Christmas

All four Byrges' were in one house for the duration of the day....a modern day miracle in and of itself. Most of the time I have to work all or part of the holiday, but we were under the safety net of maternity leave this year. It was enjoyable for Josh and I to see Henri get his gifts and open his stocking. I"m not sure he really understands what was going on, but he sure did enjoy getting some gifts. Graham was low key most of the day. He received some new books in his stocking and that was about it. A one month old doesn't need much!! That made it easy on the shopping for me this year. We hope everyone had a safe and happy holiday with friends and family. Here is looking toward a healthy 2011 for everyone we know.



Henri getting ready to dig into his stocking!!



Henri opening up his Thomas the train books with Dad.



Santa sure brought us two pretty amazing gifts!



Henri being silly wearing mommy's hat.

Trees

This year we decided not to put up the big Christmas tree. We thought it would be too much to handle with Henri and the new baby..so my dad came to the rescue. He sent a mini tree that Henri was able to decorate with momma. He really enjoyed it. Big shout out to papa Graham for sending the gift. While Natalie was here we also got a rare photo of mom with both babes. Looking forward to Christmas on Saturday...stay tuned for some excellent pictures of the festivities.

Four weeks

This past Monday marked a month since Graham joined our family! Yes, I said A MONTH. Graham is quite the eater and was weighed this past weekend at over 8#. We can't get over how quickly he is growing. His cheeks are filling out and he is looking more like Henri each day. He is a very calm little guy, as long as he doesn't need to pass gas!! In that way, he is EXACTLY like his big brother. It's is crazy how time flies with two kids and more obstacles than you can shake a lambs tail at. We had to replace our furnace this past week to the tune of a lot of money, but the house is now warm and cozy for the holidays. We are very thankful that we had the resources to take care of that. Both boys have kept us busy and we recently had a visit from my bestie from college...Aunt Natalie. She brought gifts for the boys and most importantly...joy for all four of us. It was so good to see her and have some one on one time with her. She is a very busy Aunt and will be moving to Hawaii at the first of the year permanently. We are happy for this big time in her life, but we will miss her dearly. Both boys went to the pediatrician this past Saturday. Henri is dealing with yet ANOTHER ear infection...both ears this time:(. He is on antibiotics and we are keeping our fingers crossed that this will be the last one before he gets his tubes on the 12th of January. Graham was also seen and has a cold and an infection in his eye. We kept trying to talk ourselves out of the idea that he still appeared a bit jaundiced, but it was confirmed Saturday. The MD told us that this sometimes happens in breast fed babies and that it is most certainly not harmful to Graham. She said that is will resolve on it's own within a few months. We are staying home for the holidays and it will be our first Christmas as a family since before BOTH the boys were born. We have the stocking sup and a mini tree that is out of reach of Henri and are looking forward to a day at home with all four of us and nothing to do! We hope this post finds all of you happy and healthy and ready for Christmas. Enjoy the pictures.





Graham is having longer wakeful periods and loves his bouncy seat. The big debate right now..mom things his eyes are going to be blue, dad...brown.



Aunt Natalie loving on both our boys..it was fantastic to see her!!



Natalie and Henri digging into his gift.



Drumrollllll please...she brought a cozy coupe...and Henri LOVES LOVES LOVES IT.

No Pictures

So this blog will be void of any pictures, but we have a quick update. Graham is doing very well and seems to be filling out his newborn clothes very quickly. He is a pretty chilax baby and sleeps very well when he's asleep, hehe. He is still eating very often and Henri is learning how to adjust to the time Graham needs. Josh and I took Henri to see an Ear, Nose, and Throat specialist today to have his ears look at his ears. It was a quick and easy decision for all of us. Henri will have ear tube placed the second week of January. Until then, we will deal with the fluid behind his ear that is still there. We are hoping this will help him feel much better. Our furnace will be replaced over the next two days, so we hope this update finds all of you warm...we are going to do our best. Stay tunned for new pictures soon.

2 Weeks

Whew....here we are...two weeks ago Graham was born. There has been a flurry of activity in the house. Mom is another year older, a virus took our house down to Chinatown for a few days...Dad has FINALLY taken his test that he has been studying for for nearly 8 months. Henri and Graham had a visit from Josh's parents..who also got the virus while they were here. There has been a whole lot of bleach spray, diapers, laundry, and wipes. I told Josh just today that we have used nearly 500 wipes since Graham was born between both boys! Along with all the drama, there has been so much to smile and laugh about. Graham eats like a champ and Henri is VERY slowly starting to adjust to a life with a little brother. Henri is making strides as well and has learned two new words in the past week. Henri goes to see an ear specialist next Monday to evaluate how we can treat his chronic ear infections. On the same day he will have some labs drawn to check for other reasons for his slow weight gain. I believe he is just gonna be our "little" guy. The next few weeks will also prove to be busy. My sister in law and niece Anna will celebrate birthdays, Josh and I will celebrate our anniversary, the boys will have a visit from Aunt Natalie, and they will celebrate their first Christmas together. We will keep everyone posted and in the mean time..stay warm!







Here Henri is opening a Christmas gift from his mawmaw and papa (Josh's parents) early while they were visiting. What a difference four months makes...at his first birthday he could care less about the presents.



Graham being a cutie.



Henri got into a box of tissues and proceeded to pull every single tissue out! That is what happens when mom tries to get a shower!