Aug 25-Sept 14: A Lake Vacation!

Elin has taken her first airplane trip - and, of course, we completely forgot to get a picture of her in the plane or the airport!  We packed up what seemed to be our entire house and spent the Labor Day vacation at the LeNoue cabin on Otter Tail Lake in Minnesota.  For nearly his entire life, Kent has spent part of his summer at this cabin with his LeNoue branch of the family. We have been there for a long weekend at least once a year since we started dating.  However, we hadn't been back since May 2011 when we visited while I was pregnant with Erik.  Kent was having severe withdrawals, so we arranged a trip to cure his blues.

Both Erik & Elin did very well on the 3-hour plane ride and subsequent 3-hour car ride to the lake.  Erik got a bit squirmy & fussy after a few hours on the plane, but Kent was a trooper and always managed to distract him from a full-blown meltdown.  I lucked out and had the easy child with Elin.  She nursed on take-off and landing and then slept the majority of the trip, which meant that I got to sleep!  I woke up a few times and noticed that Kent was having to work really hard with Erik, but always went right back to sleep - ha, ha!  

It was a wonderful and relaxing trip for me; poor Kent had board meetings the day after we got back, so he had to spend quite a bit of time working on his presentations while we were there (lots of late nights & early mornings).  Erik loved the lake and all the outdoor activities; he especially loved to walk on the dock to look at the boats. He would frequently ask for a boat ride; thankfully, while on the boat, he was always very quiet, willing to wear his life jacket and happy to sit with/next to Kent or I. That is, until the very last boat ride, when he nearly flung himself off the back of the boat trying to be funny.  He was sitting by me; he had been a bit antsy, so I had a hand on the back of his life jacket the entire time.  I think he was completely embarrassed when I hauled him onto my lap and gave him a stern talking to!  Ha, ha - won't be the last time that I ruin his fun and embarrass him at the same time!!

We spent our week doing as many water sports and outdoor activities as possible.  Kent had to be in 7th heaven - he was able to Windsurf, Water-ski, Fish, Kayak, drive the Boat and go Sailing!  Erik tried as hard as a 2-year old can to keep up with Kent!  He wanted to be outside all the time; thankfully, he was very good about following the rules and always having an adult with him on the dock or near the water's edge.  Kent gave Erik his first lesson in kite-flying, which Erik absolutely loved.  Kent & his dad actually rigged a kite up to a fishing pole to make it easier to hold onto and to reel in & out.  I thought it was ingenious!

We were able to see alot of Kent's relatives while we were there, including all of his aunts & uncles except Aunt Peggy.  We were also very happy that we were able to stop in St. Paul and see Kent's sister & brother-in-law, Natalie & Casey Malmquist.  Casey was in a house explosion back in July and has been at a hospital for the past 2 months.  He has experienced many miracles in the past weeks and is healing so much better than expected.  We thought he looked great!!  He had a grafting surgery the day before we arrived, so we only visited with them for a short time on the first day of our trip.  We drove back to the cities the evening before our flight home so that we could spend more time with Casey & Natalie.  Casey had undergone a marked improvement during that week; he was discharged from the hospital and was staying with friends nearby so that he could maintain his outpatient visits.  His friends, Charlie & Janine, were very gracious and opened their home to us for the night as well.  We were able to visit with everyone and Charlie took us all for a boat ride on Lake Minnetonka.
 
There are so many things that I'm sure I've forgotten to write about.  Suffice it to say that we had a wonderful time and enjoyed seeing all our extended family.

We are back home and back in the swing of things.  This means, of course, that I am once again super late in posting updates to this blog.  You would be surprised by how often during the day I think about the blog and what I am going to write/say on my next post.  Clearly, with my rather sleep-deprived state, I forgot about 90% of what I plan to write, plus I never have as much free time during the day or evening to spend on my computer as I think I will.  I need some sort of brain dictation machine!

Erik and his Daddy in the airport

Look at all that luggage!

Kent taking Erik for a kayak ride

Kent & Elin taking a nap

Grandma & Erik helping Elin with her tummy time

Johnson men: 2 watching videos and 1 sleeping

Our Family

Aunt Marsha, Kent, Erik, Grandma, Elin, Grandpa & Uncle George

Aunt Darlene

Hard to see, but Kent & Erik are flying a kite using a fishing pole!

Kent & Uncle George sailing

Erik "Fishing"

Kent & Erik on a boat ride

Aug 18-25: 2 Months old

We have had a few changes in our lives this past week - Erik changed rooms at his daycare, Elin turned 2 months old and I made a major career decision.

This past week I made the decision to not return to work at the end of my maternity leave (though, I will probably be part-time for awhile to train my replacement).  Being a stay-at-home Mom is something that I've always wanted to do, but things didn't work out when we had Erik.  Everything seemed to "line up" this time and so I get to stay home with my kids!!  It was very difficult to leave Erik at daycare, even knowing that he enjoyed himself and was learning a lot.  Kent and I have also been struggling to keep up with all the demands at work and home, so it will be good to have someone managing the home front, so to speak.  It was harder to made the final decision than I was anticipating and so, being a procrastinator, I delayed as long as I could before having to decide.  I will definitely miss the work environment and all my co-workers.  But I'm very excited about staying at home and spending lots of time with my babies!

Erik goes to daycare at the local Jewish Community Center and they function their daycare program in the same manner as a school.  The daycare calendar is the same as the school year and the babies & toddlers in the daycare program change rooms in August when the new school year starts.  Erik moved to a new daycare room on August 19 for 2-years-old.  Since I'm now staying at home, we switched him to the part-time program, so he only goes on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings.  He really enjoys the range of activities that the JCC offers.

Erik's latest accomplishment is counting and singing.  He will pull items out of a box or bag while counting and then put them back in, counting them again. He generally does pretty good with his numbers up to 12, but prefers to have someone count with him.  He will also often skip 1 and 2 and start his counting with "free, four, five, etc".  He will also skip nine at times.  Kent normally does the night time routine with Erik of bath time, pajamas, prayer and milk.  I try to get there for the prayer and final goodnights.  Then Kent will cuddle with Erik on his chair while Erik drinks his milk before putting him into his bed.  We play a music CD of instrumental hymns and Kent began singing the words to the "Jesus Loves Me" song.  Erik can now sing the song almost entirely through; but he usually will just sing the last word of each line!  It is so cute to hear him singing the song.  I've tried to sing with him during the day, but he has decided that singing means bedtime, so when I start to sing, he will wave his arm at me and say "Mama, no singing"!  I hope that it's not because he hates my singing!!!

Erik with one of his teachers, Ms. Abreu

Elin turned 2 months old this week; at her monthly doctor appointment, she weighed in at 11 pounds, 4 ounces and is now 22 inches long.  Both measurements are on the 50th percentile line of the growth charts.  Elin's latest accomplishments are increased arm movements and cooing.  She has captured the toys on her carseat on a couple different occasions and been able to drag them closer to her.  She has always been vocal and, in the past week, she has started to coo, gurgle and "talk".  She loves it when someone will get close and talk to her.  She will smile and coo to them.  She and I have carried on several "conversations".  She has told me that her favorite things are eating, sleeping and getting hugs from Big Brother Erik!

Elin at 2 Months Old

Erik, Daddy and Elin

Our 2 kiddos: Erik 2 yrs old, Elin 2 months old.  I love the expression on her face!

We were able to visit with some of our favorite people, Katelyn & Karli Pettijohn, before they head back up to Southern for another school year.  Katelyn & Karli used to babysit Erik before they left us for Southern, so it was fun to introduce them to Elin.  We couldn't manage a picture with both kids, so the below photo is only with Erik.

Katelyn and Karli Pettijohn

Random Photos of the Week:

Kent & Erik at Sabbath School

My Little Man!

Aug 4-17: Auntie Kirsti and Swimming Lessons

Uh oh, seems like I'm falling back into bad habits again!  Two weeks between posts - not great for me.  The past 2 weeks have been very busy with my sister, Kirstin Elliott, coming for a visit and Erik starting swimming lessons in addition to all our regular activities.  Some other highlights of the past 2 weeks is that Erik has started playing "Pretend" games lately like "Nap Time" and "Frog" (this consists of Erik saying ribbit and jumping like a frog), Kent had a thrilling shopping experience with Erik (see story below) and Erik peed in the potty for the very first time on August 6!  Erik will ask to sit on the potty every night before his bath and occasionally at random times throughout the day.  I try to let him sit on it since he is showing interest in the potty.  Nothing has happened yet, so when he started to tinkle, he and I were both very surprised!  There hasn't been any activity since but Erik is getting a little better at telling us when he has pooped.  We hope that he'll soon start to tell us before he goes poo-poo!

Elin has developed a rash on her face and upper chest, so there aren't any super recent pictures of her for this post.  I'm pretty sure that it is heat related as it flairs up after she's been outside or when she cries for awhile.  The rash also is concentrated in the areas where her face rests against my arm when I hold her.  Apparently, Elin has inherited my intolerance of heat.  She has always been a "warm" baby - I can't put her in the sleeper pajamas anymore because she would be so hot during the night.  Elin has her next doctor's appointment in the next few days; I hope that I can get an official diagnosis and treatment.

Auntie Kirsti came to visit us and to meet Baby Elin from Friday, August 2 through Monday, August 5.     It was a quick weekend visit, but it was super fun to see her.  Elin was such a sweet little girl that she almost convinced Kirstin to have another little baby - Kirstin said that sanity prevailed though.  I think that if Kirstin had stayed just one more day we would have fully convinced her to give Erik and Elin another cousin!!!  While Kirstin was here, she was able to go with me and the kids to a Children's Storytime at the local Leu Gardens.  The storytime is held once a month; it was a madhouse!  I couldn't believe how many people showed up for it.  I decided it had to be because it was the last event before the new school year starting.   I'm not sure if I'll attempt another one for awhile.

In other Erik news, we finally decided to enroll Erik in swimming lessons.  He hadn't really wanted to get in the pool earlier this year but thankfully developed an interest in swimming when we had all the grandparents here in July.  I enrolled Erik in a course of 8 swim lessons at the Jewish Community Center where he goes to daycare.  He cried the entire 30 minutes of the first lesson; I was in an adjacent building where I could watch the lesson and I could hear him even inside the building!  The 2nd day was better in that he only cried for the first 5 minutes or so.  I was worried that he would throw a tantrum when he realized where we were going, but he walked to the pool willingly enough but then wanted me to hold him when we into the pool area.  Each day was better until I was actually able to stay by the pool for the last few lessons.  Kent took Erik to his 8th and last lesson and Erik cried throughout the entire lesson again!  Oops.  Erik's teacher, Miss Lacey, thought that Erik did a great job; he was floating on his back by himself during Lesson #7.  However, he could certainly benefit from more lessons, so we will try to keep up with the lessons.  The JCC may actually add a pool heater this year which would allow them to keep their pool open year-round.  That would be great & convenient since Erik is there already!

As mentioned above, Kent took Erik shopping for new shoes a few weeks ago.  He had quite the experience and learned a few lessons!  I can't wait to see what happens when he takes 2 kids out by himself!!  Here is Kent's story, in his words:

Shoe shopping with Erik

Erik needed some bigger shoes a few weeks ago, so I volunteered to take him shopping on Sunday morning since Kelli and Elin had planned to attend a baby shower.  So Erik and I headed down to the outlets at about 10:15 to check out a couple shoe stores.  The plan was to park close to the store and zip in and get back to the car in short order to get back in time for lunch and nap.

I couldn't remember exactly where the store was, but I remembered that the last time I came we parked in the back so that must be an okay option I thought.  I also decided that due to the speed at which I would be performing this errand and my strategic parking that I could skip the stroller.  Upon arriving I also decided that I didn't want to be burdened by the diaper bag since I didn't have the stroller.  So I got Erik out of the car, threw in a little snack and we were on our way.

Fortunately, there was a mall directory right away to help me know which way to go.  It took me a bit to locate the shoe store I came for, mostly because it was on the opposite side of the mall!  Well, perhaps I should have spent a couple minutes scouting the parking lot at home! This outdoor outlet mall is sizeable.  The criss cross route I would need to take would be the equivalent of 3-4 city blocks.  Erik weighs about thirty pounds, but having him walk that far wasn't an option.  So after an unscheduled stop to check out a hat, we finally arrived at the shoe store, with me having worked up a decent sweat and Erik feeling like he'd just been carried half way back home.  

Inside the shore store now...there is no one to help me measure Erik's foot so I decide I'll try on my own...in between trying to get him to keep his foot still, I tried to decipher the ridiculously busy measuring capabilities of this device.  I'm sure I knew his shoe size in 3 foreign countries before I decided which set of numbers I should be using.  The shoes Erik's size are located within a couple rows in the back of the store.  While I was mostly disappointed with the initial selections that appeared to be available, Erik seemed to have a few favorites, which consisted of anything in a box!  

I quickly scanned the boxes looking for anything in Erik's size, but it seemed like I was in the wrong area, so after dissuading Erik out of trying on some blinking lightning McQueen shoes, we moved over a row and started investigating some more promising territory where I hit paydirt!  I quickly started checking out what styles they had in Erik's size, which required me to open several boxes as things were very disorganized.  After becoming a little self absorbed, I happened to look over at Erik and noticed that he had successfully tried on some more blinking shoes!  Good job, but he had about 5 or 6 boxes pulled off the shelf with shoes scattered all over!  Oh no, I thought, I'll have to figure out which go in which boxes!  Now I knew why I couldn't find anything in the proper place in this section...some other parents hadn't properly restricted their children from shopping either. As I started reassembling the boxes, I became aware of an unpleasant aroma that I quickly identified as emanating from Erik's diaper!  Ugh...This was a very unfortunate turn of events since I had left all his gear back at the car!  This wasn't a totally cavalier move since he had already pooped in the morning and typically doesn't go twice...but so much for typical.

So after keeping closer tabs on him while I tried to find some kind of option, he started fussing and crying because I wasn't letting him clear the shelves anymore!  I finally decided to give him the snack I brought, which seemed to pacify him while I sorted through some more options.  The rice cookie in one hand seemed to temper his constant desire to rip boxes off the shelf, but unfortunately he decided that he would play "keep away" from me and not stay close to where I was!  So after what seemed like an eternity of trying to keep track of him and looking for the right size, I finally decided on a pair (as I wasn't leaving without something).  Then to top it off, we had to wait in line for about 10 minutes to check out.

I was feeling bad for Erik having to have a poopy diaper for the remainder of the shopping and the long walk back to the car so on the way to the next store where I was hoping to buy him a pair of crocs, I happened to see a restroom.  I decided that I would relieve him of his dirty diaper and chance him wetting before we got back to the car.  So after I did a diaper change without wipes that would have made McGyver proud, we hurried to the croc store, which was fortunately nearby and on the way back to the car.  I told Erik there was no peeing or popping until we got back to the car.  :-)

At the croc store Erik seemed to like pretty much everything that he saw there too!! I decided to keep holding him in this store, so I had only one hand to shop and put back everything that he took off the shelves.  Yes...definitely take the stroller next time!!  Crocs aren't in boxes but various types of holders on display racks.  For every croc I looked at he had pulled off two.  Once I identified his size he picked a nice blue color that I liked for him.  I also wanted a pair so had to put him down to try things on...which resulted in at least a half dozen that Erik tried on.  It was a great relief to decide on a pair for myself and head to the checkout, where again I waited for 10 min, wondering if my arm would suddenly become very warm and wet.  Needless to say, I had the same thoughts on the way back to the car.  

After the high-speed dodge-and-walk around the numerous shoppers, we finally arrived back at the car.  Erik had decided to have a bladder of steel at the right time...and at least made me feel good about one decision I had made that morning!  It was way past lunch time now and I was just leaving the mall.  So while Erik ate some chips that I threw into the car at the last minute on the way out the door, I reflected on the way home that perhaps I had learned several lessons in shopping with toddlers that I could use going forward, with the most important being let Kelli do it.

Random Pictures:

Erik with a construction hat, which was the party favor at his birthday party 

Erik & Elin playing "Nap Time" - one of Erik's favorite games right now

Erik loving on poor little Elin.  Erik has decided that he doesn't like clothes lately

Jul 28-Aug 3: Erik is 2 Years Old!

We have achieved several major milestones this week with both of our kiddos - Erik turned 2 years old (wow, where did the time go?!) and Elin gifted us with her first smile AND her first full night's sleep!!

Erik had multiple celebrations that spanned the month of July to commemorate his 2nd birthday.  The celebrations began when both sets of grandparents were here at the beginning of the month and they ended this weekend with a pool party that was shared with our good friend, Kieran Cochran, who turned 5 this year.  In between these 2 celebrations, Erik has had a small, intimate family-only dinner & presents, a cupcake party for his friends at daycare and a public acknowledgement at Sabbath School!  By the time we were done with all the partying, Erik seems to have grasped that birthdays are special and that they include singing, presents and cake!  He now asks for cake for his afternoon snack and I have caught him softly singing Happy Birthday to himself a few times!!  We are working on holding up 2 fingers and saying "I'm Two!" when he is asked how old he is.   Here are a few pictures from Sabbath School and the pool party.

Erik refused to sit in the Birthday chair and then was scared of the candles.  Glad we won't have a pyromaniac to deal with at home!

Kent & Erik posing with the Construction Cake at the pool party

Erik got a lot of sports equipment for his birthday this year, including a soccer ball, a soccer goal & net and a t-ball stand.  I've included a few pictures of Erik playing with his new toys and testing out a possible new sport.  Another new development for Erik that happened in the last week or so is that he appears to be showing some interest in potty-training.  He asks to sit on the potty most nights prior to his bath and will occasionally make a "potty" face while he sits there (I think that is due more to the laughter he gets out of Kent or I than anything else).  No activity yet, but I'm pleased that he is starting to think through the process.

Soccer Ball

Soccer ball and a bat - a new sport?!

Cute Sayings:
1. Watert - he just recently started adding the extra T on the end of the word Water; we aren't sure why, but it is awfully cute.
2. Oh, Sorry! - this one pops out whenever he thinks that he is underfoot and getting in the way.  He seems to use this when, really, he shouldn't be the one apologizing and then is stubbornly silent when we ask him to say "Sorry" for being bad.
3. Dear Jesus...I wub you. Amen! - Erik's bedtime and mealtime prayers are becoming more of a habit for him.  He will usually repeat the last word or two of each sentence, but almost always will say these words each time.  He also checks during the prayer to be sure that everyone else has stopped what they are doing, folded their hands and closed their eyes.  If he finds a wayward soul, he will put a stop to t the entire proceedings until everyone is praying together.
4. Hello Baby Sister - there are several variations on this phrase with "E-lin" replacing sister or he will point to his chest and say "Erik's Baby" or "Erik's baby sister".  He will repeat his chosen phrase, over and over, until someone takes pity and acknowledges his statement and repeated it back to him!  He surely does love his baby sister!


The World of Elin is changing by leaps and bounds recently.  Elin still spends most of her day sleeping (preferably while someone is holding her), but she is also starting to track movements around her while she is awake.  She will turn her head side to side to watch someone or something and she can also turn her head to the opposite side when she hears something interesting that isn't right in front of her.  She loves to snuggle and be cuddled and is beginning to hang on when being held - whether it is a fist grabbing onto my hair or her arm or hand draped over my shoulder and squeezing to stay close.  I realize these actions are unconscious ones on her part, but they warm my heart nonetheless (even the hair pulling)!  Elin holds her hands in tightly closed fists less and less - she will spread out her little fingers and knead them on whatever object is nearby (which is where I get the hanging onto my shoulder claim).  

One of Elin's two major accomplishments this week is that she smiled at me for the 1st smile on Sunday, July 28.  I leaned over her to pick her up from her crib and got a smile in response.  I did get witnesses later in the morning when I attended the baby shower for Corey Grodack and Elin smiled at me as I was taking her out of the carseat!  Since then, she has smiled more often and Kent was skilled enough to get a picture of one of her first smiles (I tried, but was completely unsuccessful).  The second major accomplishment is that Elin has officially slept through the night - at 6 weeks old!  She has given me a few nights where she would sleep for 5 and a half hours, but then on Friday, Aug 2, she slept for a full 7 hours.  I was actually able to give her a dream feed half way through this time period, but she never woke up, so I'm calling it!  I am not expecting 7 plus hours of sleep every night yet, but I'm very hopeful that it will come soon!

Elin's happy smiles!

Jul 21-27: Sabbath School Stand-outs

We had a couple of big events this past week.  We started out the week by attending the birthday party for 2 of our little friends who had reached the big milestone of Birthday #1 - Devin Cochran and Addison Zbaraschuk.  It was a pool party, which Erik was able to participate in.  Little Elin spent most of the party sleeping and being held by Grandma Bobbi.

Devin and Addison testing out their cakes!

On Monday, we had Elin's 1 month check-up at the doctor's office.  I am pleased to say that Elin is gaining weight in leaps & bounds.  She is now 9 pounds even!  That is an increase of 2 and a half pounds from her Week 1 check-up!  I guess I don't have to worry about her gaining weight!!  This weight gain takes her from the 10th percentile to the 50th percentile.  She is also in the 50th percentile for height.

One of the primary differences of this maternity leave with Elin is that I am making more trips outside of the house with Elin in tow.  I have actually been anxious to get out and do errands or go visiting whereas before I really only wanted to stay at home and nap!  Not that I don't want to nap this time around, but I limit my naps!!  This week, in addition to the birthday party and doctor's appointment, Elin and I met up with a friend, Grenadette, who is also on maternity leave, for a walk and lunch, we went grocery shopping, we made several trips to Erik's daycare and we also made it to church for the 2nd week in a row!  Elin does very well riding in her carseat, so far, although she will certainly let me know when she is ready to get out and be held!!  Her lungs are strengthening daily!

On Friday of this week, Erik's daycare room held a party to celebrate the end of the "school" year.  Erik's daycare utilizes a program where the same group of babies stay together, with the same teachers, for 2 years.  This August marks the end of Erik's 2-year rotation with these teachers and with his friends.  It will be sad to not see the same kids anymore when we drop off & pick up Erik, but I'm hopeful that he will adapt well to his new room and new classmates.

We ended the week with our 2nd excursion to church.  I mentioned that we made our first trek to Sabbath School last week, but I didn't tell you that when we arrived at Sabbath School (late, of course), the teacher stopped the program to welcome Elin to the class and to sing the "We have a Visitor" song to her!  It was very thoughtful and sweet, but totally ruined my plan of sneaking in quietly since we were late!  Elin sleeps through the majority of Sabbath School, waking up at the end which is very convenient so we can show her off to all our friends!  Erik participates much more readily during Sabbath School now, which is fun to watch.  He actually tried to sing along to a few of the songs this week as well as repeating the prayer after the teacher (during our nightly prayers with him, he will repeat the last word in each sentence).  Of course, this week he first had a meltdown just as we entered the classroom; it was so loud that I had to take him right back out and spend several minutes calming him down.  That was fun.   This week, Elin wore a dress to church that actually belonged to her Auntie Kirstin and then to me when we were infants.  I had to take pictures of her in the little pink dress and bonnet to mark the occasion!

Elin's introduction to Sabbath School (from last week)

In a dress and bonnet that belonged to Auntie Kirstin and Mommy

Precious Sleeping Baby Girl

Jul 14-20: One Month Old

Elin is officially 1 month old!  It doesn't seem possible that 4 weeks have passed already.  We spent the past week working on our daily schedules and routines.  Elin and I spend our days nursing, napping and trying to do a project or two every day to say that we were productive!  Elin moves her hands and feet alot while laying down; she also lifts her head quite a bit.  I've actually seen her scoot herself on the changing table!  She will plant her feet on the table and then push herself backwards!Our big events this week was Elin's first bath in a tub (she loved it and lounged in the tub like a lady of leisure), we made a quick trip into my office to show Elin off to my co-workers and to return some paperwork and on Sabbath, we all made it to church for the first time as a family of four!

I'm trying to be better organized this time around with showing monthly growth pictures.  Here are Elin's 1 month-old pictures.  Erik wanted in on the action, so I let him in the photo shoot!  You can see Elin's chubby checks and double chin - she's putting on weight fast!

Erik loves to hug Elin and put his face next to hers.  I hope they become great friends!

Elin's first bath

Family Portrait after Church

Erik has had a cold for the first part of this week, so we kept him home from daycare for 2 days.  We still send Erik to daycare (we've paid his tuition through the end of July already, so need to make use of it!).  Erik loves daycare and will grab his bag and wave bye-bye each morning to Elin and I.  He'll walk out to the car waving, blowing kisses and saying "Bye-bye. See you later"!!  Of course, after he was sick, I got the cold.  Thankfully, it hasn't been very bad and Elin hasn't gotten sick.

We would like everyone to please keep Kent's brother-in-law, Casey Malmquist (Natalie's husband), in your prayers.  He was severely burned as a result of a gas explosion on Monday, July 8 in Williston, North Dakota.  He and Natalie live in Whitefish, Montana.  Natalie was not with him at the time of the accident.  Casey was airlifted to a Minneapolis hospital that has a burn unit.  We thank God that Casey survived this.  Even though he has very severe burns, there are many things that we are thankful for such as the viability of his organs, his eyesight, and his ability to communicate to name a few.  Without getting into all the details, he has many challenges ahead in his recovery and would greatly appreciate your prayers for the next several months and beyond.  We are heartbroken that this accident happened and are praying for Casey, along with hundreds of others who are part of several prayer chains.  The support has been amazing! God has answered many prayers already for which we are very thankful.

My parents sent a few "teaser" pictures that they took while visiting us last month, so I thought to share a few with you!

Snuggling with Mommy

Snuggling in with Nana

Elin is very expressive while sleeping - here is a frown

Sleeping Beauty

Roller Coaster Ride!  Erik will ask for "More Wee" to go fast!!

Peek a boo with his rubber ducks in the pool

Erik's pose when looking for something and not finding it. "Where are you? Hmm, nope!"

Big Eyes

Helping Pops with the cooking

Jun 24-Jul 13: The First Three Weeks

Wow, Elin Kate is already 3 weeks old.  The last few weeks have flown by.  We are just starting to resurface back to our new normal.  We had both sets of grandparents here for the first 3 weeks.  Elin has been a very good and easy baby so far.  She spends about 16-18 hours a day sleeping and her awake hours are normally spent quietly looking around.  For a 3 week old, she is rather vocal; she coos, squeaks, grunts and snorts!  One time, I could swear that I heard her say "mama"!!  Elin "talks" both while sleeping and while awake.  Makes me wonder if she is going to start talking early.

She is also very expressive; her mouth is always in motion.  She has perfected the fussy frown, the wide-eyed look of shock and the raised eyebrows to question what is happening to her!  It is hilarious at times to watch her face.  She has been smiling for the past week and a half (yes, I'm sure it is smiling and not gas and both Grandmothers will back me up)!  I also caught her laughing in her sleep this weekend - I was holding her and she was lying there quietly when all of a sudden she began making a chuckling sound and her shoulders started to shake!  I couldn't believe it! 

Because Elin is such an amazing sleeper so far, I've actually had to wake her up for her nursing sessions.  When she wakes up on her own, she will only make a few grunting noises and start rustling around in her crib.  In fact, she really only started to cry (and she can cry REALLY loudly) after the grandparents left and Kent went back to work full-time!  It may be a conspiracy to only let me know her true personality!!  Elin and I are working on her schedule; since the grandparents left she has been waking up and wanting to be fed more often; she will want to nurse anywhere from 2 1/2 hours to 4 hours (if she goes longer than 4, I "force" a feeding on her).  For the first week to 10 days after bringing her home, I did have to wake her up at night to nurse, but she's been waking up on her own for that last week & a half.  She does usually go about 4 hours at night, so I am getting ALOT more sleep than with Erik!

Erik is doing amazingly well with all the changes at home.  He loved having Nana & Pops Chalker and "Granmum" & Grandpa Johnson here for 3 weeks to dote on him!  I was worried how he would react once they all left, but he's done really well.  Erik adapts to different circumstances very well; Kent & I are so fortunate in that regard.  While we had all the grandparents here, we had a small celebration for Erik's 2nd birthday.  Erik has become enamored with Curious George, so he got a chocolate cake with his favorite monkey on it!  He was hesitant to try it at first but quickly overcame that hesitation!

Except for a few rare days, Erik spent several hours each day in the pool with various family members (except me who is banned from the pool under doctor's orders - how rude since it is the height of summer in Florida!).  This turned out to be a great thing since Erik had been acting scared of the water prior to the visits.  By the end of the first few days, he was acting like he never had any doubts about getting wet.  He is still very cautious about getting too deep - whether on the steps or while being held and walked to the deep end.  He doesn't really like getting his head wet, but is more willing to be held horizontally in the water and trying out swimming motions. 

I was warned that Erik would look like a giant after Elin was born.  I didn't really notice it when he visited Elin and I at the hospital, but almost as soon as I got him, I started to notice how big his hands were and how tall he was and how incredibly heavy he had gotten!  In addition to just appearing larger, Erik got a new haircut last week that is nearly a buzz cut and it makes him look so much older.  His vocabulary is also growing every day; he is a great mimicker and will repeat nearly everything that we say as well as our actions when we say things!  Very funny.  

The other new development for Erik started just this past week (July 7 or so) - he is interested in using the toilet.  So, every night before his bath, he insists on sitting on the potty.  No activity has occurred while on the potty, but I'm just pleased as punch that he is trying it out and that it was Erik's idea rather than us trying to coerce him to do it!  

Some new phrases that Erik has adopted recently:
1. "Where are you?"  - said in a singsong voice and he will put his hands on his cheeks as he walks through the house (trying to mirror us cupping our hands around our mouths) - he will call for both people and inanimate objects!
2. "Hmm.. Nope" (usually with a finger on his chin) - this phrase is used while searching for something.  So, he will go from room to room calling "where are you?" and then he'll look into each room and say, "Hmm, nope" if he doesn't see what he is looking for!
3. "There you go!" - this phrase is used once the object has been found or after someone has successfully done something that was asked of them (such as Kent completing one of Erik's puzzles)
4. "More videos, please" - Erik loves to watch episodes of Curious George and will beg to watch more episodes on our iPad.
5. "Stop it!" - He uses this for everything that he doesn't like.  He was taught this by both daycare and us in an attempt to get him to say what he wants or doesn't want rather than crying, but now I'm starting to hate hearing this phrase as Erik uses it ALL THE TIME!
6. "O-tay!" - I love this one!!
7. "Eri' do it/Eri' get it" - He is certainly beginning to assert his independence 
8. "Oh, heavy" - this is said with strong emphasis on "HEAVY" and he will want someone to acknowledge that yes, indeed, that item is heavy!
9. "Hold it. Hold baby" - He will ask to hold Elin with both arms outstretched and hands reaching for the baby.  He says this in a pleading tone.


While we had all the grandparents here for several weeks, my camera rarely made it off the shelf.  Both Granmum Johnson and Nana Chalker took so many pictures we were certain that Elin would see flash spots for months!  I hope that both Moms will send me all the pictures that they took so I can share them with you!  Here are a few pictures that I did manage to take over the past few weeks:

Tiny Baby Elin - putting her in the carseat is hard since the straps are nearly bigger than she is!

Cutie pie

Elin chatting with Mama after a bath

Erik eating birthday cake

Sleeping Beauty

Happy to be holding Baby Elin

Having fun with Pops in the pool!