What’s Going On Here?

 

To the few of you left reading the blog...ha ha, here in the Graf house it has been a whirlwind of a month. I started potty-training with the boys, Danna is getting dismissed from Rainbows and talking up/screaming up a storm, Moni started a full-time position at the new Via-Christi/St. Teresa Hospital, and I took up full-time Daddy Day Care. I will give you a profile on each of us and what we are up to these days.

 

I quit the Oasis Lounge a couple of weeks ago, but will still fill in when they are in a bind and I am able to. With Monica going back full-time (and making pretty good money) it just made more sense for us to have me stay at home. I could go find a job and turn the check around to daycare times four, but that would have us spinning our wheels, and we would not fully be in on this very important time in the kids' lives. I have not NOT had a job since I was thirteen, so it has been an interesting experience and will continue to be an interesting time in my life.

Monica has been able to charge her battery with a couple vacations in the past 2 months before she went back to full-time. She went on her annual quadmom vacation at the end of June with some other quad mothers she has gotten to know very well over the past four years. A week and a half after that, her little sister Emily gave birth to her first daughter in Colorado Springs. Emily asked Monica to be the Godmother and Moni was honored and happy to be there for the birth. Right after Monica came home from the Springs, she started full-time at Via-Christi/St. Teresa not to mention she still had a week left of work at Wesley hospital so she doubled up on jobs for a week, so her plate has been stacked pretty high.

 

 

 

Pius James has become quite the performer. He LOVES attention. He usually starts off pretty bashful, but after he sees he can command the stage you have to watch him sing, swing his baseball bat, play catch, run bases, throw anything, eat, etc., etc., etc. Like I said, he LOVES attention. Another thing Pius loves is the San Francisco Giants. I am not lying even a little when I tell you the story of the Giants being on during an afternoon about a week ago. He sat and watched a full 2 innings with me (which is a lot for a 2 1/2 year old). He knew when we were pitching and he knew when we were batting and cheered accordingly. Pius knows how to get something he wants. He will go ask every adult in the house until he gets what he wants. He is freaking adorable and he loves to make people laugh or clap.

 

 

Forrest Michael has finally figured out that he is the biggest and strongest. This has led to a lot of fights. Forrest really is kind of a butthead. He wants every toy, book, and person at his disposal. He will not let anybody play with something if he has already claimed ownership. Despite all of this, Forrest is the absolute best cuddler in the world. If he is in the mood he will sit on your lap for hours and just cuddle. He is a little boy with a wonderful heart, but sometimes he forgets his manners and can cause quite a commotion.

 

 

Danna Lynn has finally become all of the things that we used to joke about. She really is a little B sometimes. Since she has really started talking and communicating with us she sees herself as the princess of the house. If she doesn't get what she wants she SQUEALS like nobody's business. If one of her brothers or mom or dad take something away she SQUEALS. If she can't get to what she wants she SQUEALS. Let me tell you guys that it might be one of the most annoying sounds in the world (think Lloyd and Harry in Dumb & Dumber). Rainbows (our local ECI) was helping us to get her up to speed on her language, but they will be dismissing her after this month's appointment. She is so smart and she really is incredibly beautiful. I'm scared for the rest of the world in a couple of years.

 

 

Laine Ryan is our little bi-polar piranha. He is incredibly smart and sometimes this works against him. The last couple of months he has really seemed to calm down with fewer and fewer tantrums. He gets so mad, and it is hard to get him to "snap out of it" sometimes, and when he is pissed he bites. We have been embarrassed to take his brothers and even his sister once or twice out into public. He bites everywhere on the body including the face and nose. Hopefully that is something that he will grow out of because everything we've tried hasn't worked. On the other side of his personality, he can be the sweetest boy in the world. When he is in the mood he will randomly walk up to me, Moni, his brothers or sister and just give them a kiss and pat our arm or back. Luckily for us he has seemed to be in that mood more often lately.

 

    

And for the most recent weights/heights from their July check-up appointment:

Pius – 30 lbs 6 oz – 36 inches

Forrest – 31 lbs 6 oz – 37 inches

Danna – 22 lbs 8 oz – 34 inches

Laine – 29 lbs 2 oz – 36 inches

 

     

The Graf Quad Squad continues to grow and amaze their family everyday. We have understood all along that with bigger kids come bigger problems. I wouldn't say that is any easier today than it was on day 1 when we were fighting different battles, but I also wouldn't say it is any harder either. All four of them are so sweet (most of the time) and they make Monica and me so proud.

With love from the Graf house,

Billy, Moni, Pius, Forrest, Danna, and Laine