The Graf Family Website
HomeFamily FunMichaelLinnayaKaitlynJonathanPetsFamily Photo Album
Our little Johnny Appleseed...

We thank God for this incredible blessing....

ALWAYS new news for this page!!

You can see lots of ultrasound pictures in Michael's Gallery!

http://picasaweb.google.com/mjgraf/


IMG_3672.JPG
Little man's "restful spot".

IMG_3721.JPG
37 weeks and the belly keeps growing!!!

IMG_3291.JPG
Linnaya and Jonathan, 32 weeks!!

preg0001.JPG
36 weeks and counting!

baby_32weeks_withface_WEB.jpg
Jonathan at 32 weeks, Our little chunky monkey!!



Updates:

11/11/07: What a beautiful day yesterday. We spent it among those who love us as we dedicated Jonathan Michael Graf back into the Will of the Loving God who Blessed us with him. It was a day of true wonder and gratitude and we are so excited for the amazing joys of being parents to this added blessing in our lives and for being able to give Kaitlyn a sibling. We were so grateful that we could spend the weekend with Michael's parents and they were able to come up for Jonathan's service. My mom and family were also there and helped make our day special. We want to thank each and every one of our friends and family who supported us the last several months. It is with your love and support over the last years that we were able to have such a beautiful day. Michael will post pictures as soon as he can. 10/6/07: So Jonanthan is 12lbs and 6ozs!! His first shots went ok, but made me weepy. He handled it like a trooper, but was cranky for 2 days after *yuck*. I can hardly believe he is 10 weeks already. He'll be 3 months before we know it. I just love being a mommy of a little one again and Kaitlyn is just so wonderful with hiim it makes me so glad God gave us this blessing. I know how badly she wanted her little brother. :).... Things are going ok, life is full to the brim with so much to do its hard to stay on top of everything, but we are loving every minute of it!!

9/10/07: We are six weeks today!!!So the last week (overall) has been the best week so far. As he is turning six weeks the last few days show real promise of having the newborn experience I Remember with DD. LOL.. hanging out with his swing and eating every 3 hours or so, being able to run around and get stuff done , he is "talking" and makes coos, squeals, ahhss, and lots of slupring noises LOL.. I think he is sucking his tounge maybe. And the incredible smiling this boy does...Goodness gracious if I could only capture them on camera. Problem is he only gives those really good social smiles when you have serious eye contact going (hard to do with a camera in the way).... my sister in law had her baby 3 weeks after me so my neice Ava is 3 weeks old this week and my poor SIL called me crying last night with the same story I had 3 weeks ago with the non-stop nursing and crying and miserableness. It was nice to be the one comforting and reassuring it would soon pass rather than the one being comforted and wondering if there was just something wrong with my mothering. LOL........ I may actually get through this PhD quarter yet. This week he has started sleeping in his crib most of the night from about 12-6 with an hour or so feeing around 3am. I can live with that. He is also much more content just hanging out when awake atleast a couple times a day. He stares and swats at his toys or mobile on his swing. He has gotten cool about sitting about 30 mins or so which is AMAZING to me and means I can actually start getting something done during the day besides nursing and cuddling little man. I am so happy about that (though I still love cuddling and nursing.. just nice to be able to get some other stuff done too LOL) !!!!!!!!!!!!! I know they'll be drama to come, and he still has his 2-3 hour crying jags sometimes. The 5 S's (swaddling, swinging, shushing, sucking, and laying him on his side) have really helped with keeping him mostly calm during his fussy period!! Overall, it is so exciting watching him grow and I as SO happy to be moving out of the crying all the time we aren't nursing or being held into more happy interactive baby land :)... WHO HOO for six weeks.

9/4/07: Jonathan had his one month checkup today. He is 10lbs on the nose and 23 inches long, which means he grew 2.5 lbs and 2.5 inches since his one week checkup! He was 5 weeks on Monday so WHOA :). He had to get a shot :( which sucked and he was wicked cranky all afternoon, but he is finally sleeping now. Doc says all looks well, but he did say I should put him on a dropper vitamin called TriViSol since I am exclusively breastfeeding. He slept in his crib last night for the first time since his first night in the crib and it lasted 4.5 hours which I was estatic about. He is starting to really love his tummy time mat toys and has started batting at them and pushing them when you hang them over his head (when he is on the mat on his back). TOO funny! I hope this next month his sleeping continues to get to something reasonable and he outgrows the fussy evenings. (UGH).... Hope everyone else is doing well :)and ofcourse we added some 5 week old pictures to our gallery.

8/28/07: So last night was little man's very first night sleeping in his crib all night. He was 4 weeks old and I decided he seemed ready to me. It took forever and both parents to get him to sleep but then he slept from 12am-330am and then again from 440am-620am so WHOO HOOO!!!!!! I can hardly believe it, I was so happy... It was so cool to be sleeping in bed with just my husband again without the little one between us and I know I slept SO much better without all the consistent mooching that little man does in his sleep. I was nervous and got up and checked him twice, but he was great and slept good. I think he might even have slept better since once he was asleep he didn't have daddy and I moving around and waking him up either (he is Such a light sleeper). We did put my nightgown in the crib with him after trying to get him to go to sleep for over an hour and that seemed to quiet him right down Michael said. He also has been meeting all the other cutesy 1 month milestones...cooing and making little squeaky, squealing noises and following your face and other objects he is interested in with his eyes when you move them, smiling ALOT, and reaching out to grab things. It's getting fun around here :).!!!!!!!!!! Kaitlyn is being a fantastic big sister and is really something else with him. I am really proud of her. Michael is numeru uno fantastic papa (I knew he would be, he is for Kaitlyn 100%). It will be tough when he goes to Germany for those nine days because I am Def happy to see him at the end of the day. Jonathan still has 2 really fussy periods from about 2p-6p and from 9p-12a, but we are managing those ok I think. He still seems to be the gassiest baby, but the doctor and the lactition consutant say gassiness is normal in babies and some are just more prone to gas and spitting up then others and that my diet sounds good and that he is growing, and has the perfect amount of diapers and bowel movements so all is well. He is LOVING the bathtub by the way and bathtime has quickly become both of our favorite parts of the day..... (he just doesn't like getting out..LOL)..... Well, that's about all the changes in the last week. I can't wait to see what the next week brings.

8/20/07: Ok, when Jonathan rolled over at 2 weeks for my SIL I thought it was some kind of fluke, but I was still in awe. Tonight, I was taking pictures of tummy time (since he is 3 weeks today) and I'll be darn if he didn't do it again. Since I was the only one in the room and I know I was taking pictures I couldn't have 'helped' if I wanted to. He gets himself a bit worked up, rocks back and forth a few times and just rolls himself right on his back. Isn't it too early for that??? I'm beginning to think I'm not gonna be able to keep up with this one..... or do I just forget how fast they grow.... ???

8/19/07:at 7:15 am est Jonathan peed all over me, while I was changing his biggest poopy diaper ever, (although it was after his best night sleep ever!) but he must have felt bad so he decided to show me his belly button!!!! :).... it's so cute. Glad that darn cord is gone. LOL...I had to wake up his daddy who got properly all excited and went promptly back to sleep. One day shy of 3 weeks, but it came off very clean with no blood or gunk.... It's crazy the things mommies get excited over........ (and I really am getting good at one hand typing... hehe)

8/18/07: I'm BACK!. Ok, so I haven't updated much. But I am back to checking in now. Hopefully, more often than every almost 3 weeks. LOL...This is what has been going on.

On July 30th:

Short Birth Announcement

Born at 1:55pm 8 lb 4 oz. 20.25 inches received flying colors from the baby doctor that checked him over.
Mom and baby are doing great! Linnaya is dealing with alot pain, but she is doing ok overall. Baby is latching, pooping, NO crying so far, just looking all around. He was actually lifting his head off Linnaya's chest !

Here is the photo gallery.

http://picasaweb.google.com/mjgraf

Keep checking for more as they become available.

Then more for today: Ok, litte man is sleeping in his papasan at the moment. How long is always questionable :)... but we had a great day so I wanted to pick now to update. We went on a little outing and returned some stuff to the hospital, then went and got school supplies for Kaitlyn, and then Daddy and Mommy got to have spag dinner and watch a movie together while Kaitlyn played upstairs and Jonathan slept (WHO HOO!!)..... Little man is SO strong. He does his little tummy time and picks up not only his head, but his whole upper body using his upper arms and such, he also will hold his body up with his legs already if you rest him against your lap or such... we have taken about 1,000 pictures I think LOL so I have to get some more posted sometime soon. I can't believe he will be 3 weeks already on Monday. He is def hitting a growth spurt and was eating every hour for like 24 hours, but now has leveled back off to every 2 to 2.5 hours for today so I am happy about that. MAN he does like to eat LOL.... we decided the pacifier was much better than using mommy as a pacifier and he has taken to it quite well. He is DEF a hold me (all the time) baby but we make sure to give him time in his playpen, swing, and papsan. He just won't stay long but I am sure as he gets a bit older it will get longer. Our only snag was he Hates the Bassinet~ so Co-sleeping it is. We have a foam bed with sides so we won't roll on him at all or he can't roll anywhere and he sleeps between us (thank god we opted for the oversized king size bed!!). It won't be ideal for ever, but for now it works well since he wakes up still alot in the night and having him that close makes it easy for me (and less disruptive for the whole house since I have super mommy ears and hear him waking Before the real crying begins)... I am thinking by 6 weeks or so we will try sleeping in our crib once he is sleeping a little longer periods. He will take naps in both his crib and his playpen for an hour or so at a time so I am thinking he will transition ok (right!?!? LOL)......... Welp, I got to write a lot longer than I thought I might. .... We are def still inlove with every little insanity of having a newborn and I am looking forward to the next coming weeks turning into Slightly more of a routine. I def miss having a schedule and being able to plan my day a bit, rather than live moment to moment. Kaitlyn goes back to school the 28th so I am figuring by my six week release date we may actually have some kind of routine going. (Well, I can hope right?)... Welp, I hear my cue sniggling around next to me and making those little oinky-inky-squirming noises he makes before we wakes up and wails so back to mommying!!!!!!! Thanks so much for all the love, and comments, and sweetness, and congrats. Wish I had the time to thank you guys all personally, but it'll settle down soon and I'll get a bit better about replying back ....

7/29/07:So, last night was Kaitlyn's last night to sleep in the house before she becomes a big sister. She goes to my sister's today and I miss her already though she hasn't left. ACK :). This morning was my last breaskfast until after I welcome our little man into the world since I can't eat after midnight tonight. My C-section is scheduled for 1pm tomorrow (and HOPEFULLY) I don't get bumped any later!! so roughly this time tomorrow I'll be laying on a bed waiting for the slice and dice to begin. OUCH!... but I will also shortly thereafter be able to see my much waited for uncooperative man to get his hiney into the world and show me his face and give me that lusty cry already!!! :)... We are looking at 4-5 days in the hospital not counting the day of delivery so looks like we'll be moved in for the week LOL... but today is Officially my last full day of being pregnant. I am excited, and nervous about the surgery but mostly just very ready to get his hiney (and the rest of him) Outside the belly!! I think I am more concerned about being able to BF more than anything since I know stress can affect production and between the rash and the pain I haven't had more than one single day with a few drops of leaking. I sure hope there is something to give this hungry baby I expect tomorrow--LOL!! The next posting I make will be with baby stats!! WHOO HOO!


7/24/07: We went to the doctor yesterday for my 39 week check-in . It was quite the roller coaster ride. The doc I saw said I hadn't made any real progress since last appointment, but then again she also said she couldn't really check my fundal height or anything cause I am so swollen with edema on the bottom of my tummy. I don't think she was able to check much of anything to be honest. She wasn't my regular doctor and wouldn't sweep my membranes because she felt the baby was bigger than nine pounds!!!! Her advice was to forget the VBAC and let's see about moving my C-section up....GRRRRRRR...I REALLY wish my reg doc was there, but he was on vacation this week. Anyway, so she sent me back to get another ultrasound. The tech said the baby was between 7.5 and 8.5 pounds with an estimate of 7.11 so a very good size and not too big at all....Tech also said I had a GENEROUS amount of fluid. That she would call it normal (if on the high side of normal), but definitely generous for 39 weeks. I think that is likely the reason for all the edema and how big my belly has gotten. Even with the higher estimate for the babies weight(8.11) I am still under 9lbs by a good 5 ounces so I'm waiting for this doc to call me this morning, but I am holding out for Monday which is when my scheduled C-section is. I might well Not go into labor on my own and at this point that certainly is a possibility, but I am not giving in until Monday unless they can give me a better reason. I'll likely end up with the C-section on Monday. But we'll see. I walked on the treadmill yesterday for an hour and had a lot of contractions so who Knows.... I have six days, it could still happen. Until then this horrible rash/hives (it's called Puppps) all over my belly itches like the Chicken pox from h-e-doublehockey sticks. So yeah this insanity is totally crazy... but not much I can do but wait and pray..and pray... and pray....!! and walk ofcourse! :). My blood pressure creeped back up a little bit, 142 over 85, but still OK so hanging in there.

7/19/07: Feeling better was a good omen! My blood pressure was back down to 134/70! YEAH! My non-stress test for the baby was fantastic and all my labs came back A-ok! I am tired, and still swollen but other than that feeling much better. I go back to see about whether I am progressing on Monday. I danced this morning (gently-lol) around the living room to some rock and roll with Kaitlyn and the Puppy and the baby seemed to really like it. Too cute! I believe the problem with my blood pressure was trying to go from 3 months of limited activity to walking 4-5 hours a day and running around like a fiend. I'll be taking it a bit easier from now on until little man makes his appearance. :)! Having a happy, healthy baby is more important than having him sooner, or even avoiding the C-section so, back to more gentle walking for an hour a day and taking lots of more breaks during the day :)!

7/19/2007: So the last few days have been a very rough road emotionally with a lot of crazy mood swings, but I seem to have leveled out for now, which is good!! We had an impromptu doctor appointment on Tuesday because I was feeling so poorly and my blood pressure was up (152/90). I go back in this morning to have things checked out, but I am feeling better so hopefully it has leveled back off. I have been having persistent, but sadly not steady enough, contractions off and on for 4 days now so we are hoping Jonathan is planning an entrance sometime soon!.

7/13/07: So, I guess Friday the 13th wasn't unlucky for me :)! I had my doctor appointment. Doctor said I was measuring 40 weeks!!!!!! which is pretty crazy. No wonder that belly looks so darn BIG. But he also said Blood pressure, sugar, protein, and all was fantastic! Then per my cervical exam I have finally started dilating. I am almost 2 cm and I was 50% effaced. Which I was only a fingertip dilated 2 weeks ago so that's good!! I have another appt in 10 days so I am doing everything to try and walk this baby out of there before then, and Atleast get quite a bit more dilated. I also signed my C-section surgery pages, for July 30th, but my news is helping me hope I really won't need them!!!!!!! Pray, pray, pray. I really want him to come out safely and soundly, but it would be soooo much better if that does not include getting cut. ACK! Either way little man will make his appearance in 15 days one way or another. Not long now!!!!!!!! We are so very excited!!!!

7/5/07: Doc appt--We have an official C-section date of 7/30/07 (my due date), but we are hoping little man decides to pick a birthday much sooner! Doc said everything looks great and we couldn't Possibly be happier :)!!!!!!!!

7/3/07: So we have an estimated weight as of 36 weeks. Jonathan is 6lbs and 11ozs, which is a nice 2lb gain from 32 weeks. Jonathan is in a perfect birthing position, and is low and ready. So now we just wait for him to pick a birthday :)!!!!!!!!!! Our last doc appt the OB stated the cervix is short and soft, and dilation is at a fingertip. So we are moving towards delivery. :)! We go to the doc again on Thursday to discuss the need of scheduling a C-section but the Maternal/Fetal doc says he thinks we'll do just fine with the VBAC long as I don't go past my due date :) !! WHOO HOO! We are SO glad it is finally July!!

6/23/07: Well, week 34 of this pregnancy is coming to a close. I'll be 35 weeks Monday and I am pretty much hanging in there. This was a harder week for me honestly. My feet got very swollen most everyday and its getting hard to sleep. The bed nor the bathtub are really providing me the comfort they were before. I am Feeling the pregnant at this point and having a bit of a harder time dealing with the headaches, aches, and pains of having this big ole beautiful baby in there. I'm ready to find some zen to get me through the last few weeks. On the upside Jonathan is active and seems very healthy. The funniest part is that he gets the hiccups alot and it feels really strange! I believe he has begun to drop- my belly is a lower and my hips have really spread. I can't sit with my legs closed anymore at all! People have begun making predictions with my one sister who says I won't last out this next week and the other who says Def in the next couple weeks. I am pretty sure I'll make it to 36 weeks but even I am beginning to doubt whether I will make it much past that. I have a doc appt to look forward to next Friday-- a cervical check and my strep test. I'll know then if there is any progress and cervical changes with all this pain. or just Pain LOL!! I am def mentally and physically feeling like I'll be ready before long.... :)... Can you imagine all this work, change, and effort over the last nine months and very soon I'll be holding and looking at this beautiful child God gave us. It's enough to make you hold your breathe. I can't wait to see what he looks like!!!!!!!!!
6/18/07: We are offically 34 weeks! It is getting close!! So, I've been getting the question lately "Who is gonna tell us when the baby comes??". Immediate family will be called on the way to or from the hospital (i.e. gmas/gpas, aunts and uncles.). We are planning on gmas letting anyone else in the extended family circle news as we update. We just have SO much family we can't call everyone so we figure this a good plan. I am expecting all my friends to be a little patient. LOL! We have ALOT of immediate family which have to be contacted. Everyone will know details with a posting Very soon (within 24 hours) once we get home from the hospital both to my MySpace blog and this family webpage letting everyone know little man arrived safe and sound and all his birthstats. We are not sending out a mass email so you'll need to check :)!! We can only remember so much. LOL!. If you don't hear from us for awhile and you are curious you can always try Michael's or my cellphone and we'll get back to you if we Are in the hospital.
 

On another note, we are trying to keep visitors to something rational so we'd like everyone but immediate family to wait till we get home to come see the little man!! I promise there will be Plenty of cheeks for all (if you don't believe me check out that last ultrasound picture. LOL!!). It's getting Close :)~!!!! and we are getting excited. Thanks for everyone being so understanding and we can't wait to show off our beautiful baby so don't worry, I promise no one will get left out :)!!


6/15/07: And the Doctor said "No more Monkeys jumping in the Mommy" :)...So I went to the doctor today. He said the baby is jumping around like a little champ-- course little man is totally unphased by the fall (only mommy was totally traumatized LOL). I was measuring 35 weeks, good strong heartbeat, all vitals on target. Gained 3 lbs over the last two appts (a month). 2 more weeks I go back and I get the lovely Group Strep B test and start my weekly cervical checks till this little one makes his appearance. It's getting CLOSE people!!!!!!!!!! :).


6/13/07: Doc said I'd be alot more sore this morning, but so far I really feel better. Slept good last night. Only woke up once to potty- which is really unusal cause typically I wake up 5-6 times a night. Guess trauma makes you tired!! Little Jonathan is moving steady so he seems unphased. My tummy is still bruised and sore but my hips and back feel Alot better and I seem to be doing OK :).. Even seeing the basement door gives me the willies though. Guess I don't mind the ban to the basement so much, I may never want to go down there again LOL.... Anyway all is well :)... so I think we're gonna be OK people.


6/12/07: FELL! Just home from the hospital.

You know, it's like I can't stand having good news. LOL. Doc told me at my last ultrasound that the baby was fantastic only a few days ago so ofcourse today I have to do a belly flop onto the Concrete basement floor (tripped over a vacuum piece, tried to catch myself- but tummy hit first and Hard). I have never been so freakin scared. Baby wasn't moving, but no blood so off to the hospital we went. Baby had a good heartbeat while we were there so I calmed down. They kept me for a while though because I was having steady contractions about 7 mins apart-lasting for a min each, for the first 40 mins or so I was there. Scared me. But doc said they might ease off and might be from the fall. They did and then after an hour or so there little man pulled his acrobat routine for everyone (apparently he was over it) and wouldn't leave the monitors alone LOL. I am home now, just tired out of my mind. I feel like I could sleep forever. My poor dh was seriosuly freaking, but he seems ok now- though I have been banned from the basement indefinetly LOL. My hips and back hurt like h-e-double hockey sticks. But doc said it probably would hurt for some time as hard as I fell and right on my stomach. Also likely to hurt more tomorrow with some bruising for show---(Yeah!)... some days I swear I am just gonna lose it before this poor baby makes it here safely. I just hope I didn't hurt his poor brain. LOL.. can you get shaken baby syndrome in the womb????


Bedtime after Fall 6/12/07:

So-- it has been several hours since I got home and I am SO sore! I feel like a total dork for falling like that, but I am feeling mentally a little better. I am still upset at myself, but I also realize at this point not much I could have done to change it. I just, well-- tripped. So mentally and emotionally I have calmed down-- which is good. Physically I hurt like Crazy... my poor tummy has a bruise *Sniff*!! - a pretty big one too so I'm just thankful I went straight to the hosp, cause atleast I am not worried about the baby. He is kicking up a storm this evening and no bleeding. but a warm shower is Definitely calling me name! so hopefully that will help these aching hips and back. I tore my ACL joint when I was in my first trimester while walking down the sidewalk and I tripped INTO a hole (yes, I said into a hole), my whole body went sideways--luckily that time I caught myself with my hands.... but apparently Walking is not something I do so well pregnant. LOL...


6/11/07: Ok, so I am All for feeling my little man move. I get a little nuts if he doesn't move around for awhile- makes me nervous. But there is also the other extreme and his little highnessship has reached it. LOL. I couldn't go to sleep until like 11:30 last night b/c I had the Alien vs Predator playing in my tummy. Michael was totally freaking out because I swear he was convinced the baby was going to literally bust out of there. He was punching and kicking so hard I had feet showing out the top and icepicks going through my bladder. That lasted for almost 2 hours!! I kept saying-- oh he Has to be wearing himself down. And everytime I'd think he'd worn himself out and fallen asleep then he'd start the SHOW again :).... SO now it is 5:30 in the morning and I have been up since 5am because Sommmeeeone (hint: he has been grounded to his WOMB-- hahah yes I am losing it) is dancing the Samba and in general having a good ole time seeing whether he can rearrange mommy's organs. I was laughing so hard (and probably sounding a little hysterical LOL) when I read my 33 week description and it said baby would be slowing down because of lack of room. He's a big baby! 4lbs and 12ozs at 32 weeks so he has to be feeling the pinch a bit- but he is Not slowing down. If anything the less room he has the more he attacks LOL.....OK..... I have ranted enough for 530 in the morning. Maybe I'll see what's on TV. I hope he settles down soon so I can get some more sleep before Kaitlyn wakes up. Thanks Goodness it is summertime and I don't have to get her ready for school :)!!!

6/5/07: We just got back from the ultrasound. We are currently 32 weeks and 1 day. The doctor was originally concerned about growth and enough room for the baby considering my uterine abnormality. However, The doctor said everything is looking good with a HEALTHY baby and mommy. Jonathan has plenty of room, and some adorable cheeks which you can view at the link below

http://picasaweb.google.com/mjgraf/BabyInTheBellyPictures/photo#5072592577830211074

Per all the checking the doctor said for the most part the growth is on target with almost all the numbers in the 50 percentile at 32-33 weeks. But the belly measurement was in the 91st percentile at 38 weeks! Putting us at a total average of 75% for growth. We asked about such a chunky little tummy because his tummy is as big as his head. ACK!! But, the doctor said that simply meant he was a very healthy baby. Per the overall weight, growth, and enough room the Doctor is not too concerned per what this ultrasound showed, but will see us again in 4 weeks just to be sure that he still has enough room and everything is still on track. So all the worrying about having a small baby is out the window! Now instead of worrying about low birth weight, we have to consider the possibility of a high birth weight!! The doctor did say that there was a good chance growth would level out. The current estimated weight is 4 pounds 12 ounces. At a maximum growth of 0.5 pounds per week could put us near a 9 to 10 pound baby! ACK!!! My previous C-section brings some concern in with delivering a baby of that size because of uterine rupture and if that is the case then we'll likely have another C-section. However, we'll know for sure in a few more weeks :). Hopefully his growth slows down a bit, LOL. Other neat things were that we got to see the baby hiccuping, which was sooooooo cute. It is a good sign, as it shows that he is practicing breathing.The heart looked good with a strong heartbeat. He was a kicking and moving and very active, with his head low in the pelvis which are all good things. They didn't check my cervix for progression and said that they really don't after 30 weeks. I have a doctor appointment on Thursday so with him being already a good weight they might not bother since it is looking like pre-term labor won't be too much of an issue. I only have a few more weeks till it is perfectly safe anyway :).... well, that's all for now. More info as it becomes available!

Linnaya (and Michael) :)



Enter supporting content here