The Weishaars' World

Big News...

2012-01-04T18:15:00.000-08:00

Logan is going to be a...
Can you believe it?!? After a two year battle with infertility we were lucky enough to meet Dr. Riggs. At our initial meeting, in early September, he told us that we had a 1-3% chance of conceiving on our own. He told us that since we had already received other infertility treatments that IVF would be our best option. It was a hefty emotional, physical, and financial undertaking but one that could potentially give us our second baby.

I began giving myself nightly injections mid-September through mid-October. We had a successful egg retrieval on October 14th. On October 19th Dr. Riggs recommended that we transfer this one, beautiful blastocyst back to avoid complications of a twin pregnancy. It was a rough decision (Kasey can fill you in on my Valium induced comments) but in the end we trusted Dr. Riggs.

This is our first baby picture of W2!

After what felt like a very long wait I took a home pregnancy test that came back negative. I was crushed. A couple of days later I went back to Dr. Rigg's office for my first beta blood test. I was SHOCKED when I got not one, but TWO, phone call to congratulate me on my pregnancy! I was warned to be cautiously optimistic because my HCG level was low. Four days later I went in for my second beta level and received a phone call that it did not rise appropriately and I would probably lose the baby. My third beta did rise appropriately but it was still low.

We went in for our first pregnancy ultrasound at 5 weeks 5 days and saw a gestational sac and a yolk sac. I asked Dr. Riggs if he ever saw women with inappropriate rise in beta levels go on to have healthy pregnancies. He said, "Yes, but it is not typical." He asked us to come back at 7 weeks to check for a heartbeat. Kasey and I were scared, disappointed, and anxious to move on to the next step. When we went back in at 6 weeks and 6 days we were so surprised to see a flickering on the screen of 125 beats per minute! All I could say is that Kasey and I make the toughest kids! This time we left feeling optimistic for the first time in a while! We went back in for one more ultrasound at 8 weeks 4 days and saw this little gummy bear:

measuring right on track and even moving around a bit with a healthy heart rate of 189!

Today I am 13 weeks 5 days pregnant! The family visited my OB today and got to see the baby again! Logan was very concerned that Dr. Burrows was putting jelly on my belly and was very happy when she wiped it off! The baby had a heart rate of 169 and was moving all around for us. After many tears and countless prayers we feel very blessed to be expecting this little one on July 6th! I will start P17 injections in two weeks to try to ward off any preterm labor.

Big brother Logan keeps reminding me that my belly is "gettin' bigga." He is very excited about his baby brother or sister. He tells us what toys he wants to get for his baby and how when the baby gets bigger he will play with him/her. He has decided on a name: Chips. Kind of catchy, don't you think!

A video clip of baby W2 at 8 weeks 4 days

Fall Fun

2011-11-07T18:32:00.000-08:00

Although it may not look like it from this picture, we have had a really fun fall! We kicked off the season by taking a trip to the Louisburg Cider Mill and pumpkin patch. We enjoyed a pancake breakfast with our neighbor friends, the Lunds.
Here is Logan with his pal Lilly on the hay ride. They couldn't get enough! They even ran down one that wasn't ours to get one more two minute ride in.
We successfully made it through the corn maze...
despite our miniature guides!
Logan tried to bring home a souvenir but we convinced him that all corn must stay in the maze.

The next day we ventured out the Worlds of Fun (think Six Flags Chicago folks). Logan was very brave and rode all of the rides that we put him on!
He especially liked these race cars. The went around a mini track and whipped you around the curves! He did not enjoy that his parents kept him there past dark when the "scary guys" come out. We have now scarred our child for good. He didn't even like seeing people in masks on Halloween...oops!
Logan also learned to ride a big boy bike! I can't even believe it. I feel like he just learned to ride his tricycle and now he is on a 2ish wheeler!
No Autumn would be complete without jumping in the leaves! Kasey got a great workout that morning!
We went to "Boo at the Zoo" in Topeka. Logan loved showing his Sid the Science Kid costume to all of the animals, especially the flamingos!
On Halloween Eve we invited the Lunds over for pumpkin carving. Logan and Lilly worked very hard drawing the faces.
Once they decided that they had worked hard enough they decided it was time for a dance party!
Here are the finished products!
On Halloween night B came to enjoy the festivities. Thank goodness because we had our 3rd emergency Sid wig stitching!
Logan was very proud of all of his treats! After every house he would run up to me, show me his latest pick, and then say "let's go to the next house!"
Eventually we met up with our favorite K-State cheerleader!
Daddy even got into the Halloween spirit.
After a tough night of trick-or-treating the kids enjoyed a nice ride home in the wagon.
Logan, being the planner that he is, had to sort his treat bucket a few times before he went to bed! What a character! Hope that you are enjoying the season as much as we are!

It's Great to be...3!

2011-09-22T13:49:00.000-07:00

Where in the world has the time gone?! Family and friends keep saying things like, "He has gotten so tall," and "He looks like a little man!" As much as I hate to admit it Logan is another year older, bigger, and smarter! We visited the doctor yesterday and she informed us that Logan is now in the 75th percentile for both height and weight! I am so impressed with how well he has caught up to his peers, he is such a rockstar!

This month, Logan was lucky enough to be visited by two people he doesn't get to see very often; his Uncle Paul from Boston and his Uncle John from Maui. He had a blast playing with both of them! He also spent his birthday week with his Gramma and Papi from Rockford. He spent a lot of time outside playing, especially at the park across the street.

I am sure that those of you who were unable to the attend Monster Truck Bash are just dying to know how it went! Here is an overview of the day, September 10th, 2011!

Logan woke up to a breakfast of champions: pancakes and a cupcake!

His mom nagged him to get into his birthday shirt and pose in the laundry basket!

The cake was finished! White cake filled with dad's specialty, Oreo dirt cake, and topped with chocolate frosting and brownie "rocks".

Logan was excited to show off his truck bouncy house to all of his friends. Here is his new pal, Lilly, who lives across the street.

We took a brief intermission from bouncing to have some hot dogs, chips, and fruit salad (Logan had been bugging me for weeks to buy a watermelon for his birthday party!).

The kids, including the biggest kid Uncle John, headed back to the bouncy house to work off their lunches!

Then it was time for cake! Logan sang "Happy Birthday" to himself and just grinned and grinned when people said his name!

It took him a couple of tries but he blew out his candles.

Can you tell that Logan is thinking, "Can we get this picture over with so I can eat this cake and open my PRESENTS!!!"

Here he is after eating two bites of cake, dying to rip open those packages!

He was spoiled rotten by all of his friends! Our game closet is now full! He also got a cool new sleeping bag and camping chair, clothes, play-doh, the movie Rio, and cars of course!

His Grandma B. bought him a painting easel. He loves it! He could barely stand to wait for mom and dad to put it together!

After a much needed nap we headed to Chick-Fil-A for a "no work for mama" dinner. When we got home Logan opened up his presents from his parents. Here are Logan and Daddy playing with the new aircraft carrier. Everyday since the big day Logan has asked if there are any cards for him in the mailbox. I keep telling him that his birthday is done for this year, but every time I say it another package arrives! I am sending this kid mixed messages! In all seriousness, he is a very lucky boy to be so loved my so many wonderful people! Thank you for all of the kind birthday wishes!

P.S. He is already planning birthday #4: "I want a car birthday party next!"

Oh the Places You'll Go!

2011-07-25T12:17:00.000-07:00

Over the last couple of months you may have found yourself wondering, "What are those fun and exciting Weishaars up to?" Only to find out that we have been stuck in May at March for Babies (thank you Lori for pointing this out!). There are a couple of reasons for this: 1. We have had a busy, nomadic summer, traveling around to various family and friends' houses. 2. Our camera USB was packed safely in a large POD waiting for our new home. So hear is a GREAT, BIG Weishaar update! I hope you enjoy! Before Logan was born I spent summers working. It just felt right to be busy. After going back to work this year, summer has taken on a whole new meaning. I have gotten to spend everyday watching my miracle baby turn into a big kid. The last couple of months have been filled with many firsts for our guy. He is talking so big and has become quite hilarious! Here are a couple of my favorite quotes from LJ.
(On our way to the library) "Books and MOVIES? You kiddin' me!"
(During bedtime songs he has a new favorite substitution) "Night, night, UNDERWEAR!" along with "I've been working on the UNDERWEAR." Followed by fits of giggles!

The first leg of our journey was to Grandma B.'s house. She graciously let us move into her basement for our summer home base. Logan and I visited the Topeka Zoo where I got to meet his favorite animals, the "mingos."

This Father's Day Logan had his first golfing experience. Thankfully the course was pretty empty so he had free reign to throw his ball in whatever hole or water he wanted to! By the end he had pretty good control of the club.

Did I forget to mention that Logan is POTTY TRAINED! He has been a champ! A week after school ended I decided to take the plunge and he did really well. No more diapers for this kid!

The second leg of our journey brought us to Sachse, Texas, just outside of Dallas to meet the beautiful Baby Ava. She is the daughter of Godfather Matt and his incredible wife, Brandy. Logan just loved to hold Miss Ava, tickle her feet, and give her smooches! Logan also had a blast wrestling, shooting Nerf guns, and playing air hockey with Uncle Matt. We enjoyed catching up with our friends and finally making it to Texas after lots of talk!

After we returned from Texas Grandma Jan and Papooli came for a visit! It was so good to see them! I am not so sure they enjoyed the Kansas heat and humidity but they sure did love seeing their boy!

There visit just so happened to fall on Royals v. Cubs weekend, coincidence? We braved the heat, had a picnic in the parking lot, and watched the Cubbies blow it!

Being further away from my parents and not seeing them as much makes moments like this melt my heart! My dad does not smile in pictures and look at him here, just loving being that wild man's grandpa!

After the game the kids were invited to run the bases. Logan had so much fun that he threw a monster fit and wanted to do it again!

After the baseball outing we opted for a cooler adventure. We took Logan to his first movie, Rango. He did pretty well and sat still for most of it, until he finished off the popcorn! Since that he has also seen Cars 2.

We also took Grandma Jan and Papi to Kaleidoscope. Logan had fun creating masterpieces but did not want to play in the fountain outside of Crown Center.

The third leg of our journey took us back home to Chicago. We had a family barbecue for the Fourth of July. We were even surprised to have my brother, Zach and his wife home from Georgia!

Logan got to spend quality time with his second cousin, Brooke. They were up to their old tricks in no time! Here they are speeding through the field behind my parents house. They also hijacked the neighbor boy's powerwheels gator and went joy riding until they ran out the battery!

On the Fourth we went to the Rockford Riverhawks game. The last time we did this Logan was growing in my belly! Uncle Zach taught Logan how to eat sunflower seeds and even got him on the big screen with the team's mascot!

After spending time at my parents' we headed to the city to spend time with friends. We took Logan to Lincoln Park Zoo and were promptly reminded how nice it is to live in a place where parking is usually free and a spot can be found in less than 45 minutes!

We stayed with the newly married Zimmermans! Logan had so much fun with Suzanne, watering plants, taking photography lessons, and playing with their dog Griffin.

One night Logan got to stay with his friend Lukas and his nanny while the grown ups went to dinner. We came home to find them in matching jammies! They were so cute! Logan always is very excited to but these pjs on because they remind him of his pal!

No visit home would be complete without a stop to see the Pellings! We took the kids to a fountain in downtown LaGrange where we told them it was okay to put their feet in. Before we knew it they were full on diving, jumping, and splashing! Luckily no one was arrested, we did however get some pretty strange looks!

We also visited our former neighbors the Davinis. Logan had a great time playing with Anthony and all of his cool toys! We met this family when the boys were both babies. It was so neat to see how much they have grown. We are waiting to hear when they are going to come visit KS...

Before heading back to Kansas we made one last stop at my parents to gather ourselves and say goodbye. When we arrived back in Kansas we got to spend time having fun with Logan's cousin Grace who was visiting from Washington!Our final trip took us to Cuba, MO to spend the weekend with the Pelling family. My friend Lori's parents invited us all to crash at their lake house for a midway vacation. When we lived in Illinois we would see the Pellings at least once a week. Needless to say, being in Kansas has led to some withdrawal issues! It was so nice to spend quality time with one of my dearest friends while our kids played.

As soon as we arrived Logan asked to go in the "nake."

Our timid boy threw caution to the wind as he climbed aboard the "Big Mable." He smiled as he was drug behind the speed boat!

Of course he was all about driving the jet ski! Kasey said he would try to talk to him and he would just ignore him and concentrate on his driving!

Papaw Bill dubbed him Captain Logan. This was the perfect way to end his trip to the "nake!"

We have happily settled into our new home. We have been spent endless hours painting, rearranging furniture, and hanging pictures to make it ours. The neighborhood pool has been such a blessing during these triple digit days! I will post pictures in a blog post in the next couple of weeks.

Today Kasey returned to work and I headed to school to continue setting up my classroom for the upcoming year. Summer is coming to a close. I feel very fortunate to have filled my summer with many of my loved ones, creating wonderful memories.

March for Babies 2011

2011-05-03T20:09:00.001-07:00

This year's March for Babies was truly inspiring! Kasey and I were blown away by how many of our friends, friends of friends, and family continue to support this organization that is so close to our hearts. We would like to send a heartfelt thank you to all of you that helped us raise over $1100 to help ensure that one day all babies will be born healthy!

Before the walk got underway Logan and I had a dance session with radio Disney! Although they did not honor his requests for "Big Green Tractor" or Outkast's "Like the Way You Move" he still busted out the moves!

We did miss Team Super Logan but we were so lucky to have "B" join us for her first walk! Later that evening we Skyped with Gramma Jan who supported us by wearing her shirt. I also heard rumor that a young Mr. C. Pelling donned his Super Logan gear!Before the walk we got to hear the story of a now healthy 3-year-old boy who was born 15 weeks early and weighed only one pound. Hearing the quiver in his mother's voice as she talked about his NICU journey brought back so many difficult memories. As she spoke I looked around and saw the many t-shirts that said "in memory" or "angel baby." I felt the tears fall and had to hug my baby. It is those moments that remind me of just how lucky we are to have our Super Logan!

Here is a look at the large mass of people that support the March of Dimes. It was pretty powerful!

Thankfully, we had Logan to navigate the tricky 1-mile route!

Afterwards there was a live band and once again Logan was ready to rock! After all of the pre-walk emotions we just let him dance! We are lucky that he is here and that he can dance and so he did, for an hour straight!

Here is is dancin' face...while he strums his belly guitar!

We finally tore him away! I don't think I'll ever get enough of seeing my boys together, I just love them!

We had a great day! We raised money for a great cause, we were reminded of just how strong we are, what an amazing son we have, and we laughed at our little dancing miracle!

Thank you again for all of your support! xoxo.

Dancin' Machine

2011-05-03T19:48:00.000-07:00

L-O-G-A-N

2011-05-03T19:47:00.000-07:00

I am a proud teacher mama! Thanks to Scrabble Cheese-its and a Leapfrog DVD Logan knows all of his uppercase letters and their sounds! He can also spell his name thanks to my Uncle John's name puzzle.

Batter Up!

2011-05-03T19:44:00.000-07:00

Logan and his daddy have been hard at work getting ready for baseball season! Logan is getting pretty good at his "step, booms".

Jelly Beans

2011-05-03T19:41:00.000-07:00

Here is a little snippet of Logan's Easter egg hunt...enjoy!

Easter

2011-05-01T19:03:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful Easter this year! Logan was thrilled to find that all of his demands put on the Easter Bunny were met! He had a great time finding all forty eggs.

He got a new truck (of course!) that he can change the tires on. It also has a socket wrench and screwdriver that lets him take apart the truck and interchange parts.

We headed to Aunt Kathy and Uncle Bob's for lunch. It was great to catch up with family and of course to eat all of the yummy food! The kids went on a massive Easter egg hunt! It was so fun to see all of them running around scooping up the eggs!

Logan was so excited! It was adorable to watch his little legs flying over the lawn as he shrieked "EGGS!"

Favorites!

2011-03-27T13:23:00.000-07:00

We were so lucky to be visited by the Tveters in February! Logan loved having Auntie "Nauren" and "Binan" to play with. I am sure the enjoyed the warmer weather and multiple free meals that they somehow accrued during their trip! As you can see from the above picture, Spring has brought out the adventurous side of Logan! No ladder or slide is too big for my boy, much to my dismay!

Auntie Lauren's arms got a workout as Logan repeatedly demanded "higher!"

Hamming it up and acquiring playground germs, score!

During our Spring Break we made the trip back home for some more quality time with the family. Auntie Lauren got to learn Logan's new game "MEEHAW" which requires any individual close to the floor to crawl around like a horse.

We were able to see many of our extended family at a wedding celebration for Uncle Zach and Aunt Ciara. Unfortunately, Zach was not able to make it back for the party. Don't worry, Logan stood in for his gift opening duties! You are very welcome Ciara!

Logan's favorite part of the party was this balloon!

While we were home we got to visit some of our favorite places. We took Gramma Jan to Sweet Mandy B.'s for cookies at 10 o'clock in the morning! YUMMY! We headed over to the Nature Museum and checked out what Logan calls the butterfly zoo. It is the most peaceful place and Logan was just fascinated! (Mom, don't you love this picture! Even if Logan looks like he's starring in Home Alone 23!) We had lunch at Panes which was one of our favorite places while Logan was in the NICU. After lunch we even stopped into the hospital and Logan thanked one of his old doctors and nurses for all of the love and medical attention they gave him.

Logan got to visit an indoor bouncy house close to my mom's house. He had so much fun running from house to house! Then we went home for a well-deserved nap!

Logan got to hang out with Auntie Lauren and Uncle Brian so that mommy and daddy could go catch up with friends. It is so nice to know no matter how far the distance between us our friendship remains strong!

We closed out our trip with one of our favorite friends, Jackson. Logan "met" Jackson while they were both in the NICU. Actually I met his sweet mama in the pump room and we decided that the boys needed to be pals! We got our Portillo's fix and then headed to Pump It Up for some more inflatable fun! They boys had a great time chasing each other, climbing, and sliding!This slide was the highlight for sure!Here they are! Hard to believe the started out as such small fries! It was pretty tough to get them to slow down for a picture! Plus, as we were entering the gym the man asked the kids to stand in line. We showed Logan how to stand right behind Jackson. He did it very seriously! So, whenever I asked Logan to stand by Jackson for a picture he stood right behind him, single file! That's a teacher's kid for sure!This is my favorite! It was a great trip and I can't wait for our summer visit!

LMNOP!

2011-02-14T18:49:00.000-08:00

Here is Logan cracking up at himself! Hope it makes you giggle uncontrollably as well!

Now he knows his ABCs...

2011-02-12T20:05:00.000-08:00

Logan has been such a crack up these days! Today he put a bucket on one foot and was walking around the house. He told me, "I wear boot." His vocabulary has exploded and he has a new love for scheduling. Here is a sample conversation from last week,

LJ: "Go see Wolfie tonight?"

Me: "No Daddy doesn't have a game tonight. Maybe we'll go next Monday."

LJ: "See Wolfie Sunday, maybe? Next weekend?"

The kid is in love with going to Kasey's school's basketball games for two reasons, the mascot, Wolfie, and the concession stand! The boy can eat!

The other day I caught him singing the alphabet. My favorite part is when he gets to W.

We have been "enjoying" the snow. We have gone sledding once, down our driveway, and built our first snowman. Logan made sure that he found the snowman a beebo (belly button)! A little snowball outtie, just like his! He also thought the snowman needed a diaper change! Too stinkin' cute!

Happy Holidays!

2010-12-30T13:16:00.000-08:00

What a busy December we've had! Logan was all about helping out with the holiday traditions! He helped trim the trees (and untrimming the tree ornament by ornament!), baking goodies for friends, and even wrapping packages.

We celebrated our first Reynolds' family Christmas this year. Logan played with his 14 second cousins and was happy to get a dinosaur counting book from Great Grandma Betty. Kasey's cousin-in-law Kurt was an instant favorite! He threw Logan around and looked through a Tractor Supply magazine for nearly an hour! However, nothing could top taking a spin with Great Uncle Bill on Great Aunt Lynn's scooter!

We made the eight hour journey to Cherry Valley, IL to see Gramma and Papi on Tuesday the 21st. It was hard to tell who was more excited; Kasey to get his foot off of the gas, Logan to see all of the snow, or Sara to see her family! Logan kept telling us that he wanted "play snow." We told him he could in the morning after we bought him some mittens. The next day, when we put his mittens on, he immediately tried opening the door to go play in the snow. I think he thought mittens were all he needed, since we repeatedly told him he could play outside once he got mittens!

Logan made snow angels and even got a Papi-powered sled ride! They tried to make a snowman but the snow was not right for packing. Maybe we'll get some snow here in Kansas so Logan can try again!

We were so lucky to visit with even more family on Christmas Eve Eve. Logan got to play with his cousins Anthony and Kate and his second cousin Brooke.

On Christmas Eve Auntie Lauren, Kasey, and Logan headed out to sprinkle reindeer food on the snow so Santa wouldn't miss Gramma and Papi's house!

Early Christmas morning Logan snuck out of our room to go find Gramma! Luckily he was happy playing with the 20 year old toys from the basement rather than ripping into presents. He was thoroughly spoiled as was evident by his mountain of packages. He got his very own computer that plugs into the t.v. complete with Thomas and Bob the Builder games.

Some of his favorites were "Tato" and Woody from Toy Story. Thanks to his Auntie Lauren, Uncle Brian, Uncle Paul, and Uncle Zach!

Auntie Lauren and Uncle Brian also outfitted him with some very cool pajamas, slippers, and clothes. Every box he would predict to be a tractor only to be disappointed by clothing and chuck it aside. Mommy and daddy were very pleased by these presents!

It was great to see Uncle Paul even though he had to leave Christmas day. Good thing he did, Boston got 16 inches of snow the next day!

Logan had a great time playing with his Uncle Zach who was home on leave from the Army. I think they both enjoyed playing dress up with Zach's uniform, wearing stockings for boots, and laughing about DUST! Logan also received a new aunt over the holiday. We were able to attend Zach and Ciara's marriage on December 28th. Hopefully we will be going to their reception in March after Zach graduates from basic training.

We were able to squeeze in some time with friends as well. Logan got to hang out with his friend Lukas Melton while mommy had tea with her friends. He also got to spend then night at his pals' Emmy and Charlie's house. We went to the Shedd Aquarium with the Melton, Pelling, and Nash families!

We returned home on December 29th where Logan discovered that Santa visited him in Kansas as well! He could barely believe his eyes when he unwrapped his brand new Jeep! It is pretty cute to see him drive it a couple of feet and then get out to check under the hood!

On the 30th we had yet another Christmas celebration with Grandma B.! She brought Logan his very own kitchen! He loves it. We have been served plenty of pizza, cookies, and water over the last few days. He has also made several calls to Papi on the kitchen phone, "Snowblower? No snow," click.

Grandma B. stayed the night and we went to Kaleidoscope at Crown Center on New Year's Eve.
We left Kasey home to recover from his stomach flu! Logan made a couple of projects but was more interested in pressing all of the buttons to make sounds. He also liked playing at the Crayola play place.

The next day we took Logan to the doctor only to discover that he had developed his very first ear infection. We were hoping that his runny nose was caused by his new molars that recently popped through. Hopefully his medicine will clear it up and he'll be back to his old self.

We were so lucky to see so many family and friends this month! We hope that you had a wonderful holiday and that your 2011 is full of many happy memories!

Cider Days

2010-10-07T18:59:00.001-07:00

Last weekend we ventured out to Louisburg for their annual Cider Days. It was a beautiful, crisp, Fall day. Logan immediately wanted to try out the way-too-big for a toddler inflatable obstacle course. He loved bouncing through and was asking for "mo-mo" as soon as he was done!

His favorite part of the trip was watching the cider mill in action. We discuss the process several times a day:

1. Water (apples are washed with giant hoses in a big pool of water)

2. Up, up, up (the apples are carried up on a conveyor belt)

3. Dump (the apples are the dumped into a machine that begins smashing them)

4. Squeeze (a machine spins and squeezes all of the juice out of the apple mash)

5. Juicy (Logan gets apple cider delivered by...)

6. Daddy, donut.He also loved the pumpkins!

He showed off just how big and strong he is by picking up the pumpkins!

One Little Monkey...

2010-10-07T18:37:00.000-07:00

jumped on his big boy bed! Last weekend we decided that it was time to disassemble Logan's crib and upgrade him to a big boy bed. We realized that all the bumps and bruises from escaping the crib probably weren't that great of a look! He absolutely loves his bed! After we get his beloved Cars jammies on (thank you Cousin Anthony!) he climbs up and immediately starts jumping and throwing himself down! When we finally wrangle him into his covers we read Truckery Rhymes. Then he asks mommy to snuggle. We cuddle up and talk about his day and all of the marvelous tow trucks, fire trucks, bulldozers, and dump trucks he will dream about that evening. He has stayed in his bed every night and is even sleeping better than he has in months!

We also gave up the binky last weekend. WOW. To all of the mommies that told me that he would forget about it after only a couple of days or ask about it twice and then be fine, my son is STILL asking for the thing! It was a rough adjustment but he is doing much better now. He has had a great week at day care and Miss Laura says he is like a whole new kid. She said he's been so much happier this week and talking a lot more. It is scary to say but I believe that the last of the "baby" stage is over. Oh wait, I am still changing diapers!!

Super Sweet Big Boy Logan

Monster Face Big TWO-year-old Logan

Logan is TWO!!

2010-09-12T08:35:00.000-07:00

Two years ago we welcomed Logan James into the world nearly three months early. He weighed just 2 lbs. 12.3 oz. Despite being scared out of our minds, we were so excited to be his parents and fell in love instantaneously!

After a year of ups and downs, numerous appointments, and winter lock downs our baby turned one! He amazed us with all of his new tricks, walking, talking, and tantrums! It was a much more relaxed time in our lives because we realized that he was no longer a preemie and just a normal kid!

Then we blinked and all of a sudden Logan turned TWO!!! Wouldn't you know that all of our doctors were right, by two he is all caught up and healthy as can be! We couldn't be more proud of our big guy! He has become quite a character and is still full of all of the determination, stubbornness, and persistence that he had they day he was born!

We had a wonderful weekend celebrating Logan's birthday! Friday he brought "cuppies" to Miss Laura's house to share with all of his friends. Miss Laura reported that he had a great day (music to mama's ears!).

After a nice nap, we took Logan to dinner at the T-Rex cafe. He was a little apprehensive at first but soon he was leaping up from the table to go explore all of the fish tanks, mechanical dinosaurs, and of course, the truck!

He was surprised to see the staff singing and clapping a happy birthday song to him! He got a great, big chocolate chip cookie with a scoop of ice cream! YUM!! Before our waitress could bring him a spoon he had shoved his face into the ice cream for a taste!

After dinner we stopped by Dave and Busters to play some games. Logan liked throwing the skee balls with Daddy. Eventually we realized that our Birthday Boy was getting a bit sleepy and there were still gifts to be opened at home.

After gift opening he gathered up his new tractor, forklift, cars, and as many trucks as he could hold and went off to sleep! Kasey and I stayed up late preparing for the big truck party that was taking place on Saturday.

We had a busy morning running a lot of errands! Here is Logan surrounded by all of his balloons in the backseat!

Our truck party was ready for all of our Kansas friends and family. I took some pictures for our family and friends that weren't able to join us, we missed you!!

Welcome to the party!

This was the birthday present opening station! The pictures on the "zero, one, two" signs are the same ones from the beginning of the post. We got SO many compliments on Logan's custom-made Uncle John wooden trucks!

Logan's cake was a big hit! The truck makes noise, drives by itself, and has flashing lights, oooh!

Logan was just the cutest during his birthday song! He just grinned at everyone!

Mommy and Daddy helped Logan make a big birthday wish and blow out the candles!

Mmm, the best part, licking off the frosting!

Logan was spoiled with many new trucks and toys! Our house will never be the same! He was so excited to open his brand new bike!! It fits him just right! He even knows to put his feet on the pedals! Watch out neighborhood, here he comes!

Thank you for all of the warm birthday wishes! He truly had a very happy "dooda!"

Happy doda to Logan!

2010-08-02T10:47:00.000-07:00

I think this is the greatest video we've taken! Kasey recorded Logan singing "Happy Birthday" to himself while eating his cupcake! Too funny!

Look Who Came to Visit...

2010-08-01T19:40:00.000-07:00

Emmy and Lori!! Last weekend half of the Pelling family came to visit Kansas City. We had such a great time! Friday night we went to Tomfooleries for dinner. The kids were quite surprised when their meals showed up in a wagon!

I'm not sure if Logan was more excited about the wagon or his PIZZA, his new favorite food.

Saturday was jam packed with fun! We went to Crown Center's Kaleidoscope. Lori and I were just as excited to play with all of the cards, bows, markers, stickers, and paint as the kids were! Logan was more interested in drawing on his lips than on his crown.

Daddy and Logan even made a truck puzzle! There was so much to see and do!

Emmy had a blast painting her snake with hot wax in a room filled with black lighting.

Logan, however, was not so excited about the snake! He did enjoy playing with all of the gadgets in the spaceship!

After our session ended at Kaleidoscope we headed to the Crayola Cafe for lunch. Although their meals did not come on wheels, they enjoyed drinking juice from their crayon souvenir cups. Emmy and Logan even picked up some new shades!

After lunch we headed outside to let the kids cool off in the fountain. Emmy had a blast running around and dancing through the water. She tried very hard to get her pal to join her but he was just not that into it...

That night the girls came over for dinner and visiting. The following morning Logan and I went down to the plaza for some shopping and lunch with our friends.

We had such a nice weekend and we were very sad to see it come to an end. We are so lucky to have such amazing friends and we miss them SO much! A day hasn't passed that Logan doesn't ask for his girl Emmy several times!

Welcome to Kansas

2010-07-13T20:01:00.000-07:00

Well, we did it. We packed up our home, loaded it into a truck, drove for a LONG ten hours,

Logan followed the Yellow Brick Road (this is for real, it sparkles, and it is at a mall here in KS!), and we settled into our new home in Olathe, Kansas. The first 48 hours were a little chaotic. Unloading a truck in humid, upper-90 degree weather was not pleasant for anyone! It was also a bit difficult figuring out where all of our oversized furniture was going to fit! And yet, here I sit, with only a few more pictures left to hang, pretty much settled. Of course, I have to thank my wonderful driving buddy and brother, Paul, task-master Auntie Cindy, and my own personal handy man Uncle John for being such a tremendous help on our big adventure!

Kasey has been going into work 3-4 days a week for a few hours. He seems to really like it! He has a big office, will where a shirt and tie everyday, and his phone beeps regularly with new work emails! I guess he had to grow up sometime! He has also been catching up with all of his pals. I think they are really happy to have him close!

Logan is great! About two weeks ago he decided he was going to talk!! It seems like he adds a new word or two to his vocabulary everyday! He is repeating us too, better start censoring! Some of his new words are piggy, binky, nogurt (yogurt), jump, Nogoo (Logan), boom-boom (fireworks), wawa (water). Lately we've been hearing a lot of "pee-pee!" He has been experimenting with his potty seat. He will usually tell us he needs to use the potty at least four times a day. Afterwards he immediately reminds us about his "nem-in-nem" (m&m)! He is becoming such a big boy! I can barely believe that he is going to be two in less than two months!

I am slowly but surely learning my way around. I have met my mentor and several of the teachers and staff at Moonlight Elementary. Everyone is incredibly nice and supportive. I am a bit worried about learning a brand new curriculum and getting my room set up in a very short time but I know it will all work out. I get a bit homesick when I am bored so I try to stay as busy as possible. Logan and I have been loading up the jogging stroller with water and Goldfish and hitting the trail right down the street from our house. We recently discovered a park on the trail that is about 2.5 miles from home. It is a really nice escape for the both of us! However, I just saw the weather for the next week and I believe we will be staying inside for a while!

I am very lucky that my sister and brother-in-law came to stay with us for four days over the Fourth of July. Logan was also very happy because they brought him an early birthday present, a pirate ship water table!! Our neighbors probably don't think he has any clothes because he is always running around the backyard in a diaper spilling water on himself!

We had a really nice visit and I was sad to see them go. I am still secretly wishing that they will come live in my basement one day! I am already looking forward to my pal Lori's visit and Logan will be SO happy to see Emmy. In mid-August my parents will come stay with us for a week.

We are really lucky that our friends Brett and Katie let us come crash their pool! Logan has no fear, of course, and doesn't mind going under the water. I think he loves seeing his Daddy freak out! He also has a new love, his "wah-oo" (guitars) shades! Too funny!!

We have been very lucky to spend some time with our niece Grace who is visiting from Washington. Logan chases her around screaming "Grace!" She has been more than happy to take care of him! She especially loves reading him his books before bed. This past weekend Grace and Grandma B. stayed with us. Whenever Logan couldn't see his Grandma he would look around and yell, "B!" Mommy and Daddy pretty much were nonexistent!

On Monday, Grandma B., Grace, Logan and I explored Deanna Rose Farm. It was so much fun! The kids panned for gold, fed goats and ducks, Grace took a pony ride, climbed all over old tractors, and slid down slides. We didn't even see half of it! Logan and I will definitely be heading back!

Logan would have been happy to stay here all day and splash in the water!

This is before the bottle-crazy goats knocked him on his bottom and he decided feeding baby goats was for the birds!

Thank you for all of the calls, texts, emails, and facebook posts checking in on us! We are doing well and hope you are too! Our change of address cards will be out by August! If you are in Kansas, come on by, we'd love visitors! If you are elsewhere, we miss you, keep in touch, and plan a visit! xo.

Play Ball!

2010-05-18T12:29:00.000-07:00

Well, it was inevitable, Logan LOVES baseball! Auntie Lauren and Uncle Brian thought that this tee ball set was a necessity. Every morning when we come downstairs Logan says "baball" (translation ball or baseball) and runs to find a round object to throw! When the boys are watching a game you can hear Logan saying "gocubsgo," although it usually doesn't help the Cubs win! Kasey has been working on his grip, making sure that he has two hands on the bat. Usually he gives it a big caveman chop off of the tee so dad is working on improving his swing!

This video is of some BP that was taking place in our driveway! As soon as Logan hears the garage door go up around 4:00 he heads for the gate and exclaims "BABALL!" Poor Kasey barely gets a chance to relax before practice begins!

Team Super Logan

2010-04-26T13:34:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Team Super Logan participated in the March of Dimes' annual March for Babies. It was forcasted to get rained out again, just like last year, but luckily we only got wet on our last lap! Our site raised over $70,000! Team Super Logan contributed $2,645! I am so proud of our wonderful friends and family members who helped us exceed our original goal of $1500. I am especially thankful to all of our generous sponsors that opened their hearts and wallets to such an amazing cause! The dream team, Team Super Logan, before the race. Back row: Chris, Ken, Uncle Brian, Papooli Andy. Middle row: 1/2 of Kasey, Uncle Paul, Sara, Jessica, Erin, Hilary, Gramma Jan, G.G. Carole, Auntie Lauren, "Auntie" Lori, Brian. Wee ones in strollers: Super Logan, Lukas, Emmy & Charlie.
Mommy, Logan, and Daddy

We pinned Logan's birth pictures to his stroller to show what an amazing kiddo he is! We were reminded how lucky we are that he is such a fighter. Many families were walking in memory of their babies. Jessica and I could hardly hold it together when they were going over the statistics of how many preemies don't get to see their first birthdays.

Logan doing some marching! At last year's walk Logan was only 7 months old. I remember watching an older preemie run all over the place. It gave me hope that one day Logan would be a normal toddler. Now look at him!! Running right along with us!

Daddy and Logan playing after the walk. I love this picture because it has my two favorite guys having fun and it shows the back of our shirts. They are actual size footprints from when Logan was born. It has his birth stats in between them. Another great reminder of how far he's come!

We might not have won any prizes this year but we had a great time helping out a fantastic cause!

P.S. NBC's Dick Johnson did say we had the best t-shirts! I have to agree!!

2010-03-06T17:10:00.000-08:00

We actually had an upper 40 degree day today! We spent a lot of time outside blowing bubbles, playing with chalk, and we even cruised the neighborhood in the Cozy Coupe! Kasey and Logan had their first daddy/son game of catch...

I hope that you enjoyed the weather as much as we did!

It's a Snap!

2010-03-04T11:59:00.000-08:00

Here is new trick that Logan has learned...(sorry, I don't know how to flip it!)

So, as you can see, we spend our days learning VERY important skills! He had a speech evaluation today. He has a mior delay when compared to his peers. His receptive language is great and he has a bunch of sounds so the therapist thinks that he will excel with services. She did stress that the first few sessions will be difficult and frustrating for our little guy. He will be alternating weekly sessions of speech and physical therapy. Hopefully soon I'll be posting a video of all of the amazing new words he has learned! Have a great weekend!

Animal Sounds

2010-02-25T18:44:00.000-08:00

Today I captured the animal sounds that Logan can make. He decided he wanted to show you his "beebo" too! Enjoy!

First Haircut

2010-02-01T12:19:00.000-08:00

After weeks of Kasey complaining that his son had a mullet, I finally asked my girlfriend if Logan really needed a haircut. Her response was something like, "Well..." So, I gave in and made the appointment. I don't know why but I was hesitant to let someone cut off his baby hair. I think I just want him to be a baby forever!

When we got there he picked out a video to distract him (yeah right!). While Little Einsteins played we put him in his sweet yellow car, as you can see he is not convinced that this is a great idea!

At first he seemed to be okay with everything...

Then he started trying to grab his stylist's scissors! So, she gave him a phone...

Then he LOST it!! He was not pleased to say the least! He was red, shaking, and had big fat crocodile tears! (Check out his big molar!)

Our baby is all grown up with his new spiky do!

Here he is today with his faux-hawk! He is just so darn cute!! I guess I have to say it, Kasey was right, he definitely needed a haircut!

Christmas...a bit overdue!

2010-02-01T11:47:00.000-08:00

We had a great trip to Kansas...well, once we were there!! Logan was not happy about 9 hours in the car! He did enjoy his very first Happy Meal and McDonald's playland.

There was lots of love from Grandma B. and Great Grandma Betty! We also got to see a lot of the Weishaar family at several different gatherings, Daddy's friends, and Sara and Ron Miles.

It was nice to be together to celebrate Baby Jesus's birthday. However, church just didn't happen on Christmas Eve. Poor Grandma B. was getting her thumb fixed after falling on some ice.

Logan must have been a very good boy this year because he was spoiled rotten! He got everything a little boy could ever need, cars, books, and balls! Santa brought him this remote control car all the way to Kansas! He LOVES it!

I think this picture shows that Logan really "got" Christmas this year! He was digging to make sure he got all of the goodies out of his stocking!

Here he is just being his monstrous self!

When we got home he found that Santa had left him a train table! Santa's elves were very busy putting this one together!We also celebrated Christmas in January with my side of the family. It was great to get together and catch up. Logan got a Little Tykes Cozy Coupe from these two! (Thanks Uncle Anthony for putting it together!) He adores it! He is really good at opening the door, climbing in, shutting the door, and honking the horn! Now it just needs to warm up so we can "drive" around the neighborhood!

Sorry this update is SO late! I hope you had wonderful holidays and that the rest of 2010 brings many blessings!

Something I've been meaning to share...

2009-12-20T19:02:00.000-08:00

This was taken on November 19th, 2008, Logan's homecoming day. He weighed right around 6 pounds and was exactly 10 weeks old.

Here he is last month on his homecoming anniversary! At 14 months, he weighed about 24 1/2 pounds!! We celebrated by playing at an indoor play place called Monkey Buziness. It was great to see him walking around with all of the other kids his age. Once Kasey got home from work we all went to get ice cream. It was a wonderful day to reflect on just how far our little man has come!

As you can see, he is a VERY busy boy! When he gets up in the morning he makes it his mission to pull out every single toy possible and spread them all over the house! He loves trucks, buses, tractors, and anything else with wheels. He especially loves his Great Uncle John's wooden vehicles! He also loves Elmo. We are still waiting for his vocabulary to expand! So far we have "this," "dada," and "moo." He is very excited about all of the Christmas decorations in our home and around the neighborhood. He can stare at our neighbors lights for hours! We are all very excited about our trip to Kansas. It sounds like we will have a busy week filled with lots of family! Hopefully our drive will be filled with pleasant weather and a sleepy toddler!

Logan is mommy's little helper! Here he is after helping wrap presents. The picture below was taken when he was helping make spaghetti sauce. I guess he thought hand lotion would make the sauce tasty!

Here is a video of Logan batting at ornaments! He finds these very amusing! We wish you a very merry Christmas and a happy, healthy 2010! xoxo.

Prematurity Awareness Day

2009-11-17T14:58:00.000-08:00

Up until 14 months ago all I knew about the March of Dimes was that cashiers often asked me to donate money and I would get a little piece of paper hung up at their store. Little did I know that this amazing organization would give my 2 lb. 12.3 oz. son with his very first hat when all of the newborn hats that the hospital provided were entirely too big. The March of Dimes has asked to raise awareness about prematurity by blogging our story.

At our 27 week appointment I was measuring two weeks bigger than I should have been. My OB asked Kasey how big he was and he answered close to 10 lbs. The doctor just looked at me and said, "Well, babies tend to be close to the father's birthweight." I cringed. She also informed us that perfectly healthy babies are born three weeks early. As Kasey and I left I remember telling him that if our baby came early he or she would be here in ten weeks! We had a lot to do. Just two days later I was in the hospital for preterm labor and nothing was going to stop our baby boy from making his entrance into the world four days later at only 28 weeks 3 days gestation.

You probably all remember reading this, http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/loganweishaar/mystory our first caringbridge post. The next 70 days of our lives would be a roller coaster of emotions. We would learn NICU terms that no new mom and dad should have to worry about; PDA, ROP, bradycardia, desat, residual. We wouldn't be able to hold our child until he was four days old. The sounds of a beeping monitor would make our hearts race and eyes leap to check if Logan was stable. There would be infection scares and days of NPO, no food for LJ. It terrified us to think that we may never leave the hospital with our child.

Even though our introduction to parenthood was the scariest situation imaginable, having a premature baby has taught us several things. We have the most amazing friends, family, and strangers that love and support us. Kasey and my relationship is stronger than we knew. God answers prayers. Our son is a brave, tough, and determined kiddo. Life is precious...don't sweat the small stuff.

Today Logan is an active toddler. Still brave, tough, determined and sometimes pretty stubborn! He is becoming a pretty good walker and has the bumps and bruises to prove it! He weighs 24 lbs. 5 oz. and is in remarkable health given his early arrival.

Hopefully our story has touched you in some way. In honor of Prematurity Awareness Day say a prayer for strength for all of the babies and their families fighting in the NICU. Hug your babies just a little tighter tonight. And, maybe next time your cashier asks you to donate to the March of Dimes you won't hesitate to say "yes!"

He's got more tricks up his sleeve!

2009-11-09T09:31:00.000-08:00

This past week Logan has become a more confident walker! He is letting go of furniture and taking numerous steps before running into another piece of furniture or crashing! Here is a video I took last week...

I am sure by Thanksgiving he will be walking everywhere! Here is another quick video of Logan telling you what a cow says ("mmmmm") and blowing you a kiss!

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-31T20:25:00.000-07:00

We had such a great Halloween! We spent the day with our good pals the Pellings. Logan was a chicken and Kasey and I attempted to dress like farmers. Logan tolerated trick-or-treating but had to be taken back a bit early for dinner. He had a great time playing with Emmy and Charlie. After dinner Brian built a fire and we went outside to roast marshmallows and make smores. Logan thought they were really yummy and was mesmerized by the fire. Kasey and I were thinking about Logan's first Halloween in the NICU and how different this year was! We posted some then and now pictures to show you what a BIG difference a year can make! Hope you all had a happy Halloween!!

Logan's first Halloween in the NICU

Logan, one year later...what a difference a year makes!

Logan and Elmo, who is wearing Logan's costume from last year!

Our funky chicken taking a break from trick-or-treating.

Another then...

and now!
Daddy and Logan (and leftover smores on his mouth!). Logan is VERY ready for nigh-night!

Logan trick-or-treating! He's getting so close to walking by himself!!

New Tricks and Treats for you!

2009-10-22T13:03:00.000-07:00

It has been entirely too long since I have shared Logan updates with you! I apologize! He is quite active these days bouncing from one activity to the next! He loves to climb on our laps and read books, especially Moo, Baa, La La La (he likes to give the little dogs a BIG kiss!). He has been a chatterbox and has officially added mamama to his vocabulary! We have caught him saying things like "bobble" (bottle) and "bauble" (bubbles) but he refuses to say it again when we ask him to! I am expecting a language explosion one of these days! He will now give me kisses upon request but isn't so sure about kissing dada! Logan has taken his light and fan obsession to the next level by learning how to turn them off and on. We have been trying to take advantage of the last few nice days of Fall. We have been visiting the park where all Logan wants to do is swing. The other day we were swinging for over 45 minutes when I decided it was time to go home for dinner. He threw the biggest fit and just kept pointing at the swings as we headed to the car. He then cried the entire way home. He has become a very speedy crawler and is cruising the furniture like crazy! At therapy he is working on standing on his own and has attempted it a few times this week at home. Pretty soon he will be walking like a pro! Currently he has a little cold, poor guy! He is not a big fan of getting his nose wiped at all!

He has been very busy this month and has been at two pumpkin patches! We went to Edward's Apple Orchard with my parents and Auntie Lauren and Uncle Brian. Logan was a HUGE fan of the fresh-picked raspberries! It was too rainy to pick a pumpkin that day so we went to our local patch the following weekend.

Here he is after Daddy carved his pumpkin! He is lovingly smooching his very first jack-o-lantern! We carved it with four teeth on top and three on the bottom with a crooked grin...just like our boy! Hopefully soon he will get that fourth one on the bottom and even things out a bit!

Logan and Daddy with their finished product...

And finally, for your enjoyment, some videos of our handsome little boy! In this first one he is showing off his new trick of making sounds with his lip...

Sorry the camera is a little shaky on this one...I was doing double duty, cameraman and spotter!

Check out Logan helping Daddy get the guts out of his pumpkin...

That's all for now! Stayed tuned for Halloween pictures!

Logan's New Trick!

2009-09-23T11:43:00.000-07:00

We had a very good session at Logan's physical therapy appointment on Monday. Since then he has been crawling everywhere on his hands and knees! Yay!!! Logan was evaluated by the Early Intervention physical therapist yesterday. Based on her observations Logan is no longer delayed for his adjusted age! He is performing mostly as a nine-month-old but is also doing some ten month milestones! She said that she thinks he will be walking by 14 or 15 months. She also believes that he will completely catch up by the time he turns two! I know I say it all the time but he just continues to amaze me! Watch out world, there is nothing this boy can't accomplish if he puts his mind to it!

Happy Birthday Logan!

2009-09-18T19:07:00.000-07:00

Our happy little birthday boy!

We had a great birthday week! Logan, his Grandma B., Gramma Jan, Papooli, and I brought cupcakes and a card to the NICU and OB's office to thank them for all of the amazing work they did! They were all very excited to see our big boy! We got to visit with Dr. Ghai, you probably remember hearing that name a lot as we neared Logan's discharge date! He gave Logan one of the best compliments saying, "you'd never know he was a preemie." I was so excited to show off my birthday boy, but as you can see in the picture below going back to the NICU drummed up some intense emotions for the grandmas!

After our hospital visit we met up with Daddy at Lincoln Park Zoo. Logan liked watching the gorillas and chimpanzees. He also was amused with the flamingos and a growling leopard!

Our little monkey posing with the monkeys!

We finished off the day with a visit to one of our favorite places in Chicago, Pasta Bowl!! Logan enjoyed a yummy dinner of garlic bread. He didn't really care for much else, especially not Gramma Jan's split pea soup! However, he was a HUGE fan of his first ever cupcake!

He was determined to eat each and every last crumb!

Here he is with his very first sugar high! Whee!!

And here I am, finding it hard to believe that my baby is a year old, sniff!

Last Saturday we celebrated with around forty of Logan's biggest fans! It was so great to be surrounded by many of the people who supported us through the chaos of last September! There was family, old friends, and new friends, and even friends from the NICU. There were so many kids here! Grandma B. made them each a cape to celebrate superhero style! It was a really great day, beautiful weather, yummy food, and the best company!

It's a bird...It's a plane...No, it SuperLogan!!

Logan's birthday cake was made by his incredible Godmother, "Auntie" Lori

Are you all singing for me??

Mommy, Daddy, and their birthday boy

Mmmm! More cake!!

Yum!

All done, mission complete!

Logan and his pal, Anthony sporting their capes!

Logan and his new red wagon, from one of his newest pals and his wonderful parents.

Today we took our one-year pictures with a new photographer in Morton Grove. This made Logan very happy because it meant his Dada was home ALL day! We can't wait to share the pictures with you, we should have them in 2-3 weeks. We even gave Logan an entire cake to smash all over himself while Jody's camera snapped away...they should be pretty cute! Since Kasey had the day off we decided to spend the afternoon playing at the park.

Our "so big" boy!

Logan is starting to learn how to climb stairs...EEK!

On Wednesday I took Logan for his 12 month well visit with Dr. Chris. She continues to be amazed by how well he is doing! He did have to get a shot in each leg and a finger prick. He was not pleased with the shots but didn't mind the finger poke...he just didn't like the band-aid, so he chewed it off! He weighs 21 lbs. 11 oz (32nd percentile), 29 inches long (25th percentile), and has a huge 47 cm noggin (68th percentile)! He is starting to take one or two crawling strides on his hands and knees, can get himself into seated, and has even started to pull up on things! Whenever he pulls up on his play table he looks around all smiley and proud and waits for us to applaud his accomplishment! Here is how I've been finding him after naps lately...

He is a very determinded boy who knows exactly what he wants, just like he did a year ago!

xo.

So Big!!

2009-09-04T19:26:00.000-07:00

It is unbelievable to me that in just six days Logan will turn one! As you can see he is reminding us on a daily basis just how big he is! I cannot believe that it was a year ago I was innocently teaching my new class of kindergarteners, only to be surprised with preterm labor on the sixth of September! I have heard that it can be quite difficult reliving the "anniversaries" of a preemie's birth. I have been doing really well with it and I think it has to do with what a truly remarkable kiddo we have! He continues to amaze us every day! He has become so much more aware these days. He points to pictures in books when you ask him where things are. He will find people's nose and mouth but will only find eyes on a picture! When you ask him to come to you he will scoot his way there. He is becoming so interactive which makes him even more fun! He is getting onto his hands and knees and rocking, so I believe that a full-on crawl will be any day now!

We are looking forward to Grandma B.'s arrival on Wednesday. On Logan's birthday, his Grandma B., Papooli, Gramma Jan and I are going to bring cupcakes to the NICU and my OB/GYN's office to celebrate with the people that helped our little fighter. Then we are going to meet up with Daddy at the Lincoln Park Zoo! On the 12th we will be having a superhero themed birthday party for the little guy! Complete with capes, thanks to Grandma B.! It should be a very exciting week! Make sure to check back for updates and great pics!

Door County Trip

2009-08-29T13:27:00.000-07:00

Ahhh, one last getaway before Kasey has to return to work. We visited my grandparents up in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin for a few fun-filled and yet relaxing days. We made this same trip last August, right before Logan made his surprise arrival! It was so great bringing my son to visit a place that holds so many great memories for me. Logan and G.G. Carole getting ready to walk to the beach

Logan hanging out with his G.G. Tony

We arrived just after 5pm on Tuesday. Logan had his dinner and then got ready for bed. We decided he better rest up for our action packed schedule! The weather on Wednesday was picture perfect, blue skies, and a comfortable 75 degrees. We went for a hike at Cave Point County Park. Logan loves watching all of the waves crashing on the rocks!

Mommy carrying her BIG boy!

Family pic at Cave Point

After Logan rested up from his big hike we packed him back in the car and went to Hands On art studio. There were all different types of projects we could do, mosiac tiling, pottery painting, even welding! We decided to make Logan a first birthday plate with his hand and footprint. Logan especially loved all of the 10 cats that called the studio home! While we were there he learned to wave! It is the cutest thing! He turns his hand backwards and then waves!

Logan learned to wave!

Logan's footprint (he didn't mind this!)...

and his handprint (not so successful!).

Later that night we met our friends, Brian, Jen, and Paul for dinner. On Thursday we headed to The Farm. This is one of my favorite places in Door County! There are a bunch of animals roaming around that you can feed, pet, and even hold! Logan loved looking but was unsure about petting! Later in the afternoon we headed back to the art studio to pick up Logan's plate. It turned out so cute!

Logan and Daddy playing with a baby goat

Kasey feeding Annabelle (check out her curly tongue!) and Logan trying to avoid being eaten as well!

Logan checking out the chicken hutch

Logan and Mommy looking at the chickens

Farmer LJ

This was one HUGE horse!

Logan is so proud of his project!

The finished product

Logan's footprint from his birthday and his foot a year later! I just can't believe how much he's grown!

It was such a great trip! We can't wait to do it again next year!

Carefree August

2009-08-21T11:19:00.000-07:00

Playing in my PJs!

This is a park near Illinois Masonic Hospital. Before Logan was born we always talked about bringing our kiddo there...so we did!

Woohoo!!!

Splashing with Uncle Paul

Fun in the laundry basket

Reading the paper

Look! I found a new place to play!

Splashing in deck puddles

Snuggling with Daddy

Standing at my play table. Sometimes I get brave enough to let go!

I just wanted to check in and share some pictures from this month. Logan is doing well! He is very busy these days, army crawling everywhere and saying dididadada! He has gotten his two top teeth in and we are seeing three more making there way down! We have been enjoying having Kasey at home and spending a lot of time outside. Logan especially likes visiting splash parks so he can watch all of the kids and play in the water. Next week we are headed up to Door County to visit G.G. Tony and G.G. Carole. I will definitely have more stories and pictures to share then! Besides that we are just gearing up for the big Superhero 1st birthday bash! Hope all is well!

Whew....all done!

2009-07-29T11:31:00.000-07:00

Where are we??

Ahh, it is all over!! Thank you so much for all of your thoughts and prayers, once again they did wonders! The staff at Children's was very caring and made this day much easier than I expected. Our nurse, Carol, instructed us to change him into his mini gown and slippy socks! Kasey and I both had a hard time talking to the anesthesiologists. It was hard hearing how they were going to give him a spinal anesthesia and breathing tube after what we went through in the NICU. Dr. Lingren spoke to us briefly and answered our questions.

At about 7:10 we gave hugs and kisses and the anesthesiologist walked him back to the OR. He was such a big boy, he didn't even fuss! Carol said that she would come to the waiting room and let us know when he was asleep. It seemed like forever but she finally came out around 7:35. He went to sleep with the breathing meds easily but they had a difficult time finding a vein because all of his good ones had been damaged from his NICU stay. In total I think we have counted five pokes! Thank goodness he was sleeping through that! Around 8:15, Dr. Lingren came out and told us the procedure was a success! It was such a relief to see him and hear that the worse part was over.

After about 10 minutes the nurse came to get us to bring us to recovery. He was very disoriented and crying big fat tears. He nursed right away but was a little gassy and uncomfortable. Finally around 9:00 he started coming out of it. We were discharged at 9:15. We have to treat the area with neosporin and soak him in the tub twice a day starting tomorrow. There is no bandage to deal with, thankfully! We will go back to see Dr. Lingren in 2-3 weeks to make sure everything is healing well. Kasey and I were both very nervous to change the first diaper but were pleasantly surprised to see minimal swelling, no blood, and that Dr. Lingren had done an amazing job!

Logan is doing amazingly well this afternoon! He currently is kicking and spitting (two of his favorite activities!). We just had friends come by and they couldn't believe how well he was doing! We sure do have one tough cookie! Thanks again, you guys are all wonderful!! xxoo!!

Logan in his gown

Just waiting...

It is amazing how big this band was compared to his first ID bands!

Logan's bed was labeled with this sign

Walking the halls with Daddy

Playing before surgery

Reading Mr. Brown with Daddy in recovery

Enjoying sugar water and "I Love You Stinky Face" in recovery

Finally! On my way home!

Surgery tomorrow

2009-07-28T18:14:00.000-07:00

We got a call this morning from a nurse at Children's Memorial in Westchester, where Logan will be having his surgery. She was very nice and understanding! We will need to be there at 6:15 and Logan will be taken into surgery at 7:00a.m. The procedure should take 30-45 minutes and recovery is usually around an hour. The latest he can eat is 2:00a.m. so we will be waking him up for an early morning snack! Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers, we will be sure to update you as soon as we get home!

Another first and Eye Appointment Update

2009-07-27T17:35:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Logan visited his first bar! We went to meet Papooli, Uncle Paul, and Great Uncle Gust after the Cubs game. Logan had a great time dancing and cruising around the beer garden. Of course he got a lot of attention from the ladies!
Today we visited Dr. Kipp's office. It has been six months since his ROP resolved itself and the doctor wanted to check to make sure his eyes were working together, that he could see and reach for objects, and that he had not lazy eye issues. We were happy to hear that despite his prematurity Logan's eyes look great! We don't need to go back until he is three!! Thank you for all of your thoughts and prayers...it never stops amazing me how many people care about our little man! Now, we just need to get through Wednesday...I will post as soon as I know what time his surgery is scheduled for.

Presurgery Appointment

2009-07-23T20:18:00.000-07:00

Today we saw Dr. Chris for Logan's presurgery physical. She is still blown away by how well he is doing considering how early he was born. She confirmed that his belly button is no longer herniated and that he just has an outie! She also told us that if our insurance will cover his synagis shots again this RSV season we should get them because his lungs are still immature. When she looked in his mouth she confirmed what we suspected...his top two teeth are on the verge of cutting through! We are going to start giving him a little bit of whole cow's milk to transition him by his first birthday. Now for his stats!!! He weighs a whoppin' 20 lbs today!!! WOOHOO!! That was our goal for 1 year! He is in the 24th percentile, so he is definitely catching his peers! He is 28 3/4 inches and is in the 40-something (oops, we forget!) percentile. His big old head is 46 cm and is in the 55th percentile! Dr. Chris also said that the amount of anesthesia needed for his procedure is very light so he should recover well. Keep your fingers crossed that the eye doctor and actual surgery go as well as today!

Correction!

2009-07-18T19:55:00.000-07:00

Oops! I got my dates confused! Logan's eye doctor appointment is on the 27th and his recircumcision is scheduled for the 29th!

Catching up...

2009-07-16T19:01:00.000-07:00

Today was such a beautiful day that we decided to spend it outside at the park! Logan enjoyed himself, as you can see! Notice the funny shirt his Godfather sent him: "If you think I'm cute you should see my Godfather!" Logan spent some of the time doing two of his favorite things with Daddy, walking and being thrown in the air! WHEE!!

Can I just skip crawling??

King of the mountain!

Again!

We had a wonderful trip to Kansas during the first weekend in July. This trip Logan definitely did not appreciate being stuck in his carseat for 9 hours! Logan got to meet his cousin Grace and Aunt Traci for the first time! He also got to hang out with Grandma B., Uncle Jamie, Uncle John, and Great Grandma Betty. He enjoyed a barbeque with friends on the Fourth of July but slept through all of the fireworks! Of course our visit ended way too quickly but it was fun while it lasted!

Hanging out with Grace
The Weishaar Boys

Peek-a-boo!

Happy Fourth of July!

Packing for Grandma B.'s

We are still battling Logan's stubborness during his physical therapy sessions and it seems to be paying off! This week he has began his version of army crawling! He definitely needs to keep practicing but he's getting there! There is a new video posted in the "you tube star" section! He is pretty funny, he'll roll over to get what he wants, start whining, and then very dramatically start pulling himself towards the object. We have to praise him and clap like crazy or he won't perform! What a little stinker!! His big achievement has motivated me to do two things:

1. Begin babyproofing ASAP!!

2. Wash the floors...gross!!

Just a reminder to say a couple of extra prayers for Logan. He has an eye doctor appointment on the 26th to make sure his eyes are devoloping as they should and he has his surgery on the 28th. I will keep everyone updated! Thanks!

Loving the Outdoors

2009-06-22T12:44:00.000-07:00

Now that Summer has finally come, we've had the opportunity to take Logan to some fun outings. I finished the regular school year on the 12th and celebrated by heading to Arlington Park with Sara and Logan to watch the horses run. It was a beautiful day and we all enjoyed being outside! We sat on the lawn area and met up with some NICU friends. Although we didn't win big, Logan enjoyed reading (eating) the program and playing on his blanket. His next tooth is coming in so the Miller Light bottle made a good teething toy and also a questionable picture for years to come. Daddy and Logan at ArlingtonLogan picking his horse
Is he ready for the bleachers or what??

Logan is really making a lot of strides in learning how to tolerate tummy time. He turns himself onto his stomach many times throughout the day to grab different toys all around him. He is beginning to figure out how to maneuver his body and reach objects. Sara and I have been talking about how active he will be before we know it. Babyproofing is quickly becoming inevitable! He uses his crib while he sleeps like a gymnast performing a routine on the floor mat. When we check on him his body is often contorted in funny positions. He loves to cuddle his blanket while he sleeps and often we find it resting on top of his head while he snoozes. He has become really good at sitting up and reaching for toys. He still needs to practice grabbing objects using both hands which is a skill he's working on in PT while I write. For Father's Day we headed to the Kane County minor league baseball game. Sara got great tickets in the shade, as it was warm, and Logan couldn't have been better. He happily watched the ball players and enjoyed all of the antics and noise all around him. The only time he was fussy was when he really wanted our Cherry Slurpees. Sara shared hers with him and he couldn't get enough. I guess he may be ready for Popsicles so that should make Grandma B happy when we visit in July. We are all doing great and looking forward to more outings to take advantage of the beautiful Chi summers.

Daddy and Logan at the gameLogan enjoying a slurpee!He asked for body paint but we decided against it!BP with Daddy

Nine Month Well Visit

2009-06-15T12:00:00.000-07:00

I am so impressed with how well Logan did with his shots today! He had to have one in each leg and a TB test on his arm. He cried but calmed down immediately after I picked him up. His doctor is pleased with his progress and told me (and I quote!) "he is caught up!" He weighs 18 lbs. 5 oz. and is in the 15th percentile for weight. He is 27.5 inches long and in the 23rd percentile for height. His head is 44.5 cm and he is in the 26th percentile for head circumference! All brain!!

Our other big news is that Logan finally rolled over from his back to his belly the day before his 9 month birthday!! Check out the new video in the "YouTube Star" column...it's the first one. We've always known that we have a determined little fella but lately he is REALLY proving that to be true! He is reaching and grabbing everything! He whines until he gets what he wants and will practically leap out of your arms to get to things (especially paper and cell phones!). Kasey and I are making a list of babyproofing that needs to be done around here. Before we know it he'll be crawling all over!

What a difference...

2009-06-04T11:45:00.000-07:00

9 months makes! Can you believe that Logan will be nine months old next week? The picture above is the progression of his diaper sizes! When he was born his diaper was about the size of a deck of cards and now he is wearing a size 3!

Then and now!

We also entered Logan in the Parents Magazine Cover Contest! You can check out our entry by going to http://www.parents.com/photos/photo-contests-1/cover-kid/842600045/. You can rate our pictures and leave comments about what a cutie pie Logan is!

Here are a couple of pictures of Logan showing off his new tricks from physical therapy! He is constantly grabbing his toes! He sits by himself very well and only tips occasionally (note the pillow!). We are still working on liking tummy time. It doesn't matter what we entice him with, cell phones, remotes, paper...he just doesn't want to be on his belly!

Yesterday, Logan and I went to meet baby Brooke. My cousin, Elizabeth, and her husband, Taylor, seem to have adjusted well to being parents! She is such a sweetie! When I held her for the first time she seemed so tiny! It was hard to believe that my big boy was 1/4 her size when he was born. Logan was very excited to get his picture taken with his new pal Brooke, but I had to remind him that it is not okay to push girls!!

Tomorrow we are going to visit my school for field day! It is crazy to think I haven't been back since I was hospitalized and had Logan. It will be bittersweet to be back. I am looking forward to seeing all of my colleagues and families but it will be hard knowing that I won't be returning to teach. However, I feel so lucky to be able to stay home with Logan for another year!

Updates Galore

2009-05-27T17:28:00.000-07:00

Logan has been quite a busy boy these days! He has officially found his toes and is constantly grabbing them! I have been so impressed with the progress he has made in the 3 visits he's had to his physical therapist. He is also able to sit unassisted for a couple minutes before tipping! He is able to reach for his toys while he is sitting. We are still working on tummy time! Although, he is tolerating it more and more and beginning to reach for things while in that position. He got his first tooth a couple of weeks ago and loves biting things (not so good for mama!). He is eating a lot of new foods; kiwi, watermelon, pasta, graham crackers, yogurt, and peaches. He is ADDICTED to Gerber puffs and vegi "cheesy poofs". He also has started drinking water out of a cup...he couldn't quite figure out the sippy part so we are moving straight to a cup!

Logan made his first visit to mom's Alma Mater in Champaign two weekends ago to celebrate his Uncle Paul's graduation! He did really well until we all started shouting for Paul and then he let out a big yell (I think he just wanted to add to the hoots and hollars!). Logan had his first visit to the zoo on May 21st. We went with Lori, Emmy, and Charlie Pelling and met his Aunt Jenny, Uncle Marc, Tyler, Madison, Jake, and G.G. Carole! We had a really great time even though we only were able to see a couple of animals before it was time to head back for a nap! We took Logan for his first swim last Sunday. He was not so sure about the oversized bathtub! He tolerated it but didn't love it like I thought he might!

We were so lucky to have Grandma B. in for a visit this past weekend. She was such a BIG help watching Logan while we were busy at Auntie Lauren's wedding!!! Logan was the ring bearer (Kasey was the bearer of the ring bearer!). He did a great job despite having a cold. He looked quite handsome in his baby tux! Logan is very excited to have a brand new uncle (ggguuuhhh..)!

Kasey is finishing up the school year on June 12th. He is going to be teaching summer school but he will have fewer hours and probably only be working 4 days a week. We are looking forward to some summer fun on his free days! We are going to be heading to Kansas the first week in July to visit with Uncle Jamie and Uncle John and to meet Aunt Traci and cousin Grace! Logan will have his 9 month well-visit on June 15th. I can't wait to see how much he has grown, I can wait, however, for the shots...yuck! We have scheduled his circumsision revision surgery for July 29th. I am already stressed about it! That's all of our updates for now! Hope you are all well! xo.

Happy Mother's Day!

2009-05-10T18:57:00.000-07:00

First, I have to say happy 8 month birtdhday LJ!! Today I realize how truly blessed I am! I have a super-tough, funny, loveable, HEALTHY baby! I also have an amazing and loving husband (who is a GREAT daddy!). Today Kasey took care of Logan so that I could sleep in until 9:00!!! Wow! It was incredible how alert I felt! I awoke to find that Kasey had dressed Logan in his "I love Mommy" shirt-isn't that sweet of him! My boys got me a spa gift certificate to get pampered for a day! After Logan's nap (when Daddy read him "The Mommy Book") we went to brunch at my favorite place. Kasey even went to the grocery store for me! I am such a lucky mama to have such incredible boys in my life! I had such a wonderful Mother's Day...I sure hope all of you did too!!

Logan "kissing" Daddy

Last week we started going to Logan's physical therapy. His therapist, Beth, showed me a lot of different exercises to help catch him up to his actual age. We are supposed to work on him reaching for his toys, sitting and reaching for the floor/toys, and rolling from his back to his tummy and then spending time on his tummy reaching for toys. The picture below was taken on Friday...he sat long enough for me to snap a pic!!

On Friday we went to lunch with Maureen and Jackson. Jackson was born in October at nearly 30 weeks and spent some time in the NICU at the same time as Logan! Jackson and Logan are now about the same weight and drooling like madmen! It was so great to see our amazing healthy boys together outside of Illinois Masonic!
Logan seems to be growing so much lately! He is blowing through his 3-6 month clothes and is wearing some 9 month shirts! Of course his legs have some catching up to do!! He also is developing quite a personality. He yells when he is mad or frustrated and he has a variety of different laughs and giggles! He is still struggling with naps but I couldn't ask for a greater kiddo! xo.

Physical Therapy Evaluation

2009-04-28T17:28:00.000-07:00

Today Logan had his physical therapy evaluation. He was tired, hungry, and crabby but he got through it! As Kasey and I posted earlier this week we thought he was performing somewhere in between his adjusted and actual ages. Well, it turns out on his gross motor skills he is actually more like a 3-4 month old. His adjusted age is almost five months so he is delayed and now qualifies for weekly physical therapy sessions. The concerns are that he does not like tummy time and is not able to put enough pressure on his arms, his balance isn't where it needs to be to sit up unassisted, and his tone is a little on the stiff side. Melissa said that as he grows (and his body catches up to his noggin!) his motor skills should improve. She also mentioned that many of the preemie babies she sees don't like tummy time because they missed out on a lot of that time when they were in the NICU. His reflux doesn't help either!

The good news is that Logan will be getting extra support to help him catch up to his peers. We will also get lots of tips to work with him at home. Also, the weekly visits will ensure that he doesn't fall behind his adjusted age again! The therapist said that she is NOT concerned that he will have longterm delays with his gross motor and that the weekly sessions will just help give him a kick in the pants! It will also force mom and dad to struggle through the exercises and not give in when he starts whining!

However, it is very difficult and emotional (for his mommy!!) to hear that Logan is behind his adjusted age. As she was explaining the skills that he needed help on she mentioned that when she saw him last he was on a monitor and meds, which most preemies are beyond when they leave the NICU. Hearing all of this made me relive the guilt associated with having him 11 1/2 weeks early. I know what our little fighter is capable of, I have seen his strength first hand, I have no doubt that once we start our PT boot camp he will be catching up in no time!

2009-04-26T18:21:00.000-07:00

Hi, from our happy little fella! Our family is doing great. As you can see Logan is becoming quite interactive. He's very chatty and is definitely vocalizing his dislike of shopping. When we were out shopping for clothes on Saturday he decided he would yell until we took him home for his nap. He now is up to a whopping 16 pounds and outgrowing many of his clothes. On Friday his developmental therapist came by to see how he's doing. He was a tired guy, but he hung in there long enough to show off all of his talents. He seems to be hitting milestones between his actual age and his adjusted age. She gave us a few tips to work with him on sitting and tummy time (his least favorite). The only concern she had was when he was in a seated position he became more rigid. The physical therapist will come to evaluate him on Tuesday and make sure his muscle tone isn't too stiff. Logan also seemed to REALLY like the developmental therapist's toys. We went out today and bought him a bunch of new toys that will encourage him to learn to shake, bang, play on his belly, and distract him while sitting...he seemed to appreciate this kind of shopping much more!

Logan and his new friend Charlie Pelling

On Friday, April 17th, Charlie August Pelling was born! He weighed 7 lbs. 2 oz.! We are very excited to see all of the mischief our little boys will get into together (with the help of Charlie's big sister Emmy, of course!).

Daddy and Logan playing at the park Super Logan!!

Friday was a beautiful 80 degree day! We took advantage of the gorgeous weather and went to the playground. Logan loves to swing, as you can see! After the park we took a nice long walk with our new baby jogger.

The fam at March for Babies

Papooli, Gramma, and Logan at the walk

Today was the March of Dimes' March for Babies. We were very excited when we woke up and saw that it was not raining! We put on our shirts, loaded up the diaper bag, and headed out for an inspiring day filled with strong little kiddos! We were able to register and take pictures before it started to drizzle. During the opening ceremony Logan and Papooli were filmed for our local news, we are going to tune in at 10 and hope to see them! We began walking and the rain started to pick up. We found shelter under one of the mall's awnings and then were told to report back inside because there was lightening. We were disappointed but understood that the safety of the families was most important.

Logan waiting out the storm

Logan and mommy safe out of the storm

Once all of the walkers were inside they started the awards ceremony. I was surprised as they announced my name for being the top fund raiser of the individual walkers! I was able to raise $725 (thanks to my mom's help!!). Kasey raised $170, that means together we raised almost $900 to help babies in need! We cannot thank those of you who sponsored us enough. Obviously, this is something that is very important to us and we are continueally amazed by our friends and family that continue to support us! Next year we plan to walk as a team and hope to raise even more money for this great cause!

Mommy won the award for most money
raised by an individual walker!

Lounging on Daddy after the walk

After the walk Logan had his first "real" food. He ate a banana! We put it in this little mesh feeder and he went to town!! He had banana everywhere and loved every minute of it! He has been off of his reflux medicine for five days now. He is spitting up quite a bit but nothing serious! The doctor says as long as he doesn't seem to be in pain or spitting up full feeds we should continue to keep him off of it. This would be a major milestone for us! It would be the very first time since he was born that he would be medicine free! We will update you soon with the report from his physical therapist. Have a great week! xo.

Logan enjoying a REAL banana!! Yum!

New Slideshow!

2009-04-13T19:09:00.001-07:00

Isn't this amazing?!? I can't believe how much our "little" man has changed over the last 7 months! When we were at Grandma B.'s Kasey stood on the scale with him and figures he is over 15 pounds now! We don't have a doctor's appointment until he is 9 months so we won't know his official stats until then! This slideshow will permanently be in the sidebar so we can add new laundry basket pictures each month. Thanks for looking!

Happy Easter!

2009-04-12T12:42:00.000-07:00

Well, we did it! We successfully made an 8 1/2 hour road trip with Logan! He was a very good boy and slept most of the way. We had to stop only once to feed and change him and then he was happy! We had a great visit with Grandma B. On Saturday we visited for a bit with Sara and Ron Miles and then went over to Tyler and Nicole's to introduce Logan to Kasey's friends. On Sunday we got to see Great Grandma Betty, Great Aunts and Uncles, cousins, and second cousins! It was quite a full house! Logan did great and had smiles for everyone! Monday we made a trip to the mall to do a little shopping. While we were there we noticed that the Easter Bunny had no line! This meant no germs! Daddy gave Logan permission to get his picture taken! He did so well and just sat there petting the E.B.'s hand! On Tuesday we went to Marlena and Leo's house. We ate WAY too much delicious food and visited with Craig and Amy and their two little ones, Molly and Ryan. After a terrific visit we had to pack up our things and head back home on Wednesday. We were sad to leave Grandma B.'s, Logan sure had fun with his buddy!

Last night we celebrated Logan's baptism. We had Gramma Jan, Papooli, Auntie Lauren, Uncle Brian, Auntie Cindy, Uncle John, Elizabeth, Taylor, Brian, Lori, and Emmy Pelling, Matt Stanley, and Auntie Donna over for dinner and cake (Gramma Jan even let Logan have a lick of the lemon filling from his cake...mmm!). Logan tolerated being up past his bedtime pretty well...that is until we got to church! Daddy spent the first part of church walking with Logan until he was almost asleep. As he settled down, Father Leswing went and got them for the baptism. It was a beautiful candlelit ceremony. Logan was fine until Mother Forrester tipped his head and poored the water on him! He sure let everyone know that he was not happy about this sacrament! We are so happy that so many of our friends and family were thinking about and praying for our little man last night! We are especially grateful that Logan's Godfather, Matt Stanley, flew in all the way from Texas to be with us. We are also very lucky that his Godmother, Lori Pelling, did not go into labor last night! She is due any day now and will be welcoming a little boy for Logan to play with!!

Today Logan is celebrating his first Easter. The Easter Bunny brought him a new basket with a baseball liner that has his name on it. It is filled with four new books and a new hat. Next year he can use the teeth he's working on to eat some jelly beans and peeps! He is still working on sitting unassisted and is getting very close to rolling over from back to belly. We are reopening his Early Intervention case this week. He will be reevaluated by the occupational and physical therapists to make sure that he is progressing on track! We hope you all have a very happy Easter!

The last one!

2009-03-24T17:03:00.000-07:00

Today Logan had his LAST synagis shot of this RSV season! Kasey took the day off to come with us. I wanted to ensure I had backup in case we had another "blue leg" situation! Logan was very upset but managed to calm himself while eating. He now weighs 14 lbs. .5 oz. and maxed out the dosage for one shot. At least he didn't need two! The nurse informed us that he will not need to come in for his April shot. She said that RSV in our area is on the decline! Yay!!! She also told us that due to Logan's weight and gestational age at birth he does qualify for a second season of synagis shots, yuck. Oh well, at least he will be better protected next fall/winter. This also means that we will have to be very cautious again next winter about germs!

He is acting so "grown up"! Our happy little guy typically wakes us up with lots of "ah-goos" and squeals! Even in the middle of the night! He likes being held to stand and we are continuing to work on sitting! He also is getting very good at eating. He has tried prunes, peaches, pears, bananas, peas, squash, carrots, and sweet potatoes! There isn't one of them that he doesn't like. He usually gets cereal and a fruit or vegi for breakfast and dinner but today he was extra hungry so he had lunch too! Hopefully all of this eating will help him beef up by his nine month appointment in June.

2009-03-20T11:36:00.000-07:00

Hey, check out our little sitting man! He is getting better at it by the day! He does really well when his boppy is behind him but he still flops over after a couple of minutes! I am really impressed that he may reach this milestone close to his actual age!

It turns out Logan still needs his reflux medicine. After a day and a half without it he was screaming in pain...poor kid! We'll probably try again in a couple of months. Next Tuesday he will get his second to last synagis shot. Since he has gotten to be such a big boy he will have to get two injections. We have been so fortunate that Logan has stayed healthy all winter (knock on wood!) let's hope that he will be able to keep it up through the end of April! I guess Logan will have to wait until next Easter to meet the Bunny!

Logan celebrated his Irish heritage by wearing his first "kiss me I'm Irish" shirt. Although we couldn't celebrate at the parades this year, we will for sure be hitting them up in the years to come. It won't be long before he finds out that the Southside parade was where his daddy first told his mommy he loved her.

6 months!

2009-03-11T12:49:00.000-07:00

Welcome to our new blog! We thought that since Logan is now out of the NICU and well we would start a family blog. I hope you enjoy it!

Yesterday was Logan's 1/2 birthday! I can't believe that it was six months ago that we innocently walked into the hospital thinking I just needed to be checked out! We have come so far and are enjoying every minute with our big boy! He is doing all sorts of cool things; reaching for toys and putting them in his mouth, cooing, LAUGHING, and just beginning to "sit" unassisted!

Today we went to see Dr. Chris for our six month well visit. The most exciting news is that Logan is on the growth charts for his actual age for weight and head circumference!! He is a whoppin' 13 lbs. 9.5 oz.! He is not quite on the growth chart for height and is 23 3/4 inches long. He got 3 shots today and is sleeping them off as I type! We are going to attempt taking him off of his reflux medicine. She did prescribe a new medicine to help aid in digestion because he is having trouble pooping-poor kiddo! He will still have to get his synagis shots at the end of this month and in April. I guess we will have to keep being cautious about RSV for a couple months longer! We are going to have him reevaluated by the early intervention team to make sure he has no developmental delays. Dr. Chris didn't see anything that made her think that he is delayed for his adjusted age but she tought that they might be able to offer us tips for what to work with him on.

We have a many exciting events to look forward to this Spring! At the beginning of April Logan will make his maiden voyage to Kansas to meet all of his adoring fans! He will be baptized on April 11th. Logan will be the ring bearer for his Auntie Lauren's wedding in May. There are also three new baby friends being born before this summer is over!