Saving Some For Later?........................................

Four Months.....................................................

You are four months old! Wow! They tell you time flies and it is so true. It feels like yesterday that I was begging the OBGYN to just let me be done being pregnant, and reluctantly waddling out of her office when she told me I would have to wait it out. Four months have passed since we brought you home! You have changed so much and so have we.

You smile and giggle your days away. The smiles we can coax out of you, but giggles come all on their own. You have started "talking", Five to ten minutes spurts of oooooohhh, ahhhhhhh,ooooohhh, hiiiiiiiiii. We.love.it. We listen and respond to your little songs. Occasionally you will sing to us at night. We listen over your baby monitor as you wake up, sing yourself a little song and drift back to sleep.

Your most amazing baby talent remains, YOU ARE THE BEST BABY SLEEPER EVER! Seriously, thank you. In bed, asleep, by 7:30pm, rarely a whimper until 7:30am, amazing, thank you.

You still have rockstar hair, but it is slowing becoming aging rockstar was a small patch on the right is starting to fall out,leaving behind a gaping bald spot. We will love you even if you are bald.

Night time bath is always a riot. Typically we get one Graham provided rain shower, two splashes, and a drift of to sleep before we finish. Just like your Mommma you love a long warm bath. But, just like your Momma, you have the skin of a lizard. Long hot bath followed by several creams, lotions and ointments to keep you from shedding your skin like a snake!


Four months is when baby's are supposed to roll over, ahem, soo......any day would be nice.....just roll on over......come on....roll over..........................

We love you little boy! We see your personality more and more each day! We are so lucky to have you, and as November is a special time to give thanks. Thank you, thank you for being our son!

Milestone..........................................................

Halloween! You were a puppy! I was going to dress the dog up like a baby, but I was to busy staring at how cute you looked! (and, let's face it it's not the first time in the last 3 months the poor old dog has been forgotten) Yes, I used eyeliner on your 3 month old face to give your whiskers. Yes, that is totally fine. No, I will not make you wear eyeliner that often.

TUMMY TORTURE............................................

Listen to me Graham. You must learn to like tummy time. I am not kidding. Children half your age, weight, and size are rolling, not only over but all over the place. Tummy time is not going away. Scream all you want. We will keep it up. love, Mom. (p.s. You can do it buddy! The dog has been showing you how! If you would stop screaming for a few minutes while you are on your tummy you would have a chance to witness Remi and I rolling all over the living room trying to show you how it is done!)

THIS WAS HUGE.................................................

Introduction to rice cereal at 3 months 3 weeks. The doctor said to go for it, Grandma thought we should have done it months ago. Your Momma wasn't ready..... turns out I may have some weird, "I don't want my little boy to ever grow up" feelings, so get excited for how that will play out in your future! Oh, but you loved it and you eat it like a champ.

Three Months Old........................................

Three months old! Its seems so incredible that you done being a "newborn" and on to being an infant! Grahammy Whammy Poopie Pants, G-money, G Baby, Baby Boy, Little Graham Town, Grahammy McGrammers, Graham Cracker - whatever we call you we are starting to see the signs of recognition of your name when we talk to you. As of this weekend you seem to prefer to be naked, I guess we can save on baby clothes! You have advanced past your 3 Month outfits and we are busting out the six month stuff, oh to be a baby! An entire new wardrobe is in order every 2 months! You love to stick your tongue out and smiling is your part time job. You still have not noticed the dog but cannot tear your eyes off your Momma. You ride in your car seat like a champ.

YOUR.HAIR.IS.OUT.OF.CONTROL.

You love to play in your activity gym and stare forever at your mobile. You have been sleeping through the night for weeks, thank you! You are the best little baby we have ever seen!

2 Months and 3 Weeks

2 Month Checkup........

This happened at 11 weeks old. This is driving me bananas. I took at least 6 psychology classes in college all of which reviewed how to verify if experiments and studies were valid, keeping your controls is one of the most important steps! AHHH! How can I report your two month stats when they are technically 2 months and 3 weeks?! Of course you are huge, of course your head is the size of a cantaloupe - by the time the doctor saw you you were practically driving!

Graham, when I accidentally throw away the report card that I was supposed to sign and hand it back to you covered in coffee grinds and old Diet Coke please remember that there was a time I was able focused on the details. Even it it was only for the first few months!

Weight 13 lbs 13 oz

Height 23 2/3 inches

Head Circumference 16

Chubbbiness +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Shot Taking Skills ++++++++

Mom's Shot Taking Skills - - - -

Screams ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Snuggles ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The Brink Experience..................

Sweet little baby boy you spent your first August with some of the best people we could find. The Brinks! My family came one by one to stay for a few days and meet our newest addition. You will know your Brink relatives well, but just as an early introduction to the fam there are a few things that are true about everyone:
1) We love pizza
2) We all laugh LOUD
3) We tell lots of jokes
4) We will help with anything you ever need
5) We will point out everything you need help with
6) We eat olives on everything
7) We stay up late
8) We take coffee seriously
9) We never found an olive pizza that didn't taste good with beer
10) We are filled with joy to welcome a tiny baby boy to our family

Your Grandpa Brink started us off with a visit from Omaha! He came for weekend and we spent our time together touring the neighborhood and making ribs! You even rolled over once for him (TRUE STORY! AT 5 WEEKS! This is bc you are stronger and smarter than most babies. Although as I write this you are 10 weeks old and it never happened again) Uncle Justin came by to walk the puppy, eat ribs, and laugh at how quickly his sister has embraced all that is being a Mom. (and point out how I am exactly like Mom) Next came Aunt Jennifer, she came for a week of baby snuggling! Aunt Jennifer spent her week with you tossed over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes. You screamed, and snuggled, and even saved your first smile her visit. In next, Aunt Jessi! Jessi barely had her suitcase open before I signed her up to babysit. You smiled and worked out for Jessi, while we tried our hardest to convince her to move up to Chicago to be your nanny. (Jessi, the position is still open! I will again offer to under pay you AND not bombard you with questions.....)

We loved our summer visitors!

Don't Be Mad..... We Call You Teen Wolf

Although I am starting to think Rod Stewart might be a closer match.

August 12, 2010

The current stats according to your doctor:
Height 22 inches

Weight 10lbs 12oz.

Cutesness A+++

Chubbiness A+++

Snuggleness A++++

Sceams A++++++++++++

Better Than Average.....................................

Yesterday you had your one month pediatrician appointment. A quote from Dr. Lynch,

"We like to see babies gain 1.5 to 2lbs in the first month, Graham has gained 3lbs, its safe to say he has exceeded expectations."

You are an exceptional child, even if currently the only way to measure it is by how much you snack.

One Month!

One month already! I can't believe how much you have changed. We have worked hard this month to learn about each other.

The following is mostly true about you:

The sure way to put you to sleep is to take you for a ride in the stroller.

You and your father have the exact same hairstyle, texture and volume.

You love to sleep in cute-y little sleepers.

You hate the swing, Baby Bjorn, bassinet, and Boppy. Apparently we should have registered for an extra set of arms.

You insist on being fed every two hours during the day, but have been known to give 4 to 5 hour reprieves a night.

Occasionally you scream. LOUDLY. You're favorite trick is to scream endlessly at the top of your lungs, acting like nothing will ever comfort you. You keep this up for 5- 10 minutes,while I hold you, sooth you, rock you, change you, sing to you, try to comfort you. You wait until I finally hand you off to your Daddy, snuggle up and fall fast asleep.

If we never made you bathe, you would be perfectly happy.

You are a little grabby towards the ladies, you are cute, and can get away with it now but, may have to address this later.

The following is mostly true about us:

We are a little camera happy.

We have decided to make you a true Chicago baby, at four weeks you have been to the lakefront twice, a couple of farmers markets, and the Division street bars for brunch three times. You have gone on a sushi date, you cruise the neighborhood streets in your stroller and carrier with your diaper bag and puppy in tow. I imagine you will be able to parallel park the car sometime next week.

You have turned me into a safety vigilantly. Beware: mean looking dog owners, fast drivers, stop sign pausers, sidewalk riding bicyclists, dirty looking children at Target! My eyes have a acquired daggers and more than once I have not only shot dirty looks to these offenders, but I am officially a Mom who will yell, loudly, at anyone or anything who seems to pose a risk.


We are obsessed with your funny faces, keep 'em coming.

We are suckers for every coo, awww, and scream.


Every day is different. We learn more and more about each other everyday. We have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of love, and attention our family and friends have provided. You have changed our lives in so many ways we still marvel at the fact that we get to be your parents.

Sunday, July 18, 2010 10AM.............................

Nap Time

Week 1

Welcome home little boy! We brought you home on Sunday, July 11, 2010. We were both exhausted, stunned and excited, it is hard to describe the feeling of bringing home a baby for the first time but overwhelming is the word that comes the closest. Your Grandma Brink was hard at work cleaning our apartment and helping us to prepare for your arrival. She stayed the entire first week of your life and helped us to learn how to care for you. I am not sure how we could have survived without her. In your first week home you developed jaundice. Although it is typical for newborns to become jaundice three trips to the pediatrician, two totally sleepless nights, and an early unexpected introduction to formula woke us up to the unexpected world of parenthood very quickly. We made it through, and by your 9th day of life it seems like your old yellow color is just a thing of the past.

You have had LOTS of visitors this week. Chicago Friends, Courtney and Josh Goodman, Sarah Dale, Bryan Johnson, Kara Morse, Katie Anderson, Matt and Lisa Pytynia: have all stopped by to say hello. Your Uncle Justin is trying out babying holding on you, and of course Grandma Brink has been here getting her fill of love and snuggles. The entire Thornton family has come for a visit too! Aunt Tammy, Uncle Chris and your only cousin Keira came to visit and admire your full head of hair. Grandma and Grandpa Thornton came to see you and marvel at how much you look like you Dad.

We love your little personality, and funny pirate faces. You have peed on me 3 times but have yet to share that fun with your Dad. Remi is glad that you have taken her place in the costume department. In one week you have been dressed as a bear, a frog, and a bunny, you love every second of it. You are a precious little boy and we can't wait to find out what is next!

Perfect Little Boy...........

Graham Robert Thornton

July 9, 2010

2:37pm

8lb 5oz

Healthy, Happy, and Perfect

More Fun with Aunt Jessi B!

39 Weeks........................

Good try Aunt Jessi. Jessi B came to visit this weekend convinced that if she made the trip we would surely have a baby by the end of the long hot 4th of July weekend. The little guy had other plans, staying put for another few days. It was fun to play with Jessi for the weekend and we had fun introducing her to Chicago style Bloody Mary Bars, Chicago rules on Feeding Pigeons, and making giant cheesecakes that worked just as well for breakfast as the did for dinner!

BFR Invite!

Yeah! Little Baby T was invited to his first BFR (Brink Family Reunion)! Although we will not be able to make the trip this July. I am sure he will love hot July weekends in the Midwest full of pizza, swim up bars, Adventureland, sweet corn, bingo, talent shows, casinos, lots of cousins, and lots of laughs!

38 Weeks.....

Our bags are packed. There is gas in the car. We have a plan for the dog. The car seat is installed. Your room is ready. Your Dad has two weeks under his belt at his new job. If I keep snapping at my co-workers I think they are going to throw me out a window. I have had my fill of ice cream. Even the maternity clothes are getting snug. Grandmas' are on stand by. Aunt Jessi has picked a date. We know where the camera charger is located. We don't have plans this weekend or next. The doctor says you are right around 7lbs.

We are ready as we can be, little guy, we are just waiting on you.

Go Cubs Go

Last weekend we took you to your first cubbies games, sorry it was sort of hard for you to see.

Thanks Buddy!

We had some friends over for BBQ ribs last night! We borrowed some of Baby T's wipes to help with mess! Having all this baby stuff around might come in handy!

A Blue Room for a Baby Boy..................

May- Whoa..........................................

Baby Boy T-
There are certain things in life that are guarenteed to cause stress. We decided to see if we could fit all of them in a 31 day period. There will come a time in your life when you will get overwhelmed with all that is going on, and as a response I will refrence May 2010, I promise to provide you with the following reminders "You think that's bad, when I was 7 months pregnant with you.....................
- We signed a lease, broke a lease and signed a different lease in a matter of 3 days.
- We were homeless for 4 days.
- We moved all of our belongings into a storage locker with no real plan of where they would go next.
- I had a my wallet stolen at lunch.
- You and I took one last trip to St. Louis before your debut.
- Your Dad went through 5 rounds of interviews for a new job.
- Your awesome Dad got the new job!
- Dad quit his current job to jump on the new opportunity.
- The air conditioning went out on the first 85 degree day of summer.
- We had a great visit from Grandma Brink who helped us pull it all back together.
- We bought your crib and painted your first room.
- Aunt Jennifer came to visit and kept us giggling for a weekend.
- Our friends threw an amazing shower to help us to prepare for your arrival.
- We took classes to learn to care for you and felt both totally ready and completely underprepared.

All in all we rolled with the changes, tried to make the best of each day and came out in a better place than we started. We know that time will allow us to laugh at all we packed into May, but for now we are just trying to catch our breath. As we start June and your arrival creeps closer we are filled with excitement and anticipation!

Choose Your Own Caption........

The Fun Never Stops........

Rob put a diaper on the dog.

It's Legal........

We have been hard at work preparing for the arrival of our little guy! Rob and I currently live on our favorite corner of Chicago. We love living right on the Blue Line, next to the best BBQ in town, with a huge street level patio designed for grilling, easy access to Jerry’s Sandwich Shop, Wicker Park Dog Park around the corner, Penny’s Noodles to close for comfort, and our favorite Milwaukee Ave boutiques, everything we need just out our front door. What we have in location, we lose in space, our super hipster 1 Bedroom, 1 Bathroom apartment just won't cut it. Try as I might I could not figure out where we could put our little squirt. It seems everyone had a suggestion, the one I heard the most, “Just put him in a dresser drawer” just didn’t sit right. The dog currently occupies an entire closet, it just didn’t seem fair to empty out a sock drawer for our first born son. (and where would my socks go?) So the easy answer? Move! We have spent months trying to make a host of situations work. To Omaha? To Des Moines? Maybe St. Louis? We REALLY liked Maui maybe we should move there?! For now it seems Baby T is destined to have Chicago, Illinois listed as place of birth on his passport. And although Chicago may not be our forever home we know Baby T will always be proud to say he is from the CHI.

We’ve moved more times than we can count, so we are determined to make this one count! More space, More space, More space, I repeated to Rob over and over as we searched around the city. Our priorities have shifted so much from just a year ago, we had a few good laughs at me huffing and puffing on my way to check out a 4th floor walk up,and smiled alot at the 23 year old describing the AMAZING late night Hot Dog stand we would be next door to at another. We looked and looked and finally found our spot!

We were excited to sign a lease yesterday that ensures room for Jami, Rob, Baby T and even a visiting Grandparent or two. The most exciting part came on the third page of the lease under listed occupants, Rob Thornton, Jami Thornton, and Infant Son Thornton. Baby T is an official roommate! Legal and binding documents written up by strangers confirmed it. Just three and a half months until we fill the line with a name and the new room with a Baby Boy! But for now, let the decorating fun begin!

IT'S A..........

We had a chance to peak at our little bundle this afternoon and are so excited to announce that Baby T is a BOY!We can't wait to meet our precious little guy! He may have even showed us a bit of his personality, for 20 minutes he refused to roll over enough for the ultrasound to get a good look, taking a stand, right from the start! We are overjoyed to start thinking about tee-ball, trucks, football games, rowdy buddies, dirt and NOISE! But most importantly we feel lucky and blessed to know this baby is growing healthy and strong, we are elated to welcome him into our world.

21 Weeks........

Today a stranger told me I look 8 months pregnant. I told her that her shoes were ugly.

20 Weeks.......

20 Weeks! Half way there! 20 weeks is typically when an ultrasound can detect the sex of the baby. Our ultrasound technician and O.B decided this would be a good week to go to Maui. I hope they enjoy themselves enough they don't feel like traveling again until August.

Rob has talked me out of buying frilly dresses, and made me return the blue football themed baby quilt. "Just one more week till we know" is his mantra. I am so glad we are finding out, the suspense is killing me, and we still have so much time before we meet the little squirt! (or princess)

Final Votes??

Must Try to Remember......

Pregnant women are supposed to eat 300 extra calories a day, not 3000.

Super Sunday

Super Bowl Sunday started off the right way. Restless nights, the result of pregnancy related late night bathroom trips and watching a scary movie that had me convinced I was going to be "stolen" by a devil in the middle of the night meant I needed to sleep in a bit longer Sunday morning. Off in the kitchen I could hear Rob wrestling the coffee pot and banging around cupboards. The result? Breakfast in bed! Yummo! Rob is working hard to perfect his eggs, and promises family breakfasts far into the future. So far Remi and I agree Rob's over easy eggs can't be missed, we are sure Baby T will agree.

Super Bowl Sunday also marks the end of a season, also known as the six month period we watch way too much football. Rob is a football fan, through and through. Go Hawkeyes! Go Tigers! Go Bears! Go Huskers! Go Fantasy Team! Go Work Fantasy Team! Go, Saints! Go Valley High School Tigers! Go who ever else might be playing anywhere in the country at any time, in any conference! If he could find a Pee-Wee league to follow I have no doubt I would be encouraged to learn the stats. Luckily Matt serves as Rob's faithful and trustworthy companion from August through early February, watching, cheering, jeering, analyzing and waiting to do it all again the following week. These football fans commit to each weekend filled with delicious hot wings, pizzas, and plenty of IPA. Super Bowl Sunday is the culmination of 6 months of hard work and so as the boys watch the final game of the season Lisa and I cheer a bit louder on this day for the final END of the SEASON.
What this all means for you Baby T is simple. If you are a boy, I am certain by the age of three you will recognize by name and hometown of each member of the Hawkeye starting lineup and appreciate the nuances of a triple option offense. And Baby T if you are a girl you can count on more than one Black and Gold Cheerleading costume, but also earn an understanding of the NEED for Mommy and me Saturday afternoon manicures long before your playmates.

I would just like to point out that I love that I only have one follower. My husband? Nope. My Mom? Nope. Grandma interested in this? Nope. Yeah Kara!!!!!!!

16 Week Appointment
We went to the OB today for our 16 week appointment. All is well and we were able to listen to Baby T's heartbeat again, 150 bpm. Every time we hear the little heart beat Rob and I get so excited!

It is January and I have been feeling stuffed up. I tried to get the doctor to clarify the difference between a cold and congestion, and I pretty sure Dr. Ray rolled her eyes at me (somewhere in my explanation of "I'm stuffed up, but not achy, not overly sleepy but a little sleepy) Either way she said to load up on the Tylenol and stop complaining.

I am finally starting to "feel pregnant". The maternity pants are in full effect! I put it off for a while but at this point I sort of look like a stuffed sausage in my regular clothes. I am just waiting for the "glowing" part to kick in, I think I will go heavy on the bronzer to enhance the look!


I attended my first pre-natal yoga class tonight. I was surprised to know three other women in the class! We are pregnant at a time when so many of our friends are sharing the same experience, it is fun to compare and contrast feelings, cravings, and symptoms with other couples.

Just a couple of picutures from our Napa Valley trip this summer. Fun, wine, friends, and sun! What more could you ask for??

Welcome - Prepare, Plan, and Wait..........

Rob and I have decided to blog about our experiences as we jump into the world of parenting! We have so many changes ahead of us and so much to look forward to! We will do our best to track this exciting time.

We are 16 weeks into our first pregnancy here is an updated time line-

Oct 31, 2009- Jami realizes we have some investigating to do........

Nov 7, 2009- Three tests confirm our suspicions.... PREGNANT... appears on the sticks before our eyes.

Nov 24, 2009- Thanksgiving in Omaha, we share the news with the Brink Family. Hugs and high fives all around! Although we have asked Grandma Brink to keep the news a secret for a few more weeks we are pretty sure every person west of the Missouri River is has heard the news by the time we get back to Chicago :)

Dec 2, 2009- 9 Week doctor's apppointment. We have our first ultrasound, lessons in pregnancy, questions answered. We are amazed to see a tiny heartbeat appear on the screen. Confirmation of our expected due date July 10, 2010

Dec 23, 2009- Christmas in Des Moines, time to tell Grandma and Grandpa Thornton! We show up for Christmas with presents, Remi, and news of a tiny surprise to come!

January 1, 2010- Surprise Everyone! We share the big news with Family and Friends!

Jan 4, 2010- 12 Week doctor's appointment. All is well and we share our first listen to a beating heart inside. At 160 bmp Baby T is growing strong and healthy.

Jan 21, 2010 16 Weeks--Jami is still waiting for her bump to show up! We have decided this little one loves pizza (just like Momma!), and extra sleep is a must! Jami has felt great early on, and we both grow more excited everyday. Friends, family, and co-workers have been trying to predict the sex.........boy or girl?!?! Right now the big money is on a Baby Boy, we will have confirmation in just a few weeks.