A White & Merry First Christmas

As you know, Christmas takes a lot of preparation.  And before you begin any serious present opening, you really need to stretch your muscles...

Once Wade was nice and limber, he was ready for Christmas to really begin! 

After the three of us (plus Annie) opened presents, the Brueckmanns came over for brunch.  In the afternoon, we spent time at the Lesingers'.  We were very happy that the Emsleys drove in from Indiana. 

 

We went back to Waterloo on the 26th to visit again and to conquer the sledding hill on my youth.  Wade got to try some sledding of his own (minus the big hill).

Eight Months Old

Wade was 25.5 pounds on his 8 month birthday earlier this week.  We shouldn't have been at the doctor for 8 months, but he was back for another case of pink eye and surprise, another ear infection (#4).  Luckily he continues to be a happy baby who fusses very little and doesn't seem to mind things like pink eye or ear infections.  (He doesn't so much like the eye drops though!)

This week he got a letter from Santa in the mail and then he met him in person!  What a big week!  He didn't even know the guy existed before this!

Wade wasn't too sure about the visit to Santa though.  Santa was a great sport as he never stopped smiling but we couldn't get Wade to smile no matter what we did. 

Would you call this crawling?

Wade has been moving around on the floor a lot lately and I captured this video this morning.

I guess it's crawling, or perhaps "army crawling."  He's not quite up on his hands and knees, though he does sometimes get on his hands and knees and rock back and forth.  Either way, he knew what he wanted (that dog kennel!!) and it definitely motivated him to move from point A to point B.

I think Ryan and I better start baby proofing.  I don't think the outlet covers that we installed are going to be enough for much longer.

It was a Happy First Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is always a little tiring, traveling from one giant meal to another but you can't complain when everyone is happy and healthy.  It's always nice to spend time with family and the food was delicious!

Wade enjoyed lunch at Grandma and Grandpa Lesinger's house in Waterloo.  He took a nap after lunch and then played with lots of fun toys before we headed to the Brueckmanns' in Manchester for dinner.

Time for dinner!  "Yes, I have two Thanksgiving bibs", says Wade.

On Saturday Wade, Annie, and I sat on a blanket outside and watched as Ryan put up the Christmas lights.  It was such a nice, sunny day.  We haven't put up our indoor decorations yet, but we couldn't pass up the opportunity for the outdoor decorations.

Seven Months Old Last Week

Wade turned seven months old last week and has gotten to be quite the expert at sitting up.  Expert might be a slight exaggeration since he still topples over and bops his head periodically.  But sitting up has made life much more fun for everyone!

Sitting up also means that it's fun and easy to play with toys!  So "SEVEN MONTHS" didn't stay spelled out for long. 

We aren't so thrilled with "falling back", the dark evenings, and the cooler weather but this will give us lots of time to practice crawling and to continue playing with Wade's fun toys.
And speaking of fun toys...

...someone got a new camera!  Photo #1 demonstrates how I need to own an external flash (hint, hint)...photo #2 demonstrates no flash and check out the cute close up shot in photo #3...anyway, I still have a lot to learn but I'm excited!

Happy Halloween!

We celebrated Wade's first Halloween with his grandparents and Aunt Kristin, who came over for dinner tonight.  Wade visited the house of three neighbors before enjoying his bedtime bottle in front of the firepit.  After he went to bed we continued to greet trick or treaters from the driveway.

What a beautiful night!  It's a shame we all have to go to work tomorrow.

Wade at the Pumpkin Patch

We visited Stuckmeyer's Pumpkin Patch with the Haarmanns this weekend.  Wade was still a little young but we promised him that we'd be back next year!

I missed a 6 month post.  Wade actually turned 6 months old while we were in Denver and then when I took the official picture a couple days later, I had trouble uploading it.  He had a rough go of things the week before his half birthday, with a cold, pink eye, and an ear infection.  As a result, I had my first ever case of pink eye too.  Wade really was a sport through the bad times - he still slept through the night and really never was too fussy.  The worst part was the horrible case of diaper rash that he got as a result of the constant dirty diapers from the antibiotics.  Anyway, he made it through and we discovered some great tips for curing severe diaper rash (so check back if it happens to you.)

We went back to the pediatrician after our trip for his well doctor visit and everything's going great.  He weighed 23 pounds, 7 ounces and measured 29 inches - both greater than 97th percentile still.  The doctor (and I quote) said, "he looks awesome!"

The other news as of late is that Wade is sitting up.  He could do it for a few seconds and then suddenly on Thursday he found balance and started sitting up for longer periods of time.  In this picture, he's holding on to his toy but he can sit up for 20-30 minutes without holding on to anything.

Our Quick Trip to Colorado

Last fall we got bumped on a flight home from Chicago and we had free airline tickets that we had to use by November.  We decided to go to Denver and decided it would be easier to leave Wade at home.  It worked out well because he had been sick (more on that in the next post) plus Ryan and I tend to cram a lot of activities into a short amount of time.
We landed in Denver around 7 am on Friday and pulled into our driveway at 6:55 pm on Sunday, just in time to put Wade into his pj's, read him a story, and tuck him into bed.  In between - we did a lot!
Here's the list:
Friday: US Air Force Academy, cog railway to Pike's Peak, Garden of the Gods, outlet mall, and dinner at the 16th street mall in Denver
Saturday: Coors brewery tour, gold mine tour, panning for gold, dinner in the Denver Aquarium, drinks at a bar (almost walked into a gay bar...not that there's anything wrong with that)
Sunday: Denver Museum of Nature & Science and a mall (we were going to go to the zoo but it started raining)
I hope I remembered everything!

 

It was windy and chilly on Pike's Peak - 18 degrees!  The view was amazing - you could see Kansas and Oklahoma in the distance!

Garden of the Gods, a city park in Colorado Springs

 

We didn't strike gold in Colorado which is why it's back to work this week.

Apple Picking at Eckert's

Today Wade got to experience a great fall activity - apple picking!  The Woods joined us for an afternoon at Eckert's where we picked our own apples, saw pigs race, watched Maddie & Wes go on a ride, and even bumped into our friends, the Seneczyns. 

Wade didn't pick any apples this year and won't get to enjoy the apple pie that I have planned but it was still a fun outing.  It was such a gorgeous fall day - we couldn't have asked for better weather!  Thanks to the Woods for spending the day with us!

Wade Into the Waters

Yesterday was Wade's baptism and the theme of the sermon was "Wade Into the Waters" which was so cute and clever!  Ryan and I were also welcomed as new members into the church.

After the ceremony we had lunch back at our house for the 15 family members who had joined us for the ceremony.  Wade had fallen asleep towards the end of the ceremony but then was the life of the party back at the house, playing and "talking" in his exersaucer while everyone ate.  He did end up going down for a long nap while we enjoyed cake and opened presents.  Thanks to everyone for the generous gifts and for spending their Sunday morning with us.  Congratulations to Wade on his baptism!

Camping - a New Hobby for Wade

If you haven't heard, we bought a new toy this summer! We finally found time to take our 2009 Palomino pop-up camper out for its first camping trip (under our ownership, that is.) We spent the weekend of September 10-12 at Meramec State Park with my parents. We worried only about getting ourselves, the camper, Annie, and Wade to the campground - my parents took care of all the meals and even let Annie sleep in their camper. Ryan's parents, Bill and Terrie, also came down for dinner on Saturday night.

It only rained Friday night while we were sleeping and we were left with mild weather the rest of the weekend. We took several walks and Wade had his first real hike.

He "talked" a lot in the backpack until he fell asleep. We cushioned him with a couple sweatshirts. Wade did great camping this weekend which is good since he has a lot of camping in his future! He slept great in the camper the first night and during his naps. He had a bit of a rough night the second night. He still slept until 7 am but we think he has a bit of a cold and/or is teething - either way he tossed and turned super loudly. Actually we think that he may have gotten a decent night's rest but we sure didn't! It seemed like he was shaking the whole camper!

Laid back in the lawn chair!  (Who are we kidding, this was just for the photo op - he still loves that exersaucer more - and it did come on the camping trip!)

What Five Months Brings...

Happy five month birthday to Wade! He could have smiled for the photo, but he would rather practice his rolling. He still only likes to roll to the left, but now he has gotten quite good at going from back-to-stomach and stomach-to-back. Periodically you have to re-position him because he will run into a wall or some other barrier.

At five months we are experiencing our first cold! I just heard him coughing himself to sleep, poor little guy. Baby food is going well - he has tried rice cereal, zucchini, peas, sweet potatoes, and apples.  More exciting options to come soon! Wade has also been using his sippy cup with dinner which he is far from good at, but it's sort of a fun adventure.

This morning it was about 60 degrees for our walk to the babysitter's house. Burr! And this baby owns no cold weather clothing! So I took a lunchtime shopping trip to Once Upon a Child where I stocked up on all kinds of cute jeans, pants, hoodies, and long sleeved shirts. While we're not sure that we're ready to say good-bye to summer, at least Wade will be able to welcome the fall season in style! (I'm not so sure I can say the same about myself...)

P.S. Gotta love that exersaucer!

The School Year Has Started

My boys. They had to part ways after their summer together. We were so fortunate that Ryan got to have that time with the baby early on. I say “the baby” because I really do mean it generically. That’s something most dads don’t get to experience. There were many times this summer that I turned to Ryan when I had questions about Wade’s schedule. It was an odd position to be in, but one that I think was good for everyone.

And with that, our new normal is here. Ryan’s back in school and Wade’s going to the babysitter every day. Even though I have been back at work since June 1, things are different for me too. I have been working teacher’s hours for the last five years or so, and am now working more of an 8-4 schedule. (Yes, still relatively early, I realize, but an adjustment for me nonetheless.)  I walk Wade to the babysitter at 7:30 in the morning and Ryan walks him home around 3 or 3:30.  Yes, walk!  It’s a 3 minute walk to the babysitter’s house!

I am really valuing our time with Wade more than ever – perhaps because someone else gets to spend 8 hours a day with him. A coworker offered to watch him one evening so I could relax (after a stressful moment at work) and that was the last thing I wanted. I have 3 hours with Wade from the time I get home from work until the time he falls asleep (and there’s usually a short nap in the middle) and I want to be at home spending that time with Ryan and Wade. It makes me have sympathy for all the parents who are not able to leave work as early as Ryan and I are able to do.

So, how is the babysitter going? Well, I think. Of course, Wade can’t tell us. Pam gives us detailed reports every afternoon. Wade has become more experienced at both the jumper and exersaucer, as he “bounces” around from various activities all day long. This has motivated us to put our jumper together and try our exersaucer more often. Turns out, he loves the exersaucer and is really getting good at certain features on it! Oh, I did cry after the first drop off, but I think that was just sort of a rite of passage.

Happy 4 Month Birthday Wade!

Wade is four months old today.  He had his four-month check-up this week.  He's 27.5 inches long and weighs 20 pounds,15 3/4 ounces which keeps him in the greater than 97th percentile. 

 The doctor gave us the okay to start him on solid food.  I want to make homemade baby food, so today I whipped up a batch of rice cereal.  We have zucchini and peas in the freezer for later.  I thought things went really well but he threw up on my shoulder afterwards.  Better luck tomorrow!

Wade rolled over for the first time on Tuesday - just in time to give the doctor a good report.  Now he is rolling over often, except he's not sure what to do when he gets to his stomach.  He'll get a little more comfortable with going back and forth soon.

Megan & Jon's Wedding/Our Trip to Iowa

My good friend, Megan married Jon Ferchen on Saturday, July 31.  They had a short engagement but you never would have guessed it - there were still all the great personal details that take most of us a year to pull off.  It was an exhausting and fun day and I was thrilled to be part of it.

Wade attended the rehearsal dinner but stayed with a babysitter during the wedding and reception.  He may be ready for some real family vacations soon because once again, he did great in the car!  This was also his first hotel stay and that went pretty well too.  I don't think we'll be able to keep up with his current travel schedule though - 4 states (and 3 state capitals) in less than 4 months!

We drove through Kirksville (and memory lane?) on the way home.  We had lunch at Pagliai's, which still has good food but has a horrible bathroom for diaper changing.

And we drove by the ol' fraternity house.  There was a beaver on the front porch when we got there.  What in the world?  I think we can all agree that the decision to tear the house down is a good one.

Wade's First Cardinals Game

A friend of mine gave us tickets to a suite for the July 21 game against the Phillies.  We weren't sure if Wade would be ready for the bleachers this season so we jumped at the chance to take him to a game in a more "comfortable" environment.  (Room for the stroller plus air conditioning!)

Ryan and I enjoyed the free nachos, hot dogs, and dessert while Wade enjoyed his formula.  

He even found time for a quick cat nap, though most of the time the noise of the game distracted him too much.  We only stayed until  9 p.m. but heard later that the Cardinals did get a win for Wade's first game.

Wade's First Visit to Indiana

I scheduled myself to work at a physician job fair in Indianapolis, so that we'd have an excuse to visit the Emsleys.  Wade did well with the 4-hour drive and slept great at their house.  He's a big hit with his cousins, who showed him off to all their neighborhood friends.

  On Sunday we visited the Indiana State Museum.  So far Wade doesn't like museums as much as his dad, but he tolerated it well.










After visiting the museum, we walked along the canal to a chocolate shop for some delicious ice cream.

We took Wade swimming at the subdivision pool.  Here he is with his Auntie Chris.











Wade liked listening to Uncle Brett play the guitar and enjoyed it even more when his mom and aunt danced along.  He was kicking and moving a lot in his bouncer seat.