Many New Adventures!

John is such a blessing and full of wonder these days! Each day, he is finding something new that he can do or get into! Over the last couple of weeks, John has enjoyed finding new sleeping positions and comfortable places in his bed, rather than the middle! He loves sleeping on his tummy or left side, just like his mommy and daddy! He will roll that way almost instantly once he is put to bed!

While mom was getting ready for John's tubbie, John was able to play in his diaper and onesie on the floor. Pure bliss! He has become quite the little monkey moving around the floor and using his arms and legs to push himself around in a circle or use those little toes to kick things on his activity gym. He has also begun to rock and pull his butt up, but he doesn't know what to do after that! He is more fond of scooting himself backward though, rather than going forward!

John has also figured out a new trick lately of scrunching up his nose and making an "angry" face and then breathing heavily. It is great! Of course, we all laughed when he started doing it, so now that he knows it's a crowd pleaser, he does it quite often! He also coughs to get attention, will mimic the sounds you make and has found his "ferocious lion" voice as well. What a charmer!!

John is now sitting up on his own and has started to try the "2nd" foods. He is not a fan of banana mixed berry (well, and neither was his mom), but otherwise has loved mango dessert, apple blueberries and apple cherries! I have a feeling he is going to be a kid who loves variety. YEAH! John's disposition continues to be great! He is cheerful and smiles constantly. He has had quite the temper a couple of times, so now we have to remind ourselves that he is picking up on our reactions, so laughing cannot happen in front of him (at least when we're supposed to be serious)!

This week, John has had many firsts! He had his first sip of water from a glass Saturday (4/4), used a sippy cup on Sunday evening (4/5) and had his first tooth pop through Monday (4/6)! What a busy three days! He has started to sleep better at night too, since that first tooth started to show. I'm not sure if that's pure coincidence or a correlation, but we don't mind!

We are looking forward to celebrating Easter tomorrow. We had planned to be up north with Phil's family, but our plans have changed some in the last few days after Phil came down with the stomach/gastro flu. Thankfully, he was only sick for a couple of days and John and I have not gotten it. We are hoping that it stays that way and are practicing frequent hand washing skills! We are thankful for all we have and feel extremely blessed with our own little miracle this Easter! Have a blessed Easter!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

We hope you are celebrating big today and have the luck of the Irish with you!

March Madness!

The time continues to fly by and John continues to grow like a little weed! He is now 6 months old and VERY active! We had his 6 month appointment last week and he was 27.5 inches long and 17 lbs 15 oz. We were told he is a long and lean (which I agree with!). He certainly inherited his mommy's long torso!

John continues to be inquisitive about things around him and he no longer stays in one place! He is now rolling easily from front to back and grabbing things. He also figured out that if you pull the blanket that you're laying on toward you, the toys come with it! That way, you don't have to do extra work and go and get them yourself!! What a rascal! He also figured out that while he's teething, the pole on his activity gym is great to chew on!

John has a great time playing in his crib and he LOVES his Tommy turtle that hangs on the side and plays music. He has figured out how to press the buttons to advance past the songs he doesn't want to hear and get to his favorites. He also loves the lights that change and the fish that swim in it. After his naps, many times we will hear his giggles and squeals, followed by the music of Tommy turtle!

As the weather has started to warm up, it has become apparent that John's "monkey suit" is far too warm for him. He was coming out of it as a puddle of sweat, so we have been bundling him up with his jacket and hat. We can't wait to be able to go for spring walks and enjoy the fresh air and sunshine! A couple of weeks ago, we decided that John was being such a professional at eating big boy foods, we would try the highchair. He LOVED it! He only tried to grab the food a couple of times, but I think that was because he didn't think I was feeding him fast enough! He has enjoyed helping Mom cook dinner too as he has sat in his highchair and played. What a big boy!

I didn't know that it was going to be such a great adventure to try and get John out of the highchair or that I would feel like I needed a special degree to do so! We had to hang out and wait for a few minutes after we were all washed up for Phil to come and save the day! Since he was the one to put the chair together, I thought maybe he had a better idea of how to get him out!!

Last Friday, Phil and I started spring break and planned a trip to Chicago with my parents to see Mike and Jeanna. However, Phil came down with the flu that morning, so John and I headed out of town to avoid getting it and allow Phil to get better! John played hard and slept hard too! He was a wonderful traveler!

John loves chewing on anything and everything now as he is teething. Before the trip, I had gotten a few new soft books and John thoroughly enjoyed them! His toes were straight up in the air and he was loving every moment!The corner of the book just wasn't enough to chew on! He wanted ALL of it!

Giggles galore!!So tired....

Just before we left, we had a get photo opportunity on the coach. We couldn't believe our four days flew so fast! What a cutie!

Once John and I arrived home, Phil was finally feeling better! We have enjoyed the rest of our week together full of playing, giggles and teething!!! John will hopefully be popping teeth very soon, as he is working very hard at getting them to come in! Phil and I even went on a date downtown to the Melting Pot. It will certainly be hard to head back to work again on Monday, but hopefully the warmer weather will come and we can start to look toward spring and summer!

Giggles Galore!

February has been a fast month! Where has the time gone? John has become quite the active little man lately! He is discovering new things every day and definitely has found that cute little boy in the mirror who smiles, talks, and squeals back at him!

The middle of January, we had John's 4 month pictures taken. Because we are "portrait club members" anyone is able to come with us at no cost. Since we were going to be out with my parents later in the day, we invited them to come with us and have some pictures taken too. John loved having grandma and grandpa there and they caught a few great pictures too! We can't wait to do it again soon with Grandma Joan and Grandpa Bob!

February 1, we decided that John was ready for a little more action in his life, so the Baby Einstein Jumper came to life! John LOVES it! Before he even gets in it and sits down, his legs start to pump and his arms start moving around! He is a huge fan of the frog that spins, and he definitely likes to give it "kisses" (or suck on it's head)! He has even figured out the music and lights on one of the sides as well. He has started to figure out how to turn himself around in it, but I think it will be a little bit of time before he is fully aware of how to do it.

At the beginning of February, I was still coaching dance team. We had our Sections competition on the 7th, and even though the girls didn't make it to State, they did a fantastic job and had a great season. As sad as I was to see that part of my life end for another season, it was time to be able to take a step back and not be racing as much. I could finally breathe!

John has started to get himself on a schedule of sleeping through most of the night, if not all of it, and then waking up to hang out with mom and dad while we get ready in the morning. He loves to lay on our bed with one of his friends (normally Tigger) and just chill out.

He's a bit sleepy here!

The following weekend was Valentine's Day! This year, on Friday, February 13th, it was 5 years ago to the day that Phil and I had our first date! How time flies! When we went to Timberlodge Steakhouse that night and then to watch "Miracle" in the theater, I never would have thought that 5 years later we would be happily married and have a son! I have to say though, I can't complain that God's plan worked out that way!

Like I mentioned, John is full of discoveries lately! He found his toes and is thrilled! He has discovered that socks are meant to be pulled off, or at least part of the way, and they are tasty to suck on too! Any moment that his feet are out and free, they are on their way to his mouth! He loves to try and suck on them while I am changing his diaper, which makes it a bit interesting to complete the task in a timely manner!

John is full of giggles now and loves to be able to play with his toys! He is definitely into the tactile portion of play and loves the toys that make noise, sing, crinkle, or anything else that is highly inappropriate for church!! He loves to play peek-a-boo, patty-cake, and fly like an airplane, especially if you make a rolled "r" sound with your tongue. I love the moments when he giggles with his whole tummy and throws his head back with delight. Oh, the little, precious moments in life!

It's hard to believe our baby is already 5 1/2 months old! He has now tried all the fruits and veggies, along with his rice cereal and loves each of them. He would definitely prefer a fruit over a veggie, but who wouldn't? We're happy to see that we don't have a picky child on our hands (as of now, anyway!).

As we near the end of February (and hopefully winter along with it....it has to end soon, doesn't it?), we look forward to spring break in a few weeks and spring weather to follow! We can't wait to head to Chicago for a few days to see Mike and Jeanna! It will be John's first road trip, and hopefully all will go well! For now though, we will enjoy the beautiful new snowfall outside our window!

Life in the Fast Lane!

Wow! Mommy and Daddy have been SO busy lately, so I said that while I was home with Mommy today since she and Daddy had the day off of school, I would write a note to all of you to let you know how big and strong I'm getting and what we have been up to lately!

After Mommy last wrote to you back in November, we celebrated Thanksgiving. We were able to see both grandmas and grandpas, but that meant it was a busy few days with traveling. It was so fun to see all my aunts and uncles though! I didn't get to eat all the yummy turkey this year, but I told them to just wait because I will be sitting at the table with you next year!

When we got home from up north after Thanksgiving, Mommy and Daddy decided it was time for me to spend my first night in my own room and crib, rather than sleeping in their room. I was so excited! I loved being wrapped up tight to sleep, but I am almost the same size as Pooh! Don't worry, Pooh was just there for the picture! I don't sleep with friends next to me!

I look like a toga man! This is how I was when I woke up and Mom came in to say good morning! We needed to find a bigger blanket so I couldn't get out of it!

Mommy was supposed to go back to work on December 1st, and that meant I was going to be able to stay and play with grandma during the day. However, mommy and her doctor decided that she wasn't strong enough to go back to work full time that day and that she better stay home another week. Mommy didn't want to have to have more surgery because she went back to teach the other kids at school too soon. I didn't mind though! That meant I got to spend another week at home with her! We played a lot that week, since I was really starting to get my smiles and giggles going! The next Monday though, December 8, until December 19th, Mommy went back to work for the mornings. This way, she was able to meet her kids, start to learn their routines, and then was able to come home and play and rest with me in the afternoons until it was time for us to go to dance practice. Now that it was December, Mommy was spending six days a week with those dancing girls because they had their competitions all day on Saturdays too. No wonder mommy was tired!

Like I said though, when Mommy went back to work, I got to stay with grandma, which I think is the BEST place in the whole world if I can't be at home with mom and dad. We get to play with Tigger and Tommy the turtle, and I even have a really fun tunnel to play in. We read books and sing lots of songs too and of course, I love the snuggles!

Uncle Mike came home for a week on Dec. 15, so I was able to spend extra time with him too. Then, Aunt Jeanna joined everyone for our family Christmas weekend on Friday, Dec. 19th. However, Mommy had dance both Friday night and Saturday, so it made for a short, fast weekend with everyone. We had a good time though and tried to be in the Christmas spirit early!

Finally, it was Christmas break and Mommy and Daddy were home with me for two whole weeks! We spent some time at home, had Christmas Eve with Mommy's side of the family (Uncle Steve and Aunt Katie were there too!), went to Mass Christmas morning with grandma and grandpa and then had brunch with them and then headed home to be there to see Grandma Joan and Grandpa Bob, as well as Uncle Tim and Uncle Matt. Then we got to go up north for a few days too! I LOVED going up north and playing with Grandma Joan and Papa Bob! They sang songs with me, snuggled with me and played with me too! Uncle Tim and Aunt Crystal were there too, so I had play time with everyone! There were times when I didn't even want to sleep because I was so excited to have all my favorite people around me! However, the fun had to stop at some point and we had to come home early from up north because of some snowstorms that were predicted. What Grandma Joan didn't know is that we REALLY had to get home and not get caught up north because Mommy, Daddy, and I had gotten the house all ready because a bunch of us planned a surprise party for her 60th birthday! She came over to our house on Jan. 3 and thought she was just coming to play with me and have dinner, but we surprised her and had a house-full of people to party with!!

I love giving kisses to my new girlfriend, Minnie!

Mommy and Daddy had to go back to work then on Monday, much to their dismay. They like those kids at school I guess, but they can't compare to playing with me! Mommy went back to work full-time though, so that meant I got to stay at grandma and grandpa's all day. After work, they would rush to pick me up because Mommy had to get back to Waconia to see those dancing girls and help them work on things to get better before their competitions. Then, when Mommy would get home, we'd have dinner, a little play time, and then it was time for me to go to bed and Mommy and Daddy to finish up all those house things they have to do. I don't want to be a grown-up for a long time! I like that I can play all day and sleep when I want to! :-) Mommy and Daddy are both looking forward to having dance done since they have to go to school for their Masters too. Only one year left though and then they are done with that too!

Well, it's about time for me to go to sleep! I'm pretty tired from playing with Mommy all morning, but it's been a blast! Enjoy these pictures of me! I getting so big and old now! I love to giggle, sit up with help, squeal, and watch myself in the mirror or look at pictures of people I know. I can have a whole conversation with the refrigerator! I am even so big now that I was able to try rice cereal for the first time a few days ago. I didn't like the taste of it at all! I took a few bites though, so hopefully I'll take a few more every day! I'll talk to you soon!

~ John