A proper little boy...

We have a lot of British friends and with dealing with Peyton's upset stomach issues, we have been home a whole bunch and not doing anything. Lately whenever people see Graham around camp, they are always saying, "he has grown up so much, he is a proper little boy now." So, I felt it was time to document some of Graham's milestones lately!

He talks all the time! Non stop! I do not remember Peyton talking this much this early and it has amazed me. I really thought he would be a delayed talker being a second child and a boy but he talks...ALOT! I have determined that he quickly realized if he wanted to be heard around his sister (who talks a whole lot) that he needed to figure out how to talk. So, with two very vocal kids....I sometimes feel like the amount of words said between them before 8:30 AM is more than I use in a week and it is kind of crazy! But it is so nice that he can communicate what he wants, even argue with his sister and stand up to her and it is so much fun to listen to his stories and how he plays with his toys.

Graham LOVES his train table. Almost every morning he wakes up and goes immediately to his trains and tells them good morning. After breakfast he goes up and finds Thomas and asks if he is ready to play and as a long running dialogue about where they are going and often times it is to get coffee for Thomas! I love working with him to build new track combinations and he gets so excited when I am done and praises me and tells me I am "awesome." His primary love need is affirmation and he makes sure to give that out as well. Other toys and games we like are dinosaurs, cars, airplanes (LOVES) and bubbles. He loves his swimming lessons and gets so excited to swim in the big pool. We are still doing a mom and tots class and I love the time we have together! He is doing really well and we will continue lessons in Washington over the summer.

Graham is very sweet and more soft spoken. He doesn't like conflict and would rather let a kid take a toy from him than say anything. I have found that the only times he will object is if it was Peyton stealing something from him. But with his sweet heart, he is amazing around babies and loves them. He is so sweet to his younger friends and such a giving, generous and nurturing boy. He loves to snuggle with anyone who has an available lap and will often give hugs and just sit with my friends for some affection. He is super polite and is always saying hello, thank you, good bye and just being very pleasant. 

Graham is pretty independent and despite living over here and not having a lot of opportunities to be away from me, he is awesome about me leaving when I do. He often says goodbye, tells me to have fun and there is no issue at all! He is starting to ask to go to school like Peyton so he will be starting a school next year for three hours a day/four days a week which I am sure I will start crying on the first day. I am not ready to not have kiddos in the morning to play with and love on. He is trying to use the potty and if we weren't flying home soon I would really work on it. He sometimes tells me he has to use it and does. I am thinking of doing pull ups and starting rewards this summer but not really working on it to help encourage him more and I almost feel like with his personality he might figure it out on his own by the summers end...I hope!

As for discipline, he is pretty easy. Normally a simple verbal correction fixes it. We are doing 1-2-3 Magic like we did with Peyton and so on occasion he will need to get to "2" but rarely he gets to "3" and a timeout. When he does go to timeout he is so remorseful and it devastates his day. He often tells John as soon as he comes home that he is "so sorry" and that he went to timeout and why even if it happened hours earlier. He needs lots of love, affirmation when he is done with timeout and I have to be careful about my tone with him as it affects him so much more than Peyton.

Graham has been on 37 different flights as of today! So as expected he LOVES airplanes! He loves to get ready for them and carry his carry on, he loves being on them and loves to take off. He doesn't like buckling up though which is difficult now that he doesn't fly in his car seat but he does sit still which is a plus. He is defiantly a child who has traveled because he knows what to do where and is so independent and awesome at the security line and puts his bag on the belt, walks through and then gets his bag and waits at a designated spot for me. He is a frequent flier! 

He is only napping once a day for about two hours and then in bed at 7:00 PM. He is starting to try delay tactics at bedtime which is frustrating at times but pretty amusing with what he comes up with...he forgot to kiss Peyton, he needs to put his book away, two more minutes, and my favorite...."more prayers." Normally he says his prayers and then I pray over him and then if he asks for more prayers I let him pray one more time and then I tell him he can say them by himself in bed. His favorite book at bedtime is "Good Night Construction Site." Like his sister he has decided he doesn't like pajamas at bedtime and would rather sleep in just a diaper. It is also getting hot here and I am sure that has something to do with it. 

I can not believe how big Graham is and how much he has grown up especially when I remember moving here with a little baby. I love this stage with him and we are having so much fun and life has a really nice groove but I miss my little baby, time goes by way too fast. 

* I am glad I did this post because I just realized how little pictures I have of him right now. I have been so busy with photography for clients I haven't been capturing my own families moments....that needs to change!