Torsten at three weeks!

Three weeks already, I cannot believe it. I knew with the holidays the time would fly by. I am already getting anxious about having to return to work, I think I obsess about it too much and it seems to come quicker. He is becoming more awake and looking around a lot more. He loves staring at the bumper pad in his crib or the valance when he is being rocked in the glider.

Feeding: He is still at 4 ounces, but sometimes he can only make it 2 hours between feedings. I have tried to up his amount, but he just spits it up, so we are staying at 4 ounces for now. He was still having gas issues and trouble burping so I went and bought new nipples for the Playtex nurser bottles that I used with Stone. They have really seemed to help, so I think we are sticking with them until he is old enough to burp on his own and we will try the Born Free bottles again.

Sleep: We are still waking up between 2 and 3 but we are having trouble going back to sleep after that. The problem is I cannot keep him awake past 8:00 and by 3:00 am he thinks he has had a fair amount of sleep and is awake for the day. However, he needs to learn that Mommy is not ready to tackle the day at 3 am and he needs to go back to sleep for a couple more hours.

Cousins!

It is crazy how much our family has grown in the past couple of years. This is a picture of what would have been my Grandma and Grandpa's great grandchildren. They would have loved it! Canon was born 7 weeks before Torsten. You can tell that he is so much more alert than Torsten. He is such a good baby too!

Merry Christmas!

This year, I cannot help but smile at how blessed I am. I am the mommy to two of the sweetest little boys ever! Stone has impressed me so much these past two weeks, words cannot even describe how proud I am of him. He has taken this big brother role so naturally, not one ounce of jealousy. He has been so good, being stuck in the house 24/7 when he is so used to being on the go non-stop. He sleeps right through when Torsten is crying for food in the middle of the night. He has had no problem sharing mommy and daddy's attention with his little brother. He truly was meant to be a big brother, I have no doubt and my love has multiplied over and over for this little boy.

Torsten has been my second blessing this year. If someone had told me last January that by the end of this year we would have a new baby in the house, I would have told them they are crazy and need their head checked out. But what a wonderful surprise he is! He is just so mellow and rarely fusses unless he is hungry. He is quite the snuggler, loves to cuddle up and snooze away. Just a sweet sweet baby.

I hope all of you are as blessed this Christmas as we are! Merry Christmas to all!

Torsten at two weeks!

Well we have made it 2 weeks now. Torsten is still a fabulous baby and Stone is an awesome big brother. Today is Christmas Eve and tomorrow will be our first day of outings, to different family get togethers.

Feeding: He is up to 4 ounces each feeding and it making it 3-4 hours in between bottles. He is still spitting up quite a bit, and is a little hard to burp. Hopefully he gets past that here shortly, my laundry has been non-stop.

Sleeping: He still wakes up between 2 and 3 each morning and then again around 6.

25 days of Christmas, Day 19

Picture day today!!! Treva came over for Torsten's newborn pictures and family pictures and boy was Stone quite the HAM! Not always cooperative, but I have no doubt that Treva got good pictures, she is amazing like that!!!

25 days of Christmas, Day 18

Pancakes for breakfast today!!! Gaga stayed the night last night since Daddy was out of town for work. Mommy was in heaven because Gaga got up for the early morning feeding and let mommy sleep in. Then on top of that, Gaga made Stone pancakes for breakfast. Stone got to cut them up and put his own syrup on them this year which was really exciting (and messy).

Torsten at one week!

I cannot believe we have been a family of four for an entire week already. The transition has been so easy, it is almost scary. I did not know that I could have another baby as good as Stone! Everyone told me it was not possible, but I guess they were wrong. The boy loves his sleep and really loves his bed (thank goodness). He went to the Dr for his one week checkup today and she informed me that I had to have a 3rd baby because everyone needs that challenging child, hahahaha!

Weight at one week: 8 lbs 7 oz (95%). The hospital did not tell us his discharge weight, so we do not know if this is up or down from discharge.
Length at one week: still at 21.5 inches (95%).
Head: 50%

Formula: He is taking around 3 oz every 3-5 hours. He does not always finish the bottle though. He is a horrible burper so we still have a little bit of spit up issues.

Sleep: He goes to bed around 10 or 11, wakes at 2:00-2:30, then again at 5:00-5:30 am. Cannot complain really.

Mommy on the other hand had to go on blood pressure medicine, because it is just not coming down on it's own. Dr. V assures me that it is only temporary though, since I have never had blood pressure over 102/64 my entire pregnancy.

25 days of Christmas, Day 17

Today's activity was attending a Christmas party at Leta's house. I did not realize how much he has missed being there. He got to go while I took Torsten to his one week Dr's visit, so Leta had her Christmas party. When I came to pick him up, he had a cowboy hat, bandana on and was riding a stick horse. He informed me that he was now a cowboy, soooo cute! Then he got to show his baby brother off to everyone! We are so blessed to have a sitter as fabulous as Leta and as soon as I can drive, Stone will have to go a few days a week since he misses it so much.

25 days of Christmas, Day 16

Today's activity was going down to St. Louis with Daddy. Originally they planned on hitting Cabela's and Bass Pro Shop, but after going to the Mills and hitting up Children's Place, lunch, a carousal ride, and Cabela's all without a stroller, Daddy was wore out! Stone was amazed with all the animals at Cabela's and Mike said he was quite the entertainment for other shoppers.

25 days of Christmas, Day 15

Today's activity has to be a highlight of Stone's week! He got to go to work with Daddy! Daddy did not have to "work" but needed to fill out time off sheets and make reservations for his upcoming trips out of town. So Stone got to go and according to him "make some money with his dad." The guys in the warehouse let Stone push some boxes around and do some work. Then he found a little toy stash in one of the offices. I think we are now going to have a son that thinks his Daddy gets to go to work and play with toys all day.

25 days of Christmas, Day 14

Today's activity was playing a board game. Mike and I have anxiously awaited the day that we could sit with Stone and play board games. Sounds like the perfect activity to pass away these cold, winter days. I had bought Candyland last year at a black friday sale. Well, we are still not really ready for this yet. He had fun, but it was a little frustrating for Mike and I because he totally did not get the objective of the game. Still nice to just spend an evening trying it though.

First Bath

Tonight we decided to give Torsten his first bath. Stone wanted to help (of course) but was a little rattled when he saw how upset Torsten got. He has now decided that his job is brushing his hair, Torsten is usually calm by that point.

25 days of Christmas, Day 13

Today's activity was color a christmas page. I had bought a Car's Christmas themed coloring book from Walgreens, so we picked a page from that. Bad mommy did not look at the book before buying it and it was pretty difficult pictures for a 2 year old, but Stone gave it a good try! He just lost interest a little more quickly than he would have an easier page.

25 days of Christmas, Day 12

Welcoming home a baby brother! Today Stone got to meet his newest best friend. To say it was love at first sight is an understatement! He instantly wanted to hold his "baby brudder" and just kept saying that he is "so cute." Torsten brought Stone a big brother gift which was a motorcycle backpack filled with Cars color wonder pack, Handy Manny game, a Mickey Mouse clubhouse, and Yo Gabba Gabba underpants.

At bedtime, Stone had to show his brudder his bedroom and Torsten got to lay in Stone's bed for a little bit. So day one as a family of four went way better than I could have ever expected. I hope this continues!!!

Heading home!!!

Yay, we get to leave the hospital today! I have missed Stone soooo much and don't think I could make it another minute without him. Torsten is wearing an outfit that he barely fits into. That is what mommy gets for assuming he would be around the same size as his brother, hahahaha. Oh well he still looks very very cute!

25 days of Christmas, Day 11

Tonight's activity was donating a toy to the "Toy's for Tot's" toy drive that the Marine Corp. organizes every year. They hit the drop off at Green Toyota and donated a Color Wonder Diego coloring package. While there, Daddy got mommy's oil changed in her car :)

Activities like this are very important to me, I want Stone to know that Christmas is not just about receiving gifts, but giving as well. Hopefully by starting young like this, it will be second nature by the time he is a grown man.

Torsten Robert 24 hours old!

Well it has been 24 hours and I am still in complete awe of this little man sitting in front of me. He is just so sweet (and chubby) and has so many of the same characteristics of his brother. Yet as I sit and look at him, he definitely has his own look and little quirks already. He is not as into eating yet, unlike his brother who could not get enough formula in his little belly. So far he is just as mellow as Stone was though.

Speaking of Stone, I cannot wait for these two little guys to meet. I am counting down the hours until I can go home and introduce Stone to his baby brother and get a few snuggles from Stone for myself. I am missing him like CRAZY!!!

25 days of Christmas, Day 10

Well, Mommy is in the hospital and Stone is not allowed up here which means that there will not be any pictures of the next few days activities that Daddy is handling. This is too bad, because he is doing some pretty cool stuff! Tonight, Daddy picked up Stone from Leta's and after showing him some pictures and videos of his new baby brother, they headed to the mall to Build a Bear workshop. Stone "built" his new brother Torsten Robert a monkey named Mogul in honor of our upcoming ski trip to Colorado. This will be Torsten's Christmas present from his big brother Stone!

Daddy said that Stone picked his heart and gave it a kiss. Then he filled up Mogul with stuffing and the lady tied him up. Then Stone got to give him a bath. I just wish I could have been there to see it all.

Torsten Robert

Well our new little addition is here. Time for mommy to think of a new title for the blog since our family has now increased by one. I cannot even describe how surreal it is sitting here staring at this little man that has been in my belly for 9 months. I forgot what this felt like. He is an entire pound and ten ounces bigger than his brother was and an inch longer. Head full of dark hair, no wonder the heartburn was a lot worse this time around! So many similarities to his brother, but has unique features as well. So far, 4 hours into it, he has his brother's tempermant (I am knocking on wood as I say that)!

Torsten Robert
8 lbs 14 oz
21.5 inches long

25 days of Christmas, Day 9

With our new addition arriving tomorrow, there might be a few activities that are not really Christmas related. That being said, they will still be very special times that Stone will hopefully smile about when looking back through these notes. Today was one of those days and will always be a day that I remember and cherish, our last day as a family of three! Not that we are not thrilled to be welcoming Torsten into this world, but today was not about that, it was about Stone and only Stone!

Mommy had a pretty rough night, not feeling well and up all night, so I decided to call into work. So Daddy then decided to take the day off as well which made this a nice family day. We all stayed in the house, snuggled up on the couch watching pbs kids and then onto different Christmas movies from Stone's rapidly growing DVD collection.

It was so nice to just have the day be all about Stone. Even though he had no idea how his world was about to change! My only regret is that I failed to take a single picture today. My camera was already packed in my hospital bag and I did not even think about taking it out for one last snapshot of my belly or my 2 year old "baby."

25 days of Christmas, Day 8

So today's activity was nothing too exciting, but Stone still had fun. We actually went and got baby Torsten a stocking and hung it on the mantle. Stone has been so concerned about making sure Santa knows that Torsten will be here at Christmas and he needs toys too. He told him so Friday and Saturday, so this is a big relief for Stone, that Torsten has a stocking up on the mantle for Santa to fill during his visit!

25 days of Christmas, Day 7

COOKIE TIME!!! Yes, I think it is official, Mommy might have lost her mind!

Mike was out of town tonight, and mommy thought that it would be fun to have one last "party" before Stone's world is turned upside down! Cookie decorating instantly came to mind, so I ran with it. We invited all the cousins over, 5 of the 7 were here and got to work. I had cut out snowmen, gingerbread men, gingerbread girls, Christmas trees, stockings, and candy canes and baked them Sunday night. Then we mixed up some red, green, and white icing had bunches of sprinkles and marshmallows, and these kids went to town.

It was so cute to see them so focused on there creations, and just let them make a mess! We have a creative bunch, that is for sure. Oh and then seeing them "play" and run off their sugar rush from little licks here and there of the icing. Too funny!!!!

It's a date!!!

Thursday morning at 5 am we will be admitted to the hospital to welcome our newest little man. To say we are anxious, excited, and a little nervous is putting it mildly. I cannot wait to give Stone a best friend, to celebrate Christmas with brings tears to my eyes every time I think about it. It is a little bittersweet too though, I cannot even describe how much I have enjoyed these past 2 years and 8 months with Stone, he is my EVERYTHING and can bring a smile to my face in a split second! I am going to make every effort to make sure he does not feel left out or slighted, even though a baby requires so much attention at first. Luckily he is a pretty patient, understanding boy so I think he will give me a little slack.

25 days of Christmas, Day 6

Donating to the local food pantry!

This had to be one of the most rewarding days for me! Seeing Stone work at filling the tub at home with stuff, he was pushing the tub from room to room making mommy look for more to donate. Then we took it up to our food pantry and he was so proud, telling them about each item. He even helped the ladies put it away on the shelves, then sat down and enjoyed a cookie and punch.

I really think he is going to be quite the social bug, he just loved having a seat and chatting it up with all the ladies. I pray that I can continue to raise him to know that the holiday season is not just about receiving and giving can be just as fun and rewarding!!! In addition, teach him to be so thankful for what we/he has and know that there are others that are not always as fortunate and we can do little things to help them out!

25 days of Christmas, Day 5

Secret Santa Shopping!!! Our school had a Christmas event where you could eat breakfast with Santa, sit on his lap, do crafts, and go shopping for family members (free gift wrapping). Mommy got to shop at local vendors while Stone was spending it up!

Santa remembered Stone from last night up at the square and once again, not one ounce of fear for the big guy!!! He also fell in love with a certain Melissa and Doug puzzle so Mommy splurged and bought it for him (quite possibly a little guilt of his last weekend as an only child). Mommy also got a little emotional watching her little man walk down the halls of the school that I attended K-12 and knowing it will not be long before he is a student there too!

So on with the shopping...Gaga helped him and there are now two little bags under the tree, one marked for Daddy and one for Mommy. He "bought" Torsten a gift as well, but it was quickly opened and surprise it was a football for Stone to play with. Hahahaha, he fooled them on that gift!

25 days of Christmas, Day 4

Tonight was sitting on Santa's lap. We had our small town Christmas event up at the square. There was a Santa parade and hot cocoa, cookies, free sleigh rides, and then they got to sit on Santa's lap. Stone showed no fear, hopped right up and said "Hi, I Stone and I 2." Then Santa asked what he wanted this year and he said "well, hmmm lets see...." and he looked around the santa's village at the toys and continued "how about a race car and hmmmm a elmo." We were cracking up! I will try to scan the picture once I go to the village hall on Monday to pick it up.

25 days of Christmas, Day 3

Tonight was "Watch a new Christmas movie night." A while back I had bought a new Bob the Builder Christmas movie that was only $5 at Target and put it away. He was so excited to get his bubble bath, jammies on, and cuddle in his big boy bed for a Christmas movie. He actually ended up watching it twice, staying up a little past his bedtime. Pictures will come soon!

25 days of Christmas, Day 2

Today we got to pick out a new ornament for the tree. Stone was surprisingly excited about this, he still admires the John Deere tractor ornament he picked out last year. So after daycare, we headed to Hallmark and he got to shop. Did not take long for his eyes to fall upon Scooby Doo, guitar rock star ornament. The search was over! I showed him that there was a Handy Manny and Mickey Mouse clubhouse (2 of his favorite morning shows) but he could not get past Scooby rock star. So we bought the last one and came right home to hang it on the tree!

25 days of Christmas, Day 1

Creating a gingerbread house (foam of course).

I don't think we are ready for the baking and putting together yet. Heck, I might not ever be ready for all of that! So we found this foam gingerbread house at Michaels. The perfectionist in me wanted to do it all, but I held myself back and let him go at it. He would get a little bored, but really did a good job. Only mommy got to do the gluing though, I am not that crazy!