Before and After

Our basement remodel started at the end of March with the hopes of having it complete for the June 10th arrival of the G baby. Well, we came close! All construction was done by the deadline and carpet was laid June 16th. Not too shabby!

Here are the amazing results...

Bathroom

Guestroom

Tyler's Room

Family room

We couldn't be happier with the results! The basement went from a place I only went to do laundry to one of our main living areas. And the boys love their new "toy room". Tyler was a little hesitant to move to his downstairs room at first but has managed to grow quite fond of it.

As with most projects, we went way over budget so the decor and furnishing will have to wait! Stay tuned for more pictures when we get all the fun stuff in!

Suncadia... minus the sun!

This year our family trip was to Suncadia. We filled two houses with a total of 25 people and despite the lack of sun, had a memorable time. Thanks mom and dad for another successful Cross Family summer vacation... 25 people and no fights, now that's an accomplishment!

All 13 cousins...

(the morales boys were missing from the picture)

spent 5 days swimming,

Fishing,

Walking with only a diaper and t-shirt ( yes, that is my WT little boy!)

Singing,

Snuggling this little dude,

Picking all the "M's and M's" out of the trail mix,

Watching Elmo on the computer,

And playing at the park.

We got to meet up with these cool cats too! Alex and Erin may have been found together in the treehouse... we are going to have to watch these two in the years to come!

It was so relaxing, I most definitely was not ready to leave! I am pretty sure the boys weren't either.

4 blissful weeks

Graham Henry you are four weeks old.

Wow, what a 4 weeks this has been! You have been such a blessing and we couldn't imagine life without you.

There are so many things that I want to remember about these first 28 days with you in our lives...

The way you always have your hands next to your face, as you always did in my tummy.

The way you grab my finger behind your ear whenever you are nursing.

Your 2 cowlicks that I am sure are going to cause you a lot of grief in the years to come, but right now I love them.

Your strawberry blond hair. I hope it stays!

The way you always scoot closer to me in bed and I always wake to find you snuggled in close.

The way you grunt and snort while eating.

The way you can occasionally find your thumb.

Your big blue eyes that catch any contrasting colors and study them for so long.

The way you pull your legs up and stick your bottom out whenever I pick you up.

The way you won't let me put you down.

The way you always poop just minutes after I change you.

Your tiny little ears.

The way you scrunch up your forehead.

The way you hate to get your diaper changed.

The way you look just like your older brothers.

Much to my surprise we have been blessed with yet another wonderful baby. Your night time schedule consists of only waking once at 2-3 am and then again around 6-7 am. Most nights you spend the first few hours in your co sleeper and then get to snuggle in with us after the first feeding. In the last week you are much more alert and will spend about an hour awake after your feedings. You love to be held and are not much for anything that demands you being put down. Hence the swing and bouncy seat have gotten very little use.

The most exciting thing is that you flashed your first grins on your 4 week birthday! Mommy immediately took off your tape so we could catch the full smile. We can't wait to see more of these!

Graham, there are no words to express our love for you. Your brothers are so proud to have you in their lives! Mommy is thoroughly enjoying each and every second of you and daddy is constantly planning all the fun outings he is going to have with his 3 boys.

We love you Baby G!

Happy 4th!

There's a whole lot of love in this house!

Dental Clinic

Doesn't every 3 week old visit the dentist?

Graham had his second appointment with the Seattle Children's dental clinic today. Last week we got started taping him (see photo below). The tape is supposed to help pull the bottom of his left nare closer together in preparation for using the NAM (nasal alveolar molding). He has to wear the tape at all times, but can be removed for feeding if necessary. He also got impressions taken of his lip and palate so that his doctor could make his NAM. Although the appliance was ready, his doctor decided to continue the taping for another week before we think about starting the molding process. I was happy about this because the NAM is much more invasive than taping. Although I know this is what best, I was not crazy to hear last week that we were going to go down the NAM pathway.

A little about the NAM...

NAM stands for nasal alveolar molding. This device has been found to make lip and palate repair much more successful. You can read up on the device here. In Graham's case, being that he does not have a cleft palate, it will be used more for molding his left nare into shape than any molding of his palate. Graham is a little different in that he has a fairly large cleft lip, yet the palate, with the exception of his alveolus (gum line), is completely intact. While the NAM would be much more successful if his palate was cleft, allowing more room for molding, we are hopeful that using it will provide us with a better lip repair.

As you can see, this device is much more noticeable than a piece of tape across his face. I am worried about the looks and comments that are bound to come over the coming months while using this device. I love his little face just the way it is, I hate having to put all this stuff on it. Granted, I know it is what is best for him in the long run.

On another note...

Last week we had our 2 week appointment. He weighed in at 6 pounds 15 ounces and measured 20 inches long. Yes, somehow he shrunk in length from his birth. Dr. C was not crazy about his weight as he was not back to birth weight. She threatened us with bottles!

Well, after a week of vigilant feedings I am happy to report that little man is up to 7 lbs 5.5 ounces. In the past few days he is much more awake and alert making feedings much more successful. That and getting thrush cleared up, thank goodness!

Grandma's are great!