Zoo Boo!

I mean, seriously:

The zoo here holds an annual trick-or-treat weekend (actually, it's two weekends) when kids can go to the zoo, and you know, trick-or-treat. The zoo is actually decent for a small city, and they had lots of games and crafts that Graham was entirely too small to partake in. But hey! Joe and I got to eat his candy.

And we got up early-ish this morning and re-instituted Sunday outings. We went to a local coffee shop and all ate breakfast together. Graham was not thrilled about wearing mittens:but we had a lovely morning regardless. Now it's just time to gear up for the week. Gah!

Long overdue update

So! Graham has been busy lately. He's pulling up all over the place, and if that is not enough, he is trying to climb once he's gotten up. Aaack! His favorite toy is pictured above -- a large box. Not just a large box, though - a large box covered with scribbles and stickers, designed by our friends J & F back in MA. Yay!

His 9 month appointment went really well; stats are 19 pounds, 9.5 ounces, and 29 inches! 29 inches! That puts him at the 75th percentile for height for normal 9 month old boys. And at about the 50th percentile for weight, which he has been steady at for a while. His doc was very impressed with all his gross motor abilities, and reassured us that there is nothing to worry about in regards to his language development - he is just still at his corrected age mark. He has just been spending all his mental energy and time on moving! Pshaw. Just like a boy.

Addendum: I just went upstairs because he was crying pretty hard at 10:30 pm (very unusual) and found him sitting up in bed, completely disoriented. Apparently he has learned to go from lying down to sitting up! I hope this isn't like when he learned to roll from back to tummy and woke himself up every time. From what my mom tells me, I also have him standing up and not knowing how to get himself down again to look forward to. So much fun in one short year!

i've turned my child into a food snob, and other asides

So I've been just...out of sorts and out of the loop and on the outs, or something out lately. Which meant no blog posts, apparently. Joe comes home every day and gently nudges me that I should probably post some pictures at least, for the Grahamfans. I know! I have been terribly lax and irresponsible. Hence, now, pictures! Some of which I even took! Sigh. It's been a long week(s).

Look, Graham is a big boy now! In his big boy carseat! I admit I cried a little. My mom and I have both said, weepingly, "it's like when Anne shortened Jem's nightgowns! Bwaaaaaaaaa!"

Look! I totally didn't take this picture! But my friend K. did, and it is wicked cute and foretells a future for Graham as a drum-circle hippie.

Lastly (and to bring it back to the title of this post), Graham has been sick the past couple days. And of course, I have no laundry done, no food ready, no nothing and he wants to be held 24-7. So I broke down and picked up some Gerber food. And oh my word, you could not imagine the look of disgust on his face. He is an organic, homemade baby food ess-en-oh-bee-SNOB. Which, kind of makes me sad, because I have a serious, not-so-secret love for generic food. I was really hoping someday I could bring him to work and say something to the effect of "Welcome, my son. This? This is CAFETERIA FOOD. Behold, and be thankful." Now he'll just turn up his privileged, adorable little nose at me. They grow up so fast, don't they?

operation death wish

So Graham has gotten to that point in babyhood at which no matter where he is in a room, he will immediately track down the deadliest object and head straight for it. Pokey-outy doorstop thingie right at eye gouging level? Check. Surge protector cord that wraps around the corner from the living room because there are NO OUTLETS where the TV is? Beeline. Heavy plastic gate that is precariously leaning up against the wall and will fall on your poor little braincase? Absolutely (wait, that one was my fault. And I cried for an hour).

In light of this, changing time has become an adventure fraught with terror and tension on our parts, and fraught with incredible amounts of fun and delight on Graham's part. (Can you be fraught with anything other than something bad? Hmm.) He really really likes to dig in his heels, flip himself over, grab onto the far edge of the changing table, and attempt to launch himself off. Little does he know, however, that the laundry basket is right underneath his precipice, and so if he did manage to make the leap, his efforts to perish would be for naught. So I knew it was only a matter of time before I heard from upstairs: "You want to go in the laundry so bad? Fine, let's go in the laundry!"

the time, it has flewed

So, I finally (finally!) got out the camera today to take some pictures of Graham to post on this here dang site. (I think I may have actually said: "Cuss word! Graham! I have to take some cussword-ing pictures of you before your nap!") And then I got out the camera. Which is a major step in and of itself.

I meant only to show you how amazing he is at sitting now (he's been doing it independently and well for about a month and a half now, but I don't think I've ever posted good pictures of it). So here's that:

Yep, Diego is "Surfing to the Rescue" on his ball, which Joe and I always get a kick out of. Who is he going to rescue? And is surfing really the fastest way of getting there? For the rescue? "¡Cuidado, dolphin! ¡Soy yo, Diego! ¡Yo estoy surfing to your rescue!"

I also introduced the "putting stuff in a bowl (mama) and then dumping it out (graham)" game last night. It was a big hit.

But, the important thing! The thing that made me actually take the NEXT step, and find the camera cord, and download the pictures off the camera, and then my goodness, POST them, which, let me tell you, I am EXHAUSTED, was THIS:

What the??? I had pulled a cart into his playroom to introduce my next big hit game (pulling stuff off shelves) and when I went to sit him in front of it to take pictures, he reached out, grabbed the tall shelf, and STOOD THERE. For like, MINUTES, pulling the shelf out, pushing it back in. And then he finally convinced me that he wasn't going to fall and split open his head on the lower shelf, so I took my hovering hands away long enough to take a few pictures for posterity. Then he did it at the coffee table. And the couch. And then he got fancy and did it one-handed and reached back for me at the same time. I mean, he's not pulling up yet, since he isn't crawling and thus is nowhere near the height to pull up, but oh boy we are not ready for this.

We are alive and (relatively) well

I so apologize for the lack of posts here lately. Graham has been growing, or teething, or SOMETHING, but regardless of what it is, it's keeping him up at night. Which means that Joe and I are up at night. And not so happy during the day. Which leads to forgetfulness, and lack of posting.

But! The G-man keeps moving and shaking. He has gotten up on his hands and knees a few times now - very wobbly-style, but still. And has started pulling himself up short distances (like from my lap to the table), which is just crazy. Look out, world! Here comes GRAHAM.

(And you are NOT READY FOR THAT. At least, I am not.)

More posting when I am awake enough to remember to take pictures!

Area mom reports child to have psychic powers, possibly Devil-given

SOMEWHERE UPSTATE, New York - Local mother Sarah W., mother to Graham, 7 months, has reported her child to have previously undiscovered psychic abilities, prominent especially during the sleeping hours. Sarah confirms that "as soon as [she] even think[s] his name, he wakes up and cries. It's freakish."

Independent corroboration of said abilities comes from Graham's father, Joe, who adds "The boy can read my mind, and is determined to kill me." Both parents suffer from teething-induced sleep deprivation.