...just in time for her to move to Germany! We will certainly miss her stateside but there are adventures to be had in foreign lands! I think she has a natural momminess about her. Willem totally dug the introduction... Smiling from tickles! And I must say, smelling lovely from the wonderful Burt's (Baby) Bees gifts. Did you all know that talc (our Baby Powder from way back) is actually a carcinogen!? The midwives suggested corn starch. Luckily, Burt's Bees makes a nice smelling non-talc powder for baby.
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Monday, August 28, 2006
Tummy Time
Tummy Time, I am discovering, is valuable for three main reasons: 1.) baby learns how to hold head up, use arms and legs; 2.) baby wears himself out in a productive manner rather than kicking and arm flinging as you hold him; and 3.) mommy can get things done while watching baby but not while negotiating the world with only one hand!!
Ah yes, and it provides PHOTO OPS!!!!
Ah yes, and it provides PHOTO OPS!!!!
Budding Friendship
Misha is getting quite attached to little Willem. This weekend we caught him napping with Willem. Hopefully this love will mean that the crawling and hair pulling phase will go smoothly! Until then we will all enjoy the fur baby and human puppy friendship.
Thursday, August 24, 2006
One Month Already
I can't believe Wiley is already a month old! Everyday he is doing something new and growing, growing, growing! Todd fed him his first bottle which he took to like a duck in water. Evidently there is no "nipple confusion." It was wild to watch Todd feed Willem... I thought my heart was going to burst out!
Willem had his first check up with his new pediatrician. It was great- he is now 11.88 lbs., 22.5 inches and his head grew about 2 cm! He is in the 96th percentile for weight! Whoa! Looks like we got an eater on our hands!
Willem had his first check up with his new pediatrician. It was great- he is now 11.88 lbs., 22.5 inches and his head grew about 2 cm! He is in the 96th percentile for weight! Whoa! Looks like we got an eater on our hands!
Family Picture
We have our new family picture... only missing Poushy. This was taken a few blocks away at the yard of our local scrap metal sculptor, Mike Roig.
One day we will own one of his sculptures!
One day we will own one of his sculptures!
Meet the Family
What a wonderful three weeks!! We had LOTS of family here (staying with Mom and Dad Bush... not our little place) to meet little Willem for the first time! They came from the far reaches of the Earth... from Florida to Montana to China. Little Zain is going to be a super big cousin (and big brother). He is already demonstrating his baby care skills including putting "Baby Michael" (play baby) into the car seat... baby may be upside down in the car seat but its a better job than Brittany Spears could do :)
Mom and Dad Sandvik came from Montana, Aunt Pat, Uncle Jud, and Tracy came from Florida, Grandmama and Charles from Florida, and Nate, Mindy, and Zain win the distance award for coming from CHINA!
It was wonderful to visit with everyone, to hear family baby stories (Aunt Pat told of her brother who was 20 pounds at BIRTH!!), to celebrate all sorts of events (Tracy's birthday, Nate and Mindy's anticipated baby boy, a respite from killer heat, etc., etc.).
The time also taught me (new mom) that it IS possible to DO things while caring for new born! Nice lesson!
Mom and Dad Sandvik came from Montana, Aunt Pat, Uncle Jud, and Tracy came from Florida, Grandmama and Charles from Florida, and Nate, Mindy, and Zain win the distance award for coming from CHINA!
It was wonderful to visit with everyone, to hear family baby stories (Aunt Pat told of her brother who was 20 pounds at BIRTH!!), to celebrate all sorts of events (Tracy's birthday, Nate and Mindy's anticipated baby boy, a respite from killer heat, etc., etc.).
The time also taught me (new mom) that it IS possible to DO things while caring for new born! Nice lesson!
Friday, August 04, 2006
Week 2 Check-up
here is a one handed post to update you all on little wiley's status: he is super. midwife jenny said he is big and beautiful... and so calm! he weighed in at 10lbs 4oz! Wow! 22 and 1/2 cm long. well... need to get him fed and to bed, maybe a nap for mommy too.
le nom
The only Willem that Todd and I have ever known of is the master actor, Willem Dafoe. After we brought little Willem home on July 22 we poked around on-line after talking with my sister, Judith, to discover who else shares his birthday... and surprise, surprise WILLEM DAFOE'S BIRTHDAY IS ALSO JULY 22!! Now people, we obviously could not have planned this. But how amazing, no? Is it a sign? Hmmm... what is in the stars for our little man?
Todd and I had a lot of fun picking out Willem's (Willem, pronounced almost like "William" but with the "em" versus "iam" at the end, with a "will" not a "vill"... heck... just like Willem Dafoe) name. We had a HUGE list of names we gathered. We spent many an hour knocking names around. Seeing what the initials ended up as, crossing out names that had possibilities for horrible name calling from meanies in school, and writing them out to see how they looked together. The manes were all of scando origin more or less... I mean the Vikings, Celts, etc. all really got around... why draw lines?
Willem Mikkel ended up striking both Todd and I very well. On March 16th we settled on it! And happily the name could accomodate a nickname that we both love... Wiley. And yes, we saw the name Wiley at the Wright Brother's museum on our honeymoon. Wiley Post was a pilot and inventor and led a pretty wild life all in all. http://www.acepilots.com/post.html
Willem is the Dutch version of William (From the Germanic name Wilhelm, which was composed of the elements wil "will, desire" and helm "helmet, protection". The name was introduced to Britain by the Normans. It has belonged to several rulers of England, Prussia, and Germany, including William the Conqueror, the first Norman king of England. Another famous bearer was William Tell, a legendary 14th-century hero from Switzerland. In the literary world it has been borne by dramatist William Shakespeare and poet William Blake, as well as contemporary authors William Faulkner and William S. Burroughs.)
Mikkel is the Scandinavian form of Michael (From the Hebrew name מִיכָאֵל (Mika'el) which meant "who is like God". This is the name of one of the seven archangels in Hebrew tradition and the only one identified as an archangel in the Bible. In the Book of Revelation in the New Testament he is portrayed as the leader of heaven's armies, and thus is considered the patron saint of soldiers. This was also the name of nine Byzantine emperors and a czar of Russia. Other more modern bearers of this name include the 19th-century chemist/physicist Michael Faraday and basketball player Michael Jordan.) The name can also be derived from the Scandinavian root mikill meaning "enormous".
Ekk... have to go! TIme for our two week check-up at the Birth Center. Look for news on how much weight he has gained... and I have lost!
Todd and I had a lot of fun picking out Willem's (Willem, pronounced almost like "William" but with the "em" versus "iam" at the end, with a "will" not a "vill"... heck... just like Willem Dafoe) name. We had a HUGE list of names we gathered. We spent many an hour knocking names around. Seeing what the initials ended up as, crossing out names that had possibilities for horrible name calling from meanies in school, and writing them out to see how they looked together. The manes were all of scando origin more or less... I mean the Vikings, Celts, etc. all really got around... why draw lines?
Willem Mikkel ended up striking both Todd and I very well. On March 16th we settled on it! And happily the name could accomodate a nickname that we both love... Wiley. And yes, we saw the name Wiley at the Wright Brother's museum on our honeymoon. Wiley Post was a pilot and inventor and led a pretty wild life all in all. http://www.acepilots.com/post.html
Willem is the Dutch version of William (From the Germanic name Wilhelm, which was composed of the elements wil "will, desire" and helm "helmet, protection". The name was introduced to Britain by the Normans. It has belonged to several rulers of England, Prussia, and Germany, including William the Conqueror, the first Norman king of England. Another famous bearer was William Tell, a legendary 14th-century hero from Switzerland. In the literary world it has been borne by dramatist William Shakespeare and poet William Blake, as well as contemporary authors William Faulkner and William S. Burroughs.)
Mikkel is the Scandinavian form of Michael (From the Hebrew name מִיכָאֵל (Mika'el) which meant "who is like God". This is the name of one of the seven archangels in Hebrew tradition and the only one identified as an archangel in the Bible. In the Book of Revelation in the New Testament he is portrayed as the leader of heaven's armies, and thus is considered the patron saint of soldiers. This was also the name of nine Byzantine emperors and a czar of Russia. Other more modern bearers of this name include the 19th-century chemist/physicist Michael Faraday and basketball player Michael Jordan.) The name can also be derived from the Scandinavian root mikill meaning "enormous".
Ekk... have to go! TIme for our two week check-up at the Birth Center. Look for news on how much weight he has gained... and I have lost!
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