BRRRRRR

It is cold and snowy. I love it. Snowing pretty heavy now. They are predicting 5 inches tonight and maybe another inch tomorrow. It was slick this morning going to church. Hayden received a medal commemorating his baptism last year. It is engraved with his name and his baptism date. It came with a little stand so we can display it in his room.

We came home and ate a quick lunch. Our neighbor Nancy stopped over with some warm apple crisp. After lunch Joey went to work and Hayden and I played. While Joey was at work yesterday I put together Hayden's Jumperoo. He loves the lights but isn't quite sure what else to do with it. I have been helping him jump which he enjoys but hasn't taken it upon himself to do it on his own. It is a new toy so I shouldn't expect him to be jumping like crazy in it. I should have put it together sooner because we already have to put him on level 2 for the height.

The weekend flew by. Didn't really seem like the weekend because Joey was at work. Looking forward to snuggling in tomorrow with Hayden while it snows. Wednesday we are off to Iowa City to do another ultrasound and renal scan on Hayden's kidneys. Anxious to see how his kidneys are doing. It has been 3 months since the last scan. We chose to go to Iowa City to get the tests done because they are more kid friendly and we have to meet with Dr. Ausin anyway so we figured it would be good to get everything done in one day. In Iowa City they put numbing cream before they give him the IV and don't give him a catheter. At least they make every effort to make it more comfortable for Hayden. But he still has to lay there for 45 minutes and not move. We will see how that goes. He actually did that at the last test but he was 2 months old and slept through the whole test.

Sick

This week seemed to fly by. Joey started his new class and has been extremely busy. The professor told him to expect at least 20 hours of homework a week. Yuck. But I guess that is what we should expect from now on until he graduates because he is taking all of his core classes now. His general ed's are all out of the way except 1 I think.

Hayden has been sick all week. He has a cold and has been quite fussy. But fussy for him is really not that bad at all. I just feel so bad for him. I hate it that he doesn't feel good and wish there was something I could do for him. Well I thought there was. I decided to go to Walgreens Thursday after talking to a friend and get him something to help dry him up. I got him Tylenol Cold for infants and gave him a dose in the parking lot. We ran a couple errands and when I got home and checked my email I saw the news story on Yahoo saying Cold Medicine Kills Babies!!!!!! Great. Needless to say I got no sleep that night listening to the baby monitor making sure he was still breathing! Sure I make one decision on my own and listen to friends and look where it gets me.:) Was trying to give Dr. Nau a break and actually make a decision on my own about my child and I must admit it felt very good. Well I am sure when Dr. Nau gets wind of this (most of my Bunko group goes to him) he will promptly tell me that he needs to call child protective services. He thinks he is funny!

Hayden just has congestion in his throat. Nothing that can be sucked out of his nose but sounds soooo terrible. It is really bad when he eats. So we have been doing a lot of snuggling and rocking to sleep this week. I started to blame the rocking to sleep thing on little Olivia Knutson because it started once we got home from their house. Thought she told Hayden what he was missing out on in some sort of baby speak when we were all out of the room.:) I must admit I do like snuggling with him.

I spent all week organizing and getting ready for Bunko. We had it here on Thursday. It was a true challenge getting everything done I wanted to because Hayden did not want to be left alone much this week, and Joey worked late and had to focus on school when he got home but I managed to get everything done. Everything went well and we all had a great time. Everyone enjoyed holding Hayden. We snacked and chatted and then played. Once we started playing Joey and Hayden hung out in the bedroom so Joey could do his homework. We made it through one game when Hayden really started to fuss so I had to rock him to sleep which literally took 5 seconds. The gals cleaned up for me and we sat around a talked for a bit before everyone left. We usually play 2 games but the first took so long and they wanted to leave so Hayden could sleep in peace. We tend to get very loud!

We bought another space heater last night. Once the temperature started dropping we were reminded how our home is sooooo not airtight and energy efficient.

Hayden ate sweet potatoes for supper last night. He seemed to like the first few bites but soon became disinterested and got upset. Can't tell if he likes it and is crying because he wants more or crying because he doesn't like it. Sometimes he seems more interested in the bright colored bibs from Aunt Ingrid. We tried to feed him cereal before bed but he gaged and choked on it so we gave up on that. Suppose I just need to give him time and ease into it.

Joey is at work today. He is going to work all day today and tomorrow. He has to get a project out. It is really cold out and snowing now. Glad to see some signs of winter. We are only supposed to get 3 or so inches now through Sunday. High of 24 degrees today. Big change but I am excited. Tired of the warm winter. We are having Taco Soup tonight. Something to warm us up. Cold weather means warm comfort foods. YUMMY!

Fun Weekend

Joey enjoying his espresso drink
and Delaney in her Tu-Tu



Hayden and the girls


Hayden's first time in a highchair


NO MORE SMOOCHES!!!!!!


Sara and Hayden

We had a great weekend with the Knutson Family! Friday we arrived around 7:30 and we sat around and talked. Joey went to bed, then Jeremie, and Sara and I lost track of time and were up way too late. Needless to say the kids of course were up way tooooo early! We were dragging Saturday morning. We got up and ate breakfast and drank some yummy mocha chocha latte drink Jeremie made and the guys were off to fish and we were off to the mall so Sara could return stuff at the Gap. Then we went to Burger King to eat and watch Delaney play. We stopped to pick up Papa Murphy’s for supper and headed home. Then we all took a much needed nap. When the guys got home we ate and hung out and then it was earlier to bed for all of us. Hayden got tons of hugs and smooches from Delaney and Olivia. He also loved to watch the girls play. He definitely enjoyed the attention! We left Sunday morning.
Once we got home Hayden and I took a long nap and Joey messed with some electrical work. We had a great weekend! It was great to just hang out and catch up. Can't wait to do it again once the ice is good enough for the guys to go ice fishing! Joey started his class last night so back to the grind for him. I am having Bunko here Thursday night so I will be planning for that.

On The Road Again

Just can't wait to get on the road again! Ha Ha my dad used to always sing that when we were headed out on a trip.
Well we are packing up again and heading out tonight when Joey gets home from work. We are going to Nevada to spend the weekend with our friends Sara, Jeremie, Delaney, and Livy Knutson. Sara and I have been friends since 6th grade! Joey and Jeremie are headed out early tomorrow morning to go fishing and the girls and Hayden are going to hang out. Looking forward to a relaxing weekend with old friends!!
Yesterday I finally got the Christmas stuff organized and put away and got the house put back in pre Christmas order. What I could remember of it anyway. How can I forget in a month where things go that I stare at for 11 months??!!! I caught up on laundry and started cleaning out Haydens closet and putting things away that are getting to small. Hayden can now finally enjoy his exersaucer. His feet both touch the bottom so it is more comfortable for him. When I put him in it he smiles and laughs and thinks he is the biggest boy! We also watched some of a DVD and listened to some music that Aunt Jen and family gave Hayden for Christmas. He LOVES music.
Speaking of music I have been downloading music and podcasts for my new ipod. Joey and Hayden got it for me for Christmas. I am obsessed. Music is one thing, but the podcast thing is great. You can download Bible in a year, home improvement, news shows. I didn't quite get all of the ipod hype but once Joey got his and I listened to it I was hooked.
Unfortunately my family lost an old friend last week. Bill Heller passed away at home after a battle with cancer. Joey, Hayden and I went to the funeral home on Wednesday night to visit Donna. Hayden was full of smiles and laughs which brought a lot of smiles and laughs to the room. I am so thankful that Hayden and I were able to see Bill and Donna a few weeks ago. Death always makes me ponder life. Time on earth can be short or long. Makes me evaluate the quality of life I live. How much time do I spend being grumpy, taking for granted friends and family, being preoccupied with things that don't really matter in the long run?
Sounds like some great ideas for my New Years resolutions. Spend more time with those that matter to us, focus more on the positive than the negative, mend strained relationships, and enjoy life!!!!!
Oh and get the house organized!!!!!! Hmmmm wonder if that will ever happen!

Munich

Munich. I never got around to posting the rest of the pics from our trip to Europe. Munich was one of our favorite cities in Germany. We toured Dachau concentration camp outside of Munich. That was indescribable. It is unthinkable that humans can treat other humans in that fashion. It was truly eye opening to see the barracks, cremation chambers, and "work" that they had the prisoners perform. I still get sick chills thinking about it. It is an experience that has forever changed me.


From there we checked into our hotel, and got ready to explore. I must mention that Hayden still was not feeling well, and went through a lot of diapers, but was a trooper and loved sitting in the stroller taking in the sights.
After we get freshened up, Ingrid and Andrew went to the Olympic grounds, and we took the subway downtown to do some exploring. Joey is a huge fan of public transportation and took every chance we got in Europe to travel that way. Luckily there were a lot of options for him.
We wondered around, drank coffee at an outside cafe, and met up with Ingrid and Andrew to have dinner at the place that I most wanted to experience. The Hofbrahaus. It was so busy, and tons of fun. There was live music. Hayden slept in his stroller for the first half despite the packed quarters, loud music, and even louder singing. We shared a booth with some people from Italy. The booth next to us was packed with older Bavarian men that meet there the first Saturday of every year. They were having a great time and were quite taken with Hayden once he woke up. One of the gentlemen came up to me and said' "Bavarian boy or English boy"? I said "American", and he said' "No, no, no, he is Bavarian boy." I am guessing that was a compliment. After dancing to the live music, eating a pretzel 1/2 the size of Hayden, talking to our new Italian and Bavarian friends, and drinking the biggest mug of beer I have ever had, it was time to go back to the hotel.
It was truly one of the highlights of our trip. Talk about a melting pot. Europe is amazing with all of the cultures, and people from different cultures. Fun, fun, fun. I could of stayed for a week talking to different people. Maybe except the man from Texas who told me Joey had to be crazy to think he was the father of Hayden, because he looked nothing like Joey. :)

The next morning we headed out early, grabbed a coffee at a McCafe (a Starbucks meets McDonalds kind of thing, which we are actually getting here now), we walked back to the subway station to head to the Dutches museum downtown. It is one of the largest Science and Industry museums in the world with over 100,000 exhibits. It took us a whole day to wonder through ( we still prefer the Smithsonian).

Look at That Form

10 and 2 Grandpa Raleigh would be proud!

Hayden Helped Drive

We stopped in Dubuque on the way back and Hayden sat up
front with Daddy to stretch his legs. Daddy took tons of pics
while I was in the gas station. Hayden now follows the camera
and hams it up when he sees it! How funny!

Getting Settled back In

We arrived back at home Monday at 4. We unpacked and then crashed.
Yesterday I caught up on some sleep and Joey made a run to the dump and then got groceries. I started to do laundry and get some of the Christmas thing put away. Talked to my Mom. they are getting all settled in and are enjoying the warmer weather. My sister is starting to apply for Jobs in Germany.
Today is Joey's first day back to work. Nice to go back to a short week. Hayden and I hung out today and got some more laundry rounded up and more Christmas things put away. I hope to finish when Joey gets home. Hayden has a Dr. appointment today because his foreskin keeps adhering. So he has to get it pulled back. OUCH. I decided to let Joey take him because I hate to hear that scream of pain! Hopefully this will be the last time!!!!!!! Poor guy!
For those of you that are interested I talked my sister into starting a blog. I have included the link to her blog on the side of mine under Hayden's picture. Enjoy