Iowa Weekend

This weekend was your first trip to Iowa (Dad's home state).  This marks the second state you have been to and the second overnight trip you have been on since you were born.  We headed south for a shower with Dad's family and to visit Grandma and Grandpa Weber.  Plus you were able to meet your Auntie Liz and your cousin's Tayton and Owen.  We have several pictures of you with them.  You boys sure enjoyed being around each other and I think Tayton and Owen are excited to play/rough house with you when you get bigger. 

Here's pictures of you with Tayton and Owen (both of your cousins wanted to hold you!):

Here's you with Auntie Liz

And one more picture of you with your cousin Owen.  He was so taken by you and loved to come give you kisses (he even enjoyed giving you kisses on your piggies) or look at you.  When you cried throughout the weekend he tried to calm you.  Both boys were so excited to see you, but Owen could not stay away and always wanted to check on you to make sure you were doing ok.  Here is one more picture with your cousin Owen.

Auntie Liz threw a great shower for you and you got a lot of nice things from all of Dad's family.  You are definitely one spoiled little man.  We are so thankful to have so many amazing people in our lives and so glad they could all meet you this weekend. 

We stayed at Grandma and Grandpa Weber's house this weekend and you loved to look at their lights.  You were such a good boy and slept very well in a room with Dad and I.  The rooster woke you up this morning and I think you enjoyed your first visit to the farm as you didn't cry much at all but enjoyed looking around to see the new things around you.  I'm sure you will love visiting the farm when you get bigger and can go out to explore and work on the farm with Grandpa.  He already has big plans for you and was thinking you should start helping him this weekend.  You and your cousins will definitely be following Grandpa in a line as you get older and we are excited for you to experience life on the farm like your Dad did when he was little. 

On our way home today, we stopped to see Dad's cousin Eric, his wife Brenda, and their son Elliot.  Elliot was born in January and is just about two months older than you.  We thought it would be fun to chronicle your lives with pictures at milestones throughout your life.  So today was the first time you met and a picture was taken.  In this picture, cousin Eric is holding you while Dad holds Elliot. 

So your first trip to Iowa was a success and we are so lucky to have so many wonderful people in our lives.  Once again your Dad and I were reminded of all the great blessings in our lives.

Child of God

August 22, 2012 - the day you were baptized and became a child of God.  A wonderful day that you were able to share with us and a lot of family and friends.  We were a little nervous after your morning of crying and fussing that you would not do well through the church service.  However, you fell asleep on the way to church, opened your eyes before the church service to see all the people there to witness your baptism, and then fell back to sleep for the service.  You even slept through the time when Pastor Jon baptized you.  You were a trooper and we are so proud of you.  Then it was back home to have brunch with everyone and of course, you were held by everyone. 

Today during the service I was reminded of how much of a blessing you are in our life.  Dad and I are excited to raise you in the faith and go this path as a family, just like both your Dad and I experienced when we were growing up.  Always remember, you have so much support in life and so many people that love you to pieces.

Here are many pictures from the day - I could not pick just one and therefore I will overload this post with many.

First, from the ceremony:

The three of us:

 

Dad's family:

 

Dad, Uncle Mike (your Godfather), and you:

 

Mom's famly:

 

Great Grandma Della:

 

Mom, Cousin Renee (your Godmother), and you:

Moby Wrap

Over the last week you've become the little man who wants to be close to Mom, enter the moby wrap.  As I do my chores around the house, you want to be where the action is and then eventually you snuggle in to take a little nap before the next feeding.  After your transitions last week including you starting to sleep in your own room and growing big enough to upgrade to the next diaper size, I feel like having you close in the moby wrap is a welcome daily experience.  I love to have your body nestled against mine whether I'm cleaning up around the kitchen, doing laundry, or just sitting in the chair catching up on my TV shows or reading.  The feeling of having you snuggled in close warms my heart and I always catch myself watching you sleep.  It's hard not too when you are changing your facial expressions or squeling.  Here is a picture of you snuggled in as we watched TV last night.

I'm hoping as you grow older you'll want to continue to snuggle with me, especially when you grow too big for the moby wrap.  The amazing feeling of having you close is something people always told me about and tried to explain to me while I was pregnant, but it was not until you snuggled in for the first time that I really expereienced this great feeling.  So always remember, Mom is here to snuggle whenever you want.

Changes

The last 24 hours have been a traumatic experience for me. 

Let's start with your transition to the crib.  On Sunday afternoon we put you in the bassinett to rest as you were fighting sleep and had not really had a good nap all day.  At one point your Dad flipped on the monitor to see how you were doing and you'd broken free from your swaddle (not uncommon during the day).  However, this time your arms were outstretched and touching each side of the bassinett (you looked so big!).  It was then that we decided you might need to transition into sleeping in your crib.  We decided we'd do it sometime during the week when your Dad did not have to work the next day - that way if you had a rough night, we could have the rough night together (and tag team naps the next day).  So last night when your Dad got home from work we put up the monitor in your bedroom and I moved a bunch of stuff over into your room that we had used in our room.  Then for the next 3 hours I went back and forth as to whether or not I really could go through with this transition.  Besides the three nights you spent in the NICU when you were first born, you've slept in our room every night of your life.  How was I going to cope with not having you right next to me in our bedroom.  As much as I wanted to keep you in our room forever, I knew you needed to be sleeping in a larger bed and I needed to put aside my want for you to stay sleeping in our room.  So you spent the first night in your crib and it did not even phase you. You probably slept better than you have been sleeping in our room, with a 5 to 5.5 hour stretch between feedings. So you are now sleeping in your own room and I'm already starting to realize that there will be these big changes where I am going to have to put aside my desire to keep you close and let you continue to grow. 

Then today, we decided it was time to stop putting newborn diapers on you.  Even though you have not been weighed since your 2nd week of life (you were 8 pounds 4 ounces at that point), you are now 5 weeks old and you must be well over the 10 pound guideline on the newborn diapers.  So we decided we'd try the size 1 diapers and see if they were too big for you or would fit just fine.  Well alas, you are enjoying those size 1 diapers today and seem to be a little more content.  Maybe those newborn diapers were just a little too small for you and were a bit uncomfortable when you filled them.  So welcome to size 1 diapers little man, we hope these fit you for a while, because we had not planned on you ever wearing newborn diapers and therefore we have A LOT of size 1 diapers.

So the last 24 hours have been a little traumatic for me.  You've moved into your own room and you moved up a size in diapers.  You're becoming a big boy - even if you're only a little over a month old.  To show you're such a big boy, here's a picture of you and Dad hanging out watching manly shows  (you squirmed out of Dad's arms to sit on your own).

Here is another picture from the weekend.  We had a great first holiday with you - Easter.  It's such an amazing feeling to have you around during these holidays and while we're spending time with family.  You add so much more to our lives.  Dad and I are excited to hunt down Easter eggs and your basket next year.  Here is a family picture from Easter. 

1 Month Old!

April 5, 2012 - You are one month old today.  Where has the last month gone?!  This is a question I asked myself this morning as I looked down at you while you gazed up at me after your morning feeding.  Lots of changes have occurred in the last month.  For instance, you are awake a lot more during the day (thankfully you still enjoy sleeping through the night), so Dad and I get to play with you on your playmates, work with you on tummy time, and see your beautiful eyes more than we did in the beginning.  You are also no longer drown in your three month clothes, they instead have started to fit you better and not be as baggy (as a note, Mom purchased only 3 month clothes because we did not think the newborn ones would even fit - since we were expecting you to be born 3 weeks later at around 10 to 11 pounds).  In addition, this last week you have become a swaddled baby and generally are fussy until your Dad and I wrap you up tight - then within minutes you are out like a light or content on looking around the room.  Finally, you're sleeping longer at night generally around 4 hours between feedings (two nights you actually went 6 hours between feedings) and you generally are sleeping within 10 minutes of feedings without stirring like you did in the beginning (sometimes we were sitting up with you for 45 minutes before you fell asleep).

It's hard to believe all these changes have occurred in the last month.  You are getting big and we continue to be amazed at all the changes you continue to show us.  It is such a joy to have you around and as much as I look forward to you getting bigger and growing up along with all the changes, I worry all these days of little you are slipping away before my eyes.  I can only imagine I will look back at this time and wish I could have the time back with you, so I keep trying to soak it all up now and enjoy every moment.

Here is your one month old picture.  Your Dad and I have come a long way (and so have you).  We made it through this photo shoot without any crying and your eyes were open the entire time!

Here is a picture of you with Moo Moo and Leroy.

Now, one picture I could not resist when we got home from the store today.  You are so sweet and my handsome little man (although maybe I am just partial because I'm your proud Mom).

Finally, because we are starting to watch the Frozen Four today and because Lindsay was so generous in outfitting you in the only WCHA team to make it to the Frozen Four, I thought we'd better get a picture of you in the Minnesota hat.  While you're team is the UMD Bulldogs - we'd better cheer for the Minnesota team in the tournament.  So Go Gophers - beat those non-WCHA teams that think they are all that!

More Firsts

The last few days have included several firsts for you as a little man. 

Wednesday - Mom and Dad decided we needed to run several errands so after you finished feeding in the morning, we were off for a trip to the metro area and many different shops.  During our day out and about, you ate for the first time in the car (twice actually), you had your first lunch out, and several diaper changes in various places besides your changing table.  When we returned home, you hung out with mom in the moby wrap (thanks to Tiner for the great gift - I definitely recommend it to new mothers) and then we took your first bath in the tub.  You liked both of them and here are pictures to document.

Thursday to Saturday - In the morning we headed north to Grandma Jean's and Grandpa Charlie's house.  It was your first overnight trip somewhere else.  In addition, we were going north to celebrate with Grandpa Charlie for his birthday!  You did awesome while we were away.  You enjoyed sleeping in your pack and play and the new surroundings.  You were so laid back and lots of people came to see you while we were up north.  I almost think it was a travesty to you that we had to head home today.  You have been upset on and off ever since we got home (Grandma Jean would definitely agree this is because you wanted to stay at her house and be held by her)  Maybe Grandma and Grandpa's house is the place you still want to be.  I'm sure they will let you visit for weeks at a time when you are older (and do not need Mom around to feed), but until then we're back home to enjoy your known surroundings.  Here is a picture of you laid back at Grandma and Grandpa's house.

We've had a very busy week with lots of new things for you.  But you have endured them all and even still enjoy your car seat (as lots of travel has occurred).  We are enjoying spending all our time with you as the daily changes occur and cannot remember our lives without you.  As I look back on this week, I realize that all these things will not be firsts again (but they were fun to experience together for the first time as a family) and I'm sure there will be plenty more firsts as the days continue.

Program Director

OCW - 2, Mom and Dad - 0

Just in case your Dad and I had forgotten who ran this ship, you reminded us last night on two separate occasions.  The first happened when I was changing you.  You've done a good job at getting through each changing and not being a little boy aiming for the wall (the last time your Dad and I experienced this was your first full day at home).  Well last night as I was getting ready to give you a quick clean with the wipe before I fastened your diaper, I realized just why that washcloth was in place.  You were going to town as I pulled it back and the wall was your target.  Needless to say I could not help but laugh because that is what all parents do in this situation - there is nothing we can do to help it.

Then just a few hours later as your Dad was changing you I heard "oh crap" and then "you little nerd" from your room.  Sure enough, as Dad was trying to get the diaper in place to fasten it you started aiming towards the wall again.  I guess you decided last night that your Dad and I needed a little reminder just who ran the ship around here and that you were our little boy.  Thanks for the reminder buddy - we love you to death, even if it does take two diapers and a little extra time during one diaper change.

Yesterday was three weeks since you arrived in this world.  And gasp, Dad and I forgot to take a picture.  We will get you in a little over a week in your one month photo shoot.

Today also marked a big day for your Dad and I.  As we rolled out of bed around 9 am this morning, I started to think about the date.  Today was the day for the scheduled c section and it actually was scheduled for 8:30 am.  While your Dad was changing you and getting you ready to feed, we talked about the fact that we were just supposed to have met you (had everything gone with the plan).  Yet, here we are, three weeks later getting into our routine and enjoying life as a family.  We wouldn't have it any other way, especially since everything seems to continue to go well for you as you grow and develop.

Here are a few of you today as we tried to take some pictures for your birth announcement.  The first is the sweet little man that likes to sleep in our arms and snuggle in close.  The second is your personality to a T - arms out and in the air looking for all the exciting new things going on around you.