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.