AFV Results and Watch Party, Plus Some

Well, those of you that watched America's Funniest Home Videos on Sunday, January 11th already know the results. But for the rest of you........Drumroll, please .................

The Graf Quads took 3rd place (AKA last place) with their video, "Quads for Cash"

walmp, walmp, walmp (man, that "let-down" sound is hard to type!)

Yes, we knew we didn't win that day back in November when we filmed the show in L.A. It was a little disappointing, but you just can't complain about an all-expenses paid trip to LA, PLUS $2000 prize money (less taxes, of course). It's about time our babies started pulling some of their own weight around here! Now maybe we can wait until they're three before we send them out to get a real job.

The 2nd place, $3000 winner was a video of a dog running trying to run on a slick linoleum floor.

The 1st place, $10,000 winner was of a little girl (2 at the time.....20 years old at the show filming) who ate a radish thinking that it was a "little apple". They were both very good videos and deserved to win. However, I don't think the studio audience really understood what was going on at first in our clip. When they finally DID catch on, the clip was over. Much of the humor was lost in translation. Oh well.

On the day of the filming, we weren't allowed out onto the set with the babies until AFTER all voting was complete. The moment we stepped out onto the stage with all the babies, everyone just melted and we heard ooohs and aaahs (some gasps), giggles, and lots of awwwwws. The babies were the stars of the show from that point on. I can totally understand their rule about letting the audience see them before voting. We probably would have swayed the votes in our favor.

We were able to meet the host, Tom Bergeron, that day. Stupid me...I forgot to ask for a picture with him! He really was just as funny and lighthearted off camera as he is on. At one point, Pius or Forrest started getting squirmy and fussed a little. Tom did his best to impersonate Johnny Cash's song, "I Walk the Line", but to no avail. When he asked why it wasn't working, I promptly responded that the babies accept NO imitation! The audience got a kick out of that. Then, he asked about the Gerber Puffs we were giving them to keep them distracted and calm. He referred to them as "Baby Xanax". That was pretty funny and everyone laughed again. At the end of the show, Tom came up and started talking to us about the kids. He paid us a HUGE compliment and told us our babies were, by far, they best kids they've ever had on the show! I'm sure he says that to all the contestants. It was a nice gesture, anyway.

All in all, it was a GREAT experience and something we will always remember. We never would have survived the trip without our 2 helpers/baby wranglers Aunt Lainie and our good friend Ashyn. Thanks for tagging along, you two!

We had a GREAT turnout for the "AFV Watch Party" at Oscar's. Billy and I were guessing somewhere between 100-150 people showed up to cheer us on! Have we mentioned before how great our family and friends are?!?! It was pretty much "standing room only".

We also had a reporter there from a local news station, KAKE TV Channel 10, who interviewed us and stuck around to get a little video sampling from the party. They aired our segment that night on the 10:00 news, then again on the morning 5:30 news and AGAIN at 11:30 on Monday. Must've been a S-L-O-W news day here in the Dub! Oscar's was really noisy and packed, so it was hard understanding what was being asked. If you notice us looking a little discombobulated.....we were! KAKE was able to air a short segment of the AFV clip, and it is now on their website. I have a link to the video, but you have to HURRY UP and view it. It will probably get removed from their flashplayer sometime in the next few days.

To see our news clip with the AFV clip in it, click on this link: KAKE TV News Clip and AFV Video (be patient...it takes a minute to load).

Due to legal mumbo-jumbo, we will never be able to post that video again on our blog. It now belongs to "The Man". Don't worry....we still have a copy in our back pocket for safe keeping (wink, wink).

I'm hoping the video will be up on the AFV website sometime soon. If that's the case, I'll be sure to post a link to it at that time.

In other news, Pius and Forrest have been taking more and more steps this week. I caught a little of it on camera. Laine, I think, has a little jealousy bug that bites him every now and then when the other boys are getting attention for their walking. He'll see that everyone's clapping for them, get up, and run right in front of them and then to Billy or me. It's like he's saying, "Big deal...I've been doing that for 2 months now. It's about time they started doing something besides clapping and making eyes! Sheesh."

I'm also including some video footage of their newest tricks. I swear, they're like little sponges. They pick up EVERYTHING. Forrest already says, "Wass sis and wass sat?" (what's this and what's that?). Guess we better start choosing our words more carefully around them. I can already picture them getting sent home from school with notes that read:


Dear Mr. and Mrs. Graf,

Pius, Forrest, Danna and Laine hosted a cussing contest at school today. Unsurprisingly, they all tied for 1st. Please instruct them that this is not appropriate behavior and discipline them as you see fit (preferably NOT with high fives). They have corrupted 90% of their class and even some from the upper grades while at recess. The only one not affected was the deaf child (but he can read lips). Even I learned some new words from them.

They will be serving detention for the remainder of the year.

Sincerely,
Miss (insert name here)


Like I said.....we'll be choosing our words carefully.





I apologize in advance for my annoying repetition. That's probably the only reason the babies pick up their new tricks so well.....because they just want me to shut up!





Hope you enjoyed the videos. Until next time, keep your cameras rolling America...........

Love,

The Graf's


P.S. I didn't want to cut Laine's post short by putting this up yet. However, due to the video not being up for much longer, I had to. If you haven't already, please still leave Laine a comment under his Laine Day post! Thanks!

P.S.S. - Oh my gosh. This is making me SO mad. I keep trying to edit this post so there are spaces between paragraphs and it's easier reading. When I "Preview", it all looks good. Then I publish post, and you get what you see here. SO FRUSTRATING! Anyone have any ideas? I've tried to edit the HTML and it's still not working. HELP!

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