Family

Here we go with the breakdown of our experience with the app and Genie+ how we did the park, managed our time and energy levels, what we brought for the day and a quick review of the rides we loved!

Trying to plan our first Disney trip felt like showing up to the last day of school trying to write an exam when I hadn’t attended a single class.  There is So.Much.To.Learn. But I’m here to tell you while the overwhelm can be real, it is all completely figure-out-able!

Hi, hi, hiiii!! It’s certainly been a while since I’ve shared here on the site, and I’ve truly missed it.  After a bit of an unintentional hiatus, so many of you checked in with me (and RG!) to see how we are doing which was so lovely and appreciated.  So, I figured it was a good time to share a little Family Graham update.

We just got back from our first trip as a family of 4 and it was so, so wonderful. To have the privilege to be able to get away and play and indulge and laugh and rest and make memories was such a gift.

We’ve been back city living for a couple months now so I thought I’d give you an update on how the Grahams are doing! I started back to work in April and I have loved being back with my TV family. Even though we’re still working from home just hearing their voices over the intercom we use to shoot with everyday brings me such joy. I didn’t realize how much I missed having something for me; a purpose outside of the girls.

Our sweet baby girl is almost 14 months and I thought I’d share with you how she’s been doing and what she’s been up to! The biggest change is that Goldie girl is on the MOVE! She started to crawl about 2 weeks ago after working so hard to figure it out. Since about Christmas she was doing this kinda army crawl thing in the living room and then when we’d put her down in her crib she used it as a training facility to master getting up on all fours; rocking her bum back and forth.

This is a topic I’ve wanted to tuck into for a while because so many of you have asked about my experience going from one babe to two. And now that I’ve got a full year now under my belt, I feel able to share how it’s been for me. I told RG I was working on this post and as we were talking quickly realized our experiences and perspectives on the subject are TOTALLY DIFFERENT. So, I thought I’d offer you both.

Early on in this pandemic when we were all struggling to adapt and adjust Randall came home from a grocery trip lit up with an idea. He said to me that he wanted to commit to doing one good thing for someone every single day. He made good on that deal and I’ve watched him find new ways to show kindness, support and offer a helping hand.

We’re still living up north at our cottage and at least once a week we marvel at how long we’ve been here. Other than a few trips to Toronto for doctor appointments we’ve been here full-time since March. And for now, the plan is to stay. The COVID-19 case numbers are on the rise and this is where we feel the most comfortable right now. Like everyone, being away from our friends and extended family hasn’t been easy, but we have truly enjoyed this time together and are trying to focus on drinking in these moments.

When Marigold was a newborn she was (and still is) such a dream of a baby. Super easy going, happy, not fussy at all and loved to snooze. I googled incessantly about newborn sleep worried she was getting too much. I called her doctor to ask if this much sleep was “normal” and for the first little while, I had to wake her every few hours to feed her. That’s how often she was out cold.

I started to write this post when Marigold was an actual newborn, hoping to share it with you when we were actually living that new baby life. Then, a pandemic + 2 kids at home + husband working from home + distance learning + no outside support and here I am with a baby that is half a year old sharing my newborn essentials!

Like most kids, the idea of a new baby and of being a big sister was very exciting for Bea. Months of talking, counting down, deciding what she’d call her (Bumbalina) getting things ready and reading books had her pretty pumped for this new role. And then she met Marigold for the first time. Goodbye, excitement. Hello, resentment.

Marigold James Graham was born January 5 at 9:06 PM. I was there of course, and my father who had driven with me to the hospital was in the waiting room. My mother who had just put Beatrix to bed had arrived just in time. And my girlfriend Claudia was there too. But my husband, he wasn't there. He was fifteen floors below me in the emergency room.

If my brain activity were illustrated in a pie chart about 80% of it would be consumed by thoughts of milk production and breastfeeding. It would look like Pacman. Is she getting enough? Is my supply low? Is that a clogged duct I feel?