Believe It or Not!

I was holding Zander today, thinking about whether or not he would get teeth around the same time that Zoey did (3 months, 3 weeks old). So just out of curiosity I looked inside his mouth and OMG--there they were. Two little teeth buds coming out. So at 13 weeks, Zander has his first two teeth.

"I am so proud of myself!"

Zander is 3 Months Old Today!

Zander has been such a good baby so far! He is easy going and smiles all the time. We haven't heard him actually laugh or giggle yet--but he coos and gurgles all the time. I can't believe how much he is growing. Above is one of Zander's 3 month portraits.

Below, Zander is wearing one of my favorite outfits. (FYI--Zoey didn't fit into this outfit until she was about 6 months old--Crazy!)

This last weekend was MEA Break so Tyler and I took the kids up to Grand Forks to see Grandpa. (Grandma was down in Florida.) Grandpa was very excited to take Zoey to Sherwood Park in East Grand Forks. Zoey was very impressed and enjoyed climbing around the castle and all the other things around the park.

Tyler and I are Godparents to our friends Roz's and Kevin's little girl, Hazel. Hazel was baptized this past weekend up near Grand Forks. It was a very nice day. Zander was enthralled with Hazel--I think they will be great friends!

Here is Zander before we got back into the car for the long trip home on Sunday. He was such a good traveler.

Here is yet another picture of my two guys sleeping. No matter how often it happens I always think it is cute enough to take a picture of it.

It's Pumpkin Pickin' Time Again

Zoey has been waiting for this all week long. She talked about it everyday to me. Zander could really care less, but look at his face when I told him that we were all going to the Pumpkin Patch today.

"Oh my goodness, The Pumpkin Patch! I am so excited!"

This year we decided to travel toward Hastings and visit McDougall's Apple Junction. We were blessed with an absolutely GORGEOUS day and picked an orchard that wasn't too overly crowded. In fact I would say that it was a perfect outing.

Here are some of the highlights of our day:

Zander's very first tractor ride out to the pumpkin patch.

Zoey driving the truck at the play land.

Zoey finding the answers to our Apple Quiz in the kiddie corn maze.

Zoey searching for more mailboxes.

Zoey is 3ft tall this fall!

A valid attempt at a picture of my two pumpkins.

Zoey in the mums.

"Seriously?"

"Much better!"

And of course we picked out two pumpkins to take home with us.

Zander is Baptized

Zander's big day was on Sunday. He was baptized at St. Mark's Lutheran Church in North St. Paul. It was a very nice service with lots of family and friends in attendance. I was fairly impressed that the service went so smoothly, seeing that among our family there were 6 kids ages 4 or under. There was barely a disturbance--just the normal kid stuff. For example, I gave Zoey her new monkey purse during the sermon to occupy her for a few minutes--forgetting that she would make monkey noises when she saw it. Oh well!

Uncle Robby gets Zander to smile a bit and lets him play with his cousin, Kylie.

"Taste and see that the Lord is good;

blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him."

Psalms 34:8

We wanted Zoey to come up to the baptismal fountain with us when Zander got baptized. She was very interested in what was going on. She has also had her eye on the fountain every time we go to church. So she went up and immediately put her hand in the water--then proceeded to lick her hand. Uncle Robby got a picture of her "drinking the water."

Above: The godparents--Kevin and Roz and their daughter Hazel.

Nana and Poppa

Grandma and Grandpa

After the service everyone came to our house for lunch. It was so nice to see everyone! Some people even got to see the new house for the first time. Above is Zander during his gift opening. Thank you for all the wonderful gifts he received.

Couldn't resist the picture of Hazel modeling one of Zoey's many hats.

A family shot
Uncle Eric and Aunt Tammy

Daddy and Zander chilling out after everyone had left.

Which one is Zander?

Picture #1

Picture # 2

I can barely tell. . .good luck!

Zander is 2 months old!

Holy Cow! I can't believe that he is already 2 months--it goes by so fast! Zander had his 2 month wellness check today and good news. . . he is doing well. (As if anyone was worried.) Here are the stats:
Weight: 12 lbs. 13 oz.
Length: 23 1/4"
Head Circumference: 41cm.

All of these land around the 75th percentile. He really is Alexander the Great!

He is getting baptized this weekend so we will have a full house of family and friends. We can't wait to see everyone.

Feeling Better

Here is Zoey last Sunday showing off her badges of bravery. She donned all 13 stickers, her admittance braclet, her daffy duck band-aid, AND the pink bracelet that I forgot she received.

Unfortunately by Monday her fever had returned and spiked up to 104 degrees in the afternoon. So I stayed home with her and we sat on the couch and vegged a ton.
Tyler stayed home with her on Tuesday and she seemed to be doing better.

Today at work I was talking to some friends about Zoey and how I just couldn't figure out what was wrong (and neither could the doctors really). And as we talked it came out that she may be cutting her two year molars--which could explain a lot. For example--it may be why she has literally chewed through three pacifiers over the weekend. It may be why she tells us her ears hurt. It may explain the nightwakings--last night at 2 am she woke up and wanted a massage. (Little punk! I don't do massage at 2am!) It could also explain a little of the fever and the overall grumpiness and why every little thing sets her off. The only thing I can't get her to admit though is that her teeth hurt. Hmmm. . . I do believe that she had a virus also over the weekend--because of the high temperatures--but the teething thing helps me understand a lot of other things.

Here is the big 8 week old. Still smiling--just never for a camera. He has learned how to smack his lips and likes to stick out his tongue. He is taking his bottles better now and even had one night where he slept from 9pm to 4 am. And although we haven't been able to duplicate that night--there is a glimmer of hope.

Here are my two sweeties. I hope that Zander enjoys being the little brother as much as Zoey likes being a big sister!

Zander's first overnight at Nana and Poppa's house.

To give Zoey and Mommy and Daddy a bit of a break after a grueling day going to urgent care and Childrens ER. We got to babysit Zander!
It was a cold morning so we bundled up.
This is how Nana looks with very little sleep.
We found time for the first horsey ride -- it's tradition!

We were very happy to hear Zoey was starting to recover. Zoey you were very, very brave! We love you sooo much!

Here's Zander in the morning after keeping Nana up most of the night with one and two oz feedings. Papa held him from 6-8 a.m. to keep him quiet so Nana could get a little sleep.

Very Very Very Brave!

This morning when I went to wake up Zoey, she wasn't herself. She woke up crying about her tummy hurting and wouldn't stop. She felt a little warm. Of course I was conflicted, because Zoey sometimes just wakes up a little crabby and then after a while is just fine. Today was the day we were suppose to go down to Rochester for the birthday parties. But I soon figured out that we would not be partying today. Zoey just kept persisting that she hurt and her temperature seemed high--so I took her to Urgent Care. Since I didn't really know what was hurting her, I wasn't sure what to tell the doctor. She was definitely sick, though. Her ears were fine, but her tummy was very hard. So she went for X-rays and we worked off the diagnosis that she was just a bit constipated. So she had an enema--poor baby. She was so good. The nurses told her exactly what was going to happen and Zoey would just whimper, "Ok." Then they needed a urine sample, so they tried the catheter. It was now that we realized that she was dehydrated--they couldn't even get a sample. So the doctor and nurses observed her for awhile after the enema and sent us home with these instructions: If she isn't back to her old self and playing by 3 or 4 pm take her to the emergency room.

So I took her home and napped with her in her bed--she was very hot and sleepy. She didn't want to do anything. When she woke up she was still in a lot of pain. Nana came over to take care of Zander while Tyler and I took Zoey to Children's Hospital. At the ER, everyone who looked at her could tell that she was sick--but really no one really new why. Her temperature was now 102 degrees. But other than the pain, she didn't have any other symptoms. So she had another x-ray, another urine test, and some blood tests taken AND was hooked up to an IV. By the end of our evening, the doctor said that Zoey has really puzzled him, but he is going to say that she has a virus (flu like) because she did finally vomit at the end.

In the car, on the way home, Zoey started to gain a little of her spirit back. She started to tell Tyler and I about her experience in the hospital. "I saw doctor. I very, very, very brave. There lots of people there." Then when Tyler and I stopped at the drive through for a late night dinner she wanted to order chicken nuggets--so I think we are on the road to recovery.

13 Stickers and a lolli-pop later, we are home now keeping a close eye on her. Zoey and I have spent 10 hours at the hospital and we are all tired. Nana and Poppa took Zander for the night so that Tyler, Zoey, and I can all get a good night's rest. THANK YOU!!!