Trip to Columbia

Soren and I had to get out of the house, so we headed to Columbia. We stopped by the Maurer house to visit during lunch. Soren couldn't stop tooting. Fortunately, both Brian and Kathleen were quite amused. They also confirmed that babies would be welcome at their New Year's Eve party. Woo-hoo!

We also had a good time at the Merritts'. Soren "played" with the kids while I got good mama advice from Carolina. Then she gave us tons of great stuff, clothes and baby toys including the best present of all - the swing. Unfortunately, we have no photos from this stop.
Then we met with Jamie. We shopped for New Year's Eve items and then I got my hair cut for Locks of Love while Jamie watched Soren. We ended up chatting over dinner at Panera.

We're so lucky we have such great friends!

Soren Andrew - Week 6

Merry Christmas

Soren Andrew - Week 5

First trip to MU - Gentry Hall

Soren's first time on campus at Mizzou. We stopped to say a quick hello to Brian in Gentry.

Congrats, Eric!

Our friend Eric just finished up two degrees at MU, including one in anthropology. We are super-proud of him and know his family is, too. They invited us to his graduation party. His wife, Michelle, prepared a delicious meal and even fixed me a non-spicy plate so it wouldn't upset Soren later. And their youngest, Eric Jr., loved hovering around Soren, informing us that he liked to hug babies. Too cute!

First visit to the Magic Tree

Christmas with Grandma and Grandpa Shields

Grandpa Tom and Grandma Ann came to visit. Soren got a Christmas book, a toy and some clothes to grow into. He enjoyed being held by Grandma and Grandpa and was especially well-behaved during his first restaurant dinner at Panera.

Getting ready to go for a ride

Soren Update: 1 month

Soren is 8 pounds 9 ounces and 21.5 inches long. He's not quite back up to birth weight yet, which most babies reach at 2 weeks, so we've decided to supplement his diet with some formula. His height is perfect as most babies grow about an inch in the first month.

We had Soren's heart murmur checked out at Children's Mercy in Kansas City. It turned out to be a small (3mm) ventricular septal defect (VSD). The doctors didn't seem too concerned because it is so small. It may even heal itself. We are supposed to follow up with the specialists in one year.

In other news, Soren is a big fan of sleeping on Mama and is not a big fan of his new luxurious crib. He also likes the soothing sounds of the hair dryer and enjoys helping Mama do laundry by taking naps in his basket on the dryer. Close observers may witness a fleeting smile or chuckle during sleeptime, but while he's awake, Soren is quite serious, communicating with chirps, chortles and screeches, much like a chipmunk or squirrel. He hates having his arms wrapped when swaddled and is not a fan of people messing with his toes, especially if they make his toes cold.

Costas visit

We were super-excited for Diana and Jason to drop by and say hi on their way to the airport. We got to catch up, and they gave Soren a book, Love You Forever by Robert Munsch, which I'm sure will get quite a lot of love. Mama may have to make Daddy read it though, as the first couple of times she read it, it made her cry. It's a very sweet story!

Soren Andrew - Week 4

Hanging out

Soren likes to hang out with Mama in her fuzzy pink robe.
This is how Daddy knows that Soren is hungry.

Soren Andrew - Week 3

Napping with Daddy

Visitors for Soren

Today we had some visitors. Mandi and Jason Holderieath dropped by to say hi and bring a very sweet gift for Soren. Mandi made a scrapbook for us to fill with photos and memorabilia, and Jason printed a page with photos and congratulations posted on Facebook. It didn't dawn on me until after they left that I failed to offer them a chance to hold Soren or take any photos. Sigh. Blame it on the mommy brain.

They left after my parents and Grandma Schad showed up. It was nice of them to come visit, and Mom fixed dinner, but by the end of the evening I was ready for them to go. I was exhausted and had developed a slight fever. Guess I'm still in recovery mode.

Soren Andrew - Week 2

Daddy figured out the wrap

Happy Thanksgiving!

No traveling for us this year, just a lot of resting and becoming a new family. We watched the end of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and the beginning of Miracle on 34th Street, and we ate leftovers. We are thankful for no-stress holidays (and visits from Aunt L)!

Thanksgiving Eve

Aunt L arrived this evening with the fixin's for a delicious Thanksgiving dinner. Much to Jason's chagrin, it was a Schad-style holiday meal, sans turkey, stuffing and cranberries. Aunt L also got in some face time with Soren, which provided a nice break for Mama and Daddy.

Soren Andrew - Week 1

Sympathy for his pregnant wife

Since I've become pregnant, nothing around the house has really changed, and for me, that's nothing to complain about. Jason still cleans (sometimes more than) his fair share and is a willing cook or cook's assistant at mealtime. He still puts up with the occasional fit of tears, blaming it on baby hormones now instead of PMS, and brings me flowers for no reason.

Sympathy is not something he lacks, so I really didn't feel the need to torture him at our newborn care class, but I was glad he got to experience the sympathy belly.




It wasn't too hard for him because it weighs about the same as his body armor. He decided to show off and tried a handstand, sort of like what we saw another Youtube parent do. This is his second attempt.

An evening out, geocaching

Another geocaching evening out. This time we were following a series that highlights art installations in Blue Springs.

Our first find was near "Subdued Radiance" by Beth Nybeck of Iowa. It was made out of galvanized steel by the fine arts major.


Next, we searched for a while near Catch Me If You Can. This piece was created by Rosie Sandifer of Lubbock, Texas. Unfortunately, we did not find this one.



Our next try was called Swift Cache. Apparently, Blue Springs Park and Rec have decided to put up places for Chimney Swifts to nest. This was an easy one.






After dinner, we looked around an installation by Alexander Tylevich. It was named Favorite of the Year by Americans for the Arts Year in Review 2003. It was near here that Jason and I spotted a chicken out wandering around and thought it to be rather odd.




Our final stop was Tumble Weeds by Karl Saliter of Cornwall Bridge, Conn. This one took us a while, but we eventually got it before we called it a night.

Pogey rocks my face off! KC Irish Fest 2010

Just got back from the KC Irish Fest with Jason. Wore Jason's green Guinness shirt, ate bangers and mash, and jammed out to Pogey. Check out their opening number, which Jason captured with our new video camera.

Rainbows!

We had a nice summer shower today. After the rain, we turned off the air conditioning and opened the windows to let in breezes of cool air. It was SO nice! And while Jason and I were cooking dinner, I spotted a piece of a rainbow, which led me to go outside and discover a full rainbow over our neighborhood with a faint double along the outside. Beautiful!

Like moths to a flame

Last year, Jason and I had frogs living under our side deck. This year, we've witnessed an interesting act of nature. The frogs have moved to the front of the house, and when we leave the outside lights on to guide us into the house after a late evening out, we usually have at least one frog sitting in wait by the light. Sometimes we leave the light on longer than we need to "feed" the frogs.

Decorating with old icing

Halfway done - 20 weeks

World Cup final

I slept in today with the intention of heading to the World Cup watch party in the Power and Light District in time for the final game, but I woke up later than I planned and it was pouring down rain, so I stayed home and watched it online. Oh, Univision! How I wish I could understand you!

I enjoyed watching the game and was pleased that Spain pulled off the victory, even though I had really wanted Germany to win, and I felt that more players displayed more quality playing in earlier matches than in the final. It was a little underwhelming.

What I'm most excited about now is the U.S. bid for the World Cup in 2018 or 2022. Kansas City is a host city listed on the bid. How awesome would that be?! Make this dream a reality by getting involved.

Bachelorette party

I got invited to my cousin's bachelorette party in Kansas City, and while it was great fun, I have a sneaking suspicion that I was invited to be the guaranteed sober chauffeur. Nevertheless, I rocked it out until the wee morning hours with the bride-to-be and her matron of honor. We closed down Power and Light, and I returned them safely to their home.

Our trip to Target resulted in...

...M&M's and non-alcoholic beer. While Jason was a fan of the new pretzel M&M's, Amanda gave a thumbs-down to both.

Happy Independence Day from Bates City/Oak Grove

Jason and I were fortunate enough to be invited to the Rodge Lodge for dinner on July 3. We got to hang out with Brian and Kathleen while Brian's dad prepared the meal. It was amazing: salad, bread, potatoes and the best steak I've ever tasted in my life. Jason and I agreed that we would be willing to make reservations to come eat and pay for such a great meal. And because we are relatively new to the area and they hadn't gotten sick of us yet, Brian and Kathleen invited us to join them for fireworks at a local school on the 4th. Apparently, people shoot off the fireworks that they bring and enjoy what everyone else brings. We saw a nice display, but the festivities were cut short by the rain, so we headed back to the Rodge Lodge for ice cream. Good times.