Santa and Espen

We took Espen to get his picture with Santa and we weren't sure what to expect, but he loved the big guy! The Santa at the mall looked a little strange, but Espen seemed to enjoy himself and looked for all the world just like a little elf!

Happy (belated) Thanksgiving!

We are so thankful for all of our blessings this year, but especially the gift of our little baby boy. We're also really thankful that my dad is doing great. Here are some pictures from our little turkey's first Thanksgiving.

Espen's starting the Christmas season early!

And for those that are curious, Espen had a little bit of turkey (which he wasn't very interested in), mashed potatoes, and sweet potatoes from the big people table.

YUM! PIE!

Silly Daddy! Didn't you get enough to eat?!?!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone out there and a VERY MERRY start to the Christmas season. (I am so excited about Christmas coming!) I hope all of you were as blessed this year as we were!

Cutie Patootie

TEETH!

Yes, that's right... not tooth, but TEETH! Both of Espen's bottom front teeth made their debut within 12 hours of each other last Tuesday. They are still small (not all the way in), and he won't let you get a really good look at them, but you can sure feel them! :) Poor fussy bear. He had a rough few days there, but it's getting better... At least until the top two come in. :) As soon as I can catch a picture of his little teeth, I will post it. Blows my mind... TEETH!

Hello Out There!

I have finally returned to post more! :) I hope everyone is having a great fall so far. Things have been VERY busy in the Little household. Jason and I are both working our tails off and Espen is busy growing and learning. He is really "talking" up a storm now, constantly babbling about something. It is so adorable. I keep trying to catch him on video, but every time I turn it on, he clams up. I'm going to keep trying, and if I manage to catch him, I'll post it on here. Here is a little taste.

He is also super into peek-a-boo, even using his burp cloth to cover his head and then pull it down to "peek". He is imitating Jason and me a lot too. When we make a sound or funny face, he tries too. SO CUTE!

Monday night Espen decided to have a "slumber party" and refused to go to bed until 2 hours past his bed time. While we weren't too thrilled, we couldn't be too mad because he was just being such a happy (wide awake) baby. And we have learned that if the baby isn't sleepy, there's nothing in the world you can do to make him go to sleep. :)

Espen takes politics very seriously. He did his civic duty and went with my parents to vote on election day. (his sticker says, " I voted. Did you?")

Espen also had his first time in a big-kid highchair when Jason and I ate at O'Charley's. He loved it!


Espen also had his first Halloween! He was such a cute little pumpkin. :) We only trick-or-treated at the grandparents', but Espen seemed to enjoy himself.

The whole family got into the act, including Sophie. :)

He really wanted those M&Ms!

We visited Great-grandma and Great-grandpa Vogel the week before Halloween and Espen got some cool blocks that he LOVES. He is especially fond of the green one. :)

He got more pumpkins this year than the family did! Aunt Katy got him a "zombie pumpkin" with green spots on it, and Jason's parents got him a little one that apparently looked delicious. :)

I can't believe that He is SEVEN MONTHS OLD! Holy Cow! Time really does fly! And only 6 weeks until Christmas. Yikes! We are going to go looking for a stocking for Espen Thanksgiving weekend. I can't wait to decorate the house this year. :) It is going to be interesting trying to keep things out of his reach, but I know that Espen will be so excited by all the bright shiny things on the tree. :) If I don't post again before then (and I wouldn't hold your breath), have a great Thanksgiving!

New Pics & Medical Update

I will post more when I have time, but wanted to let you know that there are new pictures up on Shutterfly. Also, my dad made it through surgery with flying colors. The doc thinks they got everything and that it all looks good. They took a lymph node to biopsy to make sure nothing spread, but at first glance everything seems good. Let's keep praying that it all turns out. :) Thanks for all of your words of support. I'm passing them along to my dad and he appreciates all the thoughts and prayers. I'll try to post more soon!

Slacker Mom

So sorry that I haven't posted in so long! I can't believe that it's been more than a month! Ridiculous how fast time slips away. I am freaking out that Christmas is right around the corner! Espen is continuing to grow by leaps and bounds. We are now unable to keep him on his back for more than a few seconds, which make diaper changes rather difficult. :) First it was the feet... now its the rolling over. I pine for the days when he just laid there while we changed him. :)

In addition to the rolling (and rolling... and rolling...) Espen is getting pretty good at sitting up. He still needs a little help to keep from falling over when he gets excited, but he is getting better every day. When he is on his tummy, there is a lot of flailing and squirming as he tries to crawl. He has the legs down, but getting them to work in tandem with his arms is the hard part. Usually he just drags his face along the floor. It's actually pretty silly to watch.

Espen is also working on his vocal skills. Yesterday he gave me a very happy good morning by babbling, "Mamamamamamaaa Mamama Mamaamma" when I picked him up out of his crib. I was glowing all day at work, and by the time I got home, Jason had him saying (a shorter), "Mama." I don't think he has any clue that it refers to me per se, but it warms my heart anyway. He also makes cute little hooting noises and screeching "baby raptor" noises. Last Sunday I was out with some friends that were in town and Jason took Espen to church. Jay says that Espen was great until, "Let us pray..." and then the screeching began. (In case you were wondering, this is not an "I'm unhappy!" screech. It's an "I enjoy the sound of nails on a chalkboard. Revel with me as I attempt to duplicate it!" screech.) Jason retreated to the glassed in "cry room" which was full with other noisy kids. They thought Espen's screeching was great fun, and joined in a rousing chorus with him, much to the chagrin of all of the adults in the room. I laughed when I heard that story! Poor Jay! :)

By the way, Espen is now on OK terms with the Zebra. :)

FYI: Espen will be 6 months old on Friday. (YAY!) :) He has his 6 month check-up on Oct. 15, so I will try to post his stats shortly thereafter.

I'll try to post more often. I used to be able to post while Espen was nursing, but now he is far too distractable for the "pretty and bright" computer to be even in the same room. So I have to find spare time. (HA! What's that?) :) Also, my dad is having his prostate removed on Thursday and he will be out of commission for a while, so my family and work demands will also be increasing, so don't crucify me if I fall off the posting wagon again for a while.

That's How I Roll

Its absolutely amazing how fast babies develop! Every day there is something new to celebrate. Espen is now rolling from his back to his front. He rolls over almost immediately when he is laid down. He hasn't really mastered the whole front-to-back roll, which leads to a lot of fussing to be rescued when he tires of "tummy time." At his last doctor visit, Dr. Murphy said that back-to-front is harder, so he is perfectly capable of going the other way, he just doesn't know it. :) And here I thought they were equally difficult. He moves a lot in his sleep too. He doesn't like to stay how I put him. This morning I woke up and he was sideways in his bassinet. Yesterday he was sleeping on his tummy with his butt up in the air. :)

This video is from 8/12, when he first started rolling over. He does it much faster now and without encouragement, but the octopus Brad and Laura brought on their last visit (which we have affectionately named "Sailor Bob") was a great motivator in those early days.

Espen LOVES his feet!!! He likes holding them, he likes taking off his socks, and he's even gotten his toes into his mouth. It makes diaper changes a little challenging, as he won't let go of his feet.

We have also begun baby food. It was earlier than I expected, but at his 4-month check-up the doctor said he was ready for food. He really does fit all the signs: he sits well with support, he holds his head up great, he doesn't immediately spit out spoon-fed food (contrary to the video of the first rice cereal experience - he has gotten much better!), and he is really interested in what Jason and I are eating. This morning he even grabbed the spoon from me and tried to feed himself with limited success. :) He kept ahold of it even when I took it back and "helped" guide it to his mouth. He likes to do that with his bottle too. He'll grab it (or your hand) and pull it into his mouth and push it out, and in, and out... It can make for a long feeding. :) When he nurses, he just likes to pull on my shirt or punch me in the chest, so that's fun. So far he's had rice cereal (as you've seen), bananas (which he LOVES!), and we started oatmeal this morning (the jury's still out on this one).

Here's a picture of him eating bananas for the first time.

Espen is also quite the chatterbox! He has figured out that he can make fun noises. He will babble to himself a lot. He likes to say, "dadadadadadadadadadadadaaaaa" a lot. Jason is trying to claim this is first word. He is full of you-know-what. He's also started blowing raspberries. All...the...time. It's cute until he does it with a mouth full of bananas. :)

We were also brave enough to take him to church for the first time this past Sunday. He was really good! He liked the singing and all the people, especially all the kids. We haven't set a time for his baptism yet, but probably mid-October or late November depending on my dad's treatments.

We found out last week that my dad has prostate cancer. Its still so early that we don't know exactly what will be going on in terms of treatment. Fortunately it looks like they caught it fairly early, so hopefully he can make a full recovery. The doctor was quick to point out that there is no "cure," but with treatment and monitoring my dad is likely to be ok. It is still really scary and the side effects of all the treatment options are pretty intense. All your prayers are greatly appreciated.

So that is our life right now. Some good, some bad, but lots of love!

Baby Dance

This video cracks me up!

YUM?

Well, the Pediatrician wants us to start Espen on rice cereal to help with his tummy troubles. (He has gas and reflux that keeps him from being able to sleep comfortably). It seems to be helping. He seems a lot happier and doesn't fuss as much being flat on his back or tummy. He also seems to really like eating now, although he wasn't sure about this whole spoon business at first. Here is a video of our first spoon-feeding experience.

Baby Antics

Looking back over the last few posts, I realize that this blog has become quite depressing. I will try to remedy that. It shouldn't be too hard, as Espen keeps us laughing all the time. He is developing quite the personality! Every day he is growing more aware of his surroundings and wanting to play more. And he is *this close* to rolling over. Once he figures out how to tuck his elbows, he'll be on a roll. (Ha Ha Ha - terrible pun.) Here are some recent antics:

He is growing by leaps and bounds! Espen says, "Mom! This outfit is too small! WAH!"



He is such a silly boy! Here he is with Inky the Octopus on his head. :) Inky was a present from Aunt Katy.





He really likes Inky, and, like everything else, Inky goes in his mouth. :)





This is one of the toys on his swing. Espen doesn't mind the giraffe, but he's not too sure about the zebra. He likes to nap in his swing, but only when the zebra is put away. Jason says it's because hockey fans are natually distrustful of anything in black and white stripes (ie. a referee).

A Light in the Dark

This has been a dark patch for the Little family. Seeing parents lose an infant fills me with profound saddness, sharpened because we know and care about the family. Not too long ago, Jason's cousin Greg lost his baby girl who was born too early, and now Sydney. I look at Espen and want to kiss every inch of him. I have thanked God for the opportunity to be his mom more times than I can count, and marvel at how insanely lucky I am that he is healthy. I just keep thinking about what a gamble it all is, and how none of us have any clue about God's plans for us. Why did he take these babies so soon? And the kicker is that we'll never know why He does what He does. If I am reeling, I really can't imagine what Greg and Ron and Stacy are going through.

We lost another loved one this past week. My great-uncle Ronnie lost his battle with lung cancer. Ronnie was such a fun guy. We loved him a lot and will miss him, but he had been sick for a long time, and is finally at peace now.

One bright spot in all of this saddness is the glad news that Jason's cousin Clayton and his wife Cheri are expecting thier first child. We are tremendously excited for them! We can't wait to see if we'll be welcoming a little boy or a little girl to the family. Congrats to the Greens!

More Prayers

Sydney Wisdom passed away yesterday morning.

We are heartbroken by this loss. I can't begin to fathom the depths of her parents' grief. We ask you to continue to keep them and the whole Wisdom family in your prayers as they try to make sense of this tragedy.

Prayers

Last night we got word that our friends Ron & Stacy had given birth to thier second little girl, Sydney. This happy news is overshadowed by the development of some complications. She is suffering from meconium aspiration, water on the brain, and has had at least one seizure. She has had trouble breathing on her own since she was born but her breathing is improving. We're all hoping that she keeps fighting. We ask you to keep them in your prayers.

Social Butterfly

This weekend, Espen was quite the social butterfly! (He wants me to note that he was a very masculine, non-girly-type butterfly.) On Saturday, we finally were able to catch up with our friends from Texas. It was really nice to see you guys! I'm glad we didn't miss you! After we bid adieu to Jessica and Rodney, we headed up to Hannibal to visit more friends. It was Espen's longest car ride yet, and he did great! We stayed with Megan and Ryan and thier baby girl, Elyse. It was nice to stay in such a baby-friendly place. :) Espen had a great time with Elyse's toys, and Jason and I had a great time catching up with good friends.

Espen and Elyse were so cute together. Elyse held Espen's hand and gave him a kiss. A budding romance?

On Sunday, we went over to visit another set of friends who live in Hannibal, Karessa, Patrick, and thier new baby boy, Pierce. He is such a cutie! Here are all of us with our bundles of joy.

We can't wait until they are all old enough to play together!

Splish Splash

Espen went swimming for the first time yesterday! Grandma and Grandpa Vogel were staying at Ameristar Casino for thier annivesary and invited us over to use the pool. I was very nervous about Espen being near the water, (I am such a worry wart!) but he loved it! After seeing how much he liked dipping his feet in, and how intrigued he was with the water, we got him into a swim diaper and he had a blast! Here are some pictures.

We also ate at 42 Port Street Grill, and Espen enjoyed holding a fork and sticking his hand in the horseradish sauce. :) What a goof!

Patriotic Baby

Wow! We had a BUSY weekend. And yet, it was oddly relaxing. :) We spent almost the entire weekend running from event to event, but it was a lot of fun! Espen had his first run-in with fireworks, and I think he is going to be a big fan. He was mesmerized by all of them except the screechy ones. They made him cry. But other than that, he was fascinated.

We spent the 3rd at our good friends Brad and Laura's house, and they sure know how to do the fourth (or in this case, the third) right! We had lots of pretty fireworks, good food, and great company. Here are a couple of shots of the fireworks. There are more pictures in the "Little Family Photo Album" link to the left.

Espen was so worn out by the fireworks that he sacked out when we got to Jason's parents' house (where we were staying) and slept for 7 hours straight! YAY! He woke up, ate, and when right back to sleep for another 3 hours! WOW! It was nice to sleep in a little. Grandma and Grandpa Little were great hosts! They fed us 3 actual meals (something that has been a rarity since Espen's been born) and mom got to take a nice long bubble bath while grandma watched Espen. The Little Bed, Breakfast, and Spa gets two thumbs WAY up! :)

On the Fourth, Jason and I went to O'Fallon's festival and saw the Gin Blossoms and the fireworks while Espen stayed with grandma and grandpa. (They said that he watched the fieworks on TV and was really into them.) It was great until Jason's camp chair just fell apart. It was a gift from the Blues, so go figure. It was actually pretty funny seeing Jason try to sit in half of a chair.

Saturday, mom and dad did some shopping and then the whole family went out to Great-grandma and Great-grandpa Vogel's house for a BBQ and family time. Espen "played" with his second cousins Chloe and Isabelle. (And by played, I mean he stared at them while they waved at him and talked to him.) Espen got a new chair, thanks to Heather and Brian! The Bumbo seat is pink, but I don't think he'll care. So if you see pictures of Espen in a pink chair, don't question. :)

We were supposed to meet up with some friends from Texas Saturday night, but I messed it all up (although I blame a good chunk of it on my stupid cell phone), so we missed them. I am peeved about that because I was really looking forward to it. Jessica and Rodney, I hope we get to catch you before you go back home!

This morning we went to the Wentzville Flea Market, and Espen enjoyed walking around in the sunshine. Mom managed to forget the diaper bag (Man, I'm really beginning to sound like an idiot! ), so we had to keep the trip short. Jason went to the ball game this afternoon and watched the Cardinals get smoked by the Cubs (BOOO!!!!). Espen and I stayed home and tried to rest up.

So that was our super-busy weekend. Whew! Check out all our new photos from our adventures last week and this week. (Count your blessings that my camera battery died on Friday, or there would be a bunch more!)

Chunk-a-Muffin

Espen had his 2 month check-up today. It's a little late (due to some insurance issues), as he's almost 11 weeks old, but I don't think he minded putting off the shots. :) He got 4 shots and one oral immunization. I was really dreading the whole ordeal, but Espen did great! He cried a little when he was getting the shots, and gave me this heart-breaking look like, "Why are you letting them do this to me?!?" As soon as they were done, though, and I picked him up and cuddled him, he was much happier and fell asleep shortly after. I gave him some baby Tylenol at the doctor's office and I think that helped ease the pain a bit.

The big news is his stats, however. I knew he was getting really heavy and had estimated him at about 15 pounds. We were anxious to know the official word. I was a little short. He weighs in at a whopping 15 pounds 12 ounces! Almost 16 pounds! WOW! What a chunker! The good news is that his length is up there too (24.5"), so he's not pudgy, just... heavy. He's in the 97%tile for weight, 90%tile for length, and 50%tile for head circumference. So he'll have a nice average-sized head on a tall, solid body! :) Look out NHL!

The doctor says Espen is looking good! YAY! Its so nice to have professional reassurance that you're not screwing up horribly. His clogged tear duct seems to have resolved itself too, as no eye boogers for the last week. :) Now if we can just get him to be less gassy. :)

Stuffy Bear

Poor Espen. He's caught his first cold. Thankfully no fever, but he is very stuffy and coughing a lot. He doesn't seem too upset about it though. When he starts crying and he can't breathe through his nose, he freaks out a little, but in general, he's acting normal, just a little sleepy. We're using the "snot-sucker" a lot, and that's helping.

Well, I've been back at work for three days now, and it's weird. I miss Espen bunches, so I try to keep busy so I don't think about him as much. It's working somewhat. Even keeping busy, I still think about him constantly. It has been nice interacting with other adults, but my mind is still on leave. Hopefully it will return soon. :)

Happy Father's Day, Daddy!

Happy Father's Day to all of the dads out there! I wanted to be sure to post this, as it is the perfect chance to say what a wonderful father Jason is. Espen and I are so lucky. Having a baby is hard work, and Jason has embraced fatherhood in full force. He is "Super-Dad," ready at a moments notice with a cuddle or a diaper change. We love you, Jason!

As a token of his love, Espen got Jason the cutest father's day gift. Now my two guys really match. :)

And a special Happy Father's Day to the two new grandpas! :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRANDPA!

We love you and hope you have a good day. Don't work too hard!

Giggle!

Well, I am getting more courageous about venturing out. Yesterday I decided to live dangerously and we stopped by work, the library, the post office, and Michael's Crafts all without a bottle! What a daredevil! :) I'm practicing leaving the house for when I have a deadline (like making it to work on time). It was only supposed to be a trip to the library, but Espen was so good, I crammed in as many errands as I could. :) I was proud of him being so patient. :)

We had a fun day yesterday. :) There was a lot of giggling. Espen was lying in his crib talking to his mobile (or, as I call it: "his critters.") and I took a little video of him. I was putting it on the computer to put on here, while I was holding him on my lap. As I was trying to figure it out, the clip started playing, and Espen started laughing at himself. He was staring at the screen imitating the same sounds he was making on the video. It was as if he was talking to himself. He thought it was great, so we watched it a few more times, him just giggling up a storm. :) It was so cute!

"LOST" in Translation

Sorry that it's been so long since I last posted. We have been busy enjoying our little bundle of joy. :) Everyone is doing well. Espen is doing even better with night sleeping, although he still has a rough night from time to time. Last night, for example, he was up until 2 - We think he was overly-tired and thus having a hard time falling asleep since he had had a very eventful day visiting Grandma and Grandpa Little. We spent the day getting used to Grandma Little's house so that when I go back to work, everything will be familiar. Espen is a little scared of Dunkin's (their dog) barks, but seemed to have a lot of fun yesterday. We sang songs and he bounced in his bouncer. Espen also managed to go through SEVEN outfits! I mean, jeez, seven??? Really?? I'm glad I packed eight. :) I thought I was going a bit overboard, but apparently not. I am continually amazed at the volume of urine that comes out of such a small boy. It probably doesn't help that he has really outgrown his diapers. He needs to move up to a size 2 diaper (already!), but we are trying to use up the last of the size 1s first. I have a hard time believing that he is more than 14 pounds already. We won't have an official weight until the 24th, but my calculations put him around 14.5 pounds. What a chunk-a-muffin! It's because he eats ALL THE TIME!

Speaking of eating all the time... I am now officially a mom. I just finished watching the season finale of "Lost" (I am WAY behind, I know), and I wasn't able to really enjoy it because I just kept thinking about Aaron. (FYI - If you don't watch the show, none of this will make any sense.) OK, if Claire disappears into the woods, how are they feeding this baby??? And why is no one concerned about it? Jason suggested Dharma Initiative baby formula, but they couldn't have children, so why would they have formula? And why does Aaron, like, NEVER cry?!?!? And if that wasn't ridiculous enough, he survives a helicopter crash into the ocean unscathed? I don't think babies know to hold their breath when they are plunged into a churning sea. I mean, the show wasn't the most realistic before this, but COME ON. I suppose only a mother concerned with the constant feeding of her son would pick up on that. I don't know if I should feel weird about that or not. :)

Anyway... I will be putting up more pictures on Shutterfly today, so keep your eyes peeled. :)

Happy Memorial Day!

Just a note to say "Hi!" from the Littles. We hope that you are all enjoying the long weekend. We are!