Fall Fun

Whew...October went by in a hurry here at the Byrge house. We were very busy squeezing every ounce of daylight and warm weather out in play dates and outside play. We kicked the month off by celebrating our buddy George's 4th, yes 4th...eeek birthday. He wanted a scary theme so Henri and he did Halloween crafts. Henri and Graham both really enjoyed George's toy selection. They really had a great time!



Craft time for the boys!

Graham has hit some major milestones this past month! He has mastered the cheerio and contrary to our history, this boy is now eating anything we place in front of him. He is getting much better at using his signs and for sure signs when he is finished. He is beginning to babble a little bit more and has discovered that he really enjoys and everything his big brother is doing! He turned eleven months old this past month....and he is for sure gearing up for his first birthday.





I participated in a 20 mile bike ride (yes I survived) this past month to raise awareness for bike safety. The Project Jennifer had their inaugural event and I had a blast. The weather was picture perfect and I was able to join some of my co-workers for the ride. We rode in memory of our co-worker Dr. Jennifer Cole and I am already excited about the idea of doing this annually.



My friend and boss Mary and I at the bike ride.

We had some great family time this past month and took advantage of the unusually warm weather by getting the kids to as many parks as possible. Henri is really beginning to engage Graham in his play and it is really neat to watch. Graham is all to eager to join him!





We had a wonderful visit from Aunt Andrea and were able to have many outings with her while she was here. She went to the pumpkin farm with us, we went to Boo at the Zoo (save your money, not that impressive :( ) and Grant's farm. The boys can't get enough of the one on one attention they get while she is here and we are looking forward to seeing her later this month at Graham's first birthday party.















My bestie Andrea and her nephews....she loves those boys spoiled rotten.


Henri is really taking an interest in cooking with his Dad. He loves putting on his apron (thanks Aunt Mary Jane's mommy) and helping any way he can. This past month he baked his first batch of brownies with Dad, and much to my chagrin, Dad indeed let him lick the spoon...salmonella anyone?





Ewwww....he loved it.

We took two different trips to the pumpkin farms this year. Henri could have cared less about a single pumpkin, but that kid sure did have a thing for the tractors. He wanted to ride them back and forth the entire time we were at the farms. This year we tried Rombach's, but we are still partial to Eckert's in Belleville. The boys loved carving their first pumpkin together and Josh did a great job on design and engaging both the boys in the big project. Graham certainly enjoyed eating more of the pumpkin that carving, but a great time was had by all.















By the way..this is what Graham thought of Boo at the Zoo this year.



We were able to do trick or treating for the first time and we joined our great friends the Broge's. So it was to be that the three little pigs went trick or treating with the zoo keeper and the tiger. By the end Henri had picked up on what the girls were trying to teach him and he had many reservations about leaving the trick or treating scene to head home. We suspect next year will be a big hit for both of the boys.



Our cutie zoo keeper and tiger.

We ended the month very exhausted but no time for the weary. We are gearing up for Graham's big first birthday bash in Cincinnati and going home at the end of the month to see family for Thanksgiving. We have been busy checking out our new church and are excited about the possibility of getting involved and meeting lots of new friends.

So until next month....stay warm and healthy (bug season is upon us) and Happy Thanksgiving season to everyone!

The end of a great summer

Although this summer had it's fair share of really difficult moments.....it was filled with a lot of fun. We closed it out with busy days as usual. In really huge news....Graham has mastered sitting up this past month. Hard or soft surface..no matter. He is loving the new view and really stretching his horizons.




Papa and Gigi came for a long weekend and we all went to the transportation museum. Henri could not get enough of the trains, and Graham really seemed to enjoy the rides too. There were some pretty interesting cars there..and it never hurts that we got a sweet deal through groupon.





Josh and my dad spent the majority of the weekend working on a huge train table for the boys. They built and painted it and then Josh nailed the track together. I can tell that this little table (that is not so little AT ALL) is going to be a lifesaver this winter. Henri can not get enough it and I'm sure Graham will enjoy getting his hands on it too.




Despite my rigorous objections, Henri had his first run in with a garter snake. Josh let him touch it and give it some water. At first he was fairly hesitant, but within a few minutes he was all about it and asking lots of questions. Let's hope neither of the boys bring one of those into the house to me some day.


Henri had another really big febrile illness that took him out of play commission. There is something cute about a sick baby that crashes on a couch mid day despite the fact that they feel so terrible. He then proceeded to pass it on to all three of us.



Graham continued the family tradition started with Henri and got his tubes put in on the 16th. If you recall....he wore the same pj's for the surgery that Henri did. Henri was 8 months older than Graham when he got his tubes. Again, a cute baby in a not so cool situation.




Graham has been working very hard at therapy and with a whole lot of work has finally sorta gotten the hang of eating dissolveable solids like cheerios. He loves working with them and seems so intrigued. He turned 10 months old :( already. He seems to really be entertained more and more by Henri's silly antics and is really trying hard to "talk" back to Henri when he engages Graham.





We are gearing up for Halloween festivities here and a big visit from Aunt Andrea and Jen. Hoping this finds everyone enjoying the fall weather and some great football!!!

Close calls

August has been quite the whirlwind. The 3rd of the month brought me to my surgery to biopsy my hand tumor. The surgeon said that the bone was "obliterated", but we also found out that it is NOT CANCER!!!! We will decide on the 13th of September when the next surgery to repair the bone will be. We can handle any of that minus the cancer...for sure. Soon after the surgery we headed to Cincinnati to take a little vacation and celebrate Henri's second birthday. I can not even believe two years has passed since I met that little boy for the first time. He continues to amaze us every day. He loves to sing, especially his ABC'S and enjoys playing peek a boo with Graham. Graham is endlessly entertained by Henri.



This year, unlike last, Henri happily ate some of his birthday cake!! It was super fun to watch. He even had time to ham it up for the camera while eating his cake.









The Thomas cake brought some really big smiles from Henri.

While we were home we also celebrated Emma's second birthday and all of the grand kids were able to play together. Those times are so far and few, but a joy to just watch!










Graham started therapy recently and has made some pretty impressive progress thus far. He saw the neurologist today and is undergoing to some testing to find out why he has some gross motor delays. We are hopeful that he just needs more time to overcome his obstacles. We have enjoyed many many family outings this past month and have really learned not to take any of them for granted. He has learned to sit up on his own and is learning to enjoy the freedom to reach further and interact more with Henri while he sits up.





Serious baby at work here!!! He really loves being able to have so much more to grab at. Sweet baby browns there.

Here are a few rare family shots of an impromptu visit to forest park. We had a wonderful time watching both of the boys enjoy the fountain.






Hope this finds everyone well and thankful for the simple things everyday.

July was not a joke

When you think of July, you think fireworks. To say the least, there has been no shortage of those this month. As soon as it was here, it was gone. The month started with a visit from my bestie Andrea and her sister Jen. For Henri and Graham it was endless fun with their Aunts. We mostly hung out at home since it has been so hot, but there was still plenty of fun to be had. Josh and I welcomed the newest member to our family. Our third niece, Addison Reise, was born perfectly healthy and gorgeous. She has a head full of hair and could not look more like her older sister. I'm so proud of my sister in law and how she did through the pregnancy, and my brother did a pretty good job too. Graham has started physical therapy to help him progress with his core strength, and things are going very well. He is being seen at the same place that Henri went. Those people at Sensory Solutions are simply amazing. Graham is getting more verbal everyday and eating everything in sight. He really loves being in the pool and loves to splash around. He seems to be adjusting very well to going to school and we get great reports everyday from his teachers. Henri has become a two year old for sure. He is speaking VERY well and counting to ten. He loves saying his alphabet and he loves testing every possible limit he can. Just the other day he had his first, "Let me embarrass the hell out of my mom in this store by crying and screaming" fit in Target. I could have been so angry, but honestly, I was just so happy to have such a normal experience with my baby. We have certainly enjoyed more family time on the weekends and had many outings. We have had family time at the pool, time at the zoo, time at the parks, and much more. We finished getting the plans together for Henri's second birthday and neither one of us can believe he is TWO already. I will be having surgery on Wednesday to biopsy a tumor in my left hand, so we are anxiously awaiting to know what that will bring. A trip home to Cincinnati could not have had better timing. Enjoy the pictures below, and look for a good update sometime in July.




Loving brothers....at least long enough for a picture!



Aunt Andrea helped out with a fun 4th of July painting activity.



A sweet baby if I have ever seen one.




Hot or not, this guy LOVES his swing set.

Monthly

I suppose a once a month blog post is all I can muster at this point. Dismal at best, but it is what it is. The boys are keeping us busy and we have been in the throws of summer fun the past several weeks. We have also had our fair share of mishaps this past month. For starters our lawn mower was stolen right out of the back yard...I hope those people really needed a freakin' John Deer. Less than 36 hours later someone hit and ran our van while I was at work and Josh was out at a playdate with the boys. Grrr...hope those people really feel good about that decision. I am back to work and working what feels like a ton more hours than before, but it is really only one day a week more. It has been very nice having the weekends off and we have taken full advantage of the family time. This past month we had our first family photo taken and Graham had his six month pictures taken. The boys have enjoyed plenty of playdates and pool time outside. Graham is getting huge as you will see in the photos, and Henri is as well. We just had to upsize his pj's this past week!! Josh has been busy with work and he is training for the Chicago half marathon this September. Just ordered Henri's birthday invitations the other day...he is going to be two in just over a month and I can hardly even comprehend it. He is such a little man with all of his mannerisms, his vocabulary, and his loving spirit. Although, don't let me fool you, I did say he will be two in August, wink wink. Both boys have had several runs with summer viral illnesses, but overall have been fantastic. We are planning a trip to Cincinnati for August to celebrate Henri's birthday as well as see our new niece. Her arrival could be anytime in the next couple of weeks and we are getting VERY excited. Addison Riese it is, and she is for sure going to keep my brother and sister in law very busy. I would love to say I'll post soon, but chances are likely, we will be seeing you again around the end of the month. Hope this finds everyone well. Enjoy the pics.





We took the boys to Marine week downtown at the Arch. Henri really enjoyed getting in the humvees and the "birds". Here I am with the boys near the end of the trip...as you can see Henri's patience with the camera is long gone!



Josh celebrated his first Father's Day with Graham and I was home too! Henri helped Daddy make pancakes for the first time. No licking of batter here my friends.



Henri and his buddy George playing at the zoo...what a good looking crew there.



Here Josh is with the boys down at City Garden. Henri was pretty hesitant with the water sprays from what I hear. This is the day the van was hit....ughh.

May Madness

Whew...it's May 28th...and this month has not been very forgiving for us. The month started with a vacation to Cincinnati which was only partly good. We went because Josh's Dad was very sick with brain cancer and we wanted him to see the boys one last time. We also did our annual March of Dimes walk for Henri. We had a fantastic year and raised almost three hundred bucks. We arrived back in St. Louis on a Friday night so that I could work the weekend. Josh then got a call that Tuesday that his dad had been admitted to the hospital and was on a breathing machine. He was very ill so Josh headed right back to Cincinnati. Josh came home that Friday and then I worked the weekend. That Wednesday brought us to May 4th. His surgery went well and we had my Mom out here helping us, thank goodness. That Saturday we got the call that his Dad would not make it through the day and unfortunately the doctors were right. We then headed right back to Cincinnati for his Dad's funeral. We have been in a whirlwind since we arrived home. I have since come off of working every weekend and Graham has since started school. He is doing fantastic, although he goes on milk strike when he is there. His teachers are only able to get him to take about 3 ounces each school day and then when momma arrives home....baby is VERY hungry. Henri and Graham are having frequent playdates and outings now that the weather is nicer and RSV season has waned. Henri is growing like a weed, and for that matter, Graham is almost outdoing him. Henri is saying more words everyday and is speaking sentences. He can count to three and has learned several letters. We are working on colors and he loves his new swing set outside. He is becoming more loving and empathetic toward Gam (Graham) and continues to make Josh and I laugh everyday and look on in utter amazement. Graham has plenty of great things going on as well. He is in the early stages of learning how to roll over and is the happiest guy on the block. He loves to coo and watch Henri do anything. He is eating every solid we introduce and with zeal. He loves to be outside, especially on a blanket watching Henri play. Graham just had his six month check up and he is HUGE! He weighed in at over 15 pounds. That places him just at the 10th percentile, but we are so happy to be there. We are hoping that June will be a
"boring" month around here and filled with lots of outside fun for the boys. I am going to upload several new pictures of the boys from that past several weeks. We hope everyone is well.




While home for vacation we obtained the rare photo with all four grandkids. Anna will be three in December, Henri and Emma are both going to be two in August (five days apart), Graham is five months here, and grandbaby number five will arrive sometime next month!



Here is our MOD team! That is Henri there under the polka dot blanket in the baby bjorn carrier. He slept almost the entire walk..several hours while I carried him.



A beautiful moment here with our little miracles.



A VERY rare visit with my Dad's mom. This is only the second time she had seen Graham and Henri. That is my Dad in the picture as well.