Two Weeks

Today was Truman's two week well-check.

The check went well! :o)

Here are his ever important stats:

Weight: an impressive 9 pounds (even), 58th percentile

Height: 22.5 inches, 96th percentile

Head: 37cm, 48th percentile

How Mark and I keep winding up with long, skinny babies is beyond me, but somehow that's what we get!  

Besides the obligatory stat gathering, he is doing well.  Jaundice appears to be subsiding, he is still a little yellow, but his eyes are clear now so hopefully in the next few days we can see how pasty and white he really is!

Overall he is a healthy little guy, other than a little thrush.  He has a great set of lungs on him and showed the Doctor how well he poops.  All the important things, right?

Weekend Antics

I made the mistake of mentioning to Mark that other than a horrible picture taken in the hospital, there were no pictures of Truman and I.  So, to remedy that, Mark handed me the boy, picked up the camera and started taking pictures.  Unfortunately, they are terrible.  Luckily they are digital so I didn't have to waste money developing them to see how horrible they are.  Nothing like a day in the house with no make-up or hair done to make your pictures shine!  At least I will have the pictures for me, but the public does not need to see 99% of them.

We did get a sort of cute one with me, Tennyson and Truman.  Ok, so the kids are cute...I feel like I look like my Grandma!! No offense Grandma (not that she owns a computer and would ever read this!)

This past weekend we decided instead of being housebound and having Mark work on the deck, we would head to the zoo.  We got a later start than we had planned on, so when we got there the parking was atrocious! We wound up parking miles away and taking the zoo shuttle.  It actually worked out well and we didn't fight traffic in or out of the parking lots.  

Truman didn't seem to care for the zoo at all.  This kid is just hard to please!  But Tennyson sure had a good time.  She was excited to see the zebras and lions and tigers and polar bears and she even got to see the Sparky the sea lion show!  She and Dad shared an ice cream and she got to ride in buses that looked like a tiger and a zebra!

For some reason, all of the pictures we took with Tennyson and the animals turned out foggy.  Not sure if something was on the lens or if it was just the humidity of the day...but the one of Tennyson and her little turtle friend turned out okay!

Tennyson and her giraffe friend, all fogged up!

When we got home it was bath night for both kids.  Tennyson loved it, Truman....not so much.  It was his first sponge bath and it might have been the fastest sponge bath in the histories of baths.  My goodness that kid has a set of lungs on him! Wow.  I think the neighbours heard him.  If they did, they probably thought we were torturing him.

Oh the horror! What are you doing to me??

Much better, thank you.

I'm not sure who is looking least forward to the next bath, the child or the parent!

Fore!

Before my parents left, we decided we would go on a fun outing, so we bundled up Truman and dolled up Tennyson and hit the links.  The links of the world renowned Lilliputt mini-golf course here in Coon Rapids.  All of the world's best golfers have hit this course at one point in their career.  You can't hit it big without stopping here.  Ok, all a lie, but fun nonetheless.

Truman didn't really care for it as you can tell from the picture below.  Actually, I have no idea what he is doing here, but he had no interest in playing at all - we didn't even get him a putter.

Tennyson on the other hand is a golfing pro!!  This is the second time she has gone miniature golfing and the second time she has won!!  Probably due more to the scorekeeper than Tennyson's actual golf ability.  She lost interest after the first few holes and wound up having Grandpa hit her ball for her until it was within sight of the hole and then she would just pick up her ball and place it right next to the hole, or just drop it in the hole, whatever she felt like.  She was much more interested in the go-karts than golf, but sadly you had to be 10 years or older to ride them, so she got a little cranky as we went along.  After golf the loser treated the winners to a fabulous lunch at Denny's.  Only the glamorous, high-life will do for us!

Tennyson as we started playing.

Losing interest after a couple holes.

I Can See!

He really does have eyes, see...

Similarities

Ever since I put that last post up with the long legged picture of Truman, I kept thinking about a very similar picture of Tennyson.  So I looked it up today and found it...and yah I would say they definitely have similar builds.  You can't really see Truman's face to tell how much they do or don't look alike, but they sure have those same scrawny little legs!  So much for an 8 pound 13 ounce baby.  Still no rolls to be found on him!

Tennyson                                                                                               Truman

And just for fun, here are pictures of both kids at day one (or two) of their lives.  Think they look alike?

(the pink hat kind of gives it away as to which picture is which kid!)

It's Not Easy Being Yellow

We've been home for a couple of days now, but there have already been two Doctor's visits for our little man.  Thankfully it is nothing too serious, but has still required heel pokes and blood draws.  Truman's bilirubin count has been going up since birth and the Doctor's have wanted to monitor it to make sure he doesn't need any of the light therapy, or whatever they do to treat it.  After an increase on Monday, today's blood draw showed a decrease, so it looks like we will be able to avoid any further tests and appointments until his two week check up.  Like I said, it's not life serious, but I don't think any 5 day old enjoys getting needles in the heels and blood being squeezed out.  I'm a lot older than 5 days and I know I don't like it!!

So, if you think he looks a little yellow in his pictures, he does, but we're working on getting him back to a regular Farmer/Smith shade of a nice pasty white.

Tennyson has been pretty good with him.  Some days I don't think she really cares much about him being around but then at other times she wants to hold him and help with his diaper...so time will tell how she really feels!  I am hopeful she will want to help more and more and not start biting him or something!

We may try to venture off for an outing tomorrow before Grandma and Grandpa F head home this weekend... at least the adults will still outnumber the kids so we should be able to survive!

In the meantime, here are a few more pictures, since that's what everyone wants anyway.  I also realized as I was uploading the pictures from the camera, that I don't think I have had one picture taken with me and my little man...I will have to change that (and make sure I'm not in my pj's!!)

All wrapped up at the hospital

All ready to go home

Hanging out at home..like my little 'hawk?

Holy scrawny little legs Batman!

Tennyson drawing with Grandma

Welcome Welcome

Truman Eliot Smith

Born July 16 2010, 3:17AM

8 pounds 13 ounces 21 inches

We're happy to welcome this little guy into our family!  Well, I guess I shouldn't use little so loosely, since he fooled both the doctor and mom about how big he was going to be!  

He decided to wait until the last minute before making Mom be induced to make his entrance into the world, so we didn't have to go down that road.  He didn't however give Mom the proper time to get to the hospital (none of this 5 minutes apart for an hour rule in this house!).  He had almost welcomed himself into the world on the ride over.  Luckily he wasn't quite that quick and we made it in time.  We'll spare everyone the details (unless you really want to hear them, then send me an email and I will give you the labour story -it's not gruesome, just not sure how many people really want all those details).  It was a quick delivery once the time came and he made his entrance quickly and fairly easily.  

Tennyson is quite taken with him, although we will see how she does once we get brother home, and loves to come up to visit and hold brother.

Hanging out with big Sister!

And he has already met all four of his grandparents already, 2 in person and 2 via skype!  This kid will be a tech whiz in no time!

So far he is a good little baby and we love having him as a part of our family.  Now to get home and find out just how crazy life is going to be...if it can be measured!

I guess it's mandatory, but no one ever looks good this soon into life!

A tuckered out Dad.

Sleeping Babe.

Happy little Family.

Tick Tock

We are all set.

If this kid doesn't make a grand appearance by next Friday at 7AM, it's too late, he is coming whether he likes it or not!  I doubt that will happen, but I also didn't think I would still be sitting at home at this point too.  Not that I have overshot my due date, but even the Doctor was surprised to see me at my appointment today!  We will see though, this kid could have already inherited the stubbornness gene that runs rampant in our little family, or Mark's slowpoke attitude.  If he is like me or Tennyson, he won't like to be late and will come on his due date.  But I suppose those odds are against us too.  So we will just sit and wait and see what happens.  Let's just hope we haven't forgotten to get something ready (other than a name of course).

So until then, sit on the edge of your seat waiting for the news...I know you all will be, right? :o)

Prayer Surprises

Last night as we were putting T down for bed, we were saying prayers and she was sitting on my lap. I was in the midst of saying the prayer when she started saying "Mommy" and grabbing at my hand.  I, innocently thought she just wanted to hold my hand while we prayed.  So I took her hand, only to discover she wanted me to hold her finger.  Odd, but she has some mosquito bites, I thought maybe one was bothering her finger.  Yah, no, no mosquito bite, just a giant, gross booger she had dug out during the prayer and decided she didn't like it on her finger so she should give it to me.  It's very difficult to finish saying a prayer without vomiting over the disgustingness now making it's home on my finger.  Not to mention having your husband bust up laughing at you while you try to not gag and finish the prayer at the same time.  

Oh kids...at least she didn't try to eat it, right?

Patriotism?

Apparently not in this house.  A certain someone was not a fan of fireworks.  We bought some little sparklers and random fireworks to set off on the 4th, but the whole time we were outside a little voice could be heard whining, "No, I want to go in the house!" Many of the houses around us had obviously made a visit to nearby Wisconsin to purchase the illegal kind, so there were bangs and explosions going off all over the place.  She didn't like those either.  Even when we did come in, we took her out onto the deck to watch the ones going off behind our house but she kept saying she wanted to go to bed.  She never wants to go to bed, she really must not have enjoyed the fireworks.  Good thing we didn't end up driving down to see the city show, that would not have been a fun trip.

I tried to take a few pictures of our measly light show but every picture was pitch black.  Oh well, they were nothing to brag about anyway.

We had the most patriotic meal I could come up with at the last minute and that required the least amount of effort: hamburgers and fruit salad.  T did wear her little Happy 4th shirt though.  Even Mark wore some form of prideful colours to church too.  I, on the other hand, did not dress up in either countries colours for the occasion. There isn't a lot of choice left for clothes to wear at this point, so black usually wins out!  I was red and white on the inside!  Mark did bring home an ice cream cake from Coldstone with a maple leaf drawn on it for Canada Day.  Just what the GD ordered.  Luckily, Mark had no trouble making quick work of that cake so it wasn't a huge temptation, even though I love me some ice cream cake.

We're down to the last days now and thankfully this kid did not decide to come on July 4th or Mark was threatening to name him George Washington (GW for short).  Thanks Boy for being on my side of that argument!  No one needs to be saddled with that moniker...unless you WERE George Washington.

So, not much going on in the Smith household now.  A lot of sitting, watching T play....not a lot of tidying being done or anything productive.  It probably should be, but it's just going to get messed up again anyway! 

Alright, well that's about all the non-news to report.  Maybe the next post will be THE post...I know everyone is dying to know what we name this kid.  Maybe we should take a poll on that topic!!

The Room

It's done!  Well, we still need to put up a shelf on the wall and move the rocker in, but other than that, it's done!!

Not quite sure it's what I had in mind, but boy's decor ideas just don't strike a chord with me, so it was a little difficult to figure out what I wanted.  Nevertheless, I think it turned out pretty well and is something he can grow into without having to change anything major...just the wall decor.  I would have liked to have been able to add more touches of orange, but orange doesn't seem to be a popular colour for kids rooms, boy or girl.  Oh well, I was never one to be on top of the trends.  He'll have to live with it.

So without further ado...here is the room.

wall of squares

changing table area

crib and monkey overseer!

wall of squares again

So there you have it.  Seems a little bare right now, but once the shelf is up to house the green piggy bank and the fly fishing monkey and the chair gets moved into the corner where the basket is, I think it should look a little more finished.  

Now kid, just wait until next Saturday to move into the room, okay? Thanks!