He Smiles!

Though I know some people are very skeptical about how early a baby can smile responsively (ie non-gas smiles), BB started smiling around two weeks of age. I have always thought babies were not capable of smiling much earlier than a month or so. LP proved this when he didn't start smiling until he was about six weeks old. However, I have now changed my thoughts on this as BB started smiling around two weeks and we finally were able to capture it on camera when he was a little more than three weeks old.

BB also went in for a one month Dr. Appt (a little early) on Tuesday, June 29. He checked out very healthy for which we are so grateful. Here are the big boy's stats:

Weight - 11 lbs 3 oz - 90th%
Height - 23 inches - 90th%
Head Circumference - 38 cm - 50th%

Father's Day

LP on the "slip and slide" at Grandma and Grandpa's on Father's Day

Daddy and his baby boy

Daddy and his boys

I know everyone thinks that their husband is the best father to their kids, but seriously, I can't think of anyone who is a better father than my husband. LP absolutely adores his daddy and meets him at the door with the biggest grin and the sweetest "dada" a 19-month old could say. I am sure that BB (baby brother) will do the same in no time.

Brad is such a great father and always takes time out to play with LP even when he has a million things on his "to do" list. While he was home after BB was born, Brad took LP everywhere with him and even took him to Hoffmaster Park for the day...just the two of them! I am so blessed to have such a great father to my children and LP and BB are so blessed as well. Thanks Brad for always stepping up and being the great dada that you are. We all love you!

Baby Brother!!!

Probably everyone who reads this blog is already well aware that LP's little brother arrived on June 4, 2010. After passing my due date of May 28 and being induced on May 30, baby brother decided to stay put. After having a very uneventful induction, the dr. gave us the choice to stay with a higher likelihood of a c-section or go home and try again a few days later. After talking it through, we decided to go home and give the baby a few more days to come on his own.

We went back to the hospital on Thursday night, June 3 and the induction went much better this time. The nurses actually held back on the pitocin a bit so that I would be able to make it until the morning when my doctor would be in. I got my epidural around 1:00am after having painful contractions for about five hours. I was dilated to 4-5 centimeters at this point and I was more than ready for some pain relief.

Around 6:45 am, the doctor came in and broke my water. I was dilated to six centimeters at this point. The doctor told me we could expect a baby around 11:00am or so. Brad went down to get breakfast and the doctor rechecked me at about 7:30. I was still dilated to six, so she went off to perform a surgery. About 15 minutes later, around 8:00am, I told the nurse I felt that I might be complete. She checked me and I was fully dilated. She paged my physician, but she was in the middle of surgery, so they had me try and hold off on pushing for a little bit. Around 8:35 or so, the doctor came in and she had me push. I pushed for about two minutes and our beautiful baby boy was born. He was 8 lbs 11 ozs and 21.5 inches long. We thought he looked a lot like me and my side of the family. Most people who came to visit agreed.

We have been adjusting well as a family of four and so far he seems to be a very good baby. He likes to eat....a lot...and often, but other than that, things are going very well.

We are so thankful to God and blessed to have two healthy, sweet baby boys in our lives. We truly feel blessed and are loving our time as a family of four!

Painting

While I have been home on maternity leave with Little Peanut, I have tried to come up with some fun things for him to do. I decided to see if he would like painting Mother's Day cards for the grandmas. He LOVED painting and was content doing it for 45 minutes. That is quite a long time for a little boy with a very short attention span. He thought it was quite funny to paint on himself as well! He painted until daddy came home from work. Daddy spent the next ten minutes bathing LP while mommy spent the next ten minutes cleaning up the highchair and floor:)!

Tulip Time 2010

We didn't get a chance to do a whole lot for Tulip Time this year as I was quite pregnant, Brad was working a ton of hours, and the weather wasn't that nice. We did, however, make it out to the annual tradition of the Kids Tulip Time parade with my mom and Bethany, and Julie and her family. LP was VERY busy during the parade, but he really seemed to enjoy watching all the kids and the bands. He was definitely one of the cutest little Dutch boys around as well!

First Trip to the Dentist

Little Peanut went to the dentist for the first time on April 21. I called the pediatric dentists in Holland (the same office I went to as a child) to see what they recommended as far as dental hygiene for an 18 month-old. They said they recommended that a child have their first dentist appointment between one and two years old. They schedule this kind of appointment about once every other month and it is a sort of "group" visit that is done after working hours. Dr. Bolt was the dentist who looked at Little Peanut's teeth. He said that he was a bit behind on the amount of teeth he has, but he said this is less important than the order in which the teeth come in. He also said that he has a lot of extra gum tissue on the upper lip/teeth area. My brother and I had this same issue and needed to have surgery when we were older. Dr. Bolt said that LP would most likely need this surgery in the future as well. So...Brad and I have started a braces fund:)!

LP did excellent during the visit. He let the dentist look at his teeth and place fluoride on them. The dentist said his teeth looked good and there were no signs of decay. I guess his love of brushing his teeth is paying off!

Easter 2010

We had a wonderful Easter this year! We started the day off giving LP his Easter basket and then went to church to celebrate the resurrection. After church, we headed over to Brad's parents for lunch. Brad's parents, Brenda and Jason and Eli, and Grandma and Grandpa Zuverink were there. We had great food (as always) and then the boys had their Easter egg "hunt." Once LP figured out that the eggs were full of things like M&Ms, dried cherries, and Smarties, he was pretty excited about the whole idea. He also received a basket of goodies from the Easter Bunny (aka Grandma:)).