Tuesday, October 31, 2006

Trick or Treat!

Happy Halloween! Luca and Donovan dressed up and had a blast (Donovan, did anyway!). Donovan dressed as a snake (he picked his costume himself) and Jessica took him up to the nursing home where she works to see all the residents. Luca dressed up as a pea pod (Grandma bought the costume for him). He was only dressed up long enough to take some pictures, but he didn't seem to mind. Here are some pics of the two little boys...

















4 Months...

Here are Luca's 4 month pictures. He is growing so quickly. He is almost able to sit up on his own, and he is into chewing on everything!
















Surgery Update

We had an appointment with the pediatric surgeon today. He was really nice, and we felt comfortable with him. He explained that Luca needed surgery to remove the lump, as they tend to get bigger and can have recurring infections. (He told us the name, but I forget exactly what he thinks it is- they won't know for sure until they remove it). He doesn't think that it is anything serious, but it is better to remove it now before it gets infected and causes a problem. Luca will have to go under general anesthetic for the surgery, but it is a relatively short procedure. He will only be away from us for about 1/2 an hour total. It is Day surgery, so he won't have to stay at the hospital and it will be done at the U of A. The insision will be about 2cm long laterally on his chest and it will just be closed with disolveable stitches. So, all in all, not anything too major. (At least, that is what I am telling myself over and over again)

After he told us what would be happening, his secretary came in to set up the appointment. We were both expecting to wait a month or so, so you can imagine our surprise when she asked how next Thursday was for us. So, Luca will be having the surgery on Thursday, November 9th.

I think that the week leading up to the surgery will be a stressful time for Chris and I, so please keep us in your thoughts and prayers. We need to remember that it is a simple surgery, and that the doctor will do a great job, and that Luca will be perfectly fine.

Saturday, October 28, 2006

Family Pictures for Tom

Hey, Tom-
Here are some pictures from the last few days, I thought that you would like to see them.




Xadrian was having so much fun playing with Luca!


Tegan wasn't feeling well (ear infection), so she was happy to cuddle with Papa and read a catologue.





We went to visit with Nona and Liana yesterday (Friday).














I realize that there are no pictures of your mom here. The only one that I managed to get was of the back of her head when she was giving Luca a bath. I will try to get one for you soon.

Thursday, October 26, 2006

Shot 3 times

Well, Luca had his shots yesterday. He got 3 needles again. Jacquie was there to hold him for me and she said that he didn't cry for the first one, but then he figured out what was going on. Poor guy. My heart was breaking just hearing him cry down the hallway. Nature really makes it so that you can pick out your own child's cry among others...interesting.

He has been sleeping lots since his shots ( a side effect, I guess). He slept 8 hours straight last night, and then ate and went another 7.5 between feedings. He was up for about 2 hours and then fell back asleep for another 2 and a half hours before eating again. But, he is not fussy like he was last time (yet) so I will take the sleeping any day!

Luca weighs 17lbs 6 oz. He is in the 90th percentile for weight (down a bit from the 97th at 2 months) and is in the 60th percentile for height at 25 inches.

We also saw our family doctor yesterday and she confirmed that the doctor that we will be seeing at the U of A next week is a pediatric surgeon. So, now that it is confirmed that the lump will be removed and not drained, we are worried about that. It is hard to think of our little baby going through surgery at 4 months. I am sure that the doctor is great (in fact, I have heard that he is) and that he will be able to answer many questions and hopefully calm some anxiety when we see him on Tuesday.

Tuesday, October 24, 2006

Canadian Baby Photos

Well, we got sucked into the Canadian Baby trap. But they take such cute pictures! For those of you that may not know, Canadian Baby is a photography company that has been around for a long time (I have Canadian baby pictures of myself). They offer you a no obligation free 5x7 portrait of your baby if they can come into your house and photograph him or her. So, I said yes. Of course, then they take the cutest pictures and you want them all! We saw them and couldn't choose just one. This is the trap. They then charge you a small fortune for the rest of the proofs AND somehow managed to convince us to buy some enlargements, too! Oy! But, nevertheless, they are super cute and here is a sampling of them. (There are 3 great ones that are not here as they are the ones that we have chosen to get enlarged, therefore, they are back at the studio until early December.)

Don't forget that to see an enlarged image, you just need to click on the picture.




Random news

Hi, All,

I have gotten quite behind in posting, so I will just update many things at once-

Luca is almost 4 months old now, and is laughing, cooing and grabbing at toys and bringing them to his mouth. It is amazing how quickly he is changing! It is really neat to see his hand-eye coordination get better every day and as the day goes on. He is pretty spastic in the mornings, but by the afternoon, he has pretty good control.

He has his 4 month booster shots tomorrow, which I am not looking forward to. If you remember my post in August when he had his last shots, you will remember that this was not a happy time for either of us. Luckily for me, my wonderful sister-in-law, Jacquie has gracefully volunteered to hold Luca while they stab him instead of me. This takes a huge weight off my shoulders, as I have been getting knots in my stomach every time I see that giant green reminder sticker on my calendar. Some may think that I am a baby, but I think that I just know my limitations and I know that having me anxious about it will only make Luca more upset and that is not good for either of us. So, that is tomorrow morning.

Chris had a really bad cold (along with others on both sides of the family) for about the last week or so. So far, I have been safe (knock on wood) but Luca seems to have caught it. He has had a runny nose and is sneezing a lot. I think that his throat is sore, too because his cry is a little hoarse. Unfortunately, he is crying because it hurts, but crying makes it hurt. But try using that logic with a 4 month old. Haha! I ended up sleeping on the floor in his room last night becasue he was awake so often. Everytime he would roll onto his back (he was sleeping on his side) he couldn't breathe very well because his nose was plugged, so he would wake up. Partly this was for my own peace of mind, being there beside him and not having to wonder how he was doing, but also because after the 10th or so time of getting up and tucking him back in, it was just easier to be in his room with him.

In other Luca news...About 6 or 7 weeks ago, I noticed a lump on Luca's chest sort of between his nipples. At first I thought that it was a mosquito bite or something, but it grew. The doctor sent him for an ultrasound (which he didn't get an appointment until last week, so we were waiting since the second last week of September). He was so good during the ultrasound, laughing and smiling at the tech. The radiologist came in and examined him also, and had a look around at all of his organs because he said that it is so rare to get such a good, young baby, that he wanted to have a look. He said that it is much easier to see things on a baby than on an adult, so it was pretty interesting. Something to do with fat/muscle ratios I think he said.

Anyway, we are seeing our family doctor in the morning to get the info. We already know that he is seeing some sort of specialist (a Pediatrician, I think, but the appointment lady didn't specify. I will find out tomorrow for sure). He has an appointment at the U of A next Tuesday, the 31st. The radiologist said that it looks to be mainly fluid with a few solid masses inside if it, and will probably just need to be drained, but possibly removed. We will know more next week I guess. I would really like to know what it is and where it came from, but maybe I will never know that. I will be sure to keep you all posted as we know more about this. I have told you all I know for now. But I do know that this will more than likely mean more needles....oh boy.

There is not much exciting going on with the rest of the members of the Graham family. We are just getting our house ready for the winter- raking leaves, "winterizing" our windows, etc. Chris did get the hot tub up and running again (it has been sitting empty waiting to be cleaned since just before Luca was born) so I am very much looking forward to a relaxing soak once all this other "stuff" is through. We are also gearing up to finish the renos in our upstairs bathroom. Chris put a tub-surround and shower up in July, so now we are ready to redo the counter top and tile and to paint. Hopefully that will happen this coming weekend. All the supplies are purchased, it is just a matter of finding the time. For now, though, we will be keeping the purple tub and toilet! :) (Our neice, Kaelynn would be happy to hear that- she gets quite a kick out of Auntie Jan's purple tub!)

Chris and I went on our first post-baby date last Friday. We went for dinner and 2 short games of bowling in Ponoka. We were only gone for 2 hours, but it was a great break. I was a little apprehensive at first, but after a little while, I relaxed and knew that Luca was in the very capable and loving hands of his Nona. It was nice to be with my husband for a while and not have to worry about doing things for Luca for a short time.

Well, that is about it- I hope you enjoyed my short novel, now those of you at work better get back to it! :)

Donovan gets a hair cut!!

Donovan got his first hair cut about a week ago. He looks like such a little boy now! It also makes him look so grown up, I think. (See the post entitled Bobbsey Twins for a before shot) Of course, he is as cute as ever. He is also getting so good at walking that he has decided to try running sometimes.





He has been at a Day Home for about a week now while Jessica is at work. He seems to really like being with other little kids, and the house has a little dog that he loves. When you ask him if he had fun at Chrissy's he yells "ya!" Too cute...

Monday, October 16, 2006

Sunday, October 15, 2006

Celebrity Look-A-Likes Part II

Ok, so I tried again with another picture out of curiosity and this is what it came up with this time....I love that I look like Kevin Costner and a young Fred Savage!!!! Good to know that I look like a man!!! But, Carrie Underwood is gorgeous, so I will take that and Chris loves Julia Roberts, so that is fun, too. Anyway, I just thought that it would be fun to see if any of the celebrities would be the same with a different picture (although I was not as chubby in this one as the one below) :)

Saturday, October 14, 2006

Celebrity Look-A-Likes

I went to this site that you can match your face with celebrities (Thanks for the link, Rob!). It is really neat, although I didn't think that I would end up with an Asian match! Also, this picture is of me VERY pregnant (less than 3 weeks before Luca was born) so my face is a bit puffy. But, I think that some of these women are very beautiful, so I will take it as a complement.



MyHeritage - family trees and photo albums

Tuesday, October 10, 2006

Fall Fun





These pictures were taken in our front yard and some in the neighbour's yard. The neighbour kids raked a HUGE pile of leaves, and were jumping in it all weekend. I took Luca over and he played in it. He was really interested in feeling the leaves and listening to them crunch. These are a few of the best pictures.

Wednesday, October 04, 2006

Nonna comes home!!


After being in Colorado since mid-August, Nonna has returned home to a much bigger Luca! (This picture is for you, Tom!)

Bobbsey Twins!


Luca and Donovan in their matching shirts and blankets that I made them. (I didn't make the shirts) :) I have been babysitting Donovan lately and he just loves to come play with Luca. The first thing he does when he gets here is goes over and gives Luca a hug and a kiss! Donovan has also started walking!!! I'm a proud Auntie!

Future star?


3 months old!




Once again I am a little behind in posting, but here are Luca's 3 month pictures from last Thursday...