January Visitors

It's halfway through January already and we have been busy with some visitors.

First, we had Grandpa Renehan come in over the New Year to meet Nate and celebrate Christmas. He did come in at a hectic time with all of the Nate stuff and was a big help through some of our appointments and emergencies. He came with me for Nate's second blood draw and that night when the dr called to tell us to go to the ER for an EKG, he gamely took on the daunting task of feeding Simon dinner and putting him to bed. Simon did not take it easy on Grandpa, and after getting him to eat some yogurt and blueberries (a successful Simon dinner, btw) they started a pretty intense bedtime battle that lasted a couple of hours, involved extended vacuuming and ended successfully with Simon in bed. Thanks Dad!

When we weren't focused on Nate's medical stuff, we did lots of fun things too. We took the whole crew to the Children's Museum and out to breakfast for the first time (quickest meal ever eaten:) We got Simon a haircut and Matt and Grandpa took him to the beach at Golden Gardens and the Aquarium. It was a fun few days and we enjoyed having the help and company!

And just a few days after Grandpa left, Aunt Karyn came in to help for the better part of a week. As usual, she was a huge help in getting us through each day and came with me to a couple of Children's Hospital visits, which I really appreciated. She too became a pro at soothing Nate and keeping Simon happy. Her time with us was low key-- we didn't get out anywhere major but I did do things like take showers at will (!!), take naps and eat meals during the day. Those are some big achievements on maternity leave with a tough baby!

Here are some pictures from our 2012 so far, thanks for all of the help!

Simon visiting with the otters at the aquarium:

out to breakfast with Grandpa:

Dad with his boys:

Aunt Karyn with Simon...:

...and Nate:

The four of us:

Nate modestly posing mid-diaper change:

Grandpa feeding Nate:

Simon on the beach at Golden Gardens: