Graham is four!

Graham,

Well my darling, you are four! Before I describe the wonderful boy you are today, I must confess that earlier this month I had such a tough time. You see, your sister Macy is almost 8 months and she does so many things that remind me of you as a baby. That is such a wonderful thing. That way I get to relive those moments a bit. However, it is also bittersweet. Just like I love the boy you are today, I loved the baby you were then. So even though you are still here and still wonderful, you are not that same little baby anymore. I wish I could return to those days for an afternoon just to bounce you on my lap and sing, “Wheels on the Bus.” Usually when I am melancholy about something, it passes rather quickly, but this funk hung around for a few days. “My baby? Four? How did this happen? And he’s still so young. Soon he’ll be 10, then 15…WAHHH!” Finally, Macy and I spent an afternoon watching videos and looking at pictures. I thought that was going to make it worse and that I was a glutton for punishment, but it didn’t. It broke the funk, I got my “baby Graham” fix. While I can’t return, I still have these cherished memories captured, and more importantly I still have you, my sweet boy, every day. Before I move on, I must share some of my favorite baby photos of you.

3.5 Months-  You fell asleep in my arms every night, and I would hold you for hours.

4.5 Months- Bouncing on Mommy's lap.

6.5 Months- Our first night in S. Africa.  You'd never know you were just on a plane for 30 hours!

7.5 Months- Fun with Daddy.

8.5 Months- So much personality!!



8.5 Months- Just a couple weeks older than Macy.

 Throughout the rest of the post I will share the second set of your 4 yrs pics that I took.  The first set is here.


I got the prints as a gift at your baby shower.  I framed them and they match your room perfectly!


The most wonderful part of you growing older is learning more and more about the person you are. You are so sweet and lovable. You are developing a sense of humor. Before your birthday I asked you how old you were going to be, and you replied, “Five?” with a giggle. I was surprised you didn’t respond correctly and thought you were confused. So, I said no and asked you again. You answered, “Three?” and proceeded to laugh hysterically at which point it became obvious that you were making a joke. Made my day! You love to spend time with us. You are always bringing us games, puzzles, books…you just want to be around us. On the weekends, you follow me around as I get dressed and ready for the day. If daddy is doing a project, you are his little shadow. You are talking more and more now and we can have little conversations with you. While driving you to Speech Therapy recently, you and I had a conversation the whole way.  I asked you about your day and you told me, “100.” Sure enough, it was day 100 at school and you all celebrated. I asked you about your friends and you named your classmates. You were pointing out so many things out the windows: trees, buildings, lights, trucks, etc. You have come so far. You speak quite a bit now to express your needs, a lot of 2-3 words phrases, and some 4 or 5 words phrases. Additionally, you repeat a lot. Your clarity is improving, especially when we provide a model for you. You have been able to express your needs for quite a long time, but actually being able to have a short conversation with you is relatively new and it is one of the most special accomplishments. We are so proud of you!!

You are still a little smarty-pants, showing off at school. You pick up on everything you are taught rather quickly. Your teacher is always amazed. You count to 100 now, and you can count to 100 by 10’s. Your teacher says you are the only student in the class who can be interrupted in the middle of counting and know exactly where you left off (instead of having to start over) and you are the only one who always knows the day of the week and the date. You write your first and last name and can recognize a number of sight words. The other day you came home from school and read your “leader sheet” to us and there were a couple sentences on it. You also know left from right.

The name of the game for you these days is…well, games. You love games and you have quite a few. Your favorites these days are ABC Game (by Eric Carle), Hi-Ho Cherry O, and Candy Land, but it seems to vary weekly. You love music. You have a CD you love to play over and over before bed. You can’t fall asleep with it on, and you cry like crazy when we turn it off. You love to sing songs and do the actions. Your teacher regularly sends song, lyrics, and actions home for us since you enjoy them so much at school. You love to ride your Smart Cycle bike. You have a number of games and you play them all quite a bit, but in recent weeks, all you want to play is Thomas the Train. Your favorite show is Blue’s Clues. For a while, you wanted to watch Super Why all the time. Now you’re back to Blue’s Clues, similar to how you reverted back to Thomas the Train on Smart Cycle.  I think that’s how we know your true favorite. You favorite foods are fruit and vegetables, especially apples, applesauce, bananas, and green beans.

To know you is to love you my dear. It is not hard to get to know you, but it does require a quiet environment and a little bit of time. Those of us who are fortunate enough to really know you have such a special relationship with you. Speaking of special relationships, it has been nice watching your relationship develop with Macy. You don’t always love sharing your toys, but you do like to feed your sister. I think she is as enamored with you as your mommy is!

Simply put, I love you…so much! You will always be my baby.

7 Months- One of my favorite pictures ever!

Lucky for me, you still love when I bounce you on my lap and sing, “Wheels on the Bus,” and you still love to be rocked while I sing your favorite, “Twinkle, Twinkle.” Yep, you’ll always be my baby!

4 Years Old!!

Happy birthday, Grahamie!


Love,
Mommy

*Graham turned 4 on Feb 19.