The First Thanksgiving

This Thanksgiving was definitely a happy one! I have SO many things to be thankful for, there is no way I could count them all. But here are a few that come to mind at the moment:

(in no particular order)

A Happy, Healthy, Handsome Baby Boy 

Tyson Stewart Nicholas

Skype

Chemotherapy

Sunshine

Best Friends

True Love

Employment

Dr. Levitan

Ice Cream

Jesus Christ

Baby Smiles

Empathy

Supportive Family

Photographs

Disposable Diapers

Humor

J.Crew

The Eversmans

and

Handprint Turkeys

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!





M.I.A.

Did you miss us?!? So this is the reason I was so hesitant to start a blog... posting is literally ALWAYS on my "To Do" list. And one more "to do" is the last thing we need right now! We are smack dab in the middle of the most hectic time in our lives (thus far). Here's just a FEW of the things that we've been up to the last couple of months:

Tyson took his last actuarial test!!

We find out if he passed (which I'm confident he did) in the beginning of January.  Boy oh boy, have these tests been a HUGE undertaking! He basically studies every free minute he has for 6 months straight, then takes a test that is harder than any test I could possibly comprehend taking (x150). When he passes this test, he will have his FSA! I told you I married the smartest man I've ever met : ) Good luck honey!!!

Trey Turned 3 Months Old!



I know it's a little anti-climatic (since he's almost FOUR months old)... but it was still exciting! He celebrated by holding himself upright on his arms for long periods of time, giggling, sleeping 7 hours in a row at night, and ROLLING OVER! He also had a growth spurt, and began drooling excessively... which makes us think he just might be in the beginning stages of teething!
 

Trey Started School at Primrose!

In order to maintain a little sanity, and bring in a little extra income, I decided to return to work part time. I feel extremely lucky to have a job that I enjoy at Ameriprise Financial, and they were willing to let me come back 10 hours a day on Mondays and Wednesdays. It is the PERFECT schedule! Who wouldn't want to only work 2 days a week?? I couldn't pass up it up... and so two days a week Trey attends "school" at Primrose School of Woodbury. I NEVER thought I would feel as comfortable with a daycare as I do with Primrose. He has two teachers, Mrs. Bohlson and Ms. Moor, whom Trey LOVES! They are wonderful with him, and we have been so impressed with everything. The owners of the daycare live in our new neighborhood, and all the office staff members know us by name, know our schedules, (and have even memorized my phone number because I call in so much : )  They pick up the phone and say "Hi Andrea! Trey's having a great day today! He's in the middle of his 2nd nap...etc.). He comes home every day with a memo of what he did that day! And he has made some of the cutest crafts and "Fridge Art" that I would never be creative enough or have the time to do with him myself. His favorite things are music time, and interacting with the other babies. They say that he is the happiest baby they have, and the best dressed. They call him their little "GQ baby" cause he's such a stud! One of the best things about Primrose is the location, it's right next door to our...

NEW HOUSE!!

We bought a 4 bedroom 3.5 bath townhouse in Woodbury, MN! It's still being built, and will be ours on December 22nd! We are SO excited to move in, as we are quickly outgrowing our 2 bedroom apartment in the city. Although we have absolutely loved the area we are in, we are really looking forward to the "burbs" so we have more space, more families to play with, and a shorter commute for Tyson. And I'll be honest, I'm excited to have a BRAND NEW house! Woodbury was named the 13th best city in America to live in, and we have been nothing but impressed so far.

FALL in Minnesota

If you don't remember our October last year, let me remind you:

One week after we moved to this gorgeous state, we had the third worst snow storm in the state's history. It was MISERABLE, and it was even worse that it happened so early in the season. This year, we had the most enjoyable fall I've ever seen! It was in the mid 60's and 70's for all of September, October and the first few weeks of November. In fact, we just barely got our first light snow of the season a couple of days ago. Trey and I took a lot of walks to utilize every second we could of the good weather:

 One weekend, we took a little drive to an orchard and picked out pumpkins and delicious apples!

 And then there were VISITORS!!!

I've said it before, and I'll say it again... I have the BEST friends a girl could ask for! First, my bestie Corinne came all the way from Charlotte, NC to see us! Corinne and I worked side by side for a few years at Beneficial Investment Services. We consider ourselves to be twins separated at birth because we are SO alike. I miss her like crazy, so it was fun to spend a few days taking walks, eating out, watching HGTV, and just catching up. We love you, Corinne!

About a week later, my other bestie Chelsy came to visit! Anyone who knows me knows Chels. We have been friends since the very first day of first grade, and we have been inseparable

I don't know what I would do without these two girls, and I am forever grateful that they would travel halfway across the country to visit us!

HALLOWEEN

...Was extremely uneventful and I pretty much forgot all about it until that morning. I dressed Trey in his Superman onesie and sent him to school before I got a picture. When he got home from school, he was very tired, so we immediately had a bath and dinner and went to bed. So unfortunately there is no documentation of our little Superman, but according to his teachers, he was "showing off his muscles all day!" They said the word spread around the school about how cute he was, and ALL the teachers stopped in to check out "the cutest Superman they ever saw!" I promise to dress him up soon just to take the picture. But in the meantime, feast your eyes on the cutest SuperSAM you will ever see!!!

and our little monster...

PHEW!! And those were just the highlights! Now for the things we have to look forward to:

1) Trey turning 4 months (with his immunisations scheduled for his appnt Dec. 2)

2) Packing all our belongings

3) Thanksgiving

4) Christmas shopping

5) A visit from our friend Mike - who's coming to the Vikings/Broncos game next week

6) Shopping for furniture, appliances, paint, decor, shower curtain rods, etc. etc. for our new house

7) Closing on our new house Dec. 22nd!!

8) Our trip to Utah Dec. 22nd!!

9) Christmas with our family and friends

10) Moving into our new HOME Dec. 28th!!

What an adventure!



Our 2 Month Old Conundrum

Trey after 2 Months:

Our little man is growing up SO quickly! Here are some of his milestones at two months:

WEIGHT: 11 lbs 15 oz  (25-50th percentile)
HEIGHT: 23 1/4 inches long (50-75th percentile)
HEAD:  39 cm  (25-50th percentile)
EYES: still very dark blue, but lightening up a tiny tiny bit
HAIR: light brown with a hint of strawberry blond. BUT there is a ton of white peach fuzz sprouting all over his head so I have a feeling it will lighten up soon.
SLEEP: he only wakes up one time at night! (he slept one time through the night but woke up dehydrated so I don't think we're going to push for that just yet). And now that he's eating more, he's napping like a champ! (for now, at least)
SMILES: Regular, abundant, and to DIE for. He's been smiling since he was 4 weeks!
DIMPLES: three, if you count the one in his chin. Also to DIE for.
GIGGLES: One. It was at daddy doing the robot... which WAS pretty hilarious
GRUNTS: fewer and fewer every day : (
EYELASHES: exactly 16 billion, 9 hundred thousand and 72.
SCOOTING: all over his crib all the time.
VOICE: He talks to me regularly...we have lengthy philosophical conversations. But his favorite thing to do is SING with me! He will literally try to mimic the song I'm singing to him. We make quite the duet.
FINGERS: he has found them! He sucks on them (usually in a fist), he's figured out how NOT to scratch himself (usually), he can hold on to a toy, and he loves holding mommy's hand while I feed him.
FRIENDS: the birds hanging from his bouncy seat, the lights on his gym, the mobile hanging above his crib, the baby on the Huggies package, and of course Mommy and Daddy.
STRENGTH: We have GI Joe for a baby. The Doctor was VERY impressed with his neck strength (which has been incredible since the day he was born), and was astounded that he's trying to roll over already. His kicks are even harder now that he's out of the womb, but he still loves to kick mommy in the ribs!
TICKLISH: Very.

Trey had is two month immunization shots this week:

My poor baby!! But he handled it like a champ!

We're having so much fun watching him grow and develop. Although every day I think maybe, JUST MAYBE we have things kind of figured out, he changes. He is definitely my little conundrum! And to think I used to be so good at puzzles...

Mommy after two months:

I can't believe my baby is two months old! And what a roller coaster these two months have been. I absolutely LOVE being Trey's mommy!! There is nothing in this world that makes me happier than his smile. I never thought I could be so willing to make a complete fool out of myself just to get a little grin!  Even in the middle of being fussy, if I smile at him... he'll stop and smile back at me. He is such a happy baby and I feel so blessed that he is so healthy. I know it's ridiculous, but I even miss him when he sleeps for a long time. I don't know how I'm going to handle going back to work NEXT WEEK. Thank goodness it's only 2 days a week.  I just ADORE my little man! (and my BIG man too!)

Daddy after 2 months:

We all know that Trey LOOKS exactly like Tyson, but he also ADORES his daddy as well! When Tyson comes home, Trey's eyes lock on him and do not leave him the rest of the evening. He watches everything that Ty does, and will smile at him, even when Ty's back is turned! It just melts my heart to see my two boys! Tyson is handling daddyhood very well, especially now that we're starting to get into a little bit of a routine and Trey's interacting and "talking" to us. Ty is taking his final actuarial test on Nov. 3rd, so he is studying a LOT, working hard all day, and still comes home every night to take care of his family. He is one incredible man! Although his new favorite joke is that he's "going out for a pack of cigarettes..."*  Not funny Ty, not funny.

* No, Tyson does not smoke. He's insinuating that he is "going out for a pack of cigarettes..." and not ever coming back. Yeah, THAT'S his sense of humor!

This Is The Place

Last week mommy and I visited all my friends and family in Salt Lake City! It was my first plane ride, and everyone thought I was so cute and well behaved! I got my first pair of "wings" from my new flight attendant friend!

 

I was so excited to see some familiar faces that I love...



Papa



Nana



Grandmama

I finally got to meet my Papa...

And I got to meet all my new cousins who I had so much fun playing with...

They all loved to hold me!



My cousin Sam calls me "Baby Train.. Choo Choo!"





And I got to meet my Aunts and Uncles...

 



Mommy didn't get a picture of me with my Aunt Nicole... but I spent a LOT of time in her arms! She could always put me right to sleep when I was fussy!

And even Daddy's Aunt Lana and Uncle Joe came to visit!

I got to go to lunch with mommy's college girlfriends, who all have baby girls! I was the only baby boy... I'd say my odds are pretty good! Mommy's friend Jenni had her baby, and mommy got to hold baby Gwen before we left! She was so tiny and beautiful!  I was never that little...

 I also got to meet my honorary Aunt Chelsy and her little boy Jake who is 3. We played in Nana's playroom, and I hope when I grow up that I'll be as well behaved and as charming as he is! I wish I got a picture with them and got to spend more time with them!

My honorary Aunt Megan stopped by to see me too! She has a baby girl growing in her belly, and she got to practice being a mommy with me for a few minutes. She totally passed the test and is going to make one amazing mama!

I guess you can say we had a pretty great time in Salt Lake! Thanks to everyone who loved on me, and next time we visit I hope I can see even MORE friends and family!



 













"You're gonna need a bigger boat"

NUH NAH...

NUH NAH...

NUH NAH...



HE'S COMING!!!!!

Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water...



So Many "FIRSTS"

Needless to say, this month has been full of a thousand "firsts" for both Trey and his parents. Here are some of the highlights...

FIRST DAY:



FIRST DIAPER CHANGE: Was amazingly handled by Tyson! I don't know where I was or what I was doing, but apparently Daddy handled the "crappy" situation all by himself in the hospital! Who would have ever thought? Of course, I think it was the first and LAST poopy diaper he's changed!

FIRST FAMILY PHOTO:

FIRST CAR RIDE:  Was home from the hospital



Trey was much calmer than the rest of us

FIRST OUTING:  We went to the Uptown Farmers Market outside our front door on Sunday. We buy the best fresh veggies, flowers, jewelry and yummy cucumber lemonade!

So this is really a picture of his "going out" outfit rather than the outing itself. We're really bad at remembering to take pictures of events.

FIRST  DR'S APPOINTMENT:  While we were waiting for the doctor, I suddenly felt very warm and wet. I stood up and found out Trey had peed through the tiniest of gaps in his diaper and wet ALL OVER ME. I was literally sitting in a puddle of pee. Good thing I wore black : )  When the nurse weighed him at our house five days after he was born, the nugget weighed 7 lbs 2 oz. When we went to the Dr's office on Monday morning, he weighed 8 lbs 2 oz. He gained an entire pound in TWO DAYS. He definitely got that gene from his mother. At our last Dr's appointment he weighed 10 lbs 2 oz.! We love seeing the dimples in his face, elbows, knees... and well, all over his body really!

FIRST RIDE IN THE BABYBJORN: 



He passed out 20 seconds after I put him in it. Do you think he likes it?

FIRST NICKNAME (given by daddy):  "Stripe"   This is from the 80's movie Gremlins. Sometimes he is "Gizmo" the sweet Mogwai gremlin:

And then sometimes he is "Stripe"... the evil gremlin that terrorizes the town

Most of the time he's Gizmo... but sometimes he is definitely our little monster!

FIRST BABYSITTER:  My gorgeous, amazing, generous, hilarious, inspirational, lovable friend Angela! She was the very first friend that I've made since we moved to the cities. She offered to watch Trey while we went to dinner, and it was the most relaxing three hours we've had in a month. She is a lifesaver, and I owe her a LOT! Trey loves his honorary Aunt Angie!

FIRST SMILE:  The moment we were waiting for happened the day he turned 4 weeks old! Isn't this to DIE FOR?!!

I truly think this smile could be the solution to world peace

FIRST MONTH:  We survived!! And (I) celebrated with a cupcake!

Handmade With Love

Needless to say, our little guy has been SPOILED ROTTEN by all our friends and family! We can't thank everyone enough for all the generous gifts, well wishes, advice and support! One of our favorite gifts was from my sister Tracie and my niece Kelsie. They made Trey a navy polka dot quilt that matches his crib. We love it, and feel so special that it was handmade with love!

Despite the look on his face... he really does love it!

I also attempted to make a mobile to hang above his crib. It's a little crazy looking, but it does entertain him for a few extra minutes in the morning when he wakes up!