Graham's Seven Month Fun Facts

  December has been a very busy time for us to say the least, but I am just happy that our little family is together again.  Along with all the usual Christmas festivities, Graham celebrated his 7-month birthday on the 20th and Jason arrived back home on the 14th.  Airport pickups are always the best, and this homecoming was no different, even if it did Graham the full 45-minute ride home to bond with Jason again. 

Here are a  few highlights from our little man's month:

*Sadly, Graham has outgrown his monthly weigh-ins with the fish scale, but he did weigh over 19 pounds when Jason put him on our scale.

*He can feed himself a bottle and often times mistakes a plastic water or soda bottle for his own bottle.

*Jason has been trying to teach Graham to crawl.  He can get up on all fours and then he rocks back and forth for a few seconds, but that is the extent of his crawling skills for now. 

*I thought for sure Graham would have cut a single tooth by now, but not the case.  Graham has discovered his tongue though!

*And Aunt Mary gets credit for teaching Graham his newest trick: clapping.

I will post pictures in a separate posting from Graham's first Christmas.  We hope your Christmas was as blessed as ours!

Such a ham!



I love to watch these two boys play!  Monkey see...monkey do.

 I

Graham's 6 Month Fun Facts

 

*Dr. Pitre gave Graham a clean bill of health for his 6-month check-up
*He was a little over 50th percentile in weight and height (18 lbs. and 26 1/2")
*Dr. Pitre seemed more impressed with Graham's babbling skills.  She said that most baby's utter "da da" first...but not my little man...Graham first babbled, "ma ma ma".  (I told y'all he is a momma's boy!)
*Graham celebrated his first Thanksgiving this month.
*He can scoot around his play mats and never seems to tire doing push ups.
*He sleeps roughly 10 hours a night and is not a fan of having his diaper changed.
*Still no teeth, but everything he touches he wants to put in his mouth.
*Bath time is fun time!
*He can sit still long enough to have a few pages of a book read to him, but after that he is disinterested.
*And, Graham is already a master treasurer hunter...(Graham remind to tell you about the close encounter you had with a parrot inside an antique store...). 

This has been such a fun stage to watch Graham's progression.  I am so thankful that Jason is finally home to see this progression for himself!  We are so looking forward to Graham's first Christmas and the excitement that will accompany this special time.

Turkey Day

  With so much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving, I must admit the day was a little bitter sweet without Jason home.  (Plans for Jason to be home this Saturday have since fallen through; so, G and I must wait a little longer...)  Nevertheless, it was a beautiful day spent with family, reflecting on a year with so many blessings--but none as great as the birth of Graham in May!

  Jason was at least able to have some semblance of a Thanksgiving meal with a coworker and his family in Macae.  (I was so proud of my hubby as he even prepared a cornbread dressing dish for the host family.)  Needless to say, he is beyond anxious to get home to see Graham and celebrate Christmas with our family--as are we!



A Cajun Critter and Some Halloween Fun

I know this may seem a little late for posting, but I plan to use these posts and photos for Graham's

scrapbook one day.  For his first Halloween, Graham was dressed as the cutest little Cajun crawfish! 

Here are few pictures of our little critter...

Graham's first Halloween.

Graham and I visited my friend's school for their annual pumpkin decorating contest.   I may have to reuse some of these ideas for Graham one day!

We concluded the night at a friend's house for some Halloween fun!

Graham's 5 Month Fun Facts: Pumpkins and Pigskin

Where has the time gone?! Graham-Graham celebrated his 5-month birthday on Saturday. 

Graham's 5-month fun facts:

* Graham and I flew back to Louisiana for his 4-month check-up/shots.  And then thought it was best to stay a little longer...
*Our little man even has his own frequent flyer miles.
*Dr. Pitre was pleased with his progress during his four month visit.  He was 50th percentile in both height and weight.
*Sadly, I left Jason's fish scale behind in Brazil; so my bathroom scale indicated that Graham has more than doubled his birth weight.
*Graham has perfected his roll-over skills and has mastered the back squirm during diaper changes.
*At any point during the night he can occupy any of the four corners in his crib.
*He puts his toes in his mouth and anything else his little fingers can grab.
*My mom and I took Graham to his first pumpkin patch visit and we picked out a few pumpkins too.
*Graham and I have been taking in this beautiful autumn weather with morning strolls through the park.
*And, we have been cheering  on our beloved Tigers and Saints too!
*Most of all, we have been missing Poppa!


"I am this many, Mom!"



We have been cheering on our favorite football teams!

Pumpkins everywhere!



Talking to Poppa (We sure do miss him!!)



Happy Fall Y'all!

1. 
   

Graham's Four Month Fun Facts

Grahams' four month fun facts:

*According to Jason's digital fish scale, Graham weighs 14 lbs. exactly.
*We are so fortunate to have a happy baby!
*He sleeps through the night from roughly 9 p.m. until 6-6:30 a.m.
*He usually takes a morning nap and a short one in the afternoon.
*He is a little chatter bug when we ride in the car.
*He seems to prefer sucking on his middle two fingers at night instead of his pacifier.
*He has many admirers, especially in the grocery store and at church. (Too bad we cannot understand what they are telling Graham.) 
*He is quite ticklish.
*He likes to stand on his legs. 
*He loves to look at himself in the mirror--lol!
*We are still working on the tummy-time thing.  After about 10 minutes, he has enough.

  Jason and I are really loving this age.  Graham is quite a playful little one and is always smiling!

  Graham and I will make a quick trip home on Saturday for his check-up and shots and then leave out again the following Saturday.  Poor Jason is already getting sad about us leaving.  He plans to use our time away to catch up on some rig visits to help pass the time.  Hopefully the week will pass quickly for all of us!



Such a happy kid!

A few pictures by the beach





Shhh: Don't tell Jason, but he is a Momma's boy--ha!

 

Road Trippin' to Rio

  This past weekend we loaded up and headed south to Rio to celebrate Jason's birthday and escape the Macae monotony.  With Graham in tow, we managed to take in a few sights; stroll the beach; eats lots; and sip a few native spirits too! Oh Rio, you sure do know how to spoil us!


Christ the Redeemer Statue, Corcovado Mountain


One can't have too many pictures of this World Wonder, can they? Jason laughs at me each time we drive around Rio, because he says I am like the paparazzi with my camera and zoom lens ready to snap photos of the statue upon each passing glimpse.

  Copacabana Beach

  The Copacabana Palace Hotel, seen in the photo above, is the "Grande Dame" of hotels perched along Copacabana.  This hotel, which was built in 1923, has been the favored hotel for heads of states, royalty, musicians, and actors including: Teddy Roosevelt, Princess Diana, and the Rolling Stones.  It was here that Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers were first paired in the movie, "Flying Down to Rio".  A night's stay at this luxurious hotel is said to set you back a hefty R$1500 (There better be a tub for that price--ha, ha!).

Famous Portuguese Wave Pavement



Famous wave-patterned Portuguese pavement along Copacabana Beach

 

Sugar Loaf Mountain



Sugar Loaf Mountain is a mountain made of granite and quartz, which jets some 1,300 feet above the mouth of the Guanabara Bay in Rio.  According to historian Vieira Fazenda, the term "sugar loaf" originated during the 16th century heyday of sugar cane commerce in Brazil.  Blocks of sugar were placed in conical molds made of clay to be transported on ships. The shape given by these molds was similar to the peak, hence the name.

 

Spectacular views

 

  Thankfully, we had booked our excursion to Sugar Loaf Mountain through a tour guide; otherwise, our day wouldn't have been so pleasant. While others were stuck in longs lines to purchase tickets and baking in the sun waiting to board the cable car, our wait was minimal and cut even shorter thanks to Graham (the Brazilians are really accommodating when it comes to families with small children).

  I realize I am beginning to sound like a broken record, but the views of Rio were breathtaking! Sadly, this camera operator wasn't on her 'A' game and the quality of my photos don't quite do justice to the beautiful horizons and oceans.

(Note: if any of you plan to vacation in Rio, I highly recommend booking these English speaking tours through the website, viator.com)

 

Metropolitan Cathedral of Rio de Janeiro

  As part of our tour we had a brief stop off at the Metropolitan Cathedral of Rio de Janeiro or sometimes called the Cathedral of St. Sebastian of Rio de Janeiro, the patron saint of Rio.  Built between 1964-1979, this church is a baby compared to some of its' sister churches which pre-date the 1800's.  Pope Benedict XVI is scheduled to say Mass for World Youth Day next year at the Cathedral, which has a capacity for nearly 20,000 people.  Something tells me capacity may be exceeded for that Papal Mass! 

Sambadrome 

Our tour guide said this strip is home to "the greatest show on Earth".  Hopefully we can witness it!

 

  So you may be thinking, what is so special about this strip??  This is the setting for "the greatest show on earth".  Sambadrome is the stage everyone around the world has seen in pictures of Brazilian Carnival.  This is the parade area in downtown Rio, where samba schools parade competitively each year during Carnival.

 

This is the scene during Carnival!  Can you imagine???  Help me to convince Jason that we must experience this!  You can purchase and reserve grandstand seats ahead of time.
photo source: photocommunity.com

 

Graham-Graham

Jason was so proud to "wear" Graham on his chest in the BabyBjorn.  I think that was the highlight of his birthday.  He is such a natural at being a dad and Graham is one lucky little boy!



One little boy was wiped out after all that sightseeing and just ready to get back on the big bus...

 When we first arrived in Brazil last year, Jason soon learned of a Brazilian rum called, cachaça and a Brazilian cocktail called, caipirinha from his Brazilian co-workers. (Cachaça is made from fermented and distilled sugarcane juice and a caipirinha is made with cachaça, sugar, and limes.) So this weekend we thought, why not give it a try? Saturday afternoon we ordered caipirinhas with our lunch and and it hit the spot!  I think I enjoyed mine more so than Jason.  Jason says he will stick to beer.  Anyways, at least we can now say that we have induldged in the national cocktail of Brazil.   I will bring a bottle or two of cachaça home for those that care to try it.
 

Happy Birthday Jason!


Saturday we topped the evening off with a great dinner along Copacabna Beach before retiring to our hotel to catch the LSU game on SlingBox.  We did manage to run into some fellow Tiger fans in Rio!

 
  It was another great weekend nonetheless!  Although, Jason insists that the only reason I like going to Rio is because the Marriott has a bath tub. (You may recall that our place in Macae and most places in Brazil do not.) While he may have a point there and that may have been the case when I was 6 1/2 months pregnant, rest assured that my growing affinity for Rio goes beyond a relaxing bath at a hotel--maybe its the European influence or white sandy beaches or urban charm. Maybe it is all of those things previously mentioned.   One thing is for sure though--reality surely bites us hard when we arrive back in Macae!  I am sure we will be seeing you again real soon, Rio.

Chow!

Buzios: Round 2

  You may recall Jason and I tried unsuccessfully back in January to take in the beautiful scenery in Buzios; but, Mother Nature had other plans for us.  So, we decided to venture back to this former  fishing town this past weekend to celebrate our fifth wedding anniversary.  This time around the weather and scenery didn't disappoint!  And neither did the accommodations--Jason found the perfect hotel nestled along the Atlantic coast.  The Villa Rasa Marina is a cozy and rustic boutique hotel with amazing views of the emerald waters and a short drive to "Centro" (downtown), where we shopped and dined along the harbor.  Needless to say, it was a fabulous weekend and I am pretty sure this will be our go-to  place for future weekend getaways! 

Havaianas are the widely popular flip-flops made in Brazil and are sold along practically every street corner in Buzios.  It wouldn't surprise me if Havaianas are the national shoe of Brazil--ha!

  Friday is a holiday in Brazil, so we have plans to head to Rio for the weekend for more sight-seeing and to celebrate Jason's birthday on Saturday.  We are looking forward to another family adventure!

 

Have a great weekend!

Graham's Three Month Fun Facts

Grahams' three month fun facts:

*According to Jason's digital fish scale, Graham weighs 12 pounds and 5 ounces
*He has discovered his toes
*Sometimes he prefers double fists in his mouth rather than his pacifier
*When he does suck his pacifier, he can take his pacifier out of his mouth and put it back in his mouth
*He drools and blows bubbles and puts everything he touches in his mouth (we may have an early teether on our hands)
*He can roll over from his back to his stomach and vice versa
*He has been estate saling with his mom in New Orleans
*He has a visa and passport, flown on an airplane, and traveled to Brazil
*He has transitioned from his rock-n-play to his baby crib (we are still adjusting to our new environment in Brazil)
*He talks and chuckles more frequently
*He little personality is really developing

We couldn't imagine our lives without our little Graham-Graham!!

  

 

 

 

'Exceeding Expectations': Graham's First Flights

  Well I must admit:  Jason and I didn't know what to expect going into Sunday's extended flight back to Brazil with Graham.  Surprisingly little Graham-Graham did quite well during the 10-hour flight--'Exceeding Expectations' (Ensco's motto) of flying with an infant.  He slept the whole leg from New Orleans to Houston and again from Houston to Rio, waking only to feed and change in his diaper.  And he had plenty of admirers along the way! 

  Jason and I would be reminisced if we didn't share our sincere gratification to the Brazilian customs and immigrations officials for the accommodations and courtesies extended to us at the Rio airport.  Instead of waiting in lines, which zig-zagged for what seemed like miles,  officials gave us  preference because we were traveling with an infant, a courtesy we immensely appreciated!

Saying goodbye to Nanny C.  Hopefully she will come visit us??

One last family photo after checking-in our luggage and getting our flights squared away.

Graham's first flight!

He wasn't too interested in the sights...preferring too snooze and snore, I might add!

Our little world traveler mingling with another passenger as we waited to exit the plane in Rio

Before loading up in the van for the three-hour drive to Macae, our driver was holding this Ensco sign, 'Exceeding Expectations' as we walked out of customs.

This photo isn't the best, but we were glad to finally be in Macae!