TWO WEEKS OLD!

Two weeks old and we are loving every minute of it! He is such a GOOD baby! It is fun to try and interact with him. He doesn't quite know what to think about everything yet. He is starting to focus on things. He likes his swing and has focused on the little duckies that turn around above him. He really likes his bouncy seat and kicks his toys with his little feet. He has also discovered the ceiling fan and watches that as it goes around and around. It is amazing how much they can really observe at a young age.

Splish, Splash, I was taking a bath!

Enjoying his first bath!

Kicking and flailing his arms! I think he likes it!
Getting all wrapped up and ready for bed.

McCrea's first bath was a success! He wasn't quite sure what to think of the water surrounding his body. At first he was going to protest, he moved back and forth but finally he settled in and really enjoyed it. He was so cute. It was a 2 1/2 man (daddy, mommy & Lorelei) job to get him bathed, wrapped up, and dressed. When we tried to get his diaper on, a fountain of pee went all over. Luckily, it wasn't all over him so we didn't need to start all over again. I guess having a boy is a new challenge we all have to face. Lorelei was a big help, wanting to be involved in every way possible. She wants to do it all. Now it's off to bed for McCrea and Lorelei!

I MUST HAVE GAS!

Cutest smile ever!

I know at this age it can't be a real smile! I just hope he has having a sweet dream mixed with gas bubbles. We are still waiting for his first REAL smile, but we do enjoy seeing a smile now and again even if we know it is really just GAS. We have already noticed he has a dimple for sure on his right cheek and possibly his left too, although it is harder to spot. He is only nine days old here. Such a cute little boy!

A summer full of swimming!

Lorelei loves swimming! She is our little fish! She would of course call herself a "Mermaid." She loves the water and wants to spend all day in the pool. She has really excelled this year in swimming. It is amazing how fast they learn. She loves to swim underwater and dive for rings and treasure. Her favorite part about swim lessons, was diving for the treasure and jumping off the diving board. They learned to float on their backs, freestyle, butterfly, breast stroke and diving. Although Lorelei learned these strokes at swimming lessons, she continues to use her favorite stroke the "doggy paddle." Hopefully next year she will want to use the other strokes too. We love living in Arizona, just for the reason of being able to swim almost all year round.

BEING TORTURED BY THE PAPARRAZI!

SLEEPING PEACEFULLY!

STIRRING A LITTLE BIT!

HEY, WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?

HEY, WHATSUP! I'LL POSE JUST THIS ONCE FOR THE CAMERA.

OKAY, THAT'S ENOUGH, I'VE HAD IT!NOW I'M STARTING TO GET MAD! LEAVE!
OKAY, THAT'S IT, GET THAT CAMERA OUT OF HERE NOW!

Being famous and so adorable does have it's downfalls! People just don't know when to leave you alone. I can't help that I'm so dang cute, but seriously I was just in a peaceful nap and all of sudden you wake to flashes coming at you at every direction. I don't know if I'm going to be able to keep up with all of this. I've only been on earth for a week and I'm already being tortured in every way possible. People poking me, kissing me, not feeding me right away, waking my naptime, sticking things in my mouth and wiping my behind. I don't know if I came to the right place or not, because this Earth life hasn't been worth it, YET!

ONE WEEK OLD!

Time is flying by already! Here's our little McCrea snuggling with his older sister Lorelei. We have only been home from the hospital for a couple days. The first night was a nightmare as McCrea cried until 5:30 in the morning. I thought it was never going to end! The next night he surprised us and slept peacefully for a few hours at a time, and he has been a good sleeper ever since. We took him to the doctors that Monday because he was looking very Jaundice, however, he passed the test and is doing well. We then did a weight check and he was down from 7lbs 12ozs to 7lbs, so we had to up his formula intake. We went back to check him 48 hours later and he was up to 7lbs 6ozs. He is now off to a good start and eating well, I just hope he doesn't become a huge chunker like Lorelei was. He has been such a blessing to our family and we are so excited to love and enjoy all his cute little noises, crying, (okay, maybe not so much) looks and cuddles. He is such a lovable little boy and we all can't get enough of holding and kissing our little guy!

I LOVE to ride my BICYCLE, I LOVE to ride my BIKE!

Lorelei was thrilled when we got home from the hospital! She was waiting for a BIG SURPRISE that was waiting for her. Everyday that we were in the hospital Lorelei had a present to open up from her mommy and daddy to help with the transition. However, we wanted to do something extra special for her. I guess we thought it was a perfect opportunity to SPOIL her one last time! So that night we had Lorelei close her eyes and walked her out to the front and surprised her with a new PRINCESS bike. She was so excited! Chad took her out for her first ride! She loves her new bike, however, we only can take her out early in the morning or late at night to ride it, because it is way too HOT! We can't wait till this winter and we can be outside more often. She loves her new bike!

EARTH, DAY 5!

Going home!

We're finally going home! We didn't get released from the hospital until that evening but it was nice going home to start our life as a family of four! I was afraid, because of the pain I was still in, but I knew all the nurses had given up on me, so I was better off being home anyway. McCrea was such a good baby in the hospital. However, our first night home was a nightmare. He cried until 5:30 in the morning and I think I cried just about as long. It was so hard. Luckily, he has been sleeping so well, about three and four hours at a time and has been such a good little guy. He has made up for that night and has been the best baby ever since. It's amazing how many things you forget in five years about a new born. It's like starting all over again!

Posing for the Camera!

McCrea Daxten Graham
Born Tuesday July 15, 2008
At 10:49 a.m.
7 pounds 12 ounces
20 3/4 inches long

Here is the picture from the hospital! He is such a cutie! He is posing for the camera!

http://www.chandlerregional.org/Patients_And_Visitors/Online_Nursery/index.htm?&vnMode=details&bId=23974&nsw=t

Also check out the other cute poses he had.
Pose #3 was Lorelei's hand and McCrea's. Look how big Lorelei's hand is compared to McCrea's. Crazy how small McCrea's hand is to a four year olds.
http://www.newbabynews.net/babyCartz/default.pl?babyID=h12-23974&UID=dc1d1388088b46125fd3c08994261e1c&catID=1

EARTH, DAY 4!

Daddy and McCrea are just exhausted after mommy had another bad day in the hospital! These are the only pictures taken on day 4. Of course, the nurses are just in shock and can't understand why I'm having such a hard time. They compare me to all the other Csection patients and told me so and so is up walking around after delivering just hours earlier, or this patient is on her way home or I don't know why the pain medicine is not working for you. I was so sick of NURSES and their thoughtlessness and being compared to everyone. If you are a NURSE, please do not compare your patients with others. We all handle pain, emotions, hormones, and EVERYTHING else differently. If you would stop complaining about ME and just help ME, maybe I could get out of this hospital! Unfortunately, there are only a few nurses out there still with love and compassion left in them. I did have one or two that were great, but other than that I was on my own. OH AND PLEASE, DO NOT ASK ME IF I AM GOING TO HAVE ANYMORE CHILDREN! I'M PRETTY SURE I'M DONE!

EARTH, DAY 3!

She is so proud to be the big sister!My little girl grew up overnight!

Lovin on my Baby McCrea It's worth all the pain! But don't ask me to have another one! Taking care of his boy!
Daddy & McCrea! Look at that big yawn!

Baby McCrea enjoying his first 72 hours of life! Chad had taken over as the proud daddy as mommy tried to recover from day 2. He worked hard to keep his baby happy! He changed him, fed him, and took care of all his needs. He definitely formed a quick bond with his boy. McCrea wanted and preferred his daddy over everyone else. Chad had left for a couple hours and he was so upset and fussy during that time, he knew something was not right. But as soon as he had returned and heard his daddy's voice he was at peace again. It was amazing how smart McCrea already is. He is finally getting to know his alien family!

EARTH, DAY 2!

Lorelei took over all my mothering duties! She loves to take care of McCrea. She loves to hold him, kiss him, feed him and sing to him. He actually responds to her well and stops crying to hear her sing. There is an obvious bond between them. But how much is too much smothering? She still treats him like a rag doll, moving him here and there. She lies down one second, sits up the next, swings him to the left side, then suddenly changes her mind and puts him on the right side. She then kisses and hugs him TIGHTLY! I guess she REALLY loves her brother and looking on the bright side, she is taking on that maternal role and not the JEALOUS sister syndrome. It could be worse, I'm glad there is no hitting or hurting him involved, just an over enthusiastic, sisterly LOVE. Mommy was in bed on Day 2 in excruciating pain for most the day, so luckily Lorelei and daddy were there to save the day. We finally got the pain meds under control and Day 3 turned out much better.