Happy Valentine's Day

We arrived home from Wisconsin last night. We had to travel pretty slow on the way back because of the slick roads and blowing snow.

The trip went well. It was a sad time but it was also good to see family and the great turnout at the funeral home. It was neat to see all of the people that turned out to pay their respects. We were able to talk to some of Paul's good friends and hear stories. It was nice to hear funny stories and about Paul growing up.

Hayden fared well on the drive up. He slept terrible there, and by Tuesday was definitely ready to come home. He slept most of the way home and went to bed at 8 and slept the whole night through until 7. He usually wakes up once during the night to cry for his pacifier. He amazingly hopped right back on schedule today.

Our big Valentine's day consisted of Hy-Vee Chinese and rearranging our bedroom. Joey bought me a candle, Chinese food, and some wine. We have no groceries in our home. Hayden and I didn't make it to the store today because it is freezing. Highs in the single digits and negative windchils in the teens again. Hopefully it will get into the 20's for the weekend.

Our friends Matt, Stacy, and Emma are coming down from Rush City, MN to help Joey celebrate his 30th birthday on Saturday. We are looking forward to the visit!

Off to Wisconsin

Unfortunately this week Joey's uncle passed away during a heart transplant. We are headed up to Wisconsin today for the funeral on Monday.

6 Month Checkup

Hayden playing with one of his favorite toys still!

We had Hayden's 6 month checkup today. He is growing like a champ. 19 lbs. 27 3/4". His weight is in the 75% and his height is 90%. Dr Nau. said by the next visit he can be eating finger foods and we got the ok to feed him all fruits and vegies. I told him I needed to get a book because we have no clue what to feed him and start with solids. He said don't get a book because you will know. We will see....


Not much exciting this week. It has been freezing out and we got 3 inches of snow yesterday. Joey did homework all day Sunday so Hayden and I watched the Super Bowl. Hayden and I went to lunch with Shawna today at Panera and we came right home. Have to get a few things but will either do that when Joey gets home or he will do it on his way home.

Ok Seriously

I love this view of Hayden! His nose is smaller than his cheeks.


It is cold!!!!!! Wow. I just poked my head and hand out to check the mail and my hand is still stinging. It is -1 right now and with the wind chill it is -22. Tomorrow it is supposed to be 3 and Sunday and Monday the high is going to be -3. Ouch! They keep lowering the temp on Sunday and Monday.

Hayden and I are going to venture out today and meet a friend for lunch and pick up a few thing from Target. We managed to stay inside all week.

I accomplished a lot this week. Got Hayden's baby book up to date. Got some organizing done and lots of play time with Hayden. Hayden is eating like a champ. So far he likes peas, carrots, and sweet peas. He is not really liking cereal anymore. But manages to get a few bites down.

He is drooling like mad also! We go through about 5 bibs a day at least! The picture above shows how wet his clothes can get if he isn't wearing a bib for 5 minutes! We tried taking some pictures for Valentine's day but most of the pictures have big drool circles on his shirt.

Looking forward to a relaxing weekend.

Freezing!!!!

It is freezing out. Yesterday during the day we had a high of 2 when Joey left at 8:30 to get the newspaper and some ingredients I forgot to get to make Lasagna soup. At least Friday it was warm enough to melt most of the snow and ice off the roads and driveway.

Friday Hayden and I met my cousin Nathan in Czech village at Little Bohemian for lunch. Never been there before and it was yummy. You can get authentic Czech food and lots of sandwiches. We had a great time. It was good to see him and chat. He is in his last year of law school at Iowa and in working for an attorney in Cedar Rapids doing union law.

Then Hayden and I ran some errands. You know you are a mother when you are standing in Target reading Snuggle Puppy by Sandra Boynton and getting all teary eyed. Speaking of Sandra Boynton Kohls has 3 books and cd sets by her for $5. Each book has 14 plus stories all also sung on the cd. We love Sandra Boynton. Thanks to my stepsister Julie M. She got us hooked with her recommendation of Barnyard Dance.

Friday night we hung out at home. We went to the library Thursday night and I got a lot of books on parenting and baby play. So I have been reading every chance I get. It is funny how every book is sooooo different. I am much less overwhelmed now that Hayden is here reading these books because now I have a grasp on his personality and can pick and choose what things work for us. Before he came I had to stop reading the books because I got so confused.
Hayden rolled over from his back to his belly Friday. He was laying on the floor playing with daddy and this time it was to chase a toy.

Saturday Joey's dad and brother came down to visit. They went to check out a couple tackle shops and then came back to pick up Hayden and me for lunch. We tried 2 restaurants before we landed at Ryan's. It was crazy out!

They left after lunch and we hung out at home. Joey did homework and Hayden and I played. Then we watched Nacho Libre. Funny movie.

Hayden and I started baby yoga. It is fun! More for the fact of the interaction and bonding time we get. It is easier than I thought it would be. Hayden ate a full jar of carrots last night. We took a break from baby food for a week because he just wasn't digging it. So we tried again last night. He likes to explore the high chair and is more interested in that than eating but he is a lot better at it now then he was a week ago.

Yesterday we stayed in because it was toooooo cold to go out. I made Lasagna soup for a late lunch and that helped warm us up! Joey spent most of the day doing homework. I got a chance to get on the computer and find our old pictures on out backup disks. Mainly from 2002 when we first moved do Colorado. I will be putting them in albums like the ones I am sharing now. (There is a link on the right). I will let you know when I update it.

Staying inside

Monday Joey stayed home from work so he could take a full day of medication and rest his back. The medicine he is taking makes him very very sleepy!
Bev came down Monday to see Hayden. It was great for me. I went to the grocery store. I planed 6 or so meals and bought all of the ingredients. Then I can make less runs to the grocery store, and we have meals planned. The goal is to eat out less and have easy meals ready to make. Grocery shopping is not as easy now that Hayden is here. I went last week - had no room in the cart-lost the pack of diapers off the back of the cart- when I stopped to get the diapers all of the other groceries flew off the front of the cart in the mud. So I got home with a pack of muddy diapers and muddy groceries. A lot easier to do it by myself if I am getting a lot of groceries.

So I was glad Bev came down so I could get some grocery shopping done quickly. Then I went to Fareway to use up some of the gift card Bev and Joe gave us for Christmas to stock up on some meat.

When I got back home I put the groceries away, picked up, and started some laundry. It was great. Joey rested on the couch.

We got a package from Ingrid. It is always an exciting time to open a package from her. You never know what to expect. Hayden got some cute slippers for Valentine's day and Joey and I got some beer glasses and some steins. We also got a TON of chocolate from Amsterdam and Germany. Joey's favorite. He barely shared the last batch with me. Yummy!

Joey went to work on Tuesday and is feeling much better! Hayden and I hung out inside and played. He rolled over again. Yippee. Not just a one time thing. David, Matt and Stacy Bellows nephew, stopped by last night to drop off a Christmas gift that Stacy got for Hayden. He got some onesies and a cool wooden snake. Joey and I played with it last night more than Hayden. I am sure we will share eventually. We watched American Idol and the State of the Union Address. Hayden went to bed at 8. Joey and I planed on going to bed early. He read some of his homework and I read a magazine. How come I am tired in the morning and most of the day but when it comes time for bed I am wide awake? Drives me nuts.

Luckily Hayden slept today until 8:30 so I got plenty of rest. Today I am cleaning out the desk and finishing up some laundry. Joey has a lot of homework to catch up on tonight.

We Officially Have A Rollover

Ok after months of practice we officially have a rollover. Hayden rolled from his belly to his back. Not to reach a toy or because we were encouraging him to. Simply because he wanted to. Joey was laying on the floor by him and I was standing up so we both were there to witness the roll. There was lots of clapping and cheering. Not sure if he knew we were clapping and cheering because he rolled over but he loves when we clap and cheer for him so he remained on his back and basked in the cheers and smiled and smiled and smiled!

I have been organizing our pictures and putting them in albums on the computer. I put a link on the right side of my blog to some albums I have put online to share. I still have to go through old backup cd's to find more. Figured I would put some put there for people to see. We aren't always good at sharing pictures (even though I am better now since I started the blog). From the albums you can copy the pictures to your computer or order them to be printed. Pretty slick. Enjoy. More to come.

We had a good relaxing weekend. Friday Johnny Lomen came to town at about 7. We loaded up in the car and went to eat at Las Glorious. Our friend TeresaAnn met us there also. We had a great time. Lots and lots of laughs. Lots and lots of singing. Hayden did great. He sat with TeresaAnn most of the evening. When we were done eating we went to Hy-Vee to pick up a couple of things I forgot to get for supper on Saturday and then to Mr. Movies to get a few movies. One thing we can always count on is watching movies when Johnny comes to town. Joey and I rarely watch them so Johnny always comes with a few in his bag and a few to recommend. We watched Talladega nights (good movie), and sat around and talked.

Saturday we got up and made coffee and hung out. We were supposed to go to a membership class at our church but Joey hurt his back on Thursday night. Friday he could barely walk upright so he figured there was no way he could sit in a class all morning so we had to cancel. Johnny made us omelets for breakfast. He always likes to make us omelets at least once while he is here. And we are always happy to let him. Ham, Cheese, onions, mushrooms, yummy!!!! Then we all got showered and Joey and Lomen ran to the library and Hayden and I hung out at home. When the guys got back they went outside to get the remaining ice off the driveway and sidewalk before the new round of snow came.

Then we ate supper. Pork loin, wild rice, garlic green beans, romaine and broccoli salad. Yummy! It has been a long time since I cooked a meal with more than one side. It was also my first time cooking a pork loin and it was yummy! After we ate Joey started in on his homework and Lomen and I watched Little Miss Sunshine (great movie!!!) Hayden fell asleep rocking in the chair with Johnny so after the movie we put him to bed and Joey took a break from homework and we watched Lucky Number Sleven (excellent movie). Then it was on to another ritual we have. Late night bible study/ponder life's deep questions. This used to be done after midnight and I didn't know if we would still carry on this tradition since we now have a little bundle of joy that goes to sleep at 8 and gets up to eat at 6:30 and then sleeps to 8-9. Usually Joey is the first to nod off, then me. That stayed true this time. We stayed up until 2am discussing judging vs. holding others accountable for their actions, being envious of others, and life's purpose. It is always fun to talk about these issues with Joey and Johnny because everyone has such different life experiences and points of view but yet we all have the same basic principals and beliefs.

For those of those who know Johnny he just got back from visiting his whole family in Australia. He said that he came back with great peace knowing that America is where he should live so he has started applying for residency in America. A different choice than I think a lot of us would make. Imagine living in a different country with no blood relatives. Only good friends you have made along the way. I think most of us were sure Johnny would of moved back to Australia a few years back when he experienced a huge change in his personal life. He just said that he is so accustomed to life in American and all the benefits and privileges that he couldn't live anywhere else. He did say that once you leave and come back you realize how truly lucky we are to live here and how much we take for granted.

Sunday we woke up to 5 inches of snow. Joey went to the urgent care because his back still hurt a lot. The Dr. said that he strained his muscles and prescribed him some pills. I attempted to shovel. Did the back steps, front steps and walk, and about the first 9 feet of our driveway and then gave up and came back in. That was some heavy snow. Lomen left at 11 when the road conditions improved and Hayden, Joey, and I took a nap. Then we watched the Bears/Saints game and Joey finished up his homework.

It was a great weekend and can't believe it is over already. Talked to my Mom and the mountains In Arizona have snow and some places by them have frozen pipes! Strange that it is even frozen in the desert.

Not much planed for this week but something fun always pops up to keep me entertained and busy. Have a great week.

Long Day in Iowa City

Well we had a long day in Iowa City 9:45-4:00. Hayden's kidneys are doing well. No big change-better or worse. His Rt kidney still is enlarged and slow to drain. The good thing is that it is draining and the tissue is healthy. We go back in 6 months for the same tests. The specialist said that he will continue to monitor his kidney until it gets better or it gets worse. So we will do the tests every 6 months until Hayden is 2 and then maybe once a year after that. Less frequently as he gets older and can communicate i.e tell us if something hurts. If it gets worse then they will do some type of surgery to fix whatever is blocking the right kidney. Not a huge risky procedure but it is surgery nonetheless.

So looks like he will have to endure more tests. Poor guy. Luckily the center in Iowa City makes it as comfortable as they can for him. The ultrasound is quick and painless. He gets a little ticklish when they start rooting around on his lower back and gets pretty squirmy. Which makes it a challenge to ensure that he doesn't fall off of the small and narrow ultrasound table.

We came back to the office after the ultrasound and they scoped out Hayden's veins for the IV and then put a numbing cream on them. He had the cream on his hands and his feet. They had to wrap his hands in purple tape (boxing gloves) because he was sucking the plastic that they used to cover the cream. He sucked most of the cream out of the bandage anyway. His mouth had to of been numb the rest of the day. Then we had an hour to spare so we went to the cafeteria and had lunch and then wondered around. We found a library (imagine that) and a museum that displayed the history of the U of I Hospital. Pretty neat.

Then it was back to the office to get the IV. I was nervous but it went well. The numbing cream worked and they dipped his pacifier in sugar water to help. He didn't even flinch. Whew!!!!

We then went to the radiology department for the Renal Scan. They inject low grade nuclear radiation in him and then follow the track through the kidneys to monitor how it goes in and out. It is amazing to see it on the screen. They take pictures every 15 seconds. Then they give him a medicine half way through to make him urinate a lot! The tough part is he is velcroed onto this board for 45 minutes and we have to restrain him or keep his movements to a minimum. He did good until about 5 minutes left and then he just got tired of laying there and screamed for 1 minute. Then slept for one minute and then looked around for the remaining 3. After the test is over Joey and I had a back ache from bending over and all 3 of us were sweaty. The radiologists said that they wish all of their patients were as good as Hayden because sometimes they have to break out the earplugs to muffle the screaming. We will see how he does at one year. What child would like to be restrained for 45 minutes? Then they let him loose and we have to change his diaper and put it in a special container. Because it is radioactive they have to let it sit there for 4 days. Strange. Then is is back under the machine for 2 minutes for more measurements. They ensure us that the radioactivity is minimal. Joey tries to explain it to me but I get lost. So if you have questions about nuclear radiation feel free to contact Joey.

Then back to meet with Dr. Austin and get the IV removed ( he had enough by then and screamed at the nurse). He was asleep before we even got out of the office.

Today we met my friends TeresaAnn and Shawna at Mr. Beans for lunch and then ran to get groceries. Our friend Johnny is coming to hang out for the weekend. Looking forward to seeing him because he just got back from visiting his family in Australia. He was gone for 2 months so we have a lot to catch up on.