Three is Our Magic Number

Sully officially turned a corner this week. He turned three months on Thursday and its almost like he is a new baby. He is happy about 90% of the time, sleeps like a champ, and just so smiley. I remember trying for smiles only a few weeks ago and they were so few and far between, but now, he mostly smiles. He blows bubbles, coos, kicks, loves his baths, still hates his car seat (grrrrr), but otherwise he is making mommyhood feel easy. Ok, ok, not easy, but much more fun. I'm not saying he was a bad baby before (I mean really, is there such thing??), but it was trying at times when he would become fussy and was difficult to soothe. At this rate, I'll be ready for number 2 in no time...HAHA! Im sure that would be music to Dave's ears, but in reality, Im enjoying Sullivan way too much right now, Im not ready to take any attention away from him :).

Mama, RN

I went back to work on Wednesday, and I had a great day.

It was so nice to be out and about, and social. So much of my job is socializing, whether it is with patients, patient's families, or coworkers, I get to be engaged for 8 hours straight. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure if I was doing it full time, I may have my druthers, but I was happy to be there while I was there. Not to mention, I have some really great coworkers. I was excited to come home to my happy baby, happy husband, and a bouquet of flowers from my husband and baby.

Life is pretty good if I do say so myself :).

Seattle, WA

We had a great trip to Seattle, great enough that we even extended our stay by a couple of days :).

The travel went really well, I was super anxious about how Sully would do, and he was a breeze. I had not given him a pacifier yet, but had one in my pocket in case we needed it. This three dollar purchase ended up being my saving grace nearly every day while we were there. He doesn't totally understand how to use it, but if I help him, it is very effective.

We stayed in a really awesome house that Maggie and I found on VRBO last fall. It turned out to be perfect for our situation, plenty of room for the kids to play, a full kitchen, hot tub, dock, and lots of space for each family to have privacy (except bright and early when Isaac and Anna would come to find Sully, screaming "baby! baby!"). In all honesty, we love every second of their excitement.

We did almost every touristy thing in the book; Pikes Place Market, a Mariners Game, The Children's Museum, The Aquarium, The Duck Tour, The Underground Tour, Bainbridge Island, The Space Needle, The Ferris Wheel, and (my favorite) the flagship Nordstrom store (twice). Im sure Im missing something, but you get the drift, we were busy and got a ton out of our trip. I had no idea Seattle had so much to offer. We had so much fun and Sully was an absolute trooper. He pretty much slept in the Baby Bjourne during our outings, mostly fussing only when it was time to eat.

The biggest deal of the trip was Dave and Jeff reaching the Summit of Mount Rainier. We are so proud of them for this big accomplishment. Dave had been training for months and was quite nervous about the climb and the shape he was in, but we knew he could do it, and were so happy when they returned. I had no idea how dangerous the climb actually was until he got back. Listening to stories made me nervous for him and thankful to have him home. He was sore, tired, full of bruises and loosing toe nails, but he was home in one piece. I think that is the last time he will do anything like that.

Maggie and Jeff left on Saturday which was our original plan, but Dave didn't feel as though he was able to fully appreciate the trip because he was gone on the climb for three days, so we decided to extend out stay. We were hoping to go to Victoria, BC, but the ferries were sold out so we stayed closer to Seattle. We moved downtown the last two nights and got lots of walking and touring in. We also took the ferry to Bainbridge Island for lunch and a bit of sight seeing. What a great little spot.

We had a great time traveling with the Olivers and hope we are able to do it again someday soon!

Below are lots of picture from the 10 day adventure, enjoy!

Sullivan's first flight.

Family photo on Lake Washington.

Pike's Place flower market.

Who are you calling crabby?!

Mariners game with the Oliver family.

Space Needle dinner and John and Linda Oliver's 43rd Anniversary.

The Seattle Aquarium, we are all in stripes, including the fish! 

Group photo at the house.

Sushi date with my boys.

Ferry ride to Bainbridge.

Dave and Jeff on the mountain! 

On the Go

One thing is for sure, Sully has not slowed our life down any. It seems like we are always going or doing something, and this week has been no different. We are enjoying every minute of it, Sullivan is a great asset to the group.

We had a wedding on Friday night, then went up to Minneapolis for a Connelly family reunion, a Twins game, and brunch with Great Aunt Patty. Patty recently got a puppy, she is a Golden Retriever named Juno, and she is darling. The whole Connelly crew from Sioux Falls made the trip and we all had a lot of fun together. 

We returned on Sunday and my coworkers threw me a shower on Tuesday afternoon. I was more than flattered. They had a taco bar (my favorite), lots of delicious desserts and tons of great gifts. They are a really great group of girls and it was nice to spend some undivided time with them. Sullivan was a really good boy, too which made it that much more enjoyable. Im going back to work on August 29th and am planning on working one shift every other week. This amount will give me enough to keep my nursing license, and enough time to catch up with the girls at work. Dave will be home with Sully on his post call days. Im really looking forward to it, although Im sure Ill be happy to get home to Sully by the end of the day :).

Here are a few photos from the week.

Mama and Sully at the Twins game.

Dave, Sully and Anna.
(Anna always has to be touching Sully :))

The Munce Family 

Suzie and Dave

Sully and Juno, with the exact same hair color.

Diaper treats at my work shower. 

Rattles out of cupcakes.

Milky Way Cars.

Sullivans Shrine made out of coban and flexnet.
So resourceful :)

Sullivan is 11 weeks old today, and we are off to Seattle tomorrow for 8 days with the Oliver family. We are really excited, and really anxious about traveling, but we gotta start sometime, so we figured sooner than later was the best bet. We are hoping he is a natural, just like his daddy.

Size 2s!

Sullivan will officially be out of his size 1 diapers by the end of the day...how bittersweet.

I cant believe how quickly he is growing. He is such a little lover.

Sullivan's growth, in diapers :).

Sully's Week

Sullivan is 10 weeks old today. When I was looking through photos and deciding what to include for this week, I settled on including everything. What a life this little boy has. He spends 100 percent of his time with people (and animals) who love him.

I was reading though 10 week milestones while rocking him to sleep today. Its safe to say that he is right on schedule. He smiles, grasps (my hair especially, ouch!), coos, engages, and seems to be happiest only in a diaper lying on the floor kicking and talking up a storm. We have had a bit of a setback as far as sleep is concerned and were getting up every couple of hours, but last night seemed to better, so hopefully it was just a fluke.

Sullivan has started spending an hour a week with our next door neighbor, Rachael. She is 15 years old and is a huge help when we travel, wether it is bring in the mail, watering flowers, or looking after Kenzie, she is very will to help, not to mention, extremely responsible. Although Sully is a bit small, we are working on establishing their relationship so they are comfortable with each other when they are on their own. This was our second week of 'hanging out' with Rachael, and there was lots of progress from last week. Im excited to see where it goes, if my suspicion is right, Sully will be following  Rachael and her little brother and sister around in no time.

Here are a few photos from this week.

Sunday brunch on the patio with mom and dad.

Dinner with both grandmas = tears of joy ;).

Watching the Olympics, from Kenzie's point of view. 

Chatting with mama.

Kenzie chatting with mama.

2 Months Old

Sully turned 2 months old on Tuesday, which brought us both ups and downs.

Sullivan had his two month well baby visit which involved three shots. I was really anxious about the visit because I knew what it entailed. I used to be a pediatric nurse when I lived in Minneapolis, and gave dozens of shots to kiddos while they were in the hospital. Boy oh boy do I have a different perspective coming at it from this end. Sully was so happy at the clinic, cooing and smiling and showing Dr Sam that he was mastering all of his milestones, until it was time for his shots. His little face turned bright red, and twisted in the worst direction before he held his breath for what seemed like forever. I choked back a few tears myself and quickly nursed him until he calmed down. Dave came along to the appointment but was unable to stay for the shots because he couldn't handle the thought of Sully being so upset. Im so thankful that it is behind us. His stats are as follows: Weight: 11lbs 14oz, height: 23.25inches, and head circumference: 15.75inches. He is in the 50th percentile across the board.

We also spent some time with his cousins, Isaac and Anna, watching the American Ladies win gold in Gymnastics. Isaac kept saying "happy 2 month birthday, Sylvan!" (Isaac calls him Sylvan). It was darling.

Sullivan showing off his bandaid.

Brave Sully after his shots.

Daddy surprised Sully with a birthday balloon :).

Isaac hanging with his cousins, he was not very comfortable ;).

I cant believe I have a two month old! Time is flying. He is the best thing that has ever happened to me, besides Dave, of course ;).