Warm/Cold Week

Hayden Likes to relax in his stroller and kick his feet up!

LOVE those little feet!!!!!!

What the heck! How does it go from Hot and 80 to cold dreary and 50's?

Tuesday we met Jo at her school and she snapped 100 + pictures of Hayden. She is the photography and yearbook teacher at Xavier. Hayden was pretty somber for the event but we managed to get quite a few good shots. Now comes the task of picking out the ones I like.

Joey came home a few hours early on Tuesday because it was so nice out. We went on a walk on the Sac & Fox Trail. We had a great time. It was perfect weather. We saw deer, a bald eagle, and a snake. Joey was impressed!

Today we met Jo to pick up the proofs of the pics she took. It is soo nasty and dreary. We had a concrete contractor come out and give us an estimate on our front steps. They are literally crumbling under our feet! They are the old slate steps and we are assuming original to the house. Unfortunately we will have to replace them with plain concrete because the cost is tremendous for the concrete let alone decorative steps! Joy Joy!

Saturday we are going to clean out the upstairs and get organized for a garage sale. Looking forward to getting some major spring cleaning done! Saturday night I am going out to eat with a group of friends. I am looking forward to a girls night.

My Mom called today to let me know my Aunt's cancer came back in full force. They are in California now and are planing on heading back to Iowa. They have to drive back to Arizona, get everything picked out for the addition, close their place up, and head back. They are adding on to their place so they need to get the materials picked out for the builder so he can complete the addition while they are back in Iowa.

Awesome Weather

The weather has been awesome all weekend. It was 83 yesterday and in the 80's again today.
Friday Bev came down to watch Hayden. I went to get my hair cut and colored. I actually dyed it dark brown!!! I am getting to the point where I am tired of getting it highlighted so wanted to get it close to my natural color. My cousin Nathan called right before I walked into the salon and was at a standstill on his cases and was wanting to come over and bring coffee for me and to see Hayden. We decided to meet at a coffee shop since I had the day to myself. We had a great time and chatted for almost 2 hours. We always have a lot to talk about even thought we couldn't be more different politically!!!! He actually can hold a civil conversation compared to most of those crazy democrats! :)

Then I ran some errands and came home. It was great and I really appreciate the time Bev took out of her day to come and hang out with Hayden!!! What a blessing
Saturday we went to Waterloo to eat at my favorite restaurant, Brown Bottle, and to a hockey game with Sara and Phil. It was a great time. Sara just had a large tumor removed from her arm and found out it was not cancerous so at the surgeons suggestion we went out to celebrate. Hayden had a fun filled evening with Grandma & Grandpa Paricka and uncle John.

Yesterday we went on a walk and visited 2 parks. Hayden loved to be out and about. We were disappointed that the parks by our home do not have children size swings but Hayden loved to swing with us. I loved to see his little chubby legs in shorts. Then we met up with TeresaAnn for a chat.

Today Hayden and I went to the Sac&Fox trail with out neighbors for a short 4 1/2 mile walk. Kathleen said she doubted her kids would last long on their bikes but they did. It was such a nice day and the trail is absolutely BEAUTIFUL!!! It follows a stream. Hayden and I sat on a bench so he could eat and they went ahead and it was so quite and peaceful. We even saw 7 deer running in the field. Hayden loved all of the new sights and the new noises. We had a heck of a time getting back because the kids on the bike pooped out. They have 4 children. So Thomas stayed with his bike and Kathleen and I had to take turns pushing her double stroller with 3 kids smashed in it with a bike hanging off the basket in the back. It was a great time and great to get out of the house. We hope to do more with the Bean family now that the weather is nicer. Kathleen and I set a goal to go walking at least once a week.

Hayden and I picked up a few groceries and is now passed out in his crib! He had a long eventful day. Tonight we have Kindermusik and tomorrow a friend of ours is taking some pictures of Hayden.

Praying For Poop

Now that I have you attention!!! Seriously we have been praying for poop the last 5 days. Hayden has still been cranky and not feeling well. His second top front tooth is starting to poke through and he hasn't pooped for 5 days. That certainly would make me cranky. We tried prunes, massaging, stretching, nothing worked! Joey and I gave Hayden 1/2 teaspoon of Milk of Magnesia Tuesday night and another 1/2 teaspoon Wednesday morning. Well yesterday Joey and I changed 7 diapers full. No wonder he isn't feeling well. Yikes!!!!! So he is in a little better mood today minus the sore bum.

Sunday we went to the library. We ventured upstairs to the children's part of the library and WOW. What a selection. I checked out a few cd's and Joey and Hayden picked out a few books on bugs, trucks, and stars. They had at least 1,000 board books alone. How fun. We can't wait to take Hayden to story time and all of the other activities they offer. We are hoping Hayden will enjoy the library as much as his parents do.

Monday we had Kindermusik. Hayden loves it!!! He has already taken a liking to a couple of boys. He loves the music and being with all the kids! It is fun.

Yesterday Hayden and I met TeresaAnn for coffee and hung out. We had some pretty heavy rainstorms so we came home and hunkered down for the afternoon. I was curious to see how Hayden would handle the thunder and he did well. Last night he slept through a few claps that startled Joey and me from a deep sleep!

We went bowling last night wit a few coworkers of Joey's. Joey planned and organized a bowling outing with his lab and families. It was a fun time.

Hayden is becoming more animated and verbal through his body language. He now puts his hands straight up when he wants picked up. He also dances to music. Whenever I clap my hands to music he sits and bounces up and down. It is funny! He has been doing well eating. It actually varies from day to day. Some days he eats solids like a champ and others he is not interested. The time of day also varies. Sometimes he eats cereal in the morning. Others not. Sometimes he cries for solids for lunch other days not. At least as I have gotten older I have learned to become more flexible. Isn't that one of the main qualities you need to possess to be a parent? Oh yeah and patience!

Tomorrow Bev is coming down to hang out with Hayden while I get my hair cut and get a little shopping in. She was down last week but I felt crappy so I took a nap while she was here. Which was a nice break as well. Definitely looking forward to running some errands by myself and a little alone time. I think Hayden is looking forward to hanging out with someone else besides me for while. ;)

Have a great rest of the week and weekend everyone. Chances of rain through the weekend but the temps are rising. Up in the 60's by the weekend. It is sunny and in the upper 50's now. Beautiful day and we are all definitely ready for Spring!

Grandma's 93rd Birthday

Today we helped celebrate Augusta's 93rd Birthday in Cedar Falls. We also celebrated Charlie's 8th Birthday. It was a great time. Everyone was decked out in their green for St. Patrick's Day. I played a few hands of Skip Bo. It was nice to see my step siblings and catch up. Ingrid called during the party and was able to wish Grandma a Happy Birthday. The kids had a great time playing inside and outside. They all seem to be growing so fast. I was able to pick my step-sisters brains for some feeding advice for Hayden. He seems to be liking formula less and less and liking solids more and more. Ok when I say solids I mean really really thin food.
After the party we met Joey's parents at Sams and picked up some formula there. Then Joey and his dad went back to the house with Hayden and Bev and I went to Wal-Mart to pick up a few things.
Joey and his brother and a friend played Nintendo Wii. We hung out and Hayden had a great time playing with Grandma and Grandpa.
As usual we came home with a carload. Hayden got some great puzzles from August, Charlie, and Ellie. He also got a few other things from their recent basement clean out! I was also able to get some Mary Kay things from Becky to get me ready for spring.
We had a great day. Above are some pictures for those who missed out on the fun.

Cranky baby!

Hayden has been working on his 3rd and now 4th tooth all week and he has not been a happy boy! Sunday night through Tuesday night neither of us had much sleep! So I guess you could say mommy has been a little cranky as well. His nose started running like crazy on Tuesday and he fussed all day so I took him to Dr. Nau just to check his ears. Fortunately he checked out ok and he slept through the night last night. I have my fingers crossed that he will do the same tonight.

It was an awesome start to the week weather wise. 70's Monday and Tuesday. Enough to melt ALL of the snow. Wednesday it cooled down to the 60's and today the 40's where it is supposed to remain the rest of the week. Wednesday Hayden and I met Bree and Shawna for lunch. Today we went to the mall which he enjoyed.

Bev is coming down tomorrow to hang out with Hayden and I am going to meet a friend for lunch and then shop for a few spring clothes. Can't quite get into many of my capris anymore :(

Hayden ate his first solid food today without vomiting. Every time in the past when he has tried he swallowed it right away and then gaged and threw up his supper. Today I got smart and put him in his highchair before supper and let him try the puffs. He actually chewed it for a few seconds and then sucked on it and then swallowed. It think the only reason he chewed on it was because he is getting his top teeth and it felt good. We are hoping to get out the mesh feeder this weekend and try that and mix in some other solids in slowly.

Fun Weekend and Another Tooth!!!!

What a beautiful day today. It is Noon and already 63. Th sun is shining and it is just a nice day.
We had a great weekend in Ames/ Des Moines. I don't have any pictures to share. The weekend flew by before I even thought about it!

Friday we drove to Ames after Joey got off work and unloaded quick and went to Omally McGees for a great mexican dinner. We used to hang out there every time we went to Ames years ago and was great to go back and check it out. Then it was back to Johnny's place to get Hayden settled in for the night. Johnny was kind enough to let us stay in his room so it worked out well. Then we watched part of Superman Returns before we all decided it was time for us to go to bed as well. Hayden did ok. He has been not feeling the best lately so considering he did well.

Saturday we tried out Johnny's new Paula Dean toaster egg cooker thing. It was soooo good. I have seen the thing advertised but never thought I would enjoy it as much as I did. It makes the perfect egg and bagel sandwiches. Then we slowly got ready for the day. Johnny went to work for an hour to finish up a project and Joey and I discovered why Hayden hadn't been feeling well. He is getting his top tooth. Booo Hoooo he is growing up!!!!!

Once we were all ready we went to Des Moines to hit Babies R Us for me and the Guitar Center for Johnny. Hayden and I waited in the car while they were at the guitar center because they were jut going in quick to buy a guitar stand. Well 20 minutes latter Joey wandered out to get Hayden and me because Johnny decided he needed another guitar. Hayden had tons of fun banging on the drum sets. He is an extremely gifted bongo player :) So an hour later and new guitar in tow we headed over to the Shroyer home.

We chatted for a few minutes before Kelli and I made our escape without children to do some shopping. We figured Kaylee, Evan, and Hayden needed some guy time. So Kelli and I ran to Von Maur at Valley west and to Jordan Creek. It was nice to be out and look at the stores. Kelli had been home with the kids since January because Matt has been in training for the National Guard in Mississippi (he just got home on Thursday). So she definitely was ready to get out of the house minus children. Once we looked at all the stores we wanted to we decided to head over to PF Changs early and grab a drink. Soon after the guys and kids arrived and so did Joey's sister Jen and family. Faith drew Hayden some pictures. They were so cute. Dinner went well and it was just as yummy as we remembered. The kids all did great considering we had reservations at 7 because they were booked earlier so it was past all of their bedtimes by the time we were done. It was a great time and good to be with out friend and family. When we left PF Changs we ran over to Cheesecake Factory to get a piece of Cheesecake to go and my favorite coffee drink. Then it was back to Ames.

Sunday Johnny and Joey went over to Johnny's work to play with the guitars. Johnny started a band with some people from his work so they practice there. Hayden took a nap and I picked up and washed our sheets and towels. Then we went to look a few condos that Johnny is interested in. He wanted out input so we were happy to give it to him. We all really loved one and Johnny is putting a bid on it tomorrow. We are so excited for him. Joe is also excited because it is by a lake so they can go fishing. Then we grabbed a quick bit to eat and headed back to CR. We got home at 9 and Joey finished some homework, Hayden went to sleep and I unpacked. Looking forward to a few nice days here in the 60's!!!!!!

Productive Weekend

It was a great weekend. The sun was shining and it is starting to warm up. Saturday we ran errands. We cleaned out and minimized out kitchen cupboards. We also did some rearranging. Then we cleaned out and totally reduced my sock drawer. I also freed up one whole drawer by throwing all of my pantyhose away. I can't even remember the last time I wore them. Why I need one whole drawer devoted to them is beyond me.
Yesterday we cleaned out some closets and just hung out. The weekends seem to fly by.
Tonight we went to visit a Kindermusik class. It was fun. It took Joey and I a few songs to get comfortable but once we did we had a blast. We signed up for the next semester that starts March 19th. We are excited. Hayden absolutely loved it. The singing, dancing, and watching all of the other babies. The class is for newborn-18 months.
We are looking forward to our weekend in Ames and Des Moines. It has been postponed the past 2 weekends due to weather. We are looking forward to eating at P F Changs and meeting up with most of our Des Moines, Ames, and Nevada friends and Norwalk family.
Have a great week!

Punk Rock Baby

I admit it I did brush his hair like this last night after his bath. Joey took this picture of Hayden after his nap this morning. His doo lasted all day. It was funny. When we were running errands today Joey suggested that we buy Hayden some baby gel to tame his mane. I had to refresh Joey's memory that I intentionally brushed his hair like this. I figured since his hair is growing in a mohawk fashion we should embrace it!