Glad to be home

Well we're back in Washington, and life did indeed get back to normal quickly! We've had a whirlwind reunion, and a week filled with work for us and readjustment for Graham, and now Jonathan is off once again for his trip to Creation Festival with the youth. Graham and I have survived our first day alone together, and quite happily for that matter, he is such a sweet boy. Tonight I even managed to cook dinner--sweet potato (which I happily shared with Graham) fresh salmon, and salad which I cooked and ate in courses with a few fussier moments in between.
I wanted to post this video of Graham's most recent musical accomplishment, playing the guitar. He is fascinated by the process and seems determined to get sounds out of that thing just like Daddy does. This is his second instrument after starting out on piano in Kentucky. We're signing him up for oboe lessons next week so he'll have woodwinds covered as well. And don't forget his beautiful singing voice as we've already heard!

In other exciting news, during bath time tonight Graham reached over to the edge of his tub and pulled himself up onto his feet! He didn't look half as surprised as I did! His face said something more like "Now, why didn't I think of this before?" And you should see the mischievous grins he's concocting these days... He'll be intensely involved with his latest undertaking, and then turn to me and flash the biggest two-dimpled gummy grin-- I just melt.

I will also post a picture of him in his boating shirt yesterday- doesn't he look like he's ready for the yacht club? Unfortunately I think he'll have to wait until he makes his own first million for that.

Well I should get to bed since there is no Daddy around to help in case of excessive night-time wakings (which are getting much rarer now that we're settled back in, thankfully!)

Much love,
kate

Last blog from KY

Well Graham and I head home to see Daddy/Jonathan tomorrow, so I thought I should get one more blog in before real life starts again. I realized I haven't posted a video yet of his first major milestone of rolling over, so I will do it now. The best is his look of utter pride and joy at the accomplishment! Rolling back to front like this took him longer to get comfortable with, but he's now so good at both that he just rolls wherever he wants. In fact, if you leave him unattended on the floor for even a minute you never know where he'll be when you come back. Fortunately, with all of the loving family members around Graham hasn't spent a minute alone in quite some time (other than at nap time). I think he'll have a little withdrawal when we get home.
I'll also add a picture of Graham in his favorite place- outside under the trees, this time while the rest of us are picnicking. Emily's boyfriend Maarten is his latest friend!
Love to all! Kate

Generations picture

I forgot to post our "Generations" picture with Pawpaw yesterday, so I will do it now! I think I'll also add some more cute ones from our visit with V, she got so many great ones. Much love to all!

More fun in the sun

Well, things are winding down here in Glendale as we prepare for our last few days with family. As sad as it will be to leave, I can't wait to see Jonathan! I'm also hoping that getting Graham back home will help him reestablish some better sleeping habits-- he really seems to be struggling with all of the changes, and I think he's teething on top of it (he's chewed a few bruises onto my chin! And you've seen the teething carrots and cucumbers...) Fortunately, we both get waited on hand and foot by Grandma and Granddad, so we are feeling pretty good.
I couldn't let you miss a few pictures of Graham in his backyard pool. He LOVES it! Everyday he seems a little stronger, can sit a little better, and splashes a little harder. I fear he will be crawling well before I am ready at the pace he's currently going. Where has my little baby gone???
I'll also post a couple from our stay up in Georgetown/Versailles this past weekend. We had a fun time chillin' with Aunt Emily at her place, and then with Mamaw as well. He enjoyed getting his bath in a washtub and then the sink; new experiences are so much fun! We also got to see his great Uncle Gary and Aunt Janie, and have a nice lunch with them.
And finally, can you guess what garden vegetable we tried this morning? That's right, beets! This looks like a picture from Halloween, doesn't it? So far, Graham is definitely a fan of Granddad's fresh produce.

More Friends!

Hello all!
We will be heading to Georgetown for the next couple of days so this will be the last post for a while, but I had to post a few more precious pictures first. Yesterday Graham got to meet our good friend Andrea Vivona (also known as V) and he thought she was great! We had a great day sitting out on the porch breaking beans and talking. Here are some choice snippets from that time. Enjoy!
We really miss Daddy these days and although we're having a great time here, it will be wonderful to see him. I sounds like things are going well in Thailand, though, so it's good that he's there. It feels like Graham might be walking and talking by the time we're back to Washington the way things are going! He just can't try enough new things!

Fun Family

Happy Fourth of July everyone! We've had a wet one here in Glendale, and Graham had a fun walk out in the summer showers this morning, (for the record, he's not quite walking yet, much to his dismay, so he must still be carried). I am going to upload a video of his pan game and then our three generations picture. Graham also got to spend a little time with his great uncle and aunt John and Kathy, as well as cousin/Auntie Johanna yesterday. He thought that was pretty cool! Having perfected his rolling skills both ways now, he's also learning that by rolling over and over and over he can actually get somewhere... Look out world! Oh, I can't forget a picture of Graham with his "teething carrot," a little trick we learned from Grandma. The best part is that an unknowing Aunt Emily grated up his carrot (which had been rinsed and left in a bag in the fridge) into our salad last night! A little baby slobber makes a fabulous low-cal dressing!
Blessings, Kate

Graham reads a book

Now that I've gotten this video thing to work I'm going to have to post more! Not only is Graham working on his gross motor skills, he's also working on his intellectual fitness. He loves to sit and look at books, and tries very hard to pull his favorite images off of the page (or better yet, to eat them). His hands are starting to work so well, it's really amazing how much his skills have advanced in just one week. Maybe later I will post a video of his new game with Grandma, which consists of throwing a pie pan onto the floor, then reaching to retrieve it. Amazing! His favorite time of day might be in the evening when we take our walks with Granddad and the dog all around Glendale. He just sits and soaks it all in as we stroll the streets. Here's a picture of him looking like a dapper gentleman in his sun hat from Grandma. Can you believe those cheeks?? I'll also add one of him sleeping in his "Cadillac carseat"; He's going to miss it when we get back home to his old one! Love to all, Kate

More crawling

I'm going to try again to upload a video of Graham's efforts to crawl. He is now even better just a couple of days later- he does push-ups that raise his tummy off the ground, and pulls his knees up under his body one at a time. I can't believe it!