Well, I am 3 weeks old today and mommy and I decided we should update you all on our lives! I will start with a funny story about daddy. Mommy picked out this outfit for me to wear to church on Sunday and had daddy dress me while she took a shower. When mommy found me, I still had the panties attached to my dress with the plastic tag and my diaper showed! Daddy didn't realize that he needed to detach the panties and put that over my diaper!!! This made mommy and me laugh. :)
Here are some of the highlights of my last week:
-I have had lots of visitors! And I got to help Auntie Kristin celebrate her 24th birthday!! Mommy was very nervous that I would scream in the restaurant, but I did very well and slept the whole time :) Here is a funny picture of me with Auntie Kristin at her apartment. She is very comfy to sleep on!
-I had my 2 week checkup and I am almost 9 lbs! I am eating very well.
-My umbilical cord fell off so now I can take baths in my "whale of a tub" instead of sponge baths. I really like bath time and I like to splash in the water. Daddy likes to spray me with the squirt toys.
-During the day, mommy and I do everything together! I have gone for many walks with Tucker and mommy, I have run lots of errands, I have helped Grandma Tommerdahl weed the garden and I have eaten lunch with Grandma Kirkwood.
Mommy has to get used to using one hand to do things because I like to be held a lot. Mommy sometimes will put me in the Baby Bjorn carrier and walk around with me as she cooks and does chores around the house. She has been doing a lot more laundry and cleaning since I showed up. My record so far is dirtying 8 onesies/sleepers in a 24 hour period. (Think you can beat that?!?!? Here's a hint....after you spit up on 2 sleepers, take a bath, and then have quite a large spit up straight into the drawer of clean clothes as mommy opens it to get a new sleeper out!)
While I love spending time with mommy, my favorite time of day is when daddy comes home from work. Daddy is so much fun! He dances with me around the kitchen, and he makes funny faces and talks in funny voices and sings me silly songs. He is really good at calming me down when I am really fussy and I can tell how much he loves me!
Mommy says I am getting better at sleeping at night. My record so far is 5 hours at one time, but that only happened once. I am working on it!
Thanks for reading about my life! Hope you are having a good life too :)
Summer is 12 days old today - in some ways it feels like eons ago that we were driving to the hospital. Yet, when I hear her cry or see her resting in her crib, I'm reminded that the reality hasn't completely set in - I have a daughter! Crazy!
Last Thursday (Aug 12), I returned to work. Needless to say, it was tough to go back and leave my girls here at home. Don't get me wrong - I love my wife more than anyone - but it's even more fun to come home to a wife AND a daughter (and Tucker too - I didn't forget about you, buddy!).
So what's been going on since I last posted 5 days ago (yes, I know it's been sporadic - we're working on getting Kelly trained in so she can update during Summer's nap times once in a while)? This afternoon we were able to Skype with Gpa and Gma Tommerdahl, Uncle Javonte, and Great Gma Sandy. What an awesome technology! Not only were Summer's grandparents able to see her, but we were also able to wish Javonte a happy 10th birthday by video as well. Lucky for everyone on the other end, we turned off the webcam in time for them to avoid seeing Summer with her first poopy diaper that drifted up her back - still can't figure out how that happened exactly, but it did....
What else have we been doing? We made it to church this morning and Summer continued to do really well - 2 for 2 on sleeping through the service (and no, that's not a knock on Pastor Paul's sermon or the worship team!). Summer was also officially introduced to the church family through an announcement during the service, complete with a picture on the projector and a rose on the stage!
Yesterday was another field trip day - we made it over to the Mall of America between feedings in order to get a walk in with Summer. This was not Summer's first mall experience, as Mommy already took her daughter for a little shopping while Daddy was at work (luckily I haven't checked the credit cards website yet...jk...). At the Mall of America, we were sure to stop in and look at the Barbie paraphernalia at Toys R Us and also checked out the American Girl store. Daddy can't wait for the tea parties and such :) After that, we used a gift card and had our first restaurant experience with Summer at the Apple Valley Applebees. Needless to say, she was the star of the night - everyone from nearby tables came over to see her. She was a little fussy, but maybe it was because she didn't have a good view of the Twins game?
Earlier in the week, we also introduced Summer to Target. While we made it a quick stop, it was fun for Daddy to try out the Baby Bjorn. Summer did great, even though it was getting close to feeding time!
Soon after arriving home from Target, we found out that there was a visitation for the father of one of Kelly's former students. He passed away unexpectedly and we wanted to support this student and his family by attending the visitation. We jumped back in the car and made it over before the visitation ended.
There is something special about babies. In the shadow of such a terrible tragedy, they bring hope. We talked with the student and his family. His mom - who just lost her husband - was touched by Summer's presence. While death may have reared its ugly head, there was reminder of life in her presence. She went on to share that other experiences with babies had pulled her through the worst of the past few days. Little did we know that our Summer would be a blessing to her and others as I carried her - sleeping - through a funeral home. She is a reminder of life. Hope. Innocence. Simplicity. Memories. All sorts of things to all sorts of different people. It is my prayer that she will continue to be a beacon of LIGHT into the world for her whole life that she has ahead of her. That she would show and reflect God and His Love to the world - as God IS Light (1 John 1:5). We pray that He would be in her and that she would be a child of the light (1 Thes 5:5), which would make her a child of God's and one that will shine into the darkness.
Anyway, a number of other events and occurrences have taken place (I'm sure) and I can't cover all of them. I hope this catches you up on Summer's life and our experience with raising our daughter. It's been a learning experience - at times, frustrating, and other times a hilarious comedy that Hollywood couldn't even imagine. All in all, I wouldn't trade fatherhood for anything. It has been an incredible blessing - exciting and terrifying - and I love it! :)
Hi Everyone! Summer here - life's been pretty sweet lately - I've been eating a lot - and sleeping even more! I do have my awake times, but most of the day, I'm snoozing.
Yesterday, however, Mom and Dad took me to the doctor for my first check-up. I was told I was great on the way over there. When the nurse came in to check my temperature, however, I showed her up by - how should I say this? - eliminating on Daddy and the nurse. Mommy laughed so hard that she actually had to leave the room! Then the doctor came in and she checked me over. Guess what? I've gained 4 oz since my birth (I'm up to 8lbs 4 oz and was born at 8lbs even)! In regards to measurements, I'm between the 55th and 75th percentile in pretty much everything! On the way out, Daddy reached behind the nurses desk and got me a Disney princess sticker (since I'm his little princess!). We took a picture, of course.
Things have been going great at home - I've REALLY enjoyed the green bouncer seat (see the picture) that I received from GeeGee Obermayer. It vibrates and puts me to sleep in a hurry when I'm a little fussy (although, of course, I'm never really that fussy - I just like to keep Mommy and Daddy guessing when it comes to my schedule)!
Finally, I also had a number of visitors on Sunday night - Auntie Kristin and Gpa and Gma Kirkwood! Tucker had fun, but I think I had even more fun than he did! :)
Two days after my parents left, they were right back down here (it's only 3 hours away, so it's hard for them to stay away from their beautiful granddaughter!). This time, Javonte and Great Grandma Sandy also made the trip. Although Javonte was along before, this was Summer's first chance to meet one of her great-grandparents!
In other news, Summer had her first bath at home, spent more time with Tucker, and even made her public debut at church this morning (don't try getting out of church any time soon after the service if you have a newborn - everyone wants to meet her) :)
She has also had some great awake times - and lots of smiles for Mom and Dad (not sure she really realizes what she's doing, but it's still fun!).
We arrived home from the hospital roughly 24 hours ago. Summer has been introduced to her new nursery, as well as her brother (Tucker the Dog) and many other fun things. For the most part, however, it's a pattern of sleep, eat, awake (repeat).
Summer and Mommy with Summer's "Going-Home" Outfit
Kel has done a lot of research and had conversations with many moms (thanks, especially Julie Gott!) and is already establishing a schedule for Summer. One of our main resources has been the book Babywise - it has already proven its worth!
Tucker and Summer have done great - he's always concerned when she cries, he's always interested in her, and is always gentle. He especially has enjoyed licking her feet while she sits on Mommy's lap. He's also enjoyed some "guy" time as Daddy and Tucker went for a nice, long walk this morning to help release a bit of Tucker's never-ending energy.
Tucker and Summer in one of their "bonding" sessions :) (No, she's not screaming - just yawning!)
Mom is holding up really well, especially considering she hasn't had a ton of sleep (she's currently sneaking in a nap between feedings while Summer is sleeping on my lap as I type - multi-purposing at its best!). Daddy is also doing well - only two trips to the store so far today! :) Daddy and Summer have enjoyed their cuddling time - Summer has proven it by passing a lot of gas in Daddy's arms...thanks, baby!
Thanks to everyone for the well-wishes and such - it's been fun to share this with everyone and we can't wait for everyone to meet our little sweetheart of a daughter!
