A Visit From the Ferchens

Megan and her family took a vacation to St. Louis in June. It was great to visit with them, but it was also a great excuse for us to do some fun things around town.

On Saturday, Ryan and Wade introduced Jon, Kade and Alec to Busch Stadium. It was a hot game, though nothing compared to the 105 degree weather we are having now. Megan, Mazzie, Graham and I stayed home in the air conditioning and caught up.

After the game, the boys played in a fire hose to cool off. They came home very wet!

We went to Grant's Farm on Sunday and to the Arch on Tuesday. Wade was unsure of the tram ride but really enjoyed the view from the top.

Brotherly Love & Graham at 8 Weeks

Wade has decided that holding Graham is fun. Recently after I took Graham back from him he sadly said "my baby, my baby." He also tried to stick a pacifier in Graham's eye and countless other antics, so we don't trust him to always be that sweet.

Hey Graham, someone's calling for you!

I returned to work after the Memorial Day holiday and Graham turned 8 weeks old a few days later. I miss the boys but Ryan's got things under control and everyone at work seems thrilled to have me back so it was nice to feel missed and appreciated there. Plus work has been busy, so the days have flown by and I quickly get to come back home each day.

Here's a half smile!

I haven't done a good job of photographing it...but Graham is a smiley guy! (Of course he may also be suffering the curse of the second child...less photographs in general.) He is fairly happy and is getting onto a good schedule.  His nights are continuing to improve and actually both kids slept in this morning (aside from Graham's overnight feedings) which made Mom and Dad very happy!

Graham's Newborn Photo Shoot

We had a photographer come to the house the week after Graham was born. It took a few hours but she got a lot of great pictures. She even made it look like Wade cooperated.

We finally got the cd of prints last week and here are a few of my favorites. Though with nearly two hundred to choose from, it was hard to pick only a few!

Five Weeks Old

Graham is looking more out the window than at me in this picture, but I do like his little "oh!" face. He's five weeks old today and doing well. He's kind of a spitter-upper but thankfully not all the time and he's sleeping as well as can be expected for his age. Most imporantly he's not colicky and does not have acid reflux or any of those other horror stories I've heard about. (For those of you that have dealt with any of that, bless your heart - I don't know how you've held it together!)

I have two weeks of maternity leave left and hope to enjoy every minute.

In comparison, Wade around this time:

Hmm, I should try to duplicate this picture for a real comparison! Yeah, let me get right on that...right between all the loads of laundry, washing bottles, filling bottles, and taking care of the boys!

Happy 2nd Birthday, Wade!

Wade turned two while Graham and I were in the hospital, so we scheduled his party for a few weeks later so he could have a day all to himself. After all, this will likely be the last party for awhile that is all about Wade, since he and Graham have birthdays just two days apart.

It was a monster themed party and I had fun planning and decorating. I started before Graham was born, since I knew April would be a busy month.

It was the first time that Wade really got excited about presents and he did score some great loot! (Thanks all!) He seemed like he had a blast at the party and is really enjoying his new toys now.

Graham was at the party too, of course. He was sporting his monster onesie in honor of the big day!

Welcoming Graham...

I am (finally) excited to announce that Graham William joined our family on April 6, weighing in at 8 pounds, 9 oz. and measuring 20.25 inches. He was (and still is) completely healthy and perfect - a wonderful blessing for our family.

Not surprising, having two kids has made us much busier than we used to be (hence the belated blog post) but the last three weeks have been wonderful. While Graham requires a lot of attention, as any newborn does, he hasn't been too difficult and we have been enjoying him immensely.

Wade visited the hospital on April 7 to meet his new brother. I was worried about bouts of jealousy but aside from some poking & prodding, Wade has been a great big brother and has adjusted well to the change in our lives. He knows that Graham is usually "night-night" and is pretty good about leaving him alone when this is the case. We didn't know if the baby was a girl or a boy until April 6 - now I'm hoping that having two boys means they will grow up to be the best of friends.

Graham deserves a solo picture - and a close up without a hat so you can see his dark hair. This picture was also taken in the hospital and I'll have to try and update the blog again soon with new pictures. Graham has already passed the 10 pound mark and is changing every day.

Pre-Easter Festivities and Almost Two Years Old

Last weekend we went to two Easter egg hunts. Wade wasn't overly into it, but he did pick up eggs and enjoyed playing with them on the way home. I think the eggs were more fun for him than the treats inside of them.

This week Wade had his 2 year well visit at the doctor's office. Everything is going really well. He measured 37.5 inches and 36.2 pounds. The doctor had some tips to help him get used to being a brother and we'll take all the advice on that front that we can get.