Milestone After Milestone

Graham has a nurse that comes out to check up on him every 3 months or so. This is part of being discharged from the NICU, that way they can catch any potential issues before they become major issues. I think I am going to ask that we don't have to see her anymore. She comes out here with a chart and if Graham hasn't accomplished the tasks on her chart, she puts a big "F" next to that skill and says "Fail". First of all, Graham was 6 weeks early - you can't expect him to do things that a 9 month old would be doing when he's really only 7 1/2 months old (since preemies develop on track with when they would have been born instead of their actual birth date). Secondly, my son didn't FAIL to do anything. He just hasn't learned how to do it yet, but he will, in his own good time. You can't expect him to pick up a blanket to grab a toy underneath it when he hasn't learned how to use his pincer (finger/thumb) grip yet, for cryin' out loud!

That being said: Graham started crawling on Sunday! He looks so tiny and cute, crawling all around the house, chasing Gabriel and driving him insane! And the week before, he started being able to finger feed himself! That means that we can have cheerios now! yes! Another store-bought food that Graham is NOT allergic to! Its incredible! And, to top all this off, yesterday Troy went into the family room and turned around to me in the kitchen and asked "where is Graham?" I gave him a look like "that's not funny" and said "I just set him down, he's right there" when I came in the room, he was STANDING while holding onto one of the toys. It was too cute, and also too weird. He is way too tiny to be standing up!! Take THAT NICU nurse!

He had his 9 month check up today and here are the numbers: weight 17 lbs, height 26.75". That puts him in the 5th percentile so he's a tiny little guy, but he's healthy and proportional. It is a far cry from Gabriel, who at this age was pushing 26 pounds. We had already turned Gabriel's car seat to forward facing by now because he had outgrown it, and his legs were kicking the back of his seat. The rule is supposed to be 20 pounds AND 1 year of age before they can be forward-facing; we're wondering if Graham will even be 20 pounds by the time he's 1, or if he will have to wait. Maybe we can just put a bunch of clothes on him to pad the scales...

It is time for me to say good night, but not before I tell the latest, most hilarious stories of my kids:

Every night before he goes to bed, Gabriel cleans up his toys. He has the option of having a good attitude and doing it nicely with mommy's and daddy's help, or he can have a bad attitude and do it all by himself. Last night as he was cleaning up, he looks at me and says "mommy - these are Graham's toys. Gabriel didn't play with them. Not fair. Gabriel not pick up" I agreed- "You're right... Graham got those toys out, I will clean those up." How smart is he??

Today, we were playing nicely in the family room, Gabriel had his new train set out, and Graham was entertained by something silly, when he noticed the trains. Gabriel kept trying to keep his brother away from his train set and I heard what I am sure will be the theme to the rest of my life "that's mine! No Graham! Mommy! Graham touches my trains!" I intervened with "Gabriel, why dont' you move your trains into the playroom so Graham can't get them?" "OK" A few minutes later, I notice that Gabriel's relocation has not escaped his brother's attention. Off Graham goes into the playroom. I watch over the back of the couch to see what will happen. "Graham! No! That's mine! Here, you can play with a boat." I am so proud, Gabriel solved it all on his own! No screaming or anything! Ah. Life is good.

PS - dinner tonight was bbq chicken sandwiches from the crockpot, and I made the buns myself! Look out, Betty Crocker!