Welcome baby Ethan!

Ethan Zachary was born Saturday, November 26th, 2011 at 10:54 pm.  He took his sweet time, but in the end it was well worth the wait.  He weighed 7 lbs 11 oz, and was 19 inches long.  We think he looks more like his daddy.  Jared seems to be handling the transition pretty well so far, although he doesn't understand why mommy can't pick him up and hold him right now.  Daddy is doing a good job of filling in for the week, as he was able to take off work to be with us at home. 

Here are a few pictures for you to enjoy!

 

 

Good news

Just a quick post tonight, to share a bit of good news.  My hubby has been working at his new job for several months as a help desk technician.  Last week, one of his co-workers got a job somewhere else and gave his notice, and my husband mentioned off-hand to his boss that he would like to take that guy's job.  The next day, the boss asked him if he was serious (of course!!), and started negotiations with the corporate office.  They approved the change in position and the pay raise, contingent on finding him a replacement at the same salary.  Two days ago, they hired someone to take my husband's job, and so he officially starts his new job after Thanksgiving.  We are thrilled, not only because this is a promotion, but it means that we can move forward with selling our house and buying a bigger one to accommodate our growing family. 

As for baby #2, we are still waiting anxiously for him to make his arrival.  We had a bit of false labor last Sunday, which included a trip to the hospital for a labor check, only to be sent back home an hour later.  That was disappointing, but I was glad to have a midwife that recommended we go home rather than try to keep labor going and end up with another c-section.  We hope that baby will come soon, on his own, so that we have a much better chance of a successful VBAC delivery.

Catching up

I know it has been several months since I last posted, so I apologize for those few faithful readers that have been waiting for an update.  I have been an official stay-at-home mom for about a month now, having resigned my full-time teaching position and finishing a long-term substitute position that I had for the first 7 weeks of the school year.   I love being at home and being able to spend more time taking care of my family.

Daddy is still working on Fort Leavenworth, but now as a contractor, which means he has benefits, including health insurance.  This job was a huge blessing, as it has allowed me to stay at home.  He will be graduating with his bachelor's degree from DeVry in April and has been accepted to Keller Graduate School.  He continues to apply for jobs in the IT field, and we hope that something better will open up to him as he continues to get more education and experience.

If you haven't heard the news, we are expecting baby boy #2 this month.  The official due date is November 25th (Black Friday), but hopefully he will decide to come at least a few days early so that we can all celebrate Thanksgiving together.


Here are a few pics from the past months of soon-to-be big brother, who just turned 13 months today!  He is not walking yet, but he is growing up so fast and developing quite the personality.

Here he is with Daddy at his first Royals' game.

First time in the swimming pool

First teeth!

Sporting daddy's sunglasses

Bathtime!

First sippy cup!

Starting to crawl

First haircut

Standing up by himself in his crib at the grandparents' house

Top teeth coming in

Holding a sand dollar at the beach in WA (at the Menssen family reunion)

Deanna Rose Farmstead

Petting the goats

 Setting up for his first camping trip

Matching Sunday outfits

First birthday - loving the cake grandma made!

First trip out on the boat (Lake of the Ozarks)

Taking a nap on the boat

Learning how to fish with daddy

Gotta love that smile!

Little guy is just waking up from his nap, so until next time...

6 months

Jared turned 6 months old this past Saturday.  Mommy took him for a walk to the park, and he loved watching all the kids play.  We even went on the slide and swings together for a bit, which he didn't seem to mind.  He is still eating lots (milk, rice cereal, and we added bananas this week), and is getting better at eating with a spoon every day.  I can't believe how fast he is growing up.  If you sit him up, he can stay sitting up on his own.  He's definitely a momma's boy, though.  If I lay him down with Daddy in the morning so that I can finish getting ready for work, he cries, even though I am in the same room and he can still see me.  And when I pick him up from Grandma's house every day, he gets the biggest smile and makes all kinds of loud, excited noises.  I can't wait for the next 6 1/2 weeks of school to be over so that I can go back to spending all day with my baby. 

Here is Jared in his stroller at the park:

March Madness

March was a crazy month, and not just because of the disappointing losses by KU and BYU in the NCAA basketball tournament.  First of all, as the 2012 class sponsor at the high school where I teach, I headed up a last-ditch effort to raise more money for this year's prom.  We (my few trusty class officers and I) did t-shirt sales, raffles at basketball games, clean-up after basketball games, a MORP dance, and cookie sales for St. Patrick's Day.  We raised close to $600 in just a matter of a couple of weeks.  Fortunately, from this point on, it should be pretty smooth sailing (ie, no more fundraising).  We will do a homecoming float next fall, and then purchase a senior gift before graduation.  And if you ever hear me talk about volunteering to be a class sponsor again, please remind me what a headache it has been these past 3 years!

We are also working on refinishing our one and only bathroom.  We managed to scrape off all the old 70's wallpaper, then filled in holes and sanded down the walls as best we could for the old plaster (not sheet rock) walls. We picked out a nuetral gray color to repaint the walls with, and laminate peel & stick floor tiles to cover up the old yellow linoleum.  Fortunately, my brother-in-law was able to help us take out the toilet and put in the new floor. 

We still need to do another coat of paint on the walls, paint the ceiling, put in a quarter round trim on the floor, replace the cabinet pulls and the light fixture, and reinstall the towel racks.  I would also like to etch the glass on the bathroom window so that we can let in the natural light and not have to cover it up with a shower curtain.  The bathroom already looks 10 times better, but I can't wait for the project to be completed and be able to enjoy our new bathroom.  Of course we have a long list of home projects that we would like to do in the next year or so, which will hopefully help us sell our house when the time comes.  I think the next project will be refacing the kitchen cabinets...

Spring Break was nice, but way too short.  The week seemed to just fly by.  I loved having Jared home with me all week.  He loves playing with his feet, chewing on everything he can get his hands on, and watching Mommy and Daddy (doesn't matter what we are doing).  He hates to be left out of anything that is going on.  He rolls over pretty well from his tummy to his back, but generally just on one side.  He also rolls over from his back to his side when he is trying to reach his toys.  He is starting to eat rice cereal with a spoon, which we give him in the evening.  Pretty soon we will start giving him some cereal for breakfast, too, and then add some homemade pureed fruits and vegetables. Daddy has a video of him eating, which I will try to post on here as soon as I can get him to email me the video from his phone.  Here are some photos from the past month. 

*Sorry some of the pictures are sideways.  I can't figure out how to rotate them.  They are the right direction in my documents folder...

New Pediatrician

Jared went to a new pediatrician today for his second round of immunizations and check up. Our appointment was at 4 and we were in an exam room in less than 5 minutes. The doctor came in almost immediately and the whole appointment lasted less than 45 minutes! What a huge blessing it was to find this doctor, after all the bad experiences with the last pediatrician we took him to. Plus, her office is closer to our house, they have later well child visit appointments so that I don't have to take the day off work, and they have walk-in hours every morning and afternoon for sick babies. Jared seemed to sense the purpose for the visit and cried at the first sight of the nurse, but he held my hand and made it through the shots without too much crying. And he got a t-shirt and a little rubber ducky for being such a trooper. He weighed in at 15 lbs 12 oz (50th percentile), and measured 27 in long (90th percentile). I am so grateful to have such a healthy baby and love every minute I get to spend with him.

Another size up

My baby turned 5 months old this week, and he is already wearing 6-9 month clothes.  He seems to be growing at an almost exponential rate (not really, but it seems that way), so I expect that in 1-2 months he will have grown out of the 6-9 mo. and ready for the 9-12 month clothes.   He is still doing a lot of talking, drooling, and now he likes to blow raspberries.  He also loves to stand up and play with (eat) toys (or anything he can get his hands on).  Mommy can't wear her hair down anymore when she holds him, or we end up with a chunk of hair in his fists.  He loves spending the day playing at Grandma Meadows' house, so much that he can get pretty fussy in the evenings when he is at home with boring old mom and dad.  I can't believe how quickly he is growing up, and I can't wait until daddy gets a full-time job with benefits so that mommy can stay home more.  I feel like I am missing out on all the milestones in his development (first laugh, rolling over, etc).  I know this is just temporary, while my hubby is finishing school, and that is the only thing that keeps me going some days. 

In other news, we purchased our plane tickets for the Menssen family reunion in Washington this summer.  We still don't know what our sleeping arrangements will be (on the waiting list for our time-share), but we are looking forward to seeing the family and for everyone to meet Jared!

4 months

It's way past time for another post, so here it is.  Jared is 4 months old today, and I can't believe how the time has flown by.  He is sitting up assisted, eating cereal mixed in a bottle, makes lots of noise, and likes to stick his fingers - and sometimes his entire fist - in his mouth when mommy can't get the pacifier fast enough.  He goes to Grandma Meadows' house during the day when mommy is teaching, and I know he gets plenty of love and attention there.  But even so, I am grateful for the 6 snow days we have had in the past month, so that I get to spend more time with him.  Here are some more recent pics of my big boy:



first smile caught on camera

 

realizing there are toys in his bouncer

 

sleeping next to Daddy on the couch



making sad face with Daddy

going to the doctor for 2-month check/shots

holding a toy for the first time

holding his own bottle