Trip to Phoenix

On October 12, Uncle Derek made Aunt Tina an official part of the family and since the wedding was in Phoenix, Graham put on his traveling pants and enjoyed his first airplane ride.  

Graham did a great job flying; in fact I joked that he was actually more of a handful when he was on a plane with us before he was born (I had some pain while flying pregnant with him last December...also to Phoenix). We flew direct and he nursed on the way up and the way down. Slept for the first half of the flight and when he woke up he was all smiles. I'm confident flying with a toddler is much more challenging... 

Anyway, we made it to Phoenix and Graham enjoyed seeing so many family members and taking in all the activities.

The rehearsal dinner...

Time with Uncle Derek.

 Hugs with Grandma.

 Jilly's pretty necklace.

Aaron practicing his duties.

 Playing with Dad and Grandpa.

 Poolside...

Mama enjoyed poolside too. 

While on the trip, Graham sat in a high chair (at a restaurant) like a big boy for the first time.

And we went to lunch at SanTan Brewery while there, so Aaron of course thought this was about the coolest picture of his son, ever.

He had a bit of a cough while there (still does actually), so we sat in the bathroom and steamed a little.

This is what morning looked like in our bed.  He didn't sleep the greatest on the trip (still isn't) so family snuggles were a way to get a few more winks.

On to the main event. Graham cleaned up well for the wedding.

For that matter, all three of us did.

Nothing compared to the happy couple though. 

Brothers.

Aaron and his siblings.

More time with Uncle Derek.

We love auntie Chelsey.

And auntie Jill. 

Uncle Doug is just a tad nuts about G too.

My little man and me.

And I can't even believe how well Graham did into the night with the reception and dance. He went to all his aunts and uncles, danced on the dance floor, laughed with everyone, napped in our arms, and made it to bed in one piece.

Daddy always makes him laugh the loudest. 

All smiles.

Could he look any more like Grandpa Mike here?

The dance ended at 10:00 which was perfect. That's a late night for all of us by our new standards and Graham had been more than a sport making it that long.

On Monday it was time to fly home.

He did a great job flying again. We had such a great time celebrating Uncle Derek and Aunt Tina's wedding and it was a very welcomed mid-October vacation.

7 Months Old

On October 10, Graham turned 7 months old!

He didn't disappoint in the photo shoot department. Here are a few (I'm redefining the quantity that "few" describes) of my favorites. 

 

This whole outstretched leg while sitting was new...

 I like to shake my new rattle.

Hi Dad!

Those eyes ... he's just so perfect and innocent.

Moving on to the wedding quilt shots. 

And wrapping up with a chair pic. 

 Hey, that's my name!

Milestones at the 7 month mark are: 

• First vegetables - he had sweet potatoes on September 26. Those and carrots seem to be his favorites so far. 
• Sleeping has regressed again. He had a bit of a cold (later officially diagnosed as bronchialitis) starting around September 22 and lasting for over a month which definitely affected his sleep. He has been up between 1 and 4 times a night for most of September and October. As much as it's of course difficult to get up in the middle of the night, I try to focus on the positives of extra snuggles with my main squeeze. While I groggily stumble to his room in the middle of the night, I'm always somehow kind of excited. Ok, excited might be a stretch. But always happy to get to comfort him when I enter the room. And boy do I appreciate that we invested in a nursery chair that reclines. Before Graham, I didn't think I could sleep in chairs. Turns out I was wrong. 
• Graduated from his soothie pacifiers from the hospital and now uses big boy Nuk pacis. He likes to play with the handle and take it out of his mouth to look at it now. Not quite capable of putting it back in correctly. 
• Spits up MUCH less than before. It's pretty much a non-issue at this point which is a welcomed change. 
• Slept with a loose blanket for the first time. I am such a chicken that it took me this long to allow it. He does just fine... 
• First stroller ride without the car seat. 
• Started eating solids at daycare - not just at home. 
• Started eating "puffs" at daycare. I still haven't given them at home. I need to take the baby CPR class before offering him anything remotely solid. See chicken note above... 
• Started going to bed earlier. Bedtime is about 7:30 now. 
• Started swaddling arms again. Graham has experimented with rolling onto his tummy and side and after a few nights of that between 5 and 6 months, he has settled back to his back and prefers it. We started swaddling the arms again - a call we made at 3 a.m. (when all good decisions are made) when he'd woken himself up multiple times. It seems to help a little and keep him comfortable. If only I could say it was the magic ticket to perfect sleep. Ha!
• First plane ride! On October 10 we flew to Phoenix for Uncle Derek and Aunt Tina's wedding. Stay tuned for details on the trip!