The Natural Swimmer

This was only Des' second time in a pool and it is pretty clear he knows what he is supposed to do.

G

des definitely takes after his fish of a daddy in that regard. gavin will probably have him SCUBA certified by the time he's cut all of his teeth...whereas mommy prefers to hang out on the dry part of the ocean...what's that called again? oh, yeah, the beach. we'll get there again someday!

-rhr %:-)

Doing What a Baby Does

I got the Excersaucer for TEN DOLLARS off of craiglist. It could be the best tenner I ever spent. It seems that it also helps D work some things out on his own (ifyouknowwhutimsayin).

G

yeah, you may need to crank up the audio to fully appreciate what's going on "below the surface" in this particular video. tamra swears that the exersaucer is the perfect poo expediter...they should really market it as such to parents...it's a hidden perk!

-rhr %:-)

First Meal (2 Months Ago)

I know. I know. We are way behind. Blah blah blah. Enjoy.

G

by the way, the "mush" des is eating is rice cereal mixed with breast milk. yummmmm. he's since moved on to avocado, banana, sweet potato, butternut squash, oatmeal, pear, carrots, tofu, and zucchini, and does well with them all (even if he does make some funny faces when he first tastes them). i also have to add that we've learned how to feed a baby much more efficiently since that first day...and so has "heavy-D"...he now eats about ten times as fast!

-rhr %:-)

he's got something to say

I will let Des, I mean, the video speak for itself. Thanks to Tamra for capturing this.

G

in training for disneyland

You may think we are getting a little ahead of ourselves, but we feel it is never too soon to get Des used to amusement park rides. Hopefully he will love roller coasters at least half as much as we do. Based on his reaction to his little exercise, I don't think we have anything to worry about.

G

desmond's nanny

desmond now has a nanny. her name is tamra. she is awesome. i've been "back in the office" (such as it is) for about a month now, and she comes over in the afternoons to take care of the monkey man while i make an effort to focus on getting my "work groove" back (not an easy task for a new mom...and in this economy, to boot)! meanwhile, tamra totally puts my mind at ease by taking des for walks, playing music for him, giving him tummy time and tons of sensory stimuli, and basically just being his buddy...on top of all the soothing and feeding and changing, of course.

if this sounds like a "simple" job, rest assured that it takes a special set of skills to be at a baby's beck and call every day (after 3-1/2 months of maternity leave, i know this to be true)! ;-) in any case, she has definitely taught us a trick or two about childcare -- she's getting her bachelor's degree in early childhood education -- and we are very lucky to have her. desmond's a fan as well...they have already bonded big-time. if you're reading this, tamra...you rock!

-rhr %:-)

Des Finds His Voice

This past weekend Desmond learned his voice can get significantly louder than he previously thought. Fortunately for you, the video doesn't do the volume or shrillness justice.

G

heavy-d turns three (months, that is)

just a quick note that today is our little graham cracker's three-month birthday! we're still confused about when to use "weeks" vs. "months" in referring to his age...wasn't that conundrum supposed to become crystal-clear once he was born? (sigh.) anyway, desmond is growing and thriving every which way to sunday. he's grabbing and moving objects (including mommy's hair), learning how to fit both fists in his mouth, and laughing like a loon when daddy gives him the "wiggles" (see video). he is unbelievably awesome...we are so lucky...happy birthday, monkey man!



-rhr %:-)

just a little culture

OK, some of you may want 3 minutes of your life back after watching this. Just know that we get at least 20 minutes a day of this. The boy loves to watch the funky animals rotate around over his head while listening to little MIDI snippets of Bach, Mozart, and Debussy. I'm not kidding. Just watch him kick when "Clair de Lune" comes on.

G

the baby brigade

woohoo! robin finally blogs after months of "radio silence." clearly i have lots of catching up to do, but in the meantime, i just wanted to post this photo of D and me out with some ladies (and their respective bundles) from my prenatal pilates class.

all of the babies were adorable and very well-behaved, but still and all, i think we frightened some of the patrons at Watercourse Foods...especially the pregnant woman sitting at a table nearby. little does she know what lies in wait for her...boppies and bumbos and burping...oh my!

-rhr %:-)

post-dinner cutie-pie

After wrapping up a little snack, "Heavy D" just hangs out making as many cute faces as he can muster in 2 minutes.

do a little dance

It is hard to tell from the angle of this video, but the boy loves to "stand." He his holding up about 85% of his own weight and I am primarily just keeping him steady.

you are getting verrrrrry sleeeeepy....

Her is another 2 minute Desmond video where nothing happens...seriously. But he is still pretty adorable when falling asleep.

thanks uncle guano!

Des' Uncle Guano (Jon) and Aunt Dawn sent a him "Rainforest Gym" and he loves it. He obviously can't wait till he can actually grab stuff. Personally, I love that it matches his "Rainforest Bouncer" that he received from Robin's cousin, Marilee.

-G

3 generations of grahams

Grandaddy Graham (Hatcher) was able to make it out for a quick weekend to meet Desmond. It should go without saying that both had a pretty good time.

-G

knuckles taste gooooood

Be patient and you will be rewarded with a BIG smile at around 1:50.

just being a baby

Not a lot happens in this video. It's just Desmond hanging out on the bassinet, acting the way a baby should. I apologize for the amateurish camera work.



-G

first doctor visit

For the record, he's not crying and that isn't his "poop face". Dr. Scanlan had just put the cold stethoscope on his chest. He quickly, and soundlessly, reverted to sleeping away.

day 3. desmond's first social outing

On Sunday, the day after we got home, we decided to take Des out for a little walk. Robin wanted to stretch her legs and we wanted to break in the new stroller. The little walk turned into a long walk as we made it all the way to our friends Lys and Carl's house about 11 blocks away. Carl has been freakishly excited for the Cracker's arrival. There we got to see Lys and Carl, their two-year-old, Theo, and next door neighbors Sara and Mark (who also works with me at MapQuest). Even though Desmond didn't bother opening his eyes once for his new friends, everyone got a kick out of meeting the little guy.

When the time came to head back, Theo grabbed his own toy stroller so he and his parents could accompany us back. Robin soon realized she was probably pushing things a little too much so soon after delivery, so Carl came to her rescue and drove her back home VERY slowly alongside the rest of us walkers.

we're home!

We loaded Big D into his new car seat and brought him home around 2:45pm today. Thats almost exactly 48 hours after we drove away from the house with Robin doing some primal screaming in our Doula's back seat.

Now we are just trying to get settled, rest, and establish something resembling a routine.

Thanks to everyone for all your thoughts and good wishes. More info and pics soon.

-G

desmond, day one

While resting on my shoulder for some burping, Des starts trying to hold up his head on his own with Mommy and the Ridley Grands watching ("Bo-Bo" and "Grams"). We are still in the hospital and he is only 21 hours old at this point.

G

desmond on arrival

The first family picture.

Graham Crackers for everyone!! These were provided by the hospital, not us. This is Mary Wilkerson, the doctor that delivered Desmond.
The Team. Gavin, Penny (our doula) Robin, Dr. Wilkerson, and Desmond in the middle.

Des with Daddy.

Robin's parent meet their grandson.

Desmond Archer Graham

Born Thursday, February 19, 2009 at 5:34 pm
8 pounds, 10.5 ounces, and 22 inches long

Labor started at 4am on Thursday and we went to the hospital around 2:45pm. Robin had a completely natural delivery and has become my hero in more ways than I can ever say.

-G

due date in the park

Well, our due date (yesterday) has come and gone without *too* much excitement. We actually had a doctor's appointment to check things out and do a "Non-Stress Test" to make sure the Graham Cracker is still moving around as much as he should be (he is) and that things are progressing in terms of dilation, engagement of the baby's head, etc. (they are -- though maybe not as rapidly as we'd like)!

We have an ultrasound scheduled for Thursday to check the level of amniotic fluid, and then a doctor's appointment the following day to see where everything stands at that point. Obviously, we *really* want things to take their natural course (as opposed to going the induction route), so please send us good vibes, thoughts, prayers...whatever you like...that this little guy will decide to make his big debut very soon! We're definitely taking measures to encourage him...among other things, we took a long walk in gorgeous weather yesterday afternoon, and Robin has NOT been avoiding spicy foods in any way.

-G

my very first friend

**While we are patiently waiting for the Cracker to make his arrival, I thought I would try to get caught up on some of the posts we meant to get online over the past 9 months.**

This happy, little guy is Dr. John Hobbins. Today, he operates a perinatal clinic here in Denver that specializes in early fetal testing and high-end ultrasounds. After our first ultrasound at Platte Perinatal, we got the insurance statement and Robin noticed Dr. Hobbins' name. She thought something sounded familiar and asked me. It took a minute, but I realized why the name stood out.

My mom has a great knack of keeping up with where old friends and acquaintances wind up. Forty years ago, Dr. Hobbins was an Air Force doctor at Otis Air Force Base in Massachusetts, the same base where my father was stationed at the time. You guessed it...John Hobbins was the doctor who delivered me.

On our second ultrasound visit, I got to re-meet him, shake his hand, and thank him for helping me out so long ago. I also let him know I had a little bone to pick with him. It seems he is also responsible for me very first (and longest standing) nickname. As he presented me to my mother in the delivery room, he let her know that he thought I looked a bit like Mr. Magoo. Uhhh...thanks Doc.

-G

place your bets!

Several co-workers were willing to place money on the date the Cracker would arrive, so we set up a calendar on my white board to keep track. A few more wanted to get in on the action, and before we knew it, about 3 weeks of dates were picked and paid for ($1 per date picked). While the official "due date" is Feb. 16th, the earliest date in the pool was the 6th. The latest so far is the 21st. My money is on the 11th, while Robin snagged the 17th.

-G

gettin’ some practice

There are way too many photos of my ballooning belly throughout this blog, so thought I'd mix it up by adding an adorable one of G with Theo (Lys and Carl's 2-year-old). Did I mention that all kids seem to love Gavin ('cause what's not to like)? Hopefully I won't have to fight too much for my share of attention from our little guy...yeah, okay, probably not.

-rhr %:-)

38 weeks and treats

On the eve of hitting 38 weeks, we ventured out for a "Marco Polo" night with friends Shawn and Jill. This consists of good Chinese food (Little Ollie's in Cherry Creek) followed by Italian gelato.

As far as the pregnancy goes, things (meaning the Cracker) seem to have shifted a little downward. Robin feels more pressure down low, and walking any real distance has become a much slower and more challenging task. She also detects a fair amount of "Braxton-Hicks" contractions and "twinges" as well, but so far, that's it...nothing with a true pattern yet.

Our bags are packed and the new car seat is installed in the car. We even have some goodie bags with snacks ready to go. Robin officially began her maternity leave this week, so I think we are pretty prepared for liftoff.

-G

35 weeks and counting

We just have a few weeks before the little guy arrives. Everything still looks good. The doctor's visits are about to go weekly. The Cracker is apparently practicing his breakdancing a lot on the inside. He likes to keep Robin from getting comfortable when it is time to relax. Oh, the jokester he is gonna be!

I know we have been overdue with the pics. Here are the latest "belly shots."

-G