The Lumley Family

Semi-Wordless Wednesday - Home

2012-02-15T12:02:00.000-08:00

We are home from our 9 day vacation to the beautiful island of St. Maarten. We had an absolutely wonderful time!! I have a lot of pictures and stories to share when I get a chance....in the meantime, here's a teaser pic! Zeb LOVED the ocean!

White socks, White shirt

2012-02-05T05:07:00.000-08:00

Nothing cuter than playing around in your undies!

Our sweet baby boy

2-4-2012

2012-02-04T05:04:00.000-08:00

Zeb loves to stand by the door to the back porch when I let the dogs out. Once the dogs come back and want to be let in, Zeb thinks it's pretty darn funny to bang on the glass....the dogs are not so amused, but always good sports.

chasing Daisy

2-3-2012

2012-02-03T04:59:00.000-08:00

Quick pic of our silly little dude!

Playdate

2012-02-02T04:57:00.000-08:00

Our good friends Sarah, Aaron and Miss Avery came over Saturday for some dinner and playtime. Avery is 6 months older than Zeb and such a cutie! She has the most adorable laugh and had fun teaching Zeb some new tricks :)

I can't wait to see these two play together in the years to come.

Playing "chase"

Poor Avery, Zeb was insistent on grabbing her shoulder

Buddies!

Flashback - Zeb and Avery's first pic, boy have they grown!

Wordless Wednesday - Spaghetti Face

2012-02-01T08:51:00.000-08:00

Video

2012-01-29T18:38:00.000-08:00

Here's a quick video of Zeben walking between Jimmy and I the other night. Please excuse the poor quality....I propped up my cell phone and took it on there.

Wordless Wednesday - My handsome guys

2012-01-25T04:51:00.000-08:00

1/24/11

2012-01-24T05:12:00.000-08:00

We the Wallaces over on Saturday for a little playdate and some dinner! Reagan is such a cutie! I'm so glad she and Zeb got to meet each other and play. Thanks for coming to hang out with us guys!

Smooches

Almost bedtime for these 2!

Saturday Mornings

2012-01-23T05:07:00.000-08:00

Saturday mornings certainly seem to be the best around our house. We usually stay in our PJs for awhile, make breakfast together and just play! I love it!

This past Satrday was no exception for us. After making some french toast, we started a fire and drug out every single toy in the toybox.

Check me out, sticking out my tongue

My little chunker face!

Jabbering away

Getting some leverage

Yeeeps! Self portrait still in our jammies

Concentrating so hard (notice his fly away hair on the side)

Thinking he's pretty hott stuff walking along the couch

"Hi Mama"

9 Months

2012-01-21T18:31:00.000-08:00

9 Months

Highlights:
-First Christmas
-2 new teeth on top
-First New Years
-Clapping
-Meeting 2 presidential candidates (Santorum and Perry)

We had such an awesome month with our best buddy! We celebrated the holidays and were busy with all sorts of fun activities. He got to spend a lot of time with our families and friends and had so much fun showing off.

Zeb is all over the place now! He crawls super fast, pulls up on everything in sight (including the poor pets), cruises along the couch and tables, and is taking steps. He is a lot more stable on his feet and can go at least 10 feet walking by himself. His Aunt Ashley got him a fun walker toy for Christmas that he likes to push around. A few weeks ago, he started pushing it out of the way, letting go, and walking to wherever he wanted (usually only a few feet away). I can't believe it! I think we still have a little time before he's full-on walking, but he certainly seems close.

He began clapping and saying "yay"...which usually sounds more like "yaaaa". He does it all the time (including when he's trying to fall asleep which is actually pretty darn cute). He likes to multi-task and will clap and walk at the same time haha! I need to catch this on video.

Zeb's chompers are coming in well too. He now has 2 teeth on top (the sides) and 2 on the bottom. It feels like a few more might be popping up soon. He has a new smile where he crinkles his nose and shows off his bottom 2 teeth - melts my heart for sure!!

The little monster has learned how to push the doors open too! If we are letting him crawl around the room and shut the door, he will go over to it and try to pull it open underneath or push it forward.

He is pretty much eating everything we eat. His favorites are garden tomato crunchies (kind of like baked grain cheetos) and mac n cheese. He'll eat just about anything as long as you give it to him on a fork or let him pick it up himself.

I guess we can take back all of his toys....his favorite things to play with are the outlets (yiiiikes), floor vent covers, carbon monoxide detectors and the dogs bowls. Lovely, huh? He's such a daredevil too and enjoys climbing on the fireplace. Definitely keeps us on our toes!!

I must admit, I just ADORE this age! He is such a ball to play with. His favorite game is chase! He'll crawl to one side of the room and get behind something (like a table). He'll peak around it with a huge smile and Jimmy or I will say "I'm....going....to....get....YOU!!" and start towards him.....he'll squeal and laugh so hard as he crawls away super super fast trying to get away from us.

Height: 30 Inches (95%)
Weight: 23 lbs (85%)

Look back: 1 Month, 2 Months, 3 Months, 4 Months, 5 Months, 6 Months, 7 Months, 8 Months

what's up?

2012-01-16T09:34:00.000-08:00

I am playing a little catch up here today! We've had some random happenings the last week or so keeping us busy. Last Monday, Jimmy had a work function overnight in Panora. It was his first night away from Zeb and I, and although he said he missed us, I'm pretty sure he had a great time with his coworkers. I heard a little something about some late night poker games so I'm suuuure that made it a little less painful being away for the night. :)

Last weekend (Jan 7), we got to meet our friends Ben and Kyli's sweet little baby bou, Braylan. Oh my goodness - he is adorable, just like his big sister.

Poor Zeb came down with a little flu bug this weekend so we were literally inside, snuggled up all day this Saturday. All he wanted to do was sit on my lap, cuddle and nap....so not like him! Jimmy and I were bummed we had to cancel our playdate with the Nelsons. He woke up Sunday feeling a little better (no more barfing), but still has a pretty gross cough.

We've been trying to take advantage of the few nice days we've had sprinkled in here. W've had a few fun trips to the park to swing and walk around the water.

Jimmy and I get to go to our friends Brett and Sheena's taste testing for their reception tonight so we are excited about that! We can't wait for their big day in June! Jimmy has been talking about his plans for the bachelor party for months.

I haven't had a chance to take any pictures off my computer, but here are a few random ones from my phone.

Happy Monday!

On the move

2012-01-12T04:11:00.000-08:00

Zeb has been a movin and a shakin lately! He is crawling like crazy, pulling up on everything in sight, letting go and taking a few steps (which usually end in a face plant).

I was trying to snap a few pictures of him the other night, but couldn't get the little dude to sit still.

Walk it out...

Constantly playing on the fireplace....yeeek

Cruising on the couch (probably going after the poor cat)

Displaying his new super cheesy (and super adorable) grin

Wordless Wednesday - One of Z's fav things

2012-01-11T05:21:00.000-08:00

this kid loves to read

A little laugh....

2012-01-10T18:52:00.001-08:00

January

2012-01-06T05:28:00.000-08:00

January in Iowa is not supposed to look like this....but I'm not complaining!

We spent a few hours at Raccoon River park today walking the trails and playing on the park equipment. It was PERFECT! Such a refreshing and beautiful day!

Caucus

2012-01-05T19:07:00.000-08:00

Iowa has been buzzing like crazy the last few weeks with all of the political happenings around the state. A few years ago, Jimmy and I took a much more active role in the caucuses. We saw at least 5 of the potential candidates speak and met a few of them.

This year, our plan was to do our research at home, caucus on Jan 3, and be done with it. I guess fate would step in and we'd get a little bit more opportunity to be involved.

On Sunday, we were sitting in church waiting for the service to begin when in walks Rick Santorum. Jimmy noticed him right away. After mass, we chatted with him for a minute and asked him to snap a picture with Zeb. Cool, right?

Tuesday (the morning of the caucus), Zeb and I buzzed over to the Sheraton to get Jimmy's shoes shined for him. We were standing there, chatting with the older gentleman polishing the shoes when I hear "lady with the baby, lady with the baby". I turned around and it was RICK PERRY saying that. He asked if Zeb and I would mind talking to him for a few minutes.

Ummmm what??? He was actually very very nice. I was surprised....not to sound harsh, I just think he comes off kind of creepy in his commercials and on TV. He talked to us for about 10 minutes, asked all about Zeb,what I did, where I was from, etc etc. He also asked about who I was voting for and why.

The entire time, Zeb kept reaching for his face and trying to grab it. Not sure why (but I am pretty sure he was wearing some heavy duty make up). Now if only I had thrown on some jeans instead of wearing yoga pants and my black fuzzy slippers...oh well, at least I had showered!

So crazy! Pretty cool being from Iowa during such an exciting time.

Tuesday night we took Zeb with us to caucus. You can never start them too early, right?!

And just in case you want to see what we were doing last caucus. Here's a flashback (scroll down): 2008 Caucus

Christmas Part 5 of 5 (Davis side)

2012-01-03T05:05:00.000-08:00

Part 5 - Tuesday after Christmas with the Davis family

We celebrated with Jimmy's moms side of the family a few days after Christmas. Zeb was fascniated with the paper and ribbon again!

Zeb was quite the little character entertaining everyone with taking steps and making new silly noises. He loved hanging out with his great grandparents, Aunt Amanda, Uncle Dustin and Grandma Angie. He loves making silly faces with his Grandma!

Christmas Part 4 of 5 (our family)

2012-01-02T04:55:00.000-08:00

Part 4 - Christmas at home

We celebrated as our little family of 3 on Christmas evening. It was perfect. Jimmy and I exchanged our gifts from each other, and enjoyed watching Zeb tear open his gifts from Santa. He must have been a very good boy this year because he certainly got a lot of fun stuff.

Christmas with a child is truly so much fun. I can't wait for the many holiday celebrations to come.

Waiting on the stairs to go open gifts

New Year

2012-01-01T03:10:00.000-08:00

So many things are going through my head as I sit down to write this reflection on 2011. It was truly a roller coaster of a year (and boy is that an understatement).

We experienced both the worst and the best moments of our life. Jan 1, 2011 shocked us with the unexpected death of Jimmy's dad at only 43. Words can't even begin to describe the pain and sadness we felt and continue to feel with his loss. There is such a void with out him, and I can't help but feel so much hurt for Jimmy (and Zeb).

I was 5 months pregnant and Jim was elated we were having a boy. He and Jimmy had made so many plans (coaching Zeb in baseball, taking him to a race, the list goes on and on). The harsh realization that they will never get to experience that is sometimes too painful to think about.

Is it ironic that the only song that would calm Zeb down was Josh Groban's, You Raise Me Up? This song was played at Jim's celebration of life and is a constant reminder to Jimmy of his dad. It's not ironic to me, more like a sign that he's still here with us.

What has this taught us? Never, ever, take anyone or anything for granted. We have no idea how much time is left on this earth. We must make the most of each day, let the little things go, and cherish those around us. Jimmy has such great perspective on all of this and is at peace with his dad's passing. He knows he is in a better place, free from any pain. We talk about Jim often, show Zeb pictures and tell stories. He will always know how special his Grandpa Jim is.

Zeb's anticipated arrival gave us the ultimate positive to focus on. We spent countless hours this winter and spring preparing for our little bundle of joy. When he entered into the world on April 21, our whole life changed. He felt like our missing piece that we never knew was missing. Becoming parents is unlike anything else. The joy he brings us each and every day is often overwhelming.

The summer was spent marking each and every one of his milestones (sitting up, rolling over, talking, laughing, etc). We loved our new normal as a family of 3. Zeb is our whole entire life - I often wonder what the heck we did with out him.

Late summer/early fall brought about some very scary health struggles for me. It was definitely a terrifying time. Our family really surrounded us, helped so much with Zeb, and gave their support. I could not have done it with out Jimmy, my ultimate strength.
We were able to really enjoy the holidays with our family, which is truly such a blessing. We continue to count our blessings each day because we are truly so very lucky. Sure we've had a few curveballs thrown our way, but it only makes us stronger.

We are ready to say "See Ya" to 2011 and ring in 2012. We can't wait to see what it has in store for us!

Wishing you nothing but the best in this new year!

Christmas Part 3 of 5 (Christmas morning)

2011-12-31T05:22:00.000-08:00

Part 3 - Christmas Morning and early afternoon at Grandpa and Grandma R's

Jimmy and I both love Christmas morning. There is something about it that makes it so incredibly special. This year we were looking forward to it even more since it would be Zeb's first. I always enjoyed Christmas as a kid, but I can now say that I enjoy it even more with our own child. Experiencing it through them and with them is so much fun. In true baby fashion, Zeb's favorite toy - wrapping paper and ribbons :)

We started off the morning by letting the kids rip into their gifts. What a whirlwind! Zeb had a blast watching the flurry of activity of the bigger kids. After the madness of the kids settled down a bit, my siblings and I opened up our gifts. My mom, as always, went totally overboard and made sure everyone had a plethora of gifts to open.

Still snuggled in our PJs, we lounged around for a few hours while my parents prepared Christmas "dinner"....prime rib....sooooo good! We had our big meal together and reflected on all that we have to be thankful for.

Such a special day!

Christmas Part 2 of 5 (Reelitz side)

2011-12-30T05:05:00.000-08:00

Part 2 - Christmas Eve night with the Reelitz family

Every Christmas Eve, all of my siblings, their spouses and kids, and my parents get together and exchange gifts to each other. We sleep over my mom and dad's so we can wake up together on Christmas morning.

We baked cookies (earlier on) with the kids, had homemade cavetelli from Gino's (family resturant) and had so much fun exchanging gifts. Santa even made a special appearance and visited with the kids (although next year Santa may be making just a quick pitstop....my oldest nephew kept wondering where Uncle Jimmy was....)

Best buds and cousins - 3 days apart

Zeb loved Grandma's tree

Grandma D with the youngest 2

Lumleys

Kiddos + Grandma and Grandpa R

Santa!

3 Oldest talking with Santa

Hmmm Cal might be catching on to this

Zeb was not too fond of this

Bathtime in Grandma's BIG tub - he LOVED it

These 2 were PUMPED and could hardly sleep on Christmas eve

sleepover at Grandma and Grandpa R's house

Christmas Part 1 of 5 (Lumley side)

2011-12-29T19:05:00.000-08:00

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

We have truly had such a wonderful last week or so. This is absolutely my favorite time of year. We were able to celebrate with all sides of our families, which made it even more special.

Jimmy and I have been anxiously awaiting Zeb's first Christmas and it definitely did not disappoint. Little man had so much fun with all of the excitement. This crazy mama snapped 500 pictures (crazy - maybe?) and 2 discs full of video. I couldn't help myself! I'm trying to split it up in 4 posts.

PART 1 - Celebrating Christmas Eve morning/afternoon with the Lumley side

It is our tradition to go to Jimmy's grandma Margaret's house for Christmas Eve morning and afternoon. We have delicious breakfast food, play games, and laugh (a lot). This year was of course bittersweet without Jimmy's dad, who was always the life of the party. It was noticeably quieter when we were all eating and he was greatly greatly missed.

Jimmy and his cousins played some intense cribbage, Zeb got to play with his adorable cousin Khloe (they kept hugging each other - so cute!), and we all reminisced about past Christmases. Oh, and Z-man was SPOILED! The kiddo made out like a bandit, holy cow!

Jimmy, Zeb, Ashley and Khloe

Having fun opening gifts

Zeb is obsessed with Grandma Margaret's dancing ducks

Great Grandpa Lynn, Great Grandma Margaret, Jimmy and Z

Elmo Zoom Zoom

2011-12-24T05:18:00.000-08:00

My mom got Zeb a new Elmo ride on toy and he loves it. He hasn't stopped wanting to ride on it since we got it home.

Ugly Christmas Sweater Party

2011-12-23T05:43:00.000-08:00

In honor of some of our Central friends birthdays, we usually do a joint party every year to celebrate. This year, we decided to have am Ugly Christmas Sweater party.

Jimmy and I haven't really been out since Zeb was born, so my mom watched him and we got to really enjoy ourselves.

I baked some brownies and tried to make them look like Santa hats and some queso. Got to love Pinterest for the awesome idea!

family pic with Zeb before leaving

Jimmy showing off his lovely festive vest

Sheena, Brett (aka Bubba), Jimmy and I

Central crew with their brown bag 40s from Jimmy and I - HAPPY B-DAY!

Jimmy's 26th Bday

2011-12-22T05:09:00.000-08:00

Last week we celebrated Jimmy's 26th birthday! He has been crazy busy with end of the year appointments with clients, so we didn't have too mnuch planned.

Zeb and I made him a chocolate cake and picked up some sushi for dinner with my parents.

8 Months

2011-12-21T04:42:00.000-08:00

Highlights from this month:

-CRAWLING!!
-Dancing
-First Thanksgiving
-First ride on the 4-wheeler
-Pulling up on things
-Rolling ball back and forth

Well, our little guy is officially MOBILE! Out of the blue one day, he started crawling and is now a mobile machine. He will speed crawl as fast as possible to go after everything. He LOVES to chase the cat and dogs. It entertains him forever and the pets are learning to move quickly if they want to avoid a big sloppy kiss and hug from Zeb.

In addition to crawling, he also started taking his first few steps. I think he's a ways off from actually walking, but he certainly gets a kick out of balancing and walking between Jimmy and I. He's pulling up on everything imaginable now too....including his mama. Just the other day we went to get him in the morning and he was hanging over the side of his crib, giggling and banging his pacifier against the rails. Holy heart attack!

Zeb is definitely ALL BOY and I love it! He is rough and tumble, especially now that he can move. We've acquired a few bumps and scrapes along the way. He loves to smack to toys together to make loud noises, use his hands to hit the table/floor/whatever. Diaper changes are a challenge lately....he wants to roll/crawl/squirm away and won't stay put for too long.

My favorite thing this month other than crawling is him dancing. We think he picked it up from my mom, but the kiddo loves loves loves to dance. Anytime he hears music, he starts wiggling back and forth. It is absolutely adorable and he does it all the time.

We celebrated Zeb's first Thanksgiving this month too. We had a wonderful time with our families and Zeb got to try turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, pie, and green beans. He liked it all. He even got his first ride on the 4-wheeler down at my parent's farm.

Zeb has learned how to play "ball". We'll sit across from him and roll the ball into his lap, he grabs onto it and pushes it back at us. Definitely a fun game to play!

He has also taken a liking to drinking right from a water bottle. He's kind of skipped the sippy cup step (isn't a big fan), but loves water from a bottle.

Look back: 1 Month, 2 Months, 3 Months, 4 Months, 5 Months, 6 Months, 7 Months

Stepping it Up

2011-12-19T09:04:00.000-08:00

Zeb has been a little daredevil lately! First learning to crawl on Dec 7, now he's speed crawling....ANNNNND.....taking steps. Crazy how fast it all happens!

This morning, we heard him giggling on the monitor, we looked and he was standing up in his crib HANGING over the rails banging his pacificer up against it. Guess what Jimmy will be doing tonight? Yep, that's right, moving the mattress down. Holy cow!

Here's a video of him taking a few steps.

Our little lumberjack

2011-12-17T05:49:00.000-08:00

Incredible's Pizza

2011-12-16T05:30:00.000-08:00

Our nephew Barrett turned 3 last week and we got to go to his birthday party at Incredible's Pizza. We had a great time and took full advantage of all of the fun games.

Toy Story cake....B is seriously so adorable and sweet

Check out his sweet new ride

Zeb taking it all in and enjoying some cottage cheese, green beans, mashed potatoes and cake

Riding on the carousel in toddler town with his cousin Evelyn

Tuckered out!

Happy birthday, Bear! We love you!!

Santa

2011-12-15T05:15:00.000-08:00

Jimmy and I took Zeben to meet Santa last week. We were pleasantly surprised - he didn't really seem afraid, more puzzled than anything. We couldn't get a smile out of our normally happy little guy though. He was pretty darn serious when meeting the big jolly dude.

Yes, he pulled his beard....only once though!

Wordless Wednesday - bathtime

2011-12-14T05:10:00.000-08:00

Playtime

2011-12-13T05:05:00.000-08:00

Oh, Christmas Tree....

2011-12-12T19:03:00.000-08:00

Every year, Jimmy and I dedicate a whole afternoon to decorating our house for Christmas (tree, mantle, centerpieces, all of it!). Christmas music blaring, holiday candle burning. This year was extra special with our little helper. He loves the lights on the tree and batting at the different ornaments.

We always get a special ornament to represent the past year too. This year, we decided to focus on the biggest and happiest event - Zeb being born! We even let him put the ornament on the tree.

My Grandma embrodered all of our names on our stockings this year. I must say, I LOVE how they turned out!

Looks like Santa came a little early to fill the stockings

We even put a tree in Zeb's room. He helped decorate and put the topper on. Every night when we're reading books, we turn it on and use it as a night light.

These ornaments are way more fun to eat

All set up in his room

Morgan

Lumley-Side Celebrations

2011-12-08T05:19:00.000-08:00

We were fortunate this year to be able to celebrate Thanksgiving with Jimmy's mom's side of the family. His sister Amanda and her fiance hosted a lovely dinner for all of us! His Aunt Mindy was in town from PA too and it is always good to visit with her.

Zeb LOVED playing with Ene. She was so very sweet to him too - reading to him, showing him how to summersault, and talking to him.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-12-07T05:16:00.000-08:00

From my latte at Caribou coffee:

Tree Hunting

2011-12-06T05:05:00.000-08:00

Every year my family has a tradition to go search and cut down our Christmas tree. This year was no exception! Jimmy and I were so excited to finally include Zeb in on this.

Thanksgiving Recap

2011-12-05T19:05:00.000-08:00

I am more than a little late with this, but wanted to share some pictures from our wonderful Thanksgiving. Weather-wise we could not have asked for a more perfect day. It was in the 60s and beautiful. My family celebrated with dinner out at my parent's farm.

Little man playing in the grass, and by playing, I mean eating dirt and trying to shove sticks in his mouth

Mom and dad cooking up a storm in the kitchen

Cousin love - Greer and Neve

Greer, Neve, Zeb and Alec

Check out his bib: everyone is thankful for me (so true!)

Lex and Greer in their super cute matching skirts

Zeb with Grandpa and Grandma R

Dad 4 wheeling

Turkey and mashed potato coma

My 2 favorites

Z went for his first 4 wheeler ride

Sunsets on the farm

Passed out - he had so much fun with his cousins

December

2011-12-01T15:38:00.000-08:00

What the ???? How is it already December? Where exactly did November, October, and September go?

The flu has been raging through our house this week so I haven't had a chance to update on our wonderful Thanksgiving. Expect lots and lots of pictures soon! In the meantime, here's a video of Zeb dancing with his new Elmo toy. It was supposed to be a Christmas gift, but Jimmy and I couldn't resist giving it to him. He LOVES it!

Backyard Adventures

2011-11-26T06:39:00.000-08:00

Our nephew, Alex, had his 5th birthday party last week at Backyard Adventures. Zeb had a blast watching all of the big kids running around. He hung out in the swing for quite some time and took it all in. We even squeezed his cousin, Greer, in there for awhile too. It was so sweet - she kept leaning her head on Zeb and they could swing back and forth. Those 2 are going to be great buddies when they get older. Only 3 days apart!

Puffs + Sippy Cup = Big boy!

2011-11-25T04:10:00.000-08:00

Thankful

2011-11-24T05:18:00.000-08:00

It's hard to believe that we are at the holiday season again. This year has gone by so quickly and brought the best (Zeb's birth) and worse (losing Jimmy's dad, cancer scare) for our little family.

This year, I am most thankful for the love and support of so many around us. We could not have made it without everyone. From being there when we laid Jimmy's dad to rest, to welcoming our son into this world. Our family and friends were there for it all - the good, the bad and the ugly.

I am forever grateful for our beautiful son. He brings light and joy into our lives every single day. He reminds us that the simple things are what matter the most - being together as a family, his laugh, his smile. Jimmy and I are head over heels for that little guy.

I am thankful for my current health. Although it has been a bit of a scary road the last few months, it is improving and I am on the mend.

I am thankful for my parents, who drop everything in their lives to be there when it matters the most. They love and care for us unconditionally. I am thankful for my siblings, their spouses and my nieces and nephews. Our bond as a family can not be broken.

Lastly, I am grateful for my better half, James. He is truly the most compassionate and genuine person you will ever meet. He always pushes me to keep going, to be a better person, and to stop to enjoy the small things that life has to offer.

From our home to yours - have a very wonderful Thanksgiving!

Semi-Wordless Wednesday

2011-11-23T05:36:00.000-08:00

A few words from our little chatterbox

MIA (Update)

2011-11-22T05:08:00.000-08:00

Remember THIS update where I talked about what was going on with my knee? Quite a bit has happened since then. I didn't want to blog about it at first, but thought i'd put it out there in a single post to help answer some questions people had. This is the super long version.

After my first surgery, I was still having a lot of pain in my knee and was unable to walk. I basically never really got better. A few weeks post surgery, I went back to the original surgeon begging for help and answers. He agreed to do another MRI. The MRI showed a large suspicious mass in the inner cavity of my knee (soft tissue) and a meniscus tear.

They had 6 radiologists in DSM look at it, 4 said they had no idea what the mass was since it was in such a weird location that they'd never seen before. The other 2 said they thought it was cancer of some kind. The surgeon here in DSM said it was out of his hands and referred me to an oncologist in Iowa City.

I will never forget that moment in his office. My mom and Jimmy were there with me and I lost it. Never in my life at age 26 did I think I would be going to an oncologist. Let alone being told by 3 doctors and 2 radiologists they thought I had cancer. My whole world flashed before my eyes and honestly, time stood still for me.

Later that same night, my mom got really sick and called Jimmy delirious (my dad was out of town). He rushed over to her house and took her to the ER. She spent 5 days in the hospital with bacterial pneumonia. When it rains, it pours!

We headed to Iowa City, fearful but hopeful that all would be ok. The oncologist is the leading soft tissue sarcoma dr. in the country. After meeting him, I understand why. He is such a compassionate man who advocates for his patients and sticks with them to find an answer. I had several tests done that same day, including more MRIs.

The mass was in a very difficult and strange location. The oncologist said that it was either a really rare disease that currently has no cure or cancer. Those were my 2 options. A disease that basically attacks your knee joint or a cancer that has a 42% 5 year survival rate. Yikes.

They asked us to stay overnight in Iowa City and have a bone biopsy done the next day. Painful stuff. We headed home and played the waiting game. A few days later, I got a call that the biopsy came back - no cancer, no disease. I was elated. My whole family celebrated....heck, I even put it on facebook after not mentioning much of it on there before this.

The oncologist wanted to meet with us so we went back to Iowa City a few days later. When he came into the room, I could tell his demeanor and that of his physcians assistant was tense. She had read the results incorrectly to me over the phone. They couldn't rule out cancer, they couldn't rule out the disease and we were back to square 1.

He referred me to the best arthroscopic dr in the country because he was very concerned and wanted to get the mass out immediately. 2 days later, I was in for more surgery. They did 3 things: fixed the meniscus, performed a synnovectimy (removing damaged tissue), and removed the mass. The mass had formed bone around it (very rare), so it was difficult to remove. The surgery was supposed to take 30 mins but took over 2 hours.

They have you spend the night in the hospital, but I didn't mind because when I woke up, I could already tell that my movement was better. How amazing is that? After not being able to walk for 3 months, already under going 1 surgery, I come out of anesthesia moving my leg. Fabulous and very encouraging!

So this was 2 weeks ago. Where are we now? I am in physical therapy 3 times a week and can finally walk. I am by no means free and clear, but it feels good to be able to move again. I am improving and very hopeful for the future. I still have a lot of pain, but my range of motion is better.

Test results....we were in iowa city monday to get my stitches out and meet with my oncologist. The biopsy from the surgery came back inconclusive. They can't definitely diagnosis the disease or rule out cancer still. BUT, at this time, he said he doesn't see anything that looks malignant. He said he won't take the option of cancer ouf of the picture though until he knows for sure. They are going to continue to monitor me and see how everything goes. We go back in 3 weeks for another MRI.

This has been one hell of a time. Who would have ever thought that a little knee pain would turn into this? I have learned a lot through this experience. How to be patient and have faith, how to rely on others around you, which is really hard for me to do. I'll be the first to admit that I took my health for granted before this. I was left uncertain for my future and that was a scary feeling. Nothing is guaranteed.

I am forever thankful to Jimmy, my rock, who stood by me through ALL of it. Driving back and forth to Iowa City, taking off work, taking care of Zeb when I couldn't, listening to my fears and comforting me. He gave me hope that all would be ok. It is amazing in a time like this you realize just how many people care. Truly overwhelming and very humbling!

7 Months

2011-11-21T04:27:00.000-08:00

Highlights from this month:

-First 2 teeth
-Saying dada, mama, baba, wawa, bye bye
-Using a sippy cup at lunch and dinner
-Waves bye bye
-First hotel stay
-Shakes head "no" when he doesn't want something (paci, more food, bottle, etc)
-Likes to drop things off his highchair and look down for them

This month has been full of fun stuff from our little guy, It is AMAZING how quickly they grow and change. This month, it feels like Zeb picked up so many cute and funny new habits. He has such a vibrant personality that just shines. I love it!

He has 2 teeth now (both on the bottom). Jimmy discovered the first tooth at Church on Oct 30.Teething kept him up at night quite a bit. When all else failed to make him feel better, pulling out some books and reading did the trick. The kiddo loves to be read to and help flip the pages.

Zeb is babbling up a storm. Out of nowhere, he started saying "dada". Then, he picked up "mama", "wawa" and "baba". This stuck for about a week until he started with more. Now he can say "bye bye"and will wave his chubby little hand.

Just the last few days he has been trying to make the p sound and goes "puh"....maybe he's trying to say "puppy"? I'm not sure! And I swear he said "elmo" a few times too. In target, we always walk by the dancing elmo and he'll spot it and start saying "elmo"...then shortened to "mo mo". He'll repeat you too. If you ask him to say some of the words he knows, he will respond back. It is really cute to hear his little voice!

Zeben is definitely a good eater! We haven't found much that he doesn't like. He's on stage 2 food and gets some puffs with his meals too. He loves to pick them up and shove them into his mouth. I like the fact that they melt away pretty quickly to reduce the choking hazard.

When he's in his highchair, he'll drop a toy over the side and peer over the tray to look for it on the ground. He'll also do this if we're playing and he hears Jimmy's voice. He'll grab onto me, lean all the way over to the side and look for him. Very curious about everything around him!

One of my favorite things he does right now is give lots and lots of hugs. We'll be playing on the ground and he'll reach out and give a hug, then go right back to playing. The kiddo has also turned into quite the wiggle worm! He is rolling all over the place and diaper changes are definitely an adventure.

Look back: 1 Month, 2 Months, 3 Months, 4 Months, 5 Months, 6 Months

O-M-G!

2011-11-20T19:00:00.000-08:00

Jimmy completely outdid himself with this one! Read on to see the biggest surprise he has ever pulled on me (yes, even bigger than when he proposed, which was a total shock too).

Rewind to last week. Jimmy told me he had some new prospective clients that he was driving to IL to meet with. Friday rolled around, he left the house at 5 AM to drive to IL. I thought nothing of it and went about my day. We had my nephew's 5th birthday party to attend that night.

Jimmy told me to ride with my parents and he would meet us there once he got back into town since he was going to be late. Zeb and I were having a great time at the party, Jimmy showed up and we hung out for awhile. It was getting late so we left to get Zeb to bed.

On the way home, Jimmy handed me a letter to read that he had written me. The letter talked about the significant challenges we have faced lately with my health (another post for another day) and how lucky we were to have each other and a strong circle of family and friends around us. We promised this year not to get each other Christmas gifts. Instead, we were going to fill each other's stockings like we do every year, focus on getting Zeb some really fun stuff, and buy a few things for the house that we wanted. In the letter, he said that since we weren't giving Christmas gifts, he got me a Thanksgiving gift.

By this point, we had turned onto our street and he handed me a little tiny box. I looked up, saw the house was all lit up with our Christmas lights. As I opened the box out dropped a set of keys, I looked in our driveway and saw this.......

TOTALLY, ABSOLUTELY, SHOCKED!!! Oh my goodness, I think I woke up the entire neighborhood screaming and jumping around. I was EXCITED!!! I still am excited (can you tell? :)).

He had driven to IL that day, not to meet with a client, but to purchase my dream car. Yeah, he is a keeper! Holy cow! Most thoughtful person, I swear! I LOVE this car and have always said I wanted a GMC Yukon some day. SOME DAY...not thinking THAT day was any day soon.

We thought this was the perfect time to move Zeb into his new convertible carseat too. He's outgrown his infant carrier, which he was not too fond of. So far, so good with the new seat. He loves being able to look out!

Big boy in the front seat

Hi buddy!

Love it!

11/18/2011

2011-11-18T10:49:00.000-08:00

So much to catch up on.....in the meantime, here's a little video of our big guy eating dinner the other night. He's started saying mama a few weeks ago and has been at it non-stop!

HAPPY FRIDAY, FRIENDS!

First Tooth

2011-11-11T05:38:00.000-08:00

Our little guy had his first pearly white poke through. This mama may have been a little sad when it happened. I just can't imagine Zeb without his gummy smile; it makes me think he'll look so old.

We were in Church when Jimmy discovered the new addition to Zeb's mouth. Ever since, Z has been putting his tongue on it non-stop. Pretty darn cute to watch!

I think he is in the process of cutting another one too. He hasn't sleep at all the last 2 nights, can't nap, and doesn't want anything near his mouth (including his bottle). I hope our little stinker starts feeling better soon!

Can you see it?

Bonus cute pic of Zeb!

Splish Splash

2011-11-10T05:23:00.000-08:00

Grandma Dianne was over last night and insisted on giving Zman a bath in the kitchen sink. He LOVED it and was splashing and playing like crazy.

Splashing

Love the way he smiles at my mom

Way too busy to look at the camera

Semi-Wordless Wednesday - WHAT'S THIS???

2011-11-09T17:35:00.000-08:00

SNOW!!!! Zeb woke up this morning to his very first snow.

Ready to Take Off

2011-11-06T06:36:00.000-08:00

Check out this video we took of Zeb this morning. I swear this kiddo is ready to take off. He loves to stand up and try to take steps, all while babbling away.

Happy Halloween

2011-11-02T04:11:00.000-07:00

We had so much fun celebrating Zeb's first Halloween. We went "trick-or-treating" by driving around to some family and friend's houses. He was dressed as a little monkey and loved the banana on his costume.

First stop - Grandma Margaret's house

Cousins: Zeb and Khloe

Helping Sasha in the kitchen

Oh the things these 2 will teach Zeb....I don't even want to know! :)

Grandma and Grandpa Reelitz

Some randoms

2011-10-31T06:38:00.000-07:00

First hotel stay - in Iowa City

At the hotel

Playing on our new comforter

Sneak Attack

2011-10-30T06:27:00.000-07:00

Hmmm....I think I will just sit here and play nicely on the bed in my monster PJs

Oh wait, what's that? Is that Delilah?

Maybe I'll just lean a little closer to her

Just a tiny bit closer

Gotcha!!

That was fun! Back to playing.....

6 Months

2011-10-29T18:25:00.000-07:00

HAPPY 1/2 BIRTHDAY, ZEBEN!

Highlights from this month:
-Knows his name and will look at you when you say it
-Found his toes and plays with them all of the time
-Loves standing up and holding onto things
-Holds out his arms and reaches for people to hold him
-Says "dada"
-Started eating pureed veggies and fruits (favorites: apples, bananas, sweet potatoes, green beans, carrots)

Woah....how do we have a 6 month old? That is 1/2 a year, 26 weeks and pure craziness!

Zeb's personality is really starting to come through. He is a little chatterbox and says "dada" a lot. Occasionally we'll get a "baba" and other random coos. He is still happy as can be and loves to smile when you talk to him.

My favorite thing this month is that he will now reach out and lean for you when he wants you to pick him up. I love this!! He'll even lean over when we are playing on the floor, stretch his arms out, and give me a big hug. Such a little sweetie!

He has taken a lot of interest in "helping" with his diaper changes. He thinks it is hilarious to tug on his diaper. He'll grab his feet and roll back and forth when I'm trying to change him. And (so gross!) always try to grab the wipes and put them in his mouth.

Zeb isn't into crawling much. He'll get up and rock or scoot himself backwards, but that is about it. He loves to stand though! He'll pull himself up to the couch or ottoman and just stands there looking around at everything. Just the other day he started rocking back and forth on each foot when he was standing. It is adorable and looks like he's dancing!

Look back: 1 Month, 2 Months, 3 Months, 4 Months, 5 Months

Dada

2011-10-20T17:01:00.000-07:00

Our sweet little buddy surprised us a few weeks ago and started saying "dada". At the time, we thought it was maybe a fluke, but he says it all the time now!

It is absolutely adorable to hear and watch his chubby cheeks move. When Jimmy walks in the room, he instantly holds out his arms and says "dada".

Semi-wordless Wednesday

2011-10-19T05:41:00.000-07:00

Check out our big guy....growing up so fast!

riding in the cart for the first time

look at that face!

He loves reading books

Lately

2011-10-18T05:20:00.000-07:00

While I've been recooperating from surgery and trying to regain my walking abilities, little buddy and I have been spending a lot of time indoors playing and having visitors. My mom brings over breakfast in the morning and hangs out with us during the day. Zeb loves her company and goes crazy when she walks in the door!

Daddy's new toy - the ipad. His employer started supporting company email on apple products and it allows him to do some pretty sweet things for clients....at least that was his justification to me!

Big boy hanging with grandma's puppies

Zeb and Grandma Dianne

Zeb's cousin, Greer, has spent a few days with us too. She and Zeb are hilarious together. They'll play on the floor and try to talk back and forth. The other day, Zeb leaned over and gave her a big smooch. It was so sweet!

Sweet sweet little boy

Cousins and buds

"Let me give you a biiiiig kiss!"-Zeb

We had a wonderful weekend together! Jimmy and I started our Christmas shopping for Zeb (yep, you read that right!). I went to a lovely dinner party at my friend Sasha's house while Jimmy watched the Bears put a beat down on the Vikings.

Sushi spread for dinner this past weekend

That's about it with us! Just taking it easy the last few weeks. I did go back to the surgeon yesterday for a checkup on my knee. They sent me for an MRI asap since I still can't fully walk. Needless to say, it showed that there is in fact a tear (the original MRI showed this, they did surgery and the surgeon said there was no tear)....sooooo, I am facing more surgery. More on this later though, definitely another story for another day. Right now, we are focusing on all the of beauty that fall has to offer. So thankful for our family, friends, and our baby. God is good!

Mornin'

2011-10-17T18:20:00.000-07:00

Jimmy and I love mornings with our little snuggle bug. He always wakes up so happy and just jabbering away. He'll cuddle in bed between us, usually rolling back and forth and is as smiley as can be.

Zeb and Grandma Angie

2011-10-10T05:12:00.000-07:00

There's no doubt Zeb loves visitors. He especially loves when his Grandma Angie comes out to see him! Jimmy's mom came out the day before I had surgery to help me with a few things (thank you!!) and got to spend some quality time with Zeb.

Here they are after feeding Z-man some lunch

MIA

2011-10-08T19:11:00.000-07:00

Yep - that is where I have been lately, totally and completely MIA. Here's the long version.

The day I got home from the hospital with Zeb, I started having pain when I tried bending my right knee. I didn't really think much of it, even though I have never had a problem with my joints before. Gradually over the summer it got worse and worse.

I woke up one morning in August and could no longer fully straighten my knee. I went to our family dr and he said that I most likely had tendinitis, prescribed me an anti-inflammatory and said I could try physical therapy if I wanted. I took the anti-inflammatory, but declined the PT thinking it would get better on its own.

Fast forward to September and all of a sudden it took a drastic turn for the worse. I started being in pain at night and was having trouble sleeping. My walking was being affected and I started to limp a little. I called my family dr and he referred me to an orthopaedic surgeon. We met with the surgeon and he literally laughed at me, said nothing was really wrong, and said I should just do some physical therapy. He thought it has something to do with being pregnant and the tendons, muscles, etc being stretched and stuff.

I tried physical therapy over 2 weeks and went downhill fast. At the end of the 2 weeks, I could no longer walk and the pain was terrible. My family dr did an MRI right away where they found what they thought was a very serious complex tear in my medial meniscus along with a large mass in my leg. Nerve wracking, holy cow!! They took 60 cc's of fluid from my leg to help in the short term.

I went to a new orthopaedic surgeon and he took me in for surgery a few days later (which was last Friday). During surgery, he found out that I did not have a tear, but the tissues and tendons in my knee were showing serious distress. The mass, THANK YOU GOD, was just a cyst, which they drained. They biopsied some of the cartilage to test for disease and cancer. Yeah, that big horrible C word. Terrifying.

We waited a few days for the test results and found out on Wednesday that the fluid came back normal. Again, thank you thank you god. My dr also shared with me that the dr that initially read the MRI made several notes that he thought it was a rare form of cancer (PSV, i think?). This made me even more thankful that it was NOT that.

But, he did find that I have an inflammatory disease of some kind caused by an injury to my knee. I do not recall any kind of serious injury. I have been asked at least 100 times over the last month if I can recall anything I did to it. I did take a little stumble when I was about 8 mths pregnant, but nothing too serious.

Needless to say, this has been quite the ordeal. I am 1 week post surgery and still can't walk. I use crutches to get around, which is a total pain in the butt. I start physical therapy 3x per week to get the muscles and everything working again. I have a follow up next Monday with the surgeon too because he thinks they may need to go back in and do some more arthroscopy on the knee.

I have been laying extremely low and have barely left the house the last 2 weeks, mostly because it is just too difficult. It is driving me crazy though and I'd be lying if I didn't say that I've been super upset. I just want some progress and hope that my life will get back to normal.

I am so extremely grateful for my family and friends right now. They are keeping my spirits up and have extended their hands to help. I can't even express the gratitude that I have for my mom and Jimmy. Jimmy has taken off work to be there for me....all of my dr appointments, taking full care of Zeb, taking care of me, cooking, cleaning, maintaining his business...ALL OF IT. He is one in a million, truly.

My mom has been over at my house during the day when Jimmy can't be here helping me out. She watches Zeb for me, helps around the house and keeps me laughing. I know it is a burden, but she never shows it. Hands down the best mom in the entire world.

Our family and friends are the best. I know I have said this before and I mean it! We've had 6 different nights of people bringing over meals to us. I had friends from out of town drop off cookies. My sister brought her kiddos by with breakfast. My brother brought me lunch a few times last week and lots of laughs. Several messages and phone calls too. Truly the best family and friends - thank you all, you don't understand how much we appreciate you.

It is so hard not being able to take care of my baby. It absolutely kills me not to be able to walk with him, hop up and grab a bottle, take him to our classes, etc. But, I know it will get better, it just takes time. Starting last night, Jimmy started stretching my leg for me. Pretty painful stuff, but I think it will pay off. I was able to walk a few steps, which is a big improvement.

Sooo....I have been a bit of a debbie downer lately. I'm not trying to be, I just get frustrated with the situation and feel like I can't enjoy my favorite time of the year. Here's to a new week, hopefully some progress and trying to be appreciative of all of the good in our life right now.

One day

2011-09-30T05:41:00.000-07:00

Zeb will be probably be super embarassed by this next photo....I give it 10 years :)

Let's go Irish

2011-09-29T18:40:00.000-07:00

Cutest little Notre Dame fan around. I should also note that Jimmy dressed him this day.

Blocks

2011-09-24T05:11:00.000-07:00

Grandma Dianne got me some new blocks and I love to play with them!

Ahhh

Don't mind me, just standing up to pull out each and every block from the bag

Hmmm this one tastes good

I think i'll play with this one, it matches my eye color

Truthfully, I entertained myself the most by licking the bag the blocks came in for a good 1/2 hour. What fun!

Randoms

2011-09-23T04:17:00.000-07:00

Lunch at Smokey Row....Zeb tried some cheeseburger chowder and chocolate ice cream.

So happy!

Ooooh these things called feet are FUN

Trying some green beans

Best buds - love these 2 more than words could possibly express

Beep Beep

2011-09-22T05:09:00.000-07:00

Watch out on the roads...we've got a new driver in town :)

5 Months

2011-09-21T04:35:00.000-07:00

Highlights from this month:

-First solid foods: cereal and squash
-Started a Kindermusik class together
-Trip to Chicago
-Began to get up on all fours and rocks back and forth
-Celebrated Labor Day weekend
-Playdate at the Keelings house
-Trip to the zoo
-Grabbing for everything
-First time volunteering (selling toosie rolls for knights of columbus)

What a month! Zeb and I have been keeping super busy during the day while Daddy is at work. We started taking a kindermusik class once a week which he LOVES! Seriously, this child loves to be sung to. Which is kind of funny since neither Jimmy nor I can carry a tune! We also started a class at the WDM library that is a mix of music, story telling and puppetry. He really likes this class as well!

Zeb has totally fallen in love with the pets. He sits and will watch Daisy and Prudy play catch with the ball. Anytime they walk by, he reaches out for them and gives them a quick love. He is OBSESSED with Delilah, our cat. Oh my goodness! When she enters a room and lets out a meow, he goes crazy laughing and turning to try and find her. It is so so so sweet! I love that he really notices his surroundings now.

We definitely have a grabber on our hands. It's adorable to see his pudgy little fingers and hands grab and pound on everything. I was holding him on my hip the other day when I opened the fridge....sure enough he leaned over and was pulling out all of the condiments from the fridge door.

Our little chunker is eating rice cereal like a champ now too! We gave him some squash and that was a big fail. The kiddo gagged....yes, gagged. We tried some green beans the other night and he loved those. After giving the plain rice cereal a taste (yuuuuck!), I decided to buy the fruit kind next, which so far, he really likes.

We had a wonderful Labor Day weekend spent as our little family of 3. I feel very fortunate that the 3 of us have got to spend so much time together the last few weeks.

Weekend

2011-09-20T19:07:00.000-07:00

Argh! Our poor little guy had a bit of a rough time this weekend. He wasn't quite acting like himself and woke up Saturday morning with a runny nose. Throughout the day, it developed into a cough and watery eyes. Zeb was miserable! He didn't eat much and hardly wanted to play at all.

We stayed inside most of Saturday and Sunday to help him recoop and give him lots of love. He got out a little bit for his cousin's 1st bday party. Happy Birthday to Evelyn, our sweet little niece who is such a cutie. We wished we could have stayed longer at her party, but had to get Z home.

Cousins

Zeb and his Uncle Matt

Bday Girl

Family

He literally didn't sleep for 3 days in a row. It went something like this:
7:00 PM - bedtime
9:00 PM - awake
10:15 PM - awake
12:00 AM - awake
12:45 AM - awake
1:15 AM - awake
2:30 AM - awake
3:15 AM - awake
4:30 AM - awake
5:00 AM - up for the day

Yiiiikes...it was a little rough on Jimmy and I too. Needless to say, we're glad we are all on the mend now!

Chicago

2011-09-16T05:05:00.000-07:00

We headed to Chicago last weekend for a few days in the city! Jimmy had a meeting with a client, so Zeb, my mom, and I tagged along to visit my sister and her family.

I was a little nervous about the car ride since Z man isn't super fond of his carseat. He did surprisingly well....a few tears, but for the most part, was pretty content.

Zeb's car getup....fav blankie, fav rattle, dvd player (don't judge, he's never watched tv before then :)), and his musical light up mirror)

My sister didn't tell the kids we were coming, so we totally surprised them Thursday night when we got in. They were so sweet and excited to see us!

Getting in a little playtime before bed

Friday morning Jimmy met his client, the 2 oldest kids went to school so the rest of us hit up the Shedd Aquarium. We had so much fun!! We watched the dolphin show and saw all of the cool animals.

Waiting for the dolphin show

Chilling with the penguins

Afterwards, we met up with the guys for lunch. The kids played all afternoon until we went out for some margaritas and mexican food. Z didn't last too long at the restaurant - it was way past his bedtime!

Lunch!

Sam and Alec....before he got the chocolate

Saturday, Jimmy and Chris golfed in a charity tournament so we took all of the kids on an adventure. We went to this place called Xtreme Trampoline....holy craziness!! Picture floor to ceiling trampolines and lots of kiddos bouncing around. They loved it!

These 2 love each other!

No big deal....just my big guy sitting in a big boy highchair

Jumping

Grandma Dianne entertaining the 2 little ones at Xtreme Trampoline

Sunday it was time to head home. We had so much fun with the 6 kellys....they always show us a good time!

Zeb and Delilah

2011-09-15T05:15:00.000-07:00

Here's a little video I took the other night of our happy little guy. He is always smiling and laughing....especially when our cat (Delilah) or one of the dogs comes around.

Enjoy!

Wordy Wednesday - Dolphins

2011-09-14T05:44:00.000-07:00

When we were in Chicago this past weekend we took Zeb to the Shedd Aquarium (our favorite museum in Chi town). The underwater viewing area of the dolphin pool was totally bare, so I laid Zeb down and did a quick diaper change. The dolphins started swimming right by the glass, and even stopped for a few seconds.

Zeb LOVED it and was totally mesmerized watching them swim and play. I honestly think he would have layed there all day. It was so neat experiencing that with him!

Busted!

2011-09-13T05:15:00.000-07:00

Yes....it's true....Zeben is a....THUMB SUCKER! He has been ever since he was born. Not sure how (or even if I should) kick the habit, but the little guy loves to have his thumb in his mouth.

PROOF:

Labor Day Weekend

2011-09-12T18:38:00.000-07:00

Labor Day in (mostly) pictures.

Tuesday:

Attended a Central College Alumni event, coffee at Smokey Row. Zeb was a little charmer the whole time - smiling and letting everyone pass him around.

Wednesday:

A very interesting trip to the vet. Let's just say a sick dog and a baby do not mix very well in a confined space. Yikes! Someone got lose and hid under a table refusing to come out, another tried to get out of their carseat and was screeching (in excitement) loud enough to let the office next door know, not to mention the accident that occurred (all over the floor...ewww), all while one mama (me!) was being lectured on controlling a certain dog's diet.
After the trip to the vet, we hung out in our PJs the rest of the day.

Thursday:

Kindermusik class (more on this in a later post)

Friday:

Daddy was home with us!

Our new couches and chair were finally delivered. We spent most of the day re-arranging the new furniture and hanging out.

Errands and grocery shopping (exciting on a friday night, I know)
Out to dinner at Outback

Saturday:

Up early for the farmer's market downtown. We shared apple cider donuts and ran into some old friends.

It was pouring by the time we got home. Perfect excuse to enjoy the new couches and watch some college football.

Zeb played and played all day.....the 3 of us had so much fun together!

We had a nice family nap....pretty sure we all woke up better people after that (much needed with the 4AM wakeup that day)

Grilled out for dinner

Sunday:

9:30 Mass
Back home to make a big breakfast
Visited the Fuerstenbergs and Djordjevics (Kyle and Sasha's parents). They were in town helping them with some home improvement projects, so we stopped to say hi.
Took a super long walk (Z napped)

Played outside

Early bedtime for Zeb, movie night for mom and dad

Monday:

Super early walk in the morning
Went to a bbq at my parent's house.

Just Chilling

2011-09-09T05:53:00.000-07:00

Wordless Wednesday

2011-09-07T05:41:00.000-07:00

A quick video of Zeb and Jimmy playing.

Cereal

2011-09-06T18:52:00.000-07:00

I am a few weeks behind, but wanted to share a video and some pictures of Zeb's first experience with food. He definitely didn't mind it at first. Now that it's been 2 weeks, he LOVES his cereal. Unless of course you are talking to him....then he's much more interested in smiling and letting it all run out of his mouth.

He is such a big boy!

Video (don't mind me being THAT mom and snapping a million pics while he eats)

Catch-Up - From Zeb

2011-09-02T18:53:00.000-07:00

quick update of what we did last weekend.

FRIDAY:
-In the afternoon, we went to the zoo. I was sleeping until a silly bird squawked right by my stroller. I loved watching the silly monkeys and baby goats.
-For dinner, we went to a friends house for a bbq. I only hung with the guys for a bit until my mom made me come inside and chat with the ladies and go to sleep (sooo embarrassing!)

SATURDAY:
-It was all about our family of 3 while we spent the whole day together!
-We went out for breakfast to one of daddy's fav places
-In the afternoon we did some window shopping around West Glen and the Villages of Ponderosa. No stroller for me - Mom carried me in this pretty awesome backpack thing. I loved it!

-We made it to 4:30 mass at St. Francis where I laughed at some cute little girls sitting in front of me.
-Dad grilled out for dinner and we played outside until it was time for a bath and bedtime.

SUNDAY:
-We were up bright and early to volunteer for the Knights of Columbus. I helped my dad pass out tootsie rolls for donations at our grocery store. Everyone wanted to come up and talk to me! I was happy as can be visiting and chewing on the donation cup. Mom says it is never too early to start volunteering together as a family.

-We headed home for a quick pitstop and it was off to Grandma Margaret's for an early dinner. I got to play with my cousins Ava and Khloe. We had so much fun!

Iowa State Fair x 2

2011-08-26T04:44:00.000-07:00

My sister and her kiddos were in town all last week so we took all of the cousins to the Fair. We had so much fun!

5 adults, 4 strollers, and 9 kids!

Waiting to go in

Cast your kernal

Corndog heaven

Mac, Cal and Neve

Sweet Evelyn

Chatting with Grandma

My little buddy and I

Grandma Dianne and her 9 grandbabies

Neve and Bear

Love it!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-08-24T05:17:00.000-07:00

Matching Hat + Matching Shorts

4 Months Old

2011-08-22T11:41:00.000-07:00

Highlights from this month:

-LAUGHING!!! Our absolute favorite. Z will full on belly laugh - greatest thing ever!
-Rolling Over (back to tummy)
-Baptism
-Visit from mommy's friend Christine from San Francisco
-1st Iowa State Fair
-Visit from our Canadian friends, Clint and Laurie
-1st baseball game (I-Cubs)
-Lots of jumping in the jumperoo
-Pounding and smacking every object in sight

What a fun month we've had! Zeben is laughing and we love it! Truly the greatest sound in the entire world. He does it a few times a day and I just can't get enough.

Everything has been going in his mouth lately and the drool is pretty constant. He chews on everything, but his hands seem to be his favorite. His favorite activity is still "walking" back and forth between people. A close second favorite is his jumperoo. The kiddo loves that thing!

One big event for the month was Zeben's baptism. It was so cool to see him get baptized with 3 of his cousins. Truly a very special event!

Zeb appeared on Central's facebook page as well in his CUI t-shirt. Go dutch! We certainly think he's the cutest little future alumni around. He has lost a considerable amount of hair this month. We still can't tell what color is coming in. Sometimes it looks strawberry blond other times totally blond. We'll see!

Annnnd....after moving him to his crib last month, we've moved him back into his pack-and-play next to the bed for now. One night he rolled onto his belly and was face down, unable to lift his head up and gasping for air. I probably overreacted some, but I didn't want to chance anything. Now that he can roll easily between his tummy and back, I plan on getting him back in the crib ASAP.

Another first this month - Iowa State Fair! We went not once, but twice and enjoyed (well, mom and dad enjoyed) lots of things on a stick. Zeb enjoyed the crazy people watching and beautiful weather. He has started sitting up by himself for longer period of time, but is still pretty wobbly. It's fun to see him sitting up though.

It certainly was a busy month - lots of visitors and dinner parties, but we loved it all! At his doctor's visit today, the dr mentioned that we should definitely baby proof the house now because he will be mobile here shortly.

HEIGHT: 26 inches (85%)
WEIGHT: 17 lbs (86%)

Look Back: 1 Month, 2 Months, 3 Months

Some randoms

2011-08-21T05:54:00.000-07:00

Outside Playtime

2011-08-19T05:41:00.000-07:00

Ohhh beautiful summer weather how I love thee! We have been spending as much time outside as possible - long walks, playing in the grass, sitting on the front porch watching the neighbor kids.

On Saturday we pretty much spent all day outside - the fair in the morning, long walk to the park in the afternoon and played outside in the evening. Once Zeb went to bed, Jimmy and I took the video monitor with us and sat out on the deck.

Hard to believe we're already 1/2 way through August.

My happy little guy

Check out this big boy showing off....he'll sit up on his own now but is still pretty wobbly

Telling stories

Daisy-do

Prudy Tudy

2 peas in a pod

Cocktail time once the kiddo was in bed

Famous

2011-08-18T18:22:00.000-07:00

Oh, what's that you say? You want MY autograph? We appeared on the 5, 6 and 10 news last night and are pretty much famous now. :)

Here's the clip of our 2 seconds of fame:

http://www.kcci.com/weather/28884741/detail.html

Iowa State Fair

2011-08-18T05:31:00.000-07:00

We were up bright and early Saturday morning and made a trip to the fair. The weather was beautiful! Zeb took a long snooze while Jimmy and I cruised around.

True confession: I ate cheese curds at 8:45 in the morning. They were delish!

Jimmy can't wait to share a corndog with his little buddy

Loving the fair

Wordy Wednesday - Bittersweet

2011-08-17T04:18:00.000-07:00

Warning: this post is a little sad.....

A week before Jimmy's dad passed away we celebrated Christmas with him. We had recently found out Zeb was a boy and made it 1/2 way through the pregnancy. His dad was absolutely elated he would have a grandson and went a little nuts shopping for presents.

He got Zeb several outfits and was super proud of picking them all out. It's always a little bittersweet for me when I pull one out for him to wear. There's one set of pajamas in particular that I have not been able to bring myself to dress him in. I can so vividly remember his dad holding this pair up to his belly and laughing about how he would be Zeb's favorite and that he was going to get his good looks from his Grandpa Jim.

It was blue and white striped with "team grandpa" written in bright green. The other night after his bath, Jimmy was picking out his pjs for the night and chose these.

I am really grateful, especially for Zeb, that we have a few outfits that he picked out to one day show him. I can't help but get kind of sad sometimes thinking about how much he would have loved being around little Z, and likewise....I know Zeb would have adored him. I keep reminding myself that he is in a better place, and is watching over all of us.

Jimmy and I both talk about his dad quite a bit to Zeb, and want to make sure he always knows what a true character he was. His memory will always live on in our house!

Sunday Morning Playdates

2011-08-13T05:23:00.000-07:00

On Friday, our friends the Griffins had us over for dinner and drinks. We brought Zeb along and made sure we brought his bouncy seat so he could go to sleep. Well, Z was having so much fun he stayed awake practically the entire time. Except for a few catnaps, he was bright eyed, smiley and happy until we left a little after 12:00.
Saturday was the I-Cubs game and Sunday we had an early playdate at Grandma and Grandpa R's house. We chatted, took a dip in the pool, and had coffee on the porch. Such a nice morning!

Ready to go to Grandmas!

Do you like my hat?

Grandpa R

Lets get in the poooool!

So fun

Best Buds

2011-08-12T05:16:00.000-07:00

One common question I get from people is how the dogs are doing now that Zeb has taken main stage. They honestly don't seem too bothered by him at all. I am guilty of the fact that they don't get AS much attention as they used to (heck, they were downright spoiled before).....but, Jimmy and I both make a huge effort to give them lots of love still.

Prudy gets really excited when Zeb is around and wants to lick him....in the face....we're working on that! Daisy is petty calm and usually just wants to lay next to him when he plays on the floor.

Zeb loves watching them play and run around the house. He's really interested in Delilah too. Anytime she meows, he instantly gets a huge smile on his face.

please excuse our couch-less living room, waiting for the new ones we ordered to get here!

First Baseball Game

2011-08-11T05:04:00.000-07:00

Jimmy scored 5 free tickets to the I-Cubs game last Saturday so we went with our friends the Fuerstenbergs to the game. It was definitely hot out, but Z seemed to enjoy all of the people watching he got to do. He's been to a few of the guy's slow pitch softball games, but this was his first official baseball experience.

We made it through 5 innings before it was b-e-d time! He smiled and laughed the whole way home too....success!

Sporting their Cardinals shirts

Happy little dude chilling in his stroller

Semi-Wordless Wednesday

2011-08-10T05:13:00.000-07:00

Zeb cheering on daddy and the team at their slow pitch softball game on Monday.

Exersaucer

2011-08-09T05:34:00.000-07:00

We pulled out Zeben's exersaucer a week or 2 ago to see what he thought. He really liked it, but was still a little too small for it. He loved staring at all of the crazy stuff going on, but wasn't into playing with anything quite yet.

We tried again a few days ago and he's loving it!

Remember this???

Mohawk-Less

2011-08-08T04:30:00.000-07:00

The hawk....is gone! Well, for now at least. Zeb is losing his hair so until it thickens up again, this little dude is sporting a shorter hairdo.

Making Daddy Smile

2011-08-07T05:39:00.000-07:00

Check out Zeb's new favorite toy.....his baseball! This definitely brought a smile to Jimmy's face. Little man has been wanting to sit up more and more too. He's still pretty wobbly, but does well if we keep a hand on his back.

Grounding the ball

Practicing his pitches :)

Time to stretch

Tuckered out

Just Do It

2011-08-06T12:37:00.000-07:00

Check out our little Nike baby (and his thunder thighs)....thanks to Grandma Angie for the adorable shoes!

Weekend Recap

2011-08-04T08:14:00.000-07:00

Our friends from Canada, Clint and Laurie were in town this past weekend. As always, we had a great time with them!

Saturday, the guys did a little shooting down at the farm. The rest of us hit up the local tap (total dive, but fun) and they met up with us later.

Jimmy and Laurie

"You have a baby....in a bar" - name that movie

Clint, Dad and Uncle B

Later on, it was back home to swim, drink some beer and test out some awwwwesome cheesecakes Laurie got. Sounds like a great combination, huh?

Sunday was crazy for us! We started the morning by sending off Clint and Laurie with breakfast at Booneville. Then we headed to the Scherffs where they hosted a really nice brunch for our friends, the Kippleys, that were in town. Always good to see them!

Lastly, we went to Jimmy's Grandma's house for a BBQ to welcome home his cousin from Afghanistan. Zeb was exhausted by the end of the day! It was such a fun time seeing everyone though.

Jimmy, Grandma Margaret, Ashley and Zeb

Zeb loves his Aunt Ashley!

Morgan

Semi-Wordless Wednesday

2011-08-03T05:41:00.000-07:00

Our little dutchmen!

The Central alumni office was nice enough to send Zeb a package last week. They wrote a note to their future prospective student and had a Central bib that said Class of 20??.

Sweetest Sound

2011-07-28T19:34:00.000-07:00

We caught a few laughs from Zeb right before bedtime tonight. It is so amazing how something as simple as them giggling can bring so much joy!

Wordless Wednesday - The Bird

2011-07-27T06:18:00.000-07:00

Yep...he's flippin' it!

Whew!

2011-07-26T05:07:00.000-07:00

We had such a whirlwind of a weekend. It was honestly such a blast, but we were worn out afterwards. Zeb took a few 2 hour naps and slept 10 hours at night.

After getting back from my parent's house on Friday night, I was changing Zeb when all of a sudden....HE LAUGHED!!! This deep, adorable little belly laugh. I about fell over! I yelled for Jimmy, he came running up the stairs and sure enough, he laughed AGAIN! The look on Jimmy's face was priceless. He just about dropped to his knees and had tears in his eyes. It was the sweetest sound we've ever heard. I'm so happy we got to experience this milestone together; something I will truly never forget.

Also, Zeb and I are extremely proud of Jimmy. He made the weekly leaderboard at work and was in the top 10 for his region. He has been really busy meeting with clients lately and working very hard. We love you, James and appreciate all you do for us!

Recapping the weekend with Grandma Dianne

Baptism

2011-07-25T20:06:00.000-07:00

Zeb was baptized this past weekend at the Church where Jimmy and I got married. The coolest thing about the baptism - it happened with 3 of his cousins. All 4 Reelitz babies that were born in the last 8ish months were baptized together. Such a neat experience!

The weekend was truly awesome and we had so much fun celebrating with everyone. My parents threw one heck of a reception afterwards (thanks again, Mom and Dad!). Jimmy and I were so very honored to be godparents as well.

One of my absolute fav pictures

Group up on the alter

So fitting that Deacon OB did the baptism - he taught all of us in HS

Evelyn

Greer

Our Zeben

Alec

A little chaotic - What can you expect with that many kiddos?

honored to be sweet Evelyn's godparents

Extremely blessed to have Chris and Sam be godparents to Zeb

With Jimmy's mom - such a big help to us that day! Remembering Jim too, he was definitely there with us in spirit

the spread

delish!

Twins?!

Life of the par-tay!

Couldn't ask for better role models to all of the little ones - my parents

Matt and Lex with their newest kiddo - baby Greer!

Sisters that spray tan together :)

BFF - friends for over 10 years

Great Grandma Judy and Great Grandpa Larry

Morgan

I Love....

2011-07-23T05:20:00.000-07:00

Snoozing on my mom and dad's bed

Silly chats with my daddy

Snuggles

Showing off my sweet rolling over skills

Chilling on my boppy

My grandma and grandpa R

Swim dates and playtime at Grandma and Grandpa's

Grandpa Lars' voice - I can't help but stare at him when he's talking in the room

Making mommy laugh with all of my funny faces!