Parenting 101

Ok, so maybe I passed the parenting 101 course but even after nearly 5 years of being a parent, I am constantly striving to be better, do better, love more and be present. It's a never ending course in self-betterment and unconditional love.

I continually get questions from friends and family on where I get my patience. I always tell them the same thing. I dig deep, some days deeper than others, and even then, I can still lose my marbles. 

If I'm being completely honest, I DO have some super secret parenting I'm about to let you in on. Ok, maybe not so SUPER secret but these are the things that help me get through my busy days with 3 willful, creative, lovely, exhausting children.

1- Support. A lot of support. I am lucky to have a kick ass husband, a mom and sister who live next door and the best friends in the entire world. It's nice to have a wide safety net and sounding board for when I need it. Totally necessary for successful parenting.

2- Meditation- no joke.  I squeak out 10-20 minutes each morning for deep breathing and relaxation. It's an easy way to get centered, refocus and re-energize. Seriously, try it!!

3- Expert advice- Unfortunately parenting does NOT come with a manual. However, fortunately for us modern parents, there are moms and dads who have walked this road before us and willingly share their stories, advice, tips and tricks. Even if I don't prescribe 100% to one specific "method" of parenting, I enjoy learning what works (and what doesn't) for others.  One of my favorite "can't live without" experts are Todd and Cathy Adams of Zen Parenting Radio. They seriously rock. Their message is positive but not prescriptive. They tackle parenting issues and offer gentle parenting solutions. I really can't say enough good things about them. They have seriously changed the way I parent. **Check them out:

http://zenparentingradio.com

Last but not least is my favorite super "secret" parenting tip-

4-Coffee, water and wine. 

Coffee to give me a jump start, water all day to keep me healthy and a relaxing glass of wine once or twice of week to unwind. 

Heck, if you are an overachiever you could do all my tips at once: Have a glass of wine with a friend, while meditating, and listening to Zen Parenting.

Bam, next stop Super Momdom. 

Ok, maybe that's a bit aggressive. These tips are not magic but I guarantee you'll feel at least a little better.

So tell me, what gives YOU parenting super powers?

** I am in no way affiliated with Zen Parenting Radio. I am simply a fan. 

 

Gender Creativity

Those of you who know me know that I live my life out loud.  I share a lot of photos and activities that I do with my family.  I do this for a couple reasons: 1)I generally love my life and have a tendency to share and gush about things that float my boat 2)I live in a fairly isolated part of the world (unless you count bears and the occasional porcupine?) I like to share my days and children with family and friends in an effort to stay connected to them.  I love that my in-laws can share in my children’s lives even when they can’t be right here.  It is the wonderful side of using social media.

See what I mean about the porcupine??

 

I have realized that there is one aspect of my life that I haven’t particularly addressed and that is Tanner’s gender creativity.  We obviously aren’t hiding it, a fact that is quite evident in the 650 photos I post annually to Facebook.  As he gets older and continues with his non-conformist ways, I find myself fielding more questions or WORSE encountering well-intentioned moms and friends who decide to not broach the subject for fear of offending me or not saying “the right” thing.  I’m here to answer ALL your questions, in one handy dandy blog post.

 

*Side note:  I’d like to preface my Q&A with the fact that I FIRMLY believe we live in a society that misguidedly forces gender roles on to their children.  I don’t think we are doing it with ill-intention.  However, I feel that promoting the individual by listening to and promoting likes and desires will get you MUCH, MUCH farther than putting our children into either a pink or blue box and ALL that entails.**

 

Let’s start with the doozey I get asked: Why does he wear dresses, leggings, “girl clothes”?

I don’t know.  Why are you wearing jeans?  It’s really just that simple. He likes them.  They are comfortable him and make him happy, which is the general purpose of fashion isn’t it?

What does Paul think?

Have any of you met Paul??  He has been bending the rules of what is “normal” for YEARS.  From his long hair, to his speedo um….I mean choice of swimwear, Paul is a born rule-breaker.  He asks the question why not?  He follows his heart and speaks his mind in gentle, respectful way that I can’t help but be in awe of his charisma.  So, in short, I can’t speak for him but I can guess that Paul would say something fabulously simple to convey his unconditional love and support for all 3 of our children.

 

Does he dress himself?

(This seems silly but I have gotten asked this.) Yes, both Emmy Lu and Tanner get to pick their own clothes and get dressed themselves EVERY day. (And I have started practicing with Hattie too) If we have a place to go, I might make a couple suggestions but the final choice and task of getting dressed is left to them. (With minor help from me with buttons, ties, etc)  It is an important part of development for children that fosters independence and creativity so yes, I don’t only “let him” dress himself, I basically make him.

 

Are you a boy or a girl?

Tanner just got asked this on the playground yesterday by another child. “Girl,” he said.  “Ok,” said the child and they continued off playing.  Right now Tanner identifies more with being female, he calls himself a girl.  While pretending, he prefers to be the princess (mainly Elsa), or mommy vs. being the prince or daddy.  Again, we don’t tell him that either is right or wrong, only that he can be whoever he wants to be.

 

Are you raising all of your children without gender?

No we aren’t. Rather than having all gendered or all non-gendered activities/toys/etc, I just try to focus my attention on individuality.  Each person is unique with a set of likes/dislikes, interests and passions.  Each of my children express their own interests that I try to cultivate.  None of us fit into just one predetermined category, which is why I am a juxtaposition of happy housewife circa 1950 and raging feminist. 

Is he gay?

He’s 4.  His sexual preference is not even on our radar yet.  Our main goal is to raise happy, loving, well-adjusted people.  However, if in the future, any of our children feel in their heart that loving a person of the same sex is important to them then they will have a family who still loves, supports and encourages them.  Again, it’s really that simple.

 

What do you (Heidi) think about it?

As a mama bear, I can’t help but want to shield all of my children from hurt and harm.  I realize that individuality isn’t always valued and celebrated by others as it is in our home.  I worry about him encountering unkind or ignorant children and adults. However, I find comfort in the fact that I can build my children’s self-esteem and give them tools to deal with any of the struggles they may face in their lives.  It is why I pour so much of myself into parenting.  I am not raising children, I am raising future adults (hopefully REALLY cool and likeable adults).

Is this why you decided to homeschool?

I’m not going to lie and say this had ZERO influence our decision to homeschool but it actually had very little.  I want to homeschool for a variety of different reasons and because it resonates with my heart and soul as the right direction for us to try right now.  You can read about that here.

 

Lastly, How should we treat him?

Obviously, people don’t ask this question but I can tell that some people are uncomfortable or unsure with how to react when he talks about being a girl, etc.  My advice is to treat him like the smart, articulate child he is.  He is very special, but not because he wears dresses.  He is special for a million other reasons.  He has ability to read people and situations like no other.  He is kind and sweet.  He is easy to laugh and tells ridiculously confusing “knock-knock” jokes. He has taught me so much about myself and smiles every single time I tell him that he was the first one to teach me how to be a mommy.  As my sister said, “I think Tanner is just so special.  He is going to teach all of us so much about life.  He already has, and he’s only 4!”

He’s just a boy (or girl) who likes to wear dresses (or not).  It’s just that simple.

If you have any questions please feel free to ask or e-mail me @ heidi_lynnc@hotmail.com

 

Also, there are TONS of resources out there for gender creative kids or gender non-conformist kids.  It’s easy to individualize an issue to a particular family or child but there are literally THOUSANDS of families with little boys and girls who don’t fit in the gender boxes assigned to them by society. 

http://raisingmyrainbow.com/

http://gendercreativekids.ca/

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/12/magazine/whats-so-bad-about-a-boy-who-wants-to-wear-a-dress.html

4 Years

Its been 4 years.

That’s 35,000 hours. (Give or take)

1460 sunrises.

Roughly 31,449,600 breaths

since I became someone’s mom.

I thought having my first baby was the singular most life changing thing that had ever to me.  Then I did it again. And again.

Each child blows up your heart with more love than you thought was humanly possible.

It’s actually pretty supernatural.

But there is something about your first: The unknown, the newness, the naivety of the difficult task you have undertaken coupled with the inherent fear of messing things up.

The first look at a little person that grew inside you, that kicked and moved under your skin, that carved a place so big in your life before taking his first breath of air is nothing short of magic.

Tanner is my magic and tomorrow he turns four.

My sweet boy, the original thief of my heart, my teacher.

He is smart, sweet, empathetic, stubborn, methodical, imaginative, and better than I could have even imagined.

He turned a couple of crazy love-struck newlyweds into a family.

He makes us smile.

He taught us how to be parents.

He makes me laugh daily.

He is a kind and patient big brother.

He’s exactly as sweet as he looks.

And I couldn’t be more proud to be his mom.

I’m not sure what is more terrifying, to become a mom for the first time or to watch your baby turn into a real person who needs you less and less each day. (I’ll let you know in a few years).

Either way he totally rocks my world and I want to scream from the rooftops how much I love this little person.

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY 4th BIRTHDAY TANNER FREDRICK!!!

Love so much it hurts

I don’t know if it’s the weather, or hormones, or sleep deprivation or a combo of all 3 that have made me so emotional today but today I have had three of those “Hurts So Good” moments.

 

The moment your baby wakes in her crib and says “Ma-Ma-Ma” as you walk in to greet her.

 

The moment when your wiry 2 year old climbs on you lap and snuggles in her blanket “nest” as she lists all the people she loves. (Grandma Barnes, Auntie Sadie and Dora rounded out the LONG list)

 

The moment when your (almost) 4 year old say “Mommy, I know what B-A-T spells.  Bat!” and is so proud of his new found reading skills that you can physically FEEL him beaming.

 

The moment when your heart feels so full that it feels it might just burst.

 

The moment when you are nearly moved to tears because of pride, awe, love and thankfulness.

The moment that cancels out all the moments of doubt, regret and self-consciousness.

 

The moment when you feel with every single part of your being that you are doing this right, that your children are thriving and loving and growing.

 

The moment you know what it means to love so much it hurts.

 

It’s amazing and humbling to feel this.

 

And then it passes and you are back to setting “sharing timers,” and cleaning up spills, and breaking up spats, and changing diapers, and worrying about their futures and chugging enough coffee to get through it all. All the while hoping the memory of these moments will keep you fueled through all the muck.  That they will keep you full until the next time their purity, sweetness, and love shines through brighter than anything else. 

These moments are just enough to reassure you to carry on and continue your work as a teacher and a mom because these rewards of a full heart are better than any job could ever pay.

 

So keep calm and carry on.  Your moments of heart-bursting bliss might be just around the corner, waiting to fill you up.

Warning: Stinky But Cute

That’s how I feel most days.  Between the spit up and teething diapers (to put it nicely), and this cold they are fighting my kids can be pretty darn stinky most days…but they sure are cute.  Here are some of the latest snapshots I took of the little tykes.  Just be glad they haven’t invented scratch and sniff blogging yet.

 

To cry or not to cry…That is the question.

 

How you doin’???

 

 

Playdoh (“doh-doh” as he calls it)  This was after coloring with markers but before eating with ketchup.

 

 

Like i said…eating with Ketchup. He loves his “dippin”.

 

Big yawn and….

 

I’m soooo over it Mom.  Time for bed.

(As you can tell by his stains, dirt, etc..it’s been a long morning)

 

 

Smiley Baby

 

Time Flies….

I have been a mom of 2 for 2 months already.  Wow!  Look at this cute girl.  Sure to bring a smile to your face.

2nd time around…

They say that you get more relaxed with every kid you have.  If that is the case I might just be mistaken for a burned out “Dead Head” by the time I have our 3rd child.

With Tanner I pre washed EVERYTHING in Dreft- bedding, blankets, onsies, booties, hats, etc.

I sterilized the bottles TWICE before using.

I would touch his lips while he took a long nap to make sure he was breathing.

I cried and lamented for days when I couldn’t breastfeed any longer.

I was so careful, nervous about changing his diaper, clothes, etc.

I fretted each and every time he made a peep.

I religiously bathed him every other day and did not miss a beat.

 

Oh how things have changed….

 

With Emmy Lu I washed a few things (in NORMAL detergent) that were in storage but new outfits..I toss right on her.

If she is sleeping I take advantage of the time to play with Tanner, clean, make my lists etc…No lip checking here.

I had a whatever happens, happens mentality about breastfeeding and things are going AWESOME.

I fly through diaper and clothing changes like a well trained pit crew worker.

If she starts to squirm I wait that extra second to make sure if she really means it or is just getting out some kinks.

I bath her when I remember or have time…Don’t get me wrong..It is frequently enough but for sure NOT the strict schedule I had with Tanner.

 

I am amused at all my friends who are becoming first time moms and am a tad envious of that first time mom OCD. But mostly am thankful that the second time around seems so much easier and WAY less stressful.  In a few more weeks I am pretty sure I could do my daily routine with Tanner and Emmy Lu with one hand tied behind my back.

 

One thing that has NOT changed is how much I love and adore her.  I try not to compare Emmy Lu and Tanner but they are just so darn similar it is hard not to.  So far Emmy Lu is happy, relaxed and seems VERY content.  She hardly cries, gives us lots of smiles and is such an easy baby.  Just like her brother….

 

People said that I really lucked out with Tanner and that there would be NO WAY I could luck out with two chillaxed little ones.  I am happy that Emmy Lu is so far proving all those people wrong…

I might be pressing my luck in expecting more relaxed children in the future but so far my track record is giving me no reason to stop creating and raising these adorable, loving, sweet little creatures.

Motherly Guilt- a necessary evil??

So far, I have done a pretty good job of avoiding the “motherly guilt” or “parenting guilt” that seems to plague moms and dads these days. 

Are we doing enough? Am I giving enough time/love/attention to our children? Are we doing things right? Should we have done things differently?  Should I stay home more?  Should I work more?  These are all things that I know many parents grapple with as we raise our children. 

Like I said I have been fairly good at having enough confidence in my mothering ability and job so far that I have avoided these feelings of guilt.  I give my all and can feel in the very fiber of my being that I am doing things right for Tanner, my husband and our family.  I feel lucky to have escaped this guilt.

UNTIL NOW.

Maybe it is the last few days of pregnancy that are messing with my head, maybe it is the coming of the full moon tomorrow night, maybe it is fear driven, but for some reason I feel guilty that Tanner will not be the center of my world and universe when this baby comes.  I feel guilty that he will no longer be a baby but a BIG brother @ 15 months old.  I feel like I am robbing him of babyhood.  I feel scared that what if, JUST WHAT IF, my heart can’t love two babies like everyone it tells me it can.

I know logically that ALL these things are silly, but my emotions or fear and guilt have consumed me today.  It got me looking into the reasoning behind motherly guilt and made me feel MUCH MUCH better.

I found this today online regarding the guilt a mother feels-

A mother’s guilt stems from an inability to give more of herself, but Jane Adams, speaker, author, and research psychologist, offers another perspective. "Guilt is an internal state that is self-defeating and also self-absorbing," she says. "Guilt is all about you, not the subject of your feelings."

That was all I need to read to SNAP out of it.

Get over myself.

Get a grip.

LET GO of the GUILT.

LET GO of the FEAR.

Tanner will be fine.  Of course my heart will grow enough to love 2 children unconditionally.  Even if I weren’t having another baby right now, Tanner would still not be a '’baby”-he is a developing, talking, exploring toddler.  Tanner and baby will not be competing rather ENRICHING each others lives.  They will be teammates, partners in crime, friends, SIBLINGS.  They will fight, and play and LOVE each other to no end like I love my siblings.  It is going to be great that they will experience life stages together.

So instead of feeling guilt, I now feel a sense of calm self reassurance.

I am doing the right thing.

I am enough.

I can do this.

Neurotic vacation is over…time for a flight back to my reality.

 

So my verdict is….Motherly guilt does NOT come with the territory.  It is unnecessary and only affects you if you let it.

Live, Love, Relax, Trust and ENJOY!!!

99 times out of 100

99 times out of 100 I will catch Tanner in the act of digging in something, playing, or just plain old exploring like a 15 month old should and ask,

“Whatcha doing??”

This is the look I get. 

It’s his- I’m so cute and couldn’t possibly be doing anything destructive- look.  This morning’s adventure included an open case of Diet Coke and a camera…Oh the possibilities in the world of a toddler.

 

Year of the Mother

I know I am at a perfect age to have EVERYONE I know around me having babies.  In honor of mother’s day I thought I would browse my list of facebook friends and do a tally of all my pregnant comrades who are either joining the world of motherhood for the first time OR adding to their families.  I counted 33 people on my list of facebook friends who are pregnant.  These preggos range from high school friends, to old co-workers to college classmates, etc.

33!!!! 

That is a lot of babies and mommas people!  This also does NOT include the countless number of my friends and acquaintances that have already had babies in the last year and those who are waiting for that precious end of the 1st trimester to announce it.

Happy Mother’s Day out there everyone who wears the titles: Mommy, Mama, Mom, Mother, Ma, or Mom-to-be proudly.

I am convinced it is the toughest job in the world because as a mother you are in charge of molding minds, nurturing, loving, discipline,  clean-up, kisses, organizing, refereeing, clothing, bathing, feeding, reading, writing, learning,  teaching life lessons, more kisses, hugs, creating a home, providing security (emotional and otherwise), playing, laughing, MORE KISSES, supporting, letting go, and teaching your children how to LIVE and THRIVE and MORE!!  It’s also not a job that has a retirement date-it is a forever contract with our kids.

  Quite a daunting list if you really look at it.

BUT…

The salary of being a mom is UNBEATABLE- kisses, hugs, cuddles, laughter and pure love outweigh any money in the world!!!

I’ll leave you with my favorite quote about being a mom although I am not sure who I should attribute it to.  Iit goes something like this:

“There is no one way to be a PERFECT mom but a MILLION ways to be a REALLY REALLY good one.”

Here’s to the daily desire to be the best mom I can be and learning from the great mom’s I have in my life, especially my own.

Happy Mother’s Day!!

Re-entering society

After spending the first month with Tanner cozied up in my house (with the occasional walk or visit to the doctor) I have officially re-entered society. Who knew there was life beyond sitting here, holding and snuggling and being completely in LOVE with my little boy?!?! This weekend we had a couple firsts. Friday night Paul's mom came to Danube to watch Tanner so Paul and I could the Fireman's wives appreciation supper over at the fire hall. It was the first time I had ever left Tanner for more than the minute it takes me to walk over to the post office and back. Both he and I did just fine and I am SURE Grandma didn't mind snuggling with my little nugget for a couple hours.

On Saturday, Tanner and I made our first road trip to my mom and dad's place in Oak Grove. I posted on facebook that we were going to be in the area and Tanner had no shortage of people that wanted to meet him.

Here's Tanner and my Grandma Donna

Here's Grandma, Tanner, my cousins Alex and Antonio

I also took Tanner over to my parent's neighbor's 30th birthday party for a couple hours on Saturday evening. The rain held off and we got to hang out for a couple hours. Even with all of the commotion of karaoke, dirtbikes, and people peeking in his stroller to see him he still just snoozed away. He's such a good baby!! It was really nice to get out and do some socializing too!! I forgot that there is a whole big world out there...I have been so consumed lately but it's time to start re-entering society...little by little. I still love all the one on one I get with Tanner everyday.

One last try...

After 4 weeks of trying to breastfeed, Tanner losing weight, starting formula, gaining weight, relentless pumping, herbal supplements, drinking water galore, consulting my pediatrician, consulting my public health nurse, consulting a lactation consultant, and MANY tears (manly by mom and a few by Tanner) I have decided that today is my last good old college try at breast feeding my little guy. He still is just lazy when nursing but will gulp down a bottle in no time. I think that he thinks I am just an over-sized pacifier-he enjoys hanging out there but doesn't fill up.

I had to deal with feelings of guilt and inadequacy knowing that breastfeeding is best for baby however seemingly impossible for Tanner and me. Plus I REALLY wanted to exclusively breastfeed for at least the first 6 months. Lesson in motherhood 101..It doesn't really matter what YOU want, baby will definitely let you know what HE wants. I have been pumping and feeding him bottles of whatever I can pump (which isn't nearly enough to satisfy the little guy's hunger). So he is mainly on formula anyways and seemingly not having any problems with that. No extra gas, no weird diaper situations or all that other stuff you have to worry about. Plus he seems WAY more satisfied and overall happier. Just look at him...

This is the look of a content baby in my mind. So sadly, today will be my last day of pumping and attempting to nurse. They say some breast-milk is better than none so 4 weeks will have to do and I will just have to be OK with it. I just don't make enough milk for him...and pumping to get a few ounces here and there over the course of 24 hours is just too draining on me and a reminder that I can't give little Tanner what he needs. SO I am officially letting it go. All of it- The guilt, the sadness, the stress, the tears, and the views of what being a mother to a newborm "should" be. I am embracing what being a mother to Tanner IS- the reality of it-which is still wonderful and fulfilling beyond words and more than I could ever imagine.

Plus my pediatrician gave me very comforting words last week when we brought Tanner in for a checkup where he had FINALLY gained weight. After giving me an assignment to write down every time Tanner ate, for how long or how many ounces of formula, along with how much I pumped and when- he looked at the sheet of scribbles I had jotted down over a week and said- "Wow, it looks like you are spending all of your time feeding and/or pumping." To that I replied"yep" and broke down in tears over the frustration. He said that he supports me either way I decide to feed Tanner and said that if I did end up making the switch to formula it was NOT for lack of trying on my part.

Oh the joys of motherhood...bye bye pump and thoughts of what this new life of mine "should" be!

Since figuring out and conceding to the fact that breastfeeding just wasn't going to work, I decided on starting another adventure in motherhood and decided to tackle the cloth diaper!! I have been thinking about it and researching the methods and options for MONTHS now. It is done..diapers and supplies have been ordered from an awesome site www.greenmountaindiapers.com. Tanner will be an earth-friendly, money-saving, pooping machine. We figure over the diapering years of one child we can save about $1500-$2000. PLUS, what a great way to cut down on our footprint- I can't believe how fast our trash has been filling up with the the disposables we have been using so far. (all gifts BTW- so thank you to everyone who got us diapers!!)

As a stay at home, earth-loving, hippie-minded mama I think this might just be the perfect fit for our family. PLUS- The cloth diapers these days are soooo cute- nothing like the plastic pants from the days of yesteryear. I can't wait to get the supplies next week and start!!

Eat, Poop, Sleep...

Tanner is officially 4 days, 21 hours, and 51 minutes old as I sit down here with him in his sleepy wrap while I blog away. He LOVES being in the wrap, which doesn't surprise me sine he is quite the cuddle bug so far. I am so glad I got this wrap because I can't imagine the thought of putting this precious boy down but really want to be able to use both hands for certain activities (such as typing). He is snoozing away as I type and bounce gently on my exercise ball. What a life!!
So far he is such a good little baby! He has taken to breast feeding and is really very good at it. He is eating every 2-4 hours and having very healthy diapers. I had such a mom moment today when I changed his diaper and it was yellow!! YAY for yellow poop it means that everything is working!!

We have had a couple busy days here in the Nyquist house. We traveled up to Willmar on Friday morning for Tanner's first doctor's appointment. He was 7lbs 2oz when we left the hospital and had already bounced back up to 7lbs 6 oz by Friday. His jaundice score had gone up a little since leaving the hospital and we have another appoint on Monday just to make sure it starts going down, but by the looks of him..I don't think it will be a problem. He is looking more pink today than yesterday.

After the doctor appointment on Friday we had visitors. Sarah (Paul's sister) and her two boys came to visit their new cousin!! Gabe is 3 and Xavier is 3 1/2 months and QUITE the little chunk. He makes Tanner look so tiny!! Sarah also brought me TONS of baby boy clothes. Since Xavier is already in 6-9 month clothes she brought all of the stuff he had out grown which is perfect because I really didn't have too many baby boy clothes! Now I am pretty sure Tanner is set. It is so nice to have the hand me downs and save some money since babies grow so fast anyways.

Here's some pictures of the boys.

While Sarah and the boys were down here visiting, we went over to see Paul's grandpa Fredrick, who has been feeling pretty ill lately and in declining health. Since being diagnosed with lung cancer this fall, he has had his ups and downs but is now at home, receiving hospice care and being made as comfortable as possible. We were VERY excited to tell him there was another Nyquist boy and to have Tanner meet his great grandpa Fredrick. Although saddened by Grandpa's illness, it is really very emotional and humanizing to see the circle of life with the addition of such a little miracle who will grow up playing on tractors, and running through the same fields as Grandpa did as a boy. I know Grandpa is very happy with this too. He couldn't wait to hug and sit with Tanner, Xavier, and Gabe when we all visited on Friday.

Here's some pictures from the visit to Grandpa's.

Paul, Tanner, and Grandpa

4 Generations of Nyquist boys- Grandpa Fredrick, Tanner, Paul, and Art

After the visit to Grandpa, Paul, Tanner and I headed home for a little rest before some more guest arrived! Jeff and Malinda made the trek out to Danube to visit our newest addition! It was really nice to have them and I know they were really excited to see our little guy. Of course Paul and Jeff stayed up late doing boy stuff like playing video games and eating frozen pizza, topped off with setting up Jeff portable disc golf basket in the back yard and tossing some discs this morning. Paul even dug out his mini disc and OF COURSE had to get a picture with him Jeff and Tanner.... What a couple of discing dorks :)

That's it for now in the life and times of the "Quist club!! Tanner is starting to stir...I think it's time to eat again, then poop again, then sleep again...and the cycle continues!! I am LOVING IT!!

We survived the first night home

Last night was out first night home since having Tanner and we survived!! I actually got some sleep between feedings (yes it was in the recliner with Tanner on my chest) but it was sleep none the less, He really likes to cuddle and nurse A LOT and I have absolutely no problem with that. I did however just put him down for a few minutes here to blog and get myself some food.

My mom is here today still and helping out with some cooking and cleaning stuff around the house. It is a life saver just to have the extra help and moral support!! Nana is the GREATEST and Tanner loves her like crazy already.

Here are some pictures of our adventures over the last couple days. I am filling up my camera already and he is not even 3 days old yet...Can we say obsessed?!?!!

Here's Daddy giving Tanner his first diaper change. (Paul also won the honor of being the first one to get peed on by Tanner this morning...It was pretty funny and I was glad it wasn't me-this time anyways)

Here's just a picture of Tanner chillin in the hospital.

Tanner's ride home

Tanner taking a nap while Mommy eats and blogs :) He LOVES his hands by his face so pictures of his entire might be tricky.