Merry Christmas!

First art project

Graeme brought home his very first art project from school yesterday!


We'll be celebrating Christmas Eve at Uncle Ryan's house and Christmas Day at Grandma and Grandpa Tredinnick's house. We'll be sure to post pictures later.

Three months!

Our little man turned three months old on the 13th. His personality is really starting to come out. He's silly and sweet, loves his hands and recently discovered there are feet attached too! He smiles from the time he wakes up until right before it's time to go to bed at which point those smiles turn into a noise that some would liken to a pterodactyl. He continues to sleep good at night thanks to the fact that he isn't much of a napper during the day. He is an alert little guy who doesn't want to miss anything.

Graeme is also starting to hold his head up really well. It is obvious when he sits in his bumbo chair. These pictures were taken at two months and then at three, what a difference a few weeks make!






When I started back to work, Graeme started at Primrose School near our house. He is in the infant room with 6 other babies ranging from 14 weeks to 18 months. The teachers are so nice and it's obvious Graeme enjoys being with them.



To say thanks and happy holidays, we stole an idea from our friend Trinity, thanks Trin!, and put together these awesome cookie mix in a jar gifts for Graeme's teachers. They turned out really cute and were super easy to make. Click on the image to be taken to the recipe.



We're off to Madison in the morning, hopefully the additional 2-4" of snow we're getting tonight won't slow is down too much.

Gobble, Gobble

Grandma and Grandpa Woode along with Uncle Ryan and his family braved the icy roads to spend Thanksgiving with us. It was fun to have everyone all together. Kaylin kept us entertained to say the least. The things a two year old says! Next year will be interesting with 3 mobile kids. We spent the weekend relaxing, watching football and EATING. What else are you supposed to do? Click on the photo above to be taken to more photos from the weekend.

Better Wed than Red

Our friends Matt and Liz were married November 20 in our hometown of DeForest. Matt served as a Groomsman. We took the opportunity to get away for the weekend, see some old friends, show off our little baby and debut his Badger outfit. Grandma and Grandpa Tredinnick had a Bucky blanket that served as the perfect backdrop. Graeme's tuxedo met a poopy end (or Graeme's poopy end if you want to get technical) before we were able to take any family photos.

After Grandma and Grandpa picked up Graeme at the reception (thank you!), Matt and I danced the night away and had a great time. I think these pictures prove that...and then Grandpa picked us up from the reception...THANK YOU!

Weather or not...

So, you may or may not have heard that we've had some weather here. Apparently mother nature didn't get the message that winter doesn't start until tomorrow. At our house, 20 miles south of downtown Minneapolis, we have had close to 40 inches of snow to date. We are thankful that we were able to purchase a snow blower last year, it has cut down on time spent shoveling and nursing back injuries. In addition our neighbors have started a snow-blowing brigade and it basically consists of the men in our cul-de-sac moving from house to house helping each other get dug out. It's amazing how quickly you can clear a driveway with 4 snow-blowers! We can't wait until next year when Graeme is old enough to understand what snow is and play outside in it.

And we're back!

Hi, remember us? We started a blog a few months ago and then dropped off the face of the earth? Yeah, that's us. Good news—we're back and have all sorts of things to share. Hang on tight, we've got some serious make up blogging to do.

Colosseum Bar at Caesars

Let's go back in time to early November. Matt, Kendra, Paul and I spent a long weekend in Las Vegas to celebrate our birthdays. I figured it being my golden birthday (30 on the 30th, EEK!) it needed to be celebrated in style. We stayed at the Monte Carlo and spent a good portion of the weekend gambling, eating, drinking, watching sports and repeating. Highlights included free gambling money from the casino for our birthdays which we immediately lost, live music and all the head we could handle at Dick's Last Resort at Excalibur (a cleverly named beer special), dinner on the balcony at LAVO, a mysterious but delicious Asian restaurant at Caesar's and being able to sit poolside in November. Graeme stayed home with Grandma and Grandpa Woode and did great! It was from this point on that he decided to sleep through the night...perhaps my parents should tap into the sleepless baby market for some extra cash!

Show me that smile again!

2 months!

Graeme (or Gray-me as the nursed pronounced it, LOL!) is two months old! Our little man is growing with a Skyrocket trajectory per the doctor. Here's where he stands:

Height: 24'' (90th %tile)
Weight: 12.25 lbs. (75th %tile)
Head: 15.5 (25-50th %tile)



He's a long and lean eating machine and the doctor was pleased with his development and growth. He continues to eat and sleep well, 9 hours straight last night!! Probably not a new normal, but a step in the right direction. His napping is sporadic and he only gets really cranky about not napping a couple evenings a week. We're starting to implement a daily/bedtime routine (ha!) in hopes that when Graeme starts at daycare in a week and a half, the transition won't be too painful. Speaking of painful, Graeme had 4 shots today and took them like a champ! The camo bandaides looked really cute on his little legs.



What else has Graeme been up to? He found the hand on his right arm this week and spends a lot of time staring at it (see above). He is talking up a storm, lots of coos and gurgles and...smiles! Oh yes, the smiles, we've yet to catch a full one on camera, but he is doing it more and more everyday it shouldn't be too much longer.

For my next trick...

Graeme is seven weeks old today and is growing and changing everyday! He is starting to smile and 'talk' after much animated talking and gesturing on our part and continues to not enjoy tummy time as much as we would like, but we practice a little bit everyday anyways. Based on how hard he sleeps when chest to chest with someone, we figure he'll come around eventually. He has learned a new trick, rolling from front to back! See the epic video below.

In other news, we purchased a new bouncy seat today! This new hands-free chair will allow us to hopefully get some other things done (like channel-surfing and drinking caffeinated beverages) while keeping Graeme occupied. Look, he likes it!

Boo!

Blue 42

Chris and Meg treated us to 4th row seats at the Vikings/Dallas game. Even though we weren't cheering for either team, you can't be mad about this view!


Kristen, Tom and Maddie kept Graeme company and the kids got along famously.

2 pumpkins and a funeral home

They say if you can find it on the Internet, it's probably true. So, when we found a rave review of a pumpkin patch/apple orchard not too far from our house we jumped at the chance to start a new fall family tradition with Graeme.


Sponsels (formerly Mn Harvest) promised a childhood fantasyland of pumpkins and apples and hay rides and a petting zoo and caramel apples and hot cider too! What we got was much less. Turns out the farm had been sold a few years back and this was to be the final year of operation so it was pretty slim pickins. We made the most of it by checking out the processing room and taking a hayride out to the orchard and just enjoyed the weather. Graeme was bored and slept through the whole thing.



In an effort to salvage the day, we stopped at a roadside pumpkin stand we'd passed on the way to our original destination. It just happened to sit in the parking lot of a funeral home. Nothing says Happy Halloween better!



They had a decent selection of pumpkins and with Graeme at his fresh air limit we grabbed a couple and headed for home. Moral of this story is, don't believe everything you read on the internet!

Road Trip!

Graeme has become quite the seasoned travel. We packed up the family and headed to Madison for the weekend as we had tickets to the Border Battle at Camp Randall on Saturday. Thinking it would be prime fall colors time we took the scenic route down Hwy. 61 towards LaCrosse and were pleasantly...dissapointed. We think we were a week too early. Still a lot of green along the way. Not a bad drive though. Waking up only long enough to eat, Graeme was a trooper throughout the weekend. He was met at my parents house by several of the neighbors who had heard tell of his arrival. I'm kicking myself now for not documenting this. We'll be sure to make up for it next week when we are home for a meet and greet shower.

Friday night Matt and I celebrated our belated 6-year wedding anniversary (eek!) at the Melting Pot in Madison. Matt, ever the gentleman, surprised me with roses at the table. Dinner was delicious. It was a French-inspired 3 course fondue dinner and we ate ourselves silly. I think we agreed that the white chocolate crème brulée dessert was the highlight. Graeme gave Grandma and Grandpa Tredinnick a run for their money but seemed to have settled down by the time we got home.

Saturday was game day! Graeme and Sims stayed behind once again while we ventured downtown for some pre-game libations. We met up with a couple of matt's former coworkers and also ran into Matt's uncle and cousin on our approach to the stadium. The game was a disaster for the Gophers, but was expected so you're welcome, Wisconsin. In the afternoon Graeme got meet his cousins Kaylin and Brayden for the first time. We grilled out, watched more football and all slept really good after a really busy day!

Sunday was more socializing. Aunt Pam and Uncle Dean from Iowa came up to meet Graeme. I think saying he was a hit is an understatement! I think Pam would have taken him home if we'd let her : )

Make New Friends

We have been keeping ourselves busy with several play dates the last couple of weeks. It's nice having other moms and babies around to talk shop, pass the time and enjoy the amazing weather we've been having. It must have been a boring winter  as Graeme has several little friends that were born within just a couple of months, weeks and days of him.

Graeme and Maddie


Graeme, Declan and Jens

      

The whole crew

Eat. Poop. Sleep. Repeat.

Whew! The last four and a half weeks have gone by so quickly! I never thought I'd say it, but my husband and I are in love with the same man. We are having so much fun getting to know him and his quirks. We have settled into somewhat of a routine. Graeme wakes up in a good mood most days and takes a good nap in the morning, is awake/fussy off and on in the afternoon and evening then sleeps for a couple of good stretches at night. He is getting bigger and stronger and more alert every day. He is starting to acknowledge voices and movement in his sightline and has started a couple minutes of tummy time a day when he's in the mood. We try to get out and run errands or go for a walk or go on a playdate everyday. Graeme loves being in his carseat and riding in the car and is a good sport on longer car and shopping trips. We hope this continues as he gets older.

Graeme celebrated his one month day on the 13th. We'll be capturing him sitting in the chair in his room each month to document his growth.

Baby bloggin' ain't easy...

This was another busy week for Graeme. It went well considering it was his first week home with just Mom. No Dad and no Grandma to help. Monday we ventured out to the doctor for checkup and Graeme got to catch up with Dr. Nadeau, who delivered him. The doctor declared him cute so it was a successful trip. Then Mom paraded Graeme at work for a while. Naturally he was a hit. It's crazy to think that in seven short weeks I'll be back to work *sigh*.

Wednesday Graeme had his first play date. Kristen and Maddie came down for lunch and a visit. Graeme and Maddie got along famously as is evident in the following video. We're not sure what they were talking about, but they seemed to be in agreement about it.

Saturday we began the process of grooming Graeme for his collegiate career and introducing him to mediocre college football by taking him to his first Gopher football game. Although the game ended in a loss, Graeme seemed to enjoy the atmosphere and fresh air by taking a nap the entire time we were there! Several folks commented on the fact that he could have easily won the award for youngest fan at the stadium.

Busy Week 2

Monday Graeme turned one week old, and was not happy about it.

Grandma Janice came up for the week to help take care of Graeme and help Amber around the house, while also managing to sneak in some quality snuggle time with Graeme and Sims.

Mr. Sims also took some time this week to get to know baby brother a little better. He likes to check Graeme's swing a few times a day to see if he is in there, or to make sure that he is a happy baby.

Graeme had his two week check up during the week and we were told to supplement his feedings with some formula since he is hungry hungry hippo. Obviously he did not object.

Baby boy is also very interest in his hands, which sometimes leads to some interesting hand jestures.

Thanks again to Jance for all of her help this week, it was great having you around. We'll try to post more often during the next week when we can.

Who are all of these people and what is all of this yelling about?

We had a big weekend with all kinds of family introductions.

Thursday we brought Graeme home from the hospital, which included our first "official" family photo,

and a photo with Grandma and Grandpa Woode.

Kim and Toni came up for the weekend to meet their new grandson as well. The Tredinnick family met at Buffalo Wild Wings on Sunday to cheer on the Packers along with Graeme's cousins Adie and Brynn.

Graeme also had his first full weekend of football, cheering on the Gophers in a losing effort,

and the Packers in a great victory.

As you can see, all the cheering made for a sleepy little boy after the Packer game on Sunday, afterall, he had a busy first week.

Home to meet big brother

Today was another big day for baby Graeme. We got the okay to finally leave our apartment (the hospital room that we have been cooped up in since Monday) and head home.

Graeme had another big day of firsts, including his first car ride (which he slept through)

His first time meeting big brother Sims (Sims was pretty indifferent about meeting baby brother at first)

His first naps in his bassinet (Sims was more interested in little brother at this point)

His first time getting to wear non-official hospital apparel.

Grandpa Ken and Grandma Janice headed home today as well after being up to take care of Sims and visiting us in the hospital, thanks for all of your help this week!

Tomorrow will be another exciting day with our first visit to the pediatrician and first visit from Grandpa Kim and Grandma Toni.

It's a boy!

Graeme Leigh Tredinnick was born on Monday, September 13, at 11:48 in the morning. Graeme weighed in at a whopping 8 lbs. 7 oz., and is 21 inches long.

Graeme had a rough first day in his new world, but has been pretty sleepy ever since.

Graeme and Mommy are doing good. We get to head home tomorrow which will provide all sorts of new adventures and introductions to new creatures/Big Brother Sims.

Stay tuned for more as we will try to post more frequently now that our little bundle of joy has arrived!

MAGS

Week 33 - Flip and Family Reunion

This week your baby weighs a little over 4 pounds (heft a pineapple) and has passed the 17-inch mark. He's rapidly losing that wrinkled, alien look and his skeleton is hardening. The bones in his skull aren't fused together, which allows them to move and slightly overlap, thus making it easier for him to fit through the birth canal. These bones don't entirely fuse until early adulthood, so they can grow as his brain and other tissue expands during infancy and childhood.


Up until this week baby was in the breech position. The doctor warned us that if things didn't 'turn around' by week 36 we would be looking at some alternate birthing options (read: c-section). Thankfully by the end of the week baby was head down and has continued to stay that way for the time being. I continue to attend my 2X week appointments and baby continues to exceed expectations by scoring a 10/10 every time. We got an amazing 4-d image of baby's face with his/her mouth open this week. I have yet to post it to the slideshow at the right, but will. 


Friday night we headed to Tomah, WI for the Graf Family Reunion. The Graf's are Matt's Mom, Toni's side of the family. We got in late but got up early Saturday for golfing and lounging and sweating it out in the water park. We stuck around for dinner on Saturday which was a Prime Rib dinner at the Ground Round. They had a great turn out and we are looking forward to showing off our little one at the next one.