Eight Weeks Old

Sully turned eight weeks old yesterday. Sleep is improving, he is going in 3-4 hour stretches. It is amazing how much better I feel when Im not getting up 3+ times per night. He is smiling more and more each day and beginning to coo. It is so fun to see his little personality evolve.

The Olympic Games begin tonight and Dave and I have both really been looking forward to watching. We usually have polar opposite taste in TV, Dave loves horror movies and WW2 stuff, while I stick to 'The Real Housewives of OC' (I know I know, its my guilty pleasure), cooking shows, etc. The Olympics will be a great way to spend our evenings with Sullivan, and each other.

Below are a few photos from yesterday.

Minneapolis, a Birthday Party, and the Air Show

What a week we have had, seems as though we have gone from one thing to the next. It definitely feels like summer! This will be a long entry, so sit tight :).

Minneapolis:

Dave, Sully and I went up to Minneapolis for a couple of nights. It was our first family trip, so there was a little anxiety involved, but overall, Sullivan did great! He slept most of the way up, and didnt get cranky until we hit rush hour traffic. Ugh, that was not the most pleasant experience, but we all survived. There is nothing worse than a screaming baby trapped in a car seat in stand still traffic. Im sure all of you moms can relate, but for me it was a first and definitely taught me to time things a bit better for future road trips. 

The three of us took a stroll around Lake Harriet on Thursday night. The weather was in the 80s, so it was beautiful compared to the weather in Sioux Falls. We shopped most of Friday and then had dinner with one of my favorite friends, Leanne, and her family at her house on Friday night. Dave and Sullivan also got some pool time in at the hotel each morning as well. Sully really seemed to like the water.  All in all, it was a great trip. 

Dave doing a professional diaper change on the road.

Dave and Sully pre walk.
Look closely at his right leg...diaper change faux pas!
I revealed the evidence by showing him this photo.

Suzie, Sullivan and Dave at Lake Harriet.

Dave and Sully swimming.

Dinner with the Gehlens. Leanne, Natalie (born 4.24.12),
Joey (2 years old), Suzie and Sully.

A Birthday Party:

We arrived in Sioux Falls just in time for my mom's 67th birthday party. We met at Minnehaha for dinner and some pool time for those interested. Sully and I sat out, but Dave swam with the rest of the grand kids. Much to everyone's surprise, Grandpa Paul even partook in the swimming fun! 

Happy birthday, mom! Or should I say Grandma Banana, that's what the rest of the kids call her, after all :)! 

Grandpa Paul.

The Air Show:

My brother in law, Jeff, is on the committee of the air show, so he makes sure we each get VIP passes. Its great fun, and always super hot. This year was no different. Dave was on call and Maggie's babysitter watched Sully, so I was able to join. We spent the afternoon sweating and trying to stay hydrated, when I checked the temp during the show, it read 99 degrees. Wow.  

Thanks, Jeff! 

Isaac, Maggie, Sonia and I.

Blue Angels in flight.

Sullivan's smiles

Sullivan finally showed us his gummy grin!

Dave was on call last weekend so Sullivan and I walked over to see him on Sunday evening. There wasn't a lot going on for Dave so we were able to order a pizza and hang with him for a few hours. It was actually the perfect end to a hot weekend.

Dave and I were chatting it up with Sully and he was so engaged in what we were doing and saying, so Dave quickly grabbed his phone in hopes that we may photo Sully's first intentional smile. All of the sudden, there it was, the corners of his lips curled up and his eyes were so happy, tears immediately came to my eyes. What a gift. And, to top it off, Dave caught it in a photo!

We have been working on the smile ever since. Here are a few he has give to me so far...

Sullivan's first smile

Talking to Mama

Gummy grin

Kenzie's smile :)

Sullivan will be seven weeks old tomorrow.

Daddy's Boy

My mom always had two suggestions when it came to my dating life. She always said the most important thing to find in a partner is simple, they need to be nice to you. She also stressed (on numerous occasions) that nerds are cool. When I started dating Dave, I knew I had found both of those qualities wrapped up in one. Dave is one of the kindest people I know. He does everything to make my life easier. Often times the last thing he says before he leaves the room or the house is "is there anything else I can do for you right now?" Seriously, what a guy. And as far as the nerd part, if you know Dave, you know his wide range of interests and that he researches everything. He is a self proclaimed nerd. Mom, I hope you are proud.

I was chatting with a friend of Dave's last evening and she was talking about how she first met Dave when his father was dying of cancer. His dad passed away in 1993 of stomach cancer and Dave was in his residency at that time. Although Dave was quite young, he knew where he needed to be and took a leave from his residency. He came home to care for his dad in his dad's last months of life. Dave's friend, Val talked about how amazing it was to watch Dave with his dad and how they would spend hours on the porch of their home simply chatting about their many mutual interests. She also talked about how great of a care taker Dave was and how he treated his father with such respect while caring for him. The conversation with Val nearly brought me to tears because he is still very much the same caring and loving man today. He is patient with Sullivan when he fusses, and patient with me when Im a overwhelmed. He is so excited to spend time with Sullivan. Their relationship has blossomed because of how much time Dave spends with him.

We often talk about how Sully is a mama's boy, just like Dave is a mama's boy. I also think Sully is quickly becoming a daddy's boy. He is lucky to be loved so much by his daddy.

Dave and Sullivan snoozing

Sullivan, Dave, and Kenzie

Sullivan in his pythagorean theory blanket
(this was a nerdy gift from my brother and his family, how appropriate :))

Okoboji

Sullivan and I took our first road trip yesterday, and it actually went really well. Dave was on call for the night and several of my friends were meeting there for a bbq, so I bit the bullet and made the drive. I was super anxious about how things would go, and much to my satisfaction, Sully was a trooper. There were a few minutes of tears on the way over, and a full blown tantrum on the way home, so I pulled into the parking lot of Vic's Corner, nursed him, put his jammies on and got back on the road. The rest of the trip went great, I didn't hear a peep until we pulled into the garage. Success! I have a feeling we will have a lot of day trips to Okoboji in our future.

We went over a few hours early to spend some time with the Olivers. It was hot. Sully spent his time in the boat (under the canopy) with his Uncle Jeff so I could hunt for rocks in the lake with Isaac. Jeff did a stellar job, I think Ill use him again as a babysitter in the future ;).

We then went to the bbq where we met four of my friends, their husbands and kids. It was wild! Lots of kiddos. I was excited to introduce Sully to the kids and their parents as Im sure their paths will continue to cross throughout their lives.

We got home at about 10pm and went straight to bed for (almost ;)) the rest of the night.

Sully's Grill
I passed this spot in Rock Rapids, IA on my drive.

Sully and Mama

Jeff supervising Sullivan's snooze.

Anna, Isaac, me, Sullivan, Maggie

Date Night and July Fourth

Dave and I had our first date night since Sully's birth on Tuesday evening. Maggie and Jeff (and Isaac and Anna) volunteered to watch after him so we could go to dinner, then to meet friends for a glass of wine. We were gone for about three hours, and it was perfect. Dave and I went for sushi (our favorite, which we curbed when I was pregnant), then to Parkers. We found most of our conversations revolving around Sullivan, and were excited to see him when we were done. We really enjoyed ourselves and were happy to get out. Thanks, Mag and Jeff! 

Sullivan had his first Fourth of July yesterday and it was hot. Miserable hot, I think the high temp was around 100 degrees with major humidity. The only way to beat the heat was to be in the water. Fortunately, Lauren, Dave's niece, sent a text in the morning saying that was their plan for the day and we were welcome to join. We didn't hesitate. We had to make a quick trip to Target for a sun hat for Sully and to buy water diapers, which it turns out they didn't carry in his size. Fortunately for us, that didn't matter, he wasn't interested in the water. When I would dip his toes in, he would squeal and pull them back up. He was just happy being there and enjoying the company. We will try the swimming thing again later in the summer. After the pool party we went to my parent's house for a bbq, and unfortunately, due to sleep deprivation we didn't stay up for fireworks. When we were driving to Target, Dave said how excited he was to teach Sullivan all about American history. I got a kick out of that, considering history was never my strong subject. Im sure Sully will absorb the info like a sponge.

Sullivan is 5 weeks old today...he is still enjoying his crib for most of the night, with a small amount of time spent in the swing. His eye contact continues to improve, and we are still working on that smile, we are getting closer. Its funny, when we are talking to him, he is so engaged, it seems like his eyes smiling, just not quite the mouth yet. His neck is getting stronger and stronger, along with the rest of his body. 

Dave and Sullivan, Happy 4th!

Sleepy Sully

Dave and his crew

Hi!