Father's Day

Yes, it was last month.  But, we just finished our Father's Day gifts for Griff over the weekend.

This year, we wents the arts and crafts route.  Madelyn and I purchased two stepping stone kits (in May) for Griff.  One for her and one for her soon to born little brother.  With Honey's help, we made hers in May and hid it at Honey and Poppie's house until we were ready to gift it to Griff. 

As for Sawyer's, rather than try to complete it after Sawyer arrived and before Father's Day, we decided to gift it un-made so Griff could help put it together.  It sort of seemed like the kind of thing Griff would enjyoing doing anyway.

So, on Saturday morning, the project began.

And on Sunday morning, the completed stone was placed in the yard next to Madelyn's stone.  The two look perfect together.  Madelyn and Sawyer get bigger every day but their hand and footprints won't change.  They will forever remind of us 2011 and our first year in this house.

1 Month Old

Well, our little brother is officially one month old.  I'm not sure how it happened.  The month of June seems like a blur but, if I recall correctly, that seems to be the norm with newborns.  At any rate, here we are!  Below are our noteworthy "milestones" to date -

* Eats and sleeps like a champ.  At 3-1/2 weeks, he weighed 10 lb 1 oz and he sleeps approximately 18-20 hours a day.

* Eyes appear to be turning blue.

* Loves bath time.

* Loves his big sister.  She loves him, too.  In fact, she always want him to sit next to her (in his bouncy chair on the floor) at dinner time.

* Is getting some good head control.

I'm sure I'll think of more things as soon I hit Publish Post but oh well.  I can include them next time.

Happy one month birthday, little man!

Week four

Life is finally starting to feel like normal again this week. While it's not the pre-June 6 normal, and I'm happy for that, we're getting back into our routine. Madelyn, Sawyer, and I have had quite the busy week.

Monday - Grocery shopping in the morning. Playground and fountains in the afternoon. I really want to use the Baby Bjorn more with Sawyer than I did with Madelyn. We successfully grocery shopped with Sawyer in the Bjorn. And, Madelyn got a Lightning McQueen car for being such a good helper.

Tuesday - Play date in our old neighborhood with our friends, Andrea and Rowen (former next door neighbors). It was HOT and fun. Life in Stapleton appears to be good. Our old house looked fine but weird with someone else's furniture on the front porch. But, it was good to return to our new home afterward.

Wednesday - Swimming at the rec center with Honey and Poppie. Poppie and Madelyn swam at both the indoor and outdoor pools while Honey and I watched and Sawyer slept. It was another hot one but, luckily, we got a little relief with some afternoon clouds. Also, had dinner with the Andersons at Grandpa's house.

Thursday - Playgroup and bike parade with the Mom's Club. Still tired from yesterday, Madelyn didn't want to stay too far from my side and that's okay. We had a good time with our new friends and Madelyn marched in the parade since we didn't bring her bike along.

Friday (TBD) - Weight check for Sawyer and story time at the library. A quiet day before the long weekend might not be such a bad idea but we'll see where the day leads us.

Sawyer is still eating a lot but we're settling into a little schedule. He's sleeping between 3-4 hours at night. I'm getting a little more rest as well. I'll never again be fully rested and I'm okay with that. That's why they make under eye concealer. I wouldn't trade my Mdelyn or my Sawyer for anything.

He's Here!

After making peace with a scheduled Cesarean, I went to bed on June 5 with a renewed sense of calm about the upcoming week's events.  However, at 1:15A on June 6, this baby decided he was coming on his own and I went into labor.

Not having had this experience with Madelyn, the two hours between when labor started and we were admitted to the hospital were exciting and scary.  Thank goodness we weren't making the drive from our house to Rose Medical Center during morning rush hour.  And, a big thank you to the karma folks for the fact we hit no red lights on Colorado Blvd at 2:30 in the morning!

At 4:07P on June 6, our much anticipated "new hire", Sawyer Mally Anderson, came into the world.  He was delivered at Rose Medical Center in Denver by Dr Honey Onstad and weighed 7 pounds 7 ounces.  (Yes, I did find it ironic that she has the same first name as our Honey.) 



He's a sweet little boy with a head full of dark hair and eye color that is yet to be determined.  His feet, hands, and arms make us wonder if he might not someday break the Olympic swimming records set by Michael Phelps a few years ago.

Madelyn adores her little brother and has been a great big sister from their very first meeting at the hospital.  She brings him his pacifier or his burp cloth and does her best to comfort him.  Last night, as we drove home from Grammy and Grandad's, Sawyer sneezed a few times and later began crying.  Without any prompting from us, she blessed him for each sneeze and when the crying started, in a sweet, soft voice repeated, "It's okay. We're almost home, buddy."

I can remember what it was like to get a little more sleep.  But, the pre-Sawyer days seem like they were ages ago.  When I get really exhausted, I just remind myself of the Darius Rucker song "It Won't Be Like This for Long" and it puts it all back into perspective.

Welcome home, Sawyer!  We love you and are so happy you're finally here.

Father's Day 2011

Interview on a Train Ride.

Happy Father's Day Griff Daddy! We love you!

Memorial Day 2011

Our family Memorial Day celebrations get more and more interesting each year.  One of the highlights of this year's Anderson-Gilbert get together included wheelbarrow racing.

Madelyn really wanted me to ride with her at one point but the general consensus was that wheelbarrow racing wasn't a good idea for someone in my condition.  Unless...

Hot mess

After a good playground date and time well spent digging and playing this morning in a very wet sandbox, all you need is an apple and your skivvies to unwind.

From this point forward, I'll keep a swimsuit and a change of clothes in the diaper bag should we encounter any other wet and/or messy places that need our attention.

This is the life.

Getting ready

One by one, I'm getting things checked off my list.  Yesterday afternoon, after much deliberation and Internet searching, I ordered our double stroller.  It's the Graco Quattro Tour Duo Stroller (see picture below) in the Zurich color combination.  Madelyn and I discussed it and we decided she would ride in front while Brother rode in the back.  At least, that's the plan for now. 

For a long time, I thought I wanted the double BOB.  I LOVE our single BOB and have been so happy with it.  But, after having a double BOB for a weekend and realizing how massive it is (It barely fit in the trunk of my Outback wagon!), I started to move away from the double BOB.  Plus, for what the double BOB costs, I'm not sure I could get all my money's worth out of it.  So, the Graco stroller it is!

My hairdresser laughed at me the other night and informed me that I'm definitely nesting.  I found a floor cleaner for the tile and have mopped several times.  Am finally almost at peace with all the tile on our first floor.  Griff installed the shelves in Brother's closet last night.  They look great!  He designed and built them even better than what I initially requested!  (Today, he'll do Madelyn's closet as well.)  Brother's nightstand from IKEA arrived and is assembled.  I just might be able to bring a baby home to this room.  Oh, and at least one of the car seats will be installed this weekend so that if "Thundercats are go!" we'll be street legal.







And, now I must go show my paws and play helicopter or balls on the stairs with Madelyn and Daddy.  Yes, we play on the steps.  I guess I'm a little more relaxed than I used to be.  :)

Anderson, Anderson, & Anderson

Last Friday was my last official day at Pura Vida.  It was supposed to have been the previous week but they asked me to stay on a little longer so I committed to one extra week.  After a short and fast weekend, including several WONDERFUL Mother's Day get togethers with family, I started my new job at Anderson, Anderson, & Anderson on Monday.

For those of you who don't know, I have taken on the full time role as VP of Household Operations and presently supervise one individual.  We're staffing up within the next 30 days though and I'll be adding a second supervisee before too long.  We may have to apply for a trade name change because Anderson, Anderson, Anderson, and Anderson is just too long.  Perhaps, Anderson & Co?  I'm just not sure.

Our transition has gone well.  Monday was a long day which included a 3-1/2 hour nap by Madelyn that I cut off at 430P.  But, we've had a good week and are developing our new routine.  Yes, our new routine will be adjusted as the newest Anderson comes on board but hopefully I'm helping to make Madelyn's adjustment that much easier.  And, in spite of the increased noise, I think Griff even enjoys having us around.