“I wanna be 1” ?

For months leading up to Graham’s 3rd birthday, he demanded that he wanted to be 1, not 3. We don’t know why so we just said OK and moved on. He’s since owned his “3” and is now asking to be 5 and 7 depending the day.

Milestones that have NOT been hit as of today, his 3rd birthday: potty trained, nuk free. (The pic below if from his nap today which he took in his new tent)

We are going nuk free starting tomorrow. The needy babies of the world are crying for his nuks so they will be sent away, as Greyson’s were 3.5 years ago. Perhaps 1 of them comes back ‘broken’ (top snipped off) so he can cling to it at night for a week or so. Here’s to hoping it’s as smooth a process as it was for Grey because after this milestone, we move to full-on stealth mode for potty training filled with cajoling and bribes.

I posted a status on FB today that said “3 years ago today I was ready to drink castor oil to get this boy out…”. I remember it clearly. My blood pressure had me on bed rest which was fine by me because I couldn’t stand on my feet for more than 5 minutes anyway without my hips caving in. Like every pregnant woman I’ve ever met, my bladder performed as if it were the size of a pea and because I was an “aged mother” with early contractions and a previous preemie, I was in the doctor’s office every day strapped to machines for hours at a time while I willed my body to go into labor on its own. He was measuring big and at that point, I still had 3 weeks to go to full term. I sent Mike a text- I from my bed upstairs to him in his office downstairs that read “if we aren’t in labor after today’s appointment, we’re going to Walgreens so I can buy castor oil”. I can’t remember how he responded but I was dead serious.

That text was sent at 1:55pm Pacific time. Our appointment was at 4pm, I was admitted to the hospital at 6, given an epidural sometime after 10pm and and at 11:25pm after only minutes of labor, he was in my arms. No castor oil needed*

Happy Birthday sweet boy. You have your mommy’s patience (very little) and your daddy’s strength (oodles of it). You add levity to every day and we couldn’t imagine the Guenther family without a Graham in it.

*Disclaimer:  author was out of her mind and does not endorse castor oil as a method of inducing labor

Perfect Fall Days

Like most of my blogging friends with the exception of Mrs. Mouthy who remains amazing and regular (blog poster, that is) and interesting, it’s been over a month since my last post and I’m struggling to put this one out as well. So many milestones in the last month or so and in between them all, I try not to let guilt consume me over the fact that I stink at keeping in touch with friends and family and I selfishly just want my every spare moment to be smothering the boys or sleeping. I do want you readers (all 6 of you) to know that even though I stink at keeping in touch, I do check in on you from time to time to see how you’re doing, if you got new haircuts, if your kids are walking/talking/driving yet. My friends are traveling and falling in love and getting married and having more babies. My dad is writing music and preparing for his first solo gig  while my mom, brother and sister do what I do- work hard and love their families and wish there was more time in the day to make a phone call. Mike is missing his family too and we’re starting to count the days ‘til Christmas.

In September Mike’s family spent 2 weeks in London and Paris with the boys. They had an amazing time and I know Mike enjoyed it despite the challenges of managing the boys, often cranky and sick, without my help as I was traveling most of the month. They saw loads of sites in England and Paris and I hope they can come back to see more. We’re blessed to have the opportunity to host and thankful when our friends and family are able to enjoy it too. From the bottom of our hearts- thank you Janet, Carmen and Bria for stealing away and choosing to spend some downtime with all of us.

And Sal- your visit meant the world to me and I’m missing you more than ever after being reminded of how great we are together.

We just had parent-teacher conferences and I’m happy to report that Greyson is flourishing as a student, friend and listener. He is a “principled student” according to Mrs. Honey who is one of those teachers that we’re going to remember forever. We’ll remember what she looks like, sounds like (the best British accent) and most importantly for the impact she’s having on Grey who adores her. He doesn’t look at her with puppy eyes like he did Mrs. Sharon 2 years ago- this is an adoration from respect and trust. Thank you again for your thoughts and prayers as we worked through those first trying weeks. Every morning isn’t perfect but we’ve made significant progress. Doesn’t he look happy?

 Mrs. Kay Honey

Graham has officially taken over as the house entertainer. For those of you who saw his phone conversation with Phil Mickelson on Facebook, that’s just a taste of the daily laughs he provides. He has recently picked up on every parent’s mantra “because I said so” and it’s his answer to any question that begins with ‘why’.

Mom: “Why aren’t you eating your lunch?”

G: “Cause I said so”

…and more GRAHAM*isms*

Mom: (after prayers at bedtime) “What would you like for breakfast tomorrow?”

G: “Pizza. A really big slice of pizza”

 

G: “Can I have milk?”

Dad: “Yes”

G: “Yeah, I have sausage on my breath” (he hasn’t eaten sausage in a very long time!)

In other news…Graham turns 3 on the 22nd (he can hold up 3 fingers and knows the exact date). Next week is the boys’ half-term break so they’re coming with me on a business trip to Dublin and from there we’re heading to the Cliffs of Moher for the weekend. It will be a fun way to celebrate his birthday and see a bit of Ireland. Mike is enjoying the days when the kids are at school- he’s relaxing in the kitchen (mussels in a white wine sauce, pretzel crusted chicken, his food is awesome) and training for a charity bike ride from London to Paris. I’m training for another long flight- heading back to the states (Seattle then Charleston) and then we’ll start planning for our Christmas break which includes a NYE trip to Sundara for anyone interested in meeting us there!

Missing you, thinking of you, wishing our miles were shorter…

~the guenthers