Another Weekend Away

At the end of August we packed up and headed north for a weekend at Aaron's uncle Doug's lake cabin.

 

Graham got busy playing right away.

Then it was time to hit the pontoon. 

 

 

Mama cooled off in the water.

 

Dad chilled on the boat. 

Millie thought the whole thing was pretty exciting too.

But that night Graham had a temperature and would not go to sleep. No.Matter.What.

It was stressful and scary. Thank you Sanford for the 24 hour nurse line. We were on it at 11:00 p.m. and 4:00 a.m. and when you're hours from home, it was definitely comforting to still be in touch with medical professionals to walk you through all your questions and concerns.

We thought the heat had gotten to him....only makes sense since it certainly felt good to us when we jumped into the lake and cooled off. Why would it be any different for Graham and he had no such opportunity. So we felt stupid and guilty (welcome to parenthood) but according to the 4:00 a.m. nurse, his temp and how long he had it represented an actual infection he was fighting and not heat, so we felt a little better that it was perhaps not as parent-inflicted as we thought. But that still didn't mean he felt or slept any better. And I still doubt the heat of the boat ride had helped matters at all.  

We made it through the night, tired but alive. We considered going home. Considered staying in the dark, air-conditioning all day long. But since his temp was OK by mid-afternoon, we ended up braving the pontoon again, this time armed with a bucket of cool water and wash cloths to keep little man wet and cool.

 

This go-around went much better and Graham remained clear of a temp throughout the evening.

So we headed off to Rafferty's for some pizza (Graham preferred the taste of his baby paper more).  

Then to the Chocolate Ox at Grand View Lodge on Gull Lake for some ice cream. 

The resort is beautiful and it was a perfect evening, so we strolled around for awhile like we belonged there. 

 Selfies with a baby....

Looking like a big boy at the kiddo table in the lobby.

 
And I wish I could say that Graham slept well and all was back to normal that night for bed. Nope. He was incredibly fussy and I recall that I had to hold him for over an hour while he screamed and cried to get him to fall asleep. And when he finally did calm down, he wanted nothing to do with his pack and play. He would cry (hard) as soon as he touched the mattress. So we eventually resorted to sleeping next to each other on the sectional couch. I was just so glad he (and I) could finally sleep.

So I don't know what it was...obviously he wasn't feeling great, but I think that paired with being in a strange place (he just didn't realize the lake cabin is intended for rest and relaxation....silly baby) added up to bad sleep.

But we still had enough fun moments to make up for the extreme sleep deprivation. Next summer we'll have a one year old (crazy) who will probably love splashing and running around (and hopefully sleeping...). 

Early August

I'm so behind on the Blog! Here's a cluster post of early August to start catching up...

Grandpa Mike and Graham got in a little quality time...Millie was also interested in the attention.

We went to the Ramada to go swimming with Grandpa Richard and Jan. Graham did great with the "swimming" again. It's funny though -- I sense that he enjoys it (since he never cries), but he also never smiles or laughs. He is pretty neutral about it all as he seems to just take it all in while whirring around in the water. Soon I'd like to get enrolled in a parent and baby water/swim class at the gym. I think he would love it. And heaven knows I'm dying to be in a swimsuit in public....

Of course I forgot to bring my camera to the pool. But here are a couple pictures from the room to commemorate the outing.

 A rinse off in the sink.

The next day we went on a brewery tour and Graham enjoyed the cool of the beer glass (but not what was in it).

Back at home he's still into his jumperoo. 

With comfortable temperatures, we went for lots of walks in early August. I ditched the stroller for most of them so little man and I can stay a little closer to each other. Graham likes it when I make up new words to "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you See? along the way. Answers to that question include things like puppy dog, blue sky, mini van and fire hydrant. This confused look tells you how awesome he thinks I am when I chant away while we're walking. 

We like to turn them into nature walks along the way.

Uncle Eric dropped in for a visit. 

Loves bath time. 

Hanging out in his swing. 

Smiles in our chair (probably the last time he sat in this. He has definitely moved on to more exciting toys at this point).

We love bath time and snuggles with mama immediately afterwards.  

Catching up with more pics soon!

Graham Growing with Brewery

It will be fun to look back someday and see how Graham has grown up alongside the brewery. And we're only at the beginning, but there has already been progress.

On the first day Aaron and crew brewed two batches of beer in one day (which means a 12+ hour day for dad), Graham and I were kind enough to bring him dinner. As you can see, G was pretty stoked about visiting daddy at the brewery.The equipment in the background wasn't always there...

Here's Graham at 2 weeks old in March. Facing that same area in the brewery (from a different angle).

And here's Graham fast asleep in April at about 4 weeks old. This was the BBQ for retailers to just show them the building. 

When the equipment arrived in May, Aaron showed his parents around while Graham chilled in his car seat.

And here we are with Graham at 5 and a half months (August 2013) at the opening "friends and family" night at the new temporary tap room.

A few candids of the boys...

Graham, did you know your daddy built that bar? Someday you'll be helping him... 

For now, Graham has been more interested in the beer glasses with Grandpa.

Plenty more progress and growth to come. But I wanted to get a few of these documented in one place for now.

5 Months Old

I'm behind on the post (surprise, surprise), but for once these monthly photos are right on for tracking Graham's age. On August 10 he turned 5 months old, and from the looks of things, that makes him pretty excited! 

 

Milestones include:

• Found feet, loves to hold them and put them in his mouth
• Found tongue, loves to stick it out and play with it
• Rolled over! Officially for the first time on July 16 (noted previously). Month of July and early August included lots of excited anticipation every time he started to "get close." Like multiple mornings of almost being late for work as we stood there and cheered him on while he rolled to his side and lingered there for awhile only to return to his original position. A few days of that and now he rolls over all the time. Still mostly from his back to his tummy. 
• Props up on fully extended arms (not just forearms). Loves his point of view from up there.  
• Loves to turn the pages in his books. 
• Loves the ridiculous songs we continue to sing.
• Still ticklish. Thighs and tummy get him every time and we love to make him laugh!  
• First fever
• First visit to chiropractor to help with spit-up. Mom thinks it helped; dad thinks it's just because he's getting older. :) (and he still spits up....but some days are better than others now).
• Waking up in the middle of the night again. Gone are the days we brag about how well he sleeps....

Oh and G's legs are .... what's a nice way to say this? Healthy.

 Photo shoot fun.

 Little smirks.

 

 

Did I mention he found his tongue? 

  

A few chair pics to complete the series. 

And this is how we finish.