Friday, January 16, 2009

It's Laine Day!!....Well it WAS!!


"Don't worry everyone...A day late, but I am still pretty darn excited!"


Hi everyone it is officially Laine Day! In our typical fashion with Laine, we are a day late. We just had to follow suit (we were a day late posting his homecoming day, too).

The boys all home from the NICU....just waiting on Danna to catch the next jet plane home sweet home to Kansas. L to R: Forrest, Laine and Pius


On January 15, 2008 we brought Lainer home to join his brothers, mom and dad, and his cousin Becky (1st cousin once removed, to be exact), at our Phoenix apartment. He was still very small but doing great with his oxygen, eating, and other various bodily functions. The doctors were able to let us get one step closer to becoming a complete family at home.

The Laineman giving mom a high five. SO TINY!

Laine Ryan Graf was born on November 19th, 2007 at 4:41 p.m. and he is the "baby" of our squad. While he was in-utero we got the feeling he was going to be a very independent little man. He was at the top right side of Moni's belly and had all the room in the world. He never really utilized his prime real estate because he was always very calm and didn't move around a whole lot. We struggled getting good sono pictures of him because he was in such a hard-to-access area (under her ribs and close to her liver, she said). When the others would be going crazy, Laine would be chillin' out in his upstairs apartment loft all cool as a cucumber. However, things would change for young Laine when he made his outside-the-womb debut.





Laine had to wear his CPAP (or "CRAP" gear for Uncle Tommy) for several weeks after delivery. At one point, the headgear became too tight and the velcro that was holding it on started rubbing on his forehead. It produced a red mark at first, but to this day, he still has a little bump on this forehead from it. Uncle Ryno would always ask, "Is that a mosquito bite?" for at least the first 10 months of his life. Some people just never learn. Dr. Chavez called the bump "fatty necrosis" and says that will eventually go away.


When we were still in Phoenix and all four of them were still in the NICU, I would go by every morning on my way to work. I worked from 5 a.m. to noon, Monday through Friday, and would get up to go visit them before work. Otherwise, I wouldn't get to see any of them until early that evening. I would get to Phoenix Childrens Hospital at Banner Good Samaritan, check in with the nurses and then go check in with the kids (to make sure their stories matched). I always started off with Pius (who was always asleep), proceeded to Danna (always asleep), go into the next room and check out Forrest (surprise, surpris....asleep), and finish my rounds with Laine. Laine was always WIDE AWAKE when I would get to him. The nurses insisted that they all slept through the night and that Laine would wake up when I got there at 4 a.m. He and I would discuss all sorts of things those mornings, usually the Denver Broncos or Alabama football, but we would talk about a little of everything. Those mornings with Laine have always been one of my top two or three favorite memories from Phoenix. He would lie there and just stare at me while I rambled on about an upcoming opponent or some questionable play calling. I LOVED those mornings.


Getting ready to start wearing big boy clothes. No more naked baby bird!


The Lainerzinski.....plotting how to go about taking over the world. Just like in "Pinky and the Brain"!


Laine getting some last minute cuddle time with his primary RN, Gwen, before venturing out into the great outdoors. He was gracious enough to share the lap and spotlight with sissy.

Laine spent the first year of his life as many of our family and friends' favorite. He was always so sweet and willing to be held. He would be the quiet one while one of the other three would cry about something. That all changed after we were home for awhile. I guess he got tired of taking a back seat to everyone else's high demands and wanted some extra lovin', too. Glad that stage is over.

We have always thought Laine was very smart and our first Rainbows visit from the kids' physical and speech therapists substantiated our belief. Laine has always been ahead of his age physically. Not his adjusted-age....but his actual age. When the P.T. and child educator first came out, they both said that his body and mind were functioning a couple of months ahead of his age. We weren't that surprised because we knew there had to be a reason why his head weighed more than the rest of his body!

Laine started standing around 10 1/2 months, stepping consistently around 11 months, and full-force....I see something I want so get the heck out my way....walking at 12 months. Now that Pius and Forrest are starting the stepping stage it is hilarious to watch Laine watch them. As soon as we all start clapping and hollering for one of this siblings, he is on his feet running at us to show us that he can do it too (even better). Laine also seems to be the first to pick up tricks but the most stubborn to do them. When he learns one, Pius and Forrest will see him do it, get attention for it, and then mimic him (in true toddler fashion, right?). Once Pius, Forrest, or Danna learns a trick they will do it almost on command. Laine is different though. He just looks at you like, "Gosh, you people are so stupid. Why do you get so excited for this stuff? I'm not gonna be your little monkey.....I'll let those other three ya-hoo's do that!"

Laine the Loner really does seem to be very independent. You can usually find him away from the others playing with a different toy (or string, or piece of paper, or dead bug...really, whatever's available and looks halfway off-limits). One question that gets asked at least 5 times a day at our house is, "Where is Laine?" Inevitably, he is always off looking for his own thing to do. Laine also is the one who sticks EVERYTHING in his mouth. We could vacuum three times a day, and he would still find something small to put in there. He loves to taste things. Anything (except, of course, when it comes to something outrageous like breakfast, lunch and dinner). As long as it will fit into his mouth, he'll put it in and make it hard for us to get it out. Iron jaws, that boy has. Along with his reputation of eating paper, Kleenex (would the singular of that word be Kleeni?) and any other inedible objects, he also likes to climb like a billy goat. Boxes, toys, toy bins, the couch, the stairs.....nothing is sacred.

Laine the goat atop their birthday gifts



In the toy basket



No joke, we've found many leaves in his dirty diapers.



Laine is usually the pickiest eater of the four....unless it's finger foods that he can do himself. If that's the case, he'll grab fistfuls at a time and start shoveling. Chalk another one up to his independent nature.

I think all of my kids are tough. I really do. All four of them were born 2 1/4 months early and have been thrust into all kinds of strange situations (the NICU, airplanes, cheering studio audiences, our families...j/k!). Laine, though, I think is the toughest. He has to fight hard to breath sometimes because he gets wheezy (usually just when he picks up a cold...think baby asthma). He never lets it stop him though. We will try to give him a breathing treatment and he will go along with it for about 2 minutes, but as soon as he thinks his lungs are better, he is ready to go terrorize the living room again. He also, along with Pius, has been very tough through all of his shots. He even gets extra RSV shots (the others didn't qualify for them this year) and handles them very well. His physical toughness has even surprised me a few times....and as Monica wrote before, I'm Superman!


The LaineTrain giving himself a breathing treatment

Sidenote: Laine has been battling some respiratory virus since New Year's Eve. We've had to take him to the doctor twice in the last 2 weeks. He lost an entire pound in 1 week because he wouldn't eat or drink anything! If he didn't start improving, we were going to have to hospitalize him for IV fluids and respiratory treatments. Fortunately, he continues to improve daily and has seemed to regain his appetite (what little one he had, anyways). Thank you to all those keeping him in your prayers!


More on this little tyke's toughness...One time (please do not report me to the authorities) he managed to squeeze through the railing at the top of the staircase and fell down the length of the stairs. I had to go down to check on the laundry (yes, Moni has me trained pretty well....I don't even pee on the floor anymore since she started rubbing my nose in it). Laine had followed me to the staircase, watched me leave and then proceeded to scream bloody murder. I could hear him just fine and knew it was only because I had left the room that he was crying. Seriously, all I had to do was rotate the laundry! Laine's screaming stopped all of the sudden then I heard a bang and several thumps. I took off running. When I got to the stairs, there was Laine at the bottom, crawling around in the computer room with a gigantic grin on his face. That one scared the hell out of me and I picked him up and palpated all of his limbs to make sure he wouldn't wince. Thankfully, he acted fine. I called nurse Moni to hurry home and she checked him over once for HER peace of mind and another time for MINE. He was a-okay the rest of the night and the following week. Now that's what I call one tough little nugget!

The very railings he slipped through. We have since put up netting to avoid another accident.





Laine's account of the event: "...and then I started to fall like this, but it...was...AWESOME!"



Grams and Grampy got it right with this shirt...."Might be little but I'm TOUGH!"


Laine, we love you so much and can not imagine what our life would be like without you. You make us so proud and we are amazed everyday at the new things you learn and show us. We can't wait to see what you grow up to be like. We know you'll do GREAT things!


"Peace, Mom!"


Our content Angel Baby


Laine (L) and Forrest (R). Their 1st picture together.


Are those Easter eggs in your pants, or are you just excited to see me?!



Remember the Keebler Elf ears? Yah, they filled out and look normal now.


Little Broncomaniac



"Mom, what you do in the next 2 seconds will determine whether I start screaming or laughing. Better choose your actions wisely."


Diapered? Most times. Spoiled? Always.


I love the little bit of drool getting ready to drop from his lip!



Laine usually makes his way onto his belly during the night. He HATES having his feet covered and almost always has his blankets kicked off of him by morning.


First trip to Invesco Field at Mile High Stadium last September


Laine's the only one that still likes his pacifier. I guess you could say he's orally fixated. I've always thought Freud was full of crap, though.


This sweet lil' Tin Man already has a heart of gold!


He was enjoying him some Baby Einstein this day.


"Are you really Superman, dad? I wanna grow up to be JUST LIKE YOU!"


L.A........Here we come!


Laine is SUCH a Bucko's boy! Always has a smile for her when she walks through the front door.


Laine: "I AM SO AMAZING! I AM SO INCREDIBLE! I AM SO COOL!"

Forrest: "Yah, whatever. Get over yourself, Laine!"


Laine really went to town on his birthday cake. He didn't need any help digging in. He also fell victim to the same fate as his brothers, and developed a rash around his nose and mouth due to the frosting.

Just call me Ryan Jr.


On second thought, DON'T YOU DARE call me Ryan Jr!

They all four have eyes that are different shades of blue. It's amazing how uniquely DIFFERENT each one of them is.


Pretty excited about the new Broncos coaching staff up to this point.


Hey, Ralphie! I know, this is a cruel joke for mom to play. You've gotta be tough to pull off a hat like this!


"Does Aunt Jac know me, or what!"


Laine REFUSES to crawl anymore. Even is he has 2 steps to go, he'd rather stand up, walk those 2 steps, and then sit back down. Look out, world...Laine Ryan Graf is comin' to getcha!








Love You Baby Boy!

Mommy, Daddy, Pius, Forrest, and Danna

22 comments:

Charity Donovan said...

Happy Laine Day!
By the way...got any walking pointers??? This clan (besides little miss) still wants to crawl everywhere.

Suzanne said...

i LOOOOVE hearing about all of their little personalities...i didn't really get to follow you guys from the beginning, so i feel like i'm trying to play catch up! hope the little dude is feeling better and is on the quick road to recovery!!! have a great weekend you guys!!!! hugs

Shelia said...

Happy Laine Day (belated)! So many cute pictures... but the one of him standing by the hay is one of my favorites. Billy, I hope that baseball bat is soft... Laine looked like he was getting the hang of swinging it and that could be dangerous with all his smarts!

jag said...

Oh, Laine, you really are AMAZING! I hope you had a happy day, Little Man! By the way, that fondness for roughage will serve you well. Way to be green!

EMO said...

Happy Laine Day. I am sad that we only have 1 more special day to go... I look forward to them!

Love
Erin

Anonymous said...

What about an update on the AFV? I wasn't able to watch. Did you win???

Moni Graf said...

Dear Anon,
Our very next post will be all about AFV. Stayed tuned....

Moni

Jac Tubre said...

Ok Billy, I'm gonna need a warning label on posts like that! I think I just woke Emma up from laughing hysterically. I love how you totally recognize how well Moni has you trained and I am so pleased that rubbing your nose in you pee splatter solved that little issue for you...maybe I should try that tactic on Torey??

The stairs story is hilarious...only because he was unharmed of course. I can totally picture you realize what the thuds were and running around the basement!

Great post guys and Geaux Laine! Abbey is most impressed with your mad walking skillz!

Love ya,
Aunt Jac

Anonymous said...

Laine, there is no doubt in my mind that you scared the crap out of your dad and mom. The sound of a baby falling down the steps makes a parent age 10 years. One of your great uncles did the same thing in Colwich ... only the floor was not carpeted. Great Aunt GGr

Squiggle Wiggle & Maggers Moo said...

Moni,

Laine is such a sweet baby. He reminds me of my second child with the constant pica in his mouth. I am so proud of you and Billy and the loving crew that have helped out with the little tykes. Four tykes is amazing and I know each one of them will do even more amazing things. Congrats Laine on his Laine Day.
Love,
The College Hill Girls
Sarah

Anonymous said...

I havn't commented in a long time, but the past few posts have been amazing! (and tear jerking). It was nuts looking back at the NICU pictures. They have all grown so much. Quite the little miracles!!!
Mallory
PS. Moni,looking back at your long hair, I'd have to say I LOVE it short. The boys will get tired of hearing they have a MILF.

gilloth/Edina said...

Hello :)
I too have been reading for some months now and enjoying it. Your kids' personality so much shows through this blog. And of course they're cute too.
a non-mom baby blog fan

Anonymous said...

Happy Laine day to Grandma's littlest man. You are so much fun. Love you, Grandma Vicki

Anonymous said...

Happy Laine Day mofo! You make us so proud cus ur our little superstar prodigy and ur already smater than Aunt Lainie. Love u, Adam

Anonymous said...

Uh smarter i mean! lol

Anonymous said...

Happy Laine Day, Laine Man!! I'm so proud of you! You are such a sweet boy and you continue to amaze me every day! And don't listen to Adam, seeing as he can't even spell!! Love you!!
Aunt Lainie

Anonymous said...

Sweet post. And funny. Happy belated Laine day buddy.

I enjoyed every minute reading that post.

Love you all.
UT - crap-man

Anonymous said...

Happy Laine Day!!! (Belated) Laine is such cute boy but I swear in some of his pics he looks like a 5 year old. Too Adorable!! Cant wait for AFV and Danna's post!!.

Stacy

Anonymous said...

I was showing my niece Laine Day pictures. Multiple hilarious comments I need to share:
1. One picture with him on cpap shes says "Where is he?" I said the hospital. She goes, " I am NOT going to that doctor!"
2. Easter pictures: Those are my ears. Boys can't wear bunny ears.
3. picture of him in the tub "Mal Mal, you need to tell him to not take a bath with his diaper on, his butt won't get clean."
4.The 2nd picture of him eating: His mom was really mad that he got that food all over the place.
5. 1st birthday cake picture: that boy needs to learn how to use a fork. His mom won't give him a cake for his other birthdays if he keeps eating with his hands. He will get sticky.
6. Last, but not least comment. The Hey Ralphie hat picture: Mal Mal, why does he have that hat on? Maybe it was for halloween and he was a shooter and liked to shoot the ghosts outside.
:) Ah, a 3 year old perception of the world! Sorry it was so long, but I though you would laugh!
Mallory & Olivia

HansonTriplets said...

Happy Laine Day sweet baby boy. You are just to cute for words. I love to watch videos of you and all your fun little things you do. YOu are getting to big so fast.

Anonymous said...

Laine It just seems unreal how fast you have fast you have grown up since you have been in Phoenix. Mark is still keeping up with the graf crew. I am anxious to get to Wichita to see and play with you. I wish I wasn't so far away and could enjoy you more.Mom and Dad do such a great job of posting, they may be need to change professions and be full time writers. Love you all Aunt Laverna

Emily Bulger said...

Laine,
You're such a joy to watch and get to know, even if you make it a little tough. But although you take a bit of warming up, it's well worth the effort! Keep up the good work walking but don't forget, as a quick learner, you get to help your brothers and sisters, too! Keep tasting all those goodies on the floor...the bugs will only make you stronger, says Uncle Andy
Love,
Auntie Em