Little Koen

Smiles

2011-02-12T19:03:00.000-08:00

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"My mommy is fly, yo!"

"I'm trying to be positive about the fact that you're forcing me to wear a hat."

"How you doin'?"

"My church duds. Another Aunt Shirley special!"

Ride 'em cowboy!

Now, now, Koen, it's not OK to be making fun of other babies behind their backs.

"That's right, ladies. I'm single and available."

"Dad, did you see that offensive lineman blocking downfield? Boom!!"

"Grandpa Rules!"

[see above bib for caption]

Uh, excuse me, sir, but there's a whale on your shirt.

Interesting Tid-Bits About Koen at 11 weeks old

2011-02-08T09:18:00.000-08:00

Mummy checking in...

Koen is just about 2.5 months old now. He gave us his first smile at 3 weeks old! No we don't think he's a genius. But this has led us to disbelieve that he was born early. We are convinced he was on time because he's been meeting milestones on time and early in several cases.

What he loves:
"I Love You" talk
"Nose" pointing
Getting his diaper changed
His sunshine and moonshine toy
Boobies
His friend the house plant
The bright swag lamps
Riding in mommy's Moby
Being held and snuggled
And new faces, of course

What he hates:
The car seat
Car time in general
Naps
Baths in the sink
Spitting up through his nose :(
Being away from mommy for too long

The Adventures of Koen, weeks 4 - 7.

2011-01-15T14:59:00.000-08:00

Grandma Rutherford helped out for a few days after Christmas, allowing us to catch up on some Valuable sleep.

Gradually, Little Bear is coming to accept the number 2 role.

"Auntie Ceri" visited from Minnesota.

"Auntie Allison"

"Uncle Steve"

"Wow--mommy has eyes!"

"Grandma Iris", the office assistant at PACS, finally gets to meet the little guy she's been so anxious to see.

Storytime before bed.

"Someone stop that woman--she's got my binky!"

"Blessings on every one of you!"

Baby's first train trip--heading to Auburn to see Grandma & Grandpa Rutherford.

Grandpa Rutherford.

"Auntie Sharon"

"Uncle Marvin"

Bathtime is fun!

Christmas with the Vistaunet Family

2011-01-05T21:39:00.000-08:00

Koen enjoys a few minutes with Flopsy, the pillow dog.

Grandma Cassie

Grandpa Steve

"What are some other funny noises I can think up to scare my rookie parents?"

At peace with momma.

Auntie Charmian also has baby-whisperer skills.

First Koen Blog

2010-12-25T18:37:00.000-08:00

Obviously I'm quite sleepy these days. But the little man is worth it all.

I put this blog page together a couple weeks ago but Koen's had us so busy I haven't had time to post. Thankfully this holiday is getting us a chance to catch up a little. Liesl and I will try to post a couple times a week and include lots more pictures.

So for a quick catchup. Labor was long. We didn't have a baby until 48 hours after the water broke--we had a VERY patient doctor who knew we wanted to avoid the C-section if at all possible--and he got us there. Koen was well worth the wait.

We are still trying to pick up hints on his personality, but curiosity a certainty. Immediately after he was born, he opened his eyes. We could tell he was tired--he could barely hold them open, but managed to do so for an hour and a half after the birth! The first thing he did as they handed him to us was to lock in on our faces--his eyes went back and forth between Liesl and I several times--I like to think he was making the connection between these voices he'd been hearing and the faces he could now attach them too!

He was born at 10 p.m. on 11/27 (Saturday night). 6 lbs, 11 oz's, 19 inches long.

Koen did lose a little weight at first--not to an alarming level, but enough to where we begrudgingly had to start supplementing a bit, in addition to the breastfeeding. Since that time we've been able slowly increase to more and more breastmilk/less formula, but are still supplementing at this point. We still hold out hope that we can fully eliminate the supplementing at some point, but for now, we do what we need to do to keep the little guy nourished.

Koen is a good boy. He seems to have a LOT of gas, which makes him uncomfortable quite a bit, but he doesn't cry a lot--he fusses and squirms, but tries very hard not to be too big an inconvenience to his parents. Must be that Norwegian Lutheran heritage! :)

Regardless, we do have rough nights were we get very little sleep and Liesl really struggles to be able to get much done during the day because of the constant attention he requires when he's gassy. But we're thankful he doesn't have serious colic, at this point--no hours on end of screaming like some babies we've heard about. So far. We'll see where things go over the next few weeks.

We are exceptionally thankful for the little guy--his curious blue eyes and all the wild facial expressions he entertains us with. God blessed us with a healthy, happy baby, and this Christmas we feel very blessed.

We are also thankful for the friends and family who have stepped in and made us meals, and provided other help to allow us to get a few things done and get some sleep.

Managing a newborn definitely takes a village and I don't know how we'd have gotten by without all the help.