today WAS the day

I woke up this morning (after another long night of minimal sleep) and realized that today is July 5th.  What a realization, right?  Well, today was my due date.  Today was the day that has been marked on every one of our calendars for months now.  Yet here I am, holding my sweet son who is now 15 days old and growing cuter by the minute.  It seems like just yesterday that we had the ultrasound that determined my induction, so it's crazy to think that it was over 2 weeks ago when we packed our bags and headed for the hospital.  Gabey is a great sleeper, although he sleeps better during the day than at night (much to our dismay).  He's a good eater too, even though I'm having to pump because he refuses to latch on (I don't think any men read my blog, which is why I have no problem sharing this tidbit of info...).  And what I LOVE is that he hasn't lost any of his hair!  He still has a good head of dark hair, which I was told he might lose so I didn't want to get my hopes up.  He's already been to church, a barbecue, the movie theater (if you haven't seen the movie "UP", you NEED TO SEE IT!), and he's a pro when it comes to doctor's visits.  His jaundice got pretty bad the first week home, so we had to take him back to the pediatrician EVERY STINKIN DAY so that they could do more tests.  Thankfully, after lots of heel pricks and a few days on the biliblanket, Gabey is doing just fine.  Even without the added measure of color from the jaundice, he's still much darker than his mommy and proving to take after his daddy's coloring.  Of course, after dealing with a lifetime of sunburns, sun spots, and SPF 70, I'm okay with him having Ross' darker skin:)  No matter what, this is one cute baby!!!  Here are a few more recent pictures (although he's changed even since these were taken while my mom was here). 

Okay, lemme explain.  We went downtown to the canal walk and Mom was snapping some photos.  This has now become one of my favorite photos because Ross sneezed RIGHT when my mom took the picture and she caught the moment perfectly.  I laughed so hard when I saw this the first time that I almost peed my pants... really... 

Oh, our sweet little man.  He still had jaundice in the pic, but just look at how much darker he is than me!

What can I say?... he loves being close to his mama :)

He does NOT like to have his arms tucked into a blanket.  Even when he was just a few days old, he would wiggle his arms out of it.  His hands are always by his face, whether he's sleeping or awake.    

This is the sweet face I get to look at every day.  This little man has completely snatched up my heart, and just like my dad said to me the other day, "there is no greater love than that of a mother for her son."  I love my son more than I ever thought imaginable, and our lives have truly changed for the better.  

Other than the severe lack of sleep, Ross and I love being parents.  I couldn't imagine doing this without the constant support and help from my sweet husband, who gets up in the middle of the night to help with Gabey EVEN THOUGH he works and stays busy during the day.  Ross changes diapers like a pro, offers to feed Gabey so that I can have a break, and will watch him (when he can) so that I can take a nap.  We've grown closer as a couple, and it's such an amazing feeling to know that we are a forever family.  And this is only the beginning!  

Life is good!

*T

The many faces of Gabey

We all know how much newborns can change in their first few weeks of life, so here's a picture update of Gabey.  Like most new moms, I'm seriously sleep deprived and I don't plan on making a novel out of this post, but I just had to share a few photos of some of the faces Gabey makes.  

This is the "mama's little angel" face

And this is the "dreaming about the next feeding session" face

And here we have the "FEED ME NOW!" face 

And finally, the "quasi-smiling, full tummy" face

Assume the position!

I love this last picture because it explains perfectly the reason for Gabey's new nickname.  He has pulled into this position since the first time I held him, so we rightfully call him our little Tree Frog.  Doesn't he look like one?!  Note his right hand behind his head... he did that on his own.  I'm so glad my mom is here to get pictures of all of this.  I'm so preoccupied trying to remember which side I last nursed him on that I probably wouldn't have all of these darling pictures.  I am so in love with this little boy that I can't think about it too hard or I'll start to cry.  He is the sweetest, most lovable little tree frog on earth, and we are blessed to have him!

*T 

Baby Gabe

Proud Daddy

He is a lot cuter now.  (Less cheesy).  Like his Dad, he cleans up nice.

I can't believe I am posting this.  Proof that real men cry.

Mommy did so well!!

Just some pictures from last night I copied from grandma's Facebook account.  We will be posting more HQ pictures later on.  This should stave off the needs of all you hormonal women out there!

Love,

Daddy Ross

PS Happy Father's Day to me!

Gabriel Ross Graham

We would like to welcome the newest addition to our family. Gabriel Ross Graham, born June 20th 2009 at 11:06PM.  Weighing in at 7 lbs.. 7.7 ozs. and 21 inches long.  Baby and Mommy are healthy and happy.  He is really cute and has features of Mom and Dad, Dad's dark complexion and Mom's nose and chin.  We will see what his hair color will turn out to be,  it is dark now but may get a lighter, it also has a little wave to it.  What a great Father's Day present for me.

Pictures will be coming shortly, or check out facebook.

Posted by Dad.

a SLIGHT change of plans...

So I went in this morning for my weekly check up with Dr.Beckwith, and she had scheduled an ultrasound for me before our appointment.  Ross and I were so excited to see our little Gabey again, so we eagerly watched as the ultrasound technician (Rita) put her magic wand up to my belly.  His heart looks great, his little toes are cute as heck, he's weighing in at about 7 pounds... and I'm being induced tonight!  My amniotic fluid level is low, which could cause stress to Gabey when I'm delivering him, which increases chances for a C-section.  SOOO, my doctor said that since he's measuring just fine and I'm past the 37 week mark (I'll be 38 weeks tomorrow), she has no problems inducing me early!  I was a little nervous about his lungs, but Rita pointed out to us that she was really pleased with his breathing.  I wasn't sure what she meant, but then she pointed out his little diaphragm and sure enough, he was breathing!  Or at least practicing breathing, which helps to strengthen his lungs.  And every time she would go back to his lungs after that, he'd still be breathing.  She said she was usually happy to see a baby do it once or twice during an ultrasound, but for him to do it the whole time was awesome!  We knew our little man would have strong lungs! 

Anyway, please keep us in your prayers over these next 24 hours.  We'll post pictures as soon as we can!

*T

yet another picture update...

It's been a while since I've posted new pictures, and believe me, THINGS HAVE CHANGED.  Well, I guess I should say that I have changed more than anything... this belly's getting H-Y-U-G-E!  I measured my belly tonight for the first time and I was FLOORED.  I can't believe my body can stretch and grow like this!  It makes me so grateful that the Lord created women in such a perfect way.  Now please don't think that I'm claiming to be perfect in any way, but it amazes me that we have the ability AND the opportunity to carry and protect and grow our babies inside us for 9 months.  Babies are such miracles.  Even with the nausea, back pain, and swelling (and so on and so forth), I know that baby Gabe is so very worth it.  Even when he's sticking his feet in my ribs, I simply smile because I can feel my son moving inside me.  It amazes me that Ross and I already love him SO much, and we haven't even seen him or held him yet!  Man, we're so excited!  

Anyway, on to the pictures:)

  

Outside the Louisville, KY temple. It was small but beautiful!

Ross and I planned a special date night to the Melting Pot.  It was delish (yet a little expensive for our liking...)

Here's a nice shot of downtown Indy and the Canal Walk.  We spent part of a Sunday evening walking around and enjoying the artwork and scenery of this beautiful city. 

Like I said, I'm huge.  This is Mama and Gabey at 37 weeks.

And one more 37 week shot, just for kicks.  C'mon Gabey!!!

Hopefully it won't be long before we post pics of our little man.  I've known several first-time moms recently who've gone into labor early, so I can only hope I'll be one of them!  Of course, my family genes aren't exactly conducive to early labors.  Mom delivered all of us a week late, and my sister and sister-in-law were both induced a week after their due dates.  Oy ve.  We'll just have to see what happens!  Until then, we'll enjoy our restful nights:)

*T

predictions?

Okay, I was going to post about my little vacation to Virginia and Kiawah Island, SC, but my mom and sister took so many pictures that I'd basically be copying their blog posts.  So really, if you want to see pictures of last week's adventures, just go to bretandingrid.blogspot.com (this is totally the lazy way out, but Mom and Maddy already have most of the pictures posted).  I was just so relaxed that I didn't take a lot of pictures (shame on me, I know), but I don't have a baby to take pics of yet and I'm so pregnant that I don't necessarily like being the subject of pictures:)  In a nutshell, the beach was beautiful, my baby shower was a blast (thanks to Maddy, Theresa, and Debbie for hosting and planning, and thanks to all who came!), it was so fun to go "home" and see everybody, and my favorite part was when Ross decided to drive down from Indy and surprise his family.  It ended up being a VERY good thing that he came with the car, because we got a lot of great baby gifts and there is NO WAY I would've been able to take it all home on the plane.  And it was just fun to have him there with me:)  All in all, this vacation can be classified as a complete success!!!

Anyway, now that we've got about 3 weeks left until Baby Gabe comes, I'm curious to see what y'all have to say.  I've posted some pictures of Ross and I when we were little, and it's obvious to see that our physical features are totally opposite.  It'll be very interesting to see who and what Gabey (and the rest of our kids) look like.  Ross is olive-skinned while I'm quite alabaster, and his dark hair is the opposite of my strawberry-blonde locks.  My eyes are big, round, and bluish-grey, and his are smaller and change between hazel and green.  His Graham nose is much more pronounced than my little button, but my square-as-heck jawline is, well, much more square than his longer, rounder face (it's hard to tell in these baby pics, so just trust me).  I like to tell Ross that he has "grub worm" lips because they're plump and juicy:)  Mine, on the other hand, are pretty thin and the opposite of anything having to do with Angelina Jolie.  We do know that Gabey will most likely have big hands and feet (he'll probably just be big all over), and we sure hope that he loves music as much as his mommy and daddy love music:)  As my sister says, "his first cry will have vibrato."  We just have our fingers crossed that this little guy can sing!

So, take a gander at these pictures and let us know what you think... will Gabey come out looking like a Ross Jr., or will we have a fair-skinned carrot top on our hands?  Either way, we already love him to pieces and can't wait until he's here!!!

  

23-ish days to go!

*T