Sweet Potato Redux

> Today was a big culinary day for Graham, as we revisited sweet potatoes and combined them with a lovely appetizer of avocado. It's not a meal you'll see on Food Network anytime soon, that's for sure. Despite the interesting combo, I'm happy to report that our little boy downed an entire bowl of both avocado and sweet potatoes. And he's got the "scars" to prove it. Please pray for us as we change diapers in the coming days. : )
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First Day of School

Today was the first day of school here in Durham and the first day of school for Matt since he started his new job.

It was a fun morning, as Graham and I went to work with Matt to help out.  My job was to take photos of the middle school kids returning, and Graham's job was to look cute.  Although I took some decent photos, I think Graham did his job much better.

Class of 2028?

Comfortable with a coffee mug = Definitely our child.

Can you check Twitter for me?

Like father, like son

Love my little boy!

Having Fun with the Mobile

Graham is learning new things every day. Some of those lessons fill him with delight.

Memories of Hatteras - Part One

As I mentioned a couple of posts ago, we're back from our first family vacation to Hatteras, North Carolina.  Lighthouses, beautiful scenery, and seafood were among the trip's highlights, as you'll see in the photos below.  More to come!

Graham and Daddy at the Hatteras Lighthouse

Photographer Switch - Graham and Mommy at the Lighthouse

The harbor side of beautiful Ocracoke Island

Graham waits for the sunset at Ocracoke

Father and son enjoying the rocking chair

Fresh steamed crabs - BEFORE

Fresh steamed crabs - AFTER

Our path to Hatteras Village beach

Graham keeps bouncing

Graham loves to jump in his bouncy seat. It's clear his legs are getting stronger. Sometimes he "jumps" - okay, just the motion, not the actual action - when I play with him in my lap.

Back from the Beach

This past week, the Taylor Trio (as we sometimes call ourselves) celebrated two "firsts": our first family vacation and Graham's first trip to the beach.

We enjoyed a fun and relaxing time in Cape Hatteras, NC...part of the beautiful Outer Banks. We ate lots of great food, made some fun memories, and took lots of photos. Although we can't do much with the food, we do plan to share our stories and photos on the blog later this week. Fun times!

Bad Boys, Bad Boys, Whatcha Gonna Do?

Lesson of the day: The saying that men look good in uniform extends to babies.  As soon as I put this new outfit on Graham, I fell in love all over again.

From Orange to White

The stains on Graham's bibs have changed colors in the past couple of days, moving from a sweet potato orange to a rice cereal white.

Our little boy didn't take too well to the sweet potatoes. I'm not sure at this point whether it was just the new-to-food learning curve or the actual sweet potatoes, but either way, we decided to go ahead and move on to rice cereal.

Although Graham is still learning the ropes of eating, he does seem to like the taste of the rice cereal. In fact, the best way I've found to actually get the food in his mouth is to let him grab the spoon and guide it inside his mouth himself. He seems to be a natural at that motion, so I've just gone along for the ride.

One of my favorite parts of the introduction to solids has been how cute our little man looks with a messy face.

Storytime

Today, Graham enjoyed his first "lapsit" storytime at Durham County Library. It's a really neat event designed for younger babies where they sing interactive parent/baby songs, read books, and bring out a toy box. We're fortunate that the library is only five minutes away from where Matt works, so Graham had both his mommy and daddy in tow. It was a great experience that we hope to incorporate into our weekly routine.

New Parent Math

Sweet Potato Saturday = Disgusting Mess Monday

After the diaper I just changed, I feel like my mom card has now been validated. There were many warnings about post-solid food diapers, but you don't actually know what those are like until you've changed one. And based on my first experience, I'll take the look over the smell any day. Oh. My. Goodness.