3 months!

At 3 months old, Graham is closing in on 12 pounds and is developing quite the little personality.  He will smile and gurgle with glee when we smile at him and kiss his forehead.  He is just about 2 feet long at this point (compared to his bean-pole brother who is 3' 6.5" at this stage).

He continues to work on learning how to use his hands--while he we will still hang on tight to hair, shirts, and fingers, he is starting to enjoy his crinkly cellophane blankets.  He got a few nice rattles for Christmas that we expect he will start clutching and shaking soon.

He has also rolled from his tummy onto his back several times in the past week....he certainly is displeased at being placed on his tummy!  Sadly, he also seems to be continuing to lose hair.  I expect he will end up bald in a few months like his older brother did, and we'll see what color hair grows back after that.  Andrew started out with the same brown hair before turning into a blond!

Here Graham is at 1 month and at 2 months for comparison, and Andrew at 3 months.

Sprinkles

We've been doing a lot of decorating with sugar sprinkles this week.  I am hoping the ants don't get wind of this.

Christmas Outing

Sunday was unseasonably warm here and we ventured into the city for some holiday fun.  First stop was the light show at Macy's, but there were too many people crowded into the ladies underwear section, craning their necks to see flashing reindeer through racks of bras, so we abandoned that activity in favor of a remarkably short line to see Santa.

The path to Santa is filled with an animatronic display of A Christmas Carol.  We hadn't been since Andrew was almost 1 year old.  He was a lot easier to control back then, but he enjoyed the story more this time.

Finally we made it to Santa, where Andrew -- having already informed the orchard Santa what he wanted for Christmas -- apprised him of Graham's wishes.  Let me start by saying that Graham will be receiving a modest collection of the the cheapest baby toys I could find, just to keep up the myth for Andrew.  But this Santa starts suggesting all sorts of things Graham might like.  Seriously Macy's Santa?  It's 3 days before Christmas.  Are you really going to brainstorm with my preschooler specific items that his brother will find under the tree?  Luckily Andrew dismissed all of Santa's ideas and told him that Graham just wants "baby toys and books," which is the narrative we've been sticking with all season long.

After Macy's we headed over to Franklin Square where they have a holiday light show and a carousel.  Here is Andrew on Philly's own, "Smarty Jones."

It was a fun afternoon!  Graham was there too, but just slept the whole time.

Mickey Ds

Somehow Andrew has become very interested in McDonald's lately.  Apropos of nothing, he recently asked me, "Mommy, did you know in Lancaster [home of his grandparents] there's a restaurant called McDonald's?"  The question amused me greatly.  I said that I was aware, and while I did not immediately volunteer the fact that there is a McDonald's 0.5 mi from our house, upon further questioning I admitted this to be true.  Now he is pointing out the golden arches everywhere we go and this morning he suggested we eat lunch at "Farmer Donald's," momentarily confusing the restaurant and the song.

I could live with some occasional "chicken" nuggets and french fries, but what really makes me reluctant to go to McDonald's is the happy meal prizes.  Andrew *never* lets go of a single toy, however cheap and useless.  He still inquires after the New Year's eve horn that I threw out after the mouthpiece became both chewed up and covered in dirt (don't ask) and the cardboard horn was dissolving from spittle. 

Christmas Photo Outtakes

Andrew looking angelic; Graham looking....realistic.

Both boys looking pretty dubious about this enterprise:

Graham flashing his Santa butt:

O' Christmas Tree

We cut down our own tree for the second year in a row.  Greg and Andrew are getting very handy with that saw. 

 
We rode a tractor to the tree field; the little tomato hat poking out is Graham, cozy in his carrier:

Andrew quietly and solemnly informed the orchard's Santa that he wanted a bulldozer, trains, and a dreidel for Christmas.  Andrew's preschool teacher taught the class that if the dreidel lands on a particular side, you get a piece of candy and I can just see the wheels in Andrew's head turning on that one...