I'm almost 12 weeks!

Well not a whole lot to say this time. I'm growing quite a bit still and mommy and daddy say they really have noticed that I am getting a lot longer. I'm starting to show a little more personality and am really cute, I guess. I LOVE to talk and mommy and daddy are worried about how I will be in 12+ years.

Daddy and mommy have been spending almost all of their time in our walk-out basement trying to get through the remodel so that I can have a really nice play-space and so daddy can have his "man-cave", or whatever that means. Mommy doesn't understand either. It's almost done. All we have left is the painting and putting in the flooring. It's going to be our main hang-out spot.

I just found out yesterday that my Nana is coming to visit soon and I'm really excited for that. I know she's really wanted to come see me, but has been really busy with harvest time. She's going to come and play with me and mommy and daddy are maybe going to get to go on a date or something. I dn't know if they're really going to know what to do without me while Nana watches me for an evening or two.

Other than that, not much to tell right now! Hope all of you are doing well!

Love, Haven

My 7th, 8th, and 9th

Hi Everyone! I'm sorry it's taken me so long to post a new blog. I've just been so busy growing, eating, sleeping, and pooping that I don't have very much time! There have been a lot of other things going on, though, that I'm excited to share with all of you.

Last weekend was Great Grandpa and Grandma Z's 50th Anniversary celebration. So many people came for it, including Grandma and Grandpa Z from Fargo. Everyone else from that side of my family was here, too. It was a lot of fun, but a little scary for me because I got a little overwhelmed by all the people and noises that I'm not used to. Make sure you take a look at the picture with Great Grandma and Grandpa Z and all of their grandchildren and great-grandchildren. There's a lot of girls (only 1 boy!)!

I had my 2-month doctor's appointment which wasn't very fun because I had four shots in my legs. Mom wasn't looking forward to it very much and I think she cried as much as I did when the nurse gave them to me. It was really hard for her to see me hurting, I think. It was over fast, though, and even though we were warned that the 24 hours afterward could be rough, I did really well.

The good part of the doctor's appointment was that we found out that I gained 2 pounds in 1 month! I'm growing fast and I haven't even had to have any formula supplements. Mom and I do it all ourselves. I now weigh 9 lbs. 4 oz and am 21 inches long. Not huge, but growing!

More good news is that I slept through the night for the first time last night! Mom was so happy and proud and felt more awake today than she has felt since before I was born.

I'm really starting to hold my head up well now and I love to smile and coo. I've become really aware of my surroundings and really know who my mom and daddy are. They really love to watch me change every day. People have often commented on how advanced I am already because of how much I like to look around and how aware I am. Mom and daddy think I'm a child-genius. :)

Oh, one more thing...take a look at the little white sweater I'm wearing in one of the pictures with the lady bugs on it. My auntie/Godmother Jamie made that for me! It's one of my favorite things to wear.

Well, that's all for now. I hope to post again soon!

My 5th and 6th week

I've been so busy growing bigger that I didn't get a chance to post a blog last week so I've combined the 5th and 6th week. Mom and Dad have really been having fun watching me grow--they always tell me that I'm growing so fast.

I know that I'm heavier-Mom and Dad definitely have been noticing a difference in my weight. I'm longer, too. The best part, though, is that I've really started smiling and cooing-especially at my daddy. I know exactly who he is and reward him with big grins everytime he takes me. He's pretty special to me.

I'm starting to really have individuality when it comes to my looks, too. I look more like my own person instead of a newborn baby. I'm pretty cute!

Dad's resuming his work in the basement remodel project and still hopes to get it done before Thanksgiving. I'm not sure if he'll make it, though. I know I really like it when he makes a lot of noise, because that's what I heard when I was still in Mom's tummy. Mom and Dad have really noticed that I sleep best when there's a lot of people around or when Mom's vacuuming. They really like that quality about me.

Next week is Great-Grandma and Great-Grandpa Z's 50th Anniversary. It will be a lot of fun because there's going to be a lot of my family here. Grandma and Grandpa are coming from Fargo and all my 2nd cousins and great aunts and uncles will be there. We are expecting at least 100 friends and family to show up!!

Thanks for coming to visit my post! I will try to write again as soon as I can!

4 weeks!

My 4th week was a big one. I got to meet some family members that I really was looking forward to seeing. Mom, Dad, our two dogs, and I took the long drive to Fargo on Wednesday, August 29th. We left Billings at about 2:00 pm. The drive took a little longer than usually because I was along-about 12 hours. We got to Grandma and Grandpa's (Mom's dad and step-mom) house really early in the morning on Thursday. Even though it was about 2:00 am, Grandma and Grandpa still got up to meet me!

We stayed at Grandma and Grandpa's until Saturday afternoon. While we were there I met my aunts Anna Grace and Emma and Uncle Ian. I think they all really love me a lot and like to hold me. It was really fun to see how well they did with me. Uncle Ian even called me "darling." I will get to see them again in October when the come for my Great Grandma and Grandpa Z's 50th anniversary party. I'm pretty excited for that.

Another really fun time in Fargo was when Mom and Dad took me to Granite City where we met with about 20 of their friends. I was held by so many people and it was great because I know how important all of them are to Mom and Dad. I would love to see them more often, so I think Dad and Mom will try to have us go back and visit as often as possible.

We went to Cavalier, where Dad's from, on Saturday afternoon and I got to meet my aunts Jamie and Erin and Erin's boyfriend, Andy, and Jamie's friend Kristin. I also got to meet my great grandma Fern and great grandpa Earl and see Nana and Papa again, and that was so great. If there's anyone who can comfort me if I'm upset, it's my Nana. On Sunday morning, we went to church and there were so many people there who I got to meet, as well . Lots of people held me, and I think Mom and Dad really enjoyed being there, because they got to see some of Dad's friends from high school.

After Cavalier, we still weren't done with the trip. We went to Williston because Daddy had a business meeting to go to. Mom, the dogs, and I just hung out in the hotel all morning until he was done and then we got in the car and drove to Billings. It was a long trip, but really great because of all the people I got to meet that care so much about me. I really hope to see all of them soon. I know that Mommy and Daddy really miss them all too.

As far as my growthand everything like that, I'm growing out of the preemie clothes that I was wearing. I have a Doctor's appointment this coming week, so we'll see how much I weigh then. I'm still waking up every 3 hours or so to eat, so Mommy is still pretty tired. Hopefully, my tummy will get bigger soon so that I can go longer intervals without waking her up. She started work on Monday of this week and I know she's really tired there too. I promised her that I would try to sleep as long as possible at night, but I just get so hungry sometimes because I'm growing so fast!

Week 3 of my life

The third week of my life wasn't a whole lot different than the last couple of weeks. The highlight of the week was having Nana and Papa come visit. I know mom really liked having them because they helped so much with cooking and cleaning and they held me a lot! I was really sad to see them go, but we are making the trip to Fargo/Cavalier over Labor Day weekend so it's not "goodbye" for long. I know they will be visiting me quite a bit, though. I'm also excited to make the trip because I get to visit grandma and grandpa (mom's dad and step-mom) and my aunts Anna Grace and Emma and uncle Ian in Fargo. Then I get to meet my aunts Jamie and Erin for the first time in Cavalier. We'll see how the trip goes though. I know mom and dad aren't used to making long trips with a new baby, plus we'll have the dogs along.

This week I also had my second doctor's appointment and I gained the weight that we were hoping for. I weighed 6 lbs 4 oz, which is 1 oz over my birth weight. They also think my jaundice is gone, so that's good. They were really happy with my development.

Mom is sad, but excited about how fast I'm growing. I'm finally getting too big for some of my preemie clothes. I know she will be happy when I can start holding up my head a little better because I'm still a little bit weak. I get stronger by the day, though!

Mom and Dad take a lot of pictures of me, so make sure you check them out every week. I'm sure they will post quite a few next time because of all the new people that I'll get to meet!

Thanks, everyone, for checking out my blog. I love being able to show you all how fast I grow!

My 2nd week, by Haven

Mom and dad said that now that I'm two weeks old, I'm big enough to write my own blog every week.

This week we are all just trying to get the hang of a new routine around our house. I'm just starting to sleep longer at night and I try to stay awake more during the day. I still have jaundice and haven't gained a whole lot of weight so mom has to wake me up at least every three hours to feed me. I have my next doctor's appointment on Thursday, so we will see what the doctor says then.

I think mama would say that the worst night we had was last Thursday night when I just wasn't sleepy at all and didn't let her sleep. I felt bad that she was so tired, though, so the next night I slept five hours straight!

On Sunday morning my grandma Stacy and Aunts Kalli and Jacee left to go back to Texas and my Nana and Papa (daddy's parents) came Sunday night. I really miss my Texas family, but am so happy to meet Nana and Papa. They think I'm pretty special and they already spoil me! :)

I think the other highlight of the week was the big party that my great aunt Bunny held for me on the 17th. It was called a baby shower, but I think it was more a party for the adults that were there. There was lots of food and drink and LOTS of people. Once again, I was spoiled, and got a lot of presents. Good thing I don't have to write the thank yous! Mama and Daddy are going to be busy for awhile! I got a lot of really nice things.

Mama is trying to decide when to go back to work and thinks it will probably be next week. We don't know if Nana and Papa are going to be going back to their farm then and if they are, I will go with her to work all day long. Otherwise, we will probably do half-days so that we can adjust to the new atmosphere and mama can get accustomed to working with me around. She is dreading going back, though, just because I know she really likes being home with me.

Well, I think that's all for now. I'll write again next Tuesday to keep everyone posted!