed the presents, and he was especially helpful with the tissue paper and envelope! He even got a few extra "mommy-kisses" in for all his hard work!


The rest of the day, we went to church, Graham and I snuggled and took an 1 1/2 hour nap, we out to eat at Applebees and finished off the day with a trip to the Promised Land. Hooray for Target!

To some, this may seem rather uneventful. My day was full of the mundane, everyday things that I have so come to appreciate and cherish. I am so excited and blessed to be a mommy and have this wonderful little man in my life. In short, my "First Mother's Day" was perfect because for me, now everyday is Mother's Day.

This little piggy cracked up!

While it's common knowledge that pigs are the funniest of all the animals, it is always fun to watch someone come to this realization on their own. Here's a video of our little someone being enlightened by this universal truth.

To My Sweet Baby Boy

My Dearest Graham,

It is amazing how time flies! You turned 6 months old today, although it seems like just yesterday we were welcoming you into the world! You have grown and changed so much in this short time, discovering new things every day and finding new ways to continue to steal my heart away!

At the same time, it feels as though you have always been here, and I struggle to remember what life was like before you came along. I think in many ways you have always been a part of our lives. I know you have always been here in my heart, and you now complete me. You have given me the best role in life, Mommy! I can not imagine my life without you, and know that I am truly blessed beyond measure!

I love you, Graham Edward Reece!

Happy Easter!

I think we can officially say that we survived another "first" holiday. Easter has come and gone, and a good time was had by all.

On Tuesday, we went to visit the Easter Bunny. I told Chris I felt like we should go this year while Graham is still so easy-going and happy because "you just never know what might happen next year". Sure enough, our almost 6 month old son was not at all phased by the bunny, and Graham cheesed for the camera like only he can. The same can NOT be said for the 18 month old in line behind us who screamed and cried loud enough for the whole mall to hear. Graham was definitely more startled and put off by her than the bunny!


The Easter baskets and stuffed and singing and dancing bunnies have been arriving at our house since mid-March, much to Graham's delight! Since we had opened the packages as they came, I went ahead and got a few things to put in the baskets from Mommy and Daddy for Easter.



While he was interested in the puppy and the car, the sunglasses were the biggest hit!

Although we didn't dye any eggs or do an official Easter egg hunt this year, we still had plenty of egg fun! I bought a set of Easter eggs and robbed Chris' spare change jar, placing different coins in each egg. Then, while Graham took a nap this afternoon, the eggs were hidden around his favorite places; in his crib, on his changing table, on his floor time mat, on his stander, in his swing, and in his car seat! He had great fun "finding eggs" throughout the rest of the day. He was so excited to hold them, shake them, and most importantly, taste them. I thought he might even roll from his back to tummy to reach one of them, but no such luck!


Tonight all the eggs were emptied and the money went into Graham's piggybank!

Graham also enjoyed his first Easter church service. He even got to have an up close and personal experience with a trumpet when we went up for communion. That was a new sound that definitely got his attention! And though the service went a little long for his attention span, he was all smiles afterward and showed everyone at church "Who's cute?!"

Happy Easter from the Reeces!

Happy Earth Day Birthday X 2!

As we are getting ready to celebrate Graham's 6 month birthday in just a few days, some awesome friends of ours became parents today...twice over! Mallory and Chris will be amazing parents and we are so excited for them! Congratulations Even family and welcome to the world Parker and Reagan! We can't wait to meet you!

Happy 5 Month Birthday!!

Another month has come (and almost gone) and here I am still behind in my updates. I have meant to write this for about a month now, along with about 16 other blog posts, but everyday I come home, take one look at my beautiful boy, and immediately decide that I would much rather spend time with Graham than write about him! I LOVE coming home to him everyday and am so in awe of the amazing person he is becoming right before our eyes.
While Graham continues to grow and change at a seemingly rapid-fire pace, we did hit a stumbling block or two this month. At his 4 month appointment, Graham was only 11 lbs. 6 oz. If that figure looks familiar it’s because it was exactly what he weighed at his 3 month appointment?!?! How in the world that was even possible is beyond me. Our doctor, however, was very reassuring and spent a lot of time talking to us about his feedings, eating and sleeping habits, etc. In the end, she decided that rather than start supplementing or start solids, we should make a conscious effort to increase the amount of milk he was consuming, and come back in two weeks for a weight check. So we did, and after 2 weeks of me feeling like a cow and Graham eating constantly, we took him back to the doctor to discover that he weighed…11 lbs. 11 oz.?!?! He only gained 5 oz.?!?!? I definitely didn’t understand that one, since I am confident that he gained more than 5 oz of hair in those two weeks alone! By the time the doctor came in, I was in tears and just so frustrated, not understanding how that could happen. Again, our doctor was wonderful and opted to have us go ahead and start solids rather than supplement with formula, and come back in two weeks for another weight check.

And so began our foray into the world of solid foods. We started with rice cereal, and it has definitely been quite the adventure and Graham has had a lot to say on the matter:



As you can probably tell by the video and pictures, Graham has a giant personality to make up for his small size. He loves to talk, smile, and laugh! He has started to enjoy playing peek-a-boo games, particularly after bath time when he hides his face in his hooded towel and we have to ask, “Where’s Graham?”. He loves to explore faces and is starting to imitate some of what he sees. One of our favorite books right now is Baby Faces. Graham looks so intently at the babies on each page and will even reach to try and turn the pages.

I think one of my favorites now is the million watt, melt your heart smile Graham will give to anyone who asks, “Who’s Cute?”. His smile and laughs are contagious, and he will giggle at funny sounds and tickles, especially from Daddy. He likes to talk and explore many different sounds. (Shhhh, Puppy, it's my turn to talk!)
I think laying in bed in the mornings and listening to him chatter over the monitor may be one of the best sounds ever. Yes, we have officially made the transition from his bassinet to the crib on his 4 month birthday (February 26). While I shed more than a few tears over this monumental event, Graham could not have cared less. He has slept very comfortably in his crib without missing a beat (or really much sleep)!

During this month, Graham has learned to grasp and reach for objects and move them back and forth from one hand to the other. I don’t know if it means anything at this point, but he is definitely taking after Daddy and favoring his left hand, although he will use his right as well. He is working hard at sitting, although he would rather sit on the floor or someone’s lap as opposed to the bumbo seat. He is not quite independent yet, but getting closer everyday. Graham still has not rolled from his back to his tummy, but again, he is SO SO SO close. We were sure that he would roll during springbreak, but he is holding out on us!


Overall March was a very busy month. We celebrated his baptism on March 13 with Grandma and Grandpa and his God-parents, Danielle and Fred. We also made it through another “first” holiday with St. Patrick’s Day!
Speaking of firsts, Graham was lucky enough to enjoy two “springbreaks” this year. One with Grandma and Grandpa Koch where he made a trip to Valdosta to see Great-Great-Aunt Ruth and a trip to the capital to see Mommy and her chorus students sing a concert. The other springbreak he spent with Mommy and Daddy, taking lots of walks
and going on his first trip to the beach!

Phew… looking back at all the pictures from this month, it is easy to see why I never had time to write this post! And can't you tell why I would rather snuggle with this cutie than the computer?!