Week 42 Update

Despite energy sucking health issues it's been a good month (Kristi and Matthew had H1N1; Lauren and Jeff had a nasty cold/cough that wouldn't end; Jeff's back went out - again; Matthew had 3-5 other bugs).

Matthew is now crawling normally, walking around and climbing over things ("even his friends", per daycare), practicing how long he can stand without holding on, walking behind his shopping cart, and turning 9 months old.

Lauren started a new job serving food to elderly at a nursing home, she really likes it. She also has straight A's going mid-way through the semester - way to go Lauren!

Lindsay is half way through her first semester as well. She's really enjoying the independence, college experience, and challenging courses. We went down to visit for parents weekend (roommate Alli in dorm room picture).

Finally, we said our farewells to the boat/summer and cranked up the hot tub in preparation for a long winter's nap (oh wait, that was before we had a 9 month old!).

Week 37 Update

7:30pm and it's already dark, summer is waning, winter is looming, change is in the air (or should I say continues to be in the air). Just over a month ago Lindsay ventured off to college and Matthew began venturing from the general area we last left him (yes, he started crawling, army style). Both have been busy exploring their new worlds, building their strength and confidence, getting a few bumps, and ultimately growing in many ways (fun for us all to be part of). Lauren started back to school and is jazzed to have the car all to herself. (No, it's not OK to just drive to the Mall of America without permission. Yes, your parents will find out.) Over Labor Day, we took a long boating trip to Lake Pepin and had dinner at the Harborview Cafe - yum! This past weekend, family from Kansas City (Aunt Mae, Liz, Kathy, and Diana) joined us up river to Hudson. Kristi and Matthew power-shopped with them at the Mall and Ikea for 7 hours. Matthew was awake the entire time, absorbing all of the sights and sounds. As summer draws to a close, and Matthew celebrates his 8 month birthday, we can't help but reflect on the wonder of this year. Life is good.

Week 33 Update

Our little guy is now 7 months old and army crawling! In just a few days he went from spinning in a circle to making tracks in a very straight, very fast line. We still have no "childproofing" done. Lindsay is finishing up her first week of classes today, and is coming back home for one night this weekend. Lauren still has another week before she begins her junior year. She is done with her summer job (watching Matthew) and is seeking an after-school job now. Time flew by and Matthew starts full-time at our on-site daycare next Monday. One perk I hadn't expected with Lauren watching him was that she helped us understand his daily routine much better than 5 day a week daycare would have afforded us. It's very clear when he's tired vs. hungry and that sort of thing. Early on when it was just me home during the day, I second-guessed myself so much. Heck, I hear I will be doing that for the rest of my life, is that right parents out there? This week we went to the wake of a 37 year old mother who passed away after a 4+ year cancer battle. Her 5 year old son was quoted as saying "Mom, even if I knew you for only 5 minutes, I would love you right away." Hug your kids, hug your spouse, hug your family and friends. Life is precious - live it well. Today Jeff and I are on vacation for the annual United Way boat ride excursion. Here's to living!

Week 31 Update

FFV 2009 was a blast. The weather was a bit cooler than recent years but the kids still spent a fair amount of time in the water and Alec was the winning polish golf champion. Matthew slept great in his pack-n-play. With Seattle, FFV and boating he has been a trooper, although getting adjusted back to his crib took a few nights. He has a more golden tan than I do, thank goodness he inherited Jeff's skin tone. This is short and sweet to get some new pics out here. In less than a week Lindsay is off to Winona, and soon after Matthew will be in daycare full-time and Lauren will start 11th grade. We are excited for all that is coming and enjoying every moment of today. Off to get Matthew's 6 month pictures!

Week 27 Update

Matthew was 6 months old last week. We are finally getting his pictures taken tomorrow night. It's also Lauren's championship game for the State soccer tourney. Her team has played very well so far. A neighbor had a hypnotist at their house recently and Lindsay "went under." Jeff was in attendance and says the highlight was when she thought she was Britney Spears, complete with lip synching. She is very excited to get to college, and we are all amazed that she leaves in less than a month. Last week I had a business trip to Seattle. Jeff and Matthew came with and we had a great time. He flew first class and received his "First Flight" certificate from Northwest Airlines, which will be a collector item soon. We spent some time at the local wineries with Matthew in the Baby Bjorn (are you surprised?) and found a local winery named Matthews. Our friend Marnie was also in town for meetings and babysat him one evening while Jeff and I went to dinner. This was such a blessing - thank you Marnie! Seattle has wonderful restaurants. If you have a reason to visit let me know. For example, we ate at an organic restaurant one evening. They weren't exactly set up for a baby but when we needed to change the boy, I was led to the spa downstairs and changed him in style. Too bad I didn't bring the camera with me. On our final day, the client wanted to meet Matthew so he and Jeff joined us for lunch. I did not expense his rice cereal and bananas. Matthew did very well on the plane rides. He spent so much time on planes in utero, we figured he would be a seasoned traveler by now. He continues to thrill us with his smiles, laughter and new abilities. You should be able to see both of his teeth in at least one picture.

Week 24 Update

I wondered how many weeks would pass us by before Kristi exercised her delegation skills...

Much has happened since our last update: Lindsay registered for her first semester of college and learned they selected a good friend, Alli, to be her roommate (I think they were both somewhat relieved).

Lauren, Lauren, Lauren... she's doing a great job taking care of Matthew (part-time job this summer) and her soccer team made the state tournament. Today, she spent a great deal of time trying to convince me she should be able to stay out until midnight on a weekday, I settled for 10:30 (I was labeled "the strictest dad in the world", I'll add it to my collection).

Matthew has grown 2 pounds, he started eating solids (rice cereal on Father's day, Avocado the week after, and now sweet potatoes), he can sit by himself now, and his first tooth came in. Why Avocado you ask, well, that's what all the research says is the best. He remains good natured and is "sleeping well" (a question we get often), I hope it continues.

Week 21 Update

What happened to weeks 17-20? You guessed it, I returned to work. This is week 5 of my return and by the end of the week 5 business trips will have taken place. Back into the swing of things is right. We are happy so many of you check the blog and are recommitted to putting updates and pictures out here. Jeff and Lindsay are in Winona tonight, getting her registered for classes this fall. They have the camera, which has lots of cute Matthew pics not yet downloaded to the computer so you'll get more pics next time. Here's what's new since the last post: Matthew has found his feet and thinks his toes are awesome; he is now rolling from back to tummy, laughing more, and shaking anything in his hand like a polaroid picture. He is getting baptized this Sunday and his sisters will be his Godmothers. We will have to post a picture of him in his white knickers. We've survived (I think) his first illness. He threw up twice Sunday and ran a fever until today, with a max of 102.6. With my return to work, we have introduced daycare. The awesome news is Lauren watches him Mon-Wed and he is in our onsite daycare Thurs-Fri. Lauren is doing a fabulous job and thinks he's "easy" and with the onsite daycare Jeff and I get to see him during the day. We are blessed, but I miss him terribly during the day. Oh, and he looks exactly like Jeff now so I will post a pic of Jeff as a baby so you can see for yourself!

Week 16 Update

The last two weeks flew by and a lot has happened in our little neck of the woods. Lauren turned 16, was confirmed at the St Paul Cathedral, and got her driver's license. Jeff and I celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary. I celebrated my first Mother's Day (Jeff and Todd made a wonderful breakfast for the moms.) Lindsay accepted a job at one of the local nursing homes, which will be great experience before she sets off to Winona to pursue her degree in nursing. Today is her senior prom and she is counting down the last few days of high school. Matthew is now 15 lbs. 11 oz. He is drooling a ton but no tooth is popping through yet. I return to work on Monday. Jeff will be home with Matthew my first day back and that will make it easier. I travel to Boston on day 3 with an overnight stay. Nothing like getting back into the swing of things right away, right? I plan to keep these updates going, it is a great way to make sure I take pictures each week.

Week 14 Update

We attended Baby Storytime at the library this week. The librarian reads a few books, we sing songs, and it ends with playtime. This group is for babies-24 months. The older kids were so excited to see the little babies (baby mommy, baby!) and tried to get Matthew to play ball. Matthew weighed in at 15 lbs, 1 oz this week. Today we view his 3 month pictures, which were taken last Saturday. This past week, he rolled over from his belly to back three times. He hasn't repeated his performance for several days despite Lindsay practicing with him daily. Lauren is driving every chance she gets, and practicing parallel parking and 90 degree backing. I'm pretty sure I never had to test on the 90 degree backing, but it's a good skill to have. Lindsay finally received information on signing up for classes at Winona and she is excited to get her housing information next. Two days until my birthday (36) and 9 days until Lauren's birthday (16), woo hoo! To describe the pictures: Lindsay and Lauren purchased the shirt for Matthew and he posed like that with his arms out. Jeff and Matthew typically take a nap together on the weekends that lasts up to two hours in a position like this on our couch. Don't they look cozy? :)

Week 13 Update

The wheels on the bus go round and round...and Matthew celebrated his 3 month birthday today. This week, he enjoyed the 3-6 month baby class. We sang interactive songs (if your name is Matthew, pop right up!) and he kept reaching for the little girl next to him. Matthew weighed in at 14 lbs, 14 oz, which was the same as last week. Looking back, last week he had a lot of clothes on and it didn't make sense that he gained 10 oz. in one week. He is eating a lot, most likely a growth spurt. Hard to believe April is almost over, and that means the boat is in the water (woop woop) and there is less than a month left to my maternity leave (boo). I am soaking up every moment and have a very hard time not holding him throughout the day; which means very few naps in the crib. He is coming to expect a daily walk or two and seems to love being outside as long as the wind isn't blowing right in his face. Happy Birthday Matthew!

Week 12 Update

Hello glorious sunshine! Matthew weighed in at 14 lbs. 14 oz. on Tuesday (with clothes). He had a great time visiting with cousins Alec and Brooke, Aunt Becky and Uncle Todd over Easter weekend. He was so worn out from the fun that he slept 9 and 1/2 hours Sunday night. He started flirting with dad over the weekend and is doing it with others now too. Matthew squeals when he's talking or excited playing. Lauren's summer soccer practices started up and she is getting excited to take her driver's test in May. Lindsay's wisdom teeth surgery went well, just a little swelling over the weekend and very tired. Jeff is trying to get the boat ready to launch this weekend. It's been slow going because the storage place is locked up unless the guy storing our boat is around. We are hoping he can get a lot done tonight. Enjoy this amazing sunshine and warm weather, looks like another blip of cold is coming this weekend but we are on our way to summer!

Week 11 Update

Matthew weighed 14 lbs. 4 oz. at our Tuesday class. Soon we will be graduating to the 3-6 month class and I look forward to seeing the older babies again so we know what's ahead. In our current class it's fun to see the 2-3 week old babes and remember what life was like just a few short weeks ago. Matthew is holding his head fairly steady and lights up when we pull him up by his arms to a sitting position. He looks from side to side and we imagine he is saying "I'm on top of the world!" Jeff installed a mirror in the truck so now I can see what he's doing while driving. He is usually awake and often looking out the windows. Jeff and I took him for a walk tonight and commented on how fun it is to get to know him. He is a fairly predictable boy, with his loudest cries asking for food or sleep. He really doesn't care about dirty diapers. :) Jeff's sister Becky and family are coming for Easter; they should be arriving any moment. Lindsay got her wisdom teeth removed today so she will be eating ice cream and yogurt. Our socialite Lauren will be busy with her friends and cousins over the long weekend. Happy Easter everyone and enjoy the sunny/warm weather!

Week 10 Update

Matthew made it through his 2 month dr appointment and shots. He cried hard but we still haven't seen any tears. That prompted a lot of internet research (is it normal for a 2 month old baby to not have tears?) and based on findings we will not be concerned unless he reaches 4 months of age with no tears. He was 24 inches long and weighed 13 lbs 10 oz. in the buff. (Tuesday class weigh ins are in clothes and diaper.) For those of you who have heard our doctor woes, the new pediatrician is pregnant and due in July. Of course we didn't know that until she walked into the room and we saw her beautiful pregnant belly. Argh - hopefully she will return to work after her leave or we will start anew..again. Jeff had the day off work so we went to San Pedro Cafe in Hudson, Wisconsin for lunch. We realized how fast time is flying and soon the boat will be floating again. Matthew continues to be more interactive. He is very close to rolling over - arching his back and rocking back and forth to get his momentum. He doesn't mind "tummy time" as much now and one of the pictures I'm posting shows off his tummy pose. He coos so much and for long periods of time, it truly does seem like he's telling us stories!

Week 9 Update

We are getting a new water heater/furnace/air conditioner today. That's our spring break money this year, no joke. As I type, Matthew is sleeping on my chest despite all of the noise from the workers at the house. Yesterday was Jeff's 45th birthday and we celebrated with dinner and his favorite cake that his mom always made - crazy cake. Matthew and I also made it downtown to have lunch with him and got to see many of our work friends. We also went to his daycare, spent a little time in the room he will be in, and hung out with Eli and baby Hasle (perhaps Matthew's future girlfriend). Earlier this week, we had our second playdate with Jen K and baby Allison (another girlfriend contender) and I posted a picture of the two kids. Last time I don't think Matthew ever saw Allison because he slept the entire time, so this was a little more active social scene. I've been thinking of a few things I've learned about myself while on maternity leave...I love Panera's Orchard Harvest salad; I am getting the hang of online shopping and Amazon really does carry or link you to anything; I love Ikea! - Katy helped me find new bedroom lamps for $10 and I ate lunch for $4; I can survive on 6 hours sleep for an extended period but I break things more often (specifically glassware - another one bit the dust today); I am still a neat freak and have found that naptime for Matthew triggers the same productivity rush as the 5 minutes just before my next meeting at work; I can be at home without the TV on all day, who knew?; the living room is my favorite room in the house; and last but not least sunshine makes a huge difference in my day. Even when it's bitter cold, the sun is such a blessing and I will be much more thankful for its beauty from now on! Monday is Matthew's 2 month dr. appointment with shots and an official weigh in. This week at class he was 13 lbs 13 oz so I am rooting for him to break 14 lbs. Until next week...