meeting santa

did these make you laugh as hard as i did???

what a precious boy!

i was sitting on the floor when harrison came over and gave me a huge hug. he said, "i want to give you a hug....i want to cuddle with you". and, then, while he patted my back he said, "i'm going to take care of you".

i love these special moments.

not too quickly, sweet boy...please, not too quickly.

a real life conversation...

harrison (while taking off his sweater): mommy, can we put this in the dirty wash?

mommy: yes, sweet boy. how did you get to be so sweet?

harrison: i'm growing up.

(mommy is stunned into silence but looks at harrison with tears in her eyes and smiles)

harrison repeats: i'm growing up.

happy birthday, graham!

(photos by leslie norgren)

one year ago we welcomed graham peregrine white into our family. what a joy it was to go from being a family of three to a family of four! we were thrilled to have two little boys - brothers and, hopefully, best friends!

here's the story of how graham came into the world...

because i had an emergency c-section with harrison i was given the option to schedule a c-section or have a vbac (vaginal birth after cesarean) with graham. after considerable thought i decided to leave it up to God. ha! if i made it to my due date (november 20th) i was going to go ahead with the c-section that was scheduled for that day. if i went into labor early i was going to try to go natural. and by "natural" i mean "vaginal" because, seriously, why would i ever want to deliver a baby the au natural way? give me epidural or give me death!

it was a thursday night when i reminded jeremy that we needed to get some pictures of my pregnant belly. as he was taking the pictures i got mad at him because i didn't think he was shooting from a good angle. oh, the vanity! it's funny how even a gynormous pregnant woman cares about looking as thin as possible. silly me! anyway, i got frustrated with him and he got frustrated with me. he said, "we'll just get some more tomorrow" and i thought to myself, "this is going to be the last opportunity". and i was right.

we had a twin bed set up in the "nursery" area of our bedroom in the event that i would have the c-section. (our bed is too high to climb). that twin bed became my best friend because i was able to kick jer out of our bed (toward the end of my pregnancy) and replace him with five pillows. frankly, he was tired of fighting the pillows all night, so i think he welcomed the twin bed! all that to say, it was a typical night; i was in the queen bed and jer was in the twin. this ended up working in jer's favor. i woke up around midnight with contractions. mind you, i had been having contractions for months and had been placed on restrictions because of them. but these contractions were different. much more pressure. much more back pain. this being my second pregnancy, however, i remained calm and did my best to sleep through them. finally, at 5 am i woke jer up and told him the news. he called meme & papa and got everything squared away.

papa came down to our house to stay with harrison. meme was going to go to the hospital. we left our house around 7:30 am. the contractions were around 5 minutes apart and were getting quite painful. it was the the "stop what you're doing, focus, and breathe through them" kind of pain. we arrived at labor & delivery and got all hooked up to the monitors. everything looked great. they asked me if i wanted a c-section and i told them i wanted to be checked to see how dilated i was. jer & i could make a decision after that.

around 8:30 am they finally got around to checking me. one centimeter. one little teeny tiny centimeter. i had been one centimeter for weeks! eight and a half hours of labor and no progress. was i impatient? maybe. was i willing to endure that terrible back labor any longer? no way! let's get this little munchkin out!!

it took another hour and a half of preparations before i was actually wheeled into the operating room. during this time we met our labor & delivery nurse, wendy, who was my angel. she was amazing at helping me breathe through the contractions and keep my body relaxed. jer was busy putting as much pressure on my back as was humanly possible.

T.M.I. ALERT!!! (if you'd like to avoid reading something that might just be "too much information", please skip the following paragraph).

one funny note about graham's delivery... (well, it's funny now)... as i approached the end of my pregnancy it was CONSTANT on my mind that i needed to get a bikini wax. unfortunately, running after a toddler and being placed on restrictions did not help in my quest to be well groomed "down there". i am dying just thinking about it. as i was being prepped for surgery the doctor examined my previous incision to make sure he could cut in the same spot. i heard him tell the nurse, "she needs a little shave". i'm sure my face must have turn beet red. and i did what all laboring women do. i turned to jer and blamed him for the fact that i hadn't gotten a wax! during the next contraction, while an intern was busily shaving me (i'm still dying!), sweet nurse wendy got down close to my face. she was rubbing my forehead and gently coaching me to relax. and then she said the perfect thing..."well, your eyebrows are sure beautifully waxed!" : ) oh, how i loved nurse wendy! she turned a really embarrassing moment into a really funny one!

finally, they took me to the operating room. i was having such terrible back labor that they wheeled me back. (i guess most elective c-sections walk to the o.r.). i got on the table and spent the next 25 minutes sitting in the most uncomfortable position i've ever been in while the anesthesiologists attempted to put in my spinal block. it was almost like being crunched into the fetal position...while having contractions. truly, it was really grueling. but, thanks to jer and nurse wendy, i remained happy, calm and positive. it really was a matter of remaining focused and relaxed despite all the pain.

thankfully, the spinal block took effect immediately. it was go time! while they were operating the anesthesiologist announced that jer & i had been in that same operating room, on the same day, almost at the same hour, just 19 months ago! harrison and graham were born 19 months apart to the day - harrison at 9:28 am and graham at 10:35 am. he thought that was pretty cool and so do we!

graham came into the world fairly quietly. (he was, indeed, in the posterior position, hence all the back pain. both my boys were sunny side up). he cried initially, of course, but, overall, he just seemed to be taking it all in. he was very peaceful. he was, and is, very beautiful! he nursed immediately, he enjoyed his bath in the recovery room, he even let the nurses do a LENGTHY exam because they were allowing interns to help (it's a teaching hospital). he slept well, ate well, and pooped well. our time in the hospital was uneventful and enjoyable. we took him home without any worry...just happiness to be together as a family at home. graham did not cry at all for two weeks. at one point i even asked the nurse, "he doesn't cry. is that okay?". little did i know he would cry for the next five months! : )

the name peregrine means "traveler". we chose that name for a couple reasons. first, jer is a direct descendant of peregrine white, who was the first baby born in the new world. he was born on the mayflower while the ship was anchored in provincetown harbor. coincidentally, peregrine white was born on november 20th (my due date) in the year 1620. we thought it would be cool to honor one of jer's ancestors, especially since they were to share a birthday. second, the meaning of the name, "traveler", conjured the idea of an adventurous spirit. and graham had been adventurous and mischievous since eight weeks in utero! the name could not be a better fit for this sweet boy of ours!

at one year of age graham smiles more than any child i've ever seen! he has an undeniably outgoing, joyful disposition! he has an unbelievable zest for life! he has no fear! we have found him 1) standing on top of the tray on his high chair, 2) climbing up and, yes, making it over the baby gate, 3) standing on a dining room chair, and 4) climbing over the tray to get into his stroller all by himself. he keeps us on our toes. he keeps us amazed. he keeps us smiling and laughing. he is an absolute delight...our bright sunshine!

mommy, daddy & harrison love you so much, graham! thank you for making our lives so fun! happy birthday, precious boy! i can't wait to see what the next year holds for you!

oh, graham

hello there, little mister~

you are 17 days away from turning one!  i keep asking myself how it is possible that an entire year has gone by since you entered our lives.  i cannot believe you are going to be one!  ONE!  

what can i say about you (aside from the fact that you make our lives SO MUCH FUN!)?

you don't say anything.  not one word.  but when you are trying to communicate you have no trouble making yourself very clear!  you wave "hi" and do a great "so big".  you pick up the phone (the toy phone and the real one) and make a noise with the same tonal sound as "hello". you push your cars and trucks around the floor and make "vroom vroom" noises - which is, quite possibly, one of the most precious things i've ever seen!  you cry when your food is all gone.  you cry even harder when you have to go to sleep before harrison.  mama knows your noises but i simply cannot wait until you can actually verbalize what is going on in that precious head of yours!

you try so hard to make us laugh.  you are an absolute ham!!  you've started bouncing and dancing to music, which cracks me up every time.  you make silly faces and you exaggerate everything.  (i'm smiling just thinking about it.  it's so hard to describe because it's such an "in the moment" kind of thing.  basically, you should just know that you are really, really funny.)

you play a little game where you "share" your binky (and sometimes your puffs) with me.  it's really sweet how you try to get them in my mouth.  you also like to push my hands over my eyes so i can play peek-a-boo with you.  you are a very engaging child - so interactive.  

you still drink 3 bottles a day.  and, sometimes, a small one before bed.  you finally, FINALLY, like to hold the bottle all by yourself.  i've been much slower in feeding you solids.  the reason for this is because you still really don't have any teeth.  the two on the bottom have cut through and are getting more noticeable each day.  you just cut one on the top and i think the other is close behind because they've been bothering you a lot.  so far we do soft fruits (bananas, pears, peaches, oranges) and soft veggies (carrots, peas, potatoes).  you love bread and cherrios and puffs.  so, really, i think you do pretty darn well for only being able to chew with your gums!! i'm determined to give you a cupcake for your birthday so i guess we'll just have to see how that goes.

you LOVE your freedom.  you walk around the house all day, barely stopping to sit.  you climb and climb and climb.  i turn around and find you up on the couch, or standing on the bench, or on the top step of the step stool, or up two flights of stairs.  there are days when i wonder if you have a death wish.  but then i remember that you are just a boy.  a very, very adventurous boy! 

one thing, though, my sweet boy...you are VERY accident prone.  essentially, you are a walking injury.  i think this is because you are much more brave than you are coordinated.  mama is constantly checking your pupils to make sure they are dilating properly.  i know i'm paranoid. but, seriously.

you refuse to wear shoes (your brother did that, too) but i keep trying.  i really want you to be able to walk outside in the snow this winter!  you love going on walks.  you love your daddy. you love your blanket and cuddling up in bed for a nap.  you love chewing on anything and everything you can get your little hands on (this drives your mama crazy, by the way).  you love pulling the toilet paper off the roll.  you love eating toilet paper.  sigh.  you LOVE harrison.  you love being up on the furniture.  you love splashing in the bathtub.  you love books with flaps that you can lift.  you love to smile and laugh and be tickled.  you love life. 

and we love, love, LOVE you!!  

carsick

last weekend jer took the boys up to meme & papa's house to spend the night.  on the drive up harrison got sick.  he vomited all over himself and his car seat.  his tummy settled down some and we were planning to let him stay the night but harrison decided that he wanted to come back home.  on the way home he got sick again.  lovely. 

by the way, if you ever need to hose down a car seat i highly recommend taking them to the car wash.  the high powered sprayer and soap work miracles!!

continuing on...  today i was reading the book alexander and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day to harrison.  it is one of my all time favorites!  there is a part where alexander is riding to school in the car pool and he doesn't get a window seat in the car.  this, of course, is terrible and horrible so alexander exclaims that he is going to get carsick.  

harrison asked, "what's carsick?"

i said, "it's when you puke in the car."

harrison said, "just like me."

 : )

sad but true

a real life conversation...

harrison woke up early from his nap today.  in an effort to get him a bit more rest we read books quietly together on my bed.  when "quiet time" was over we headed downstairs for a snack.

mommy:  (with outstretched arms) will you carry me?

harrison:  (with a cute little scrunched up face) i think you're too heavy. 

sigh.