Friday, September 30, 2011

online pictures

Hi - just a quick note about some online pictures of Wes! You may go to  www.bellababyphotography.com and view his hospital pictures. They are only available for about another week.

Choose "After September 1st" and then enter the following passcode: alarson0924Kasparbauer

Wesasaurus Rex

Hi!! Quick update on the newest love of our lives, Wes!

We left the hospital Monday at about 3:00 p.m. After stopping at Walgreen's to pick up some prescriptions, we made it back to Waukee right before 5:00 to eat dinner with Randy's parents. His dad had cooked chili per my request. I love fall food! Wes was up to eat every two hours that night. It is definitely exhausting for Mom and Dad to be up that many times, but I am so lucky that Wes is a fantastic eater. Both of my babies were wonderful eaters within the first hour of their lives, and it makes for quick, efficient mealtimes!

Tuesday night, Wednesday night, and Thursday night were the same with lots of ups and downs. He had a four-hour stretch on both Wednesday and Thursday night, though! Hopefully we will see plenty more of those longer stretches very soon. He is eating every 2 hours during the day for now.

On Wednesday, we took Wes to his first well-baby appointment. He was down about 10 oz. from his birth weight to 7 lbs 8 oz. (He weighed 8 lbs 2 oz. at birth). This seemed kind of alarming, but the doctor was convinced that he had just reached the nadir on his weight curve and would be right back up in no time. I will take him back for a weight check when he is 2 weeks old to see how he is doing then.

On Thursday, we had our first big outing: Sears! I wanted to get a cheap, quick newborn photo of Wes for the big frames in our foyer. He did great! He slept through most of the appointment, and was so squirmy for the rest of it that the photographer could barely keep up with him. We had lots of plans for errands that day, but ended up just grabbing Jimmy John's and a few things that Randy needed and headed home for naps.

Thanks for all of your kind words, everyone! We are so blessed. We are unbelievably tired and sometimes a little overwhelmed, but we know that these are moments we will cherish forever. I am still incredulous that we are a family of FOUR. It will certainly take some time to get used to saying that! A special thank-you to everyone who helped out with Quinn while we were in the hospital. We love you!
sleepy dinosaur man
  
First bath at home   

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

New beginnings...

When I am feeling a little better I will sit down to post about Wes's birth story. Please know that we are doing great and so in love with our little man already!

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Wordless Wednesday

Dear Baby...

Three in the morning, and I'm still awake
So I picked up a pen and a page
And I started writing just what I'd say
If we were face to face 
I'd tell you just what you mean to me
Tell you these simple truths...
Be strong in the Lord
And never give up hope
You're going to do great things
I already know
God's got His hand on You
So don't live life in fear
Forgive and forget
But don't forget why you're here
Take your time and pray
These are the words I would say...

~From Sidewalk Prophets' "The Words I Would Say"

Monday, September 19, 2011

18 month stats

We had Quinn's 18 month doctor's appointment this morning. She did great! She weighs almost 29 pounds (95th percentile on the growth curve), is 33" long (85th percentile), and her head is 19 1/2" in circumference (100th+ percentile...no surprise there!). She also got two shots.


Quinn doesn't have to go back to the doctor until she is two! We will see plenty of the pediatrician's office, though, with all of those well-baby visits for Baby #2.

showing off my cool jeans for fall!

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Fall craftiness

My mom and I had a very crafty day today! She came to visit us late this morning. We had lunch at home and then hit the fabric stores for supplies for a project I'd been wanting to make from Pinterest: fabric pumpkins for my foyer table. I am so proud of how they turned out! They were super easy and add a little bit of color for fall. I love how they are not perfect and are all a little bit different. :-)

Here is the original link for the tutorial: Fabric Pumpkins

Thursday, September 15, 2011

38 weeks

This past Monday I hit the 38-week pregnancy mark. I went to the doctor on Tuesday, and everything is fine. No real progression, but she was confident that there would be some next week! Let's hope so. I am beyond ready to meet this baby! I feel like this week's picture is REALLY unflattering - I think I am past the point of being photogenic. I don't feel like I look that bad in person. If I do, please don't tell me. :-) I was also too lazy to crop out the baby gate and ajar closet door. Or put on shoes, apparently.


P.S. I am loving the cooler temperatures!! Fall is by far my favorite time of year.

Sunday, September 11, 2011

18 months!

Sweet girl,

You are 18 months old! You continue to amaze your daddy and me every day. You have recently started to get into "babies," both real (like the one you give kisses to in your mommy's tummy) and the ones you snuggle with and to whom you give stroller rides. You are getting so independent: you can put your cups and bowls on the counter when you are done with snack, and you can even throw things away "all gone" in the garbage can. You are getting so good at listening: you will [usually] come when Mommy and Daddy ask you to brush teeth, change diaper, etc. You ask for a snack or drink when you are hungry or thirsty, and are getting better every day at letting Mommy and Daddy know what you want. In just the past few days, you have been asking for "pretties" (bows/clips) in your hair. This makes your momma almost swoon with delight! You are starting to let us know when you have gone to the bathroom, which might mean that we start potty training after the baby comes! I am still convinced that you are the world's best eater.

I get tears in my eyes when I think about how you are going to be a big sister in a matter of days/weeks. You are so sweet and loving and cuddly, and it is crazy to think that you are no longer my littlest baby. I am not sad that you are growing up, though; I look forward to all of our exciting adventures and challenges together. You are on a car trip with your daddy right now and I am missing you like crazy! Every day I look forward to lifting you out of your crib and having you wrap your sweet, sleepy self all around me and my belly.

Things are going to change around our house very soon. You will no longer be an only child; you'll have to share your parents' laps and attention, and I hope you will be ok with that. We are a little worried about the transition, but I am sure you will be fine. We promise to spend lots and lots of time with you and make sure everyday you feel loved.

examining Mardi Gras beads @ Waukeefest parade

"Whoa!"
Mouth full of pancakes. Typical! :-)

Saturday, September 10, 2011

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

productive weekend!

We had a VERY productive weekend. I was looking forward to having three consecutive days off to get lots of things organized. I have been more than a little stressed about our baby's impending arrival, so it was nice to check a few things off of my baby to-do list. Being, you know, 37+ weeks pregnant makes it hard to do some physical tasks, so it was nice (as always) to have Randy and my mom around this weekend.

Some things we got done...

Both kids' rooms painted! The nursery is now a beautiful sage green. My mom is making curtains to match the walls, and I am so excited. It is such a peaceful, soothing color and will look great with the dark furniture. Quinn's new room (our current guest room) is a soft bluish-gray. Randy got her furniture assembled (black, cottage style), and it is all looking great! I have picked up a few decorating pieces here and there for her room and will be excited to piece it all together while I am on maternity leave.

I got lots of things ordered: diapers, wipes, a DOUBLE stroller (!!!), a new Boppy cover (we have an upstairs and downstairs Boppy because it is something I cannot live without!), and some other stuff I can't remember. Needless to say, my Swagbucks account has been depleted, but for good cause! Does anyone else use Swagbucks? I am borderline obsessed.

Birth plan written/organized. When Quinn was born, we had way fewer things to take into consideration. I am hoping the flow of things we have in mind plays out as nicely as we hope.

Bags packed for all four of us. Such a good feeling to know that all I'll need to grab on baby day are toiletries.

I bought some new Fiestaware. If I need to host a dinner party for 10, I am good to go.

Most importantly, we got to hang out as a family of three for one of our last weekends. Thanks, Mom, for coming on Saturday to take Quinn and me shopping and let Randy work! Love you.

Quinn is getting more opinionated about what she wears. In the picture below is an example of an outfit she insisted on wearing. Onesie, short shorts, fleece peacoat, slippers, and the ubiquitous Nuk sippy cup. It was about 90 degrees that day, and her hairline was soaked with sweat, but she would NOT let anyone change her outfit.