Happy 3rd Birthday, Jesper! And Visit from Ratzlaff Grandparents

My parents visited from Charlotte from April 1-7. It was wonderful to introduce them to Oscar and watch them play with Jesper. They also got to celebrate Jesper's 3rd birthday with us and witness Oscar's first smiles.

We got to see Duane and Darlene and my cousin Cari and her little boy Ezra on Wednesday. They brought lunch, met Oscar, and Ezra and Jesper played for a little while. It was so nice to catch up with them, and I'm hoping we can meet up with Cari on another Wednesday during my maternity leave for a play date.

My dad took Jesper to the Mall of America on Thursday and walked around for several hours. They had a great time. My dad said that they stopped at benches around the mall to talk every once in a while, and Papa Ron carried Jesper occasionally so he could hear what he had to say. "He was talking the entire time." They also went on a few rides at Nickelodeon Universe.

My dad and Josh also took Jesper to Sea Life at the Mall of America on Saturday morning.

My parents were dreading the Minnesota weather and mother nature reminded them why they moved to Charlotte with a snowstorm that delivered 6 inches of snow Thursday - Friday. However, my dad made the most of it and got to snow blow the driveway on Friday. "It's kind of fun," he said....probably because it's the only time he has done it this year and it was nearly 35 degrees.

My mom got in lots of snuggles with Oscar. She held him for many of his naps and helped with lots of diaper changes. She had the privilege of being the first person to get Oscar to smile. She was also wonderful about helping out with dishes, laundry, and many other chores around the house.

We celebrated Jesper's 3rd birthday on Saturday by going out to breakfast at IHOP. Jesper ate six (!) pancakes for breakfast and answered a birthday questionnaire. I'd like to ask him these same questions every year to see how his answers change. :)

Birthday Questionnaire

Selfie with my 3-year-old

Later that day, Nissa and Grace came over and we had cake and opened presents. Jesper really loved the balloons and cake and had a blast playing T-ball in the driveway with Josh and Papa Ron.

On Sunday, we went to the Minnesota Children's Museum. It was so fun!! We had never been and I was a little worried that Jesper would be too small to fully enjoy it, but they do a great job of catering to children of all ages - 3, 7, 35, or 60. :) His favorite part - no surprise  here - was the marble run inside the Works exhibit. Oscar was very cooperative and slept the entire time in the stroller.

Jesper ran into a friend from school, Charlie, and they played together in a couple of the rooms

I can't believe my first baby is 3 years old already! He is my silly, smart, tough, cautious, and gentle little boy and I can't wait to see what the next year brings. It is so fun to watch him grow and experience the world through his eyes.

It was wonderful to have my parents visit. We really appreciated all their help with fixing things around the house, household chores, and most of all, the extra time and attention that they gave our precious little boys! We are looking forward to heading to Charlotte to see them again later this year.

It's a Boy! Introducing Oscar Gray Carlson

Oscar Gray Carlson was born on February 26, 2014 at 1:37pm. He was 8 lbs and 20.5 inches long and is absolutely perfect!

I felt the first contraction on Tuesday, February 25 at about 5:30pm while I was just finishing up some emails at work. My labor with Jesper had been so fast (6 hours from first contraction to delivery) that my doctor had told me to come in to the hospital as soon as I felt organized contractions because I needed at least 4 hours of antibiotics for group B strep before the baby was born. After another couple contractions, I called Josh on my drive home and told him to ask Nissa to come over to our house to watch Jesper just in case.

By the time I got home, the contractions were about 8 minutes apart but they weren't very organized and weren't really painful. We ate dinner, chatted for a little while with Nissa, grabbed our bags, and headed out the door around 7pm. I thought it might be a false alarm, but better safe than sorry.

We were put on monitors for a couple hours when we arrived at the hospital to see if I was really in labor. When she checked us in, the nurse didn't think that we would be staying (she said "we'll probably see you back in a couple days"), but she wanted to monitor the baby for a little while just to make sure everything was ok. However, by 9pm I had dilated another 2 centimeters so they admitted us. "Let's have a baby!"

They put me on antibiotics right away. After that was completed, we walked...and walked...and walked...and walked around the hallways. At 2am they checked me again but I had only progressed to 4 centimeters. Labor stalled out at that point, and Josh and I decided to try to get a couple hours rest at about 4am.

The next morning, we tried walking again to get things started. It was unsuccessful, so they broke my water. That was still unsuccessful, so they started Pitocin at about 9am. Hard labor started around 11am, and Oscar Gray arrived at 1:37pm. Josh was amazing through the entire experience (although he was wishing pretty early on that he had brought his tennis shoes for all the walking that we did!). I had decided to labor without pain medication and I couldn't have asked for better support through the entire experience. He entertained me while we were waiting to be admitted and through the hours of walking and helped with counter-pressure on my back through every contraction.

"It's a boy!" I said as they handed Oscar to me. He was perfect - and he looked just like his older brother. :)

The labor and delivery with Oscar was more difficult - longer and a little more painful - than it was with Jesper. However, the recovery was much quicker. Breastfeeding was successful from the first hour after he was born and I was feeling like myself within a few hours. We checked out of the hospital within 24 hours after he was born.

Oscar was slightly jaundiced but not enough to need light treatment. He was also slightly tongue-tied, but not nearly to the same extent as Jesper. We had the doctor clip his frenulum at his one-week appointment - Oh, how I wish that we had known to ask about that with Jesper!!

Jesper met Oscar in the evening of February 26. He was a great big brother from the very beginning. "Is that my baby?" he asked. He got to hold him and received a "big brother" gift at the hospital. We had gotten him the book Goodnight Goodnight Construction Site. We read that book several times per day for the first 3-4 weeks after Oscar was born. He loves to lay on the blanket with Oscar during tummy time and put his diapers in the diaper pail. He has needed a little extra TLC at times and had a few meltdowns, but overall has been adjusting beautifully to having a new brother.

Oscar loves to be held! He wouldn't sleep anywhere but in someone's arms the first week at home. I slept with him in the rocking chair, on the couch in our room, and in our bed. We gradually transitioned to his crib and he was sleeping normally in his crib at night by 2 weeks (thank goodness - I was one tired mama after nights in the chair and couch).

It took a couple weeks to adjust to life with 2 boys. An almost 3-year-old is awfully loud and busy compared to a newborn! Jesper stays home with me on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays while I'm on maternity leave. Those are really busy days, but we're starting to get into a rhythm and my multitasking skills have grown.

We love Oscar and Jesper so very much and feel blessed to have two happy and healthy little boys. We are looking forward to years of cars, dirt, and skinned knees. :)

February 2014

Jesper started preschool in January and absolutely LOVES his new classroom. They do a lot more activities with numbers and letters, and expect the kids to work together in groups as well as play independently. It's been a great transition for Jesper. Our only complaint is that now he really doesn't want to be picked up in the evenings - he's having so much fun at school that he doesn't want to leave! We are so grateful to have a wonderful daycare center!

First day of preschool

So smart! Jesper already knows his alphabet, and seems to really enjoy the letter challenges at school.

Some of our favorite things that Jesper is doing right now:
 - If you tell Jesper that he's a goofball or a silly goose, or anything else, his patented response is "I"m not a ____, I'm just Jesper"
 - He goes to bed around 8pm every night. As part of his bedtime routine, Dad has to "fly" him to bed like an airplane every night. He loves it and asks "Can we do it again, Daddy?" every time.
 - He recently discovered Candy Land and really likes to play against Mom and Dad. Usually, he wins. :) We tried Candy Land only a few months ago unsuccessfully, but we got it out again shortly after the holidays and his attention span is finally long enough to play!
 - This is not a "favorite thing", but is certainly something that we've been working on with Jesper. He is a notoriously picky eater, and we have often been guilty of making separate items for his dinner when we are eating something that we're pretty sure he won't try. We decided a couple months ago that we had to stop doing that, so we now serve Jesper the same thing we eat almost without exception. He is expected to try a bite of food that is new to him before he can have more of something else. For example, he has to try a bite of sloppy joe before he can have more applesauce. It's been rough going for a few nights, but he's starting to catch on. And Josh and I are getting more comfortable with him leaving the table without eating anything if he flat out refuses to try the food that we're serving.
 - Jesper's favorite things to play with are still cars, trucks, and trains. He really likes his "working trucks" (i.e. construction vehicles), and setting up his train tracks. He's also getting really good at setting up his flexible car track by himself.
 - He is starting to drop his nap. Some days he easily sleeps for 2-3 hours, but there are usually 1-2 days per week that he doesn't nap at all and just lays quietly at school or at home. It's really terrible timing - I'm hoping that he is still consistent enough with his naps that I have at least some opportunity for the triple nap once Baby Gray arrives! Jesper will be staying home with me on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and going to preschool on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

In other news, Josh took me on a very fun date to Barrio for my 29th birthday. We had a wonderful dinner and then went to the MOA to play miniature golf. However, we were enjoying our leisurely walk around the mall so much that the mini golf course closed before we were able to go. Oh well - we had a great time just hanging out together. I'm still the luckiest girl in the world. :)

29th birthday date - 36 weeks preggo

 

Gourmet Group at Pitzl's in early February - oh how times have changed. :)

I had Valentine's Day off, so Jesper and I surprised Josh at his office with a cupcake and a card and then went to Jesper's Valentine's Day party at school. I really enjoy spending time with him in his classroom so I can see and experience what  his days are like while Josh and I are working. There are a lot of new faces in his preschool class, so it's also nice to meet some of the new kids that haven't been in his classrooms before. Jesper and his friends made heart necklaces and got to mix up food coloring into buckets of snow. He had a great time!

Jesper and his friends played with colored snow at his Valentine's Day party

Meeting Halle Gail and Baby Preparations

Josh, Jesper and I were able to visit Brett, Diana, Malaila, and their new baby girl, Halle Gail, over Martin Luther King Jr. weekend in January. What a sweet little girl! Congratulations, Brett & Diana! We are excited to watch her grow up and really love that our children will be the same age.

Jesper has been getting a lot of exposure to new babies recently, with Henry Jones, Evie Pitzl, and Halle Carlson all arriving within a few weeks of each other. Halle was the first one that he held, though, and he thought it was pretty cool! She snorted and grunted a little, and he giggled every time she made a noise. :)

Jesper and Halle

Jesper had a blast swimming with Dad in the hotel pool

Hanging out with Dad in the hot tub

We are in the midst of mad preparations for our own new arrival. My pregnancy has been similar to how it was with Jesper, but I was more ill in the first trimester with this one. I actually threw up a few times this time around but with Jesper I only had a couple weeks of not feeling well.

My nesting instinct kicked into overdrive after the holidays. I kept thinking that my due date was so far away, but suddenly it was the new year and we had only 8 weeks left before Baby #2 was due. After the holidays, we quickly converted the guest bedroom next to Jesper's room to the nursery and moved the rocking chair and crib into it. Then we bought a new dresser, floor lamp, and dresser from Ikea, and a rug from Costco. I think the room is turning out really well!

We call the little one "Baby Gray" (not pink or blue, but gray - because we don't know the gender). We aren't sharing names, but we think we've decided on our top picks for both a boy and a girl. Josh and I are getting very excited to find out if we will be playing cars or dolls with Baby Gray and are anxiously waiting labor to kick into gear.

Christmas 2013

I started getting into the Christmas spirit really early this year. Nissa and I baked and froze Christmas cookies in November (it's great to have them close by so we are able to do stuff like that).

In early December, Sarah and Becky came over for a homemade "Let's Dish" morning. We made several freezer meals (beef stroganoff, chicken and wild rice casserole, quiche, and butternut squash soup). It was a successful day - we each went  home with about 8 meals and they were all pretty good. As Josh says, "I don't want to eat freezer meals every night, but it's nice to have them on hand."

Links: 

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/chicken_wild_rice_casserole.html 

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/slow-cooker-beef-stroganoff-i/

http://www.food.com/recipe/wolfgang-pucks-savory-squash-soup-105112

A few days later, Sarah, Brandon, and Sam welcomed home little Henry, and Pitzl's had Evie a couple days before Christmas. We are so excited for both of their families!!

Christmas decorations in the play area

We're also excited to welcome our own Baby #2 in early March. We're due on March 6, Josh's 35th birthday. This time around, we don't know if it's a boy or a girl, but we hung an extra stocking in anticipation of our new arrival. 

We were excited to hang an extra stocking in anticipation of our new arrival (due March 6, 2014)

Josh and I took Jesper to "Llama Llama Holiday Drama" at Stages Theater on Dec. 20. It was his favorite holiday book last year and we thought he would really enjoy the play as well. We were right - it was a hit! Jesper was enthralled with the play and clapped enthusiastically after every song. He sat on Dad's lap because he wasn't heavy enough to hold down the auditorium-style chairs. 

About 45 minutes into the hour-long program, Josh looked at me with a slightly panicked look on his face and said, "I think Jesper just had an accident." I quickly took Jesper to the bathroom and changed his clothes. When we came out of the bathroom, Josh was waiting for us. He pointed to his pants and said very seriously, "We have to leave." Josh was almost as wet as Jesper had been! I almost joined in the wet pants club because I was laughing so hard. So funny!!

We also started the "Elf on the Shelf" tradition. Jesper named him "Elfie". Here are a few of the places he visited us this year.

Paul and Gail came to visit over Christmas for about a week, and Kai and Ashley were able to come for a couple days. Brett and Diana were about 36 weeks pregnant with their little girl, so they joined in the celebration over Facetime. 

I went to the Christmas Eve service with Paul and Gail, and we spent that evening at our house. The menu was soups (chicken tortilla and chicken wild rice) and appetizers. We opened gifts and visited together. It was a great evening! 

The next day, we celebrated Christmas at Brian and Nissa's house. I worked on a puzzle nearly the entire day, but was really proud of myself for finishing it before we left. :) Later in the week we also went to Devin's hockey game in Richfield, and Paul and Gail went down to Windom to visit Per & Kim for a day. Overall, it was a very relaxed, low-key holiday. 

We had a wonderful time with family and are looking forward to a year of new joys, challenges, and adventures. 

Thanksgiving 2013

We spent the Thanksgiving holiday at Brian and Nissa's house per usual. What was different this year, however, was that we didn't have to drive to La Crosse. They moved to Cottage Grove, MN in October. Nissa stayed with us for about 6 weeks in September - October while she started her job and they finalized their house sale in La Crosse and their new home purchase in Minnesota. It is great to have them close by! We're also looking forward to Paul and Gail moving back in August 2014.

The Thanksgiving meal was delicious. Brian smoked the turkey again this year and the entire menu was fantastic!