Ethan's New Cousin - {Kaleb Joseph}

Kaleb Joseph Smith

To say this past weekend was a whirlwind is a complete understatement!! Let's start with Saturday morning. Ethan and I had plans to head to Indianapolis for Kristen's "sprinkle" shower - we were going to have pedicures and lunch with a couple of our girlfriends. I get a call about 8:00am from Jeffrey that said the sprinkle is cancelled because Kristen might be in labor. We went ahead and proceeded to drive up knowing deep down she was probably going to have a baby later that day. I get a text message from Kristen as we're driving that says she had a baby this morning. Haha, it was so blunt coming from her that I seriously did not believe her. She calls me right then and proceeds to tell me how the morning transpired and I still don't believe her - she's like, "Jamie, I had a baby boy this morning. 8 lbs. 9 oz...can't you hear him crying in the back? I had to call you because I knew you wouldn't believe me."
After Jeffrey called me Saturday morning, they headed straight to the hospital and basically made it with 8 minutes to spare!! She was fully dilated, gave 3-4 pushes, and they welcomed sweet baby Kaleb into the world!

Kristen and I had been talking for weeks about what we "thought" would happen - all of our family in the waiting room, Jayden would walk out with something telling us if it was a boy or girl, etc. We thought we had it all planned out. Ha! The only thing I was right about was it being a boy! Every niece/nephew is so special and I'm thrilled that Eric and I are the proud aunt/uncle of EIGHT little munchkins! And to think we're adding three more in the next couple months!

Amidst all the baby chaos, Jeffrey and Kristen were scheduled to move Saturday afternoon. Thankfully, with the help of family and friends, we were able to get the rest of their old house packed up and get everything successfully moved into the new house (with the help of movers). We keep laughing because NO ONE knew what they were getting themselves into when we were driving up to Indy. It was such a big undertaking, but we were SO happy we lived close enough to help. That's what family is all about. We spent the next couple days trying to get the house 'liveable' for when Kristen and baby Kaleb came home. One thing is for sure, Kaleb's birth story will be one we will never forget! I'm sure I could write pages upon pages about everything that happened the last couple days, but all that sticks out is the beautiful new baby that entered our family. We all say it, but we feel so blessed and so lucky to have such an amazing family that keeps growing and growing. I can't wait to head up to Indy soon and love on baby Kaleb again =)

First Cousin Picture! 

Not sure what to think of his new cousin!

Just playing in Aunt Kristen's hospital bed!

Our First Family Vacation!

We feel so fortunate we were able to spend last week in Seacrest, Florida with Pa, Gigi, Aunt Heather, and cousin Eli! This was a trip we were certainly looking forward to because it was going to be our first family vacation! Another "milestone" reached =) We couldn't wait to introduce Ethan to the beach - a place that will always be dear to our hearts since that's where his (and our) journey began! We were excited to see how he reacted to the sand, what he thought of the waves, and most importantly - for his mommy and daddy to get a T-A-N! Well....let's just say mother nature had another plan! It literally rained, misted, or was overcast every.single.day. What are the chances?!

"I thought you said I would get a tan, Mommy"!!

Let's start from the beginning - the trip down. I had the genius idea to drive down with Ethan by myself...because, well why not, I can do everything, right? WRONG!! Note to self in my mommy book: never do that again! Our goal the first day was to make it to Knoxville, TN (usually a 5 1/2 hour drive without baby). The plan was to stop in Lexington, KY at Grandma's house for a feeding break (served as the halfway point). I left right after our first morning feeding and thought Ethan would fall straight asleep in the car for his morning nap. He obviously knew something was different because about 45 minutes outside of Bloomington, the crying began. And it did not stop. For hours. I pulled over, made sure he was okay, gave him his paci, etc. but nothing was soothing him. Keep in mind, he's
been on three other roadtrips, but both Eric and I were present so one of us could always be in the backseat. Ethan rarely cries or fusses so when he does we know something is wrong. The cries coming out of the backseat were something I had never heard before - it was stirring up emotions in me I had never felt before! Needless to say, the day ended with us in Knoxville like planned - 9 1/2 hours later - with one exhausted momma and baby! I was terrified of Day 2 which was supposed to be a 7 1/2-8 hour trip. However, Ethan was an angel - he must've realized we were in for the long haul! I stopped about every two hours to feed him, stretch his legs, play, etc. We had several good pit stops in truck stop bathrooms and hotel bathrooms - pumping, feeding, changing - ahhh memories! =) 12 hours later we finally made it to Florida!!

I think it took Ethan a couple days to recover from the long trip because he was such a tired baby. He was sleeping 12-13 hours and taking 2-3 naps during the day for long periods of time. I guess it was a good thing it wasn't sunny outside! I was determined to get pictures of Ethan on the beach for his first vacation. One day, there was a break from the rain (so we thought!) so we headed down to the beach for playtime.

He never actually touched the sand because we had him on a sheet, but he seemed to like sitting on it! It started to sprinkle and the dark clouds looked like they could unleash at any moment (which it did a couple minutes later), but I HAD to get a picture of his little toesies in the ocean!! Eric dipped his toes in when a wave came up and well...you can see his expression!! Haha! He arched his back, straightened those legs, and was not too happy!!

While I didn't get all the pictures I had envisioned before we left of our sweet little family of three on the beach, we had a fabulous week with our family! Since Pa and Gigi live in Tennessee and we don't see them as much as the other grandparents, it was a special trip to take with them (with an extra bonus of seeing Great Grandma Ann on the way down)! We promised Ethan we would take him back to the beach one day and it would be sunny =) For now, we're so thankful for the memories we made!

One of the few smiles we caught on the beach!

Me and Mommy

Kisses for Gigi

Beach Bum

Having fun with daddy

First Family Vacation

Vacation Recap Coming Soon!

It's been a busy couple days settling back into our normal routine after being gone all last week! I hope to get all my Florida pictures uploaded soon and will post them next week!

Eight Months Old!

Hi Family and Friends!

I'm eight months old today! Before you know it, I'll be smashing cake in my face at my first birthday party!! But, I won't rush things yet. I'm having too much fun being an eight-month old! Guess what I get to do this month? I get to take my first trip to the beach!! Me, mommy, daddy, Pa and Gigi, Aunt Heather, and cousin Eli are all going to Destin, FL next week. My mommy and daddy used to live at the beach in North Carolina. They tell me I will love the sand (they think all I will do is eat it)! They also can't wait to see me splash around in the waves. Thanks to Ginka and Mamaw Endris, they have helped me get ready for the beach with cute new outfits. I'm so excited for some fun in the sun!

Here are some things I like to do now that I'm eight months old:

• I am officially sitting up all by myself. I was pretty much doing this last month, but now I can sit and not fall over when I move my legs. Mommy still keeps the boppy pillow behind me just in case I have a spill. 
• I love to clap my hands! Mommy and daddy sing a song, "clap, clap, clap your hands, clap your tiny hands"! 
• I can now pick up puffs and feed them to myself!! Mommy puts them on my highchair and I grab them SO fast! I loooove puffs!!! For every five she puts down, I usually get 1-2 in my mouth - the others end up as mush in my lap =) 
  
• I am starting to make the chewing motion with my mouth - even when I don't have food in there! This is a good sign since I will begin to start eating more table food soon.
• Speaking of table food, mommy has fed me cucumbers and bananas in little bite size pieces. But, real people food is so slippery! Even if it doesn't get in my mouth, at least it's fun to play with!
• I love being fed solid foods - I haven't met a food I didn't like! Mommy makes a lot of my baby food - carrots, pears, sweet potatoes, peas, apples, berries, avocados - all sorts of yummy things!
• In the last month, I found how flexible I am and realized I could put my toes in my mouth! Every time mommy changes me, my feet go straight in my mouth! 
• Guess what? My feet are ticklish - just like mommy's!
  
• One of my new favorite toys is playing with measuring cups and measuring spoons! Mommy puts all my toys in a big green bowl and I like to take them all out in two seconds...I'm so fast! 
• I am starting to make more noise when I'm unhappy or bored. Now that I have a taste of my independence at 8 months old, I have to let mommy and daddy know when something's not right. It usually comes out in the form of a high pitch whine or squeal. Mommy says sometimes it makes her blood pressure rise. 
• I sleep 12 hours a night with one long morning nap and one long afternoon nap.
  
• Tonight (as we speak) is the first night I'm going to try and sleep unswaddled! I've been waking up in the middle of the night all week because I've broken out of my swaddle. Mommy has me sleeping in a sleep sack where I can still move my arms and legs. Keep your fingers crossed!
• I show no signs of being mobile anytime soon. However, I've made big strides lately by finally pushing myself into a "mini-pushup" position when I'm on my tummy. I can also stand with straight legs if I'm holding onto something like the back of a chair or couch. It makes me feel so big! Mommy had a dream that I was one of those kids that went straight from sitting to walking!!
  
  

I hope you'll come back to the blog soon and see my pictures from the beach. I promise to take a lot. May will be a busy month for me and I'm looking forward to all of it!

Love you all,

Ethan =)

Just Sayin' Hi!

Just a quick post to say hello! Things have been pretty quiet around the Graebe household. Ethan and I have been trying to take advantage of the warmer days by going out on walks. I've been pushing him in his stroller and one time this week I put him in his carrier facing out so he could take in the surroundings. It's a pretty good workout carrying a 15 lbs. weight! I need to get him a ballcap for our walks - all I have right now is an oversized bucket hat that keeps falling off!

This morning, I am watching our friend Maddox for a couple hours. Maddox is just a couple weeks behind Ethan and they love to play together. Their schedules are about 15-20 min apart so it worked out great...feed baby #1 then put him to sleep, feed baby #2 and put him to sleep...both are currently sleeping right now so I feel like it was a success! This was good practice because we are keeping cousin Jayden on Saturday for the first time by ourselves!! Yea for a slumber party!! We are really excited as Ethan always loves playing around Jayden. He loves to watch him walk, talk, eat food, etc.

I can't believe I'll be writing his EIGHT month post next week! Eek! Ethan gets more cute and lovable and huggable every day!! =)

March Recap!

The end of March was a busy couple weeks for us with trips to Tennessee and celebrating my 30th birthday! It was so nice having a trip to Tennessee where it wasn't for an "event" (wedding, baby shower, etc). We spent both nights by the campfire with our friends and loved every minute of it. My family pulled off quite the birthday celebration as they surprised me with a party with some of our dear friends/family! I literally had no idea and the fun just continued from there. The fam and I went to dinner at Sweet Grass and then me, Eric, Jeffrey, and Kristen all made a night out on the town until 2am! It was the first time we left Ethan overnight (he stayed with my parents) and it went so smooth. We were definitely excited to see him the next morning though - made sure we had lots of extra cuddles that day! Last weekend, we made a quick overnight trip to Indy to stay with Jeff, Kristen, and Jayden. The boys went to the Sweet 16 games while Kristen and I stayed at home, she made dinner, and we were in bed by 10:15! We laughed at how much "the times have changed"!

 

We are hoping to take advantage of the warm weather this weekend and might head to an IU baseball game either Saturday or Sunday. I bought Ethan his first pair of sunglasses and I can't stop laughing every time I look at him in them - he is sooooo cute!!! It's going to be so much fun having a baby during spring/summer! Not too much else to report so I will just post cute pictures of him instead =)

Seven Months Old!

Hi Family and Friends!

I turned seven months old over the weekend! I've been so busy lately - I took a trip to Tennessee to visit some friends - and I got to see Pa and Gigi too! Then, last weekend we celebrated Mommy's 30th birthday! I had my very first slumber party at Ginka and Papaw's house and I was quite the houseguest. I was all smiles and loved the extra attention I was getting from Uncle Jeffrey, Aunt Kristen, and cousin Jayden! I want to tell you about some of the fun things I'm doing as a seven-month old:

• I've gotten really good at sitting up by myself. I still tumble over sometimes, but I've realized I need to put my arms down to catch my weight.
• I have a new big boy bath tub! It's a big yellow inflatable duck that fits inside the real tub. It's just the perfect size for me to sit up and splash around. I love bath time!
• I love to reach for anything and everything in sight...especially at the dinner table! When I sit in my activity seat on the table, I want to reach for mommy's water bottle, the ketchup bottle, whatever is in my line of sight! 
• I still love to blow raspberries and stick my tongue out - a lot of times when I smile, my tongue just slips out! =) 
  
• Have you noticed how much hair I have?? It keeps growing and growing! Everyone comments on how much hair I have - my daddy says to enjoy it now because come his age, it'll be gone - those darn Graebe genes!
• I love...my hands!! Yep, you guessed it - no surprise here. They are still the coolest thing around.
• I sleep 11 1/2-12 hours a night and take two two-hour naps throughout the day. I love sleep!

• I love to shake my head "no" - and not because I understand what the word "no" means, but because it's one of my ways of interacting with others. It's the cutest thing. I'll shake my head "no" and just smile when people mimic me. Mommy and daddy shake their head "yes" in response because they don't want me to learn the word "no" quite yet! 
• Being at the age where I can eat big boy food is so much fun! Mommy mixes different foods together and I love the taste. Soon, I hope to start picking up small pieces of food and putting them in my mouth (right now, I just drop the food in my lap)! 

I feel like I'm really going to make some big strides in the coming month - there is still so much to learn!  I am a happy baby. I love my family and my kitty, Max. I'm in the middle of my first March Madness - and I'm quickly learning why they call it madness - Sunday, I was watching the IU game with my whole family and everyone was jumping up and down screaming, acting crazy!! Over a tiny ball that goes in a big circle. They say one day I will understand. 

Mommy tells me I will enjoy Spring when it finally comes. I can't wait to feel the sunshine and be outside where I can see birds and look at trees. I hope everyone is doing well and I will send another update next month!

Love,

Ethan =)

My silly tongue

Look of innocence

 

 

No more stickers!!

Happy boy!

Daddy Makes Me Laugh!

We know Ethan is so close to laughing because he's always opening his mouth like he wants to, but nothing comes out! We've had a few giggling spurts though and we were lucky enough to get one on video. They say there's nothing sweeter than a baby's giggle, right? I know it'll only get better once he finally turns his giggle box over!!

Six Month Stats!

Ethan had his six-month appointment on Monday and got an A+ from the doctor! Ethan grew almost two inches in the last two months and is now 25 3/4" long! He is almost completely out of his three month clothes since his little toes are poking out the bottom! Ethan is now tipping the scales at 13 lbs. 11 oz.! Little man is constantly improving and still charming all the nurses at his doctor's office. I mean, look at his picture - doesn't get much cuter!

It feels so good on my gums!

We had a nice conversation with Dr. Newby about Ethan and all the new foods he's trying. She encouraged us to feed him solids three times a day and just have FUN! We have been buying the Gerber brand and have tried all the veggies and fruits they make. I decided last week I wanted to try my hand at making my own food so I made a batch of apples and carrots. Keep in mind, Ethan loved the Gerber apples and liked the carrots (but, wasn't his favorite). Well, I fed him my batch and you would've thought I was feeding him poison!! Good grief, I know I can't cook, but c'mon! Dr. Newby suggested mixing olive oil or rice cereal in to amp up the calories. I tried the rice cereal with carrots today and that was even a worse disaster! Haha...but they say try a food ten times before deciding whether or not he likes it. We did try giving him a strawberry last week and he hated it!! We put it in this little mesh net that he can suck on and the minute he got the juice his face got all sour and he pushed it away. We also tried cutting up small pieces of banana to see if he could pick them up with his hands. He didn't quite get the idea so he would wait for us to feed him. Either way, we are having a blast with this new stage. He absolutely loves it and makes dinner time very entertaining! I'm quickly learning why parents strip their baby down to just a diaper during feedings - food everywhere!!

Ethan's been such a joy lately - we are loving the interaction we get with him every day. Now that he's sitting up, we love to get on the floor with him and watch him play with all his toys that light up and make sounds. He makes so many funny noises - he squeals, he moans, he coos, he's all smiles! Here's a video of him 'moaning'!

We are so excited for the month of March and have a lot to look forward to - a trip to Tennessee, six-month pictures, mommy and Grandpa Joe's birthday, and hopefully warmer weather!! 

Play time in the mirror!

"Play time" with Daddy!