Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Dear Family and Friends,

Merry Christmas! We hope this letter finds your family happy, healthy, and full of the Christmas spirit. As we reflect on this past year, one letter comes to mind: E! We sure can’t believe our little boy, who arrived on January 9th, is almost a year old already! It doesn’t quite seem possible. Our lives have changed, but we sure can’t imagine our lives without him! Every day is a new experience with new foods, skills to practice, and places to see. He is a very smart little boy who never ceases to amaze us. He now has 6 teeth, crawls faster than we can walk, and is beginning to stand up on his own. We’re happy to report he is a little smiling chatterbox just like his mommy and a sweet, little innocent boy like his daddy. He is just precious. During this holiday season, he and Chad have enjoyed playing with our Christmas train. He can’t say “choo-choo” yet, but he definitely knows what a “choo-choo” is. Chad just beams, as he’s able to live his love of trains like a little kid through E.

Chad and E putting the track together

Chad and E running the train. Chad does allow E to take the controls now and then. E knows how to blow the whistle too!

E watching the train from behind the "tree fence"

Chad is still working in the Career Development Center at the University of St. Thomas and has been busy hosting a radio show on the university’s station. This is the highlight of his career right now. He also continues taking courses for his master’s program and decided he probably won’t finish until May 2011 as being a worker, husband, and now a dad makes life very busy.

Amy continues to teach fifth grade. This is her seventh year and though being a mom has taken priority, she still enjoys teaching. In fact, her cousin Laurie moved back from Florida this past summer and got a job teaching second grade at her school as well. The two of them spend a lot of time together and are very thankful to be able to see each other every day. This past May Amy finished her master’s degree in Teaching and Learning through St. Mary’s University. She still keeps in touch with several of her friends from the program but is definitely glad to have all of those homework tasks checked off the list.

For four weeks this summer, Amy joined Chad on campus teaching Web design at a girl’s science camp. It was fun being able to put Chad’s computer skills and Amy’s teaching talents together. We were a very powerful duo!

We hope you have enjoyed our brief summary of the year. Our family wishes your family a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! We hope to hear from you this holiday season.

Love,
The Kluck Family

Halloween

Halloween night would be past his bedtime, so we took him out to Great Grandparents Larsen and Arntson and Grandpa and Grandpa Arntson last weekend. We dressed him up as the Pillsbury Dough boy and he had so much fun! Amy's Aunt Nancy made the costume.

Holding down the fort

My mom is currently in town while Amy is away with her class on an overnight environmental field trip. They left early Monday morning. Amy called a few times. She is doing fine. E and my mom are picking her up around 4. Her cell only works outside and it was raining on Monday. I spoke to her only a handful of times. It was hard for her to leave, but she's called my mom and me a few times for updates. Our house is fine, my mom has made huge progress on laundry. We got behind on laundry since before Labor day and never really caught up. I think all hampers are empty now. It's been great to have her up here. My mom has been a blessing while Amy is away.

I've been able to do many things that I normally can't do when it is just Amy and me. I replanted the Iris bulbs on Sunday and had two long days at work. Normally I don't get to work before 9:30am because I am responsible to get E ready and off to day care in the morning. I also slept in a little today didn't have to worry about E at night if he didn't want to go back to sleep as my mom took care of him.

Last night's sleep was important because starting yesterday morning I began fighting off the onset of a cold. I got 8 hours of sleep last night, am taking Sudafed and drinking juice with Vitamin C. I'm doing great. I probably got the cold because I replanted the Iris bulbs in the freezing drizzle Sunday. On Monday I went straight to UST after dropping Amy off at 6:30am and I had class after work until 9pm. That was a 14 hour day. I then started Tuesday with only 5 hours of sleep. I needed to get up early on Tuesday to head over to Mpls for a Sun Java conference all day yesterday and got home at 5pm. E went to bed at 9pm last night so I spent a good 4 hours with him.

This morning I slept in until 6:40 and then got my tire fixed before arriving at work at 9:30. I found a screw in the tire the other day while dropping E off at daycare and changed the tire in the parking lot.

We are currently trying to schedule E's 9 month pictures. He has a doctor's appointment on Thursday. I told him not to worry last night because he won't be receiving any shots. He smiled. I then clarified and said "well, you're not scheduled for any" meaning we didn't know if they would give him a flu shot. His smile quickly went away and he gave me a blank stare. Do you really think he understood?

Almost 9 months

Well, our boy is almost 9 months old. He now crawls almost effortlessly (and very quick!) and says Mama, sometimes to Amy, sometimes to Me, sometimes to a toy, but when he is upset he cries the word Mama out quite a bit. There must be something to it.

E can also stand up and lean against the couch and other objects. He loves playing with his plastic hangers, and, of course, animal train.

He attended a train show with us a few weekends ago and enjoyed watching the layouts they had set up. Many of the exhibitors tried selling us some large scale trains saying that our boy "needed them." I let them know I was already conditioning him and hope he can help me work on my layout once I get started again.

We've, well, I, have been buying Thomas stuff as it goes on sale or clearance, and I, I mean, he, has quite the collection. I kind of went overboard on the engines, and need more train cars and buildings for him to play with, so I'll work on that over the next 2 years. The Thomas set is meant for 3 year olds (and dads of any age!) We are purchasing the Thomas Take Along sets. They are sold at Target, Wal-Mart, and other retail outlets and so far have not had any lead recalls.

Today E left a cryptic message for his grandma. He found the phone and was playing with it intently, as he always does. I dialed up my mom for him and put E on the phone to either talk to her or leave a message, in his own little way of course. Well, when he got the recording he played a few notes on his musical toy and then let out a cough. Thinking his message was over I hung up the phone wondering when I would be receiving a call back from her. It took only 20 minutes until she called back, and was disappointed that the connection was bad so she missed his musical talent and only heard a faint, crackling, cough of a child. She figured it was him though.

He's a moving!

Labor Day weekend up at the lake was more work than rest. E is scooting all over the place, and man is he quick! He is so determined that when he gets a destination in his mind there is no stopping him and he will try and try again to get there no matter how many times you pull him back and put him in the center of his play area.

The day care sent home a note saying he and his friends eagerly try to escape the play area. I don't know if he is a bad influence on them, or vice versa.

Today when I came home he was playing by Amy and as soon as he saw me walk in the door he started scooting towards me with a big grin. We met each other half way.

Now comes the task to childproofing our house. I already had the door knobs childproofed before he was born, just so that we could get used to it. It is already second nature. (Great for an emergency) I went to the cabinet to get the other childproofing items, specifically the electrical outlet covers, but found none. We'll have to make a trip out. We have cabinet lockers and door lockers. We kind of went at this backwards.

Misc. writing

I attended a writer's workshop training last week and had the opportunity to take some time to write! I have always really liked to write, it's just hard for me to take the time to do it. So, I thought I'd share with you what I wrote. I hope you enjoy it.

From Boy to Fish
Splash! My little boy, E, has turned into a fish! We stayed at a resort hotel in Norfolk, Nebraska while visiting family, so the opportunity couldn't be missed! E is 7 months old and finally was able to experience swimming!

We got his little swimmer diaper on and his swim trunks pulled up, all the while I was saying, "This is going to be so fun little guy!" Off we went to the pool. The glistening water was so warm as I put my feet in. E was going to love it! As I held him, I slowly walked into the pool, holding onto him tight. As I look at E's face, I saw he had an enormous grin. Pretty soon he began shaking his arms and legs with excitement. I said, "Here we go!"

Together, we pounced around, twirling in the water. E looked like the luckiest boy on earth as his bathtub size increased! In no time, he began splashing and kicking, not realizing this was causing his face to get wet. "Yay!" E said without really realizing what he said. All the while, he was smiling away, loving every minute of his first swimming experience. We were both grinning. Even those around us were grinning as they witnessed a baby getting his first taste of swimming.

After about an hour, we decided it was time for the fun to end and bedtime to begin. "All done," I said to E. We left the pool, but I rest, knowing the memories were captured through pictures and my mind. I wonder what E will think of his next bath...

Worries, Worries, Worries
Today is a very nerve-racking day! My little munchkin is going to daycare for the first time. Daddy is going to drop him off at noon, and I'll pick him up at 4 pm. It's not going to be a very long day in reality, but in my mind, it seems like an eternity. Wil he be okay? Will he sleep? Will he eat? Will he cry? Will he get hurt? Will they like him? All of these ideas are running through my head. I need to stop writing and pray. God will take care of me and E. Amen.

Always My Little Boy
E is so important to me, because he is my little boy. He's my first child and I now can't imagine my life without him. One of the things I like most about him is his sweet smile. One day, when he was about 2 months old, I was smiling at him and talking up a storm. All of a sudden, he smiled back! I was so excited! I immediately called Daddy at work and said, "Chad! E can smile back now!" He was esctatic and of course couldn't wait to try it out for himself.

Another thing I love about E is his adorable belly laugh. I laugh myself as I can hear it in my head. I remember a time when Daddy thought it would be funny to scare E, to ensure he'd handle Grandpa's enjoyment of scaring him someday. So, as E was playing, Daddy jumped and said, "Boo!" E jumped, put both arms out at his sides like an airplane, and started laughing hysterically! Chad continued to do this time after time, day after day, and each time E would laugh his belly laugh. Eventually, E had become to used to begin scared with "Boo!" that E now doesn't even jump!

I also love E's closeness. Hugging him, kissing him, snuggling with him, nursing him, are all treasured moments. When he was first born, he would wake up in the early morning hours. I would first feed him and then I'd lay down, placing E next to me in bed. We'd hug, snuggle, and eventually fall asleep together. Those were the days.

All of this is important to me because E offers me a sense of purpose in my life. My job is to nurture and love and support him all the days of my life. He'll always be my little guy, and I'll always be his ma-ma. I used to think that life was so free and fun...just me and my husband...but now I truly realize that children are what really makes life fun and meaningful. Sure, we don't have as much freedom physically and financially, but that's okay. E will always be my little guy, and I'll always be his ma-ma.

My Happy Place
On the way to the cabin,
I feel my stress release.
Quiet, peaceful, still,
my brain doesn't have to think.

Sitting by the campfire,
roasting smores or pies,
watching the stars flutter,
I wish time could stand still.

The cabins the place to be,
to relax, unwind, and rest.
For when I leave the cabin,
life gets stressful again.

Summer is almost over!

Gosh! As I sit here, I can't believe that my summer is almost over! It sure has gone by fast. It's back to reality on Monday, as I start true workshop. Yikes! E is a thriving little boy who is almost 8 months old now! I can't quite believe that he's already so big. Every day brings about new changes and new milestones for him. He is definitely on the go now. He has discovered that he can leap like a frog or use his arms to pull himself around to wherever he wants to go. I'm sure the true crawling won't be long. I hope that he chooses to wait to do it the first time when mommy or daddy can see. E is also teething again. He's had two of his bottom teeth for quite awhile now, but with all the drooling and chewing going on, we expect another tooth to reach the surface very soon. E is also really enjoying baby food. He's been introduced to all of the 1st foods (applesauce, bananas, pears, peaches, green beans, squash, carrots, peas, and sweet potatoes) and is now experiencing the 2nd foods where there are several different combinations. He loves it! He is definitely enjoying it. We've also been allowing him to start practicing how to hold a cup after his meals as well. He's starting to get the hang of it without choking. :) We gave him a teething bisquit a few weeks ago. I took pictures that we'll have to post on here, but wow, was it messy! He totally enjoyed it and I know it provided him some relief from teething, but it's not something that I would give him each night or we would constantly be doing bathtime. I did try to give him a cherry puff at the wedding in Nebraska, but he wasn't so sure about it. I tried again yesterday but tried banana puffs. After picking them up, staring at them, throwing them, he started to get the hang on feeding himself. I don't think they were his favorite (it will take time) but he seemed to be more interested in them than last time. I'm happy to report that E has also been sleeping through the night now. He goes to bed around 8 and wakes up around 7am. There are a few nights where Chad will have to get up to give him his Nuk, but that's okay. It's a lot better than not getting any sleep! Bedtime is wonderful now! After talking with his pediatrican and some friends of mine, we decided to needed to let E cry it out one night to establish that his crib was the place where he was going to go to sleep. All it took was one night! Now I'll change his diaper, read a book or two, turn out the lights and turn the music on, lay him down, and boom...he goes to sleep! I'm so glad that we listened and did this. It was well worth it!

E's current schedule

7am wake up bottle 6oz
830am oatmeal cereal w/ fruit
11am bottle 6oz
3 pm bottle 6oz
530pm rice cereal w/ fruit and a veggie
7pm bottle 6oz
8pm bedtime

As you can see, I did stop breastfeeding awhile ago. I was holding onto one feeding a day, but with school starting and my supply dwindling, I've decided to let it go. It was a very smooth transition for both E and me, which is a good thing. I definitely hope to breastfeed again someday when the next one arrives! (FYI: No plans for this are even being thought about) I really do miss the great bonding experience and formula...geez expensive expensive expensive!!

As Chad mentioned in his blog, E did go to daycare for 4 hours last week while Chad went to work and I attended a writing workshop. I was very nervous about it...as this would be the first time E was babysat by someone other than a family member (outside of attending the church nursery). However, he did great! He didn't like his diaper being changed, so had tears when I got there and didn't sleep (didn't surprise me), so he slept for 3.5 hours when we got home. He was exhausted from the day and from our vacation to Nebraska. Poor little guy. But they love him there. Apparently a parent came to pick up their child and pointed to E and commented how cute he was. He definitely does have the look. :) E will be attending daycare again this week on Monday and Wedneday. Monday for 6 hrs and Wed. for 8 hrs. Hopefully he will transition well. It's the sleeping thing I'm not so sure about.

Anyways, I better close as I have many things for school I need to do...but I wanted to update you all on how my little boy is doing. Tomorrow I hope to post some things about E that I wrote at my writing workshop last week. They will offer you great insight into some of my thoughts and E's experiences.

Good night!

State Fair

Well, E had his first Minnesota State Fair experience today. He seemed to enjoy himself pretty much. He especially loved the large scale trains Johnson and Son Floral had set up in the Ag building. I'll include the picture as soon as I get it off my phone, we accidentally left our camera at home.

Today was the first day of the fair and it was a little sprinkly when we arrived, but we beat the crowd and the temp was great. We got there around 11am and left around 3pm.

We first hit the mini donuts for breakfast, I had a Pronto Pup, Amy and I shared some fries, and then we decided to head for the Food Building because there is a vendor in there (I think it is Mr. E's) who sells pop at a reasonable price, and you can get cheap refills there. We got two 33 ounce pops for $2 with the option of a $1 refill. We never did come back for a refill, but it is nice to have the option. Plus a 33oz for $2 isn't bad. Also in the Food Building is the Mouth Trap, they sell the famous cheese curds. We had those too.

Then we each had a Poncho Dog, which is a corn dog. Over by the Grand Stand Amy had a pork chop on a stick, I had a fruit smoothie, and we got some of Sweet Martha's cookies. Oh, while we were at the Ag building, Amy also got a honey ice cream cone.

In all we spent about $42, excluding the price of tickets ($8 each since I bought them on pre-sale at work).

E did sleep a little in his stroller, and when we left we were busy hurrying through the parking lot to mind if the umbrella was covering him. He got a little wet, but he loved it. We just got done giving him a bath and getting him in dry clothes.

I go back to the fair again on Monday to work the St. Thomas booth. Yes, I'll be handing out those purple canvas bags you see everyone carrying. Judging by today, it appears other vendors have caught on as I saw people carrying light blue bags from UCare, and red bags with a bottle holder from somewhere else. Also on Monday I'll see what I want to see, such as machinery hill and the other stuff Amy doesn't care about. I won't however be able to attend Weird Al's concert. When I saw his name on the Grand Stand marquee for Monday I begged Amy, but she wouldn't let me stay late to watch it.

First Swim, first day at day care

Well, since Amy is busy getting her classroom together, and I have been in charge of our little guy these last few days, I guess it is my turn to fill you in.

This last weekend we went to Nebraska for a wedding and we got to stay at a hotel with a pool. E took his first swim and loved it! He swam twice and enjoyed splashing and kicking in the pool.

On Monday, I took him to day care for his first half day so that I could show up at work in the afternoon. He didn't sleep at day care, but he was very tuckered out when he got home.

On Tuesday I had him all day, from 7am to 7pm. While he slept and played contently I did office work and got a lot done. I think I was more productive because I actually produced more documents and reports and caught up on my email, very measurable compared to when I am at work and running from meeting to meeting and putting out fires.

Around 5pm he was waiting for mommy and getting a little cranky with daddy because I overfed him and he was spewing excess food. He probably had a tummy ache too. Well, if he keeps saying more by opening his mouth, of course I'll give him more.

Today I worked from home again and he slept in the morning. Around noon we headed to the university so that I could visit with work people at lunch and have a brief project meeting with the Web and Media services people in the technology department.

I was planning on taking him to the meeting with me, as it was just going to be about 15 minutes, but our office coordinator recommended she just take care of him. I didn't argue.

A power outage two nights ago has disabled my home computer, so I am left working off my work laptop until I get it fixed. So don't expect new pictures up soon, even though I am home all day.

Well, E is sucking on a block, almost asleep. maybe I can get him to take a nap so that daddy can nap too. It's been a long few days.

I-35W Bridge - We're safe and well

Yes, the bridge in Minneapolis was very familiar to us. We were on that bridge coming to and from Amy's cousins house just after 6pm Tuesday night (it collapsed Wednesday), and Amy was going to take it to General Mills to see her mom today. That would have been 2 crossings on each side of the 24 hour event window.

Amy and I are a little shaken because of this. Understandably. Her cousin just got the call Tuesday about a job at Amy's school, so we headed over there to celebrate Tuesday night. If the principal would have called yesterday, Amy and E would have been headed over there about that time to miss some traffic. I would have just left from St. Thomas and taken 94. But, it didn't happen that way, there's always lots of coulda happened and what ifs, but it was a big DIDN'T.

Furthermore, as to our familiarity, it is the bridge Amy's cousin uses to get to our house and now work (she just got a job at Amy's school) and my sister uses it to get to our house too. We use it to get to Mpls since it is the best way from our house. I would say we were on it at least a dozen times over the last month. (We also went to Gen Mills for a fireworks show)

A friend and his wife (Pat and Angela) are in that area frequently for softball, as well as my sister, I made sure to call them, but the phone lines were jammed so I was relieved when I got voicemail and text messages. (Damn it Pat, you cost me 20 cents as we don't have text service!)

(Make note, text messages are easy to push through on busy networks, it was one of the only ways to get messages out in NY during 9-11. They don't require as many resources on the phone network as a phone call does.)

I knew the softball season was over, and I don't think Pat and Angela would take that way from their house if they were going to a Twins game or something, but, I knew she worked near there, and it does happen to be the best route between Roseville and Mpls, its not like it is a far reach to think that someone you knew was on there.

Amy's mom was actually on the Stone Arch bridge earlier that afternoon and took a picture of the I-35 bridge. She wasn't there when it happened.

We have VoIP, which means our phone calls are Internet based until it reaches the city you are calling, so calling NE from home was easy, but people were having a hard time calling us. Plus our phone was tied up talking to relatives, because our cell phones were useless as they are 612 numbers. Amy had a few friends she needed to check on. I guess she has a friend who drives in on that bridge from WI for work.

My sister did finally call my mom, and leave me a voicemail. I got the v-mail shortly before my mom got through to us.

It doesn't look like there are that many cars if you look at the pictures, but so many (they estimate 50?) went in the river. I looked at a satellite photo (bridge on the left) taken probably a few years back, and with all 8 lanes open I counted 50 cars on the bridge at once. I would assume that would be during light traffic. Traffic on that bridge now, because of construction, is always bumper to bumper even on the weekends, so who knows. We were in fact complaining about it Tuesday when we got to Amy's cousins house.

So, as of this time, yes, everyone we can think of that uses that area regularly has been accounted for, that we know of. Officials are being very careful about releasing a death toll considering it went from 7 last night to 4 this morning, and they are certain there are about 20 unaccounted for.

Amy and I, as well as the rest of the Twin Cities, (and the world) are really thinking about and praying for the families and the victims, it weighs heavily on us since it is so local and familiar.

Simpsons Movie

I can't pass up the chance to blog about the new Simpsons movie. That is what blogs were invented for, so that Joe Schmo could offer his opinions and views about movies and political figures. So now I offer mine. Besides, if you know our family, you know that I am a huge Simpsons fan.

I have been a Simpsons fan since I retreated early to my bedroom one December evening in 1989 to watch this cartoon that I had seen advertised. My grandparents were visiting and I was into Christmas cartoons and this looked good, so I went downstairs to watch. I was hooked. The first episode was a very heartwarming story. I was in 6th grade.

18 years later the movie came out with much anticipation. I was worried a few years ago when rumors circulated, but now that I have seen it, I am very pleased. Very pleased indeed.

I didn't expect them to let loose profanity and what-not as they made their debut on the big screen, and they didn't disappoint. I only counted one scene with brief nudity, one use of the GD words, two "fingers" (both given by Homer on both of his four fingered hands), and one boobie joke. Very tame considering the way the show controversially started out back in the 90s (though I never had a problem with it). I wouldn't expect anything less.

I want to watch it in the theaters one more time, before owning the DVD. I followed the plot the first time, and the next time I want to see if I missed anything. Including the 2 seconds which I needed to turn my head away to explain something to Amy.

By the way, a coworker pointed out http://simpsonizeme.com/ It is a site managed by Burger King and it allows you to upload a photo of yourself and "Simpsonize" it. After a little tweaking I think it works well. Here is a picture of E.

Likes and Dislikes!

I thought I'd take the time to rattle off some of E's likes and dislikes. Now that he's 6+ months old, he definitely makes it known what he does and doesn't like! haha

Likes:
Sweet potatoes
bananas
peaches
pears
applesauce
cereal mixed with fruit
sleeping on his tummy
rolling over from his back to tummy
daddy's silly belly laughs
mommy's funny noises
water bottles (I even let him drink from one a few times. He thinks he's pretty hot stuff.)
toys
putting everything in his mouth
falling asleep in his swing
grandma and grandpa's dog, Kirby
walks in the stroller (as long as the stroller is moving...doesn't like to sit in stroller without movement)
being talked to
his Jumparoo
his exersaucer
bath time (can't wait to take him swimming!)
being outside
smiling
being sung to...especially when there's actions
playing peek-a-boo
familiar faces, voices, and places
getting pictures taken...he's a little model in training
the noise of water running
going for car rides...unless he's hungry
the telephone...he smiles and reaches for the phone if he recognizes the voice
watching tv (we really have to shield him from this. He's already drawn)
being scared by daddy (Chad is determined to teach E not to be a "fradie cat" (spelling?)

Dislikes:
green beans (will eat a few bites but then seals his lips shut. I hear that this is common)
diaper changes without any toys or if he's really hungry
unfamilar faces and voices
going to see the doctor for shots
the loud noises of motorcycles
teething...it hurts! (He now has two teeth...they are both on the bottom. The second one is just poking through the gums but the first is very visible. No more toothless smile!)

As you can see, we are very lucky to have such a happy little boy! Let's hope he stays as content as he is now. His smiles and laughs brighten our days.

First Collection

I have brought it upon myself to get my son started on his first toy collection. I figure if I can introduce him to Thomas the Tank Engine at various stages in his early development, the train bug will bite and he will want to go train spotting and build a model railroad with me. Otherwise, if he doesn't like Thomas, I can enjoy the toys myself.

I decided not to do the more expensive Thomas wooden railway, even before the lead paint recall. I am instead purchasing the die cast models for children aged 3 and up. My idea is to gradually purchase these toys, one at a time, so that he has a suitable collection by time he is of age.

He and I already spent one Saturday afternoon touring 5 Targets to purchase some items they put on clearance. It was probably the longest we spent out away from mommy and home, just the two of us. He was well behaved, enjoyed looking at the displays, and even rode in a cart's child seat for the first time.

If anyone would like to contribute, just let me know and I can let you in on the list of must haves. I myself have been watching many Thomas and Friends as research. I enjoy that they are only 5 minutes long, and they are real train models.

6 months old!

Wow! Can you believe it? Our little guy has now turned 6 months old! Time sure has flown by. I still can't quite believe that I have now officially gone 6 months without a full nights sleep. I've been told by some to kiss those days goodbye. I'm still hoping that one day I'll wake up at 7am for the very first time. :)

It seems like I have so many new things to write about. I don't even know where to start. E is sure changing and is definitely showing us his sweet, happy personality. He is such a content little guy...unless he is tired or hungry. On his sixth month birthday, he definitely surprised a lot of us. Laurie and I brought him to get his sixth month pictures (which are adorable by the way) and the photographer wanted to have some sitting photos. I explained that he wasn't able to quite sit up on his own and voila! He did it! Right in the photo studio! It was amazing! Laurie and I just stood in awe and E sat up and smiled at the camera. It was so adorable! Then, that night we laid him down to bed in his crib and after a brief while, he started whimpering. All of a sudden he then began screaming. Chad went upstairs to see what the deal was and sure enough...little guy rolled over from his back to his tummy and he wasn't liking it. He's been able to roll over from his tummy to back since he was like two weeks old, so he definitely surprised himself and wasn't sure what to do. After three times of having this happen, Chad finally decided to lay him in our bed and lay next to him just until he fell asleep as we were both extremely tired. It took all but two minutes and E was asleep. He still struggles falling asleep, as he likes to sleep on his side now but can't seem to stablize himself without rolling over. We've found that having him sleep toward the outside of his crib helps a little. He has been going to bed around 9 lately and usually wakes up around 3 or so. We need to really start trying to get him to learn how to fall asleep on his own as he is still quite dependent on nursing in the middle of the night. E usually falls right back to sleep after eating and doesn't wake up until about 7:45 or so. He's been doing very well about sleeping in his own crib the entire night which has been so great!

Then, on Wednesday, we felt E's first tooth...which has popped out of his gums! It's the left one on the bottom. He has seemed a little crabbier today, so we decided to give him some infant motrin. It's hard to tell though if it's the tooth that is bugging him or the fact that he had his six month shots on Friday. We sure hate those! He now weighs 17 lbs and is a healthy little boy! The doctor was very impressed with how happy and content he is. Yay!

We've decided to go out and purchase a new carseat that will carry us through until E is 100lbs as it converts to a booster seat! He's almost grown out of his infant carrier. It was an expensive purchase, but one we knew we needed to make. The carseat isn't installed yet but I'm looking forward to not having to carry an infant carseat around everywhere! He's getting too heavy! It is going to stink to have to remove him from the seat if he's sleeping, but what do ya do?

E has also really started into solid foods. He's now had applesauce, sweet potatoes, pears, carrots, and peaches. He seems to really favor sweet potatoes! He seemed to be getting tired of his rice cereal, so I began mixing in fruit, but I finally decided to start giving him oatmeal today. I made sure to mix pears in it as last time we tried oatmeal, he really had trouble pooping. We'll see how it goes! The last couple of days he hasn't seemed as interested or hungry for baby food. In fact, he closes his mouth and won't open up wide. I'm hoping it's the shot and not his lack of interest because he really has enjoyed it! If it is, that's okay too. He's only 6 months old. I noticed in Chad's last blog that he mentioned that E doesn't want to nurse anymore. This isn't all true. E doesn't have patience sometimes for my milk to let down and therefore, we just give him a bottle. I'm trying really hard to cut out a feeding or two now so that I don't have to when school starts. My plan is to be done nursing when I return to teaching in late August, so it's best I start slowly weaning him and me now. So far he has responded to formula just fine...thank goodness.

I sure love my little boy! Giving him hugs and kisses are my favorite. Or when he wakes up, looks at me, and smiles the biggest smile! He looks more and more like me everyday and sure has my smiley personality! Let's hope he learns to have more patience than me though...haha

I should end this blog entry, as I'm realizing it's a long one and I should be getting to bed. Chad has said that he's going to blog about E's new toys, so look forward to reading all about that soon.

Vacation

Hope everyone enjoyed their 4th of July. We sure did.

We made the annual week trip to Amy's parent's place in the Brainerd Lakes area. We did some shopping, 2 rounds of mini-golf, I did 9 holes of regular golf, we grilled, sat by the camp fire, went out on the boat, and Amy fished.

We got E a new life jacket, one that was thinner. He didn't mind if we were cruising, but if we stopped to fish he didn't like it. He will have to stay back at the cabin with either Amy's mom or I when we fish. I don't fish, I just drive the boat. I used to hook the worms and remove the fish for Amy, but I'm taking a rest from that since she has her dad, cousin Laurie, and brother Rob to do that for her.

We did have some excitement on the boat. Once when we took it out it wouldn't start so it needed to be towed in by a neighbor. When we neared the dock, we didn't have control over the pontoon so I quickly grabbed the dock to push us away so we wouldn't crash. I must have pushed too hard because the next thing I knew my hands were on the dock and my tip toes were on the pontoon. Nothing but water in between. Instead of going in face first I let my feet go and soaked my pants and shoes. The water was past my waist. It was warm at least and I didn't have anything in my pockets (such as a camera or wallet) thank goodness.

The jeans were going to be thrown away when we got home anyway because it had a huge hole, so I ended up burning them in the camp fire. My shoes will never be the same. If I were wearing Chucks I could just stick them in the washing machine, but these sneakers got sand and silt in the lining and I couldn't rinse them. So, after a year of not wearing Chucks because of Plantar Fasciitis, I am back in Chucks. At least until I get a new pair of regular tennis shoes.

Since I haven't had any foot problems perhaps I'll be able to get Chucks back into my shoe rotation. I won't be able to wear them that much though.

E enjoyed his second trip up to the lake. He slept okay, and was introduced to his first baby food. He has now eaten apple sauce and sweet potatoes. He also decided he no longer wants breast milk and will only drink formula from a bottle. Amy was sad at first, but she decided she would need to ween him off in August anyway so if he choose to do it first maybe it wouldn't be so bad. He received the good stuff for almost 6 months.

He also developed a new sound. He likes doing the "THHHH" noise with his tongue. Mommy and Daddy love doing it back to him. He likes it too.

First Parade

The little guy saw his first parade on Friday, June 22. We headed down to White Bear Lake where they were (and currently still are) celebrating Manitou Days. He enjoyed watching the lights on the fire engines, listening to the marching bands, and watching the people throw out candy. No, he didn't get any candy, but he did get a mini-Frisbee that he loves chewing on. He did pout the first time he saw a group of clowns. He must be suspicious of them just like his daddy is!

Before the parade Amy and I indulged in corn dogs, chicken fries, a pretzel and mini-donuts. We have to get our stomachs ready for the state fair! We'll also have to do a few more walks this week in our neighborhood.

First "Steps"

Last night after trying to teach our little guy to "roll over," Amy was allowing him to stand up (with her help) and he decided to come over to me, by taking a few steps! Amy was holding him up, but he was putting one foot in front of the other all by himself!

I had to go get the camera for this!

http://www.kluckfamily.net/sitewide/video/first-quote-steps.wmv

On his second attempt (first attempt on the video) he didn't start out to quickly as he kept wanting to move only his left foot. His third attempt (second attempt on the video) got him walking a little smoother.

All the while he had his eye on the prize with his little tongue sticking out as if it was going to get him farther.

He's been able to stand with his own strength now for a while as long as he has two hands holding him. He's been doing squats since three months. And he can kick hard. It hurts daddy's rib cage when I lie next to him!

Also, last night he was also able to stand leaning against mommy without her holding on to him (but she was ready if needed).

Finally time to relax!

Wow, I am happy to report that I successfully finished out my 27 days of work. My summer has now officially started. I am soooo excited to be able to be home with my little boy again. Chad and I were so blessed to have such great babysitters (our moms and my cousin, Laurie) while I went back to finish out the school year. They all had such great bonding experiences with "E." The time went by pretty fast, but it was definitely difficult getting back into the swing of things. I can definitely say that finding a balance between being a teacher and a mom is going to be my greatest challenge of all challenges I've encountered in life so far. However, I'm not going to even think about that right now, because I have three months to be home with my little boy! Yay!

Gosh, Chad and I haven't blogged for so long that I don't even know where to begin. Let's see. I think I'll go ahead and list the highlights that I can think of, and if I forget something, I'll add another post.

* My mom was here for two weeks spending time with "E." He sure enjoyed talking to her! He developed his louder voice while she was here. I enjoyed having my mom start out the babysitting experience, as she kept notes for me so that I knew exactly what went on during the day. "E" knows my mom so well that I wasn't worried one bit.

* Chad's mom was here for two weeks as well. She and "E" enjoyed plenty of walks, shopping trips, visits to my school to get milk (trouble with milk supply for awhile), and bathtime. It was so fun to see Rita develop a relationship with "E." It's hard as she's in Nebraska, but they truly enjoyed each other. It was hard to see her leave.

*Laurie, my cousin and E's godmother, spent two weeks as well here. She just recently moved back to MN from FL and has thoroughly enjoyed E. She just can't seem to get enough of him and actually cried when her time with him was up. She and E enjoyed plenty of laughs and shopping trips. I enjoyed Laurie's yummy meals she likes preparing. She's welcome to cook dinner for me anytime. :)

*E was baptized today! He did so well and actually smiled when water was placed on his head. Pastor Judie did the baptism, as she married Chad and me so we wanted to keep the tradition. My parents were gracious enough to host a get-together after the service. Most of my family was there and one of Chad's aunts, Judy, even came up with his mom. That was very special. Dad grilled burgers and hot dogs. The day was gorgeous so we were even able to hang outside for awhile. E received quite a bit of money today to add to his savings account at the credit union. He also received several crosses to hang up in his room.

*Lastest things:
- Began cereal. He was eating rice cereal two times a day for three weeks beginning when he turned four months old. He was doing so well, so we switched to oatmeal and that seemed to block his system up. So we stopped cereal and were told to give him diluted pear juice. That did the trick, so we are back to rice cereal now twice a day.

-Discovered his feet. He likes to pull and suck on his socks.

-Sucks on EVERYTHING! He puts every single thing he can get ahold of in his mouth including his clothes and other people's fingers. We often wonder if he's teething, but no signs of teeth yet.

-Enjoys the pig noise. He loves when I make a pig noise. He responds by actually laughing out loud.

-Grabs onto objects intentionally. He'll pull his Nuk out and sometimes even put it back in his mouth. I'm certain he's going to be left-handed like me, as he constantly grabs with his left hand, but one never knows for sure.

-Eats about every four hours during the day. He goes to bed around 8:30 and usually wakes up once in the middle of the night to eat. The trouble is getting him back to sleep in his crib after his feeding. We've found that lullaby music helps, but sometimes that doesn't even work so he ends up between Chad and me in bed. We'll fix it this summer...we hope! I long for a solid night's sleep.

-Enrolled in a daycare center. Chad and I enrolled E into a child development center where he'll begin the first week of school. It's a little more expensive than a home daycare, but it just opened up last month and is only a mile for our house. The staff is wonderful and know the atmosphere will be more learning-based. I think of it like a school. He'll go there to learn and play. I'm not looking forward to having to drop him off, but let's not think about that right now.

This is all I can think of for now, but I'm sure Chad will add more soon. And if I think of other things, I'll come back too.

Until next time...

Back to work Mommy goes...

The time has come that I must return back to work. Every time I think about it, tears well up in my eyes. I just keep telling myself that E will be in good hands with his grandmas and auntie Laurie as they will be taking turns watching him while I finish these last 27 days of the school year. I then get to have another 3 months with my special little boy. It's going to be hard that first day, as I truly feel like my job on this earth now is to be a mom, not a teacher. However, I just continue to keep praying about it...as I trust that God will make me feel at peace with whatever His plan for me is. Please keep me in your prayers this week...

As far as our little boy, let's see. He is just perfect! He is definitely beginning to let us know what he likes and doesn't like. He now likes to sit up and stand up (with support of course), rather than lay down. I think he associates laying down with sleeping. He also has begun to clasp his hands together, truly suck his thumb, stare at his toes, use his exersaucer, mouth everything, and try his best to communicate. He enjoys going for rides in his stroller too! He is such a social boy. He loves being talked to and will remind you to keep talking if you've stopped for too long of a period. I can't complain...he's perfect!

Spring?

It is too early to say spring is here, it is only April and we can't plant our flowers yet. But last night was the first night we had our windows open and we heard the sounds of spring, which in our neighborhood is the croaking of the frogs along the lake filling the night air with a constant soothing sound. Loons on the lake also chime in as well as some wild turkey packs that roam our neighborhood. Spring may not be 100% here, but the sounds sure are these nights.

As I type I am entertaining our little guy by manually spinning the fan blades on our ceiling fan. If I don't pay attention, they will stop, and he will let me know by fussing. Even the lowest setting puts too much air on him so I am stuck with spinning them by hand. Here he goes fussing now, so I must go to spin them around again. Until next time.

He's found his thumb!

Whether Chad and I like it or not, our little guy has found his thumb! He's been sucking on his fist for quite awhile now, but hasn't managed to find his thumb consistently. However, the last few days he has successfully managed to find his thumb, pop it in his mouth, and smile away whenever he so chooses. I used to pull it out, stick the Nuk in, and hope he'd use that instead but after realizing that the little guy was going to spit the Nuk out and pop the thumb back in, I give up. We'll let him be...for the time being. :)

He has also discovered that his hand can grab onto his clothes too! So now, instead of just grabbing my hair or clothes, he has begun to grab his own clothes. This is how it goes. Using his left hand he grabs his clothes and his right hand he sucks his thumb. Hmm...I wonder if he'll be left handed, right handed, or both?? The verdict is still out.

I've also noticed that within the last few days he has begun to talk so much more! It seems to know what he's saying, so we imitate his sounds and boy does he get excited. He squeals and kicks his arms and legs about. It's no wonder he can support ALL of his body weight using his legs already! He gives himself a workout!

I just love the little guy...

Ten Toes and Five Fingers

Don't worry, E has all ten fingers, he just won't be adding the left ones to our baby album any time soon. As Amy will mention in her blog it was a monumental day today as our little guy turned 3 months. We got pictures taken at Penny's and we decided to foot and hand print him for his baby journal and two wall hangings we received as gifts.

I got out his hospital prints and compared them to his feet. Holy cow he had big feet when he was born! He's bigger now but his feet are only just a smidgen bigger!

I wanted to be efficient when we printed him, knowing that he would squirm so I laid out the book, the pieces to be framed, and an extra piece of paper so that we could quickly get the prints we needed. The feet proved to be the easy task. When we got to the hands it was quite different! He does not like to stretch out his fingers so getting ink on them and then getting him to stretch them out on the paper proved very, very difficult. In fact he was so pissed off after we did the right hand we decided not to do the left. It took several minutes to calm him down after the hand print. He wouldn't even take a pacifier.

We are now left with perfect pairs of foot prints and only a smugged right hand!

Sooo big!!!!

"E" is three months old today. I can't believe how fast he has grown. He now weighs 14 lbs 5 oz. It's scary to think that he's growing so fast! He's no longer so easy to carry anymore! We took him to get his pictures taken professionally today at JcPenny. He was a ham! He smiled and never cried once. The photographer told us he was such a good picture taker that it would be hard for us to pick out the pictures we wanted. So true! There wasn't a single bad picture to choose from. We are looking forward to picking up his pictures on April 20 to replace all of our wedding photos that are hanging on our walls. Times have changed.

"E" is doing all sorts of things now. He:

*puts himself to sleep in his bassinet now. All we have to do is lay him down and monitor his pacifier for a few minutes and he is out. He gets tired and wants to go to bed now around 7pm.

*wakes up twice in the middle of the night, usually around 2 and 5 am. This is much better than it was in the beginning! We feel like we finally get a good chunk of sleep.

*wakes up all smiley and happy between 7 and 8 am. It's nice not to wake up to crying!

*knows how to pass gas and even burp by himself without too many tears. No more major gas pains. Thank goodness!

*enjoys bathtime by splashing around and looking at himself in the mirror.

*smiles and even sometimes laughs when I whistle and make noises with my mouth. He also still responds to my "witch laugh".

*bats, kicks, and grabs onto objects dangling on his floor gym. He especially likes holding onto the monkey!

*loves car rides. He stays awake for a short time and then boom, falls asleep.

*sits up on the couch and only occassionally tilts to one side

*loves watching tv. We try our best to shield him!

*babbles

*shrieks when he is excited!

I'm sure there is more, but I can't think of anything right now. If I do, I'll come back to add it. Our next goal is to begin the transition from his bassinet in our room to his crib in his bedroom. We tried it one night but it was very stressful for me, as I was hearing every little noise on the baby monitor so I couldn't sleep. He did last 4 hours though in his crib. It was a great start! A slow transition (for all of us) will be nice.

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter everyone! The Easter bunny came to our house early today! At around 8 am Amy went down to check to see if the holiday rabbit had come yet and sure enough, he did. I was entertaining our little guy on our bed when Amy called up stairs saying that the basket was hid. The boy let out a little shriek (no kidding, Amy heard him downstairs) and I then asked, "Are you ready to go find your basket?" He smiled and giggled so I knew he was ready.

I carried him around the living room a few times to see if he could spot it and soon I... I mean he... did. It was in his pack and play. He received some pacifiers, a teething rattle, a Thomas the Train Easter train, and some jingle toys for his carrier. He'll have to wait a few years to play with Thomas but I'm already having fun figuring out which pieces I'll be getting him over the next few years so that I... I mean he... has a nice collection to play with.

First Trip Out With Daddy (without Mommy)

Well, the little guy and I took our first trip out together without Mommy. We just decided it would be easy for Amy to go to the grocery store as I went to ACE Hardware to get some soil and shop supplies. Amy suggested that he go with me since I was going on a manly errand.

So much for the manly errand, he slept through the whole thing. Made it easy for me while shopping, but getting 4 bags of soil, a large 5 gallon bucket, and some misc. stuff plus the baby out to the car in a dinky little cart wasn't easy, but the people (employees and customers) were helpful pointing me down the right aisles, fetching stuff for me and even opening up the door as I left.

Overall it was fun, I just wish I could have taught him what a tap and die was, what kind of tools daddy would love for Father's Day, and what we would use to someday build a train layout together. That will have to wait for another Father/Son trip.

Dad at Work

Our little guy visited me at work today. Amy brought him for our joint staff meeting so my co-workers could meet him and then we headed over to IRT which is the technology group at the university that I used to work for as a student. (One of my many student jobs)

Needless to say he was a hit, and we received many compliments. He enjoyed hanging out especially when we laid him down and he was able to look up at everyone, wave his arms and kick. He loves to be free with his limbs!

First Walk Outside

We had a few warm days so Amy took our little guy outside for a walk on Sunday the 25th. (She walked while he rode in the stroller.) I stayed home sick.

Oh to be a kid again...

I just got done reading Chad's blog about "E's" first real bath, and I noticed he forgot to mention something! E loved it!!! He was busy splashing and kicking in the water all the while having a big grin on his face. He never once cried, which I thought he was going to do being this was his first immersion in water since being born. I can't help but wonder if he felt like he was back in my womb...safe and sound.

Giving him a bath reminded me of what fun I had in the tub as a kid. I loved bath time! I remember that we had a cabinet full of bath toys in the bathroom that I would fully empty during my baths. I also remember getting sponge letters wet and sticking them on the walls of the tub. What fun memories that I had forgotten all about! It makes me so excited for Easter, Christmas, the Tooth Fairy visits, and all of that fun kid stuff! :) "E" is going to help me live life through the eyes of a kid again...

First Bath

The little guy had his first bath tonight. Up until now we've given him sponge baths because his belly button had not yet healed. To save him the embarrassment of showing his bathing picture to any girlfriends when he is a teenager, we decided to get it out of the way and show any potential girlfriends (and the world) the picture here. I'm sure he appreciates that.

As for his belly button, what happened was that the outside healed faster than the inside, which poses a problem. He had to have two treatments of silver nitrate to take care of it. It looks much better and is now normal.

First Trip

Our little guy made his first big trip this week to Nebraska. It took us about seven hours to get there and he did little fussing. We only had to stop once on the way there and twice on the way back to feed him. He slept much of the rest of the time.

In Nebraska Grams (Grandma Kluck) hosted all his great aunts and uncles on my side as well as many of his second cousins. One of his great aunts couldn't make it since she lives in Arizona. A mini shower was thrown and my cousin Tina made a cake that resembled him. If he had a gummy Life Saver mouth and hair made of chocolate licorice that is.

By the way, the party took place on St. Patrick's Day, so our little guy was of course dressed appropriately with a shirt that said "Happy Little Leprechaun."

The party tuckered him out so much he slept pretty much all day the next day and even after we got home.

He has certainly grown in the last few weeks. He now likes to sit propped up, he smiles more (even in between fussiness which means he can smile in the face of adversity) he interacts more with his play gym, and he knows the difference when his mobile is moving or stopped. He prefers that it is moving and will grunt for mommy or daddy to wind it up again when it isn't. It used to be that he would stare up at his mobile -- whether it was moving or not -- with a look of happiness and satisfaction. I guess we have to try harder to please him now.

He's been framed

Our little guy feels more like a member of our family. Weird, yes, but true since he finally has a picture hanging on the wall. 5 framed pictures around the house to be exact.

Now I've had pictures of him in my office since I went back to work, but we didn't have any pictures of him around the house. Of course we have pictures, hundreds of them, including a hundred we actually had developed.

I don't think Amy and I have had our digital pictures developed in years, so many are just stored on our computers, but we have been having pictures of him developed almost every two weeks. I'm sure we have close to 80 prints of him, the most digital developing we've ever done! It's not lack of pictures, it was the lack of the right pictures.

I took his 2 month picture and it was that picture, and a few more around then that just really made him seem so much less of a visitor and so much more of a member of the family. They seemed ultra frame-able. I can't wait to share more of these on our web site soon!

My little boy is already 2 months old!

Today our little guy is two months old! I can't believe how fast time has flown! I look back at pictures from the first couple of days and can't believe how much he's growing and changing. We sure are loving every minute with him. We enjoy his smiles, laughs, coos, and most of all his snuggles. He loves to snuggle on my shoulder...my favorite! He enjoys kicking his legs and moving his arms...sometimes I think he's practicing his karate moves. Also, he loves going for car rides and seeing places! He's definitely got his mom's social personality. He likes staying busy just like me. When he wakes up in the morning, I will often times lay in bed with him...just trying to squeeze in a little bit more sleep. He has begun to roll on his side from his back to scoot next to me. He's already mastered rolling over from his tummy to his back by the time he was two weeks old. He is definitely a strong guy. He can already support his head!

His two month check up went well. Of course I was concerned about his shots when I learned he was going to get poked four times! Thankfully Chad went with to be there for moral support for the little guy during the shots, as I tried hard to focus on reading a magazine. :) He cried a bloody murder scream, but all was done in a few short seconds. It amazed me, and the nurse said she's got a lot of practice getting it over fast...thank goodness. We gave the little guy some infant Tylenol after the shots and throughout the first night. He wanted to sleep inbetween us that night and that was okay. He needed to be comforted. The next morning he woke up kicking his legs and was happy-go-lucky! Yay! No major discomforts or reactions.

Just last night I wondered what I did with all of my time before the arrival of this little munckin. I sure can't imagine life without him...he's my little boy!

2 month appointment

Our little guy had his 2 month appointment on Monday, March 5. He is 22 1/2 inches long, and weighs 12 pounds 3 ounces. He also received 4 shots which made him a little sore, but it wasn't too bad. We gave him some pain medicine and he slept a lot.

I got some exercise today, you may read more about my hunt for the UST treasure by going to my other blog. Everyone seems to be more interested in our little guy when they read this blog so I won't clutter it with my own adventures.

Little Guy's Smile

For those of you who have checked out the video Chad posted on the website about the little guy's smile, I have to say a few things about it. First of all, yes, I know my laugh sounds like a witch. Apparently I do that when I get excited without even realizing it. My son must already know how silly I am because every time I intentionally laugh the "witch laugh," he smiles and laughs too. We couldn't resist putting that video up on the web, as we both have enjoyed it several times already and wanted to share it. Next thing about that video is this. I am beginning to see me in the little guy now. When he was first born, I thought he was going to be all Chad, but I'm beginning to think that there just may be some of my looks in him too! Others have also commented about it just this past week...a lot of people see my brother's looks in him too. Yay! My brother's cute, so I'm okay with that! :)

I am still really enjoying my time home with him. I don't have to go back to teaching until May 2, which I feel so blessed about! I can't imagine leaving this little guy already! Even though he's already almost two months old, he tugs on my heart strings every day! His smiles, pouting lip, and cute noises all tell me that he's more aware of Chad and I every day. He especially likes to snuggle with me...something that I will hold onto as I know he won't want to in a few years. I'll take it while I can.

He is beginning to sleep more at night now, which is definitely a welcomed change. The past two nights he has slept for six hours! The first night his extended night's sleep occurred, I woke Chad up right away as I thought maybe he wasn't breathing...but he was...and is...let's hope he continues to sleep for such long stretches at night. His mommy and daddy sure appreciate it! Speaking of which...I should probably go to bed as he just fell asleep. Gotta get in my sleep when I can.

Goodnight!

Video of Our Little Guy Smiling

Video: Our Little Guy Smiling (Windows Media File - 1.5 MB)

Savings Account

Today I went to my work's credit union and started my son's savings account. It was started with $30 given to me by his great-aunt and great-grandmother. I've also set up payroll deductions to help it grow. Hopefully he'll have enough money there to buy a car, travel, or buy one semester's worth of books when he goes to college.

46.6 days old

Our little guy is now 46.6 days old! He smiles, plays with his plastic keys, looks at mobiles, and plays with his floor gym.

He still wakes up every 2-3 hours at night for feedings. Sometimes he lasts 4 or 5 hours, but not too often. He went through 2 changing pads today by pooping and peeing on them at separate changes, and I now have a lot of laundry to do. He's been pooping through a lot of clothes too.

We've had to sort out stuff he's already outgrown and are starting to look at some of the stuff marked 3-6 months.

He went to his first restaurant last night. Amy and I decided to bring him with us to Pizza-Hut and he slept the whole time! Even if he did wake up, it was pretty busy and noisy there so it wouldn't have been too bad.

The Little Guy's First Smile

Okay, so I have to get into this blogging thing as my husband is completely obsessed with it. I called him yesterday to tell him that the little guy smiled his first true smile back at me and what does he say? "You should really blog that!" So, here I am...writing my very first blog ever.

So the first smile goes like this. I was giving "E" a bath yesterday. All the while I was talking and smiling and all of a sudden, he smiles back! His eyes are completely opened, so I knew it wasn't one of his reflexive smiles. But just to make sure, after his bath, we sat in the glider chair together facing one another. I started making silly faces and smiling and boom! He did it again a few more times! It was confirmed. He can now see me and respond to me using his beautiful toothless smile. Seeing him smile at me made me glow and anticipate the next one.

Also, for the first time today, "E" has begun making several new noises of excitement while he is playing and checking out our house and his toys. For a little guy, he can sure make his presence known...a characteristic he must have picked up from his mom...

Vacation Day

Little guy didn't sleep last night (literally) either Amy or I was up for hours with him trying to entertain him or rock him to sleep. He never slept. Amy did most of the work though, and drained the batteries in the swing. I got really frustrated last evening between 10 and 12 because I saw no sleep in sight and was not happy about having to go to work.

Amy saw my frustration and took the little guy down stairs until about 5:30 am. I've been up since, listening to our furnace struggle. As of this post it is -5.1 degrees F.

Our furnace is still having trouble kicking in. It does 3 attempts, waits, tries again until successful. I've determined it is a status 34 - Ignition failure - from the blinking light that blinks quickly 3 times and then gives 4 long blinks. It took me a while to learn how to communicate with the furnace. At least it has easy to read signals.

I'll take a vacation day today so Amy and I can catch up, and I have a big day tomorrow as I start out in Bloomington at 7:00am for my professional meeting and plan on working a full day for once.

3 Weeks

Our Little Bundle of Joy is now 3 weeks old today!

This last weekend my mother came up with my Aunt Judy from Nebraska. They stayed just a short while, and my mother didn't want to let him out of her arms. She really wanted to take him home with her and said she'd be back in February. This was of course the first time she saw her first grandson. My Aunt Irene gave her a grandmother sweatshirt which she proudly wore the entire time.

Sunday night we were brave and put him in the bassinet. For the first time he slept the night there without crying. He of course gets up for feedings every 2-3 hours, but quickly goes back to sleep. This also worked last night too. HE IS OUT OF OUR BED!

2 Week Checkup

Our Boy is 2 weeks old now and received his first check-up. He is now 21 3/4 in long, 9 pounds 3 ounces, and his head is 15 inches in circumference.

He is doing well.

He also had his hearing checked. He failed in the hospital, they think there is fluid in the ears. Today they confirmed there is fluid and he passed on the right. We need to go back to check on the left in a few weeks.

Almost Two Weeks

Our Little Bundle of Joy goes in for his 2 week check up on Tuesday. He seems to be adjusting well to life outside of the womb, though Amy and I are sometimes worried about if we are doing things right.

I've gone back to work, partial days, and have brought work home so that I don't get behind. We start a new semester next week and there are lots of tasks to get done.

Amy's mom left yesterday, but it seems like we've been struggling on our own for a lot longer than that. Last night was our first night alone with the little guy. We tried putting him in the bassinet, but he freaked out and didn't go to sleep until 1:30 in the morning. We are exploring options to get him out of our bed as soon as possible. We tried putting him in the bassinet this afternoon for a nap, while he was sleeping, but he quickly woke up and started crying. He likes the warmth of bodies and being held, which allows no rest for mommy and daddy.

Though there seems to be gloom and doom in this blog entry, don't worry, Amy and I do realize he is only 2 weeks old, and things won't be perfect. He is our special little guy and we love him so, even if he keeps us on our toes!

1 Week Old

It's hard to believe that our little guy is already a week old. It doesn't seem that long. We are now used to the idea of having shifts in the middle of the night to take care of feeding and rocking to sleep--though we are not used to the actions itself of having to interrupt our sleep to take care of this little being.

After the fussing is done, when he looks at us, gives us a smile (even if it is an unintentional reflex due to gassiness) it makes us smile.

But boy, we can't wait until he sleeps through the night. We don't want to wish the next six months of getting to know him goodbye, so we will patiently wait out the six months of sleeping in shifts.

Wishing away the next six months just so we can get some sleep would cause us to miss out on precious moments like those pictured here. Where he is calm soon after a bath (above) or puts his hands beside his head (below) making it seem like he is taking it easy while his parents are dying for some sleep.

Take your time little guy, we enjoy watching you grow--even if it is with our sleepy eyes.

PS: He enjoys sleeping with his arms above his head. Sometimes it looks like he is covering his ears, hiding his face, calling a goal, or lounging. All he needs is sun glasses.

PPS: We do not pose our little guy, he does all his poses on his own.

Movement and Signs

Some of these movements every baby makes within their first week, some are just reactions and not real smiles or meaningful movements, but I'm going to list them all here so that you can get a feel for how our little guy acts around the house.

• Crying - duh. Poopy diaper, feeding time, burps, and bowel movements
• Smiles - not real, but they look like smiles. They are accompanied by grunts and squinting of eyes. However, he does smile when feeding, and I noticed a smile not accompanied by grunts or squinting last night (really this morning) when I was rocking him. Those smiles do look like content but we won't mark them down as a real smile just yet.
• Feeder finder - when hungry, sometimes he will turn towards your chest and start bobbing for a "feeding mechanism"
• Arm movement - he has perfected some karate moves, boxing, the windmill, Mr. Roboto, and many other arm movements. He sometimes sleeps with his arms by his ears, up in the air, or as if he is announcing a field goal. Watch out for the arms as they swing violently when he is crying. He does hold his pacifier in and will pop it out on his own. He also blocks attempts to put the pacifier in. He does often cover his mouth and nose when he sneezes.
• Leg movement - he needs leg room. He kicks during diaper changes making them difficult for daddy.
• Rolling over - he has strong arms and can push himself off of his stomach and even roll over to his back. He can only roll from his back to his side at this time.

Some sort of routine

We will never be back to normal, and it will be a while before we establish some sort of routine, but we are on a two hour feeding schedule and he does cry at night for a while. But we can get him to sleep for four hours between 6 and 10 am.

He did wet our bed twice last night.

Amy is off until May, I go back for a half day on Wednesday. Amy's mom has been helping us but leaves today. She will be back on Wednesday. Laurie, Amy's cousin from Florida surprised us yesterday by flying up just to see the little guy. She will be with us for a few days.

Who does he look like?

We are having a few sleepless nights but think we are getting the hang of it. We feel that we learn one trick to making him happy, but it soon wears out. Right now he sleeps the longest if he naps beside mommy and daddy.

So who does he look like? Here's a picture of Amy and Chad so you can decide for yourself.

Amy


Chad

Our Little Bundle of Joy

Going home today

We will be discharged later this afternoon. We can't wait to get home with our little bundle of joy (OLBOJ) and see Buddy too. We gave her lots of food when we left early Monday morning, but didn't think we'd be gone this long. She may have kicked her litter out while we were gone. All things to look forward to.

It is kind of odd that they would allow two idiots to bring home such a precious little boy without any little instruction book.

Baby has arrived!

It's a boy!
He was born at 12:21 AM January 9th.
He was 21 1/2 inches long
He weighed 8 pounds 7.5 ounces.

23 hours from water breaking to delivery! We are going to sleep now, it's been a long day!

Off to Hospital to Have Baby!

Amy's contractions are 3-5 minutes apart. We are off!

First and Second Contraction

First Contraction: 2:08 am
Second Contraction: 2:27 am

Amy's Water Broke

1:25 am

We're packed

We are now fully packed. Amy's friend Jen helped her figure out what she needed. (They used their friend Tina's list as a guide). We have one suitcase and a diaper bag along with the car seat in my car ready to go. The toiletry bag is in our bathroom. We had a run through of the toiletry bag yesterday when we went to the doctor's office not knowing what to expect.

We are fully ready!

D-day weekend approaching

The predicted delivery day is approaching. We have no idea as to whether he will come out on Sunday or not. We do have a doctor's appointment set for Monday early morning and they will perform a Non-Stress Test to see how the baby does. Other than that nothing to really report. In a few minutes there will be less than 200,000 seconds left until delivery day.

Oh, we caught 3 mice in our garage and I temporarily fixed a hole in our garage door with duct tape. We caught the 3 mice in a 24 hour period. We have gone 36 hrs without any more, so we hope we are done with them.

Dates have passed

No Christmas Eve baby, no Christmas baby, no New Years Eve baby and, for now, no New Years baby. That also means no tax break--oh well, no big deal. We are now approaching the original due date which means I need to go back to work tomorrow and wonder each time Amy calls, if baby is on his way.

Due date is in 5.5 days, or 476,325 seconds.

We have not yet caught the mouse, which either means he died of fright from me chasing him and will smell inside our walls, or that he is still loose in our garage, or that he packed his bags and went out in the snow and ice to live where all mice should: outside (highly doubtful).