Christmas Prep

We had a nice relaxing night tonight getting ready for Christmas.  It felt good after a few busy weeks in a row to just be at home together.  

Hans baked delicious, sweet things:while I cleaned...
And Sorin slept soundly in front of the tree...

Christkindlmarket - Chicago

Sorin is becoming quite the traveler - and quite the adventurer at the same time. Earlier this fall he went to Minnesota with Katie and her parents. Last weekend we took Sorin to Chicago for our annual trip to Christkindlmarket. We've been going to this festival for 3 years now with our cousins Matt and Amanda Cranney and Justin and Kelly Olson.

It's a German festival at Daley plaza where they serve brats, potato pancakes, and Glühwein (a traditional hot spiced wine). Chicago: It's certainly called the Windy City for a reason. The elements are nothing to take lightly. I was decked out in my Mountain Hardwear coat and I had three wool sweaters on. This year the snow was in that semi-frozen state on the top of some of the vendors' tents. But when the wind gusted, it ripped the snow off and blew it right over the top of the market.

So some concerned parents might be thinking: "You had your 3-month old baby out in that?!?" Well here's the deal - we've tested out Sorin's Wisconsin weather gear. We put him in two onsies and then into a snowsuit of fleece an inch thick. If you saw this thing, you'd ask if you could get in. He comes out warm when we open him up. But when I first stepped out of that parking garage and onto Randolph Drive, I was worried about that Chicago wind. We quickly made a wind shelter for his face out of the blanket and wrapped it into the shoulder straps on his Snugli. And the rest was history. Sorin slept a lot of the trip. I wish I could have taken a picture of his eyes peeking through the blanket and under the hood of his snowsuit.

Katie took this picture of us - I have Sorin in the back middle. Matt and Amanda on the left, Justin and Kelly on the right (not quite ready for the picture).

Christmas fun with Sorin

We are slowly but surely getting into the Christmas spirit. We got our tree all set up last week. Sorin watched with awe as we hung the lights and the ornaments and he even got to hang his first ornament from his aunt Dawny. He loves to look at the lights on the tree, and we love to look at him loving the lights on the tree so it seems new and exciting to all of us.

And we've been singing some christmas carols to him, though it would help if I knew the words:

I figure I've got time to learn them by the time he is able to learn them himself : )

Thanksgiving Weekend

For his first holiday weekend, Sorin continued to travel the state and meet new people. To start off Thanksgiving Day (check out that turkey shirt), he was with my mom and dad - outside - as Katie and I ran the Berbee Derby with my family; Tim, Amy and Megan. It was a cold morning, but we had him all bundled up and we were told he was very well behaved. I'm proud to see his spirit for adventure developing.

The rest of the day he met other relatives from my mom's side for the first time including Kayla, my cousin's daughter who is a little over one year.










The next day it was off to Cedarburg for Katie's side. Sorin got some time with his Grandpa and is Grandma Susie. The his great aunt and uncle and his cousins were there, too, and they enjoyed Sorin for the first time. Sorin even got his first experience on Skype as the Carrs were talking to cousin Megan in Israel!!









Sorin is excited for next year when he can actually eat the turkey. But his first Thanksgiving was a joy for us and all those he met.

3 MONTHS!

Sorin spent the day napping, eating, playing on his changing table, watching his Grandpa and his Dad winterize the house, smiling, and watching holiday cooking shows with his Mommy.

3 months... as you can see from the previous blog post pics he has changed A LOT.  

He loves to sit up now so we get him all 

propped up on the couch or sit him up on our laps so that he can look around.  

I notice that he watches the TV from across the room and that when we read him books he pays attention to the pages of the book.  He is getting stronger with his tummy time and I suspect that he will learn to roll over soon, even if it is just to get

 himself back on his back (tummy time is really hit or miss, and often 

times it feels like we are torturing him, as his Grandma Susie says).

His favorite spot in the house is his changing table - we can't get over it - but he could be cranky or crying and we lay him on there and he starts smiling and 'talking' - and it is even better for him if his diaper is off - or when he's free as his dad likes to say.  (For privacy's sake I will not be including a picture of that).

All this to say, our child is developing into a little boy, they say babies do that : ) but it just never ceases to amaze us as we watch it happen.

How He's Growing - Facebook Link

It is amazing to see Sorin grow. I have to remind myself how small he was when he was born. He barely fit into his car seat. And now he's busting at the seams!! Check this out...












Sorin's getting a lot stronger. He holds his head up really well. His tummy time is getting better. And his facial expressions... oh my!!! I've put up another album on Facebook. For those of you not a part of that community, here's a link for you.

Stay tuned to Sorin's blog for more photos and stories.

Urban Baby

We took Sorin for a wonderful relaxing visit to see his Grandpa and his Grandma Susie for the weekend. He played with them and talked to them (literally) (well - my definition of talking) (which is MORE than just cooing) all weekend and really enjoyed all of the attention. Then we took him to the very cool and urban coffee shop (Alterra in Milwaukee) that his aunt Tori works at to 'chill' for a while with his parents, his Uncle Grant and his Aunt Tori. He was very wide eyed (as you can see from the picture below) and alert and seemed to feel right at home at the coffee shop... like father like son.

Smiley Guy

Sorin is still sleeping a lot during the day but is more and more alert for longer stretches and it is really fun to interact with him and to see he smile and hear him talk.  He loves singing, stories, and - especially - Hans.  He has changed so much... I really can't believe it.  We just love him so much and can't wait to see who he will become.  He is ten weeks old now.  Here are some smile pictures I've taken lately:

Conversations with Dad

Sorin the Traveler

This week Katie and Sorin spent three days in Minnesota with Steve and Sue, who were traveling for business. The planning worked well because we have cousins near the Cities that haven't seen Sorin yet. Actually it was kind of funny b/c one of the cousins, Heather Haas, had just commented on our last post about the pumpkin patch - she was saying how they loved "Little Pumpkin." It had been our decision to surprise them with a visit this week, so her comment was even more fun to read knowing that she'd get to meet him the next day.

I work during the days, so I'm used to going a day without seeing him. But I always come home and walk in the door to see what's new with our son. Obviously I couldn't do that this week. It was actually ok at first b/c I had very long days and then after dinner the nights went fast with all the work I was doing around the house. Katie and I were exchanging texts and I wanted her to send me a pic of her and Sorin. That made it worse, b/c the sight of them made me really want to hold him, and I couldn't do that. So that was a little hard.

When they returned, I was actually surprised to see more developments with Sorin. In just three days, I could see that he was holding his head up more when I hold him vertically to my chest. He also smiles a lot more and is more playful when you lay him down. Katie also told me to read to him, in which case he smiles and gets very active. Sorin is growing up right before our eyes - I have a better understanding of the phrase now.

Little Pumpkin

On that beautiful (HOT) Sunday we had this week we decided to take our little guy to a pumpkin patch. So we we got him all dressed in his little pumpkin hat, loaded him in his car seat and off we went. He was quite excited : ) as you can see from these pictures.

Unfortunately all of his excitement along with the warm weather and the relaxing ride over to Eplegaarden he fell fast asleep - deep sleep - and he slept right through the whole thing. I would like to say that we were good parents and just let our son sleep, but that would be a lie - we were in search for the perfect pumpkin picture. We tried and tried to wake him up and he was NOT happy. So we would wait for his eyes to open and then quick prop him up next to a pumpkin and then he would shut his eyes again and then we would try to wake him up and he would shut his eyes - and on and on this went until our little guy was getting REALLY ticked. (see picture). We started to feel a little self conscious about what the other pumpkin pickers were thinking of us. I think what really put him over the edge was when I tried to wedge his head between two pumpkins so that I'd get the 'three little pumpkins in a row' picture that I framed up in my head on our way over to the pumpkin patch.

Please do not be alarmed - we did stop torturing him with pumpkins and did let him sleep as we walked around and enjoyed our surroundings as it was such a beautiful day. AND we did end up getting a cute picture - even if he was sleeping during it. Someday we'll tell him about this adventure - when he asks why he has this strange fear of pumpkins... and hopefully he'll laugh.

Just Before Sleep

One of the most interesting things I've noticed about Sorin is just before he nods off to sleep He's done this for weeks (I know, that's SO long...) where as his eyes are closing, he'll do this very natural smile that we don't see when he's awake.  The eyes first go to the back of his head, then he fights it as they start to close, then the mouth pulls back into a beautiful smile.  I need to catch this on video.  

So this morning after giving him his bottle, he's already starting to fall asleep in my arms.  The world couldn't be any better right now.  His eyes start to shut quickly.  He's been very tired in the mornings with me.  As they close, I see a quick smile then I hear him laugh:  "ha, ha"

I wish I'd had a camera on my eyes when I heard that.  I couldn't believe it.  For us, it's these new actions that Sorin's developing that are absolutely amazing to experience.  Our "little guy" is doing the things of little kids, and we get to watch the whole thing.

Smiling Recognition, a Day Away, and Bathing

On Friday I was playing with Sorin on the couch. I like to do physical things - holding his hands, raising his feet, and squeezing his belly. I do this thing where I make a certain whistle sound while pressing his nose, then a different sound while swiping my finger up his cheek. For the first time I felt like he recognized me and was smiling at what we were doing together. I think he's recognized me before - he's felt a sense of comfort when he's looked at me or I held him. But this time was different in that I was getting such a positive response with the different "games" we were playing. It's fun to give him big smiles and see him try to imitate them. I keep saying, "Hi Daddy" in hopes of an echo. Sometimes it actually looks like he's trying to say "hi."

Saturday was an interesting first for the family. Katie and I went to a marriage conference at Blackhawk all day from 9-3:30. But then we went out on a quick date uptown to Tutto Pasta. So we were gone from 8:30-6:00 while Sorin was with Grandma Margit and Grandpa Dave.

I'm used to being gone from him for the day, but Katie felt weird about the whole deal. So it was fun to see him and grandma and grandpa's after a day being gone. He was sleeping in a rocker but Katie couldn't help herself from picking him up to hold him.

Today I gave him a bath for the first time. No, it wasn't Sorin's first bath (in his 7th week alive), but it was the first time I gave him one. He was splashing around with his feet a lot. It's a little harder than you'd think. His head and upper body got cleaned well, but it was hard to get below the belly (with a soapy rag) while holding his head up.

Sorin is getting bigger and bigger. He's getting on a better schedule each week. I think the most common comment we make is about how cute he is. We just can't stop staring at our son. What a gift.

He Talks!!!

And I caught it on film:

I Can't Resist

I might be a little rushed this morning for work, but I can't resist posting about Sorin.  He's on a schedule (for a few weeks now) where we stay up until 10pm with him so that he sleeps 'til 1:30 when Katie gets up to feed him.  Then I'll get up at 4:45 with him and give him a bottle. When he's back to sleep I get ready for work by 7 and all is well.

It's that whole process of getting him back to sleep that is such a treat.  Some mornings he gets done with the bottle and he's wide awake.  Others he practically falls asleep over my shoulder.  If he's awake, it takes a good 15 minutes of walking him around to get him to dose off.  I try not to use the Nuk, but Katie tells me he often takes it well.  If he's dosing off over my shoulder, it's not a long walk before he's konked out.

This morning was the later - he was sleepy right after the bottle.  I walked him around and within three minutes I was sitting on the couch with him.  He was sleeping for probably 5 minutes when I decided to wrap him and put him back in bed.  Well he woke up and I said to him, "You were just sleeping?!?!"  Now I'm a little nervous for how long this is going to take to get him back to sleep.  But within 5 minutes he was dosing off again on a walk around the house.  I sat back on the couch and he was fading fast.  

The best part of him falling asleep is the facial expressions.  I've got to catch some of these on camera.  His eyes roll to the back of his head.  When the eyes close, his lips pucker or he gives a little smile from the side of his mouth.  And sometimes just as they eyes shut he gives a big smile that screams, "Ha!  I'm off to sleep."  It almost seems sinister.  But it makes me smile and I do all I can not to laugh out loud and wake him back up.

This morning when he got up for his bottle and before I changed him, his was crying pretty hard.  Things weren't quite ready around the house with the bottle and my morning routine so it was getting pretty stressful.  I didn't want to get Katie up for help, but this cry was pretty bad. We managed, and when Sorin finally started to dose off he gave that final smile from the right side of his mouth - it's the cutest thing I've ever seen.  He was as comfortable in my arms as he could ever be.  I leaned my head back into the pillow with a huge smile on my face and thanked God for my son.

6 weeks!!!

Today marks 6 weeks for Sorin - to me this is a milestone.  Word on the baby street is that after 6 weeks they sleep longer during the night and are awake longer during the day.  I am already noticing this and it is really fun to see him change already.

Here are some things that he can do now:

Sleep longer than 3 hrs at a time

Smile

"Talk"  (more on that later)

See people more clearly 

Gain weight - 11 lbs!

Make other people smile

Crawl                              (kidding)

Fit in to 0-3 month clothes - finally!

Sorin has started 'talking.' I've heard him do this maybe four times in the last three days. When he is fed changed and alert he will be looking around and then catch my eye and make noises with his voice, not just baby noises. The problem with this is that I am the only one who has witnessed this and his father is skeptical so here is my attempt to catch him talking on film:

As you can see I was unable to get him to talk, you would think repeating "can you talk?" and "please?" over and over would elicit some response...
I noticed, however, that I did manage to catch him wink, a very advanced gesture for a 5 week old. And the sneezing was pretty cute too. You never know what you'll catch on film...

My First Farmer's Market

Back in late winter when we knew we were pregnant, Katie and I were thinking about the fun things we'd get to do for the first time with Sorin. One of the that came to mind for me was the Farmer's Market on the Capital Square. Last week we had the first trip planned, but heavy rains kept us away.

This morning we geared up with two packs - one for our grocery purchases and one for Sorin, a wonderful carrier called a Snugli.

As expected, Sorin slept through the entire thing. It was an absolute joy for me to put that Snugli on and have Katie put Sorin in. I'd been waiting to use this carrier for quite some time. We stopped at Barriques for coffee on the walk up to the square. First thing in line, two women commented on our "little pumpkin."

Our walk was very pleasant at 7:45am - no congestion on the Square. We got yellow beans, squash, baby potatoes, bison, and for a special treat -- Hook's two-year old cheddar cheese. At the end of the market we always stop at Stella's bakery for a pastry: Katie tried the cranberry scone which wasn't that great, and I had a chocolate chip scone which (as always) was huge and wonderful.








It was a whole new experience at the Farmer's Market having Sorin with us. I think he's going to enjoy the outdoors.

Grandpa Dave to the Rescue!!!

Last night we got a call from Grandpa Dave letting us know that he was in the area and stopping by with a gift for Sorin. We all looked at each other wondering to ourselves - 'what ever could it be??'  And when he arrived, much to our surprise he came bearing 0-3 size Packer shirts for Sorin!!! And socks!  I thought Sorin was going to jump off the couch with joy - I could tell in his eyes that he was most relieved to never have to wear that weird Packer hat again!  Next Sunday is going to be great!

Sorin's First Packer Game

Sorin experienced his first packer game on Sunday  - he slept through most of it, Aaron Rodgers just didn't hold his interest (the Monday night game was too late for him so he missed it).  Unfortunately we were not able to find him a tiny packer shirt so we had to be content with just this hat:
Here was his reaction when Aaron Rodgers fumbled the ball, one play after he danced down the sideline to gain a first down:

and here he is at the end of the game, looking at Hans in disbelief at the packers scoring 25 points in the last five minutes.  We are sad he missed the Favre era, but all in all I think he had a good experience watching his first Packers game.

Morning Exercises

Sorin loves the mornings - or at least it seems like it - he hasn't actually told me that he loves the mornings. He is always wide awake for about 45 minutes in the morning just looking around - being cute.

Here is a clip of him doing his morning exercises with Hans ; )

Destined For Badger Red

My only regret is that I didn't have a onesie that fits Sorin on Game Day. I was happy to tell my brother last week that "Sorin is around for the first Badger game of the year." But I had to settle for a "Rookie" athletic outfit that seemed appropriate for the first football Saturday of the 2008 season. It was fun to listen to Matt Lepay on the radio with Sorin in my arms. He slept for most of the game, but let's not be quick to judge.








But Saturday wasn't Sorin's first experience with Bucky. On our way out of the hospital, Bucky was in the lobby taking pictures. As I pulled the car around, Katie was able to get a picture of Sorin with Buckingham U. Badger.

"Circ"

It was Katie and I who decided to circumcise Sorin. But it was my decision to be in the room and watch it happen.

More than a few people said, "You watched it?!" I don't know... it was just something I felt I should be present for. Mom can't relate. Dad needs to be there. I'm comfortable with surgery at this point. While I didn't see Katie get cut open for the birth, I saw her opened up as Sorin came out. So watching him get circumcised seemed doable, and it was for the first part. I'll spare you the details, but let's just say the precision of those tools (and Francoise, the French pediatritian) are worth every penny they get. As they started, I was going fine. Then he brought out the clamp. That's when I took a step back, sat in the chair, and asked for a cold glass of water.

In the end, Sorin was one of a kind - he almost fell asleep for the surgery! There were moments when baby's usually cry pretty good, but nothing phased Sorin - just his dad. Of course I had to take one picture to mark the moment. The finger in his mouth is the sugar water that takes much of his attention away from the work of Francoise.

Link to Photos on Facebook

For those of you who aren't on Facebook, you're missing out on additional photos of the family, including our precious son, Sorin. Here's a link to the photo album so everyone can view them. More to come - stay tuned to the blog.

Little Man

Well the little man gave us some trouble last night... up until now we've been looking at each other saying, "Isn't this easy?"  or "This really isn't too bad!"  

We spoke too soon.  

Last night Sorin went through I would estimate about 8 diapers.  He kept wetting through his clothes and blankets and then twice Hans would change him get him all wrapped up again and then - literally - as he was walking up the stairs he would feel ( and hear ) him pooping and have to turn right around and go change him AGAIN.  We figured out the wetting through the blanket problem and now have this little cheer - "Penis down, penis down, what ever you do make sure his penis is down!!!"  And on top of all of this he has discovered his LOVE for nursing and much to my dismay wanted to nurse ever hour.  So mommy had no sleep last night and when he woke up at 5AM she had had enough and after nursing him brought him into bed with her where he LOVES to sleep and sleep he did...

Needless to say he slept like a rock : )

Happy one week birthday Sorin!!!!!!!!  We love you!

Uncomfortable Cries

It was a tougher day today with Sorin. Let me rephrase that: Sorin showed me he can be a little more difficult at times. He stayed awake more today than the few days past. It was nice to have him up b/c that meant there was a good chance he'd sleep better through the night. But it's hard for me to hold him when his cries aren't able to be managed. Katie's better at it than me. And she was coaching me through what kind of a day he's having, reminding me that it's not necessarily my technique that's allowing for the uncontrolable cries.

And still, the day wasn't all bad. At about 1:00 in the afternoon, he was on my chest sleeping for about an hour while Katie got a good 2-hour nap! He looks different today. He seems to look a little different every day. Once again, I wish I could write more, but it's been a long evening.

Sorin Comes Home

Yesterday, after four full days at the hospital Katie and I brought Sorin home for the first time. What an experience to put him in the car seat for discharge and walk him downstairs. It's a whole new Daddy Experience. As I pulled up the car, I came in for Katie and the rest of our stuff. It was great to take him out into the fresh air for the first time!!













Now I understand the sincerity of those signs from the early 90's - Baby On Board. It was the most cautious driving I've ever done.



















Here's Sorin arriving at home - August 25, 2008 at 4:00 pm.

Sorin - The First 48 Hours

What a crazy couple days. I realize that if you've had a baby, none of what I'm about to say is news. But it's still so new and fresh to me that it's worth recounting.

Sorin's schedule is certainly backwards - days are spent sleeping and quietly looking into the eyes of him who holds. Nights are spent up and uncomfortable, crying and feeding while making the hours difficult for mom and dad.

But what a treat to hold. It's a love for a person like I've NEVER experienced. He's fully reliant on me - yet more so reliant on Katie. I'm trying to connect myself, even my soul, to him in an effort to care for his every needs.

I've got so much to say about my son, Sorin. My mind is full of pictures and memories of the last 48 hours. He is giving me a new joy in my heart. God is good.

The Wait is Over - Welcome Sorin

It's 11:47pm, and it is my honor to announce that Sorin Steven Schiefelbein was born today at 4:41pm. He was 6lbs. 9oz. and was 19 inches long. The day has been so long, yet at the same time seems to have gone quite fast - I don't want it to end. But mom is exhausted.

I honestly don't feel like it's sunk in yet - I'm a dad. Katie's a mom. We're a family of three. You should see him. I could hold him forever. Katie did so well. Family was here and met Sorin at 8:30 tonight. I could tell stories and details, but we need to sleep - we, meaning Katie. I could go for a few more hours, but rest a wise idea right now. We've got a long weekend of abbreviated sleep.

I'm proud to be a dad. I'm proud to be a husband. Welcome, Sorin.

Almost.....!