Aug '11

Garden produce- first big pick of cucumbers

The second Sunday after Anna was born, Jordan, Joy, TImothy, Arie, and Lydia came to meet Anna.
Aunt Joy, Lydia, and Arie meeting Anna

Jameson and Timothy had fun climbing one of the trees in our front yard.

Alice busy 'working'.

Jameson giving Anna her first bottle (practice for her baby shower the next day).

My friend Cindy threw a baby shower to celebrate Anna's new life. She is a great host and the decorating, food, and fellowship with good friends and family made it a special afternoon.

While guests were arriving at the shower everyone made flower hair clips for Alice and Anna.

Family photo.

Sweet Sisters!

More garden produce- the first big pick of (roma and large) tomatoes.


Since Anna was born she has slept much better in her car seat than she did laying flat in her bed. We decided to let her sleep in there if it meant mommy could get some sleep during the night (and some things done during the day). Then I started having her sleep in there during naps, when possible. Now I start the night having her sleep in her crib but if she wakes up before feeding time and can't get back to sleep I still put her car seat and then she sleeps great (and I can too)!

Aug.20/21 my cousin Elizabeth and her boyfriends Ryan were going to be 'home' (in the QC) for their birthdays so we made a trip back that weekend as well. We came Friday night and stayed thru Sunday afternoon. Usually we head home Saturday night so we can be back to our church on Sunday morning. It was nice to have a little longer visit this time and we got to go to the Moline OPC church and hear Pastor Ken Golden preach, which we really enjoyed. Saturday night we had a get together with my relatives for Elizabeth and Ryan's birthday. The weather was BEAUTIFUL so we spent the evening outside.
Alice playing with side walk chalk w/ my Aunt Carol.

Anna w/ Elizabeth and Great-Grandma Granger.

Alice trying to get in on a game of Bags.

Alice and Anna w/ Grandma and Grandpa Teeselink.

Alice still loves Anna just as much as the day she was born... or more. She is a GREAT big sister, eager to help mommy by getting Anna's burp rag (which Alice refers to as 'burp'), pacifier ('ba ba'), diaper, wipes, etc. She likes to have Anna close by and almost always stops what she's doing when Anna wakes up from a nap and comes with me to get her. She loves to give her hugs and kisses and asks to have Anna sit by her by sitting down, patting the floor next to her and saying Anna. Alice still gets super excited around Anna at times and needs constant reminding to be careful around Anna so she doesn't hurt her.
Anna seems to love her big sister and gives her great smiles. She is patient with Alice's close hello's, hugs, and kisses (Alice doesn't seem to think Anna needs much, if any, personal space). I'm excited to see the girls become great friends in upcoming years.
Sisterly Love

Smiling for the camera.

Alice playing with a new toy- a magnet puzzle that my mom's good friend Judy sent her along w/ a baby gift for Anna. She loved this new puzzle and quickly mastered it and learned her sea animals. Previously she's done puzzles with pictures underneath to show what pieces go where. This one she just had to go by the shape but that didn't stop her. So far it appears she'll love puzzles as much as I do! This is probably because I am always willing to sit down and do puzzles with her :)

Announcing Baby Anna

I was due Friday, July 15. At my 38 week appt I had showed a little "progress" and at my 39 week app. I was a little dialated so I was hopeful that this little one would come on her own (I was induced a week late with Alice). At 40 weeks, there was still no signs of this baby coming so I had a stress test. The baby was showing good movements and a good heartbeat but I was not having any contractions and was still only at a 2. We scheduled my induction for the following Wednesday at 8:30, still hopeful she would come before that. I had a few very tiny contractions at home but nothing painful or consistent. Wednesday morning at 6:30 we got a call that we had to wait to come in. At 10:00 we got a call that we could come in at 11:00. So at 10:45, we said goodbye to Alice (left in care of my mom at our house) and left for the hospital. I was still feeling great but we were excited to meet this little one!
Last picture as a family of 3.

Ready to head to the hospital.

More on the labor and delivery to come. For now here are pictures and brief descriptions.

Anna Elizabeth Roose
July 20, 5:32 PM
Weight: 6 lbs, 14.8 oz
Length: 20 in

Proud dad!

Proud mom!

Sweet little Anna.

Alice was still quite sick Wednesday night so we decided it was best for her and Grandma Teeselink to wait to come. (It wasn't easy for Grandma to wait!) Thursday morning she was doing better so, after getting her to eat some breakfast, Grandma T brought her to the hospital to meet Anna.
Alice meeting her new little sister.

Alice had lots of hugs and kisses for Anna.

Anna, Mommy, & Daddy

Jameson's parents and brother Austin came up Thursday night and came to the hospital to meet Anna.
Anna and Grandma Roose.

My dad came up Friday morning and came to the hospital to meet Anna.

Ready to go home from the hospital.

When we got home Friday morning both our parents and Austin were at our house (they stayed Thursday night thru Saturday night). Alice was very excited to see her sister at get her out to give her hugs and kisses.

Me and my girls.

Daddy and his girls.

Anna and Grandma Teeselink

Anna, Alice, and Grandma Roose

Anna and Grandpa Roose

Uncle Austin spent a lot of time playing with Alice and holding Anna.

Aunt Jenessa came up Saturday night to meet Anna.

Anna is a very sweet little girl. We quickly got her on a good schedule. During the day she eats good, is awake for a little while and then sleeps for an hour or two (eating about every 3 hours). After a few rough nights she is figuring out her days and nights and going back to sleep after eating at night, allowing me to get a sufficient amount of sleep. She gets to sleep more in her crib than Alice did has it's a safe sleeping place for her.

June/ July '10

We're exciting to meet our newest little one in just a few weeks and have been keeping busy finishing up multiple projects as we wait.



Alice's Bedroom

Alice's 'Table' Skirt (to cover up our filing cabinets)

Jameson's Table

Landscaping

Tree Trimming

Hardwood Floor in the nursery

Decorating the nursery

Minnesota Vacation

We left Friday morning at 5 AM and headed to Minneapolis. Alice slept in the car for the first couple hours, which made the trip go fast. We got into the city by about 8:00 and stopped for breakfast at The Colossal Cafe, a tiny little neighborhood cafe.

Jameson had Apple Walnut Flappers (pancakes made w/ yeast). They were good but were way to much food and too sweet.

I ordered an Omelet which was stuffed w/ cream cheese, which made it rich and VERY tasty! The bread was also obviously homemade and quite tasty, though we were to full from the flappers to enjoy it.

After breakfast we headed to the Como Park Zoo and arrived just as it was opening.

Polar Bear

Fish

Seal

Posing on a Giraffe

Zebras

Monkeys

Gorilla

Flamingo

We had lunch in the zoo (hamburger, hot dog, and fries) and then headed to the Botanical Gardens. I was getting quite tired by then so we walked through fairly quickly. I think we found the Bonsi Trees the most amazing.

After looking at the gardens, we left Como Park and headed to our hotel. This gave Alice a chance to nap in the car for awhile. After checking in at the hotel we went swimming for awhile. Alice hadn't been swimming at a pool since last summer when my mom and I took her a couple times, so Jameson and I enjoyed getting to swim with her. We had the pool to ourselves and the water wasn't to cold, so Alice seemed to enjoy it, though she definitely wanted to hang on close to mom or dad.

We ate supper at 'The Tin Fish' an outdoor restaurant on a lake. We forgot to take pictures of our food, but Jameson order the Fried Catfish dinner which came with waffle fries and coleslaw and I ordered the mini-tin sandwich (three pieces of cod on a bun). It was all very tasty, though the catfish was the best!

Outdoor seating at 'The Tin Fish'

After eating supper, we walked down the path that goes around the lake to a park. Alice had a wonderful time playing!

Alice had fun with the cart.

Saturday we had a late lunch at 'The Nook', another small restaurant which is known for tasty burgers, homemade fries, and homemade buns made by a bakery just down the street.

Alice enjoyed her 'big girl' cup and straw!

Jameson ordered the 'Juicy Nookie', a cheese stuffed hamburger.

I ordered the 'Lodge Burger', a burger w/ BLT, smoked cheddar cheese, and chipotle mayo. It was SUPER tasty!!!

After lunch we headed out of town. We stopped at an Amish Furniture store just south of the cities and then continued the rest of the way home, arriving home about 8. Even though it was just 2 days, it was a wonderful vacation and great last getaway before we become a family of 4 in just 4 more weeks!