Just A Swingin'.......

Brian used this swing when he was a little guy and Spencer has been anxiously awaiting his turn in it as well! Unfortunately, he doesn't get to spend quite as much time in it as he would probably like, but that is for his own safety! If Spencer happens to be in the swing when his big brother is playing in the vicinity - Spencer grows a large target on his forehead! So, until Brian has a better understanding of the phrase "Be GENTLE Hunny!", little Spencer enjoys his swing time much more once Brian has gone to bed for the evening!

A Day at the Zoo!

Spencer made his first trip to the Brookfield Zoo today! Unfortunately, he slept through the great majority of our visit, but when he woke up to eat some lunch he did appear to be enjoying himself! When we arrived, our first stop was at the Carousal. Spencer decided to continue with his nap so he sat out the ride and waited with Daddy while Mommy and big brother Brian went on the ride.

To make it easier for everyone to see the sights inside the exhibit buildings, most of them have areas outside the entrance for "stroller parking". Mommy and Daddy came prepared for this and Spencer got to hang out with Daddy (quite literally) in the Baby Bjorn!

Adventures in Babysitting!

Tonight's exciting episode stars Spencer, his big brother Brian and..........Uncle Kevin as, "The Babysitter!"

**this post was done prior to Uncle Kevin arriving so a photo will be added either later tonight or tomorrow.

Surrender To Sleep

I'm not sure if falling asleep with your arms raised above your head in a surrender pose is a common thing, but it sure seems to be with our family!

Even though he was asleep for this photo shoot, this little guy is just so darn cute that he warranted a close up shot too!

Date Night with Spencer!

As soon as Grandpa finished up with his meeting today, he came right to our house where we got to enjoy the rest of the day with him! It was a short visit this time around since his flight home leaves bright and early tomorrow morning. Once Daddy got home from work, we all went out for dinner. We all thought it was a very nice restaurant and apparently Spencer agreed since the atmosphere put him right to sleep!

To some people, date night might include dinner and a movie. Spencer saw the evening going a different way though. As soon as we were finished with dinner, he insisted on going straight home so that Grandpa could read to him!

Hot Wheels!

Before Spencer came onto the scene, his big brother rode around in a one-man stroller. Now that these boys are a dynamic duo, Mommy and Daddy had to upgrade to the double stroller! Today we made a quick trip to the mall in our hot wheels. Big brother Brian clears a path for us in the seat up front. Spencer gets to lounge in the back seat. Until he gets big enough to sit in the actual stroller back seat, he rides in his car seat. It fits into place in the back seat and even has a bright red built in seat belt!

It's a very comfortable ride - it must be because I always seem to fall asleep almost as soon as I get into it!

Grandpa's Visit!

Spencer got to spend most of today with his Grandpa from South Dakota! Grandpa was on route to a meeting in Milwaukee, but he managed to arrange his trip to be able to spend almost the whole day here with us! Since Mommy had an appt today, she took full advantage of his babysitting services. Spencer and his big brother got to stay home and have Grandpa all to themselves - which they loved! During their time together, Grandpa proved himself to be a professional diaper changer and bottle feeder, both of which are must have skills when spending any amount of time with this young man in particular! We can't wait to see him again on Wednesday when he will be stopping through for another visit on his way back home!

Where's Waldo.....err.....Spencer!?!?

Somewhere in this picture is our cute and cuddly little boy. Can you find baby Spencer? (Here's a hint: he's NOT wearing a yellow hardhat!)

My Two Great Grandma's!

I know that we have already posted several pictures from Spencer's baptism, but we had so many good ones, we wanted to show all of you a few more! Spencer especially loved having some alone time with both of his Great Grandma's! He is one lucky boy to have two such wonderful ladies in his life!

I'm One Month Old!

Spencer is 1 month old today! To celebrate the occasion - we went to see his doctor! (Sounds like Spencer's parent's need to take some lessons on how to have a good time huh?) In their defense though, Spencer has had some obstacles to over come since coming home from the hospital. He wasn't gaining weight as quickly as the doctors wanted and he also came home a bit jaundice. At his 2 week appt, his jaundice was under control and he had gained back enough weight to surpass his birth weight, which is what the doctor wanted to see happen. She wanted him to come back at the 1 month mark just so that they could confirm that he was continuing to grow and gain weight. The results of today's appt were outstanding! Here's the breakdown:

At 3 day's old:

weight = 6 lbs 11 oz

length = 19 1/2 inches

head circumference = 33

At 2 week's old:

weight = 7 lbs 6 oz

length = 20 1/2 inches

head circumference = 35

At 1 month old:

weight = 8 lbs 15.5 oz (which is in the 50th percentile)

length = 21 1/4 inches (also in the 50th percentile)

head circumference = 37 (in the 25th percentile)

The doctor, as well as Spencer's parents were thrilled to see that this healthy baby boy is continuing to thrive and grow at an excellent rate!

Big Apple - Tiny Boy!

Last weekend, Spencer got to meet one of our families most favorite people.....Lottie! Otherwise known as Oma! She lives in New York and came all the way to Illinois to help us celebrate Brian's birthday and Spencer's baptism! (Well, truth be told, the trip also gave her the opportunity to spend time with her daughter, son-in-law and grand daughters, but we were still very excited to get to share her too!) It was great seeing you again Oma! We can't wait for your next visit!

Four Generations!

Spencer (and his parents) were thrilled that so many members of our families were able to be here over the weekend to help us celebrate big brother Brian's 1st birthday and Spencer's baptism! Some of the people he was especially excited to meet for the first time where both of his great grandmothers. This was the perfect opportunity to snap four generation photo's!

From left to right are Great Grandma Dorothy holding Spencer, Grandma Kathi and Daddy holding Brian.

From left to right are Mommy holding Brian, Grandpa Tom and Great Grandma Irene holding Spencer.

Soft and Cuddly

Many years ago, Mommy went to grade school with a very good friend whose name is Lisa. Yesterday, Lisa and her family sent Spencer a "Welcome to the World" gift. As soon as Daddy opened the box, Spencer wrapped his arms around the snugly soft blanket and cute little stuffed bunny that were inside it! Thank you very much Lisa for the sweet gesture, we all appreciate it very very much!

That's MY Be-Be!

When crazy Grandpa stole Spencer's pacifier (aka: bebe), the results were........tears!

Fortunately, it was big brother Brian to the rescue. He let Grandpa borrow HIS bebe so that baby Spencer could have his back. With that, all was right with the world once again!

Baptism Day!

Today was a very exciting day for our family since Spencer was baptised this morning! It was a lovely service and Mommy, Daddy and big brother Brian were thrilled that so many of our family and friends were able to be there with us to celebrate Spencer's special day.

Happy Birthday Big Brother!

Today we celebrated Spencer's older brother Brian's 1st birthday! Technically, his birthday was August 28th but we decided to wait on the party until more of our out of state family would be able to be here too. Spencer started the day by meeting his Uncle Corey who lives in Minneapolis. Due to the miles that separate them, up to this point they have only been able to talk on the phone. It was a special treat to be able to chat with him face to face today and Spencer is looking forward to many more times together with his Uncle Corey in the future!

Melon Man!

Grandma, Grandpa and Great Grandma Irene arrived from South Dakota today! Mommy had requested that they bring some South Dakota watermelon with them and they did - BIG time!

Excuse Me!

Mommy and Daddy are adjusting to having a child who can be rather vocal about letting us know when there is something in his diaper, and that he would prefer to have that diaper changed......NOW!

A Day In The Life.....

So far, life as a three week old is going pretty well. Let me walk you through one of my typical days. I like to start my day sometime between 6-7am. After a diaper change and a good meal, I do need to grab a quick nap. Maybe "quick" isn't the best word since they generally last a few hours. I wake up every few hours....eat....get some exercise by lifting my head to help strengthen my neck....look around.....have a diaper change and then need to take a nap again. I repeat this pattern pretty much all day until about 10 or 10:30pm when I have a late night snack before packing it in for the night and heading for bed in the cradle that my Daddy made. It's in Mommy and Daddy's bedroom and very comfortable! I've heard rumors that I will make the move from my cradle to my crib in the next few weeks, but that should be fine - I've laid in it before and found it to be very comfortable as well. Although I will miss my cradle, frankly, I wouldn't mind some privacy. Between you and me.....my parents snore! I try not to wake them up at night, but when my tummy is empty, I have to let them know. In my defense, I only wake them up once at night since I go now go 4 to 6 solid hours before my tummy wakes me up to tell my I'm hungry. It's something I'm still working on because I know I can do better, but Mommy and Daddy assure me that they are thrilled with my night time sleep skills!

Oldest To Youngest!

Spencer's Aunt June and his Cousin Krista stopped by today to pick up a few things. Krista will have her hands full in the upcoming years. As the oldest cousin she has lots of things to teach both Spencer and his brother. Mommy and Daddy think that no one is more qualified for that job than her though!

Snug As A Bug.....

Spencer received a gift from Mommy's cousin today. How cool is this stuffed animal pillow!?!? It's so soft and fluffy that Spencer may have to fight off the cat, dog AND his parents from wanting to use it! And as you can see, it works very well in helping a certain young man get his much needed sleep! Thank you Cindy, Jerry and Andy!

My Great Aunt and Uncle!

Spencer had a very busy day yesterday visiting with several people who stopped by to meet him for the first time! The first to arrive were Spencer's Great Aunt Ronnie and Great Uncle Glenn. He was very anxious to meet them because he has heard lots of great things about them. As anticipated, they were just as wonderful as he had been told and we are all looking forward to seeing them again very soon!

Later that afternoon, Mommy and Daddy's good friends Aunt Karen, Uncle Freddie and their sons Anthony and Christopher stopped by. These boys will be able to teach Spencer and his older brother all kinds of fun stuff in the very near future!

Happy Birthday Daddy!

This is actually an "old" picture of Spencer since it was taken just minutes after he was born. But it is one of Mommy's favorite pictures of Daddy holding his new little bundle of joy. The big smile on his face pretty much says it all! As we all celebrated Daddy's birthday today, Mommy and Daddy still find it hard to believe that they now have two beautiful little boys in their lives! You can't ask for a better birthday present than that!

Power Sleeper Boy!

Now that Spencer is almost 3 weeks old, his Mommy and Daddy are frequently asked the common question. "So, are you guys managing to get ANY sleep?" Mommy is generally a very optimistic person, but even she thought that since big brother Brian was such a good sleeper, we may not be as lucky with baby #2. Positive thinker Daddy kept insisting that he would be....and Daddy was right! So, when we are asked if we are getting any sleep, we are almost embarrassed to say, "Actually, yeah, we are getting by very well." Even at his young age, Spencer is already a terrific sleeper! He is hungry about every 2-3 hours throughout the day, but once he has had his last feeding around 10pm, he has been averaging 5-6 solid hours of sleep a night! When he does wake up hungry, as soon as he has had a bite to eat, he goes right back to sleep until about 7am. Who could ask for more than that!?!?

Bathtime!

Spencer has had a few bath's since coming home from the hospital. Since his umbilical cord stump has not come completely off yet, for the time being, he still gets sponge bath's on the counter top. We have taken several pictures of these baths, most of which show him in ALL his natural glory (aka: naked)! So, as an apology to Spencer for yesterdays picture - this photo was taken after a bath specifically for the purpose of being used on his blog!

Not To Be Out Done.....

For those of you who have been following my big brother's blog, you already know that our parents have a rather warped sense of humor and therefore, have taken some less than flattering pictures of us! Need I remind you of my brother pictured IN a real pumpkin on Halloween, or dressing him as Baby New Year, or taking a picture of him in a crock pot??? You only have to look through the archive of his blog to see the evidence of their insanity. In a few years when we look back on our blogs, I have no doubt that we will be even more horribly embarrassed than we are now! Up to this point, I have been spared some of the photographic humiliation.......but as you can see, thanks to our silly parents, my brother and I are now in the same boat. When we were at Grandma and Grandpa's house on Labor Day, Daddy decided that I should try on a pair of swim goggles. My funky looking pacifier is courtesy of Alexian Brothers Hospital where I was born.

I'm 2 Weeks Old!

Spencer had his routine 2 week doctors appointment today. Generally, all babies loose some weight right after being born and leaving the hospital. With that in mind, our doctor told us that they like to see those babies gain back enough weight to meet or surpass their birth weight by the time they are 2 weeks old. Spencer weighed 7 lb 4 oz when he was born, he weighed 6 lb 11 oz when we left the hospital, but was still at 6 lb 11 oz as of last Wednesday's doctor appointment. Fortunately, he has been a wonderful little eater from the start and now that the jaundice is behind him, he was able to meet his goal! His weight today was 7 lb 6 oz. He has grown a 1/2 inch and his head circumference has gone from 33 to 35! I believe it is fair to say that we have a healthy growing little boy on our hands!

Once Upon A Time.....

"There once was an old woman who lived in a shoe"........or was it, "there once was a little boy who lived in a flip flop!" Our Labor Day festivities today involved a BBQ at Grandma and Grandpa D's house. Uncle Kevin just got a new pair of flip flops and once everyone was finished mocking the fact that they are HUGE, and that they are as big as Spencer, we had to put our money where our mouth was! Sure enough - Spencer is as big as a size 13 shoe!

Two Times The Fun!

Spencer has been an excellent little eater from the get go! Mommy is supplying his breakfast, lunch and dinner (as well as all the other little meals that happen about every 2-3 hours throughout the day time). Our decision to use bottles is proving to be the best decision for our families needs. Mommy gets to continue to supply Spencer with his nutritional needs, but by giving it to him in a bottle, we know exactly how much food he is getting at each meal, Daddy can assist with the feedings and in the long run, it allows both of us to spend more time with big brother Brian as well.



***We apologize for using the same picture in both boy's blogs today - but we thought it was a very good picture! We can't promise it will NEVER happen again, but we certainly don't plan to make it a habit of doubling up on pictures.

My Uncle!

Daddy's oldest brother, Uncle Kevin, has been under the weather since Spencer was born. We are happy to report that now that he is feeling better, he was able to come over for a visit with his newest nephew!