Emma is 10 months old today! Wow!
She has started to imitate and respond to prompts from us. The other night Kathie took her out of the bathroom after bath time and I said "Bye Bye Emma" and she started waving and said something that sounded suspiciously like "Bye Bye". If I fake sneeze for her, she'll make a 'choo' sound... well, it's really more like "Shhh", but she does it in response to us.
Braden has a bad ear infection. He had a fever of 103 last night and was very uncomfortable. I think he had his first experience with aches, as he complained a lot when you moved his arms or picked him up. Hopefully the medicine will start working quickly.
We're looking forward to having our family here for Thanksgiving! Even if we're a little stressed out about getting everything done.
Monday, November 12, 2007
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Talking...
The other night Braden used three words in a sentence! We were playing on the floor... he'd tackle me or just try to climb on my back and I'd fall down. When I took a break he thought was too long, he'd grab me by the pants and pull me back up. I asked him to use his words and he, without prompting, said "Up Please Daddy."
I was amazed! He's starting to get it and really making some progress. He's got a ways to go yet, but that just thrilled me!
I was amazed! He's starting to get it and really making some progress. He's got a ways to go yet, but that just thrilled me!
TV Review
The new TV is up and running. I think it's spectacular. Kathie isn't too sure, and she thinks she's getting headaches from it. Too bad, I'm not taking it back :)
I installed it while Braden was napping. He came down stairs while I was watching a Dinosaur show on Discovery in 1080i on Discovery. His only comment was "Woah!". But, considering his current vocabulary level, that's probably not surprising.
I absolutely love the TV. The picture is amazing and the features are cool. I'm a little disappointed in Time Warner's HD offerings though. The channels are in goofy spots and they just don't have that many channels. But I'm sure that will improve over time. Or maybe Mark can hook me up with U-Verse from AT&T.
Emma likes the TV too... she can stand in front of it and talk to it without having to hang on for dear life. We have it on a coffee table so there is plenty of places for her to 'cruise' in front of it.
I installed it while Braden was napping. He came down stairs while I was watching a Dinosaur show on Discovery in 1080i on Discovery. His only comment was "Woah!". But, considering his current vocabulary level, that's probably not surprising.
I absolutely love the TV. The picture is amazing and the features are cool. I'm a little disappointed in Time Warner's HD offerings though. The channels are in goofy spots and they just don't have that many channels. But I'm sure that will improve over time. Or maybe Mark can hook me up with U-Verse from AT&T.
Emma likes the TV too... she can stand in front of it and talk to it without having to hang on for dear life. We have it on a coffee table so there is plenty of places for her to 'cruise' in front of it.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Welcome to the 21st century, Ehlke family.
That's right... the Ehlke family is now joining the current century of TV technology. The new LCD HDTV arrives today. Braden can now watch JJ the Jet Plane in glorious 16:9 wide-screen on a 52" LCD. Well, he could if the DVD was actually wide screen... instead he'll have to watch the auto-expanded image. But still... it will be awesome. And just think of how Curious George will look in HD!?!
My wife finally talked me into getting the TV I've wanted for so long. She's been so patient with me and my see-saw battle with my addiction... "We should get an HDTV... no, we shouldn't... we don't NEED it... but it'd be so nice watching Packer games... but it's too much... we have the kids to feed and other expenses" :)
My only regret is that the Packers don't play the Bears, because it'd be really great to watch them trounce the bears for the first game we see in HD.
My wife finally talked me into getting the TV I've wanted for so long. She's been so patient with me and my see-saw battle with my addiction... "We should get an HDTV... no, we shouldn't... we don't NEED it... but it'd be so nice watching Packer games... but it's too much... we have the kids to feed and other expenses" :)
My only regret is that the Packers don't play the Bears, because it'd be really great to watch them trounce the bears for the first game we see in HD.
Monday, October 22, 2007
Pumpkins and Mulch
Uncle Brett and Aunt Lori came over Saturday to carve pumpkins. And we suckered Uncle Brett into helping haul mulch. We had 6 yards of mulch and Brett and I moved it all in about 2 hours! I think Braden has to take the most credit though... he and his mini-wheelbarrow really hauled mulch!
Aunt Lori carves a mean pumpkin! Unfortunately Braden decided he didn't like getting his hands all messy and didn't really help that much. Maybe next year! Emma would have loved helping, I think. But once again, her mean parents wouldn't let her play.
Aunt Lori carves a mean pumpkin! Unfortunately Braden decided he didn't like getting his hands all messy and didn't really help that much. Maybe next year! Emma would have loved helping, I think. But once again, her mean parents wouldn't let her play.
Friday, October 12, 2007
Happy Oct 12th!
Hello all of my faithful blog readers! All one of you. I know you're saying "Well, if you'd blog more than once a decade, that might change!".
Emma is now 9 months old! Braden is still two years old. Funny how we count the months until you hit two years, then stop. I suppose it's a bit easier... after all, it'd be hard to keep track... for example, I'm 438 months old.
Now for the Ehlke news. Emma is a monkey. She climbs everything i
n sight, including the dishwasher, as you can see! She'll be walking soon, I'm sure. She also babbles like...well... a girl! Braden never babbled like her. She's doing it constantly; well, at least when she's not screaming at something that isn't doing what she thinks it should. She is eating solid foods like a champ and sleeps through the night for the most part.
Braden is still struggling with his speech. But we are seeing some great improvements. He's still quite a bit behind the curve, but he is really starting to use more and more words. We are nervous he has something called Apraxia.
We'll let you look that one up, but the basics are that he knows what words to use, but he just can't get his mouth to make the words. He still isn't putting two words together and that seems to support a diagnosis of Apraxia.
He is definitely becoming more active and agile though. The speech/physical therapy people believe it's all tied to an inner ear issue and that he was slightly behind in things like jumping and agility. He's a little jumping been now and just loves tackling his dad.
Braden is going to school three days a week and loves it! We worry a little that it's frustrating for him with all the other kids talking, but he really seems to get along well and has a great time. We notice a lot of things he picks up from school, like using scissors.
Kathie and I are dieting. Yipee! We've been taking a weight management class at our gym and have learned a lot. Kathie calls me the nutrition nazi now, as I've been planning and cooking most of the meals. The good news is Kathie has lost 5 pounds and I've lost 16 pounds! I feel great and know I can keep it up!
Kathie has also started working. She makes survey calls from home at night. She says it's boring work, but I think she really enjoys it. Don't worry, she's only calling people in California, so most of you won't have to worry about her calling during dinner; at least not for work.
There are lots of new pictures up on our photo site... check them out. No, really, check them out!!!!
Emma is now 9 months old! Braden is still two years old. Funny how we count the months until you hit two years, then stop. I suppose it's a bit easier... after all, it'd be hard to keep track... for example, I'm 438 months old.
Now for the Ehlke news. Emma is a monkey. She climbs everything i
n sight, including the dishwasher, as you can see! She'll be walking soon, I'm sure. She also babbles like...well... a girl! Braden never babbled like her. She's doing it constantly; well, at least when she's not screaming at something that isn't doing what she thinks it should. She is eating solid foods like a champ and sleeps through the night for the most part.Braden is still struggling with his speech. But we are seeing some great improvements. He's still quite a bit behind the curve, but he is really starting to use more and more words. We are nervous he has something called Apraxia.
We'll let you look that one up, but the basics are that he knows what words to use, but he just can't get his mouth to make the words. He still isn't putting two words together and that seems to support a diagnosis of Apraxia. He is definitely becoming more active and agile though. The speech/physical therapy people believe it's all tied to an inner ear issue and that he was slightly behind in things like jumping and agility. He's a little jumping been now and just loves tackling his dad.
Braden is going to school three days a week and loves it! We worry a little that it's frustrating for him with all the other kids talking, but he really seems to get along well and has a great time. We notice a lot of things he picks up from school, like using scissors.
Kathie and I are dieting. Yipee! We've been taking a weight management class at our gym and have learned a lot. Kathie calls me the nutrition nazi now, as I've been planning and cooking most of the meals. The good news is Kathie has lost 5 pounds and I've lost 16 pounds! I feel great and know I can keep it up!
Kathie has also started working. She makes survey calls from home at night. She says it's boring work, but I think she really enjoys it. Don't worry, she's only calling people in California, so most of you won't have to worry about her calling during dinner; at least not for work.
There are lots of new pictures up on our photo site... check them out. No, really, check them out!!!!
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Two firsts!
Yes, I know... it's been too long since I've blogged. Sorry. Life goes on in the real world though!
Braden had two firsts this week. Saturday was Kid Fest at the local shopping center. He went down a huge slide with Mom & Dad, got to sit in a fire engine, and rode his first pony! He was very excited about all of it!
Braden had two firsts this week. Saturday was Kid Fest at the local shopping center. He went down a huge slide with Mom & Dad, got to sit in a fire engine, and rode his first pony! He was very excited about all of it!
His other first was going to Miller Park to see a ball game! He was so excited about that he didn't take a nap that day. He thought it was pretty cool that they had a baseball diamond inside. I think he even recognized it as what we watch on TV at home. He did really well, but I have to say it's a lot more exhausting going to a game with a two year old! He really enjoyed walking around the concourse and playing in the KidZone playground. The fireworks after home runs were cool, but a little scary with all that cheering. And speaking of cheering... boy was it fun being able to scream and yell as loud as you want!
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Two years already!?!?
First, I'm sorry. The snow we got yesterday was all my fault. I packed our shovels. Doh!
Braden turns two today! Wow! We're pretty sure he doesn't know what that means, but you never know. He still isn't talking, but boy he can scream. Which is right about on schedule with the terrible twos. We are looking at putting him in day care a couple mornings a week so he gets some more socialization. I think that'll be good for him AND mom.
Speaking of talking..um.. nice pun. Speaking of talking... we are enrolled in classes to help Braden talk starting in May. Yeah... this makes alot of sense to me. Braden can't talk, so Kathie and I have to go to school?!? How is that fair????
We packed another 7 boxes last night! Yeah! Don't laugh... that's a lot with our current work load with the kids. The work room down stairs is empty, the bar is all packed up (well, except the liquor, which we may need another truck to haul), and we've got all the books stowed away. We're in pretty good shape, but it's still going to be a busy couple weeks. 15 days to moving day!
Braden turns two today! Wow! We're pretty sure he doesn't know what that means, but you never know. He still isn't talking, but boy he can scream. Which is right about on schedule with the terrible twos. We are looking at putting him in day care a couple mornings a week so he gets some more socialization. I think that'll be good for him AND mom.
Speaking of talking..um.. nice pun. Speaking of talking... we are enrolled in classes to help Braden talk starting in May. Yeah... this makes alot of sense to me. Braden can't talk, so Kathie and I have to go to school?!? How is that fair????
We packed another 7 boxes last night! Yeah! Don't laugh... that's a lot with our current work load with the kids. The work room down stairs is empty, the bar is all packed up (well, except the liquor, which we may need another truck to haul), and we've got all the books stowed away. We're in pretty good shape, but it's still going to be a busy couple weeks. 15 days to moving day!
Monday, March 26, 2007
Move Update and stuff...
I know you're surprised to see I haven't blogged in weeks. It's rare, but it does happen! :)
Emma is now smiling and laughing. It's a great smile! The laugh isn't really a big laugh, but you can tell when she gets really happy/excited about the goofy faces you're making at her that she laughs.
She had her 2 month checkup last Friday. She is 50th percentile in height, weight and head size. She was down around 10th percentile at birth... so she's gaining! Everything else looks great!
Move stuff... sit down, this is going to be long. We are pretty much all set to go. Only thing we are really waiting on is our buyers' loan committal and that shouldn't be a problem. We got our loan approved last week. We did get some bad news though... we can't get into the house until we actually own the house. No, that's not unusual, but since our seller is moving out today, we were hoping we'd be able to at least get in the garage early to move some of our stuff gradually. But the relocation company technically owns the house and they said no.
But we're confident we can make it work. We're going to get a POD system and put it in our driveway and start moving boxes into it. Then we'll rent a U-haul to move the furniture. We'll have to pack the U-haul up on Thursday night and move it over Friday.
Emma is now smiling and laughing. It's a great smile! The laugh isn't really a big laugh, but you can tell when she gets really happy/excited about the goofy faces you're making at her that she laughs.
She had her 2 month checkup last Friday. She is 50th percentile in height, weight and head size. She was down around 10th percentile at birth... so she's gaining! Everything else looks great!
Move stuff... sit down, this is going to be long. We are pretty much all set to go. Only thing we are really waiting on is our buyers' loan committal and that shouldn't be a problem. We got our loan approved last week. We did get some bad news though... we can't get into the house until we actually own the house. No, that's not unusual, but since our seller is moving out today, we were hoping we'd be able to at least get in the garage early to move some of our stuff gradually. But the relocation company technically owns the house and they said no.
But we're confident we can make it work. We're going to get a POD system and put it in our driveway and start moving boxes into it. Then we'll rent a U-haul to move the furniture. We'll have to pack the U-haul up on Thursday night and move it over Friday.
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Water Heater...
The buyers for our house want $500 from us to cover replacing the water heater. Their realter said that's about half of the cost. Wow... I'm not sure what kind of water heater they want to put in, but I can get one for $250 and install it myself.
Monday, March 12, 2007
It's Dark Out!
For some odd reason it's still dark out when I get to work now. But all that extra sunlight at night..er... I mean... you know what I mean! It's nice that we have an extra hour of sun after Braden's nap time, especially with how warm it has been this weekend! It's just too bad the snow is going away because Braden really likes throwing snow balls at Dad and jumping in snow banks.
Our house (the current one... this gets confusing after a while!) was inspected on Sunday. Our realtor sent us over to Thunder Bay Grille for brunch while it was going on, which was very nice of her. (We're paying her a ton of money to sell our house, but it was STILL nice).
The only thing that came up during the inspection was that they thought our water heater was on its last legs. They think this because it makes a lot of noise while it's reheating the water... a noice that it has been making for...well... as long as I've had the house. So, either its last legs are really strong legs or it's fine. We'll find out today what the buyers want to do about it.
Our realtor will check out the buyers' financing today and see how things our going. If things look good, we'll mark the house as 'Active with Offer' and we won't have to show it anymore! Yeah!
Our house (the current one... this gets confusing after a while!) was inspected on Sunday. Our realtor sent us over to Thunder Bay Grille for brunch while it was going on, which was very nice of her. (We're paying her a ton of money to sell our house, but it was STILL nice).
The only thing that came up during the inspection was that they thought our water heater was on its last legs. They think this because it makes a lot of noise while it's reheating the water... a noice that it has been making for...well... as long as I've had the house. So, either its last legs are really strong legs or it's fine. We'll find out today what the buyers want to do about it.
Our realtor will check out the buyers' financing today and see how things our going. If things look good, we'll mark the house as 'Active with Offer' and we won't have to show it anymore! Yeah!
Friday, March 09, 2007
Friday.
Another day where my lack of wit shines through with a stupid title :)
Inspection of our house is scheduled for Sunday... I'll be fixing the window in Braden's room Saturday. Hopefully it works!
I'm stressed out. I'm not getting enough done at work. I've got a lot to do at home with the house. We have to figure out a plan for moving. Baptism party is in a week (luckily the house is still somewhat clean from the showings!). My Aunt won't return my phone calls, or anyone else's. I don't remember what a hockey rink looks like. We have two kids under two at home.
But you know, all in all, things are still pretty great! Plus, this stress seems to be helping my diet as I've lost 10 lbs!
Inspection of our house is scheduled for Sunday... I'll be fixing the window in Braden's room Saturday. Hopefully it works!
I'm stressed out. I'm not getting enough done at work. I've got a lot to do at home with the house. We have to figure out a plan for moving. Baptism party is in a week (luckily the house is still somewhat clean from the showings!). My Aunt won't return my phone calls, or anyone else's. I don't remember what a hockey rink looks like. We have two kids under two at home.
But you know, all in all, things are still pretty great! Plus, this stress seems to be helping my diet as I've lost 10 lbs!
Thursday, March 08, 2007
It's Thursday!
No, Thursday isn't some special day. I just couldn't think of a title.
Emma now weighs 10.5 pounds! The girl is growing fast!
We found out yesterday that our new house has very low levels of Radon, which is very good. Waukesha is terrible for Radon. We agreed to an refund from our seller to cover any caulking expenses on the new house if we decide to do the caulking this year. We're still waiting on our buyers to find out when they want to do the inspection.
Emma now weighs 10.5 pounds! The girl is growing fast!
We found out yesterday that our new house has very low levels of Radon, which is very good. Waukesha is terrible for Radon. We agreed to an refund from our seller to cover any caulking expenses on the new house if we decide to do the caulking this year. We're still waiting on our buyers to find out when they want to do the inspection.
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
Time Flies!
So I was thinking about how quickly all this house 'stuff' has happened and thought I should document the time line. Next to Mark moving twice in one day, this may be some kind of record! And I do realize that if I'd just blogged every day, I wouldn't have to do it all in one post like this...after all, a blog is a kind of time line in itself. Doh.
Tuesday, 2/20: Kathie sticks her nose in the internet again and finds a house that would be perfect. We've been down this road before and the houses usually are far from perfect once you seen them. She contacts the realtor so we can see it and confirm that.
Wed, 2/21: We see the house. Major flaw with it. There's nothing we don't like about it. Soul and budget searching process begins.
Thur, 2/22: Scott spends another 6 hours working on his spreadsheet that analyzes our budget and the affect of rising Venus in the house of Mars and a harvest moon. Determine that we could probably make it happen. No, wait, we can't make it happen. No, we can make it happen. (Repeat last 3 steps a bunch of times). Kathie realizes we don't know where to put the cat boxes in new house. My solution... get rid of the cats.
Fri, 2/23: Parents are in town. We arrange to see the house next door that is comparable with a bigger lot, but more expensive. House sucks..er.. is nice but has some problems. Naturally stop by other house for another chance for some glaring problem to come up. Instead we find a solution to the cat box problem and now the house is even more attractive.
Realtor visits our house to give us a number she thinks we can get. It's not bad.
Sat, 2/24: Parents leave after bestowing an appropriate amount of good advice on us. We ignore the advice and make an offer on the house anyway. No... that's not right... their advice was in no way that we shouldn't go for it. It was just sound, good advice that, if anything, leaned towards us going for it. We write the offer in the house. Scott manages to sign the offer sheets without having a heart attack!
Sun, 2/25: Realtor informs us the seller is drinking champagne in celebration of our offer and has basically accepted. Offer has to go through her relocation company though. Operation House Declutter begins at our house.
Mon, 2/26: Mad cleaning continues. Relo company has paperwork, but is too busy drinking coffee or something to get it wrapped up. Should be done by Tuesday.
Tues, 2/27: Scott takes off work and helps magically make all the clutter in our house disappear. Relo company has read our offer and is 'working on it.' Should know tomorrow... which of course is the last day they can accept.
Wed, 2/28: Our offer is accepted!!!! What have we done????? We have first showing of our house. It's not listed yet, but our realtor knew someone who wanted to see it.
Thur, 2/29...er... 3/1: Realtor takes pictures of our house. Forgets to take room dimensions as they were supposed to be on our old MLS listing. House goes up on MLS listings at 11 PM
Fri, 3/2: Have first 'real' showing. Realtor fixes some pictures and takes room dimensions.
Sat, 3/3: Have 3 more showings. Find out Friday showing wants to make an offer.
Sun, 3/4: Have another 3 showings. 2 more offers are coming in.
Mon, 3/5: Home inspection for the new house goes well. There are some issues with the caulking on the exterior siding that will have to be fixed at the seller's expense, but everything else looks great. We have 3 offers on the table to choose from. Realtor has done an excellent job playing the offers against each other to try and get them to 'put their best foot forward' as she puts it. We accept a great offer from a newly married couple. I'm worried Kathie may stalk them because we met them Sunday and she liked them. We won't tell them, but she'd probably have given them the house...ok, maybe not. They are very excited about us accepting their offer.
Tues, 3/6: Lock in financing (5.875%) as our closing date is now probably Apr 27th.
Tuesday, 2/20: Kathie sticks her nose in the internet again and finds a house that would be perfect. We've been down this road before and the houses usually are far from perfect once you seen them. She contacts the realtor so we can see it and confirm that.
Wed, 2/21: We see the house. Major flaw with it. There's nothing we don't like about it. Soul and budget searching process begins.
Thur, 2/22: Scott spends another 6 hours working on his spreadsheet that analyzes our budget and the affect of rising Venus in the house of Mars and a harvest moon. Determine that we could probably make it happen. No, wait, we can't make it happen. No, we can make it happen. (Repeat last 3 steps a bunch of times). Kathie realizes we don't know where to put the cat boxes in new house. My solution... get rid of the cats.
Fri, 2/23: Parents are in town. We arrange to see the house next door that is comparable with a bigger lot, but more expensive. House sucks..er.. is nice but has some problems. Naturally stop by other house for another chance for some glaring problem to come up. Instead we find a solution to the cat box problem and now the house is even more attractive.
Realtor visits our house to give us a number she thinks we can get. It's not bad.
Sat, 2/24: Parents leave after bestowing an appropriate amount of good advice on us. We ignore the advice and make an offer on the house anyway. No... that's not right... their advice was in no way that we shouldn't go for it. It was just sound, good advice that, if anything, leaned towards us going for it. We write the offer in the house. Scott manages to sign the offer sheets without having a heart attack!
Sun, 2/25: Realtor informs us the seller is drinking champagne in celebration of our offer and has basically accepted. Offer has to go through her relocation company though. Operation House Declutter begins at our house.
Mon, 2/26: Mad cleaning continues. Relo company has paperwork, but is too busy drinking coffee or something to get it wrapped up. Should be done by Tuesday.
Tues, 2/27: Scott takes off work and helps magically make all the clutter in our house disappear. Relo company has read our offer and is 'working on it.' Should know tomorrow... which of course is the last day they can accept.
Wed, 2/28: Our offer is accepted!!!! What have we done????? We have first showing of our house. It's not listed yet, but our realtor knew someone who wanted to see it.
Thur, 2/29...er... 3/1: Realtor takes pictures of our house. Forgets to take room dimensions as they were supposed to be on our old MLS listing. House goes up on MLS listings at 11 PM
Fri, 3/2: Have first 'real' showing. Realtor fixes some pictures and takes room dimensions.
Sat, 3/3: Have 3 more showings. Find out Friday showing wants to make an offer.
Sun, 3/4: Have another 3 showings. 2 more offers are coming in.
Mon, 3/5: Home inspection for the new house goes well. There are some issues with the caulking on the exterior siding that will have to be fixed at the seller's expense, but everything else looks great. We have 3 offers on the table to choose from. Realtor has done an excellent job playing the offers against each other to try and get them to 'put their best foot forward' as she puts it. We accept a great offer from a newly married couple. I'm worried Kathie may stalk them because we met them Sunday and she liked them. We won't tell them, but she'd probably have given them the house...ok, maybe not. They are very excited about us accepting their offer.
Tues, 3/6: Lock in financing (5.875%) as our closing date is now probably Apr 27th.
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
What housing market slow down?
We put our house on the market last Thursday. We had about 6 showings this weekend. Monday night we had 3 offers on the table to pick from and accepted an offer for more than our original asking price.
We're still a bit in shock at how quickly it went!
As of right now, we're moving on April 27th! Only things left in the air our the inspection of our current house and making sure all the financing is buttoned up.
We're still a bit in shock at how quickly it went!
As of right now, we're moving on April 27th! Only things left in the air our the inspection of our current house and making sure all the financing is buttoned up.
Thursday, March 01, 2007
Mad eanoffer
For those of you keeping score, I believe 'mad eanoffer' is greek or hebrew for 'my youngest brother is a smart a##'.
Well, we did it. We made an offer on a house. And last night the offer was accepted. We're very, very, very excited and more than a little scared. The next few months are going to be quite hectic. We have to sell our house, find financing, find Kathie a job to pay for the house, have a baptism party, have a birthday party or two, move into a new house and get settled.
Well, ok, maybe I'm getting ahead of myself here. First we need to sell our house. Anyone want to buy a house????
Sonya, if you're reading this, we're moving close to you! By about two miles! Now if you guys move two miles orth and we repeat that process, eventually we'll be neighbors again. By then the Bears or the Packers might actually have won a super bowl again ;)
The new house is off of Hwy 18, east of Hwy TT in Waukesha... 2 miles southwest of our current house.
Well, we did it. We made an offer on a house. And last night the offer was accepted. We're very, very, very excited and more than a little scared. The next few months are going to be quite hectic. We have to sell our house, find financing, find Kathie a job to pay for the house, have a baptism party, have a birthday party or two, move into a new house and get settled.
Well, ok, maybe I'm getting ahead of myself here. First we need to sell our house. Anyone want to buy a house????
Sonya, if you're reading this, we're moving close to you! By about two miles! Now if you guys move two miles orth and we repeat that process, eventually we'll be neighbors again. By then the Bears or the Packers might actually have won a super bowl again ;)
The new house is off of Hwy 18, east of Hwy TT in Waukesha... 2 miles southwest of our current house.
Monday, February 26, 2007
Smiley!
Emma now weighs over 9 lbs. That is either right on track, extremely low or extremely high, if you go by the incredibly vague charts in the back of the baby books. Actually, I think it's right on track.
While looking for those charts, I came across the fact that by now Emma may be able to smile in response to your smile. So, I tried it out... I sat there with a goofy grin on my face while she was checking me out. And sure enough, she smiled at me. It floored me! Braden didn't smile until he was like 2 or 3 months old. What a cool feeling that was!
And as a teaser, we may have some huge news coming in the next couple of days. I'm not saying any more *cough*newhouse*cough* right now, because *cough*madeanoffer*cough* I don't want to jinx it.
While looking for those charts, I came across the fact that by now Emma may be able to smile in response to your smile. So, I tried it out... I sat there with a goofy grin on my face while she was checking me out. And sure enough, she smiled at me. It floored me! Braden didn't smile until he was like 2 or 3 months old. What a cool feeling that was!
And as a teaser, we may have some huge news coming in the next couple of days. I'm not saying any more *cough*newhouse*cough* right now, because *cough*madeanoffer*cough* I don't want to jinx it.
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Big Brother Braden
Last night I had Emma sitting up on my lap. Braden came up to her and patted her, very gently, on the head and smiled. Then he took his bear and put him on his head and looked at Emma like she was supposed to laugh at him. Next he took his bear and started to make him dance for Emma. She didn't laugh, but he certainly did. I think he's adjusting pretty well to having a baby sister!
It certainly put a smile on my face.
It certainly put a smile on my face.
Saturday, February 10, 2007
Trains in the Domes
Today we took our first family outing with Emma. We went to see the trains at the Mitchell Park Domes. Every winter they setup a garden scale train display at the domes. I have to say it was interesting bundling everyone up in the 3 degree weather only to go inside the rain forest dome.
We even got out of the house on schedule. And yes, on schedule for us means 10 minutes later than we said we wanted to leave.
As with anything involving trains, Braden absolutely loved it. I think if we had let him, he'd have sat there for hours watching the trains go around and around.
We even got out of the house on schedule. And yes, on schedule for us means 10 minutes later than we said we wanted to leave.
As with anything involving trains, Braden absolutely loved it. I think if we had let him, he'd have sat there for hours watching the trains go around and around.We did have a near disaster. Braden tore his eyes away from the trains long enough to notice that a little boy next to him had Boo Bear... well he had a bear that looked JUST LIKE Boo Bear anyway. That was pretty exciting, and I'm not really sure Braden even thought it was his Boo Bear, but Daddy quickly stepped in and distracted him. The last thing we needed was a fight over Boo Bear in the domes.
Braden also really liked the train cookies they had... like I said, anything involving trains.
Emma was pretty indifferent and slept through the whole thing, which in our minds was a success! Actually, it's not surprising... if it's not between 1 AM and 6 AM, she's probably sleeping.
Emma... child of God
On Friday, Emma was baptized in our home. Pastor Oelhafen came over and performed the baptism. Braden was very interested in the whole thing, especially the praying parts. He's a good prayer...um... prayyer... prayrer... he prays well. Emma slept through the whole thing.
Just like Braden we had her baptized here and then will have it affirmed in front of the congregation later. We wanted to have the whole family for that affirmation and this lets us schedule it a later date.
Just like Braden we had her baptized here and then will have it affirmed in front of the congregation later. We wanted to have the whole family for that affirmation and this lets us schedule it a later date.
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
Who turned this off?
I should really keep track of the number of blogs I start with "Yeah, I know it's been a while since I blogged."
Emma will be a month old on Saturday!!!! Wow. That just amazes me.
Things at home are good. Grandma has been a huge help. Braden is still doing some adjusting, but I think any issues we've seen are due more to the fact that he's cooped up in the house. Dad went back to work last week with Grandma helping at home. Everyone's pretty tired, but what do you expect? Well, actually, Braden is still getting his full amount of sleep, so he's not that tired.
The Bears lost the big championship game at the end of the season. I'm not officially licensed by the NFL, so I can't say Super Bowl. Oh great, now I'm going to get sued. We're all REALLY upset by the loss... and yes, I'm just saying that for the one person that reads this blog that is probably truley upset by the loss.
Emma will be a month old on Saturday!!!! Wow. That just amazes me.
Things at home are good. Grandma has been a huge help. Braden is still doing some adjusting, but I think any issues we've seen are due more to the fact that he's cooped up in the house. Dad went back to work last week with Grandma helping at home. Everyone's pretty tired, but what do you expect? Well, actually, Braden is still getting his full amount of sleep, so he's not that tired.
The Bears lost the big championship game at the end of the season. I'm not officially licensed by the NFL, so I can't say Super Bowl. Oh great, now I'm going to get sued. We're all REALLY upset by the loss... and yes, I'm just saying that for the one person that reads this blog that is probably truley upset by the loss.
Monday, January 15, 2007
Day 5
It's Monday. I think. It's all a little blurry right now, but I'm pretty sure it's Monday.
Everyone here is good... good and tired. Emma is sleeping a lot, eating a lot and pooping a lot. Braden is still doing his usual stuff. Mom is sleeping a little, eating a little and feeding a lot. Dad is sleeping a little, trying to clean a little and changing diapers a lot.
We did have a scare Saturday night. Emma spit up a mouthful of blood, so we rushed off to the ER. After we got there, I started wondering if it could be coming from Kathie's nipples (yeah, it's ok to talk about Kathie's nipples in the context of breast feeding... at least I hope it is.) Sure enough, the doctor told us the most common cause of that is either bleeding nipples or blood left in the system from birth. You'd think they'd tell you about that in at least one of our books or before we left the hospital. We did set a new record for getting to the ER that night and thank goodness Grandma and Grandpa were still here to put Braden to bed. For that matter, thank goodnes for everything they did for us while they were here! It would have been next to impossible without them!
Emma is back to 6 lbs, 1 oz today. Her bilirubin levels are up to 14, but they don't seem worried. We have another blood test tomorrow to make sure they aren't getting up around that dangerous level of 20.
Otherwise everything is going great! She's a great eater, and even better pooper and a good sleeper, even if she seems to think the afternoon is really night time. Then again, she was born at 9 PM, so maybe that makes sense.
Braden has adjusted very well. He's even helping change her, bringing me diapers and wipes. He is even starting to 'cuddle' with her on his bed.
Oh, and Braden went out and played in the snow for the first time today. That is if you consider dad pulling him in the sled for 45 minutes playing. He did walk around a little and took a header off the deck landing face first in the snow. He was both laughing and crying after that... but mostly crying. His favorite snow game is running into snow drifts with the sled. He almost flies out of the sled, but it's the funnest thing in the world!
Everyone here is good... good and tired. Emma is sleeping a lot, eating a lot and pooping a lot. Braden is still doing his usual stuff. Mom is sleeping a little, eating a little and feeding a lot. Dad is sleeping a little, trying to clean a little and changing diapers a lot.
We did have a scare Saturday night. Emma spit up a mouthful of blood, so we rushed off to the ER. After we got there, I started wondering if it could be coming from Kathie's nipples (yeah, it's ok to talk about Kathie's nipples in the context of breast feeding... at least I hope it is.) Sure enough, the doctor told us the most common cause of that is either bleeding nipples or blood left in the system from birth. You'd think they'd tell you about that in at least one of our books or before we left the hospital. We did set a new record for getting to the ER that night and thank goodness Grandma and Grandpa were still here to put Braden to bed. For that matter, thank goodnes for everything they did for us while they were here! It would have been next to impossible without them!
Emma is back to 6 lbs, 1 oz today. Her bilirubin levels are up to 14, but they don't seem worried. We have another blood test tomorrow to make sure they aren't getting up around that dangerous level of 20.
Otherwise everything is going great! She's a great eater, and even better pooper and a good sleeper, even if she seems to think the afternoon is really night time. Then again, she was born at 9 PM, so maybe that makes sense.
Braden has adjusted very well. He's even helping change her, bringing me diapers and wipes. He is even starting to 'cuddle' with her on his bed.
Oh, and Braden went out and played in the snow for the first time today. That is if you consider dad pulling him in the sled for 45 minutes playing. He did walk around a little and took a header off the deck landing face first in the snow. He was both laughing and crying after that... but mostly crying. His favorite snow game is running into snow drifts with the sled. He almost flies out of the sled, but it's the funnest thing in the world!
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Here she is...
Pictures! There are more up on our picture site, but here's a teaser.
Everyone is doing well, but we're all a little tired. Braden just left. He was a little unsure of what was going on, but had fun walking around the hospital hallways with mom. He also knows where the baby is and was able to find her nose and ears. I think the first visit went pretty well.
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Emma Victoria Ehlke
Welcome to the world, Emma Victoria Ehlke. Born 8:59 PM, January 10, 2007. 6 lbs, 9.5 oz, 17.5 inches.
Mother and baby are both doing well!
Since the contractions were not going away and we were pretty far along, the doctors recommended we have the c-section. 15 minutes later we were heading to the OR. 45 minutes after that, Braden became a big brother. I don't think he knows yet though.
And while technology is cool, I'm an idiot and forgot to bring the cable to hook the camera up to the PC. So... sorry... no pictures yet. I'll have Grandma grab all the cables in the house tomorrow so I can upload them.
Now I'm going to try and get some rest... I hear you don't get much with two kids.
Mother and baby are both doing well!
Since the contractions were not going away and we were pretty far along, the doctors recommended we have the c-section. 15 minutes later we were heading to the OR. 45 minutes after that, Braden became a big brother. I don't think he knows yet though.
And while technology is cool, I'm an idiot and forgot to bring the cable to hook the camera up to the PC. So... sorry... no pictures yet. I'll have Grandma grab all the cables in the house tomorrow so I can upload them.
Now I'm going to try and get some rest... I hear you don't get much with two kids.
Hello from Waukesha Memorial Hospital
They have a free wireless network here at the hospital! Cool, eh?
Oh, yeah, I suppose you're wondering why we're here. Kathie started having contractions this morning. So here we are. They are trying to slow down the contractions as she is still only 3 cm's dilated and it's a little too soon. I was wrong earlier... we're at 36 weeks 5 days... which is not 37 weeks. So they want us to wait as long as we can.
It's 6 PM and they told us the doctor would be in a little while later to take a look at how things are going and make a decision on whether we go in for the c-section tonight or not. We're a little dissapointed as our doctor isn't available, but I'm sure the on call doctor is fine (even if he looks like he's 12).
Kathie is resting as comfortably as she can. The contractions are still pretty steady and about 4 minutes apart. She's very hungry though, as she can't eat.
Braden is home with Grandma, hopefully behaving himself.
We'll keep everyone up to date as soon as we can. I just realized that I'll be able to have a picture of the new baby up within hours of the birth for everyone to see! Technology is so cool!
Oh, yeah, I suppose you're wondering why we're here. Kathie started having contractions this morning. So here we are. They are trying to slow down the contractions as she is still only 3 cm's dilated and it's a little too soon. I was wrong earlier... we're at 36 weeks 5 days... which is not 37 weeks. So they want us to wait as long as we can.
It's 6 PM and they told us the doctor would be in a little while later to take a look at how things are going and make a decision on whether we go in for the c-section tonight or not. We're a little dissapointed as our doctor isn't available, but I'm sure the on call doctor is fine (even if he looks like he's 12).
Kathie is resting as comfortably as she can. The contractions are still pretty steady and about 4 minutes apart. She's very hungry though, as she can't eat.
Braden is home with Grandma, hopefully behaving himself.
We'll keep everyone up to date as soon as we can. I just realized that I'll be able to have a picture of the new baby up within hours of the birth for everyone to see! Technology is so cool!
16 Days
Yes, we're down to 16 days. Well, we hope it's only 16 days. Ok, that's not really accurate either. There are 16 days left until the scheduled c-section. We wish there were more than 16 days so we can make sure we're ready. Kathie also wishes she could get this done, as this baby has been naughty and is causing her a lot of difficulties. Braden... well... Braden loves playing with all the baby stuff we got out of storage; All the stuff that he hardly played with when he was a baby.
The baby's room is almost ready. The car seat is installed. The swing is setup. The curtains are up. The bedding is on the crib. We're doing pretty well.
Which is good, since Kathie is already 3 cm dilated and 70% effaced. If you don't know what that means, I'm not explaining it. Our doctor said she's on call this weekend. So, who knows... it could be any day. We're at 37 weeks, so the baby is full term. So she's probably ready... even if we're not!
The baby's room is almost ready. The car seat is installed. The swing is setup. The curtains are up. The bedding is on the crib. We're doing pretty well.
Which is good, since Kathie is already 3 cm dilated and 70% effaced. If you don't know what that means, I'm not explaining it. Our doctor said she's on call this weekend. So, who knows... it could be any day. We're at 37 weeks, so the baby is full term. So she's probably ready... even if we're not!
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
Happy New Year!
Do you think 'Happy New Year' is the current most common blog title in blog land? Or 'Ow, my head hurts?'
Welcome to what promises to be a very busy year for the Ehlke family! For those keeping track, we're down to 24 days and counting to the arrival of Emma. Yes. Emma seems to be the final choice unless someone swoops in with a really awesome name we haven't thought of yet.
We already took down and put away the Christmas decorations. Braden was quite confused as to where the tree went, since we took it down while he was napping. We even got up the infant 'toys' we stored, including the swing, the bouncers and the car seat. Now we're setting up Emma's room. Over all, I think we're doing quite well and should be prepared by the time the 26th roles around.
If only we could store up some sleep!
Welcome to what promises to be a very busy year for the Ehlke family! For those keeping track, we're down to 24 days and counting to the arrival of Emma. Yes. Emma seems to be the final choice unless someone swoops in with a really awesome name we haven't thought of yet.
We already took down and put away the Christmas decorations. Braden was quite confused as to where the tree went, since we took it down while he was napping. We even got up the infant 'toys' we stored, including the swing, the bouncers and the car seat. Now we're setting up Emma's room. Over all, I think we're doing quite well and should be prepared by the time the 26th roles around.
If only we could store up some sleep!
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